Charlaine Harris owns the wonderful Southern Vampires Mysteries, I own nothing but the plot. Here's the update guys. The last little bit might seem a bit out of character for Sookie but if you understand the context of her words properly I think you'll get it. I hope you like this as much as the last chapter. Just gotta tell you about this, my dad's name is Eric and I was signing a card to my grandma from us and I got to right, love from me and Eric. Very easily made my day. Remember, if you review I can improve.
I woke up the next one shivering. My bed was empty apart from myself and although I knew to expect it, I'd never actually woken up the morning after with a man, it was still disheartening. I pulled the duvet up further around my neck, acting as a cocoon as a wracking shiver held my body in its grip again. Pale tendrils of light snuck from underneath the curtain and I made the mental note of putting black out blinds on my' to buy' list, as I'd meaning to do for about two years. I looked at my alarm clock and found that it was already two in the afternoon. But there, beside the clock was what really held my attention.
Eric had replaced the calendar and it sat once more in its place of pride on my night stand. His gorgeous body greeted my weary eyes and I couldn't help the small smile that played on my lips. If I couldn't have the real thing, I'd take a picture as a substitute as it sure beat nothing at all. Thinking of Eric so clearly brought back the memories of last night and as though that was all it took I was connected with my body. My entire lower half ached; calves were half cramping from the sheer length of time I'd had my legs wrapped tightly around his body, not wanting to let go. My inner thighs were tender and felt almost bruised although I couldn't remember him doing anything at all that could possibly hurt me. The main problem was his sheer size. He was a real Viking of a man and he was completely proportional.
I rolled tentatively onto my back and when nothing screamed at me in pain I slowly sat up. My clothes were still strewn around on my bedroom carpet but so were his. I briefly wondered what he'd worn to sleep in but that just brought back images of him in nude perfection. I shuddered out of bed and regretted not being able to put the heating on this morning. The scolding hot shower made up for it though and actually set my muscles almost back to normal. Like I'd thought yesterday the tenderness was just a physical token of our shared night.
Whilst I was eating my breakfast come dinner in the kitchen I sent my mental net out, casting for any signature patterns around. I actually dropped my fork when I didn't come across anything. I tried harder, letting my shields down to the point where I had to consciously do it, and that's when I found him. But I couldn't feel his location I could just sense him somewhere near me; as though he was completely surrounding me. It wasn't normal and it set me to worrying even though I knew perfectly well that there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it until much, much closer to sunset.
So it was with a heavy mind that I finally set out, dressed in my winter waitress uniform and old coat. I picked up more bottles of Tru Blood in my own blood group although I wasn't entirely sure if it was a wise decision and some necessary groceries for me. They'd be safe in my car, given the current weather conditions, without going bad whilst I was at work. The gleeful mood from yesterday was completely gone as I wondered into the bar just before five.
"You look different," was the first comment I heard from any of my work mates. Arlene was also in Sam's office, putting away her things, and she forewent the standard greeting.
"I'm exactly the way I've always been," I replied quickly. Mentally, my mind was racing over all of the things that could be different but I couldn't come up with a single one. I didn't even have bite marks though I had become skilled at hiding those from people.
"Hey Arlene, Sookie," Sam greeted cheerfully as he walked in, ready to take his break.
"Do you think Sookie looks different?" Arlene asked as she stared studiously at my face. I balked slightly at the scrutiny and thought the urge to delve into their minds. It wouldn't necessarily give me the information I wanted but it would definitely be painful; there are some things about your friends that you should never know.
"A little, you okay? You were real cheerful yesterday." Sam sat down in his desk chair and swung his legs up onto his desk so he could relax back. I saw he was wearing his faithful cowboy boots to match his checked shirt.
"I'm fine, now, if you'll let me, I'm going to work." I huffed out of the door, tying the apron around my waist as I went. The last thing I needed, on top of my probably undue worry, was my friends over analysing me and possibly finding out about the vampire stashed away in my house.
I watched the clock all evening and the slow 'tick tock' of the hands seemed to be laughing in my face as it drew slowly towards the end of my shift. My tables had been quiet and honestly, I'd been wrapped up in my thoughts all evening to hold any form of conversation with any patrons. Periodically I cast out my mental net to see if I could sense anything, even though I knew it would be fruitless, that would help ease my mind. It was nearly one in the morning when I detected the tell tale dead zone, pun intended, of a vampire heading towards the door. My heart fluttered in my chest and I more than half expected my vampire to walk through the door. I was sorely disappointed though when I looked up to find Bill walking towards the bar.
"What would you like?" I asked through my light bulb smile that had been plastered onto my lips since the start of the shift.
