A/N:I do not own these characters. The wonderfully imaginative Charlaine Harris does. You have no idea how much I wish I owned Eric though

A/N: I once again owe all the thanks in my awesometastic beta Smfogleman who is sick right now :-( Go read her amazing story, A Royal Engagement and leave her some love!

http://www. fanfiction. net/s/5539792/1/A_Royal_Engagement (remove spaces)

A/N: I have also had the pleasure of becoming a beta/pre-reader for two wonderful ladies and authors! First up is Pixiegiggles. She is the author of the delightful story The FStop. If you like Eric, Nutella, and Plaid, then this is the story for you!! She turns me into a giggly little girl :-)

http://www. fanfiction. net/s/5382421/1/The_FStop (remove spaces)

Then there is my soulmate Missus T . She has two amazing stories going on right now. Leap of Faith and a new one Halo Effect. If you aren't reading these, then you are crazy!!

LOF: http://www. fanfiction. net/s/5640413/1/Leap_of_Faith (remove spaces)

HE: http://www. fanfiction. net/s/5771494/1/Halo_Effect (remove spaces)

Taking off the pimp hat! Enjoy!!


EPOV

I am scared to think that I have made a mistake telling Sookie how I feel. She has been outside for quite a while. She said she wasn't ready to go home quite yet, but maybe I should take her home anyways. I really hope I didn't do too much damage.

Sam comes by the table with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Well, Eric, you said you were going to tell her how you felt and I would say you certainly did that. Where is she anyways?"

"She said she needed some air. I think I might have scared her off. I hope I wasn't too forward with her. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I need her to know my feelings."

"Eric, I am certain she knows. Don't worry about it. You know how Sookie is. Just give her a minute to come to terms with things. Ya'll are too good of friends for this to blow up in your face. Trust me on this."

I know Sam is right, so I just sit and wait for her to return. I try to pay attention to the other people singing, but my mind can't focus on anything but Sookie and her response.

When she walks back in I let out a sigh of relief because it doesn't appear she has been crying. That is a good sign.

I ask her if she is alright, and she assures me she is.

I'm not sure I believe her, but she asks if we can go ahead and leave. I am willing to do anything for her, so I tell her we can. I tell Sam and Amelia goodbye as she heads out to the car.

Amelia kisses me on the cheek and tells me to keep my head up, she has faith in us. I cannot help but smile, knowing she is rooting for us. Amelia is important to Sookie, and I hope having her on our side will help. Sam shakes my hand and pats me on the back.

When I get outside I don't see Sookie standing around anywhere, so I walk over to the car to find her sitting in the driver's seat.

"Mind if I drive tonight?"

I shake my head to indicate that I don't mind at all. Whatever will make her happy is fine by me. I climb into the passenger seat, strap on my seat belt, and she speeds out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.

Now I remember why I don't let her drive my car often.

SPOV

The air is cool, but I leave the top down on Eric's car. The feel of the wind rushing through my hair and around my face is helping me to keep my calm. Instead of getting on the highway to head back to school I keep driving through town, drawing Eric's attention to me once again.

"Where are we going, Sookie? School is the other direction."

"I know, Eric. There's somewhere I would like us to go first, if that's alright with you."

"Uh, sure, Sookie. Whatever you want."

I drive on with my destination in mind. I need for us to go somewhere special, somewhere that we can be open and honest with each other. Somewhere to make memories. I see our destination ahead in the distance and slowly pull the car over to the side of the road. Killing the engine, I unbuckle my seatbelt and pull my sweater back on to combat the chilly night air.

"Take a walk with me, Eric."

He doesn't respond, but gets out of the car, pulling on his own sweater and follows me as I lead us to our special place. We hike the familiar trail until we reach the top. The overview of the town is nothing short of spectacular at night. All of the buildings are lit up and mingle with the twinkling stars that serve as the backdrop in the night sky. We stand there in silence for a few moments, taking in our surroundings. Eric grabs my hand, much like he did that first time. I take a deep breath and turn to the side to face him. Taking a moment, I marvel at the sheer magnitude of this man. How I ever got so lucky to have him as my best friend I will never know. Add to the fact that he admitted to having feelings for me earlier tonight, and my heart is pounding in my chest in a mixture of nerves and pure excitement.

"Eric, there's something I need to say to you."

Several emotions are swirling in his eyes- fear, desire, affection, but mostly concern.

"You can tell me anything, Sookie."

"Actually, I guess I need to ask you a few things first."

He nods, indicating that I should continue.

"Why did you sing that song to me, Eric? You and I both know what it is about, and I just want to be sure of your motivation for singing it. And if you did mean what I think you did, why did you tell me now?"

I hear him suck in a breath, his palm gets a bit sweaty, and I see the nervousness spread across his face. I give his hand a gentle squeeze, desperately needing him to answer my question. His answer will determine a lot.

"I sang that song, Sookie, because it sums up exactly how I feel about you. How I have felt about you since that first day we hung out, five years ago. You took my breath away on my first day of school when I got to look into those beautiful blue eyes of yours. When you gave me that trip around town and welcomed me with open arms, I started to fall for you. Every minute we spent together I fell even deeper.

