A/N: Thank you to everyone that has reviewed. It's my first story so feedback is a plus. This story is completely outlined and about half written so updates will probably happen every couple of days. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. Just having some fun in my free time.

Two weeks later we were standing outside of Fangtasia. I could hardly even believe it. We'd quit that night, only two days notice something I would never do, but Eric was sort of back in Sheriff mode before we even left Colorado and didn't seem to stirred up about two weeks notice. We'd d taken the most roundabout way back to Louisiana. I had been

about to ask Eric if he planned on stopping to see the world's largest ball of twine when I realized he was trying to figure out if anyone was following us back. That probably included Bill who'd been more than a little put out that Eric had told him we didn't need a chaperone.

Despite the worries of being followed and that we might get attacked on the road or something, I really enjoyed the drive back. We'd sold my car because Eric had deemed separate vehicles unsafe and a gigantic waste of gas. When I pointed out that buying a new car in Shreveport was a gigantic waste of money, he'd just shrugged and told me that you could make more money, but natural resources were finite. I'd been tempted to point out that this hadn't stopped him from buying a sports car or me an SUV, but really, was it worth the argument?

So I spent my nights sitting next to him in that amazing Mercedes – so much hotter than my SUV model -- just watching him shift gears worked me into a state of high agitation something about the way his hands looked drove me crazy. At one point when I was watching him, he'd looked over at me and said, "What are you thinking lover?"

I'd smiled at him, "It's just wrong to be this hot for you after three years. Do you think it's a vampire thing?"

He'd pulled the car over in about thirty seconds and pulled me into his lap as he laid soft kisses down the side of my neck and answered, "I think it might just be me."

I'd yanked his hair "forcing" him to look at me, took his lower lip in my mouth and bit hard. That had effectively ended all conversation until we had to skedaddle to the nearest motel before the sun came up.

It had been a nice several days until we arrived in Louisiana, drove straight past Bon Temps and down to New Orleans. Eric's iPhone had been buzzing the whole trip and we were headed to New Orleans to meet with the king. Before going to see de Castro we'd also spent several thousand dollars at Sake Fifth Avenue. I'd protested so much that Eric had finally pinned me against a wall in the Shops at Canal Place and hissed that in Aspen I might be living with a bartender, but in Louisiana I was the fiancée of the Sheriff of Area Five and I needed to look like it. I was really torn between kneeing him in the groin and getting kind of blubbery over the word fiancée. He'd whispered in my ear so softly, "Please, please dear one. You must understand that appearances matter now. If you will not understand this, then I can not keep you safe and we must leave. Being here does not matter to me as much as keeping you safe."

"But everything you have here…" I'd always sort of wondered if he missed it all. I mean wasn't being a bartender a little boring after being Sheriff?

"Lover, my years with you are likely to be limited – unless you change your mind about staying human – and being Sheriff…I have done that for many years and could do it again later if I chose to."

Ah, later, like when I was dead. Great.

I'd nodded and as we continued our stroll through the mall I looked at him and said, "What was that about fiancée that you were saying?"

And that was how I ended up standing in front of Fangtasia in a Lily Pulitzer sundress that Eric said was very "me," four-inch heels that he loved, a string of crazy expensive pearls and a diamond ring so big that I think the garden club ladies in Bon Temps would have called it vulgar while drooling over it.

I looked over at Eric immaculate in a Brooks Brothers navy pinstripe and white shirt. He wasn't wearing a tie and the shirt was open at the throat. The bite mark on his neck – a little testament to just how hot he looked in the suit -- was just about healed. It kind of bugged me that it was healed. I might need to bite him again before we went in, but settled for lacing his fingers tightly through mine and squeezing hard. I think all this vampire possessiveness had become ingrained in me.

He looked down at me. "You don't need to be nervous. I will not let anything happen to you."

"Things happen to me all the time when I'm with you. Remember when I was grabbed by those bikers or the picking up that bomb in Rhodes?" I left out 'or kidnapped by fairies' because we didn't talk about that. We'd worked through it and pretty much ignored it from that point on.

He sighed and shook his head sadly. "But usually, not when you are right with me. Usually more like when you are running away from me. Possibly if you stayed closer you would be safer."

I looked up at him and continued our slow pace toward the door. "It's just such a big change," I whispered. "I know its what I wanted, but you're Sheriff again. It's just so weird."

Most people I think would have thought that the "engagement" was the big change, but it really wasn't that different. Eric considered us married. I did not. Living together, life partners, engaged were all compromises we'd used in the past. Although Eric had been very definite on engaged here. Probably I should have seen that as a big red flag.

