Author's Note:

First this is going to be a bit of fluff for Sookie and Eric. If you are a fan of the books please know this is going to be nothing like the books even a little bit. It is in fact a cool dream I had the other night and I figured I would write it up. So to all the reader's please just know this is meant to be just a bit of fun and a better way for Eric and Sookie to have met for the first time in my head. Also I do not own any of the characters from the Southern Vampire Mysteries and I am making no money off of these stories. Although the characters are not mine the story that follows is.

Sorry, I know people have issues with the ooc stuff but as a writer I have to do whatever I can to make the story work. To be honest I feel like this story is my universe and however it takes shape is how it takes shape so if you don't like it I am sorry. Feel free to leave me all kinds of reviews to tell me what you think but know that the writer is the creator of the universe not the reader. I hope you enjoy.

Lilli

-Sookie

Chapter 1

I flopped myself backwards on the couch, I was so worn out both body and mind. My every muscle ached from weariness and my brain felt like it was a kid's juice box and had been sucked completely dry but every keeps sucking and sucking trying to get that last elusive drop. I flick my heels off and rub my feet pondering why I am so tired while I try and massage my sore muscles. A few years ago everything was so normal for me, well as normal as they can be for me considering I am under constant bombardment of everyone's thoughts. Now don't get the wrong idea I am not crazy or anything I don't hear voices in my head that aren't existent, I am just a telepath.

Two years ago everything was so normal for me. Well sort of, I was just a simple bar maid trying to scrape a living and not go to crazy. It's hard to appear normal when the people all around you are thinking some of their most intimate details of their life into your head. It isn't things that they would ever tell anyone but I have more dirt on this town then any gossip columnist has on Brittney Spears. And if I wasn't the good Christian woman that I was half the town would be paying me the big bucks to keep their dirty little secrets quite.

The muscles in my neck pinch suddenly and I let out a little groan. "Sookie?" I hear my room-mate Amelia clattering down the rickety stair case from the rooms she rents from me.

"Hey girl." I say. Looking over my shoulder to see her coming into the room, with Amelia I always have to be so careful to block her out. She is what I like to think of as a loud broad caster. I notice a look of concern all over her face. "Do I really look that bad?" I ask.

"Sookie, I thought you had your shielding thing under control so that you don't read my thoughts anymore?"

"I'm not reading your thoughts girl, just your body language you should see the look on your face."

"Oh," Amelia blushed from her obvious embarrassment at accusing me of dipping into her head. "sorry, you look like shit by the way."

"Amelia Broadway I will not have you talk like that in this house!" She just waved her hands at me as if to wipe the scolding away harmlessly.

"No, really though Sook, you look like shit. You have been through so much shit lately. Why don't you just go get your little hinny into to the tub and I will make you a huge dinner while you're relaxing and then we can just sit and veg in front of the TV and watch some silly movie or something. How does that sound?"

I sighed, I really did need to relax I was going to end up getting a tension headache if I didn't relax soon. "You know what, I think for once I am going to take your advice and do just what you're suggesting. I really do need some time to just relax." I leaned forward to get myself up off the couch and a sharp pain shot through all of my muscles. "Ugh." I grunted.

"Sook, just sit there I will go run the tub and call you when it's done, start your relaxation right now."

"Sure that sounds lovely." I leaned back into the couch and closed my eyes I could feel the pressure building behind my eyes threatening the oncoming tension headache if I didn't do something to change it soon.

"Wow you must really feel shitty, if your letting me run your bath. You are one of the most stubborn people I know even when you are sick. You never let anyone take care of you Sook."

Without opening my eyes and trying very hard not to think too much. "I am just worn down to the bone Amelia. There isn't anything left, I have no boyfriend, and my life has been turned upside down too many times to count lately. Not to mention I have been shot twice, staked, beaten within an inch of my life more times than I can count, I survived a bombing and multiple wars and oh yeah just for good measure I was kidnapped and tortured by my great-grandfather's enemies. These are just some of the highlights of everything I have been through in the last few years. I don't know how much more I can take."

I felt Amelia sit beside me on the couch. "Sook, it will be okay eventually, I see big things for you in the future."

"Do I get shot again?" I laughed and cracked one eye open at her a small smirk crossing my face.

"That's not funny Sook." She had a grimace on her face that stated clearly she was unhappy with me.

