Dead Strong

A/N: I don't own the Southern Vampire Mysteries or any of the characters. Sole copyright belongs to Charlaine Harris.

Previously in Dead Daddy

"Are you ready to join me my love?" Eric asked as the plane took off.

"I joined you a long time ago Eric. I am ready to never leave you." He smiled and kissed me.

"As I will never leave you." I knew it was the truth because through everything, through an apocalypse, death, beatings, rapes, kidnapping, illness, madness, war and pregnancy he never had. He had stayed and I had always come back. We belonged together...forever.

Chapter 1

The combined excitement and fear was bouncing across the bond like a tennis ball in a championship match. I was curled up in my large leather chair and Eric was sat opposite me. We had been in the air only an hour and the silence was dragging out. I already missed my daughter but I was simultaneously happy to be getting time away with Eric. It seemed like we hadn't had any time together just the two of us in forever.

"Are you scared Sookie?" It was a silly question really because he could feel exactly how scared I was but I guess he was merely being polite about it.

"Were you scared Eric?" I asked looking up into the deep blue eyes that were boring into my soul.

"Yes but I didn't know what was happening. It will be very different for you my love." I got up and sat down in his lap. The contact with his skin seemed to instantly calm me. I trusted my husband completely and yet...I was scared.

"I'm scared Eric but I want to do this and I trust you," I murmured. He kissed my head and his lips lingered in my hair. I knew he was smelling me. His arms we wrapped snugly around my waist and I felt safe but still the uneasiness in my stomach persisted. It seemed to be getting worse the closer we got to our destination.

"You don't have to do this Sookie. I will understand if you want to change your mind," he said gently although I could hear the tremor in his voice. I turned my head to the side and pressed my lips to his throat.

"I do have to do this Eric. I belong with you and Astra. I don't want to leave you again and this is the only way it's just..." His arms clutched me tighter as he finished my sentence.

"You don't want to be a vampire." I my heart skipped a beat. I knew the truth would hurt him but I couldn't bring myself to lie.

"No, I don't. I like sunshine and food. I like being human and we have no idea how my powers will be effected by the change." He became very still and silent and I scanned my mind for a way to comfort him. "I won't lie to you Eric. I don't want to be a vampire, I never did but I will do absolutely anything to be with you. I love you and Astra more than anything...even my humanity." That seemed to clam him slightly and he seemed to relax behind me.

"You're not really human, Sookie. You never were." I laughed softly to myself.

"I know but I will still miss eating. Didn't you miss things when you were turned?"

"I suppose I missed sunlight the most but you won't have to worry about that. It is true that you have to give up much to be vampire but you gain much too."

"Like what?" He was thoughtful for a moment and I knew he was doing his best to convince me. He had always wanted to turn me and now it was a necessity I knew he was feeling guilty about the whole thing.

"Well you are faster, stronger you have better senses and you get to live forever without aging." I laughed deciding it was time to such it up and lighten the mood.

"Well I guess that beats chocolate then, huh?" He laughed with me and neither of us paid any attention to the one obvious fact...I was lying.

Eric stood up with me in his arms and carried me to the double bed at the back of the plane. He placed me carefully in the centre of the bed and stood appraising me.

"Let's not think about this right now. We have hours to go and I think it is time I show you firsthand what you will be getting in your immortality." With that his fangs ran down and he began to undress. I watched him greedily and I could feel his lust and satisfaction over the bond. He made a very good show of proving his point over and over. After five wonderful well made points I was exhausted and quickly drifted off to sleep next to Eric.

I opened my eyes and was shocked to find that I was alone in bed. That just never happened. I quickly checked the bond but it was unnecessary as I could hear Eric's deep boom from the other room. I pulled on some clothes and headed out to find Eric sat in his chair and talking on the phone. He covered the handset with his palm and whispered to me.

"It's Pam, apparently Astra won't stop crying and they don't know what to do." Instantly fear shot through me making my whole body hyper alert. I held my hand out for the phone and feeling my distress over the bond Eric didn't even try and argue. He passed me the phone and watched. I thought briefly how strange it was that he wants as freaked out as I was but then I heard Pam's voice over the wails of my daughter and it took all of my control not to pop instantly back home.

"What's wrong? Is she hurt?" I demanded rather threateningly.

"Ah, Sookie," Pam sighed in relief, "she's not hurt she just won't stop crying. She's fed, changed, she has slept and Sigdan has played with her for hours but she will not stop crying;. When we ask her what's wrong she just ignored us and keeps crying." I had never heard Pam so frantic before and it didn't help me calm down.

"Put her on the phone, NOW" I heard some shuffling and the crying seemed to stop. "Astra? Baby? Can you hear me?" It was still strange having a four year old child after only a few months but her quick growth was just another thing that made my daughter special.

