Wow, wanted to say I now appreciate all the stories on here even more than before. A lot more goes into it than you think. Thanks for all the support. I appreciate everyone who reviewed and added me to story and author alerts. It means a lot.

I threw in a Pam POV to give us some perspective. This is an Eric and Sookie story and will mainly be from their POV, but occasionally I will throw in one of the B characters.

I don't own these characters. They are the creations of Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball

Eric POV

Eric ran. Usually he flew because it was quicker and having the ability to fly was something he was proud of. But right now, he needed to feel the ground beneath his feet as he thought about things. Yes he had feelings, and his primary feeling right now was anger. Close in second and third were hurt and frustration. Yes, he had feelings. It didn't mean he liked them, especially when they had been hitting new peaks in the past few years. Sookie was the common denominator for most of these damn feelings he was having problems controlling. As he ran through the muggy bayous of Louisiana, he reflected on who he was before Sookie came along. Aside from Pam and Godric, he only cared for himself and his own needs. Now he found himself thinking about how he could make Sookie happy and fulfill her needs. If you had told me this was even a possibility for how I would turn out five years ago, I would have labeled you as a fucking quack and had Pam deal with you.

Eric felt a sudden sense of loss for Godric. After finding humor in his lovesick schoolboy behavior, Godric would have been able to tell him how to behave and handle this situation. While Godric had the capacity to be as detached as most vampires, he never had been that way with Eric. He had always reached out to him when he sensed Eric needed him. Eric had never felt like this before, even in his human life. Meaning he had never had to seek council about his very human feelings for a half fairy half human girl. Despite this, he knew Godric would probably help him figure out Sookie too. What would Godric say? Pam would roll her eyes up into her head and probably snark about fifty snide comments Eric's way. Then she would seriously look him in the eye and tell Eric to get his shit together and abandon Sookie and the idea of having her. This is the reason he had not approached her about this. He couldn't bear the thought that she may be right. Godric might say the same thing, but he would probably encourage this attachment Eric had for her. Godric's abhorrence for the savagery of vampires was something he had never really understood until now. Most vampires, Eric included until recent events, had always believed vampires were what they were, so deal with it or get eaten. He now shuddered at the concept, thinking of his hellcat Sookie being on the receiving end of a vampire with this mindset. Since Sookie, his dealings with humans had been significantly less severe and he tried to embrace the mainstreaming ideology put in place and strictly enforced by the AVL, specifically how to behave and treat humans.

Eric nears Shreveport and starts to slow his pace. He wonders if Sookie has rescinded his invitation yet. Now he regrets signing those papers. But seeing Sookie in tears had always been like a kick in the gut to him. It was the reason he swept out of the house so quickly. He would rather be silvered than have her tears fall to her cheeks when he could have prevented it. He had also been enraged by the idea of her leaving him again. If she returned to Faery, where he could not follow, he was not sure how he would survive. His dependency on her was infuriating. What the hell has happened to him? The Eric five years ago would have staked the Eric he had become. He would be ashamed of himself. He had been broken down from powerful ancient badass sheriff to an emotional piece of shit. Heading to the back door of his bar, he realized he was whipped by a girl. By Sookie. He rolled his eyes to the skies with this realization and briefly asked the heavens why this had happened to him. He opened the door and was not surprised at all to find Pam waiting for him on the other side. He smirked at her and inclined his head towards his office in the back. Pam turned and led the way.

She opened the door and walked over to lay a stack of papers on his desk. She raised her immaculately manicured eyebrow daring him to say something. He was behind and he knew it. He nodded once and sat down. She looked at him as he started leafing through the papers. "So?" she asked. She was straight and to the point. She perched on the corner of his desk and cocked her head to the side to indicate her curiosity. When he didn't respond to her she said "Goddamn it Eric. Did she agree to be yours? I don't need your bullshit moody silence. I already watch the Young and Restless, which is way better than the Eric and Sookie Saga, if you want my opinion." Eric glared at her and looked back down to the papers he wasn't really focusing on. "She is not mine and her house is her own again."

Her jaw dropped and she stood up as if standing was going to bring understanding to what he had just said. "You gave her the house without her commitment to be yours? Oh fuck. Well, there went your shot." Eric suddenly growled and bared fangs at his child. He stood slowly while maintaining eye contact with her, which indicated that he was lethal. He knew the house had been his best bargaining chip. His child was right, but he hated it being shoved in his face. All the anger he had pent up came forth and he screamed at Pam to get him a fucking human and get out of his office. Her eyes popped slightly in shock, but she moved out of the office on the hunt for someone who would suit Eric. He was tired of waiting and sick of Sookie's denial of what was between them, including amazing possibilities for happiness. Right now he needed real blood and release from the tension Sookie had created in him. Ever since Sookie's disappearance, he primarily drank bagged or synthetic blood. He only occasionally ingested from the humans in his bar when he physically required it. Same thing with sexual play. For a year he only acted on his natural impulses when his body literally screamed for it. He sat down a powered up his computer to check his email while he waited for Pam. Had he allowed his child her opinion on the subject, she would have been right. He needed to get the hell over this shit. He was Eric Northman. 1,000 years old. Vampire sheriff. Viking lord of ladies.