I sighed. "Listen, I know it's not funny Amelia, because getting shot effing hurts like a son of a gun, but honestly what am I supposed to do? If I don't joke about it I will just fall apart and then where would I be? I would just be a blubbering mess that no one can stand to be around. Besides, I would take the physical crap any day I just can't …"

"Deal with all the emotional fallout from Quinn and Bill." She said softly.

"Yeah," I whispered. I felt my hot tears start to sting my eyes and I knew that if I didn't stop this subject soon I was going to do the very thing that I was trying to avoid, a complete and utter melt down. "I can't talk about this." I said standing up suddenly trying to be as firm as possible pushing down the sudden waves of torturous pain that is embedded in my soul. I turned and walked quickly towards my bedroom to escape from this conversation.

"Sook." Amelia said stopping me just as I got to the door of my bedroom.

"What Amelia?" I said a little sharper then I meant to be but damn it I don't want to deal with this.

"Sookie you're going to meet someone soon who won't do to you all the wretched and awful things that Bill and Quinn did. Someone who will take care of you and lo.."

I raised my hand to stop her. "You know what somehow I don't think that's ever going to happen Amelia. I'm on my own I am just going to have to learn how to live with that. By hook or by crook I have managed to survive this last few years somehow. I am not going to give in to that stupid little prayer again asking for some man to come swoop in and rescue me or to sit beside me when I'm hurt, or even to be faithful to me. And most of all, I am not going to fall victim to that stupid idea that someone loves me. It just isn't going to happen, every single time that it does I just get let down anyways so what's the point? It's not going to happen, I would join a convent except that I don't think I could handle not being able to wear my little short shorts to get all that wonderful sun." I tried to turn it into a joke but she was clearly not amused.

I turned my back to her and said softly before fleeing this stupid and anguishing conversation. "I just can't be let down any more Amelia; I just don't think I could survive another betrayal big or small from anyone." I sighed. If she had some clever remark to come back with I didn't hear it, I just closed the door to my room flipped the switch on my stereo and went about running my bath.

-Amelia

I heard Sookie shut her bedroom door, clearly our conversation was over. How on earth was I going to help her get through this? Pondering what to do I decide once again to turn to my trusty cards. Maybe, there would be some new answer's there. I got up off the couch and went towards the staircase that leads to my part of the house. I paused for a moment in front of Sookie's room; I could hear her crying on the other side of the door. Damn it, this sucks. I was just about to knock on Sookie's door when I heard her flip on her stereo. She clearly needed to be left alone for the moment.

Right, that's it I am going to find some way to fix this mess for her. I rushed up the stairs quickly and grabbed my lucky tarot deck from my bedside table. I thought about just laying out the cards like I always do but in the past weeks it hasn't yielded me any new answers on how to help Sook. This time I think I needed a little bit of divine intervention to guide my hand's and show me whatever it is that I needed to see in order to help my room-mate and best friend. I flitted about the room quickly lighting candles and incense. I debated on if I should lay out the cards on the floor like I always did or if I would yield more results on the altar. I never laid them out on the alter but damn it I need answers and results quickly.

For weeks I have been seeing the upcoming arrival of Sookie's soul mate but there is always this huge block that keeps them apart. I thought that Sook would be open to this guy and I had tried not to pry too much but after what I had just seen I finally know what the hell the block is, it's Sookie herself. With everything that she has been through in the last few years I couldn't really blame her but I hadn't really realized how bad she was until tonight. Okay divine intervention here we come. I knelt before my alter that I had tucked away, Sookie always got weird about it but being the good person that she is she never out right says anything.

I placed the deck on the alter hoping this would work. "God, and Goddess I call you here to help guide me in my quest protect me and watch over me while I work this spell. I invoke the powers of the North, East, South, and West come forward and watch over me while I work this spell." I felt the snap of power flood my room and encircle me showing me that I could proceed. "God and Goddess, Gods of the North, East, South, and West guide me show me the way to help my friend Sookie. I know you are sending her, her soul mate. I know that you intend for them to be together. I know that this is her reward for all that she has endured but I have seen her heart is blocked and that she won't let him in. Show me the way, how do I unblock her heart and ease her pain enough to accept this man. Please she needs this, I am afraid that she is going to be lost if she doesn't get this. I can see it her heart is hardening you are going to lose your most precious creation if she loses this."

