In My Life

by beatlechicksteph

My entry for the I Write the Songs contest. Eric comes to visit Sookie about a month after the events in DITF to convince her that she's the most important person in his life. Based on the song In My Life by The Beatles

I Write The Songs . CONTEST ENTRY

TITLE: In My Life (The Beatles)

CHARACTERS: Eric and Sookie

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, Charlaine Harris owns SVM, The Beatles own the song.

PEN NAME: beatlechicksteph

BETA NAME:

VIRGIN WRITER : NO

TEASER: Eric comes to visit Sookie about a month after the events in DITF to convince her that she's the most important person in his life.

EPOV

I was speeding down the highway between Shreveport and Bon Temps in my Corvette, and my mind was on everything but the road that stretched out in front of me. It had been a month since my maker's final death and all the destruction that came with it. Pam had healed, but she was still pissed about the situation. I had conflicting feelings about Appius' final death. On one hand, I was glad to be free of him, glad that I no longer needed to worry about him calling me back. On the other hand, I was upset because he was no longer able to help us with our Victor problem. Victor. That guy was a thorn in my side. I couldn't touch him if I wanted to keep my position of power—and my life. Since I couldn't get rid of him, I had to constantly live in fear that he was going to send a human or Were during the day to kidnap Sookie, or take her himself at night when she was working for the shifter and I was busy at Fangtasia.

Sookie. She was as stubborn as ever. I've spent the last month trying to convince her to move in with me, and quit her job. She refused to do either. She kept muttering something about not wanting to be a kept woman. No matter what I argued, she had a retort. Lately her argument has been that I didn't really love her, and that I would quickly find a new lover once I grew bored with her or once she grew old. Which was crazy. I loved her. But no matter how much I told her this, she wouldn't believe me. So, that's why I was driving to Bon Temps tonight, on Sookie's night off, to talk some reason into her. And I wasn't leaving until she understood how I felt about her.

I pulled into her driveway and pulled around behind the house. Her kitchen light was on, which meant Sookie was waiting for me. I had called her last night and told her to expect me shortly after first dark tonight. I let myself into her house and saw Sookie waiting at her kitchen table finishing up a meal. She was wearing a Fangtasia t-shirt and sweat pants and looked as beautiful as ever. I had to chuckle to myself as I looked down and saw my own Fangtasia t-shirt paired with jeans. She looked up as I entered, and greeted me with a wide smile.

"Good evening, lover," I said, closing the door behind me.

"Hey, Eric. Would you like a blood?" Sookie asked brightly, starting to get up. She was obviously glad that I had come, and it showed all over her face.

"Sit, enjoy your meal. I'll help myself." I moved to the refrigerator and pulled out a True Blood and placed it in the microwave to heat up. "How was your day?" I asked, knowing that Sookie enjoyed the domesticity of sharing what we had done while we were apart.

"It was okay. I got called in to cover the lunch shift today, so I just got home about an hour ago," Sookie said, her tone was one of annoyance, but it was so light you had to listen closely to hear it.

I pulled my blood out of the microwave and walked over to sit at the table with Sookie. "I thought today was supposed to be your day off? You were going to do menial chores around the house."

"Yeah, but Holly's kid was sick, so Sam asked if I could come in and cover for her today," Sookie replied as she sat back in her chair, her tone become defensive.

"Are you going to get a different day off?" I asked, seething inside at the shifter. I'm sure my face betrayed what I was feeling, I was never one to hide how I felt about Sookie's boss, and she was aware of that.

"Nah, I don't think so," Sookie said. Then quickly added, "But it's okay, I don't mind. I could always use the money."

I growled lowly, quiet enough for it to barely be audible to Sookie's ears. This was another argument we'd been having often. Money, and how she wouldn't accept any from me, even though we were married—at least we were in the vampire world.

"Sookie, if you would just let me cover some of your expenses, or even better, you can move in with me…"

"Eric, we've been over this before. I'm not going to be a kept woman. I don't want any of your money, and I'm not quitting my job," Sookie interrupted, folding her arms across her chest, her tone stubborn.

"I've never said anything about you being a 'kept woman.' I love you. You are my wife. It would be nice if we were living in the same home, in the same city. You could still work. I want us to live together as man and wife," I growled.

Sookie scoffed. "Love? Wife? You don't love me. You just care about protecting me from Victor and de Castro. We have a sham marriage, recognized only by vampires."

