SPOV

It was an entire week of tension. Sookie spent the weekend working off nervous energy. She had cleaned the entire house, including Amelia's closet. Monday morning Sookie decided to take the bull by the horns and talk to Lafyette about her little standoff with Eric.

After recounting her tale Lafyette smacked her upside her head.

"Oww! What did you do that for? I didn't do anything."

"That be the point. Sweetness, that boy did all but dance naked for you and you turned him down because you thought Sam would give you shit. Listen here, Sam has gotten more teacher tail runnin' this place than any one of us has had students. Eric is a grown man, aint nobody gonna say nuthin."

"You teach English with that mouth?"

"English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, but I slip into street in a heartbeat when someone demonstrates some foolishness."

"You really think that it'll be okay?"

"Yes, though I would let him make good on his promise first."

With that Sookie's guilt was assuaged, "Thanks Laf, I'll see ya later."

Sookie now had a plan, a green light, and a warrior mentality. Eric had better be ready for a battle of wills, and either way Sookie would be the winner.

Showing up every evening at 5:55 pm sharp was frustrating. Eating dinner with Eric had been nice, and he always looked so good in his t-shirts and jeans, hair wet from the shower. Every time he answered the door she wanted to kiss him, and every time he tried to hug her, but she was just too stubborn.

There was no way Sookie was going to back down. Eric was going to make progress before he got the reward of her attentions, but he was persistent. Telling her that she had a great smile, that she was beautiful, smart, and that he was always thinking about her was not out of the ordinary.

The great thing though, was that Eric was making progress, he was working incredibly hard, with her and on his own. She was holding firm about not giving in until she was good and ready. Friday was going to be the day. She had it all planned out, and he would have no idea.

EPOV

Upon waking Saturday morning Eric picked up his phone and dialed a number he knew would cost him his eardrums.

"You realize that it is Saturday, don't you?"

"Yes Pam, I realize. I need your help though."

"Well can't it wait until Monday? You know, when I'm on your time."

"As my personal assistant you are always on my time. I need your help, and unless you want me to retract, what I'm sure was a glowing review, you will assist me."

"Fine, what do you need?" Eric smiled, hearing Pam huff and climb out of bed.

"Well you are always telling me I need to meet someone who can keep my attention, and I believe I have."

"Let me guess, she is not reacting the way you are used to, and you want to know what to do?"

"Precisely. She is intelligent, funny, not easily shaken, and gorgeous."

"Wait, how do you know that she is not easily shaken?" Eric did not want to admit that he had pushed her. "Eric! What did you do?"

Eric recounted his last two days with Sookie, Pam was already well aware how Eric dealt with the previous tutors. When he was finished telling Pam how he had promised to be a great student, he asked, "Well how do I proceed? She is obviously not taken in by a dominant personality, but this is how I am. What do I do?"

"Oh Eric, you need to make good on your promise, before she will trust you at all. She thinks you are the type to push a woman until you get what you want, and then toss them aside, and to an extent she is right. Between the food she brought you and the things you told me she has said she expects to be treated a certain way. She is a lady, and independent lady, but a lady nonetheless. You must give her the option to be with you, not the command."

Eric was floored at the thought that a woman was actually offended that he was going after what he wanted. Things were never given to him; he worked and fought for everything he had. She had no idea who he was.

"Eric, this is not about you. She needs to trust you, and you have given her no reason to as of yet. All you have done so far is try to frighten and bully her. Follow through with your promise of being a focused student, but do not stop trying to show her you want her."

Eric was beginning to understand. "Thank you Pam, I will see you Monday morning." A plan was beginning to form, and as he hung up the phone with Pam Eric decided to get far ahead on his work this weekend.

Eric worked like a madman over the weekend, and got himself a full three days ahead in his work, along with his homework for Sookie. He even took the initiative of doing a few extra crosswords. He found them relaxing once he realized that no one else would see them unless he showed them.

The following week was a challenge; he answered the door at 5:55 pm every evening, after grabbing a quick dinner on the way home and taking a quick shower. Every time he tried to hug Sookie, and every time, she handed him something to carry in, or shook his hand and each time he smirked knowing she was uncomfortable.

