Happily Dead Ever After
Chapter 1
Note: This is an E/S pairing, and Eric's back story. The story will shift back and forth between the present, the near past, and 10th century Norway and the Viking kingdom in Northumbria. Chapter 1 and part of Chapter 3 take place after the events from FDtW and Wolfbane and Mistletoe just before the two-natured reveal. Odd chapters after that will pick up with Chapter 1 from "Dead and Gone." This story had already been planned in a different direction than Harris took "Dead and Gone" so will not be strictly 'by the book' past Chapter 1.
Even numbered chapters are currently planned to contain segments of Eric's mortal life and how he was turned. Contains spoilers for all novels and short stories in the Sookie universe. This story will eventually be merged with another one in a roundabout way which will become apparent when it concludes.
Please be patient as it will take a little while in this story for the event which will send Sookie back to the 10th century to meet human Eric.–glamoured
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"Jason, I just don't give a rat's ass. The last time I got involved, I had to hurt a friend by standing up for you. I won't do that again. I can't help you with your relationship shit. You married her. YOU deal with it! " I said through my teeth as quietly as I could and then hung up my cell phone. I looked around to see if anyone had heard. It didn't appear that they had.
I picked up the tray of silverware from the corner table, walked to the bar and slammed the tray on the counter. 'Where the hell is Arlene?' I thought to myself. 'She's late! Here I am again having to do her prep work for her. Dammit!' I started filling up the ketchup bottles. Nearly dead on my feet, anger was the only thing keeping me upright. I was looking forward to going home to have a quiet evening.
My name is Sookie Stackhouse. I am a waitress at Merlotte's in Bon Temps, Louisiana. I am also a telepath which is constantly getting me into all kinds of trouble. There are some things that you just don't want to know about others and that you wouldn't know about if they weren't such strong broadcasters. No matter how much I try to block them out, it is hard to keep them totally out of my head. It was just difficult being in a room with a lot of people who were thinking so loudly.
Though I had to admit that since my roommate, Octavia, had started helping me with my concentration, I was feeling much more at ease with my so-called ability. She had been a source of strength for me helping me focus and relax and had set up a number of mental exercises for me to practice. I even felt more in control than I ever had before. Maybe that was just Eric's blood and part of our blood bond.
As I wiped off the rim and put the cap on the first bottle of ketchup, I found myself worrying about Eric and how things were going at the club. Eric Northman was the vampire sheriff of area 5 in Louisiana. Vampires had divided our country into kingdoms. He was also the owner of Fangtasia, the vampire bar in Shreveport. Since the takeover of Louisiana a few weeks ago by the Nevada vamps, I had not heard from Eric nor had he returned my calls which wasn't like him at all. Especially since, he had designs on me in more ways than one. At least he used to. I had not heard from him since just before Halloween.
I picked up another bottle. Eric and I did not have time for private words the night that he and Pam stopped by the bar to see me with the news that Felipe de Castro, the vampire king of Nevada, had asked Eric to offer me formal protection–as payment for saving his ass–whenever I needed it which, of course, was good news as far as I was concerned. I had been running between the frying pan and the fire ever since I met my neighbor, the nameless one, my former vampire boyfriend, Bill Compton, and gotten involved in vampire politics.
I actually wanted to talk to Eric about vampire politics. Shocker, huh? I wondered how the new regime was going. Darn, as much as I had avoided discussing how we've left matters unsettled between us, I found that I wanted, no, needed to know that he was okay. Really okay. I had also been examining my feelings about the night Sam, Eric and the new king were attacked by Sigebert, Sophie-Anne LeClerc's former bodyguard.
When I had the panic attack that night back in October, I reluctantly admitted to myself that I did care about Eric no matter how much I tried to convince myself that I didn't. The kind of caring that had nothing to do with the fact that we were bound together by blood. I knew he was still alive or would know through the blood bond between us that he was dead or really injured. I also wondered if there would be any of Eric's award-winning butt left after the new king's elite vampires had been chewing on it.
'Focus, Sookie. Don't think about Eric.' I concentrated on a salt shaker on the counter in front of me, and my mind started going to a safer place. As I started to relax, I pictured myself lying in a warm bubble bath, with the smell of the vanilla-scented candles in the air, bubbles squishing between my toes. Then suddenly, I opened a door, and there is Eric in my bedroom with his back to me, pulling on his jeans. The scene played out in slow motion, and I felt the lust I had felt then at the sight of Eric's perfect butt came crashing back. I remembered wanting to taste his nipples. Then he'd joined me in the shower and...
"Sook! You are getting ketchup on the counter top," said Sam.
