AN: Enjoy this chapter! Happy Reading! :)

Chapter 9

SPOV

"Ugh! This is impossible!" I grumble out, falling back upon my bed to send a pile of files flying everywhere. "Dammit," I mutter, not bothering to pick up what I can only assume is a massive mess of papers. Whatever.

"Things going that well, huh?" I hear before propping up my head to catch sight of laughing emerald eyes.

"How the hell does Niall expect me to go through all this?" I gripe, really wishing my grandfather was here just so I could give him a piece of my mind.

"You'll get there. Eric and I will help you as well," Godric assures me with a friendly smile. "Why don't you take a little break, we've got plenty of leftovers to heat up," he suggests, earning an agreeing nod from me before I'm dragging myself out of bed.

"I swear I'm starting to go cross-eyed already, there has to be a better way of doing this," I grumble, following alongside Godric as he leads us towards the kitchen.

"It's all about balance," Eric calls out, turning his head to send me a smirk from his place at the counter. "Don't try to cram it all in at once or you'll go nuts."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," I sigh out, watching as Godric sidles up to the towering blonde. I can't help smirking upon watching the two of them share a rather besotted smile; they really do make a cute couple.

"Hungry?" Godric soon questions, once the microwave dings behind them.

"Yeah, I didn't even realize how hungry I actually was until you suggested food," I admit, reaching out to take the offered plate from his hands. I send him a small smile and that's when I finally see it. "Oh my God! Is that a love bite?" I question, not at all trying to suppress my shock before watching a light blush crawl over both men's faces.

"Uh, yeah, guess I got a bit carried away earlier," Eric admits rather sheepishly, before sending Godric an apologetic smile.

"Damn, Romeo," I start, shaking my head at the blonde as I reach up to gently brush my fingers over the teeth marks on Godric's neck. "You definitely get brownie points for enthusiasm, no doubt about that," I tease, unable to choke back a snort of amusement.

"Oh, like you never got carried away in the bedroom before," Eric throws back, unable to keep a smirk from his own face as I'm left shrugging indifferently.

"Maybe," I answer back whilst turning to carry my plate to the nearby dining room table. Seeing the guys already have condiments brought over, I begin dripping syrup over my pancakes. Eric and Godric soon join me and once I glance up to see them both staring at me, I'm left raising a questioning brow.

"Well?" Godric remarks to leave me drawing a complete blank.

"Well what?" I question, seeing the two of them rolling their eyes in unison. I almost giggle, wondering if they realize they have a tendency to copy one another's mannerisms.

"You can't just answer 'maybe' to a question like that," Eric enlightens me and I can't help but smirk, rather enjoying this little game, especially upon seeing matching frowns fall over both men's faces.

"Oh, come on, the three of us only have each other to talk to for God only knows how long, besides, it's only fair, seeing as you're the only one who knows the intimate details of our sex life," Godric reasons and I find I can't really argue with him, I'm actually pretty surprised about how candid they've both been about their own blossoming relationship.

"I actually don't know all the details of your sex life," I start teasingly, having to hold back a giggle upon seeing the two of them share a rather sheepish gaze. "Oh, fine," I finally sigh out over dramatically. "To answer your question, yes, I've gotten carried away in the bedroom, on numerous occasions actually, but really, if you can't let yourself go during sex, then what's the point? Am I right?"

"I knew it," Eric answers with a smirk, shaking his head at me before stuffing a wad of pancakes into his mouth.

"You knew what exactly?" I can't help but question, watching as he washes down his pancakes with a large gulp of milk.

"I just got the impression you were one of those types, you know, the kind of woman who at first seems totally sweet and homely, but becomes a total wildcat in the bedroom," he answers back matter of factly to earn a dropped jaw stare from his dark haired counterpart.

"Eric!" Godric chastises, shaking his head to earn wide, innocent eyes from the blonde. I lose it then, finding not only Eric's words, but the interaction between these two to be utterly hysterical as bubbling laughter begins falling from my lips.

"Godric, it's alright," I chuckle out, having to wipe a tear from my eye. "He's not wrong and I'm not at all offended, really, people have had much, much worse things to say about me," I insist, seeing the previous annoyance fade from Godric's face before he sends me a sympathetic smile.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, for what it's worth, I find you to be a remarkably kind and caring woman," he remarks, making me look to him in momentary surprise before a grateful smile finds its way to my face.

"Well aren't you sweet?" I remark, feeling my cheeks flushing slightly. Damn, seems this man is able to elicit this particular response from nearly everyone around him. "It's really too bad there aren't more men like you, it would certainly make my job easier if there were," I admit, dropping my gaze back to my plate whilst a slight frown forms upon my face.

"Why do you do it, strip I mean?" Godric questions, snapping my attention back to him once more. "I'm sorry, maybe that's too personal a question, I just, well, I can't help but wonder how a sweet girl like you got mixed up in all this," he explains, bringing a soft sigh from me.

GPOV

Eric sits up a bit straighter beside me, obviously just as curious as I as we await Sookie's response. I watch as several different emotions play over her delicate features before dainty shoulders shrug slightly.

