Hey everyone! You asked, I delivered. I swear, if I were a pizza guy, I'd be paying for everyone's meals since it's taken me months to get inspiration for this. Either way, there's at least another chappy to go with this, that I hope I'll get to soon.

Big thanks go to Girl of Chaos! Much love, sweety! Thank you for all the help!

Her body felt heavy in his arms, despite his supernatural strength. The dead weight of a lifeless body had never bothered him before, he'd never given it a second thought, in spite of the high number of corpses he'd moved over the centuries. This time, however, it was different… oh, so different. This was Sookie he was carrying; his bonded, his lover, his wife.

Eric knew it was irrational, he knew he should feel relieved she was going to be fine, but somehow, he couldn't. Sookie was dead in his arms, awaiting to rise as a vampire and it weighted on his soul.

The house had long been abandoned, the floors moldy and ice cold. It had been years since the building had been called home or hosted a warming fire. But he welcomed it all. The discomfort, the cold, the smells. His keen senses were on alert as he took shelter in one of the bedrooms. He put Sookie's body on the floor long enough to could create a makeshift light tight room, boarding up the window and the door as best he could. He managed to find an old blanket forgotten in a closet and various cloths which he used to seal the nooks and crannies of the room. When everything was set, he put his sword near the wall, well within his reach, and sat down.

Propped against the cold wallpaper, he gathered Sookie's body against his own, covered her with the blanket and set himself for the wait.

Three days he spent there, somewhere in between sleep and reality, never letting himself go completely as the Sun tried over and over to pull him under. Three nights he stood exactly in the same position, cradling his Lover, his mind going a million miles a minute, analyzing every aspect of the situation he was in. He thought of where he went wrong and imagined up a thousand scenarios how things would have gone differently if he'd said something else, done something else. He blamed himself for Sookie's kidnapping, for her death, for not taking the necessary precautions, for not killing Compton when he'd wanted to.

He was scared of Sookie's reaction when she'd rise. Would she be upset, would she hate him, had she really meant she wanted to change or was she simply in too much pain? He chasticed himself for jumping at the chance to bring her over, although he knew it was the right decision, given the situation. He played and replayed the scene in his mind, and found a million details that gave him reason to doubt himself.

If Sookie had died, he knew he'd have accepted it, mostly because he planned to join her soon after. Now, when she rose as vampire, he could still have her, even if only for a while…

Eric sighed deeply. It was snowing. He could feel it…the piercing cold was getting worse as heavy snow fell over the house without pause. The wind was whistling through the empty building, taking advantage of every broken window.

Thinking about the cold and the place he was in could not make the Viking stray from his self-punishing train of thought. He couldn't help but reason that it was his fault not only that she had been taken but that Sookie had had yet another brush with death. The sick feeling going through him hadn't left him since that dreadful night, despite the fact that Sookie was in his arms, going through her transformation. Or, maybe, it was quite because of that.

She'd said she wanted to be turned, but what if she wasn't thinking straight, what if she was only desperate not to die, overwhelmed with pain? What if, Eric thought, she didn't really want to live by his side forever? She had once said the vampire life was not something she wanted for herself. Would that all change now, confronted with reality?

Stop! He willed himself to stop thinking about it, to stop poisoning his own mind. Whatever her decision might be when she rose, he would respect it. If she doesn't want to be a child of the night, then they would walk into the light, hand in hand. But what if she meant it? What if she really did love him as much as he loved her? Eternity…

He found himself smiling at the thought of spending forever with the woman he loved, lost in all the possibilities ahead of them. He'd have to teach her the way of vampires, but she already knew most of the traditions and social etiquette and what not. The only things to worry about were her telepathy and her newborn bloodlust, but even those paled in comparison with the joy of enjoying his wife for many millennia.

They'd been together for four years now and she'd finally agreed to live with him a year prior. Their bond was stronger than ever and they were happy together. She'd spend most of her day reading and sunbathing and doing little chores around the house and then, at night, she'd join Eric at the bar, helping out however possible. She stood beside him, scanning the crowd, looking for the patrons who were there to cause trouble, for Fellowship members, spies or drainers or even undercover cops; she made cocktails, assigned shifts and anything else she could, much to Eric's dismay. He wanted her to relax and enjoy herself, but he couldn't deny her the small pleasure of feeling of use.