I opened up the deck and slowly started laying out the cards concentrating with all my might on Sookie and her problems and looking for a solution to bring her back to who she used to be. I flipped the first card and there was Sookie an angel sent to Earth to help all. The next card shows her fighting many battles the avenger of justice for all. A pillar of pure good next was her mysterious warrior and soul mate. This man would stand by her side and fight the battles with her, he would hold her up when she was weary and he would love her for all of eternity.

This was all the same as everything I had seen before, I knew what would come next, some block that would keep them apart and ultimately cause Sookie's downfall. Always before it was just some mysterious thing that would block her way to this man but as I brush the deck my fingers trembling when I turn the next card it was another vision of Sookie. This time though not as the strong pillar of goodness but as a broken woman weeping on the battlefield of her heart.

I flipped the next card and there was Bill, clear as day, the monster that started Sookie's downfall. He had done so much to her; he had hurt her so badly time and time again, until she finally had given up and chucked him to the side. But Sookie being who she was would always come back and help him whenever he was in need which only caused her more hurt and broke her down a little more every time.

That is when she met, I flipped the next card, Quinn and he too had betrayed her to the Vampires of Nevada. They had come in and taken over Louisiana in one night and killed almost every vamp in the state. Sookie had lost so many of her friends that night. The ones that Nevada didn't manage to kill fled, including Bill. Sookie had cried for weeks after the takeover. Quinn betrayed her; Bill abandoned her again leaving Sookie open to get kidnapped by her great-grandfathers family to be tortured. Niall had managed to save her but by the time he had reached her the damage was done. She was broken and defeated. She put on a good show and tried to pretend everything was alright but she just wasn't.

Quinn had tried to apologize telling her he had little choice because they had kidnapped his mom but he had directly lead to the death to so many of her friends that even though she understood why he had done it she could never forgive him. When he had flipped out and told her that no one would ever love her that was it. The slow death of Sookie's soul started, she removed herself from the Supe world. She stopped doing her job there and therefore removing herself from her rightful place in the world. The only place she could ever be truly accepted was with the Supe's and Sookie knew this. She just didn't care anymore. The Were's, Shifter's, and Vamp's had just all let her down one too many times.

I flipped the next card and saw that this was the worst thing for her to do; on the horizon was her biggest battle yet. The next card showed me the outcome of this huge looming battle was all dependent upon this mystery man and if Sookie refused to accept him she would lose him and he would lose his life. It wouldn't be until that moment of his death, unless the block was removed, she would realize how much she loved this man. If this happened that would finally break her and send her spiraling down into the abyss that will eventually ether end her life or worse send her working for the forces of evil.

"Well shit," Amelia swore. "Oopps sorry. Okay so what do I do? How do we fix her enough to save her from herself?" I flipped the next card and almost started to laugh it said really clearly. "Well, all you had to do was ask, we will take care of the rest."

-Sookie

I slipped into my room and shut my door behind me just as the traitorous tears started streaming down my face. I heard the squeak of a step and I knew Amelia was just on the other side of the door. I wiped away my tears away angrily, stomped over to my radio that sat on my dresser and flipped it on loudly. "NO SOOKIE!" I whispered to myself. "You have got through this and you won't fall apart now." I pulled my stony walls, that have been my only safe harbor, up and around me reveling in the safeness of keeping everything out. I had this little nagging at the back of my head that somehow that wasn't right.

I pushed that thought away because at this moment I just didn't care. I sunk down in the scorching goodness of my tub it was so hot that it would probably boil me alive but at this moment I just wanted to feel the warmth. I laid my head back in the tub and shut my eyes letting the hot water slowly take away all the tension that I had been holding in my muscles.

Where had my life gone so horribly wrong? How was it that I ended up feeling the way that I do right now? I sighed to myself; it was all that Bill Compton's fault. The very thought of my now missing and very ex boyfriend made my blood boil and my heart break all at the same time. How could I have been so blind so naïve? He had used me, abused me, and thrown me away without a second thought. Then there was Quinn, I had thought for sure this was it this was the guy I was meant to spend my life with. I had often day dreamed that we would have live here in Gran's house raise a family, have grandchildren. Be normal. I had been delusioning myself though. How can you be normal if your husband is a were tiger?