"It felt like someone had punched me in the stomach when you told me that Tray had asked you out and that you had accepted. It has been pure torture watching you with him and having to hear about how happy you are. I never said anything because you were my best friend, and I wanted you to be happy.

"The other week, when you told me about your engagement, I could feel my heart breaking into a thousand pieces. You could have stabbed me repeatedly and it wouldn't have compared to the pain I felt. I drank more alcohol that night than I ever have. Alcide found me passed out on the couch the next morning and he and Felicia had to spend the day taking care of me.

"I know the timing is bad, and that I should have said something to you years ago, Sookie, but I need you to hear this now. I sang that song to you because I love you. I have loved you for five years. I need you to know that. I need you to hear it and believe it. I need you to not marry Tray. I'm an asshole for telling you this now, but damn it Sookie, I just have to."

For the second time tonight, Eric had stunned me into silence. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes, but I blinked them away. This man had poured out his heart and soul to me, being more honest with me than he ever had before, and I owed him more than a torrent of tears streaming down my face.

Eric was in love with me.

He was really and truly in love with me. The happiness I feel is causing my heart to swell to the point that I am concerned it is going to burst right out of my chest. Eric loves me! I hadn't been wrong in thinking he had feelings for me: he had admitted it out loud to me. I had made the right decision bringing him here. I need to tell him my feelings as well, so I take another deep breath, willing myself to calm down.

"Eric, I don't even know where to begin. You have no idea how happy have you just made me. The first moment I looked up and saw you sitting next to me in class I was done for. I had never seen anyone as breathtakingly handsome as you. When I offered to show you around I wanted it to come across as me being a good townsperson, but really all I wanted was to spend time with you. I had more fun with you in one day than I had ever had showing someone the town. I knew immediately that I was going to fall for you. "I kept waiting and waiting for you to ask me out throughout the year, but you never did, so I just assumed you didn't have feelings for me after all. When Tray asked me out I said yes because it was nice to be wanted by someone. I would be lying to you if I didn't say that I wished it had been you asking me out that day. You never made a move to stop me from dating him, so I took it as another sign that you didn't care for me like that.

"Tray makes me happy, he really does. I love him. It's not the same though. I don't feel with him the way I feel when I am with you. It scares me, Eric. You took root in my heart and you have refused to let go. You might have moved aside to give Tray a portion, but you were always the dominate faction of my heart, whether I knew it or not. I love you, Eric Northman."

EPOV

My heart is pounding so loudly in my ears that I am certain I have been hearing things. Did Sookie really tell me she loves me too? That she has been in love with me for these past five years as well? There is no possible way. It is too much to hope for. I am completely blown away.

"What did you just say?"

"I said; I love you, Eric. I am head over heels, totally and completely, madly in love with you."

The smile on her face is blinding and her eyes are glistening with unshed tears. I can feel my own eyes begin to fill up, but quickly brush them away, because like Robert Smith said "Boys Don't Cry".

"I love you too, Sookie," I say as I gather her into my arms, enveloping her in a crushing hug.

We stand there, wrapped in each others embrace for a good five minutes, slowly rocking back and forth, breathing one another in.

Pulling back I tell her, "I can't think of a better place for you to have told me this. This is the place where I realized I was going to fall hard for you. Watching the sunset that evening, it cast such a glow around you, and your beauty was overwhelming. I wasn't sure I was ever going to be able to get enough of you. I know now that I never will."

Her tears spill over and I pull her back in to my embrace, loving the feeling of her finally being in my arms. Exactly where she belongs.

I am unable to resist the pull I feel, so I tilt her back a bit and stare into the blue eyes that started this whole thing rolling. I slowly lean down, stopping a fraction from her lips. I have wanted to kiss her like this for so long and I want to savor the moment. I brush a stray piece of hair away from her face, and she lets out a sigh of contentment. This is all the encouragement I need, and I close the tiny gap putting my lips to hers. They are soft and full beneath mine, and the taste is distinctly Sookie, cinnamon and something almost sweet.

I could stay like this, kissing her this way forever, but I want more. I slowly probe her lips with my tongue, requesting entrance. I feel her sigh again as she parts them and her tongue glides out to meet mine. Slipping my tongue into her waiting mouth, I groan at the sensation. The recesses of her mouth are so warm and silky, and I lose myself in the feeling. When the lack of oxygen becomes too much I gently pull away, resting my forehead against hers. Her eyes flutter open and I can see the desire cresting in them once again, tangling with love.

Unable to resist, I press my lips to hers once again, but this time the kiss is slow and sweet. Love for this amazing woman fills my entire being, and I am happier than I have ever been.

When we pull away this time, I wrap her back up in my arms and we stand there enjoying the night and the feeling of being together.


A/N: They're young. They're in love. Don't you just hate them!!! :-p Next time on I'm on Fire: What about Tray? *runs away laughing*