DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in the Southern Vampire Mysteries. They all belong to Charlaine Harris. I also do not own "Brothers on a Hotel Bed". It belongs to Death Cab for Cutie.
"You may tire of me
As our December sun is setting,
'cause I'm not who I used to be.
No longer easy on the eyes,
As these wrinkles masterfully disguise
The youthful boy below."
Sookie Stackhouse looked in the mirror and sighed. She pushed on her cheeks slightly, pulling them upward so that they were taut. She let them go and sighed even bigger.
It had been about ten years since the vampires "came out of the coffin", and Sookie was about to turn 33. She was no longer the innocent, young girl she had been when Bill Compton first walked into Merlotte's those years ago. Of course, she was no longer in a relationship with him. After she had found out about his true motives in seeking her out, she all but cut him off from her life.
After the hostile takeover of Louisiana by Filipe de Castro, she had fallen into a comfortable relationship with Eric Northman, the sheriff of Area 5. Even she was surprised at how domestic their life had become. She still worked at Merlotte's, but on days that she worked later in the day or not at all, she stayed at Eric's house in Shreveport. Other nights he stayed with her and slept in the "hidey hole" during the day.
Sookie pulled at her eyes, trying to move away the wrinkles around them. When she let go, the laugh lines reverted back to their natural state, making her sigh deep again. She turned her head to look at the clock and swore under her breath. It was nearing 5 o'clock, and since it was December, the sun would be setting early that night. That meant Eric would be getting up earlier than during the summer months. She'd worked the lunch shift that day, so getting ready for work was not a problem. She just needed to make herself something to eat before Eric woke. After one last glance in the mirror, she headed for the door and down the stairs to the kitchen to fix something for dinner.
"Who turned your way and saw
something he was not looking for,
both a beginning and an end.
But now he lives inside
Someone he does not recognize
When he catches his reflection on accident."
Sookie was wearing a normal outfit she would change into after work. A pair of ratty jeans and a "Bon Temps Football" t-shirt, nothing sexy, which is why she was slightly started when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and a scruffy face kissed her neck.
"Good evening, lover," Eric said into her neck. His voice was low, seductive, and even after all these years sent shivers down Sookie's spine.
"'Night," She said quietly, still stirring the soup she'd been making before Eric interrupted.
"We will leave for Fangtasia after you have fed, dear one," He said, detaching himself from her and plopping down in a chair at her kitchen table. Like his ability to turn her libido on with a few words, it was also easy for him to anger her with a few words. Even after al these years, he still acted like her boss. She was not one of his underlings. However, she had learned that arguments and nights of sleeping on opposite sides of the bed were not worth mentioning it to him. She had wasted too much breath on this particular topic.
She nodded and ladled herself a bowl of the chicken noodle soup before sitting down at her kitchen table next to him, eating in silence as he watched her.
"Do you want some true blood?" She asked as she spooned some soup into her mouth. The soup was still incredibly hot, but she needed it in the cold winter months.
He shook his head. "I will get some at the bar." She knew he didn't need to feed as often as younger vampires, but the manners her Gran had instilled in her died hard.
"On the back of a motor bike
with your arms outstretched trying to take flight,
leaving everything behind.
But even at our swiftest speed,
We couldn't break from the concrete
In the city where we still reside."
Sookie was sitting in she and Eric's normal booth at Fangtasia, brooding. They had gotten into a slight argument about his driving on the way to the bar, and now he was ignoring her. He was standing near the bar, talking to another vampire and nursing a true blood. She almost snarled in her displeasure at her current situation, but Pam, Eric's second, sat down in the booth across from her.
"Sookie, you are angry at my master?" Pam was blunt as usual.
"Gee, how could you tell?" Sookie asked, dripping with sarcasm. She drummed her fingers on the table and looked around the bar. Tonight was like any night at Fangtasia. Scantily clad vampires and humans grinded on each other, hoping to leave with a partner for the night. She put up mental blocks when she came here, after years of hearing thoughts that made her blush bright red. Also after hearing many, many thoughts about Eric that made her want to throw down.
