A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! I'm so glad that people seemed to enjoy my first chapter. Hopefully the second one is okay, too!

Chapter 2: Just Stay Here Tonight

EPOV

I needed to talk to Pam again, so I left Sookie in my office while she waited for her cab to get there. The girl really couldn't handle her liquor, but it was cute. All of a sudden she was yawning and blinking hard to keep herself awake.

"Sookie?" I'd asked, pushing a strand of hair off her face.

"Mhmm?" She replied, all smilely. Her eyes were half closed.

"Would you like me to call you a cab?" I chuckled.

"Ye-es please," she'd answered with a cute little yawn.

"Come on," I'd said, offering her my hand.

"Hmm?" she'd asked.

"I'll call you a cab, and you can wait in the office. In Peace," I smiled.

"Okay," she'd yawned again, and took my hand. Hers were so tiny.

I settled her on the couch, and dialed the number which, after years of working at a bar, had been seared into my memory. The cab wouldn't be long, since the company was located pretty close to the bar.

"I'll be back in a sec, Sookie," I said, realizing I had evaded Pam pretty much all night after my shift as 'bartender' had been over.

"Mhmm," she murmured, already falling asleep.

I walked back out into the bar, looking around for Pam. She was flirting with a group of college-aged girls, who I don't think realized they were being flirted with.

"Pamela," I called.

"One minute, ladies," Pam purred.

"You were looking for me, Pam?" I asked.

"Yes. Who's your friend?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged.

"She's just a girl at the bar, Pam."

"No," she smirked, "I know what you look like when you're in panty-melting mode. And that wasn't it. You looked like you were being… nice," she finished, with a look of distaste, as if the word 'nice' was a gross one.

I rolled my eyes. Fuck, was it that weird for me to be nice to someone?

"Yes, Pamela, I understand the concept is foreign to you," I said, " but you should really try it sometime."

"Right," she snorted, "I'll be nice to people when you get married, buy a golden retriever, and have little Northman babies."

Touché. I wasn't exactly known for my ability to, as they say, commit. I didn't really much see the point. Frankly, I could fuck whoever I wanted to fuck. Women came to me easily, especially working at a bar. And I hadn't really met anyone that was worth keeping around. It was easier that way, really. Anyways, Pam was just as bad of a 'ladykiller' as I was.

"Whatever you say Pam," I said as I walked away. I was sure that Sookie's cab was there already.

I walked into my office, and Sookie was asleep on the couch, with a Fantasia blanket wrapped around her tiny body. She really was adorable. Long blonde hair, wide blue eyes, pink lips, and fucking gorgeous curves. Mmm. She was snoring softly, and it made me smile. It was a shame that I had to wake her up. I bent down to her level and whispered her name softly.

"Sookie," I whispered, "wake up."

She didn't even stir.

"Sookie," I brushed her cheek with my fingertips. She nuzzled into my hand. I didn't want to wake her up since she looked so peaceful, but I couldn't very well put her in a cab while she was asleep. Since I didn't have to close the bar tonight, I would just bring her home with me and let her sleep in the guest room. I would drive her back to her car tomorrow. I ignored all the questions that little voice in the back of my head was asking, as to why the fuck I gave a shit, why I wouldn't just wake her. And why I would bring her to my house…

I grabbed her little purse, and gathered her up in my arms, still in the blanket. I held her against me, and she nuzzled into my chest. Sookie was apparently a very snuggly drunk.

Luckily there was an exit close to the office, so I wouldn't have to walk through the bar with a snoozing Sookie in my arms. I really didn't want Pam to see me. She would call me pussywhipped.

She was light in my arms. My keys were easily accessed in my pockets, and I unlocked the doors to my Corvette. I struggled a bit to open the door, but managed to, and then gently placed her in the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt.

The drive to my house really wasn't that long. I really, really hoped that Sookie didn't hate me for bringing her to my house. I didn't think she would, it's not like I planned to take advantage of her while she slept, but she seemed so innocent that I thought maybe she'd feel weird about spending the night at a stranger's house. Oh well, I would deal with that in the morning.

I pulled up into my garage and turned off the corvette. Keeping my keys in my hands, I gathered Sookie in my arms again. I tried to ignore how fucking awesome she felt there, and how awesome it felt when her arms wrapped around my neck. I unlocked the door, and walked straight to the guest room that was beside my bedroom. I placed her on the bed, but she wouldn't unwrap her arms from around my neck. I smiled involuntarily.

"Sookie," I whispered, "time to get into bed."