"You don't really think that. If you did, you wouldn't still be with me. Can't you feel through the bond how much I love you?" I concentrated and sent all my love to Sookie through the bond.

Sookie's eyes welled up. "I had Amelia remove the bond a couple days ago," she spoke quietly, emotion lacing her voice.

That news hit me like a ton of bricks. True, I hadn't felt her through the bond the last couple days, but I thought that meant she had finally figured out how to block me from feeling it, like she could block people's thoughts. Never in my wildest dreams did I think she would remove it completely.

"Why?" I managed to croak out. I really didn't want to show emotion in front of her, but it was hard.

"I needed to be able to differentiate my feelings from yours. I also felt that removing the bond would make it easier on me when you eventually grew tired of me. Break my heart a little less," Sookie said quietly.

I paused for a second to calm my emotions. It felt as if Sookie had ripped my heart out. "Why do you assume I'm going to break your heart?" I asked, emotion heavy in my voice. "In all my thousand years, I have never loved anyone as much as I love you."

"Now. But what about a year from now? Twenty? Fifty? Do you really expect me to believe that you'll still love me when I'm old and wrinkly and you haven't aged? Can you honestly tell me that you would love me for the rest of my life?" She sat there, across the table from me and waited for me to answer her. She was trying to control her tears, but her voice indicated that she was on the brink of breaking down.

"Yes, and then I would mourn you for the rest of mine," I answered quickly, without hesitation.

Sookie closed her eyes, and I watched as tears streaked their way down her cheeks. I reached across the table and grasped Sookie's hand in mine.

"I remember everything and everyone from my life. I've had many friends and lovers, most are long gone, and some are still living. But Sookie, of all those friends and lovers, there is no one who compares with you," I told her, emotion heavy in my voice. It made me sound weak, but because I was only with her, I didn't worry about it. I was free to be myself around her.

Sookie opened her eyes and looked into mine. "What about Pam? There is no way that you care for me more than Pam. She is your child. You guys share a much stronger bond than we could ever share."

"I care deeply for Pam, but in a different way. I married you, Sookie. I. Married. You," I said, never breaking eye contact.

Sookie sighed. "You tricked me into marrying you for political purposes. You did it to protect me from Victor and de Castro," Sookie practically yelled at me. Then she dropped her voice and said much more quietly, "You never even asked me."

It was my turn to sigh. "If I had asked, would you have agreed?"

Sookie paused and was quiet for a long time. "Yes, I would have."

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on the table. "Every sign after we bonded in Rhodes indicated otherwise. You, Miss Stackhouse, are a stubborn woman."

Sookie stood up and slammed her chair into the table. "I didn't have a choice then either. You never explained it to me at all. You just did it."

I stood up too. "You did have a choice, if I recall. It was between Andre and me. I didn't see you volunteering to bond yourself to Andre."

"But you never gave me a choice about being bonded to you. You never explained the effects of exchanging blood for a third time. You manipulated me!" Sookie yelled.

"I did it because I love you!" I roared. "Did it ever occur to you that everything I've done is because I love you? That if something happened to you, it would kill me? I don't do these things to hurt you. I don't purposely manipulate you. Everything I do is a way for me to protect the most important person in my life."

We stood there staring at each other as my voice echoed in the silence of the kitchen, the tension in the room palpable. We stayed that way for a long time before Sookie spoke up. "I've never thought of it like that before. It's never occurred to me that you did the things you've done because you love me. I was never aware of the fact that I'm the most important person in your life. I always assumed I always came second behind vampire politics."

I walked over to Sookie and stood before her, leaving a space between us large enough for her to feel comfortable, even though I wanted nothing more than to hold her in my arms. "I thought that all this time I was making my feelings clear. I've always been honest with you. I have also told you specifically that I love you. If anyone should have doubts, it should be me."

Sookie gave me a quizzical look. "You? Why in the world would you have doubts?"

"Because, lover, you're the one who has trouble telling me you love me. You're the one who had a witch remove our bond. You're the one pushing me away."

"Eric," Sookie said quietly, closing her eyes as tears streaked their way down her cheeks.

I took a step forward. "Why have you never spoken to me about your concerns? Why do you keep everything from me?"

Sookie opened her eyes. "Because you're too busy with your sheriff duties. You are too busy trying to find a way to get rid of Victor. I don't want to distract you, because I fear that if I do, you may meet your final death."