That was another thing that bothered her about Fangtasia. No matter that she had been coming around with Eric for years, women (and sometimes men) came to the bar every night, hoping to get lucky with the gorgeous Viking vampire.
Tonight was no different. There were two blonde, surgically enhanced women grinding on each other just feet away from Eric. The way they continued to glance up at him made her believe that they were putting on a show, just for him. And even though Eric did not give the women a second glance, she was still annoyed. She made a snarling noise and stood up.
"Pam, tell your "Master" that I'll be waiting in his office when he's ready to go home," She said, stomping to the back room to wait for the night to be over.
"And I have learned
that even land-locked lovers yearn
for the sea like navy men.
'Cause now we say goodnight
from our own separate sides,
like brothers on a hotel bed."
Sookie was in the bathroom connected to Eric's bedroom, attending to her "human needs". Eric was lounging on the bed, in what Sookie called "down time".
Sookie turned the faucet on and began to wash her face. She was exausted. As she got older, the long shifts and nights in Shreveport took more out of her than she would like. She was completely lost in her thoughts when a noise from the other room jolted her from them.
"Lover?" She heard Eric call. She made a noise to know she was listening. "Are you angry with me?"
She dried her face and sighed. She figured they would have to talk eventually, but she didn't think he would be the one to bring it up. She dropped the towel in the hamper and exited the bathroom, wearing her pajamas, and moved toward the bed. She lay down next to Eric and sighed again.
"I've just been thinking about a lot of things lately…" She trailed off and stared at the ceiling as a lump formed in her throat. She'd been thinking about her future quite a lot lately. Her friends were all married and had children. She took care of their babies and it made her yearn for a few of her own. And even though vampires could get married now in the state of Louisiana, Eric felt that their bond and the "ceremony" performed with the knife was enough to keep them together for…well, for the rest of Sookie's life. But, despite their comfortable situation, she was unsatisfied.
Sookie moved so her elbow propped her up.
"Eric. We can't have kids," She said slowly, making sure the words came out.
He paused for a few moments, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"This is nothing new, dear one," He said, equally as slow. "You have always known this."
Sookie sighed, knowing this was going to be a long night.
"Like brothers on a hotel bed."
"I feel like I've wasted most of my youth on you!" Sookie practically yelled at him. The argument had steadily escalated, like most of their arguments lately and she once again felt like she was getting nowhere with him. "We can't have kids, Eric! I want children! I'm almost to the point where that is not possible for me anymore!"
She was standing now, and gesturing wildly with her arms. He was still sitting on the bed, but he was actively involved in this argument as well. He was silent for the moment, but she knew he was stewing.
"I'm so tired of sitting at Fangtasia every night, watching young women throw themselves at you!" She said, a little louder than she intended. "I'm old, Eric. They look better than me!"
Eric laughed, but it was not a good-natured laugh. It was almost an "I'm-laughing-at-you" laugh.
"Lover, I can assure you that I have no interest in those women," He spat out. "And you are far from old."
Sookie sighed again, for what must've been the thousandth time that day.
"Like brothers on a hotel bed."
"Whatever," Sookie said, countless minutes later. She pulled the covers back on her side of the bed and lay down. The argument went nowhere, and she was tired. She was done with this for the night.
She felt Eric move in close to her, pulling her against him and kissing her on her neck. She swatted him away and he let her pry his arms from her body.
"Not tonight, Eric," She said, softly. "I'm tired."
Then she rolled away from him, and they slept. On their own separate sides, "like brothers on a hotel bed".
Author's note: I realize this isn't the happiest Sookie and Eric fic, but this is also my first fic in YEARS, so I would like everyone to know that I do ship Sookie and Eric, but I always wonder whats going to go on in years to come, as Sookie ages and Eric does not.