A/N: I should have mentioned this in the beginning, but this story takes place in a slightly AU season 2. Everything with Lafayette/Eric happens, as well as with Bill and Sookie (obviously), and Jessica, and Jason. It begins near the beginning of season 2, so before the trip to Dallas (I'm not yet sure how much the church will play a part in this story). The only major change I am making (that I can think of at the moment) is that Maryann doesn't exist in my story. I really didn't enjoy her storyline, because I felt that it lacked the excitement of the first season. I don't want her in my story. If you have questions, please ask! Thanks for the reviews...they feed my greedy author appetite :)
"This place is very different from your place in New York," Eva observed as she followed the guys into Bill's house.
"It is," Bill agreed. "There are bedrooms upstairs. You can have whichever you like."
"I'll choose tomorrow," she told him. "I'm exhausted tonight."
"You should go to sleep," Eric decided as he entered the house and shut the door.
"Like I could sleep right now. We have way too much to talk about, like why the hell you two aren't nesting together anymore."
Bill and Eric exchanged slightly ashamed glances, but neither of them made eye contact with Eva.
"That wasn't rhetorical," she informed them. "What happened? What are you doing here in this God-forsaken town? Why is Bill dating a telepath while you're providing vamps with human whores, Eric?"
"The people who come to my club do so willingly, knowing exactly what they are walking into," Eric argued. "They are never forced into anything they do not desire."
"Not really my point, Eric."
"After you left things were different," Eric began to explain.
"How different could they have been? You two were companions long before I came along."
"We were friends, but you were the reason we came together," Bill reminded her. "And after you were gone we realized how incompatible we were."
"You could be compatible if you gave it half a chance."
Neither of them seemed eager to agree.
"If you are so incapable of being together, why did you two happen to relocate within twenty miles of each other?"
"After you sent me away from you in Europe, I came here to my old home," Bill told her.
"Your old home?" Eva looked around the living room. "This is where you lived when you were human, isn't it?" Bill nodded. "How exciting! I can understand why you would've wanted to come back here."
"And when I arrived," he continued, "Eric had already established his club just a few miles away."
"I'm surprised you left New York," Eva turned to Eric.
"I had very little choice in coming here," Eric assured her. "They needed someone to fill the post of Sherriff and Godric put in a good word for me."
"Oh, Godric!" Eva beamed. "How is he? I really should visit him soon. It's been at least two years since I was last in Texas."
"I am certain he would enjoy seeing you again." Eric rested his elbows on his knees and his chin on his clasped hands. "Now that you have returned, perhaps we could plan a trip down there. That is depending on how long you intend to stay, of course." His eyes focused on her intensely. "How long are you planning to stay?"
"I don't know."
"Why not?"
"There are some things I have to consider."
"What things?"
"Well, as you yourself have said, things aren't the same for you two anymore, so how do I know that things will be the same for me?" She made sure she had the attention of both the men. "I liked things the way they were."
"Then you never should have left."
"Don't even give me that," Eva snapped, standing suddenly. "You know why I had to leave!"
"We could have worked things out here, together," Eric insisted.
Eva glared at him and crossed the room to the fireplace. She leaned against the mantle, leaving her back to them.
"Leave it be, Eric," Bill warned. "She did what she had to do."
"I know," Eric gave in with a sigh. "Evangeline, forgive me. I'm not angry with you, I'm simply disappointed that you had to leave to find happiness."
"I never claimed to have found happiness," Eva reminded him.
"Well, whatever you found or didn't find, I am glad you have returned, and I hope we can remind you of how happy you used to be."
Eva turned around from the fireplace and quickly returned to the couch where Eric was sitting. She sat beside him and let him wrap his arm around her shoulders pulling her close. Bill watched from the opposite couch until she beckoned him over and he came to sit on her other side.
"I have missed you guys," she assured them, taking one of each of their hands in hers and squeezing them tightly. "It was unbearable at times." She lifted their hands and pressed her lips to their cold skin in turn.
"Evangeline…"
"Yea?" Eva rested her head against Eric's shoulder and looked up into his face.
He winced a little. "Your ring…"
"Oh my god!" Eva pulled her hand from his immediately. "I'm so sorry, I forgot…"
He shook his head and kept his hand low. "It's fine."
"It is not." She lifted his arm carefully, making sure not to touch his skin with her ring again. "Dammit. I'm sorry Eric."