He chuckled and without letting go of my hand hugged me tight kind of wrapping my arm around my back. Then he kissed me hard. We were right next to the line for Fangtasia at this point and even as I was really enjoying the kiss I had to wonder if its location was strategic somehow or at least significant.

"But of course, dear one, that is part of the reason they wanted us back so much. They are preparing."

I frowned at him. Clearly, he'd gotten more out of the time with de Castro than I had. Obviously, there had been things happening that I wasn't aware of both over email and in person because he'd seemed to know that he'd be made Sheriff again before we even got here and damn if he hadn't been right. It was almost the first thing discussed when we arrived, pretty much right after "hello." I kind of wondered when and where he was getting his information. It seemed to me that we were either together at some sort of function or he was screwing me senseless in the hotel…hmmm…I'd assumed he'd stayed in the room once I had passed out from too much wine and sex, well, you know what they say about assumptions.

"Preparing for what?" I snapped at him suddenly feeling really irritable.

"War, lover," he said so quietly that it was really a whisper except whispering didn't fit Eric's personality. "Pam is not a war time Sheriff."

"Oh," I said sarcastically. "Like in the Godfather."

He looked puzzled.

"You know, a wartime consigliore."

Eric smiled, "Oh yes, The Godfather. I liked this movie very much. Three was awful though. As you say, Pam is not a wartime advisor and she does not have a human wife."

"Fiancée," I corrected waggling the ring at him. Of course, the ring was simply a promise of an undefined future. Vamps and humans can't marry. There was a lot of debate about it. The Federal Government said it was a state issue. The church railed against it. And states hemmed and hawed but largely avoid the possibility. The ring basically said someday.

I think there were a lot of people that would have said it was really more of a promise ring. And there were a lot of people who would have said it was going to get me nothing but trouble. I kind of saw it that way too, but it was odd that when Eric had slipped it on my finger I hadn't thought much about hordes of fanatics yelling at me about demons. I'd just felt really safe. Ironic – word of the day – because safe was probably the last thing the enormous diamond made me. I might as well have painted a big bullseye on my hand.

Eric stopped this time and growled at me, "Sookie, I have told you repeatedly I consider us to be married. We have bonded by the knife. I have promised you I will protect you and care for you and live with you. It does not matter to me what the state of Louisiana says about it. I don't even see how they have anything to say on it."

I was a little overwhelmed by this speech. I could feel my eyes tearing up and I gave him sort of s dopey grin. But instead of talking about it I went in another direction. "Was Pam mad?"

"I did not ask." Okay, then.

"Okey dokey then, so you're here ready for action human wife and all."

"Well definitely ready for action with the human wife. As to the rest, I suppose we'll see what comes won't we." He looked at the club and then down at me. "Sookie, you must know that if things tonight are not as you thought…I am only trying to secure for us a safe life in Louisiana, which is what I believe you would prefer."

Okay…I didn't like the sound of that at all. I was about to open my mouth and demand an explanation when a girl from the line shouted out, "It's him!"

And before I knew it there were autograph books being shoved at Eric and women and even some men – I mean I don't care if you swing that way, it's not my business, but that doesn't mean I want to see you groping my boyfriend -- everywhere. Eric tucked me in beside him and headed for the club door signing a couple of autographs along the way.

'Who are these people?" I hissed at Eric.

"My fans," he said. "I didn't think there would still be so many or we would have gone through the back. I believe Pam sent out a tweet to the devoted that we would be returning tonight. You know it's always good to look popular with the humans…"

He trailed off because I was standing just inside Fangtasia staring at him. "Pam sends out updates about you on Twitter." I was stunned.

"About the bar," he clarified. "Not me personally. Although in this case, it was about me personally. I believe. I did not actually see the tweet."

I have no idea what came over me but I hauled open the red leather door and screamed out at the line. "In case you didn't see it on Twitter, he got engaged!"

I heard at least two of them think, "Engaged ain't married."

Well, I supposed that was a good point.

I turned back around to see Eric shaking his head caught in between mortification, amusement and pride. Pam was sitting at a table a little ways away with Bill and Victor Madden. I think she might have choked on her True Blood she was laughing so hard. Bill sat like a rock. A really pissed off rock. And Victor looked amused.

"She's really quite a firecracker isn't she Eric," he said in his ultra smooth voice when we'd made it to the table. "Miss Stackhouse," he said extending his hand. "May I buy you a drink?"

I nodded and settled in for a dull evening of vampire politics. Welcome home.