"O negative please." He replied as he hutched up onto one of the high bar stools. He too, stared at me intently, and I felt his eyes boring into the back of my skull as I got his order. Throughout the night I'd caught Sam looking at me with an odd expression on his face as though he was pondering something.
"Here you go." I handed Bill the warm bottle and turned to leave. But just as I was lifting my leg for the step his cold hand clamped down on my forearm. This couldn't be good. "What do you want?" I snapped out, feeling the tension I'd been feeling all evening pouring out of me with those words.
"There's something different about you," he mused. Did I have a sign swinging from my ponytail or something? What were all these people picking up on?
"No, there isn't, I promise you, just like Arlene and Sam, nothing about me has changed." I replied a little tartly.
"You had sex." Bill stated as he looked squarely into my eyes.
"What? Bill! That's none of your business!" I was shocked to the core. Bill had changed a lot since we'd gone out, and not all for the good, but I still couldn't expect him to be so brazen about such a private subject, especially at the bar.
"You have then, no denying it." He paused, taking in a large, visible sniff of air. His eyelids closed as he seemed to savour the scents he found. "Last night, I can still smell him all over you."
"Bill, this really isn't any of your business!" His fingers dug deeper into my flesh and I knew they'd leave a mark.
"Maybe not yet, but it will be some day. I still want you back, Sookie."
"Bill, we aren't ever getting back together." I retorted staring back at him so he could read the truth in my face. He took another deep breath.
"It was Eric! After you promised me it was nothing!" His eyes clouded over with anger and I could see the tell tale tip of his extended fangs against his lower lip.
"Right, that's it. There's several things you need to know Bill. Firstly, I made no promise to you. Second, get this into your head, it'll be easier for you if you do, we aren't getting back together. Third, this still isn't your business, what me and Eric decide, or not decide, to do is completely up to us. Now, excuse me!" I tore my arm out of his grasp, surely only managing to do so because of his shock at my words.
I stormed out of the bar and straight into the Sam's office that I knew was vacant. Tears pricked at my eyes and I had to fight to keep them from falling. I stopped in front of the desk and threw my clenched fists down onto the hard surface. The sting of the impact brought me back down slightly and I could see through the red haze of my vision.
"Chere?" A timid voice asked from the door. I looked round to find Sam looking at me, a half smile across his lips. I nodded at him and he walked over to me where he immediately put his arms around my shoulders, pulling me in for a long, comforting hug. "Bill had no right to say those things to you. I made him leave."
"Thank-you," I replied weakly. Was it so wrong of me to wish that the arms holding me belonged to someone much taller and just a bit more dead?
"Take the rest of the shift off, go home, there's not much left of it anyway." At least I knew what so different about me today; it was the fact that I'd had sex apparently. Arlene would know due to women's intuition and Sam was a shape-shifter so his sense of smell was heightened. I didn't dwell on that fact though as it was a disgusting thought, I felt the need for a shower very badly.
"Thanks, Sam." I replied and I finally returned his hug.
"No problem, now go on chere, it seems like you've got someone waiting for you." It was no secret that Sam wanted more than friendship between us but he would respect my relationship status. He wouldn't approve if he knew it was a vampire, although he had eventually come to terms, of sorts, with me and Bill.
I pulled out of our embrace, grabbed my belongings and was out the door within two minutes. The deep black of night was my only companion as I drove along the quite county roads and up my drive way to my house. There were no lights on in the house but I could see the pale, flickering luminescence of the television screen through the open living room curtains. I checked with my mind but I still couldn't pin point an exact location for my vampire.
Just as I was getting out of the car my back door opened and Eric was striding across the gravel to greet me. He threw his large arms around my waist and picked me up off the ground so he could easily place an open mouth kiss against my very willing lips. I sighed in the relief of knowing he was safe and I snaked my own arms around his shoulders tightly.
"Hello lover," he whispered into my ear as we walked, arm in arm, back into my house. He didn't question me at all as I walked straight to my bedroom to grab the comfiest sleep wear I owned; an old Mickey Mouse shirt that came to my upper thighs. He sat on the bed as I stripped off with my back turned towards him. When I was finished I was only wearing my pants and the shirt; I could tell he appreciated the view but that was one of the last things on my mind at the minute.
Once I was dressed I walked over to him where he sat on my bed and literally crawled into his lap. I became enveloped in his glorious scent and I let the serenity of it wash over me; my muscles relaxed, my heart slowed and bunched muscles began to relax. He cradled me; one arm around my shoulders and one around my waist, holding me tightly to his chest. My nose was buried into the junction of his shoulder and neck, breathing deeply.