"Don't worry about it." He flattened his hand over hers, palm upwards. "It's already beginning to heal."
"Good." Eva looked at the ring on her finger. "I'm sorry. It's such a habit to wear it that I sometimes forget it's there. Maybe I should take it off when I'm with you two."
"Never," Eric protested. "We gave it to you for your protection. I told you to never remove it, and that includes when you're with us. You never know what may happen."
"All right," Eva agreed. "I'll leave it on, but make sure you don't touch it!" The guys both promised, and she slipped her arm through Eric's, making certain her ring was not touching his skin. "So what else is new? Is there anything we should talk about?"
Bill shifted his position away from her a little and focused his eyes forward. "There is something that's different actually…"
"Oh?" Eva grasped his hand more tightly, trying to prevent him from moving away, but she sensed how tense he was and let his hand slip away. "What is it?"
"Earlier when you mentioned your fear about us possibly not recognizing your scent…" he hesitated. "It was actually different…"
"That's enough Bill." This time Eric spoke up. "It is none of our business."
"If not ours, then whose? We are responsible for her," Bill insisted. "We should know everything."
"If she wanted us to know, she would tell us," Eric argued.
"Okay…I am sitting right here, you know?" Eva pulled away from both of them now and crossed her arms. "You guys know everything about me. Bill, what are you talking about? What's different about my scent?"
"You are no longer a virgin."
Eva stood suddenly. "Eric's right. That is none of your business."
"Of course it is," Bill stood as well. "We are the only family you have, which means we are responsible for everything that happens to you…"
"I don't want to talk about this," Eva snapped. "I am a grown woman now and you are not responsible for my personal choices, especially not my choices regarding my sex life!"
"You make it sound as though you are quite sexually active," Eric spoke up.
"What?" Eva turned to him suddenly. She hadn't expected him to say anything. "No. I mean, maybe…" she paused. "Like I said, it's none of your business."
"Perhaps it is," Eric stood as well. "If you are active now, there are things I think we should discuss—we're supposed to discuss."
"Supposed to?" Eva took a step back from them.
"To prepare you…" Eric glanced at Bill. "You didn't have a mother to explain these things to you, and I am not certain of how much you know…"
"Oh my god," she laughed. "You're not seriously trying to give me a sex talk, are you?"
They both looked sincerely concerned.
"Okay, we really do need to set some boundaries. Sex is off limits." She shook her head. "Besides Noah gave me that talk years ago."
"That is a relief," Eric told her, "but there are other matters to discuss."
Bill nodded. "Yes there are. You must be careful. There are diseases…"
"Stop," she insisted. "I can't take this right now." She walked around them, heading towards the doorway.
"Evangeline, you must take this seriously," Bill called after her.
She stopped in the doorway and turned around. "I'm not sexually active, okay? It was just the one time."
They both fell silent and stopped pestering her with questions or lectures, but they kept their cold eyes on her curiously.
"I'm hungry now. Do you guys want anything?" She headed towards the kitchen, but neither of them followed her. They had known her long enough to know when to give her space.
"No," they answered simultaneously, but she returned a few minutes later carrying her salad as well as two wine glasses filled with True Blood.
"Neither of you touched your blood at the bar," she told them. "You have to be hungry."
They took the glasses from her, and the three of them resumed seats on the couches with Eva sitting across from the guys.
"So tell me then, when you weren't frequenting vamp clubs or getting laid, what were you doing romping around Europe?"
"Hmm, I don't know. What were you doing when you weren't busy pimping off young women as vamp chew toys?" Eric growled low in his throat, but Eva simply scowled at him and turned her attention to Bill. "Tell me about this town. Since I'm not sure how long I might be staying, I want to know everything that could be useful."
"Well, since I am hopeful that you might choose to stay for quite a long while, I believe everything may be useful," Bill told her. "Though as I mentioned earlier, the town hasn't been the most inviting, so I may not be the person to talk to concerning town matters."
"I did pick up on a vibe coming from the townspeople," Eva confessed. "The guy at the bar seems particularly irritated with you."
"Sam Merlotte. He's jealous."
"Of you?" Eva smiled as she understood his meaning. "He likes Sookie."
Bill nodded.
"I don't personally understand what everyone's fascination is with the girl," Eric commented. He was speaking to Bill, carefully avoiding Eva's gaze still.
"And yet the moment I brought her to your club you demanded to meet her," Bill spoke sharply.
"I like to acquaint myself with all new clientele."
