This is the first time, I've written an introduction to a chapter, but this chapter was a difficult one for me to yank out of myself. I have an entire plotline mapped out, and I'm trying to make sure that all will make sense to you, loyal reader, when I continue my foray into this strange world of cross-over fanfiction. The only thing I have struggled with, is putting in gratuitous sex scenes, but at the end it won out, because I feel that the relationship between Sookie and Eric is a very passionate one, physically. I have decided that as long as I stay true to the plot and subplot, we'll continue to explore an avenue of the characters that demonstrates their affection for each other all the while showing how they cope with that in the face of the challenges they have yet to face. Hope you enjoy. – T.


Chapter Eight

I stayed sitting at the table for quite some time after Occella had left. I sipped a glass of water with lemon that one of the waitresses had brought me. Eric, at my side, reigned over the bar, with the air of a lord, which I suppose he was. Occasionally, a human would come up to him, to speak to him, or ask for his autograph. He would imperiously sign whatever they were holding out with barely a glance at the person. Being that I worked in the industry, if you will, I enjoyed having this rare opportunity to observe the dynamics of the bar, watching the people and the vamps interact. It was also an opportunity to experiment with this new ability without being observed. I began to put feelers out towards the bar patrons.

I noticed that the interaction between humans and vampires was like a careful dance, but one that was injected in its every fibre with raw desire. The vampires were the suns, and the humans orbited them like a pulsating planets. Each party was aware of the other, although they all tried to give each other the impression that they weren't. I read that everyone in Fangtasia had an appetite, and it wasn't just a thirst for blood. It was like the shadow of bittersweet longing was being held over the entire area, with everyone denying themselves from shouting out what they really wanted. Some of the humans were there with desire to be turned to vampires themselves, some yearned money, some were vee addicts, and some were there with an appetite for adrenaline and the rush of being frightened. The vampires craved blood. Both humans and vamps alike were hungering for sex. It really was a dynamic environment, and it was very heady stuff for a small town girl like me.

Every once in a while, one of the visiting vampires would approach Eric, and he would have a brief conversation with them. One such vamp, by the name of Marin, came up to Eric with a petite human woman, and appealed to him with regards to some property he owned.

"Eric I've got a problem with the two new vamps that have moved here from Area 7." He pulled a stack of papers out of a briefcase. "They moved into one of my shaded apartments, and haven't paid me any rent. They refuse to leave, and they refuse to pay. When I threatened eviction, they said that they would harm Kathleen." He nodded towards the petite human that was with him. "She is my property manager and daylight business manager. I've got bills to pay Eric, but I can't get them out, my other tenants are starting to complain as well, and I'm afraid that they will move out. These vamps are older than me, and I really need some help on this."

Eric glanced at the papers, and nodded. "This would be Corrine and Daniel, correct?" Marin nodded. "Okay, I'll have Bobby Burnham file the proper papers in the courts tomorrow, and deliver a notice to them. If they still do not remit rent by the end of the week, we'll have one of our day help enter your building and remove their coffins to the vampire hostel on North Abington Avenue. We'll take care of changing the locks as well. You'll have to have your human rescind their invitation to enter, so they cannot return. I'll also make it clear that no one is to harm your human." He paused. "If I am not mistaken, I think that Corrine's master is Stan Davis. Perhaps I should give him a call, and let him know that his underling is misbehaving in my area..." Eric smiled. "Bobby can go over the arrangements Marin." He nodded towards Bobby Burnham, Eric's day help and Bobby stood up, and made a gesture towards Eric's office. Marin and Kathleen followed him.

Eric looked at me, and smiled. "It's not always exciting, but there is always something to do." He looked me over again. "So my lover, will you be returning to Bon Temps this evening or are you coming home with me? You do look good enough to eat." He raised one silky blonde eyebrow at me. "Perhaps this night won't be a complete waste."

