Title: Oändlig Barmhärtigheten (according to an online translator, this is Swedish for Eternal Compassion. As I speak no Swedish whatsoever I won't vouch for its accuracy. Anyone who speaks some Swedish, feel free to correct me).

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with these characters, True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I am simply borrowing them for fun.

SPOILERS: possibly up to the season 2 finale although this is set directly following 2x09.

Notes: So after watching the heartbreaking final scene of 2x09 with Godric and Eric, I couldn't get this idea out of my head. I intend to continue it and make it into a reasonably long E/S story; however I have a notoriously short attention span so I'm not making any promises about future chapters. You have been warned.

Feedback and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated. These characters were much more difficult to write than I anticipated and I'd love to hear what people think about the characterization.

Chapter 1

It was all over. Sookie looked at the empty spot where Godric had stood as he met the sun, tears still running down her face. There was nothing left of him save the shirt he had been wearing, no remains to indicate that only a few minutes ago a 2000 year old vampire had been standing there.

She walked over to the edge of the roof. It was a perfect sunrise, and she thought sadly that at least Godric's last view of this world had been something beautiful, not like the ugliness that had transpired over the last few days. She hoped that wherever he was, he found the peace that he'd so desperately wanted.

Bending over to pick up his shirt, Sookie wondered how Eric was feeling. Although she'd always found the blond vampire to be arrogant, heartless and manipulative - his tricking her into drinking his blood being a perfect example of his underhanded behavior - she couldn't help but feel for him. His grief over his Maker's decision was so raw; Sookie thought it might have been the first real emotion she'd ever seen in him. Watching him on his knees begging with Godric in his native tongue had made her stomach hurt and her eyes well up. She'd thought that she hated Eric, but that feeling had evaporated with the blue flames that consumed his Maker. She could never hate anyone who was capable of that kind of love.

Still clutching Godric's shirt, Sookie wiped her eyes and headed back into the hotel. She was planning to go straight to the room she was sharing with Bill, but veered off at the last minute and came to a rest in front of Eric's room. Biting her lip, the telepath wondered how angry Bill would be at her being here. He hated Eric, hated even more that Eric wanted her, and he'd be furious that she was showing the Viking any kind of sympathy. He hadn't even wanted her to go to Godric, she recalled. But it just wasn't in her to ignore someone who was in pain.

With the image of Eric's grief still fresh in her mind, she knew she couldn't just go to bed and pretend that everything was ok. Besides, she mused, Bill was probably asleep already; he wouldn't notice her missing. She wasn't sure the same could be said for Eric, although whether or not he'd want her company was another matter. She looked down at the shirt in her hand. At the very least, she could give him this; a last memento of his Maker. And then, if he wanted to be alone, she'd leave him to rest.

As she knocked on the door, it pushed open under her hand. Not shut properly, she thought frowning, knowing that Eric was usually very security conscious. "Eric?" Sookie called, stepping into the room. There was no answer, but as she turned to scan the room she realized she didn't need one.

The Area 5 sheriff was sitting on the couch, head in hands. Sookie's heart went out to him. It was such an unusual posture for the usually proud vampire; normally he walked around like he was God deigning to grant mortals the honor of his presence. She stood there for a minute, waiting for him to look up, when she realized that he hadn't noticed her.

"Eric?" she said softly, walking over to him. He was so still and pale he looked like a statue. "Eric? It's Sookie."

Finally he moved to look at her. "Sookie." His voice was hoarse and quiet, the opposite of his usual cocky drawl.

"Oh, Eric," she blinked back tears again as she took in his bloody, tear-streaked face.

"He's gone." Eric's voice was lifeless.

"Yes, he's gone," Sookie agreed quietly.

"Did he...suffer much?"

"No," Sookie assured the vampire, "it was fast. And in the end he was...joyful. At peace, I think."

Eric shook his head, barely understanding what she was saying. Sookie knew that feeling; when her Gran had died, she'd spent days in a kind of numb shock, having people talk at her without ever really hearing what they said. She knew that there weren't any words that would make Eric feel better right now.

"I have nothing," he said suddenly. "He is gone and I have nothing... am nothing. A millennia we spent together and he left nothing behind."

"Not quite nothing," Sookie responded. "Here," she held out the shirt.

Eric took it slowly, blinking as if to clear his head. "This... is his."

"Yes, he took it off before... He took it off. I thought you'd want to have it."

"Why!?" Eric stood up suddenly, and Sookie jumped, taken aback by the ferocity of the question. As he towered over her, for a moment Eric looked every bit the Viking warrior he once was. "Why do you do this? Why do you show me kindness when you profess to loathe me? WHY?"