She finally let go of me, so I took off her shoes. I pulled down the sheets and comforter and helped her slide into bed. I even kind of tucked her in.

"Good night, min lilla Sookie," I whispered as I brushed hair away from her face. I'm not really sure where that came from.

"Night Eric," she whispered back sleepily, but I was sure she hadn't woken up. I made sure there was a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol beside her on the nightstand. I didn't know Sookie very well but I imagined that she wasn't used to drinking that much, and that she would probably need it.

It was not even 2 a.m. but I figured I could probably fall asleep. I brushed my teeth and changed out of my clothes, but kept my boxers on incase Sookie woke up in the middle of the night and came to find me. I slept naked, but didn't want to make Sookie uncomfortable if she needed me. It would be pretty funny though. I liked to see her blush.

My thoughts, as I tried to fall asleep, centered on my little Southern Belle. She'd interested me as soon as I'd seen her. She wasn't dressed like most of the women who came to the bar, in glittery dresses or booty shorts. Rather, she was wearing a pretty little red and white sundress. I'd wondered if she was lost and looking for directions. But curiously, she had sat at the bar. I tried to flirt with her, but she was just so shy and… sweet. She wasn't really talking to anyone, and she didn't seem like she was waiting to be picked up either because she'd rejected a couple of drink and dance offers. Seeing that fucktard Quinn manhandle her just pissed me off, and I seriously just wanted to throw him out of my bar myself.

And when she told me about her douchebag of an ex, I just wanted to cheer her up. She was too sweet to be sad. I didn't mean to get her drunk or anything, but I thought she deserved to let loose a bit. There was something about her. I tried not to think about how out of character these feelings were for me.

She was beautiful, and she was asleep in my house, I thought happily, as I drifted off into a deep sleep.

SPOV

I could feel the headache even before I opened my eyes. And I could taste that awful cotton-mouth thing too. Sweet baby Jesus, what had I done last night? Strangely, though, I was comfy… too comfy. I slowly opened one eye, then the other, and… had no clue where I was. What the hell?

I was in a bedroom. A very nice, very classy bedroom. Everything was modern and beige and clean. And no wonder I was so comfy, the bed was huge, the mattress was squishy, and the pillows were fluffy. I looked over at the bedside table and saw that there was a huge glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol sitting there, just waiting for me. I had drank a lot last night, hadn't I? And suddenly I remembered…

Eric. Oh my lord! Was I at Eric's house? Had the sexy bartender taken me back to his place? I started to panic a little bit. I knew that nothing had happened since I was still in my dress and all. And Eric didn't really strike me as the kind of guy who would take advantage of a sleeping woman, especially after the way he talked about that guy… Quinn. But I was still possibly at his house! It would make the most sense, since he was pretty much the last thing that I remembered.

I sat up, and took a Tylenol, and chugged the glass of water. It would probably be pretty helpful, I figured, especially if I had to deal with Eric. I was sure I was about to be embarrassed like I'd never been before. I crawled out of the bed, and tried to make it as best as I could. Gran had raised me be to be polite, after all. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and cringed. My hair was all tangled and matted, and the little bit of mascara I had put on last night was all smudged on my face. I looked a mess. I glanced around the room looking for my little purse. I was pretty sure I had a hair tie in there, which would certainly come in handy. It was sitting on the dresser. I grabbed it, and opened the door as quietly as I could. I really, really wanted to find a bathroom before I ran into Eric.

I peered out into the hallway and saw that there was a little bathroom right beside my room. Score! I quickly ran into it and shut the door quietly, and locked it. The bathroom reminded me very much of the room I stayed in last night; modern, clean and masculine, though it was decorated in greys and silvers.

I tried to untangle the mess that was my hair with my fingers, but that didn't work very well. I opened up a cabinet drawer and found a little brush there, and some toothpaste. Both would come in handy. I quickly brushed my hair, then dug through my purse, feeling relieved when I found my little purple hair tie. I threw my hair up into a high ponytail. I splashed some warm water on my face and tried to get the black smudges under my eyes under control. I grabbed the little tube of toothpaste and put a dab on my finger, just to try and get the yucky taste out of my mouth. After I was done brushing and rinsing, I cupped my hands and took a nice, long drink of cool water from the faucet. I was feeling almost human again! I grabbed my lip gloss from my purse and put a little bit on.

Then I saw that my phone was flashing in my purse and… oh no. Amelia. I grabbed it and saw that I had 7 missed calls and a whole bunch of texts.