"That is a lie," Bill argued. "She intrigued you, and you had to meet her."
"I was curious about who had captured your attention," Eric replied calmly.
"And ever since then you have found ways to bring her into your presence," Bill reminded him, still speaking more sharply than usual.
"Because she has continued to capture your attention."
"Lies again," Bill reprimanded. "You are fascinated with her for a reason that has nothing to do with me."
"Perhaps I am," Eric smiled slowly. "It isn't likely that I would tell you my reasons is it?"
Now Bill growled and Eva quickly stepped in to appease their argument before it escalated, as she knew they was easily prone to do. "It is clear that I was gone far too long for the sanity, and maybe even the safety of everyone."
They were both quiet, but she noticed that they nodded slightly in agreement.
"All right, then let's put the past behind us, stop arguing, and just enjoy the fact that we're all together now again." She stood and put a hand out to them both again. "Forgive and forget, right?"
They both reached out to take her extended hands, Eric again carefully avoiding the ring.
"No more arguing?" She prodded.
"No more," they agreed together.
"Good. Then I've got presents for you both."
"Presents?" Eric stood swiftly. "You should have started with the presents."
"I wasn't sure if you deserved them or not."
"Oh Evangeline…" Eric drawled out her name and brushed his nose against her cheek. "I always deserve presents!" He put his arms tight around her waist and rested his cold cheek against her shoulder.
"Eric…" Eva tried not to smile. "Get off of me you big slug!"
"Slug?" Eric laughed and held her even tighter. "I have been called many things in my long life, but never a slug."
"Bill, make him stop!" Eva giggled now as she tried to pry Eric's hands away. "He's tickling me!"
Eric didn't stop, and Bill didn't make a move to stop him.
"Eric!" She continued struggling, but she wasn't trying very hard and he didn't let up. "You're making me cold!"
"Sorry." He finally pulled back. "Do I still get my present?"
Eva grinned and pointed to one of her bags that had been left by the front door, and Eric was instantly there, kneeling and pulling out a few bags and wrapped packages. He brought them back to her and set them on the table in front of the couch, waiting for her to give them out. She handed two identical packages to each of the guys and waited for them to open them, which only took Eric a moment. He held up the bottle, which was barely larger than a flask, though slightly more rounded. It was a dark bronze and engraved with a golden dragon.
"It's for blood," Eva explained quickly. "I found them at a shop in Amsterdam. The vamp scene is huge there, you know, and they have lots of places devoted to vampire items. This stores blood at a constant temperature so that you can always have it with you in case of emergencies."
Bill opened his and smiled at the lighter color and the American flag etching.
"I know how patriotic you are," she told him. "You two really should think about relocating to Europe though. Everything is so vampire friendly there!"
"I've always like Europe," Eric agreed.
"Bill?"
He didn't answer, but he avoided eye contact.
"Right," Eva smiled. "There's a girl now. Well Eric, it looks like we're stuck here for a while longer."
Bill looked up at her slowly, and when he spoke he was very quiet. "If you two feel a need to leave this place, I cannot stop you, but I also cannot leave Sookie."
"Would you really let us leave?" Eva asked.
"I cannot stop you," he repeated.
"But would you want us to leave?"
"Of course not." His response was so quick and intense that Eva had to smile.
"Good, because you're stuck with us."
"Good."
Based on the expression that passed between Bill and Eric, Eva assumed neither of them would miss each other if she and Eric were to relocate, but she knew neither of them would let her out of their sight again now that she had returned.
"Okay boys, second presents," Eva announced. She took the other bags Eric had brought from her suitcase and after peeking into both of them she handed one to each of the guys.
"Whatever did we do to deserve two presents?" Eric snatched his eagerly and peered inside.
"Well, since I was mostly living off your money anyways…"
"Evangeline, it's perfect." Eric stroked the black feather and then set the white fedora on his head.
She smiled and tipped it down a little to the right. "Now it is. I found it at a little shop in Oxford Circle and couldn't pass it up." She looked at Bill. "And yours?"
Bill held up the red silk shirt she had given him and nodded with a smile. "You know me well."
There was a soft patter of feet on the steps and then the slight frame of a young redhead bounded into the room. "There you are! I've been going out of my mind waiting here for you. You ran out in such a hurry and didn't even say a word! What was I supposed to think?"
Eva eyed the girl carefully and then turned back to Bill. "Clearly, I don't know you as well as I thought I did."