While she coached him he was focused on what he was doing, but during a transition or break he told her how beautiful she was. He always offered her something to drink, and a snack when they were done, and carried her materials to her car after she declined. Sookie was not giving in to him, but she was not running away either. Pam assured him that he was making headway.

He decided that Friday night he was going to make a move but he would have to be careful about it. Eric did not want to scare her off or offend her, but he was tired of waiting. Every night he wrote down his fantasies about Sookie; how he wanted to make love to her, and recently how he wanted to just hold her and kiss her.

It was starting to irritate him how little would make him happy right now. Just being able to hold her, share a meal with her again, to kiss her would be enough for him right now. He felt like a dog that had been left out in the yard too long. If he started rubbing up against her leg, then he would get nervous.

SPOV

Sookie left her house early, with the dinner she planned to feed Eric. She arrived at his house at 5:35, knowing that he would be in the shower by then she quietly unleaded the food and her materials. She placed the food in the oven to keep warm, desert in the fridge to keep cool, and set the table, leaving her materials in the corner of the dining room.

Then she quickly and quietly climbed the stairs to Eric's room. She sat on the bed and waited for the shower to stop. Exactly at 5:45 the water stopped and Eric emerged wrapped in a towel. He did not miss a step walking into his bedroom. He smiled seeing Sookie and walked to the end of his bed and pulled one hid jeans under the towel. Sookie giggled realizing that he was not wearing underwear.

"And what do you find so amusing about trespassing miss?"

"I think it's hilarious that you have no shame about going commando."

"Well had I know that my choices in undergarments were going to be criticized today, I might have put more thought into it."

By now Eric had pulled his shirt on and leaned over Sookie keeping eye contact with her the entire time. Sookie smiled and put her hands on Eric's shoulders to guide him back.

"Come on big guy. If I'm any kind of right about you, you haven't had a home cooked meal in a weak."

Being dragged from his bedroom Eric asked, "And what makes you think I haven't cooked for myself?"

"Easy, you work like crazy, and then meet with me; you don't have time to cook."

"Right, well then how do you know I don't have someone else cooking for me?" Eric was smirking as he sat down.

"Because, when you ate what I made for you last Thursday you didn't say a single thing until you had cleaned your plate." With that Sookie left the room to get dinner from the oven.

Eric was practically drooling when Sookie brought out Sheppard's Pie, croissant rolls, and a decanter of red wine. Sookie wanted him to be happy with what she had made. Her pies were always big hits, and he needed a good meal.

Sookie scooped out a large portion and passed the plate to Eric, then she put some salad on his plate and a roll and poured him a glass of wine. She was painfully aware of his eyes watching her every move, and she was having difficulty deciding if it was her or the food he was watching. After she had repeated the service for her own plate Sookie raised her glass, "To a job very well done Mr. Northman." She watched Eric's brow furrow as he joined her in the toast.

They began eating and had barely taken two bites when Eric jumped into the conversation with both feet. "You have told me nothing of your family Sookie. Do they embarrass you, or do you think it is improper to discuss your personal life with students?"

Nearly choking on her food, Sookie reached for her wine before answering. "I am not embarrassed of my family, and it is not inappropriate, there just isn't much to tell. My parents, only aunt, and grandparents have passed on. I haven't had any contact with my cousin in years, though I know she has a little boy. It's really just my brother and I, and we lead very different lives. I've been on my own for a while now."

"I'm sorry I was not trying to upset you, I just want to know more about you."

"Well I live with a good friend of mine, Amelia, in the house I grew up in. my grandmother left it to me when she died. I love Gone With the Wind, the book and the movie. I enjoy cooking and taking care of people, and teaching is what I was built for. I think that about covers it. You?"

She couldn't help but laugh at the overload of information Eric was experiencing. He managed to speak tough, "Well you know I've lived in many places around the world. I enjoy traveling, and my job is rewarding, but I would always like the option to advance. I have no siblings, and my parents died when I was still in school. I enjoy foreign films, and most of my reading consists of ancient philosophy."

Sookie was shocked. She had not expected him to be so forthcoming, and she definitely did not peg him for a philosopher. "Well being well read is one thing I can boast. This gives us a starting place for more shallow conversation."

