Okay, last chapter for a while I'm afraid. GCSEs and all that take all my time, I'm afraid. Please Review and let me know whether I should bother continuing. If I continue this story, I'll post again in a week or so (hopefully less). 2,500 words in only 3 hours (as well as editing, spell checking and plotting) is very good for me so maybe I'll be able to pull off a mini-novella. Crossing my fingers!

Note (11-Sep-2010) - I reposted this chapter (reformatted) because of some reading issues. There's no change in content!

Brotherly Love

Chapter 3: Life My Life's That Simple

To give him credit, he at least waited for me to get comfortable before he began talking. He let me pop to the bathroom, do my business and calm my frantically beating heart then get back into bed before he started. He even got into bed next to me and placed his hand over my hand, in between our bodies. I knew whatever he was going to say would drag me away from my normal life, but I couldn't feel scared, or even nervous. His touch was just too damn comforting.

"Sookie, my sweet," he began in his deep and all too sexy voice, "I have waited a long time to get back into bed with you".

"Typical. You have to ruin a perfectly nice moment" was my rather weak retort. Damn it. Why did I say we were having a moment? He just looked at me with a self-satisfied grin on his pale face.

"Hmm.. Ruined? I don't think so... Though it may yet be"

"Why? What have you-all done now? Antagonised the Queen again?"

"Do you think I'm that stupid, my dear Sookie? Besides, I ensured that you got reparations for the services you rendered Sophie, did I not? Surely I deserve more respect than you are giving me, as your lover?" he said, pouting, but he ruined the effect with his fangs. I could see them over his lips and knew he was excited, and not in the 'let's play Monopoly way'.

"That's over, as well you know. You were a different person without a memory. Someone who proved that they had feelings for me"
"You could give me a chance to prove my... feelings" he said seductively, with his other hand going down my body, making me shiver. It took all the strength I had to resist, but I wasn't giving myself to him this way.

"No, Eric" I said as forcefully as I could (which wasn't very forceful at all), "keep your hands to yourself." I knew I couldn't stop him if he decided to ignore me, but I knew that Eric wouldn't do that to me. Not if he cared for me even just a little bit. And evidently he did, as his fingers stopped their entrancing journey south, and settled on my navel.

"Ahh.. my dear Sookie. You must miss me, as I miss you?" he said in a very pouty sort of voice. I looked at his face expecting to see puppy-dog eyes – big mistake. All I could see was a burning lust, and a little bit of nervousness. That scared me. Eric was rarely nervous. And his lust and playfulness was probably to distract himself from having to tell me what he came to tell me.

"You came here for a reason, I presume," I said in the most dignified voice I could muster, "so spill". I gave him a pointed stare.

"Well..." he squirmed. This was worse than I thought. If he couldn't get the worst out of the way straight away, then something was up.

"What? You're scaring me. Spit it out". He took a deep, and unnecessary, breath before he looked me in the eyes.

"Don't be mad at me. We may have been intimate but as you said, I was a different person. I couldn't have told you about my history."

"Your history? Why should I care about your history? If we were together, perhaps... Unless there's some sort of psycho Vampire-Viking ex-girlfriend who swore to murder all those you slept with?" I paused, I'd scared myself. "There's not, is there?"

"Of course there's not" he said, sounding slightly more confident as if my fear had alleviated the tension – maybe for him, "it's worse." Tension doubled and the slight quirk in his lips that had appeared after my attempted joke disappeared quickly.

"Worse? Worse than a psycho vampire determined to kill me? I'm glad I mean so much to you" I said sarcastically, in a tone which would have earned a reproving look from my Gran.

"An ex-girlfriend I could handle – I'd destroy her if I had to. This I can't control. And he's going to want to meet you."

"Who is?" I asked, stuttering in my fear. He really knew how to build tension and at this moment I hated him for it.

"Sookie, the King of Sweden is coming to visit and –"

"Why is that my problem?"

"Are you going to let me complete my sentence?" he said, giving me a look that let me know I'd done wrong but I knew that he wasn't angry, just stressed.

"Okay, sure. I'm sorry"

He nodded and looked upset that he might have made me feel bad (he might have faked the last part though I doubted it.)

"Well... I should have mentioned when we were getting close that my family extends beyond Pam... I have a brother, Sookie. His name is Jökull. He's always been jealous of me, wanting what I have – because I was a vampire he had to become one. He wants everything I have, including you."

"I'm not yours. And what's this got to do with the King of Sweden?" He gave me a look of pity – like I was so very naive. I took offence to that, but I'd bring it up later.

"My brother, Sookie", he began, "is the King of Sweden". My jaw dropped. Why is everything so complicated?