They easily fell into a rhythm; just like their love, their life together was carefree. For all the differences between them, their relationship had always been easy, no matter what or who wanted to come between them. She loved him and he loved her.

Her abduction probably shook him more than it did her. She put her complete faith in him, and she knew that she only had to endure the pain and humiliation until Eric came for her. Because she was sure, without a trace of a doubt, that he would.

But everything that happened weighted on Eric's soul. Once again Sookie had been in danger because of him, because of the world that he lived in, because of something he'd done. And he hated himself for it. Even if he would never regret killing Victor, he would always blame himself for the chain reaction that ended in Sookie's death.

Even if she ended up enjoying life as his childe, even if she'd say a million times over that she forgave him and that he wasn't to blame, still he'd never change his mind about the issue. He swore to spend whatever time he had left on Earth trying to make it up to her.

At least this time he could come to her aid, he thought, remembering with bitterness the other time when Sookie had been abducted and tortured. Neave and Lochan, the terrible fae duo known by all supes. Maybe it was then, Eric considered, that he started picturing ways to kill Victor. The fact that he'd kept him away from his bonded when she was in trouble had been one of the last straws for the Viking. Then, just as three nights ago, he'd felt everything that happened to Sookie's body.

Every cut, every punch, every thread of terror going through her body had reverberated though his own. He was greatly weakened then, just as he was now, more mentally than physically, but he was glad to have his lover in his arms. It was the only comfort he had.

Lost in thought, Eric didn't even realize that Sookie was coming to herself. She remembered most of everything that she'd gone through at the hands of that madman. And then Eric was there. Not physically, not yet, but getting closer and closer to her, coming for her, to save her. She had let a smile curve her lips despite the fact that Markus' knife was edging deeper into the wound on her arm. It drove him crazy to see her smirk at him, taunting him. He'd punched her then, harder than he had before. And still, her hope didn't lessen. It was only a matter of minutes, she'd told herself. And then he started cutting her thigh…

But she was right. The door flew open with a loud thud and Eric looked like a beautiful warrior angel as he stood in that doorway, sword in hand, anger and relief gracing his features.

When her torturer was only a pile of ash on the floor, her eyes finally found Eric's and everything was ok again. Her friend, her lover, her husband… and now, her Maker. She loved him like she'd never loved anyone before and she'd walk to the end of the world just to be with him. Just like he'd traveled to find her.

Sookie's decision may have come out as hasty, but truth is, she'd been thinking about it for a while. She was stubborn, she owned that, but she was also in love with Eric. And living forever alongside him was worth more to her than spending a few hours in the sun or having children or anything else for that matter. She was planning on surprising him on their anniversary, telling him how much he meant to her and how she couldn't bear to think of leaving him alone to walk the Earth. She wanted to tell him that he was everything to her and to apologize for all those times when she had turned her nose up at something he'd said or done and for all those other times when she was just too stubborn to see the rhyme and reason behind his actions. Because there always was one. He always thought of her, of her well being and her happiness, and everything he did, he did with that in mind.

And when all these would have been said, on the night of their anniversary, she'd have asked him to be her Maker, the ultimate step of their relationship. She didn't necessarily want it immediately, she still had a few years before her body started to sag, but she wanted it to be out in the open. Two more months and it would all have played out…

Now she felt sorry she didn't get a chance to word everything that was on her mind and that she'd waited to let him know how she really felt about this. By the feelings going on in their bond, she realized the entire situation was eating him up.

Sookie's eyes flew open, the sky blue turned sapphire in the change. Her hand rose softly to his face and he jumped in surprise. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts, in his worries, that he hadn't even felt her come to life.

"I'm yours, Eric," she told him the words that went unspoken between them for years. It was silly, really, since they both knew it, that her pride had never let her speak them aloud. Now it felt appropriate, somehow.

"My love," he breathed out, his arms tightening around her body, bringing her closer.

Her own hand traveled to the nape of his neck, squeezing slightly as she burrowed her face in his chest. She inhaled deeply, feeling right at home.

"How are…" he started to ask.

"Perfect," she interrupted.

