I'm so sorry it took this long to update! Geez, over a month. My only excuse is that I'm not in school anymore, which means no winter breaks to work on fanfic. I know, not a very good excuse.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed in my absence! And of course, thank you so much to my wonderful beta Liz, islandvampirelizgurl.
This is my first try at Eric's POV, so I hope you enjoy!

EPOV

I am accustomed to waking up in strange places. During a thousand year life, one must find a resting place wherever possible. Some have been nicer than others. On this particular night, I had the displeasure of waking in Franklin Mott's day chamber. At least the bed I had slept in was comfortable and relatively clean.
Franklin had been a psychopath in his human days, and immortality had done little to normalize him. Still, in my business, there has always been a need for those such as him. I wasn't above using these kinds of people for my own devices.

Being a much older vampire, I am able to rise before the sun is completely set. My host was still dead in his own coffin, locked with a security code. I assumed that if had he been alone, he would have slept in the bed that I was currently laying in. Not wanting to be vulnerable to an older vampire, he had locked himself away. The security was unnecessary- I hadn't been planning on staking the crazy bastard, but I supposed he was just being extra careful.
Unfortunately the rest of his house was not sun-proofed, so I had an hour to kill before I could climb the ladder to my Sookie.

An uncharacteristic grin came to my face as I remembered my little fairy. She had looked so peaceful sleeping on that tiny twin bed. Touching her delicate feet was a special memory for me already, and I longed to touch much more than that. I had to continually remind myself that, for her, only a few days had passed rather than an entire year. Moving slowly does not come naturally to me- generally, when I want something, I have it the next instant.

Not so with my Sookie. Like stalking a doe in the forest, I had to move slowly and carefully, following all the rules. I planned on getting it perfectly right, and there would be no sloppy mistakes made on my part, unlike Bill Compton. When I thought back to how he handled something as precious as a relationship with Sookie, it's all I can do to not beat the immortality out of him. And yet, my lover insisted on confronting him!

Part of me was intrigued by the prospect. I had been on the wrong end of a Stackhouse temper, and it was a sight to behold. The idea of Bill receiving a 'piece of her mind' (as Pam would call it) brought me endless amusement. However, he is as manipulative as Sookie is kind-hearted, and I was worried that, given the chance, he would worm his way back into her life and interfere with all my plans. I did not truly consider him a threat- there was no way he was going to steal her from me. Still, he could create friction between the two of us that was unwanted. Why couldn't Sookie see that we would do well to forget the little shit ever existed?

She was stubborn; that was for certain. In fact, it was one of the things I liked best about her. She truly challenged me in ways that few others could, even more than my childe, Pam. When she really got going, her cheeks flushed in the most delicious way, her breath coming in pants and her lovely breasts rising and falling. She had a tendency to stick out her hip and bite her bottom lip as she listened to my retorts. It made me want to argue with her just to see her in her beautiful glory.

I imagined it would only be enhanced when she was under me, panting from pleasure rather than indignation. I hoped those same lips would part under mine, and she would allow me to bite them for her. All that blood rushing to her cheeks, I longed to see if that lovely blush extended to her breasts. I had seen many beautiful women in my long days, but none had the exquisite combination of fire, innocence, and sensuality that my Sookie held. Maybe it had to do with her fae blood, or maybe it was something uniquely her. All I knew was that I was hooked on her like a drug.

I had to change my train of thought as my pants were becoming uncomfortably tight. There was no way I was going to get caught with my hands in my pants when Franklin rose from his coffin. I ran over the plan for the evening in my head a few more times, searching for flaws and weak points.

Most of it hinged on Sophie-Ann's narcissistic belief that all her subjects adored her as much as she adored herself.
I was also counting on Compton not revealing Sookie. There was a chance he wasn't at the Palace, but most of my sources placed him in the Queen's court as of yesterday. He would be able to sense Sookie the same way I could- unlike me, he tasted her blood and she had drunk his on two occasions. Their connection was stronger than mine, so he must know she was on Earth. Yet he had still not betrayed her return to the Queen, as far as I knew. This told me Bill was still trying to protect Sookie in some way, or he had some other scheme up his sleeve.

When Sookie and I walked into the palace, he would know immediately that she was there. I hoped that he would continue to protect her and not give us away.

Ideally, Sookie would never come near Queen Sophie-Ann and her crazy court, but unfortunately my little spitfire insisted on complicating my life in every possible way. Hopefully, she would see for herself what a traitorous bastard Compton was, and we could turn right back around to Shreveport and...

