A/N: Okay everyone, I know that this is a very short chapter and I am very sorry. It was going to be this mega chapter but I decided it would be better received if I split it. So this chapter is a little short but the next chapter will be on the long side.

I have some exciting news. My beta gave me a great idea. She thought that it would be a good idea to reward those who review my chapters. So for the first fifteen reviews I get to this chapter I will give a sneak peak into the next chapter. For all those who dont make it into that first fifteen dont worry, I have something for you too. For now just enjoy the story, I will leave instructions at the end of this chapter. This is my version of a thank you, because the next chapter is a defining chapter (which is why it will be so long).

Again, I know that I am still throwing a lot of things at you at once, I was trying to tone it down but I dont think that there is any way around it. So thank you all for not throwing things at me lol.

Chapter 10

Feather light caresses covered Sookie's face. She didn't want to wake, her dreams were so good. She and Eric walked together through each other's imagination. He showed her where he came from, his family, his friends and his home. The dined with his parents, though now that she was on the edge of waking she could no longer recall their faces.

Eric had disappeared and she was searching for him. She didn't want to wake without him. The light caresses began to send small jolts though her body. She realized that those sweet caresses were actually feather light kisses.

'I'm waiting for you lover.' She heard.

She opened her eyes to find herself looking into vast pools of shining blue. She recognized it as a part of herself…her better half.

Eric laughed. "I must disagree with you there lover, you are definitely the more pristine part of this whole."

'You have your opinions, and I have mine.' She thought to him. She didn't want to actually talk because she knew she had morning breath and no one should have to endure it.

Eric laughed at her again. She noticed how his eyes twinkled with his amusement and it melted her heart. She was putty in his hands.

"Then let me mold you." He murmured as his mood changed abruptly. He leaned down to kiss her, but at the last second she turned her head away and he kissed her cheek.

'I'm sorry.' She thought as she felt his confusion and the tiniest pang of hurt flow across the bond. 'I just really need a minute to be a human right now.'

He rolled his eyes and let her up with a theatrical sigh. She scurried to the bathroom to take care of her human needs.

When she was done she washed her hands and studied her face in the mirror. She looked more and more youthful everyday because was taking daily infusions of Eric's blood. She liked how it sparked and popped in her veins. His blood was one of the sweetest and best tasting things she'd ever had. She tried to remember what it was like when she had to take Bill's blood. She remembered how she thought was salty, slightly sweet, and had a little tang to it. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't her favorite thing either. If Bill's blood was a sandwich, Eric's blood was a four course meal.

She turned her face this way and that, but there was no denying it, she looked younger now than she did the night she met Bill. Her skin was supple and flawless. Her blond hair was lighter, and her blue eyes glowed. She realized that they now more or less matched Eric's.

How different was she now, from that night Bill walked into her life? She had been irreparably changed. Gone forever was the wide eyed innocent little girl she once was. She was stronger now, and though she didn't want to admit it, she was a little harder too. She'd always been a fighter (when she couldn't avoid it), but now she was powerful. She thought that she would always be alone-a cruel joke. Now she was tied, mind body and spirit to not just a man…but a vampire.

She felt a pang of sadness because she knew that she would never have children, and she loved them so. This was the price of being with Eric, but she would happily pay it a thousand times. She could live without kids, but she couldn't live without Eric.

Yes, a thousand things have changed since she'd met Bill. She felt that she was somehow indebted to him. He had set her on a journey upon a winding road. She may not have liked all the places it had taken her but she couldn't be happier about the destination. She owed Bill big time. However, she still couldn't think how she could repay him.

She heard Eric talking on the phone but she tried not to listen-they didn't have to be in each other's head all the time. Still, it broke her unyielding thoughts and she decided to stick all the thoughts of Bill into a mental drawer and close it tight. Tonight she would be surrounded once again by vampires. That is definitely a situation where you need to keep your wits about you.

Sookie went back into the room just as Eric closed his cell phone and dropped it back on the nightstand.

"Bill and Pam will meet us here in two hours." He informed her.

