Chapter Ten

I had to hand it to myself. I didn't think I'd be able to pull my shit together enough to leave the house with Sookie, but somehow, I did it. I suppose it was the prospect of spending an entire week with her that propelled me forward, but I'll be damned if it wasn't difficult to stop myself from scooping her up and dragging her back to bed after she'd confirmed in the kitchen what I'd already suspected to be true…she was going to change my life forever. But nothing was going to change if I stayed standing in the kitchen in my underwear, so I packed my bags, grabbed my girl and walked out the door, thrilled at the possibilities of what the next week would bring.

We were outside my house when I realized I'd forgotten something. "Shit, Sookie. Stay right here. I almost forgot to pack something. I'll be right back."

I left my luggage, but kept my camera bag with me. I unlocked the door and flew up the stairs to my bedroom. I walked over to the dresser, pulled the black velvet pouch out of the top drawer and carefully placed it in one of the zippered compartments of the camera bag. I stopped for a second, fully realizing the implications of what I meant to do with it. Taking a deep breath, I steadied myself and ran back out the door to Sookie.

We jumped in a cab and headed down to her apartment on the Lower East Side. It was a quick ride, and when we pulled up to her apartment on Broome Street, I paid the cabbie and grabbed my bags out of the trunk.

"Lead the way, Sookie," I said.

She put her key in the front door, and then stopped to grab her mail.

"What floor are you on?" I asked.

"The fifth."

"You've got to be kidding me," I groaned. "You walk up all of these stairs every day?"

"How else am I going to stay in shape?" she teased. "It's not as if I can afford a gym membership in this city. Have you seen what they charge? It's criminal."

She started up the stairs, and I was never happier to climb up four flights in my entire life. It afforded me a lovely view of her amazing backside, and I had a fleeting thought to kiss each and every step as I ascended them, simply out of sheer gratitude for there presence.

When we entered her tiny apartment, she said, "Make yourself at home. I'll only be a few minutes." She grabbed some things out of her closet, then, and went in to what I assumed was her bathroom.

Her scent was everywhere, and it overwhelmed me. Surrounded by her belongings, I was hoping to get some better insight as to who this amazing girl was, but it was all I could do to stop myself from simply basking in her loveliness.

The apartment was no bigger than a shoe box, really, but she had managed to turn it in to a cozy home. Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined the longest wall, and there was a worn, comfortable-looking chair and ottoman in front of the bay window with a small end table sitting next to it. Her bed was placed against the wall opposite the bookshelves. The kitchen, if one could call it that, consisted of a sink, a smattering of small cabinets, and a two-burner stove. Her laptop sat atop a small table which, from the look of it, was also where she ate her meals. That was it. No television, no stereo…nothing. I marveled at the fact that this tiny two-room apartment was able to contain my larger-than-life Sookie.

I walked over to the bookshelf, partly to kill some time while I waited for her, and partly to, well, snoop. There was still so much I needed to learn about her, and you can always glean a great deal of information about a person by the books they read. All the classics were there, of course. Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Bronte, Vonnegut…she even had a bit of Shakespeare. My Sookie is a smart cookie, I thought, and chuckled softly to myself.

Three of the shelves contained large textbooks and reference manuals, and sadly, lots of books pertaining to child abuse. Her capacity for compassion had to be immense to see and deal with things like that on a daily basis. I reminded myself to ask her about this later.

I worked my way down to the bottom shelf, and hit the mother load.

Gotcha!

Sookie apparently had a thing for trashy romance novels. For the life of me, I never understood what women got out of those things. I thumbed through page after page of "throbbing members" and "heaving bosoms" and I couldn't help but laugh aloud.

She heard me, and yelled, "What's so funny out there, mister?" through the door.

"Oh, nothing," I replied, trying to stifle my laughter so she wouldn't come out and catch me rifling through her possessions. I grabbed a few of the cheesier looking titles and shoved them in to my bag. I had no idea what I was going to do with them, but at the very least, I could tease her about them over the following week.