Sookie blinked. "I know what it's like to lose someone. I know it's not the same as what you're feeling, and I can't even imagine what you're going through, but I wouldn't wish that grief on anybody."

In a movement so sudden Sookie's human eyes could barely follow it; Eric grabbed the shirt from her hand and stared at it desolately. The next thing she knew she'd been yanked forward and Eric's arms were around her waist, his head burrowed against her stomach. Startled, she froze for a moment. Eric's shoulders were shaking and she could feel her dress getting damp from his blood-tears. Looking down, she was torn between sympathy for his grief and a surprising desire to look after him, to comfort him in some way. It was not a feeling she had ever imagined she'd feel for ruthless Eric Northman but then, she reflected, a lot of what had happened in Dallas was beyond her imagination.

Tentatively, she stroked the blond hair resting against her. Eric's grip on her tightened, pulling her even closer to him. She moved her other hand down, running both through the vampire's thick hair. For long moments she just stood there, watching her fingers move gently over his head. They didn't speak; there was nothing to be said, she thought. Sookie remembered Godric's wish that she look after his childe, and looking down thought that maybe she could do it after all. At the very least, she could give him this small comfort.

Eventually, Eric went still and his grip on her loosened, even though he still didn't break contact. Sookie was starting to ache from standing in the same position for so long, and she knew Eric must be exhausted from fighting the pull of the sun. She pulled back slightly, Eric's arms dropping away from her. They stayed that way for a moment, staring at each other, before Eric looked away.

"Are you leaving?" he asked, stiffly.

Sookie examined him, hearing the masked tension in his voice. "No," she decided. "I'm not leaving. Come on," she held out a hand.

Eric looked at her, startled, staring at her outstretched hand as though it were made of silver. Slowly, he took it, and allowed her to pull him to his feet. Sookie had the strangest image of herself as the adult looking at a lost little boy, a ridiculous notion seeing as how Eric had a foot in height and 1000 years in age on her. But still, she thought, maybe we're all children on the day we lose our parents.

She led him through his suite into the bathroom, unsurprised to find a massive claw footed bathtub dominated the large space. The bathroom was all marble and gilded edges and so very Eric somehow. Considering for a moment, Sookie left a surprisingly compliant Eric by the sink and went over to the bath, turning the taps on to let it fill. She dug around until she found a 'his 'n hers' pack of complimentary toiletries, unscrewing a bottle of bath gel and dumping it into the rapidly filling tub.

Walking back to Eric, she tugged on the bottom of his tank top. Lifting his arms, the vampire stood quietly while she removed his shirt. Briefly Sookie let her eyes skim across his chest, trying not to blush as she realized how perfectly he was built. Reality certainly lived up to the dream she'd had, she thought, then shook her head at such a disloyal thought. She wasn't here to ogle the man, she reminded herself, and she didn't even like Eric that way. Besides, she had Bill and one vampire was more than enough for her.

"If you get in the tub I'll be back in a minute," Sookie told Eric. A spark of something flared in his eyes, and a shadow of his usual grin crossed his face, but thankfully he didn't say anything. She left the room to give him some privacy, although it was more for her sake than his, the telepath thought ruefully.

Crossing the living room, she pulled a bottle of TruBlood from the mini-fridge and popped it into the microwave. A couple of minutes later the microwave pinged and she grabbed the bottle out, shaking it to make sure it had heated all the way through. Heading back to the bathroom, she knocked on the partially open door. "Eric? Are you decent?"

"Never, Sookie," came the reply. The telepath smiled a little; Eric was starting to sound more like his usual self, and although she wasn't sure when that had become a good thing she was still unaccountably relieved.

Sticking her head cautiously into the room, and discovering that Eric was, in fact, fully covered by the bubbles in the bathtub, she walked more confidently over to him. "Here," she said, handing him the bottle of TruBlood, "I figured you hadn't eaten."

Eric's face twisted briefly in an expression she couldn't identify, before returning to its previous blankness. He was definitely looking better though, she thought, if still a long way from his normal demeanor.

"Thank you, Sookie," the sheriff told her. "Although perhaps something a little more appetizing...?" He shot a covetous look at her neck.

Sookie glared at him. "Don't push your luck, mister." Eric raised his hands in a gesture of supplication and took a sip of the TruBlood, making a face but drinking the bottle nonetheless.

As Eric drank, Sookie went over to the cabinet and retrieved a flannel from under the sink. Running it under the warm water (she wasn't brave enough to soak it under the surface of the bath; that was too close to parts of Eric she was trying not to think about) she went back over to the tub and kneeled next to the bathing vampire.