"You know, I've found myself asking that very same thing just recently," she sighs out, poking disinterestedly at her pancakes. "As silly as it may sound, I think initially saw dancing as a way to rebel. I was just so sick and tired of being pinned as the sweet and innocent girl next door, well there was that, and I knew my grandfather would hate it," she admits, a chagrined smirk coming to her face.

"You two really don't get along at all, do you?" Eric asks, earning a 'duh' eye roll from Sookie that leaves me having to cough to hide a snicker of amusement.

"No, no we don't," she answers back rather tersely, apparently not wanting to delve any deeper into that particular wound.

"You're thinking of quitting then?" I ask of Sookie, changing the subject once more to see the previously built tension instantly beginning to slip away from her.

"Yeah, I mean, it was never meant to be a forever thing and Lord knows I don't need to risk attracting another Bill into my life," she sighs out, a flash of ire shining behind sapphire eyes. "I suppose I'm long overdue for a change really, well, as soon as I get out of here anyhow," she adds with a shrug.

"Change can be good, Sookie," I remark, reaching across the table to lay a comforting hand upon her arm whilst sending Eric a wistful smile. "Change can be very, very good," I add, watching yet another sweet blush beginning to crawl over Eric's cheeks once he apparently catches the dual meaning of my words.

He presses a bit closer then, laying his large hand upon my thigh and even that small action succeeds in making me lose my train of thought completely. God, he really is beautiful and I find myself wondering once more if he even realizes just how easily he's able to affect me. I find myself rendered momentarily speechless, lost once more in the mesmerizing trance of deep cobalt pools, knowing there's no place else I'd rather be. I'm a lucky, lucky man, of this I'm sure.

"Damn," Sookie's voice soon breaks me from my spell, leaving me slowly turning my head to see her sending Eric and I a rather awestruck gaze.

"What?" Eric questions, apparently having been just as lost in our shared moment. The thought brings a small smirk to my face, hoping he's truly just as distracted by my nearness as I am his.

"That, how the hell do you two do that?" Sookie questions, rising up to perch herself upon her knees. She draws her upper body over the table, bringing her face closer before our own. "It's like you just loose yourselves completely in one another, like the entire world just falls away around you both until there's only the two of you left."

"That's exactly how it feels," I answer back softly, sending Eric a fond smile as he's left nodding his agreement.

"Yes, yes it is," he adds lowly, slightly tightening his grip upon my upper thigh to bring a soft gasp from me. Oh, that's not even fair and judging by the triumphant smirk I see lifting at the corner of his lips, he very well knows this.

"There you go again!" Sookie exclaims to leave us once more turning towards her. Dainty palms reach up to cup either of our cheeks as Sookie's golden head tilts thoughtfully before us.

"What is it?" I question, thinking there must be something she's able to see that has somehow escaped me, but then, with Eric around, I'm sure there are a great many things that likely escape my attention.

"Curiosity," she answers back absently, tilting her head once more. "Look at one another again," she beseeches of us and though I have no idea what she's currently thinking, I don't hesitate a moment to catch Eric's gaze once more, loving the fact that I can finally just allow myself to fall into those deep, cobalt pools without fear of rejection.

"Hey," Eric whispers, his eyes sparkling with the first hint of amusement to make me smirk.

"Hey," I whisper back, hearing Sookie huff in agitation next to my ear. I take that as a sign that the two of us are supposed to remain quiet and obediently close my mouth whilst slipping my hand over Eric's where it's still resting warmly upon my thigh.

"What I wouldn't give to have someone look at me like that," Sookie sighs out after a time to leave Eric and I turning back to her in unison. Her breath hitches, sapphire eyes widening subtly before I feel her slender fingers tracing gently over the line of my jaw.

"Sookie?" I question, watching her face draw closer, closer until I feel warm puffs of breath against my lips. I can't move. I'm suddenly frozen in place, my mind positively spinning. Should I pull away? Should I close the minute distance between us? And why is a part of me suddenly desperate to know just what those plush, pink lips taste like?

"Oh, God," Sookie breathes out, her eyes falling shut as her hand trembles against my cheek. I'm still frozen in place, never having expected to be in this particular situation and not knowing at all the correct way to react, if there is one at all. Sookie's eyes suddenly snap open just before she pulls away abruptly enough to send her chair tumbling to the floor behind her.

"Sookie, what-," Eric starts before said woman is rushing away, golden hair streaming behind her. Once more, the sound of her bedroom door slamming leaves me flinching hard enough that I begin to come to myself once more.

"What the fuck was that?" I question, surprised I can even form coherent words as I turn to see Eric's mirroring bewilderment.

"No fucking idea," he answers back, shaking his head as he seems to be collecting himself once more. "She almost kissed you," he states, his brow creasing slightly. "And it looked as though you were gonna let her," he adds, his words surprisingly thoughtful and absent of any hint of the anger and jealousy I'd expect from him.

"I, uh, yeah, I think I would have," I answer back honestly before catching his assessing gaze. "And you didn't try and stop us," I remark thoughtfully, realizing he easily could have spoken up at any point had he felt so inclined.

"No, no I didn't," he answers back, his gaze still contemplative. Well, this quite the conundrum, isn't it?