The door to the bathroom opened, and I suddenly found myself needing to take a few deep breaths to steady myself. The sight of her literally made me weak. She was wearing a plain white tank top and a long, flowing orange skirt. She had strands of multicolored glass beads around her neck and wrists, and she was exactly what I would have envisioned Mother Earth looking like if Mother Earth had ever been a sexy young woman.

She had pulled her hair up in to a messy, yet incredibly alluring pile on top of her head, and it made her long, tanned neck look especially inviting. I walked over to her, pulled her in to me, and kissed my way gently down the curve of her beautiful throat.

A little shiver escaped from her body, but she playfully pushed me away and snapped me back in to reality. "Eric, if you don't stop that right now, I won't be able to pack. And if I can't pack, we won't make it to the center. And if we don't make it to the center, then we won't be able to go to Bon Temps, and I really, really want to go with you today."

Well, there's no arguing with that logic, I thought.

"Right. You're right. We should get going. Can I help you pack?" I asked.

"No thanks," she said. "Have a seat. I'll be ready soon. I keep clothes and things at the house in Bon Temps, so I just need to gather a few necessities."

I kissed her gently on her forehead and went to sit down in the chair by the window. I watched as she pulled an old duffel bag out of her closet and stuff a few items in it. I concentrated on memorizing her features as she packed. As if I'd ever forget, I thought with a laugh.

I committed every line, every curve to memory, knowing that there would be days we would have to be apart. The real world has a terrible habit of making you do things you don't always want to. I would need those images burned in to my brain to deal with those times I wouldn't be able to see her.

"Northman, you're doing it again," she said with a smile.

"You know what?" I asked as I rose from the chair and crossed the tiny room to her. "I enjoy staring at you, so if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd just get over it already." I pulled her to me, grabbed her hand, and then spun her in to a low dip. She was shaking with laughter, and when I pulled her up, I placed a light kiss on her throat.

"Well, since you put it so nicely, I guess I'll just have to learn to deal with it." She gave me her perfect Sookie giggle, then, and asked, "Ready? I'm all packed."

We were in the cab on the way to the center when I decided to ask her one of the questions I remembered I'd had from the evening before.

"Sookie, why did you look at me so oddly last night when I asked Octavia to smile for me?"

She was thoughtful for a moment, considering her words carefully. "A long time ago, before she married Charlie and moved to New Orleans, Octavia was married to a man named Rene. He used to beat her, and one night, he hit her so hard that he broke several of her teeth. She's had them fixed, obviously, but she's always been a bit gun-shy about people taking pictures of her smile. There are still scars there, even if you can't see them. But when you told her she was beautiful, and I saw the proud look on her face, well…well, I can't tell you how much that meant to her. How much it meant to me. That's why I had such a good feeling about you. You had no idea what she'd been through, yet you went out of your way to make her feel good about herself anyway."

You could have thrown a brick at my head and I wouldn't have been as shocked by it as I was by what Sookie had related to me. I certainly hadn't expected that explanation. I felt horrible for Octavia, and I made a mental note to be extra sweet to her that day.

"What happened to Rene?" I asked, toying with a lock of her hair.

"No one's really sure," she replied. "He just up and disappeared one day. Rene was a lot of things, but he wasn't a runner. I've always suspected there was a little bit of red-neck justice involved, but it's never been confirmed."

She gave me a very serious look, then. Her words made chills run down my spine, and I knew she could tell.

"I'm just kidding, silly. He went to prison, and as far as I know, he's still there. You have nothing to worry about in Bon Temps."

I was glad to hear that, but I made another mental note not to ever piss Sookie off. The last thing I wanted was to have a gang of red-necks chasing after me.

The cab stopped, and after paying the driver and retrieving our bags, I got my first look at Adele's House. It was an impressive building, to say the least. The entire front facade was made of glass. With the exception of an Adele's House sign, every available inch was adorned with what was obviously children's colorful artwork. I looked at Sookie, then, and could see the pride in her eyes. I'd only known her for less than twenty-four hours, and even I was proud of her. I couldn't fathom how much sweat, time and energy went in to creating what I was staring at.