"Mommy?" She sniffled and I could hear her distress through her tiny voice.

"What's the matter baby?"

"I miss you. I want you to come home. I don't like it when aunty Pam and uncle Dan look after me." My heart swelled as I realised she was fine. She was very good at being apart from us during the day but this was the first time we had been away at night. I had explained everything to her before we left but I guess none of us had really been prepared for the separation.

"We can't come home just yet baby although I miss you lots and lots. Daddy and I have some things we need to do but we will be back home very soon."

"But I want you home now!" She cried and I could hear her sobs starting up again.

"Now baby I know you are going to be a good girl for Aunty Pam and uncle Dan like you promised. Why don't you tell me what they're doing?" She sniffed and I could hear her thinking about it for a moment.

"Aunty Pam is staring at me funny and Uncle Dan is sitting in the den talking in that funny language." I giggled at her irritation from both of her guardians.

"Tell me what you had for tea," I suggested.

"Uncle Dan made me pizza from scratch and I got to help. Then I had some ice cream and we watched a film." She was starting to get excited and I knew she was relaxing now.

"What was the film?"

"The Lion King," she boasted proudly.

"Arrr, that's one of my favourites....you watched it without me?" I teased her.

"Yeah, uncle Dan said I should."

"Oh yeah, what else did Uncle Dan say?" She giggled as if she were holding a big secret and then I heard her whispering into the phone.

"He said that he was better at playing than daddy and that Aunty Pam has a nice bottom but I'm not supposed to say so, shuhhhh." I laughed into the phone.

"Don't worry baby, I will keep your secrets."

"I know mommy. I can't feel you anymore." I sighed, now she was finally telling us the real problem although I had guessed it when she said she missed me. One of her abilities was empathy and she had developed the ability to 'feel' my presence but obviously her power wasn't developed enough for the distance.

"I know baby but I can feel you and you can get Aunty Pam to ring me anytime you want. I am really far away honey but I love you."

"I love you too, Mommy."

"I know baby. Now why don't you get Aunty Pam and Uncle Dan to take you to bed? You feel tired and I bet Uncle Dan will read you to sleep. He can do the voices better than me."

"No one does it better than you mommy but he is funny. Uncle Dan will you read me a bed time story?" I heard the mumbled reply and wasn't surprised to hear Pam come back on the phone.

"She's gone up to bed. God Sookie, how do you do it?" I just laughed.

"She was just scared because I got too far for her to feel me. If she gets upset again just ring but I think she should be alright now. Where's Aislinn?" I was shocked the elf nanny couldn't calm her she was a miracle worker.

"She went to get Jason and hasn't returned. She tried but nothing any of us did would calm her. I was starting to think she was just torturing us." I chuckled at the sincerity of Pam's comment.

"Nah, my baby wouldn't do that. I better go now so you can put her to bed. Goodnight Pam."

I closed the phone and looked up to find Eric smirking at me. Only now did I realise how quiet he had been through the whole episode and he was sending love and pride through the bond in waves. I handed him back his phone and smiled back at him.

"You are amazing," he said with a smug grin.

"Really? How so?" I teased.

"You not only gave me a daughter but you captured her heart so completely that after only," he looked down at his watch, "eight hours away she tortures my child and brother to the point of insanity just because they are not you." He sat back in his chair so I climbed up on his lap.

"I think you found that far to amusing. I was really worried about her." He kissed my cheek.

"I know but that is only because you love her as much as she loves you. If I didn't love you both as much as I do I would be supremely jealous. As it is I am proud of you both. I can't believe Pam caved so easily though." He sounded slightly disappointed which was totally unfair.

I'm not. Aren't you pleased that she will turn to us and admit there is a problem rather than leaving your daughter utterly miserable?" He chuckled and kissed me deeply.

"You make an excellent point, lover."

It seemed like the flight was taking forever and so I was very pleased when we finally landed and I found myself curled up in the back of a limo on the way to the house. We were staying in our country house because it was completely isolated and thus the safest place for my conversion. We were going to be totally alone for the first time in a long time. Once the driver dropped us off he was leaving us to ourselves as the house was fully prepared including a range of sports cars in the garage for Eric's enjoyment. Eric refused to tell me anything other than where we were staying and I knew he was trying to make the whole experience as romantic and pleasurable as he could.

An hour or so after leaving the plane we pulled up the long drive to Northman Bostad. The house was just as I remembered it from our honeymoon. We had only spent a couple of nights in the place but it had been long enough for me to fall in love with the place. It was a large house built of stone and it resembled a castle more than a house but somehow it remained homely despite its grandeur.

"Are you glad to be back?" I asked Eric as he climbed out of the car and held his hand out for me.

"I am ecstatic, my love." He yanked me to my feet and planted a kiss on my face. I sighed. It didn't matter why we were here. We were here together.