I'd never been to Eric's house before. I thought about it briefly and couldn't come up with one good idea why I shouldn't. Then suddenly one hit me. "You do have a bed don't you Eric? I mean, I wouldn't have to sleep in your coffin, would I?" I shuddered at the thought.

Eric laughed, a seldom occurrence. "Of course my lover, my bedroom is set up for day sleeping; in fact the house is completely outfitted vampire-wise. But it is perfectly comfortable for a human. I even have some human food in the freezer."

"Well all right then, as long as you bring me back to my car tomorrow evening. I do have to work the day after tomorrow, so I will need to go back. Plus I have to explain to Sam about needing time off." I frowned at that. Sam wasn't going to be happy. I had taken a lot of time off of work lately. "When do you think we'll be leaving Eric?"

"I'm going to set it up that we leave at the beginning of next week. That gives me 4 days to tie up any loose ends around here and for you to arrange a passport. I assume you don't have one Sookie?"

"No I've never had any need to get one. I guess I'll have to get started on that right away. Why do I need a passport – I thought we were staying in the United States."

Eric grimaced. "Occella actually lives just over the border of the United States, in Canada and you need a passport to cross the border now. He prefers the longer nights and the cold doesn't bother us as it does you. It's actually quite a lovely place. Have you ever seen snow Sookie?"

"Only once, about 6 years ago, but it didn't stick to the ground and made things really muddy. It killed my Gran's roses, I still remember her out there, with my hair drier trying to dry off the rose petals so they wouldn't die." I smiled at the memory. "Did you want to leave soon Eric? I'm getting tired, and all of these people in here, are starting to hurt my head."

He turned his head, until he was looking at me full in the face. "Are you still hearing our thoughts Sookie?" I nodded, and he looked troubled. "You must not let anyone know that you can hear us Sookie. It is one thing to be able to hear humans, it is quite another to hear the vampire's thoughts. You would be dead before you hit the floor." I knew he was right, and it frightened me. When Occella became angry earlier in the night, I had had a hard time controlling myself in the onslaught of his rage.

I nodded at Eric. "I know, and I'll be careful."

"I know you will Freyja, and I'll be watching." He took my chin and raised it up, but didn't kiss me. His eyes filled with heat. "Maybe we should leave. I have a gift for you in my office, and it looks as though I still have a package to unwrap myself."

"Why do you call me Freyja Eric?"

"It's just a nickname for you my lover. Something from a very long time ago, in my childhood." With that, he stood up and took my hand, and led me back to the office. There was a back exit off the office, and Eric usually parked behind the bar. He nodded to Pam that he was leaving, and she bobbed her head back at him. In his office, he reached into a closet, and pulled out a small flat package, wrapped in foil. He didn't hand it to me, but we continued out the door to his car.

His car was a corvette, red and glossy in the sodium lights. He clicked the alarm off, and we got in, he put the package at the floor by my feet. He started it and the engine growled to life, and we left Fangtasia. I had been in Shreveport several times, but I had never really ventured beyond the main shopping and restaurants, so I enjoyed seeing a different area of town. We continued into a subdivision that looked relatively new, then to a gated community. There was a guard at a podium, with a lift gate. Eric stopped, and looked at the guard, who nodded him and raised the gate. We drove about two blocks and parked in front of a large brick two story home. Eric pressed a button on a remote on his visor, and the garage door opened, and we drove in. The door closed smoothly behind us, and he shut off the car.

Suddenly he was on me, his hands everywhere, grasping and his mouth tracing lines across my lips and throat. He lifted my skirt and roughly pushed my underwear aside, and pushed his fingers inside of me. He shoved down the strap on my dress, and took one breast into his mouth, while his fingers rubbed against me both inside and out. I gasped, and ran my hands up and down the sides of his arms, pressed against the door of the car, and suddenly in a rush, I came, arching my back and giving sharp moans of pleasure, throwing my head back. He nipped my nipple, and I cried out and raked my nails across his back and through his shirt. He slowly pulled his fingers out, and straightened out my underwear. Pulling my strap back across my shoulder, he gave me a heated look.