And what? Spend a week or two in bed, for one. After that, I wasn't really sure what life would be like with Sookie as my lover. I didn't have much experience with vampire-human relationships, other than as a feed and a fuck.

SPOV

For the third time in an hour, I changed my clothes. I really wished the sun would hurry up and set. I remembered most of the plan, but I was just so nervous. I'd never been to a palace before, human or otherwise, and I felt way out of my comfort zone. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was quarter to five.

After getting back to Franklin's, I had tried to take a quick nap but I just couldn't settle down. It was still so weird being in a new body, and I admit I spent a good forty-five minutes standing in front of the mirror. Obviously I knew the men in my life liked me for more than my body- otherwise, wouldn't I have gotten more dates in high school? The whole reason I had been a 27-year old virgin was because of my crazy insides. My natural body, while a few dress sizes larger than I would like, is pretty attractive and my sexual adventures with Bill had taught me to revel in them more than I had before. Now, though, I had this brand-new body to get used to, and whatever was going on between Eric and I was going to be affected by this change. What if he was suddenly no longer interested in me? Or worse, what if he was more interested in me? Maybe he really prefers brunettes. I shook my head. Eric had seen plenty of beautiful women in his life, surely there must be something to my personality that drew him to me, right? It couldn't all be physical. Although the physical had seemed pretty nice last night in my dream...

This was silly. I was going up against the Queen tonight and possible seeing my ex-lover Bill. And I was worried about Eric finding me sexy? Shaking myself out of it, I returned to the task of getting ready. I decided to put on some makeup while I waited for Eric to come upstairs. I went for heavy eye-shadow and lots of eyeliner, trying to go as far away from my usual style as possible. I was beginning to get used to seeing that strange woman in the mirror move at the same time I did. Hopefully, I was getting more comfortable, so that nothing would seem suspicious tonight in front of the vampires.

Sure enough, as soon as the sun was down I heard the clank of the steel door opening in the living room. I stayed in my little bedroom, waiting for Eric to retrieve me. I hoped I would see him before I saw Franklin- in no way did I want to be left alone with that weirdo! I heard the low murmurs of conversation and then the door was opening.

Eric stood in front of me, completely devoid of emotion. Shutting the door, he stared for what felt like a full minute, then inhaled deeply. I fought the urge to fidget or look down at my feet. Finally, a smile emerged on his face and I smiled back.

"Definitely still Sookie," he said. "Come here, and let me have a look at you."

I did the dressing room twirl, with my arms out straight. Facing Eric, I put my hands on my hips. "Well? Will it do?" My voice was sarcastic, but inside I was nervous.

"It won't fool me, or any other vampire who has spent much time with you," he said with a more serious look. "But to the ones at the palace, they will simply see a woman with an extra delicious scent. You will have to be careful not to draw extra attention to yourself, Sookie."

"Then you'd better start calling me Sara," I replied.

"Yes," Eric said with a hint of a smile, "And what will you call me?"

I scowled back at him. "Master Eric," I spit out. I hated that word. It reminded me of all the glamoured out fangbangers at Fangtasia, desperate for attention.

"I hope you don't say it like that," Eric scolded me. "Everything must seem natural. Do not look at a vampire in the eyes, and never speak when spoken to."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, Eric," I said, "I know! We've been over all of this. I'm not stupid."

"Sometimes you seem to forget that," he said. Before I could argue any further, he looked at my outfit. "Is this what you are wearing?" He asked. It was the leather pants with the top.

I shrugged, a bit annoyed. It's not like I knew the dress code at the palace! "I don't know, Eric, it's my first time. What should I wear?"

"Accompanying your master to the palace is a big honor," he said a bit smugly. "Wear a dress at least."

I picked up the little black dress for his inspection. It was tight crepe-material with cap sleeves, a deep V-neck, and ended with a pencil skirt. Amelia had picked it out, telling me how rare it was to find Alexander McQueen for under $500. This version was actually called a 'samurai dress' and I liked the irony of wearing a battle dress into the palace.

After inspecting the material, he said simply, "It have to will do". Geesh, I hadn't realized what a fashion snob Eric was. "I will meet you in the hall in five minutes. Remember, the moment we leave this room, you are Sara. Do not forget this. Franklin is our first test."

He stuffed the rest of my clothes in the duffel bag and took it with him out the door. A wave of anxiety rushed over me, but I stamped it down. Eric knew what he was doing, and I had been in much worse situations before. Everything would be fine.

After changing into the dress, I threw the lemon-filled perfume bottle in my purse, slipped on the heels, and checked my makeup. Looking around, I tried to see if I had left anything. We wouldn't be coming back to this house, and for that I was thankful. I said a little prayer that everything would work out and walked into the hallway.