(11:48 pm) Sook, u ok?

(12:26 am) Sookie are you there?

(1:08 am) Sookie?

(2:15 am) Sookie!

(2:24 am) SOOKIE STACKHOUSE! I swear to god you better call me!

(10:17 am) Ok Stackhouse where the hell are you?!

Shoot! Amelia had been freaking out all night last night, and this morning when she realized that I hadn't come home! And it was already past eleven! I didn't want to call her incase Eric heard my voice and, um, came looking for me or something. So shot her a quick message.

Ames I'm fine, I swear! Sorry I didn't call u! I'll c u later, k? xoxo

I shoved my phone back into my purse, and took one last look at myself in the mirror. I looked fine enough, I guessed, to go out there and face Eric. I quietly left the bathroom and crept down the hallway. I heard a deep voice, and smelled a really yummy smell, and figured those would lead me to him. And they did. He was standing over the oven top, flipping eggs. He was also on the phone.

"Yes, Pamela," he said, in an irritated voice. I imagined he rolled his eyes. "I know," he practically growled into the phone, "Pam. I know. Now can you please leave me alone? I'll see you later." He let out a huff of air in response to whatever the person said. "Yes, I'll be at the bar later. Bye." He hung up the phone and set it on the counter. I wondered what they'd been talking about, to have made him so grumpy.

I stepped out of the hallway and into the brightness of the kitchen.

"Um, Eric?" I said softly. Not a particularly confident greeting, but hey.

He turned around and once again I was confronted by his gorgeousness. Holy moly. He was wearing dark jeans and a light grey v-neck. Boy, was he tall. And he was grinning slyly at me.

"Well hello Miss Stackhouse," he smirked, "how are you feeling this morning?"

"Oh, I'm fine," I replied airily, trying not to blush, "thanks for the Tylenol."

"You're very welcome," he replied, still smirking. "Are you hungry? I made some eggs, bacon, and pancakes."

"Wow," I smiled, walking towards him, "this looks amazing."

"Well, I figured you needed somethingto soak up all that booze," he grinned at me. This time I did blush. He chuckled, obviously pleased that he affected me. He handed me a plate, a very full plate.

"Thank you," I murmured, still a bit embarrassed.

"You're welcome," he smiled warmly at me. "Have a seat. Do you want some coffee?"

"Yes please," I replied politely, trying to hide the fact that I was actually dying for coffee. I took a seat at the counter, and Eric placed a cup of coffee in front of me. I thanked him, and stirred in a little bit of sugar and cream. I took a sip and tried not to moan, it tasted so good. He sat right across from me.

"You're kitchen is really beautiful," I said, while cutting into my pancakes. I was aiming for a bit of small talk, since I felt a bit intimidated by his gaze. "Actually, your whole house is really beautiful."

"Thanks," he said politely. Well, so much for small talk.

"How long have you lived here?" I tried again.

"Um, almost five years now," Eric replied, sipping on his cup of coffee. I nodded, digging into my food. It was really delicious. I was trying to figure out how to bring up the most obvious question, what the heck I was doing at his house!

"So, um," I began in between bites, "how exactly did I, you know, end up…"

"Here?"

"Yes," I tried to avoid eye contact. Eric chuckled.

"Well, last night you started to get pretty sleepy, so I brought you into the back room and let you doze on the couch while I called a cab for you. I left the room for all of ten minutes, and when I got back you were pretty much passed out. I couldn't wake you up. I couldn't very well send you away in a cab unconscious, now could I?" Eric smiled, and raised a lovely blonde eyebrow. "So I just brought you here, and put you in the guest bedroom. I…" For a moment he lost the confidence that radiated off him naturally. "I hope you're not like, freaked out or anything," he looks at me.

I smiled back at him. I felt a little bit touched that he had taken care of me last night, rather than leave me to security or even in the hands of some cab driver.

"No. Thank you," I said softly, almost in a whisper. Eric nodded slightly, and went back to drinking his coffee. I finished up my breakfast, and got up to start clearing the table.

"You don't have to do that," Eric tried to stop me, reaching for the dishes I was carrying.

"Please, Eric, let me help clean up," I smiled, "I really don't mind." He relented, and together we cleared the table and loaded the dishes into his stainless steel dishwasher. I grabbed a damp cloth from the sink and wiped down the counter, making sure to get all the sticky syrup spots. Once his kitchen was set to rights, we kind of just stared at each other for a moment.