Taking the now empty bottle from him, Sookie leaned over and gently began wiping the dried blood from Eric's face. He went very still under her hands, his eyes locking onto her face with unnerving intensity. As the blood cleared from his face, the flannel turned red with it. She went to get up, to rinse it in the sink, when one of Eric's hands grabbed her wrist, holding her in place. Turning to look at him, Sookie froze when she saw the want in his eyes. Very slowly, he slid his hand up so that her entire hand and the flannel she was holding were engulfed by his. Then he very gently pushed her hand against his chest, sliding it down so the flannel left a faint red smear before the water covered up to her wrist.

Sookie couldn't look away from Eric's gaze. She felt like the whole world had suddenly come into sharp focus; the intense blue of Eric's eyes, the ragged sound of her own breathing, the warm water contrasting with the smooth hardness where her hand rested against Eric's chest. With excruciating care, the vampire took the flannel from her, leaving her hand resting against his lower chest. He reached under the water, rinsing the flannel, before taking her wrist and slowly sliding her hand back up.

As though it was someone else's body, Sookie saw her hand come to rest above Eric's heart. There was no movement; vampires had no heartbeat. She leaned forward slowly, moving her hands to rest against his shoulders and lowering her head, placing a soft kiss on his chest, in the spot where her hand had rested a minute ago.

Raising her head, she couldn't fathom the look on Eric's face. He was staring at her like she was a mirage, or a ghost, or something else that couldn't possibly be real.

After a minute, Sookie shook her head, snapping back to herself. What had meant to be a simple, comforting gesture had turned into something far more complicated and she really didn't want to examine the implications of what she was feeling right now. Standing, she looked down at Eric (and valiantly kept her eyes on his face, despite the rapidly disappearing bubbles) and said, "It's getting pretty late and I can imagine you're pretty tired. I should probably be getting to bed myself."

"You are welcome to share my bed, Sookie," Eric told her sincerely, although there was a glint in his eye she didn't entirely trust.

"I don't think Bill would like that too much now, do you?" she responded dryly. Eric raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Exasperated, she shook her head and turned to leave. "I'll see you tonight, Eric."

"Sookie..." there was a blur of motion and suddenly Eric was standing before her, dripping wet and gloriously naked.

"Eric!" she shrieked.

"Yes?" he asked, puzzled.

"Put something on! A towel at least!"

"Ah," he smirked, and faster than she could see him move he was back before her, a think black towel around his waist. "It discomfits you to see me naked...perhaps because of what it makes you feel."

"Disgusted?" Sookie quipped.

"Aroused," Eric breathed, stepping closer.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sookie said, unconvincingly. "I have Bill, I love Bill, he's the only one I want."

Suddenly serious, Eric grabbed her chin. "You can tell yourself this lie for now, Sookie Stackhouse, but I will not accept it forever. I want you. And one day I will have you."

Outraged, Sookie yanked her face away. "I'm not some possession you can just own, Eric Northman! I am a person with thoughts and feelings and opinions of my own, and I get to make decisions for myself!"

Eric shook his head suddenly. "We have gone off topic. This is not what I wished to talk about."

"You know what? I don't care. I'm leaving," Sookie glared, attempting to step past him.

He blocked her easily, grabbing her hands. "Sookie..."

She scowled at him.

"I wanted to thank you," Eric said, dropping her hands and stepping back. "For... everything. And to ask...if perhaps you would remain until I was asleep." He looked almost sheepish, an expression she had never expected to see on Eric's face, and even though she'd been ready to stake him herself seconds ago, she melted.

"Oh fine," she sighed. "C'mon then." Preceding him into the bedroom, she saw him about to drop the towel and said hastily, "but get under the covers."

Smirking, Eric did as she asked, although he made sure she was treated to the sight of his broad, muscled back and perfect ass before he did so. Not sure whether to laugh or cry, Sookie decided against either and lay down on the bed next to him (making sure to stay on top of the covers). Rolling to face her, Eric stared at her intently for a minute, before saying quietly "Good night, Sookie."

"Goodnight Eric," she replied, watching as his eyes drifted shut. Minutes later he was out, into that strange sleep-rest state vampires went into during the day. Sookie watched him for a few minutes longer, taking a guilty pleasure in observing his face while he wasn't able to catch her. Although she'd had more than her share of issues with him, there was no denying Eric was very good looking. Almost beautiful, she thought, and immediately felt guilty. Bill loved her, and she him, and yet here she was admiring a vampire who'd tricked her into drinking his blood and openly lusted after her.

Getting to her feet, Sookie took one long last look at the dozing vampire sheriff, before collecting the fallen towel and depositing it in the bathroom. Exiting, she made her way across the luxurious suite. As she opened the door, she resisted the urge to look behind her. She did make sure to close the door very carefully after her, though. Then, with a deep sigh, she turned and made her way back to the room she shared with Bill.