Eric glanced at me and walked into the living room. I guessed I was supposed to follow him! Franklin was lounging on the couch, looking through his phone. It seemed very strange to me to picture him texting, and yet there he was! He looked up and smiled when he saw Eric.

"Heading out, my friend?" He asked. I couldn't tell, but I thought I could sense Eric grimacing at the familiar title. "Want to grab a bite to eat?" His eyes slid to me, and he grinned. I realized he hadn't even figured out that I was a completely different person than the one he saw last night. Were humans really that interchangeable to vampires? Maybe to ones as crazy as Franklin, perhaps...

"No," said Eric firmly, "Thank you. I plan to dine at the palace tonight. I would be in your debt if you forgot my stay here."

"Of course," Franklin replied. "I owe you one anyway, so we'll call it even. Have fun at the Queen's!" He didn't rise up to say goodbye, and went back to texting. Vampires were so weird!

I followed Eric through the door and we made it to his Corvette. Eric seemed to eye it a little more closely than usual, and I sighed. There wasn't a scratch! Really, he was way too overprotective of that car. I climbed in and he followed eventually, I guessed satisfied that I hadn't hurt his precious vehicle.

We drove a few miles until we reached the outer city limits. Eric steered the car to the side of the road and killed the lights. Turning to me, he asked, "Are you ready?"

I nodded. From the duffel bag, Eric brought out two items that were vital to our story: an iron gardening shovel and a sharp dagger.

Eric was going to tell the Queen that he met a fairy in Shreveport and killed it with an iron tool. Then, he arranged for his absence and drove directly to New Orleans to alert his Queen to the Fae presence (like a loyal Sheriff would). To convince the Queen that it really happened, we needed Fae blood on the shovel. Although my blood isn't pure Fae, we hoped that the Queen wouldn't really notice, as it was supposedly a day old anyway.
Once the subject of fairies in her realm was raised, we hoped she would let slip whether she knew about me and Jason or not.

A soft touch on my wrist stopped me from going over the plan again. "Would you like me to do it?" He asked me, looking into my eyes.

I thought about it. I didn't like the idea of him slicing me open, but at the same time he probably had more experience than I did. I didn't want to accidentally open a vein or something and bleed out all over the car! Really, the less traces of my blood the better.
I nodded, adding, "Be careful not to get it on my clothes."

Eric raised an eyebrow at me. "Do you really think I'd waste a drop of your blood?" Taking my forearm gently in his strong hand, he placed a chaste kiss on my skin. "This will hurt, my love. I will make up for it as soon as possible."

My heart flipped when he called me 'love' and I reminded myself to trust him. I took in a deep breath, and as I exhaled he drew the dagger across my arm. I hissed at the sharp bite of the dagger, and bit my tongue. Eric expertly tilted my arm so that the blood landed in the concave part of the shovel, pooling there.

Careful to hold my arm out and away from my body, Eric leaned in closer to kiss me softly. My eyes fluttered shut, the pain in my arm far away. Besides his fingers gripping on my forearm, our lips were the only part of us touching. There was something strangely erotic about joining this way- our bodies far apart, so different from our usual embrace. His lips started out cool but I could feel them warming under my skin. Something in me yearned to go deeper with the kiss, and reassure myself that I was safe with this vampire. Before I could decide how far to go, Eric pulled his face away from mine.

Looking down, I realized the blood flowing from my arm had stopped. Bending at the waist, Eric soothed the mark with his tongue. It felt cold and kind of tickled. The area immediately smoothed over and he withdrew with a chaste kiss. I looked at my arm, and there was nothing to be seen but clean flesh.

"Our saliva has healing properties," he explained at my astonished look. "Bill never showed you that?"

I shook my head. "He just gave me his blood when he needed to heal me. Wait, is this the same as taking your blood?"

"No," Eric said, "Although I wouldn't mind giving you some of mine now. A little extra strength may come in handy tonight."

After our sweet kiss, my stomach lurched at the thought of another deception. "Yeah, right. I learned my lesson last time. You're not going to trick me into drinking your blood twice! I may be younger than you, but I'm not stupid."

"Let's hope not," the vampire next to me replied. "The shovel is dry enough. Are you ready?"

At my nod, the Corvette roared to life and we headed toward the Palace, where my first and former lover might be waiting for us.

Thank you for reading! Next chapter: The Queen! And will our favorite Southern Vampire traitor be there as well? If you'd like to see Sookie's Samurai dress, just google "Alexander McQueen black samurai pencil dress".

Please review & tell me what you think!