"But…" He wanted to bring up all his worries, craving for her to cross off every worry that had passed through his brain in the past three days.

"I'm perfect. Stop worrying, Eric. I'm finally yours completely," she said, a small smile playing on her lips, tickling the naked skin of his torso. "Like I'm supposed to be."

He wanted to push her, to have her listen to him so that she'd know she had options still, but he couldn't. He lowered his chin to her head and breathed her in, letting a deep sigh escape his lips. She smelled different, due to the transformation, but she was still Sookie. She was mostly the same, the only difference was her fae scent, that had diminished. Home.

"I love you so much, Eric, I can't even begin to express how I feel. Thank you for saving me again," she told him from the heart.

"I thought I was going to lose you, Sookie. Even with the change, things could have gone wrong. I'm so glad you're alright."

"I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

"I thought you'd hate me for turning you," Eric said and Sookie lifted her head, frowning at him.

"I could never hate you, Eric. You gave me an option back in that retched house, and I made a choice. I chose you. Even if I were unconscious and you'd have turned me, I still wouldn't be upset with you. I wanted this," she stated, her voice steady.

"You did?" he asked, somehow afraid she'd only say it to humor him.

"Yes," she sighed. "I wanted it to be a surprise. I wanted this to be my gift for you on our anniversary. I had this entire scenario mapped out in my mind".

Eric's mind reeled at what she'd said. She wanted to be vampire, to be his childe, long before her abduction. Every doubt that crossed his mind came crumbling down like a deck of cards. All the guilt that suffocated him vanished at her words.

A wide smile lit up his face, like it only did in Sookie's presence. Nowhere else did he allow his true self to be seen. Underneath the big, bad, ruthless warrior laid a loving man, a romantic to the bone that would do just about anything to make his woman happy.

"There's my Eric," Sookie smiled as well, thrilled to see she's gotten through to him.

"Forever yours, my love," he replied, lowering his lips slowly to hers. He knew being a newborn vampire could be overwhelming, but she'd responded well to physical touch so far. Eric didn't want, however, to pressure her into anything, no matter how much he wanted her.

Sookie didn't hesitate and pressed her mouth to his, moaning as their lips connected. Her entire body was buzzing, every nerve ending coming alive as they kissed. She shifted in his lap, moving to straddle him and a loud moan escaped both of them as their sexes met.

They felt a piercing pain in their lips and broke apart, Sookie's hand covering her mouth.

"Let me see them, Lover," Eric purred. He was nothing if not turned on by the idea of seeing Sookie with her brand new fangs.

She let out a muffled giggle when she realized what the strange feeling was and dropped her hand from her lips, opening her mouth slightly to let Eric see her new additions.

"Marvelous," Eric whispered, a wide smile gracing his lips. He looked like a proud father, Sookie thought and giggled again, seeing at how appropriate her observation was, all things considered.

"Zis iz weird," Sookie said around her fangs, another burst of laughter bubbling out. On top of her brand new teeth, she could also feel the skin on her lip quickly mending, glued back together with the help of her new vampire blood.

"You'll get used to it, Lover," Eric said with a chuckle of his own and pressed a kiss to her lips, quickly deepening it and wrapping his tongue softly around each of her fangs. The act sent shudders through Sookie's body, making her hips buckle into Eric's.

He groaned and his arms enveloped her, pulling her closer, pressing her breasts into his chest and her pussy into his erection. The sensations overtaking her made her throw her head back, breaking the kiss as a moan escaped her lips. Eric didn't wait a second before attaching his mouth to the column of her neck. Beautiful, long, alluring even without the added temptation of fresh blood pumping under the skin.

His fangs scraped on her skin, breaking the surface and pulling out small red beads. His tongue painted a trail of desire over the scrapes, while Sookie shuddered and whimpered with his ministrations. Her hips bucked into his, deliberately this time, seeking the friction she needed so much.

She pulled back and kissed him passionately, albeit awkwardly because of her fangs. It would take a while to get used to them, she thought, but it was all worth it. Her hands traveled to his shoulders, caressing the skin there, just as his were settling on her bare ass, kneading and moving her against his cock.

Her senses were in overdrive, lust clouding her mind. She felt a burn in her throat but ignored it. She knew that it was sign of her new hungers, but there was nothing that could stop her from enjoying her husband at that moment.