"I am not looking for shallow conversation. Not with you."

EPOV

He did not look away from her when he said this. He locked her eyes and tried to convey how serious he was with his eyes as well as his words. He wanted her to see him, all of him.

He knew that things would be different tonight from the moment that he stepped out of the shower this evening. Seeing her sitting on his bed was so right, She belongs right there. Hearing her giggle as he dressed he knew he needed to be closer to her. He followed like a reluctant puppy to the dining room, and was more pleased than he wanted to admit when she not only brought dinner out but served him as well.

Their conversation had now led them to a critical point. And within a breath Sookie seemed to see into him, and she smiled. She took his hand and continued eating. From there they discussed politics, religion, education, computers, and every other topic they could find, until they had eaten their fill.

They then cleared the table together and Sookie insisted in storing the leftovers for Eric. He smiled and went to wipe the table down and load the dishwasher. By the time he was done she was waiting at the table for him with a familiar looking legal pad.

Eric, now slightly nervous, sat down across from Sookie, who propped up on her knees and slid the note pad to Eric. "You wrote this for me on the day we met. What I want you to do is read it carefully, word for word, and edit it. I want you to make this the most grammatically and mechanically correct piece of writing anyone has ever seen. Forget what you think you might have written, let that go and read what is actually there. Okay?"

Eric nodded, picked up his pen, and began making revisions. He realized things which had not occurred to him before, things Sookie had taught him, and things he had discovered on his own. When he had made his way through the piece twice and could no longer find any errors, he reluctantly handed the pad back to Sookie.

Once again he worried how Sookie would see him. He watched as she read this time. The corner of her mouth turned up, she was smiling at what he wrote. Her breathing was uneven, heavy, almost like she was trying to keep her composure. Was his writing having an effect on her? All he could do was wait.

She put the pad down and held up a finger indicating that he should wait. She practically ran from the room, and all he could do was drop his head to the table. He had upset her, he had pushed too far. He was just about to start banging his head against the table when he felt fingernails comb through his hair and lightly scratch his scalp.

Eric sat up to see Sookie holding a plate of cherry pie. "You have done so well Eric. There is a whole pie in the fridge, but with all we ate at dinner I figured this would do. Congratulations Eric you no longer need anyone to read over what you write." Sookie put the plate down in front of him and stood waiting for a response.

Eric stood, and looked Sookie in the eye, "Miss Stackhouse, though it was a nice gesture, I do not want a pie. I want you, or at least a chance with you, but you have dismissed me out of hand. I feel that I have proven myself to you have I not?"

Her hands were like fire on his chest, even through his shirt. She stepped so close to him that he had to fight the urge to put his arms around her to keep her in place. "Yes Eric, you have proven yourself to me." Her hands slid up to his neck and he knew that this was her yielding to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and melted into the sweetest kiss he had ever had. She was softer than he had imagined, and not just warm, but hot.

She opened her mouth to him, and he moaned into the deepening kiss. His hands began to roam up and down her back, before sliding down to her legs and lifting her up. Sookie giggled, and he could not help but smile. She started to kiss and nibble along his jaw to his ear which made his eyes roll back in his head. When he was able to form a thought again he thought perhaps he should sit down in one of the chairs, until he started chewing and sucking and kissing his neck. On shaky legs Eric headed for the stairs, climbing carefully, so as not to drop Sookie.

SPOV

She knew reading it again was going to be difficult. She had read it so many times that she had the damn thing memorized. This would serve two fold though, it would get Eric in the right mindset, and she could evaluate his progress. She knew he was ready, she just hoped she was.

When she kissed him it was unreal, he was tender and careful and commanding all at the same time. When his hands started to roam, she started to worry that she would wind up having sex with Eric on the dining room table, a thought that made her outright giggle when he picked her up. Then he started walking toward the stairs, This is it!

When they got into his room, Eric carefully laid Sookie on the bed, and removed his shirt. He climbed onto the bed and kissed her mouth, eyes, cheeks, chin, and neck; all the while sliding his hand up her stomach peeling her shirt off. Sookie's red lace bra had the desired effect on Eric.