I felt the hot tears start to fall and this time I let them. There was no one here why not cry? Had I even let myself really cry once sense all of this started. God knows I have yet to really even deal with any of it? The war's, the bombing, the killing, the bodies, the gore, the betrayal's and all the times I have been hurt physically to top everything off. The tears flowed faster and faster and for the first time I let myself feel just how hurt I was and I wished truly wished that I had someone who could really love me. Someone who would be there to hold me and kiss me and take away all my pain with just their presence. I really wanted to wish that I could not be a part of this other world, the Supe world, anymore but the moment the thought popped into my head I pushed it away angrily. I belonged to that world. The Supe's they needed me. It seemed like they couldn't make it through one month without having me solve one problem or another. I was like the Supe wonder woman with the special ability to read peoples thoughts, take stupid risks and kick butt all in one day.

Vision's of me flying around in an invisible plane wearing nothing more than a pair of fancy underwear and a corset flashed through my head. I giggled, the more I thought about it the more I laughed. Then I realized I hadn't laughed in so long and it felt so good that I laughed some more. I pictured my boss in his cute collie form at my side biting my enemy's balls off in a single bound. I was practically in hysterics at this thought. I heard a light tap tap tap at my door. "Sook you okay in there?" Amelia's voice floated through the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just fine. Everything is okay really." She must have left because no response came back. I realized everything was okay, yeah I had been through a lot but somehow I always managed to get through it. I always had some divine hand watching my back and guiding my footsteps. Sure I had a lot of crappy things happen along the way but didn't that happen to everyone? Somehow other's always managed to get through dealing with ex-boyfriends without having complete and utter breakdowns, granted my ex-boyfriends are a vampire and a were tiger but that's beside the point. And granted they both also betrayed me horribly but again beside the point, I digress, I somehow managed to survive all of these really horrible things and be relatively unscathed by it. Why should I let all of that stuff weigh me down and keep me from living my life?

Well I am sure Bill would just love it if he knew that I was brooding so badly over him that I couldn't function and Quinn would like nothing more than for me to crawl on my knees and beg for him to take me back. Yeah that would happen never, why am I letting these ass holes ruin my life? Sure there was a ton of other interests that I had had that let me down too in some small way or another, Alcide, Calvin, but again what did I possibly have to gain from brooding over what might have been and what was? Why was I not allowing myself to be more open and move on? I shook my head at myself seems kind of pointless when I think about it.

The little voice that had been keeping me down for the last few months tickled at me, what about all the physical injuries that you have dealt with, isn't that worth staying away from the Supe's? Evil Sookie, bad Sookie, the front of my head said. Hadn't I survived all of that stuff, and in reality it could have been so much worse. Sure I had been betrayed a ton of times but that happens a lot to others my betrayals are just on a different level because of the community to which I belong. My physical injuries, well quite simply, I lived through them. Hadn't I got every single one of those injury's in defense of the people that I love even if sometimes that love wasn't true on the other persons part my love for them caused me to rush head long in to danger and do the right thing.

Why was have I been such a whiny woman for so long, why couldn't I just accept my life is what it is? I actually belong to a great community of people, regardless of what others think of the Supe's they are still people, they accepted me for who I am and value me for it. Sure some times that ends up leading me head long in to a dangerous situation but well it is what it is. I can never be a "normal" girl. Hell I can barely stand to be around "normal" people. The Supe community doesn't look at me like a freak because well comparatively speaking I am way more normal than any of them and I am always willing to lay my blood, sweat, tears, and life on the line right alongside there's for them regardless of the effects that it has on me.

I almost kicked myself, I had been pushing those people who actually liked me and accepted me for who and what I was away because of some stupid delusion of the way life is really meant to be. When in fact, for the last two years I was for the first time living in the world I truly belonged and sure it sucks that I had all this really bad stuff happen to me but it's part of the world and just not accepting that world really isn't an option. I am who I am; I am Sookie Stackhouse telepath, friend of the pack, defender of the shifters, ally of the vamps and savior of them all. I had saved them all over and over again and damn it some of them really liked me and I really liked and loved some of them. Now if only I could find myself a good man.

I hopped out of the tub and went about getting myself dressed, I felt better than I had in a long time. My whole body felt lighter and I found myself dancing around my room singing for the first time in ages. A knock on the door about scared me out of my wits. "Sookie, you have a phone call hun, I think it's your brother, you want me to tell him to get lost?"