Husband, a word that before she couldn't use wholeheartedly because of the differences between their worlds, now didn't seem to cover properly what Eric meant to her. He was more than that, he was life itself.

Their bond was full of love and lust and Eric's relief. Sookie's hand traveled between them to the hard evidence of Eric's desire. She grabbed him over his pants and rubbed him up and down tenderly, minding her brand new strength. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him… especially there…

He groaned in response and his long fingers lowered from her ass cheeks in-between her thighs, finding her warm and wet and ready for him. Sookie's hips bucked when his fingers pressed against her clit and she moaned loudly when they found their way inside her tight pussy.

She felt like she would explode any second, but she wanted to resist a little more. Her hand went to the button of his pants and she ripped it open in her haste. The zipper popped open and she grabbed his cock, jerking him a couple of times, before lifting herself and positioning him at her opening. His hands enveloped her body as she sunk on him, their eyes locked together. She moaned loudly as she started to cum just from feeling him stretch her in the most delicious way.

A smirk formed on his lips and his eyes rolled in the back of his head as Sookie gripped him tightly. His big palms found their way to her hips as he started to move her up and down on his cock, prolonging her orgasm.

His lips found their way to her breasts as her head lulled back, lost in her pleasure. She gasped and moaned loudly as she started to cum once again.

She couldn't believe how good it felt. Making love to Eric was always amazing, but now, with her extra senses, it all seemed to her like a never ending orgasm. She pushed her breast into Eric's mouth, silently begging him to bite. His eyes shifted up to hers and he felt her desire increase tenfold. He pushed his fangs into her flesh, careful not to hurt her and she was cumming again, screaming his name.

Eric let the wounds heal themselves and brought Sookie's lips to his own. She shuddered in pleasure when she tasted her blood on his lips. Eric was nearing his release as the passion between them escaladed. He bared his own neck to her and pleaded with her to bite.

"Drink from me, Lover. Sate your thirst!" he said and his hips bucked when he felt her fangs scrape his skin.

She didn't think twice, but let her instinct take over. Her fangs pierced his flesh, near his artery, and immediately blood started to flow into her mouth. She made her fangs retreat and locked her lips around the wound, pulling the liquid inside her.

She moaned at the taste of Eric and a new orgasm rippled through her, just as her Viking joined her in bliss, the emotions going through their strengthened bond reaching a breaking point.

Sookie lay limp on top of Eric. She wasn't exactly panting, but she was breathing heavily, willing her lungs to pull in air. She knew she didn't need it, but old habits die hard. Instead of tiredness, Sookie felt alive, more alive than she'd ever felt. The burning in her throat had all but disappeared and her lust was sparked anew as she felt Eric's cock twitch inside her.

"You are wonderful, my Sookie," he told her, pressing his lips to her own. A mix of emotions ran through him. Pride, relief, love, lust.

"I love you more than you can ever know," she told him, her voice laced with emotion.

"But I do know, Sookie, I do. I can feel it in the bond we share, I see it in the way you look at me, in the way you touchand caress me, Lover. I hope you know how much you mean to me as well," he replied, his intense eyes boring into hers.

"I know, Eric. You went to war for me, after all, you chose me to be your childe, you took me by your side forever," she told him with a smile.

"And I'd do it all over again, my Queen," he said.

She stopped and looked at him in confusion. "Queen?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Markus was King of Wyoming. Since I killed him, I'll most likely be named King in his place," he replied, cringing slightly, afraid of her reaction.

Her mind reeled. She took a deep, unneeded breath and a small smile played at her lips. Sookie knew that if she asked, Eric would leave it all behind and he'd take her away, somewhere far, far away from the drama. But he liked knowing what was going on, playing the game of chess that was vampire politics, proving his wit and prowess as he outsmarted his enemies and allies.

She also knew that he'd never wanted to be King, that he was happy as Sheriff of his own little slice of Louisiana. But he'd come after her abductor, a king, no less, and he'd saved her, damned be the consequences. He was now leader of a state, basically in her defense.

Sookie had a single question.

"Where will we live?"

Leave me some love. I'm in need of it.

xoxo

Gaby