"I've been waiting for that all night." He reached to my feet and picked up the package, and I got out of the car, on shaky legs. I felt the dampness in my panties, and I shivered in anticipation of the night we had ahead of ourselves. I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Eric's house was totally unexpected. I had always had this idea in my head, that it would be beige on beige, with little personality. Instead, it was vividly decorated in a hue of colours, and furnished in heavy comfortable furniture, adequate enough to hold Eric's tall frame. There were beautiful pieces of art hanging on the walls, and a glass shelf of eclectic items, like a sword in an intricate sheath and a roughly hewn piece of rock with a large fiery opal jutting from its dull surface. His coffee table held a book on evolution of vampiric laws since the great revelation, and a gas fireplace was ready to be turned on. His kitchen was small, as most vampire kitchens were but there was a coffee pot, thank god, and it was clean. All of the windows had shutters, but they were open right now, allowing the cooler night air to come into the house.

He stood at a desk for a moment, scanning through a letter that had been left there for him, and then fixed his gaze on me once again.

"So are you going to open it or what?" He nodded towards the gift that he had placed on an end table.

"So what's this for Eric? It's not my birthday." I picked up the gift.

"I just saw it and thought of you." He smiled. So I began to unwrap the pretty foil paper.

Inside was a peach satin robe, with white lace edging on it. When I saw it, I thought that it was pretty typical of a guy to buy me lingerie, but then I realised that this wasn't your typical lingerie. It was quite chaste, in my mind, and it was of high quality, the satin glowing with an inner light and the weave thick and heavy. The lace looked to be hand done, and the length was mid-calf. It was lovely.

"Thank you Eric. I love it. You really shouldn't have, but I sure will enjoy it." I pressed the silky material against my cheek. He looked pleased.

"Come here lover, I want you to try it on." He walked over to me and took my hand.

He turned me around, and began to unzip my dress. It fell in a puddle of chiffon on the floor, and I stood there in my white heels and pink lace under things. He inhaled contentedly.

"You smell so good." He reached around and unsnapped my bra with one hand, while the other began to push down my panties. I stood there, in only my heels and let him look at me. I began to feel uncomfortable, so I kicked off my shoes, and reached for the robe. I slipped its silky loveliness over my shoulders, and tied it at the waist with its belt. It felt wonderful. I walked over to a mirror, and preened. I loved it.

Eric came up behind me. "I want to do things for you Sookie. I like it when you are happy and I enjoy buying you pretty things." With that, Eric the tough Viking, picked me up bridal style, and walked towards the back of his house all the while, kissing me deeply.

His bedroom was about as I expected, painted a dark sapphire blue, with no windows, and a large bed dominating the center of the room. His sheets were a deep blood red, and he had a proliferation of pillows lined up against the headboard. The bed was made, and there was no sign of clutter.

He laid me down on the bed and came to stand beside me and undress. I sat up, and reached for him.

"No let me do that." I unbuckled his belt and pants, and pushed them down. I stood up, and lifted his shirt over his head. I traced a path down his chest with my tongue, and paused at each nipple to give it a little nip. He gasped, and dug his hands through my hair, which I was glad I had worn loose. I drew a line with my tongue down his magnificent chest, until I reached him. I tasted that part of him, and looked inquiringly up at him. He was watching me with smouldering eyes, and I could tell that he was onboard with what I had in mind. I took him fully in my mouth, and he groaned and began to move his hips. I traced the tip with my tongue, and continued to move up and down his shaft. He made a sound and began to move faster, and I kept up with him, until he finally released himself within my mouth and with a shudder withdrew. I excused myself to his ensuite bathroom and tidied myself, and came back to the bedroom. Eric had lain down on the bed and I appreciated the view for a moment, before I removed my robe and climbed in beside him. I put my head against his cool chest, and he wrapped his arm around my back.