"Shall we go in?" she asked.

"Lead the way."

We went in through the glass door and walked up to what appeared to be a large reception desk. Octavia was already there. She got up from her chair and came around the desk to give us both a hug.

"You two have a good time last night?" she asked.

"We had a wonderful night, Octavia. Thank you for letting me borrow her for a little while," I answered, kissing her on the cheek to show my gratitude.

"Hey, Octavia. Can I talk to you in the office for a minute?" Sookie asked.

"Sure darlin'. Let's head back there now. I've got a few things to go over with you before we get started for the day."

"Eric, will you be alright on your own?"

"Of course. Take care of business. I'll take a peek around and start scouting some good shots."

"I'll be back in a few. Have fun." She reached up for a kiss, and I was more than happy to give it to her.

As I wandered between the art, counseling and play rooms, taking some random shots, I suddenly felt as if I was being watched. Occasionally, from the corner of my eye, I'd catch a hint of short blonde hair, but whoever he was, he was too fast for me. I knew it was a kid, a little boy, but I didn't want to scare him by chasing after him. After all, I remembered where I was. The kids here probably didn't look upon being chased after by an adult as something fun. I would have to wait and let him come to me.

I walked over to the courtyard in the center of the building and through a glass door. It was beautifully landscaped, and had a small tree growing in the center. The symbolism wasn't lost on me. If a tree could grow in the middle of a building in lower Manhattan, even after so much devastation, then so could these children. I smiled then, thinking once again of Sookie's cleverness.

When I turned around to go back inside, a boy, maybe six years old, was standing in the doorway. He had blonde hair, almost the same color as mine and Sookie's, and large, knowing blue eyes. I bent down to his level, thinking it would seem less scary to him.

"Are you Miss Sookie's boyfriend?" he asked, with a dead-serious look on his face. If he was a grown man, I'd have taken it as posturing, showing me how protective he was of what he considered his.

I stifled a laugh. "Well, I don't know yet, but I certainly hope to be. Would that be okay with you?"

He seemed to chew on that for a while, and then, with the typical attention span of an adolescent, quickly changed the subject. "What are you doing?"

"Miss Sookie" – I can't believe I'm calling her that - "asked me to take some pictures of the center. I could certainly use some help, though. Would you show me around?"

He grinned from ear to ear, then, and said "Sure," before taking my large hand in his little one and pulling me along after him.

"You know, I usually like to know my assistant's name before we start working together," I teased.

"My name's Jacob, but I don't like to be called that."

"What do you like to be called?"

"Just Jake," he grumbled, dragging me along behind him.

"Well, Just Jake, my name's Eric. I'm very pleased to meet you."

He snorted out a giggle, then, and said, "You're silly."

So I've been told, kid. So I've been told.

Since I was armed with an official guide, I'd gotten the grand tour. I was blown away by this place, and honestly, by Jake, too. He showed me his "cubby," which he informed me was off limits to everyone, "and girls." Apparently, he hadn't yet reached the age where girls were considered human.

That's alright little man, take your time, I thought.

I was giving Jake a ride on my shoulders, when I heard Sookie call out to us.

"Hiya, Jake," she beamed. "Did you make a new friend?"

When we got closer to her, I caught her wiping a stray tear from her eye. I gave her a questioning glance, concerned that something bad had happened in the fifteen minutes I'd been apart from her, but she smiled and mouthed "I'm okay," so I had no choice but to take her at her word. I would ask her about it later, though.

"Yes, Miss Sookie. I'm his assistant. He let me take some pictures of him, and he took a bunch of me, too. Right Eric?"

"That's right, Miss Sookie, he is," I chuckled, sending a wink his way. "Best assistant I've ever had."

"Well, thanks a lot, Eric," I heard from behind me. "And here I thought I was your favorite."