"So, uh," I began, breaking the silence, "I guess I'll just call a cab, to bring me to my car at Fantasia." I didn't want to interrupt Eric's day anymore than I already had.

"Oh, no, I can take you over."

"Eric, that's really sweet of you, but I don't want to be any more trouble than I've already been," I felt myself flush just a bit.

"Sookie, it's fine. I have to head over to the bar anyway."

"Oh," I said stupidly, trying to figure out why he would have to go there early on a Sunday afternoon. "Staff meeting?" I asked.

"No," he chuckled, "Pam and I are meeting with our accountant to go over the books."

"You're…" I squeaked. I was slightly dumbfounded. So Eric wasn't just a sexy bartender? Fantasia was hisbar!

"Co-owner, yes. Don't look so surprised," he laughed, "you didn't seem so impressed by my bartending skills last night."

"That is true," I tried to laugh. I wasn't sure why, but I felt even more embarrassed that I'd fallen asleep not just at Eric's workplace, but at his actual bar. That he owned. Sweet Jesus! Eric watched me with a smile, as if I amused him.

"I'll be ready to go in a few minutes. Make yourself at home," he said, then wandered down the hallway.

I walked into the living room and sat on a big, comfy, navy blue couch. The décor in the living room was modern, but the colors were rich and lovely. Eric obviously had amazing taste, and the budget to go with it. But there weren't many personal effects lying around. I spotted a framed photograph across the room, and got up to go see it. In the photo was a tiny little blonde haired boy – Eric, I imagined – and he was bundled up in a snowsuit, cheeks flushed. Beside him on either side were a tall blonde man, and a beautiful blonde woman. His parents? The picture was adorable.

A few minutes later I heard Eric come up quietly behind me.

"Is that you?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's me and my parents in Sweden," he said softly, "it's where I grew up."

"Oh," I smiled, "do your parents still live there?"

"No," he said in a strange voice, so I turned to look at him. He kept looking straight at the picture. "They, uh, passed away."

"Oh, Eric, I'm so sorry," I said quickly. I knew personally how awkward of a conversation that was. I felt horrible for bringing it up, even though I had no way of knowing.

"It's fine," he replied.

"No, I, um," I was going to say I understood, but that seemed like an obnoxious thing to say about someone's personal experience. "I lost my parents too, so I know it can be, um, weird to talk about," I said, lamely. He looked at me and we had an odd moment of silence.

"You ready to go?" he asked finally.

"Yep," I replied, with a small smile.

Eric locked up and we headed into the garage, to get in his car: a cherry red Corvette. It made me smile. We pulled out of his driveway and I was surprised to see that he actually lived in a development. I would have imagined him living in a cool penthouse apartment or something, and told him so. He shrugged with a smile and explained that he liked the space. That made sense to me. He was a giant, after all.

During the drive back to Fantasia we chatted a bit. Eric told me about Pam, his business partner. He said she was bold and feisty, and didn't take crap from anyone, which was the kind of person you wanted to go into business with. I laughed and said she sounded a bit like Amelia. He asked me a bit about teaching, if I was bored since it was the summer and I was out of school. I told him that I always found stuff to keep me busy, whether it was working around the house or planning next term's lesson plans.

We pulled up into the Fangtasia parking lot and I was surprised to see that my car was in employee parking. I gave Eric a questioning look.

"I got Longshadow to put your car in an employee spot," he told me, with a grin. "I didn't want you getting a ticket."

"Longshadow. He's the bartender with all the tattoos?" I guessed.

"That's the one," Eric laughed.

"Well thank you," I smiled back.

We got out of Eric's car and he walked me over to mine. I dug my keys out of my purse, then I twirled them nervously in my hands.

"Well thanks for everything, Eric," I said nervously, not really sure what to say.

"You're welcome," he smiled, inching closer towards me. "But try not to fall asleep in a bar again, okay? Not all bar owners are as noble as I am." He gave me a wink. I laughed, and felt myself blush.

He bent down and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you around, Sookie," he said, giving me one of his signature smirks.

"Yeah, see you 'round," I replied weakly.

I watched him walk away, towards a red door that said "Employees Only". Only once he was in the building and out of sight did I unlock my car and plop myself in the front seat. I let out a long breath, one that I'd been holding onto.

What the heck just happened?

A/N: I hope that was okay! I had fun writing Eric, but I'm a bit nervous about how he came off. I'd like to continue writing both POVs. I enjoyed reading all of your reviews last chapter, so please do let me know what you thought! Thanks so much for reading!