"Naw Amelia I will be right out."I threw on my large terry cloth robe, the only reminder that I have left of Bill he bought it for me when we were in Dallas I had never had the heart to get rid of it, it was such a beautiful robe, and went to the living room. Evil Sookie choose that moment to pop in my head and say. "You shouldn't talk to Jason he hurt you the most, he made you smash your friends hand he betrayed you time and time again. He has been nothing but horrible to you and you shouldn't have anything to do with him." The thought gave me pause for about ten seconds as I ran this through my head. Yes, Jason had done some stupid things, yes he made me smash my friends hand to bits, yes he was annoying as hell and made me feel awful half the time but damn it he's family. Sometimes with family and even friends you just have to remember their human, (were, vamp, witch you get the idea) too and make mistakes. You just have to move on and get over things and deal. If you love someone you just forgive them there flaws most of the time and move on. Jason was all I had left of my family; I can't stay mad at him forever.

It is with this new resolve that I answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Sookie, listen I know you're still mad at me but my pack master has asked me to ask you, no to beg you to come out to Hot Shot for his wedding. He says that you should be there you are part of this pack even if you don't change forms every month. He says you deserve to be included and most of all deserve to have a good time."

"Jason I…"

But before I could even finish saying sure Jason I would love to come, Jason interrupted me. "Sookie I am so sorry, I know I am a half wit of a brother who has given you nothing but grief over the years and you deserve so much better than me. Sookie you're the strongest woman I have ever met, hell you're stronger than Gran and she had to actually raise me. Your funny and brave and you have risked you neck so many times just to make sure we were all safe. I love you sis please forgive me for every stupid mistake I have ever made. I'm sorry."

I started to cry, again, "Oh no Sookie don't cry please don't cry, damn it I didn't want you to cry I am trying to make you feel better not worse."

"Shut up Jason," that got a stunned silence. "Of course I will come, I would love to come. I am crying because for once it is nice to hear you actually admit when you have been a dumb ass and tell me that I actually mean something to you."

"Oh, well yeah Sook of course you do, didn't you know that I, well you know, you're my sister and I…."

"Yes, yes you love me I know don't give yourself a stroke or something trying to tell me. So Calvin is finally getting married to Tonya, well shoot when is it that I need to be out there?"

"In an hour." Jason replied.
"What?? Jason you couldn't have given me a little more time than that to get myself together and prepare Jesus Jason." I sighed.

"I'm sorry Sook it's just that well, he did tell me to call you like a month ago but well I have been putting it off because well I was being an ass okay. It will be worth it though if you come, you think mine and Crystal's wedding was huge, the wedding of the Pack master is a really big deal there is going to be all kinds of people here. I think every Supe Community in the area is either sending out rep's or they are coming. I know all of the Shreveport Were's are coming, a ton of different shifters, no tiger's though I promise, plus I think that we are even having the new sheriff of the vamp community come as well. There will be a huge dinner and a ton of dancing and it's going to be a blast."

"Wow, that's insane, I didn't think that all of the communities got along well enough to all gather together like that." I said.

"Well… okay Sookie don't go and get a big head or nothing but it's because of you."

I spluttered. "What are you talking about Jason?! I didn't do anything, I didn't even know about this wedding until five minutes ago how could I have gotten all the various members of the different Supe community's to come together for Calvin's wedding that's ridiculous."

"No, Sookie not that you invited them all and that's why they are all coming it's more like what you set in motion. It's more like because of everything that you have done for everyone and everything that you have been through, you have drawn us all together. We have all fought together and every time it was either in defense of you or because you kicked all of our asses into gear to join whatever cause it is that you are fighting for at the time. You rock, your kind of the…" he paused to think about it for a minute. "Wonder Woman of the Supe world."

Hadn't I had that exact same thought, I couldn't help but laugh. "All right, I guess, wow Jason, I didn't know you were so smart."

"Yeah, well don't go tellin' no one cause you're going to ruin my rep if you do."

I couldn't help but laugh again, "I promise not a word will pass my lips, I will see you in an hour."

"Sure Sook."

"Bye Jay, love you bro."

"Yeah, yeah." He said and laughed.

Funny the way things work, I had just resolved to stop being such an ass and go back to the community that I truly belong to and here it is knocking on my door asking if I want to come out and play. I shook my head and turned around to see Amelia smiling at me. "Hey Witch, wanna go to a party?"

"Don't have to ask me twice telepath." She laughed back.