I turned, Jake still on my shoulders, and saw Pam standing by the front door with her hands on her hips and a look of utter confusion on her face. "Once again, I will ask you, who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

"Oh, Pam, stop being so dramatic," I said, brushing her off. I lifted Jake off my shoulders and placed his little feet firmly on the ground. "Jake, Sookie, this is my sister, Pam. Pam, this is Jake and Sookie."

Pam walked up to Jake and shook his hand, saying, "Nice to meet ya, Jake," and then turned her full attention to Sookie.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…

She regarded Sookie carefully for a moment, and then shocked the hell out of me. "Sookie, dear, I have no idea who in the world you are, but if you can make my – Jake, earmuffs, please," to which he faithfully complied, "grumpy ass brother smile like that, you're alright in my book." And then she did the damnedest thing. She hugged her.

Sookie was near hysterics, bent over and laughing. "It's very nice to meet you, too, Pam."

Pam stepped back from Sookie, then, and lowered herself to look Jake in the eyes. She made a series of movements that indicated he could remove his "earmuffs," and then stood back up and said, "Let's get this show on the road. I've got a Russian waiting for me back at my place."

I was stunned. I'd never seen Pam interact with a child like that. It was almost…charming. She caught the look on my face, and she must have read my mind.

"What, I may look and act like a big bad lesbian, but that doesn't mean I don't have a biological clock. I do have ovaries, you know."

"What's a lepspian," Jake asked.

"It means I like girls, Jake," she deadpanned. I groaned and rolled my eyes. Leave it to Pam to tell the truth to a six year old.

"I'm never going to be a lepspian, then," Jake stated firmly.

We all snorted in unison before Sookie turned to Jake and said, "Hey Jake, us grown ups have some stuff to do. Why don't you go and play with the rest of the kids?"

He looked up at me, and asked, "Is that ok, Eric?" Both Sookie and Pam's mouths flew open, shock showing on their faces.

"Of course it is, little man," I replied. "You did a good job today. Thank you for all your help. Go have some fun." And then I gave his hair a good ruffling.

He was about to turn around and leave, but then stopped and beckoned me close. With a stage whisper he said, "Its okay with me if you're Miss Sookie's boyfriend," then ran off to play. Sookie's shocked expression was priceless.

I puffed my chest out a little bit, proud that I had his approval. Twelve hours ago, I didn't know any six year olds, let alone hope one actually liked me. Now, well, I was wrapped around his little finger. I would ask Sookie about him later. A part of me didn't want to, but I couldn't help myself. He was obviously very important to her, and she to him as well.

"So, Sookie, tell me what I'm doing here at nine o'clock on a Saturday morning," Pam asked, breaking the momentary silence.

"The truth is," she began with a sigh, "We need more money. I'm putting together a presentation that will be sent to private donors all over New York, and I want it to be more than your standard 'please give me your money' shtick. I want the person looking at it to be moved to the point of action."

"Well, if anyone can do that, it's Eric," Pam stated bluntly.

"Oh, I know. I have all the faith in the world in him, Pam," Sookie said. Pam cocked an eyebrow at me, but didn't speak, and I was grateful for it. I still hadn't figured out how to explain everything that had transpired to her.

The next hour was spent setting up the lighting equipment, and when Pam and I were ready, I called Sookie over. "I think the best way to do this is to let it happen naturally. Just go about your day, and pretend that we aren't even here."

Reaching up to give me a quick kiss, she said, "That's going to be very hard to do, but I'll try."

When she had made it across the room to where a small group of children were sitting, Pam finally burst.

"Spill," she demanded. And, as with Sam the night before, I did. She listened intently as we walked around the center. She would move the equipment and I would shoot. She let me talk, and didn't once interrupt. When I caught her up to the present, instead of peppering me with questions, she simply looked at me and said, "I think we're almost done here," and gave me a smile.

We both knew we were getting good stuff. Seeing Sookie happy was all the inspiration I'd ever need, and it was apparent by the quality of work I was doing.