Pam opened the door to his office leading a fangbanger in. He didn't even need to look up. He had never really given a shit as long as they had a pulse and got him off. Pam closed the door. The fangbanger sidled up to him and asked him what he wanted. He started to show her, but knew it wasn't her he really wanted.

Pam POV

Pam walked away from the office after leading in a pretty brunette with stick straight hair and big blue eyes. She was wearing a ridiculous goth outfit that many of the Fangtasia customers donned, thinking it would attract one of the vampires. Hell, maybe it did, just not her. And not Eric. Not recently anyway with Miss Sookie running the show. Pam understood the attraction. Sookie was a spitfire dressed in Sunday best. Not to mention absolutely gorgeous. She radiated this glow around her that sucked you in. Though Pam had never showed any outward sign of it, she liked Sookie. She was whiney and her obsession with Bill Compton had been made Pam want to slap some sense into her, but she was a human that was kind and non-judgmental, even though she had plenty of reasons not to be. For example, she would bet Sookie would forgive that shit Compton. She may not forget or get back together with him, but she would forgive him. She was a decent and good woman. Even though Pam wasn't one herself, she could appreciate it when she saw it in others like Sookie.

Pam headed out to the throne where Eric usually sat. She hated this stupid fucking chair. So did Eric. But someone had to sit in it to keep the customers happy. With Eric gone lately, she had noticed that business had slowed when vampires weren't clearly displayed for them to ogle at. She sat there completely checked out, thinking about Eric and Sookie. She knew he was pissed. She could feel it. But underneath the anger was hurt and frustration. Sookie had done a real number on him and probably didn't even know it. He loved her. She knew it. Eric insisted he didn't know love. He claimed vampires had no propensity for it. But he loved Sookie Stackouse. Pam didn't know how she felt about this. She knew that if he acted on this and Sookie was willing, a can of worms could open up. With Sookie came problems. The girl had major mystical baggage. Who the hell knew even what the fuck she had encountered with the Fae. Eric had not confirmed their suspicion, but honestly where else could she have gone where Eric couldn't follow? Well, besides dying. That would do it. But when she suggested that to Eric he had a fit and slammed her against a wall for even thinking it. He insisted he would have felt that from her and their thread of a connection. Pam felt his nightly panic for his connection to Sookie, waking her from sleep. He didn't think she had figured out what it was about, but she had. Of course she had. Nevertheless, she called him every night to assure herself he was safe and didn't need her.

Even now as he was fucking his dinner, she knew he felt the sting of rejection. She knew Eric would pull back to who he had been before Sookie had left for Faery. When she left, she saw his concern and feelings for Sookie come out as he searched for her. Anytime one of his trackers across the United States called reporting a girl they found matching Sookie's description he would become frantic and impatient, only to be let down every time it wasn't her. She was finally back and he had already been rejected once by Miss Stackhouse. Rejection would cause him to retreat back into himself and close off. According to Dear Abby, it was a knee-jerk, self-preservation technique many implement after rejection to protect themselves. Pam didn't know if this was good or bad. It would probably be better for business anyway. She looked over the crowd of customers. Since Russell Edgington had lost his shit on national television, business had been down at Fangtasia and other vampire owned establishments across the country. It went down even more when they stopped having Eric or other area vamps on display at the bar as eye candy.

Pam watched as the back door to the offices opened and out walked the girl she had led in earlier. She had a glazed dreamy expression, her spiked choker disappeared, and shirt ripped up. She was attempting to hold the shirt together, but with little luck. Eric was an amazing maker and friend, but sometimes he was so textbook and transparent to her. For some unknown reason to her, his behavior since he returned to the bar had both annoyed pissed her off. Eric emerged from the offices in sweatpants and a black singlet looking slightly pink, but not satisfied. He made his way toward Pam on the throne. When he reached the throne, Pam got up without saying a word and stalked away to do door duty. She felt Eric's eyes follow her and could sense his confusion. Frankly, she was confused herself.

Eric POV

Eric watched as Pam clicked away in her heels towards the front door. She waved the vampire currently carding humans away and took his position. Eric was confused about what had happened since he ate dinner. He thought on it for a moment and figured he would ask her later. He needed to be out here with the customers. Business had been slow, but Eric was not worried. He zoned out for a while. His thoughts strayed to Sookie, as usual. He felt the bond to see if he could sense anything but her existence in in the bond. He could feel she was in Bon Temps and probably asleep. Even thinking about her snuggled in bed made him hard. Across the bar, his dinner was watching him with awe as he sat on his throne. The crowds had started to thin out now that it was getting close to closing. He knew that the girl wanted him to take her home with him. This was not something that would happen ever because of safety issues and because he saw her as nothing more than a meal. He didn't acknowledge her because it might lead her to believe his feed and fuck with her was more than it was. It wasn't even a memorable feed and fuck. Eric draped his leg across one of the armrests and began texting Pam. What happened? He looked over at her when he sent the message. She finished up admitting people and began circulating, letting staff know it was last call. She opened the text and looked up at him and texted back Nothing. Leaving early tonight if that's okay. She eyed the vampire who had been checking ID's earlier for her, letting him know to finish closing everything up for the night. She then began walking to the back door towards the offices.