"I'm never too busy for you. If you wan to talk, tell me. Communication is important. You need to talk to me before you do something rash like removing our blood bond," I started off speaking gently, but by the time I got to the blood bond, my tone had grown harsh.

"Like you talked to me before you bonded to me or married me?" Sookie spat out.

"I feel like we're going in circles here," I said throwing my arms in the air in exasperation.

Sookie sighed. "That because we are going in circles here." She pulled her chair out, sat down and laid her head on the table. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

My heart ached for her. Had she really viewed everything I've done as a manipulation for political gain? I had never known she still felt that way. I knew that she originally had those feelings, but I thought things were different now. She had been spending a lot of time at my house, and she had indicated that she love me too. Had I read the situation wrong? I went down on my knees next to her. I place my hand on her back, wanting to have some physical contact with her.

"Oh, Sookie," a single red tear streaked down my cheek. "If you want me to leave you alone, I will. I never should have forced you into something you didn't want, just because I love you. I should have asked how you felt first."

Sookie picked her head up off the table and looked at me. She lifted her hand to my cheek and wiped away my tear. "Please don't cry. It's so strange to see you cry," she said softly.

"Only for you, Sookie," I replied just as quietly.

Then, Sookie did something I hadn't expected she would do. She leaned forward and kissed me. It started off soft but grew in intensity as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me closer. I was so shocked that Sookie had initiated this kiss it took me a second before I wrapped my arms around her waist in an effort to get closer to her. She opened her mouth to let me gain entrance, and as I deepened our kiss, I felt a flood of emotions that weren't mine hit me. I pulled away, eyes wide. Our bond was back, but I didn't understand why.

As if she could read my mind, Sookie smiled and said, "Amelia didn't permanently remove the bond. I didn't want her to. It was only temporary and could be returned when I wanted it to. When I was sure about how you felt about me. I wanted it to be my choice. My decision to be bonded to you."

I smiled, pulled Sookie into my arms, and stood up, taking her with me. Sookie placed kisses on my cheek and whispered, "I love you, Eric. I really truly do. I've never loved anyone like I've loved you. I'm sorry I caused you to doubt my feelings. I just felt like I needed to have a choice in how I lived my life."

I didn't think it was possible, but my smile grew bigger. Then I made a decision and did something I had wanted to do for a couple weeks now, but it had never felt like the right time. "Marry me," I stated matter-of-factly.

Sookie looked at me skeptically. "What?"

I put Sookie down and took a step back. "I love you, and I want this to be something that you get a choice in as well." I got down on one knee, reached into the pocket of my jeans, and pulled out a ring. "I have lived a long time, Sookie, and I've been many places, met many people and have had a lot of friends and lovers, but you're one of a kind. All my memories lose their meaning, because you allow me to think of love as something new. You are already my wife in the only way that matters to me. Would you be mine in the way that is meaningful to you?"

Sookie was crying by the time I was finished, but I could tell through the bond that she was ecstatic. She began nodding her head and got a wide smile on her face. "Yes."

That was all I needed to hear before I slipped the ring on her finger and then swooped down to capture her lips with mine. This time our kiss was passionate and frenzied, all of the emotions we had been feeling throughout our fight pouring out of us and into this kiss. We made quick work of our clothes and I lifted Sookie up onto her table, running my hands down her body, groping and caressing. One of my hands strayed down to the juncture between her legs, and Sookie moaned as my fingers made contact with her core. I found her ready and I used my fingers to drive her close to her first climax. Just as her breathing began to even out, I removed my fingers before quickly entering her. Our lovemaking was hard and fast, but full of love and passion. It didn't take long for Sookie to reach her second release, screaming my name. I soon followed, roaring hers before biting into her neck to taste her sweet blood. As we came down from our high, I healed the mark I had left on her neck and scooped Sookie up to carry her to her bedroom. I placed her on her bed and crawled in with her.

We lay in her bed, basking in the glow of our lovemaking and feeling the love through our bond. As Sookie's breathing evened out and she fell asleep, I continued to lay with her in my arms, thinking about the night's events. Eventually we would have to discuss living arrangements and job and money, but that could come later. Right now I was just happy to lie in bed and think about the future with the girl I would spend a small yet significant portion of my life with. Someone who was the most important person in my life.

AN: Thank you for reading! Please leave me a review telling me what you think!