A/N: A story in three parts, set at the end of 'Dead to the World'. The title is from the words of Julian of Norwich: 'All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.' And all shall be well for our favourite couple, too, if they're open and honest with each other...

"Did we make love?" he asked hopefully. "Did you finally yield to me, Sookie? It's only a matter of time, of course." He grinned at me.

I didn't answer him, instead diverting the conversation to other things, but eventually, Eric came back round to me. "Something more is wrong with you," he said, looking down at me where I sat perched dejectedly on my old single bed.

"Yes, lots of stuff is wrong with me," I told him wearily. I wanted to hug him, but how could I, without complicating everything? I'd been about to carry on talking, but a wave of sadness washed over me. Would I ever get to hug him like that again?

He took a step forward towards me. "Sookie, what has happened?" he asked gently. "Your emotions are all over the place. Why this sadness?" I sucked in a deep breath as he took a step closer, and he halted immediately. Worry crept over his face. "Did I hurt you?" I looked blankly at him. "Sookie," he said again, and I could hear the urgency in his voice, "Sookie, tell me, did I hurt you, not knowing you?" He looked almost panicked; I could only stare. Hurt me? No, not once. "Did I…" his eyes closed in pain, "did I force you?"

I closed my eyes, shaking my head, though of course he couldn't see it; he only heard the quiet whimper that escaped me. I heard a thud, and opened my eyes cautiously.

The vampire sheriff of Area 5 had dropped to his knees in front of me, eyes still closed, and a look of abject horror on his face. "Oh, no," he whispered. "Oh, please, gods, no."

He looked so utterly distraught, it shocked me to the core – but even more shocking were the tracks of bloody tears coming from his still-closed eyes. "Eric…" I gulped; I couldn't let him think that. "Eric, no," I said softly. "You didn't hurt me. Didn't force me."

He opened his eyes, a look of wild hope in them, but his voice was still gruff when he said, "don't lie to spare my feelings."

I reached out tentatively and patted his shoulder. "I'm not, I swear, I was will-" Oh, crap. Oh crap oh crap oh crap.

He didn't joke, though, or make any outrageous comments; he just rocked back on his heels, and regarded me for a moment. "Why this sadness, then?" he asked softly.

Inappropriate, maybe, but I started giggling. "Well, how would you feel if the person who'd told you that you were the best lover they'd ever had suddenly didn't remember a thing about it, you ass?"

One corner of his mouth turned up into a slight grin. "It would take a lot of very powerful magic for that to happen, for them to forget me," he said.

Great; welcome back, Eric. "She was a very powerful witch," I replied evenly.

"So I can hardly be held responsible for not remembering," he said triumphantly.

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't say you were responsible," I huffed.

He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "But you were hurt," he said gently.

"Isn't nice to be forgotten," I said, that sadness threatening me again.

Eric stood up, but rather than leaving me sitting there on the bed to do whatever he had to do, he sat beside me, and nudged me gently with his shoulder. "You could always try jogging my memory," he teased.

I felt my lips quirk unwillingly into a smile. "I have to go to work soon."

"How soon?" he pouted. Lord preserve me from pouting Viking vampires; I seem to have a weakness for them. Well, this one, anyway.

"Half an hour or so," I shrugged.

He gave me a speculative look. "Half an hour is not time enough to do all the things I want to do with you, my lover." He sprawled back on the bed, and tugged me down beside him, his arm wrapped around me as he snuggled me to sprawl across his chest.

"What about Pam? Fangtasia?"

"They've managed for a week," he said comfortably. "They can spare me half an hour more."

Well, I guess you couldn't really argue with that logic. I certainly wasn't going to, anyway, I decided, as I laid my head down on his chest, and closed my eyes, feeling his fingers playing with my hair. "I think it's going to snow," I said drowsily, relaxing against him.

"Snow? Here?" he said, every bit as delighted as a child. "I love the snow."

"Big kid," I commented.

He chuckled. "Maybe we could get snowed in together," he said suggestively.

I laughed. "I quite like the sound of that."

"I shall call my people and make it so," he said gravely. A glance up at him showed his eyes were dancing, and I gave him a half-hug and dropped a kiss on his broad (sadly, completely clothed) chest. "Any time you want to do that again, feel free," he purred.

I groaned. "Not before I go to work," I sighed. "Or I'll never drag myself out of the house."

"Tell the shifter you are injured?" he suggested.

"Oh, no. He'd only come up here to make sure I was okay," I said. No way was I going to do that.

"Perhaps I should just kidnap you," he grinned. "Fly you away to my lair in Shreveport and make love to you all night long." He gave me a serious look. "All in the name of getting my memories back, of course."

I shook my head, but I was laughing. "Eric, I have to go to work. Really."

"Very well. But I will await your return here, and go back to Shreveport tomorrow night." His eyes glinted, and I felt myself perking up.

"I'll be tired when I get in," I warned him.

"Then we will snuggle," he said calmly.

Right. Well. I guess that gave me something to think about and look forward to while I was working. "What about Pam?"

"I'll call her," he shrugged. "She is more than capable of holding the fort at Fangtasia. I will tell her I have… things to attend to here," he grinned.

I went to work in a decidedly more cheerful mood.