Startled, I looked away from the salt shaker as the ketchup was oozed down going everywhere. Blushing to the roots of my hair, I frantically cleaned it up, saying "Oh! Sorry, Sam. I'm just tired. Didn't mean to make such a mess."
"Sookie, you've been distracted all day. Is everything all right? Where were you just now?" he asked, concern showing on his face.
"Yes, everything's fine. Like I said. I'm just tired." I didn't answer the last part.
He didn't say a word but gave me that look that said, 'Don't give me that lame answer. What else, Sookie?'
Sam was my boss at Merlotte's. He was also a shape-shifter who was more than a little fond of me. I wasn't in love with Sam though we'd had a few moments, but we were good friends.
"Okay, Jason and I had a fight," I admitted reluctantly, huffing a little.
"Again? Do you need to talk about it? I'm all ears," he offered.
"No, I'm fine. Really. Same old shit. Thanks though."
"Why don't you go ahead and get out of here for the night, cher. I can take care of things until Arlene gets here."
"I will in just a minute." I hurried off to the kitchen, glancing back at Sam who was watching me and tossing a bar towel over his shoulder. I finished up and gathered my coat and purse.
I went out the back, thanking Sam as I left. Walking to my car, I ran into Arlene, Whit Spradlin, and one of his retinue of Fellowship of the Son buddies in the parking lot.
"Well, if it isn't the vamp-lover. Going off for a rendevous with the fangers?" taunted Whit, Arlene's current love interest. Arlene snickered.
"I don't think that's any of your business," I retorted. I then turned to Arlene, "You have a problem, Arlene?" Arlene and I have issues. She used to be one of my best friends. Sam had adjusted our shifts recently so that we were not working the same hours, trying to keep the peace.
"Not me," said Arlene. "Just minding my own business."
"Right. Well, I wouldn't say or even think anything if I were you. Look at your track record. At least a girl knows where she stands with a vampire," I said as I stomped off to my car, leaving Arlene standing there with her mouth open.
"Dead. That's where," sneered Whit.
When I reached my car, there was a Fellowship flyer on my windshield. I pulled it off, crumbled it up, got in my car, slammed the door, and saw Arlene and her friends smirking back at me. Whit was actually laughing. I threw the flyer wad on the floor of my car, turned the key in the ignition, put it into gear, and peeled out of the parking lot. So much for focusing and remaining calm.
I was so sick of Bon Temps and all the shit with Arlene, my brother Jason, my sister-in-law Crystal, and the nameless one. There was nothing here for me anymore. I'd been thinking about that a lot since I got back from meeting my cousin Hadley's four year old son, Hunter. He was a telepath like me. The only other one in my family. I planned to be there for him and his father as he was growing up so that Hunter wouldn't be treated as a freak like I had. His father would need help coping and understanding his son's ability.
On a whim, coming back through Shreveport, I had stopped at Louisiana State University and picked up an undergraduate application and course catalog. Maybe I could try taking classes again. At least some online classes. I wasn't sure I was ready to try a classroom situation again just yet. It had been difficult for me, growing up, to concentrate with all those minds around me in class. I had already filled out the application and sent it in. The course catalog was still sitting on my kitchen table. I knew that if I was really going to go for a degree that I would have to bite the bullet and get a computer. Not something I particularly looked forward to. Then, of course, I'd have to learn how to use the computer after I got it.
Maybe I could move to Shreveport where I'd be closer to school and to Hunter. Perhaps I could even rent out my room at home and get a different job in Shreveport. Not sure if I could get up the nerve to move out of Gran's house. If I did get the notion to move, I'd miss Sam the most. My childhood friend, Tara, would be hard to leave even though we had not been seeing as much of each other since Mickey left town. I'd miss my roommates too. This was going to be a tough decision to make.
When I got home, I didn't talk much to my roommates, Octavia Fant and Amelia Broadway. They sensed that I wasn't in the mood for girl talk, so I ate a salad and then went to bed early.
Sometime during the middle of the night, I dreamt that someone got into bed next to me, moved closer to me, putting an arm around me, and spooned me. I could almost feel the cool skin and even imagined that I could smell Eric. It was a very good dream.
I felt him lean closer as he smelled my hair, then he whispered softly into my ear, "Shhhhhh...go back to sleep. I am here."
Somewhere I felt I should protest, but I was too exhausted to move. I just sighed, snuggled back into him, and murmured, "Mmmmmm."
He moved his head closer to mine and kissed my neck just under my ear and whispered, "Minn elskar." With his head nestled up against the back of mine, I relaxed. Surprisingly, I felt happy, then just sighed, and fell asleep.
TBC
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Note: Minn elskar is Old Norse for 'my lover.'