He sat there for another fifteen minutes for the stragglers in the crowd to leave and decided to go back out to Bon Temps to check on Sookie. But first he would call Pam to see what had her in a mood. He stood, stretched, and began walking to his office to finish up any mandatory paperwork Pam had left him and locked up. He dialed Pam as he turned down the hall to the back door. Her phone went straight to voicemail. There were only a few times when she had turned her phone off, and those times meant bad news for whoever was on her bad side. He hoped to the higher powers it hadn't been him and walked into the alley behind the bar and took flight towards Bon Temps. When he reached Sookie's house he circled her property. As he neared her bedroom window he noticed that in the trees below he could make out a figure standing looking up at her window as well. Eric knew it was Compton. He sailed right past him so Bill could see him and floated up to the window to look in on Sookie. He could feel Bill's eye drilling holes into the back of his head in fury as her window. Eric gazed in and beheld Sookie. She slept in her bed, snuggled under one of the quilts her deceased families had made. Why did she have to be so damn beautiful? With each inhale and exhale she made, he became more and more riveted by her. He wanted to go in and watch her for hours, but sunrise was approaching and he had to square stuff away before he went to rest. He floated for a few more moments before he turned from the window. He was tempted to mess with King Bill, but decided instead to head back Shreveport.

As he flew Eric thought about Bill being there. Sookie requested never to see or hear from Bill again. She had also asked the same of Eric. They had both already disrespected those wishes the night she returned. Sookie had behaved towards Bill and Eric the way Eric assumed her beloved Gran had raised her that night. Gracious, poised, and civil even if they didn't deserve it from her. Eric knew his betrayal of Sookie's trust and his part in causing her pain in the big reveal of Bill's deceit was detrimental to his chances with Sookie. But his actions had been imperative and in his mind were justifiable. She couldn't live in the dark anymore of Bill and Sophie's twisted plot. Not including her in his scheme against Russell Edgington was for her protection. Drinking from an unwilling Sookie brought him no pleasure. He had wanted his first experience of her crimson nirvana while buried inside of her while she cried his name in pleasure. He would have the chance to explain this to her if only she would hear him out.

Of course Sookie had returned during daylight hours just to drive Eric insane. When she returned, the small bond he had with her vibrated and pulsed with life in his mind and echoed in his chest. He awoke suddenly and wasn't able to return to his daylight sleep because of the anticipation he felt for seeing her again. So many had tried to convince him she had died. But he knew the truth. He knew that whatever was in store for him and Sookie was yet to come and that their destinies had become entwined with their first meeting. This was the reason he bought her house when her sketchy brother put it up for sale. After buying it, he wanted Sookie to be able to come home to something familiar and comforting.

He hired Alcide's crew, knowing that during the day Alcide would overlook the work as carefully as Eric would at night. When he needed to attend to area business as sheriff, he made himself available, but otherwise he spent nights cleaning up the house with the crew making sure they handled Sookie's things with care. Although he trusted Alcide with Sookie's things, Eric hired out a separate company to handle the new security system he installed in Sookie's home and the underground safe space for himself during daylight hours. Sookie would probably lose her mind when she discovered these new installations into her home, but it was too late to undo it. The security team in place in case any of the alarms in Sookie's home went off were some of the best in the business. With Sookie, he was going to be overly cautious even if she refused to be his. Eric knew that Alcide held tender feelings for Sookie which bordered on romantic sentiments. But Eric wasn't threatened by this. Not only did Alcide start dating Debbie Pelt again, but Alcide was not right for Sookie. Eric was. Sooner or later she would have to realize this as absolutely as Eric did. Bill was a different story. Now he was king and he had more power and backed by the AVL. Bill wanted Sookie and was capable of desperate measures to get her back. But Eric would not let this happen. He could not let it happen. Bill had already proved he could not be trusted to care for someone as precious and special as Sookie. Only Eric knew how much she deserved in this world and he was going to do everything he could to give it to her.

He landed outside of his home and dialed Pam again. Her phone was still off and he knew it was something that he had done which caused her to be icy towards him tonight. Usually it was something he knew would piss her off, like force her to do work that would ruin her Manolo Blahniks. Tonight he had absolutely no clue. She better be willing to bring it up to him tomorrow or be her usual self again. Otherwise, he would have to use the maker card, which was something he didn't like to do excessively. He headed to his home office and made some calls to his day guy that needed to be handled. He then headed to his room, stripped, and prepared for his daytime rest. As he climbed into bed, he felt Sookie stir in her sleep through their bond. His thoughts remained with her in Bon Temps as he succumbed to death.