He traced the edge with his finger, then his tongue. Then he began to kneed Sookie's breasts with his hands and tease her nipples though the bra. Sookie moaned, and threaded her fingers into Eric's hair, pushing him closer to her. Eric's response was immediate; he removed her bra and practically attacked her bare breasts. Sookie began to reach for his belt.

EPOV

Eric snapped back when he heard his belt clearing the loops of his pants. Realizing what Sookie had done, he removed his pants and began kissing down her stomach, to the tight jeans she was wearing. He made short work of the button and zipper, but took his time removing the pants. He kissed and licked and nipped his way down Sookie's legs. When she lay on his bed in nothing but a pair of red lace underwear, he wanted nothing more than to take her every night for the rest of his life.

Settling himself between her legs, Eric brought Sookie to three orgasms with his tongue and fingers, pushing her further and further each time. She was almost in tears when he kissed his way up the body he adored. He kissed her and slowly pushed into her.

He felt her every twitch. Could feel how tight she was, and it was heaven. He fought to keep control of himself, and stilled himself as much to allow himself to calm down and much as to give her time to adjust. When she began moving her hips, he knew she was ready to continue, and continue he did.

He changed speed, rhythm, and angle as often as he could, as often as Sookie clamped down around him, in order to make himself last as long as possible. He never wanted it to end. Finally it was too much. Sookie pulled him down to kiss her as she came harder than she had before, and he lost all control. Spilling forth into the only woman how had kept his interest for more than two days, he was happier than he had ever been.

Removing himself from Sookie was almost painful, it seemed as much for her as well. He had no desire to leave her. He laid his head on her ample breasts, and wrapped his arms around her. Her hands went straight into his hair, scratching and combing; putting him to sleep.

Light streaming into the window was the next thing Eric was aware of. He felt empty and alone for a moment, before he realized that he was. It was morning, Sookie was not in his bed and she had not waken him to say goodbye. Had it actually happened? Did he upset her by falling asleep? Was it only a one night stand to her? These questions swirling in his mind like a turbulent see, Eric stripped the bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

After stepping out of the shower eric sat on the bed and put on a pair of sweat pants. He really wanted to lie back down and dream about Sookie, but he did not want to the clean sheets get wet from his hair.

That thought froze him in mid stride to the door. He had not put fresh sheets on the bed, he had only taken off the dirty ones. After a quick glance to ensure that he had not imagined that there were sheets on the bed, Eric ran out of the bedroom down the stairs, and skidded to a stop in the kitchen. The scene before him was one he had dreamt about just before waking for the past few mornings; Sookie, in one of his t-shirts, cooking breakfast in his kitchen.

She looked over her shoulder smiled and said, "Hey there Rip. Hungry?"

Eric smiled and walked up behind her hugging her and smelling his soap on her skin, "Starving."

"Go sit down. There is coffee on the table along with the paper. I'll bring breakfast out in a minute." Not wanting to seem clingy, Eric did as he was told, and waited patiently. He had gotten good at waiting for her, and would never mind having to, because she was worth it.

SPOV

Sookie was comfortable with where Eric had fallen asleep. She slept the whole night through comfortably, for the first time in a long time. When she woke up in the morning though, she still smelled like sex, and knew that Eric would be starving when he woke up. She carefully extracted herself from Eric's iron grip.

She had felt so safe and warm there that she did not want to leave his arms, let alone the bed. She quickly, and quietly, took a shower, loving the scent of Eric's soap, and snuck from the bedroom to the kitchen. Sookie had stolen one of Eric's t-shirts from a pile of what looked to be clean laundry on the way to the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen Sookie whipped up a veritable breakfast feast. As soon as Sookie heard the shower turn on upstairs, she went up to change the sheets on the bed. Eric had already done half the work for her so she was able to set out coffee and the newspaper for him before he got out of the shower.

While she was finishing the eggs Eric ran into the kitchen like he was being chased. He stopped dead just in time for her to flash him a smile, tease him, and ask if he was hungry, Ha! Like he would say no! She was pleasantly surprised by how sweet he was when he held her and breathed her in. Sookie quickly shooed him from the kitchen before she got lost in his arms.

She had made him wait for her, and he had been patient, but she would not make him wait for anything anymore.