A/N: I'm not entirely sure where this came from, beyond my own experience of watching Gone With The Wind. My sincere apologies to any fans of that movie, but I just couldn't get into it - though I did watch all four hours (unlike my friend who gave up). I was listening to Il Divo while I wrote this, hence the song reference :P Hope you enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The Man You Love
…
I only wanna be the man
To give you everything I can
Every day and every night
Love you for all my life.
I don't wanna change the world
As long as you're my girl
It's more than enough,
Just to be the man you love
-'The Man You Love,' Il Divo
…
Ever since Sookie had announced that she couldn't decide between him and Bill, Eric had made it his mission to worm his way into her life. His plan was to become so much a part of her life that, eventually, she wouldn't be able to imagine life without him.
Then she would be his.
It was a good plan, but even he had to concede to himself that it was not a perfect plan when it turned out that it would require him to sit through all four hours of Gone With The Wind, Sookie's favourite movie.
But he submitted to his fate with good grace and was soon sitting on the couch with Sookie, his arm draped strategically along the back of the couch: far enough that it wasn't actually around her shoulders, but close enough that his intent was clear.
The first hour had passed with relatively little angst on his part: he'd spent most of it watching Sookie and her reactions to the movie.
The second and third hours, however, had been a struggle as he desperately tried to understand the appeal in watching a deluded, self-centred woman try to capture the attention of a man who clearly did not love her. Whilst simultaneously shunning the attentions of the one man who saw all her faults and loved her anyway.
In the end he had only gotten through the fourth hour by the morbid fascination one often feels in needing to see what happens. Not to mention a certain amount of pride in seeing the torture through to the bitter end.
When Rhett Butler uttered the famous parting line: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," he had almost cheered.
In his opinion it had served her right; an opinion that was not shared by Sookie if her sniffles were anything to go by.
"Well, what did you think?" Sookie asked, turning the movie off and looking up at him expectantly.
"You mean besides finding it four hours too long?"
"Eric! How can you say that?"
"Because she was stupid," he replied flatly. "She spent her whole life mooning around after someone who didn't have the guts to just outright tell her that he didn't love her and completely ignored all the people who were there for her," he continued before Sookie could interrupt.
"So you feel sorry for Rhett?"
"Not particularly, but he was justified in telling her where to go after her confession."
"I'll never understand men," Sookie mumbled.
"And I will never understand women," he countered, "what is so romantic about watching someone make a complete fool of themselves over someone who is never going to love them? Especially when it's fairly obvious that someone better is right there the whole time."
"It's all about the story, Eric, how Rhett is willing to do anything and be anything for her and how Scarlett comes to realise this," Sookie replied a touch wistfully.
"In that case the ending is flawed, if he really loved her he wouldn't have left."
"He left because she realised too late."
Eric rolled his eyes, "Which brings me back to my original opinion – she was stupid and the whole thing is four hours too long."
"I knew I shouldn't have expected you to understand," Sookie mumbled, getting up to take remove the DVD from the player.
"You're right, I don't," he agreed flatly, "I find it highly improbable that anyone could be that deluded…" he trailed off as a thought struck him.
"Newsflash, Eric, people delude themselves all the time," Sookie replied, closing the DVD case and turning back to the now empty couch. "Eric?" she called, looking around the room as she got her feet, "Bloody vampires," she muttered when she received no response.
Eric, meanwhile, was already within sight of Fangtasia.
Pam looked up in surprise from where she was going through the accounts as Eric burst into his office.
"I don't want you to stop giving a damn," he said without preamble.
Pam blinked a couple of times before turning her attention back to the lodger, "I think you've ingested too much fairy blood."
"Not this time," he replied.
Pam looked up at him in confusion and Eric remembered (and thanked his lucky stars) that she wasn't privy to the incident resulting in his frolicking naked in a lake.
"It doesn't matter," he said dismissively, "the point is, I don't want you to give up on me."
Pam continued to regard him as though he had run mad as he rounded the desk and sat on the edge.
"No matter what happens you will always come first in my life," he told her seriously.
She regarded him for a few moments in silence, "Um, thank you?"
"Pam!" he all but spluttered, getting to his feet.
"What do you expect me to do? Fall prostrate at your feet and swear my undying allegiance?" she demanded.
"It wouldn't hurt," he shot back.
Pam raised an eyebrow, "In this dress? I don't think so," she responded drily.
Eric pulled a face at her.
"Eric," she began in a placating tone as she stood and came over to join him, "I thought you knew that you have my loyalty." She laid a hand on his arm, "I'm afraid you're stuck with me," she added.
Eric looked down at her, noting the hurt in her face at his questioning her loyalty. "I don't question your loyalty," he told her gruffly, "I question whether it's deserved."
He almost laughed at Pam's shocked expression, "I have treated you badly and I'm sorry," he continued.
Pam's lips twitched a little, "And here was I thinking you didn't even know how to apologise," she said archly.
"It's harder than it looks," he quipped, making her smile.
"Does this mean you'll finish the accounts?" she asked after a moment.
"I see you are intent on punishing me," he teased, taking a seat behind the desk with an exaggerated sigh.
"I have to know you're sincere," she returned.
He smirked, "I can think of other ways to prove my sincerity."
She smirked back, "I'm sure you can," she replied, sidestepping his attempt to pull her into his lap, "but good things come to those who wait," she continued, moving towards the door.
Eric leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk, "How long must I wait?" he asked.
"That all depends on you," she told him before sashaying down the corridor.
Eric watched her go, his eyes trailing down to the sway of her hips.
"How does thirty seconds sound?" he called after her.
Pam's only response was a throaty laugh before he heard her run out the door at vampire speed.
Eric wasn't far behind.