Capturing the eyes of the children were what mattered most to me. I knew if the potential donors looked them in the eyes and saw them as I did, there would be no way they could refuse them anything. Even with the traces of sadness that ran through all of them, they were beautiful. They were strong…survivors. It was palpable. You could feel their strength course through you, and you couldn't help but love every single one of them. Even Pam was affected. What's more, it was Sookie that created this setting for them to heal in, to learn in, to finally experience joy and stability after countless heart breaks.

We were nearly done when we walked over to the small reading circle that had formed in front of Sookie. Jake was sitting on her lap, absentmindedly twirling a strand of her hair that had fallen over his shoulder. I set up the tripod and clicked off a bunch of shots in rapid succession. She was reading Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree aloud to them, and in that very moment, I fell even more head-over-heels in love with her. Seeing Jake on her lap, with features so similar to mine and Sookie's, pushed me over the edge. I could envision a future with her, one that included children of our own. As impossible as it seemed, I knew that one could, in fact, fall in love in twelve hours or less. I was living proof.

"She's amazing," Pam whispered. "Don't you dare fuck this up, or I'll strangle you with my bare hands."

"Thanks, Pam," I replied. "I have no intention of doing any such thing."

When Sookie had finished the story, she looked up at me and Pam with a large grin plastered on her face. She gave us a questioning look and a tentative thumbs up, wondering if we'd gotten the shots we'd needed. We both gave her two thumbs back in unison. She kissed Jake on the top of the head, stood him up, and knelt before him. I was pretty sure she was telling him about being gone for a week, because I could see the momentary panic on his face, but then she pointed to me, and he nodded his head and smiled. She gave him one last kiss, and then he ran over to me and threw his little body around my leg.

"Miss Sookie said that you were taking her away, but you'd bring her back. You're bringing her back, right?"

I picked him up and gave him a quick hug. "Of course I am, buddy. Don't worry, okay?" A tiny sniffle escaped, but he was a tough little guy. I knew he'd be fine in Octavia's capable hands.

Sookie walked over, then, grabbing Jake around the waist and setting him on the ground. "Okay, Jake, off you go!" She ordered with a smile.

"Bye Miss Sookie! Bye Eric! Bye Lepspian!" he shouted, running towards a small group of children playing board games.

"God, I love that kid," Pam mused, and we all broke out in to fits of laughter again.

"So, Eric, I talked to Octavia, and she's totally cool with me being gone for the week. If you're all done here, we can leave."

"That's great news," I replied, and pulled her to me so I could kiss her forehead.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Pam exclaimed, running over to a bag by the front door. When she returned, she handed some papers over to me, and I could see they were the reservations she'd made for the flight and the rental car.

"Normally, I would tell you that you owed me big time for having to pull this together at the very last minute, but it was such a lovely day, I'm finding it nearly impossible to be a bitch," Pam grinned.

Sookie walked over to Pam, wrapped her arms around her shoulders and gave her a big hug. My sister, who was never, ever, at a loss for words, suddenly found herself silent. She just looked at me over Sookie's shoulder and winked. "Thank you for setting all of this up, Pam. You're amazing. When I get back, I'm going to see about stealing you away from Eric so you can work here with me."

Pam released her, then, laughing and said, "It'll never happen. I enjoy cursing too much, and we can't have these kids walking around with earmuffs on all day, can we?"

When the gear was packed, we said our goodbyes to Pam and Octavia. I carried our bags outside and placed them in the back seat of my car. I turned to find Sookie at the passenger side door with a devilish grin spread across her face. In an instant she pulled her skirt up to just above her knees and tucked the hem in to the waistband. She placed her left hand on the side of the car, and with a movement faster than I could see, she'd swung her entire body over the door and in to the front seat.

"Holy shit, Sookie! Did you just pull a 'Dukes of Hazzard' on me?" I gaped, still amazed at what I'd witnessed.

"You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl," she said with a wink and a smile.

Oh, this was going to be a good week, indeed…