"Sookie, I want you to be very careful what you say and do around Ocella. I don't want him to know that you can hear vampire thoughts, but if I need to communicate something to you, I will try to send you what I'm thinking." He paused for a moment. "Is that how that works for you? I can send you something on purpose, and you would hear it in your head?"

"It's not always like that Eric. Most people don't think in sentences, I just get feelings and impressions from people. But every once in a while, I get a full deliberate thought, and those are usually the ones that come at me the loudest. Did you want to try it?"

We played around with my ability for a bit. He "sent" a thought at me, and I paraphrased it back to him vocally. He thought of images and words, and I would receive them and translate back to him. Eventually the images and thoughts took a turn towards an arena that was a little more heated, and I found myself being kissed languidly, while his hands roamed my body.

"Are you sure you can this soon Eric?" He smiled, and guided my hand down to him. He sure could.

He slowly moved on top of me, all the while kissing me deeply. He slid his hands under my lower back, and positioned me to underneath him, still kissing me. He slid into me, and I moaned into his mouth, and we rocked back and forth, as he slightly lifted me to him each time he slid into me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he nibbled at my lips. I began to feel a wave of pleasure coming at me, and I breathed harder and harder, and then I came, bucking my hips against him, as he kissed my neck and continued to plunge inside me.

Once my shuddering had ceased, he withdrew from me and turned me over. I wasn't sure what he was about to do, because this wasn't a position that I had tried very often with Bill, and I was a little unsure, Eric was so big. He lifted me slightly to my knees and whispered to me to relax. He pushed himself into me from behind, and began to slide in and out slowly. This was a new kind of pleasure, I felt as if he was reaching an inner core of me, and I began to pant, and strangely think of leaves rustling on trees. I could hear their white noise, as he continued to push himself in and out of me. He grasped my shoulders to pull me to him harder and began to speed up, propelling himself with a frenzy that left me breathless. I took some of the pressure off my hands, and began to push back to him, and he moaned and took hold of my breasts as I sat up, and continued to meet his thrusts. He was as deep inside of me as he could get without surgery, and I was peaking again, meeting him, striving to keep up, as he pounded me relentlessly and the white noise roared in my ears. I shook my hair aside, and he lowered his mouth to my neck. As I came again, he bucked his hips, and sank his fang into my neck, the blood running down the sides of my shoulders. His hands held me to him like iron manacles and he shuddered as he came. With our release, he withdrew from me, and we fell back to the bed. He languidly licked the two punctures on my neck to heal them.

"That was perfect, just perfect. Ahh Freyja I always knew it would be like this with you." He spoke in my ear. I yawned and smiled. I was sore, but I was definitely satisfied. Sex with Eric was like a delicacy, and I could definitely handle a few more gourmet sessions, just not tonight. "Get some sleep lover, you have a lot of work to do tomorrow, this trip is going to be a lot of work, I fear."

I caught a wave of emotion come off of Eric, and so I asked him, "Eric are you worried about this trip? I wish you would talk to me."

He was silent for a moment, and then said, "I would be lying if I told you I wasn't worried. Occella is not like the vampires you've met around here Sookie. He doesn't respect what the great revelation was meant to do. He has no respect for the laws, and he doesn't care about humans. He's very old, on top of that. We will have to be very careful. He found out about your ability from so far away, and the fact that he learned of my affection for you so quickly, means that someone is watching me for him. He will use that knowledge to get what he wants Sookie. I would like to learn who this spy is"

I pondered that in my head for a while, but I was also very tired. I drifted off to sleep in his arms, and as I did, he kissed me. At least, for now, before we travelled to visit Eric's vampire maker father, to find his kidnapped 'sister' in a country that was foreign to me, I could have this one normal night. I laid my head against his cool unbreathing chest, and listened to the nothingness emanating from his heart. Yep, without a doubt, completely normal.