"What's wrong?" He asked quietly after a few beats.
"I've been worrying about you all day," I replied honestly.
"Why? If it's because you awoke along I'm sorry, I had to go away at dawn. I know it wasn't the right thing to do."
"No, it's not that, not really. I knew you had to go at dawn, it was what I expected and you did let me know you were happy with things. You put my calendar back. But, I couldn't tell if you were safe."
"What do you mean?" One of his hands traced up by back and he began to massage, slowly and powerfully against my upper shoulders.
"I can't read vampire minds but I can detect them. I tried searching for you this morning, to make sure you were safely asleep but I couldn't find you. When I looked I could sense you but you were everywhere, close to me but not in one location, I couldn't figure it out. It was like you were a million different things all at once, all forming the same massive creature."
"I'm safe, we're safe. I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He shuffled us both up the bed until he rested comfortably against the head board so he could place the blanket around me to warm my slightly shivering frame.
"I know." And I did; for some reason I knew he would protect me. This wasn't the true, or the full, Eric but I knew this was a definitive part of him and one that I'd learned from stories of him. He fought for what he had and what he liked. He was made of honour and duty; he would and could fight to the death for the things he cared most about.
"Do you still sense me as the same?" I gazed up at him and found his intelligent blue eyes peeping back at me. His brow was pulled down in contemplation but it took nothing away from the overall affect of his handsome face.
I let my shields down again. My eyelids fluttered closed so I could 'see' with my mind. There he was a blank canvas next to me but that was only the central point. Tendrils of his unique person were winding their way through the house from every direction, but they were all coalescing into him. I'd never experienced anything like this and I had to wonder if it was because of what we'd shared, whether he was somehow becoming tied to what was me and mine.
"Not really, I can feel you here next to me." It was only half the truth really; it was different to earlier but still not normal. But with him sat next to me, feeling his skin on mine I could relax. I didn't want to worry him about what I actually detected.
"Good. Now relax, I'm not going anywhere."
We stayed curled up together for quite some time and we would have stayed together longer if my stomach hadn't grumbled loudly. The awkward noise broke the silence of the room which had only been punctuated by our breathing and my heart. He'd somehow figured that hearing him breathe unruffled my feathers so he'd been breathing steadily since I'd arrived home. He pushed me off my lap slight, leaving me spread eagled on the bed sheets alone. He was back before I could stand up to investigate his where about with a glass of water and a simple cheese sandwich.
I smiled at him gratefully as I perched back on the edge of my bed to eat, not wanting to get crumbs inside the covers. Once again he watched me eat intently, his eyes tracing over the movement of my jaw and the contractions of my throat as I swallowed. He was complete rapture with me in that moment. All too soon, for him, I finished my food and went to brush my teeth. Once I was back from my human time I scrambled underneath the duvet and patted the cool bed beside me, inviting him in. He didn't need a second thought as he was there beside me; hands roaming over all of my exposed flesh before I could blink. I let my eyes close again, allowing the sensation to wash over my completely.
"How was your job?" He asked once his hands had calmed down their almost frantic movements and he simply held me against his naked chest. I hadn't even realised he'd removed his vest until that point.
"Eventful would be an apt description."
"Explain please." I was laid on my side, facing away from him, but the long line of his body was moulding over mine so that I couldn't possibly be any closer to him. It was slightly surreal talking about the mundane aspects of life whilst cuddling with an ancient vampire.
"My friends noticed something was different with me, but they didn't know what it was. I got annoyed with them, watching my every move. Bill came in, towards the end of the night." His body tensed at the mention of Bill's name. Eric couldn't remember him but apparently he left a lasting expression from their argument over the threshold of my house. "He knew there was something different too. But he knew what it was. He could smell sex on me, another man's scent wrapped around me and he recognised it as you." My head was sinking lower into the pillow as I spoke; my muscles become more fluid as I gained relief from being able to spill my daily events.
"He can think all he likes. It's nothing to do with him what we do. He should smell me on you; know that he doesn't have a claim on you anymore. He should know that you aren't his." I smiled at his words and I knew right then that I wouldn't have to deal with the possession thing again. Another scary thought was that I might not mind belonging to Eric in the way those normal couples belonged to each other. It had never been like that with Bill, I'd always been seen as a possession.
"Want to know something Eric?" I asked sleepily.
"Yes, what is it lover?" He asked, his breath tickling my ear slightly.
"I'm yours and you're mine, we seem to fit together very nicely." I felt him smile against my neck as he laid a gentle kiss against my flesh.
Reviews are almost as good as belonging to a topless Eric. Who wouldn't mind that?