"What time is the banquet?"

"It will start at midnight, but I want to get there a bit early so that we can investigate our surroundings."

She nodded and went to sit on the edge of the bed. It surprised her whenever Eric knelt in front of her.

"I agree with you." He said softly. "You're not the girl you were when I met you." He'd been listening to her.

"Is that a good thing?" She asked nervously.

"It's always a good thing to grow; it's the only way to survive. You've adapted yourself to the situations that you were carelessly thrust into; but your essential essence has never changed. You are aware of those around you. No one can easily take advantage you. You help so many people. You are different. You are the same. I love you, inside and out."

Sookie threw up blocks in her mind so that he couldn't hear her thoughts. He looked at her confused.

"I love you too Eric. But…" she let her voice trail off. Eric was truly alarmed now. She felt his emotions swirl though the bond. She could feel him probing it to see what she was feeling. She tried to keep herself calm. She could feel him push against her mind but her blocks held.

"But?" he asked cautiously. She pouted and looked down at her hands. He lifted her head so that she had to look at him.

"But?" he repeated.

"But I seem to remember you saying last night that you would make up the meeting with the king to me when we got back to the hotel; and yet nothing…"

Eric looked at her for a moment as she let her mental blocks fall and he heard her mental laughter, though she tried to keep a straight face. Tried and failed…miserably. She couldn't help but to crack a smile.

Eric frowned at her, though she could feel his relief.

"What's wrong?" she asked, smoothing his forehead out so he wouldn't look unhappy.

"It seems like I am going to have to keep you separated from Pam from now on." He stated.

"What? Why?" she said completely stunned, of all his reactions this was not one that she had anticipated.

Or maybe she had heard something. She could hear the vampire minds buzzing about but she wasn't paying them any attention. She tried to focus on Pam, but couldn't find her. Pam wasn't there, neither was Bill.

"She has always liked to tease me but it seems that she's had a very bad influence on you." He nipped the sensitive spot behind her ear and she jumped.

Relief flooded through her and she hit Eric's arm. She didn't realize she was even tense.

"That wasn't funny." She complained, hitting him again.

"Aw lover." He said with mock innocence. "Don't tell me you can't take it."

He began laughing at the look on her face when she pushed him to the side and got up. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him as his entire body shook with laughter. She tried to be annoyed and angry but she couldn't, especially with him so gleeful. So she settled for the next best thing.

She leaned down so that she could lick his ear. His body instantly stilled and she knew he was no longer feeling humorous. It still amazed her how quickly he could change moods.

"Oh I can definitely take it." She murmured sexily. "The question is…" she licked his ear again-he growled again in response. "…can you?"

Then, quicker than humanly possible, Sookie snatched a pillow from the bed and hit Eric in the head before taking off towards the sitting room. Eric was hot on her tail with a pillow in each hand. He swung one at her head, but she ducked and he missed. She realized too late that it was just a distraction because at that same moment he swung the other pillow and connected to her body-sending her into the couch that slammed against the wall.

She looked at Eric with wide eyes, he preened under her gaze. She couldn't believe she started this with just one pillow. That was like bringing a knife to a gun fight, but there wasn't enough time for her to grab another pillow so she will just have to make do. She hopped up so that she was crouched on the couch and she glared menacingly at him.

"Truly the scariest sight I've ever seen!" He taunted her. She began to step to the side and he countered her every step. She was glad that they had slept in their clothes because she jumped over the side of the couch and launched herself at the door, but Eric was faster.

As she opened the door, he slammed it shut and pressed against her."Don't tell me you are trying to retreat already lover." He purred, his voice dripping with sex.

She couldn't help but to grind her butt against his gracious plenty-making them both moan.

"Never." She vowed breathily.

"Good." He replied. Then he pressed his body closer to hers.

Sookie was quickly getting lost in the feeling of Eric. She knew that if she didn't do something quick then she would lose this battle; but at the moment she was having issues with having coherent thoughts.

His chest rumbled with amusement at her fleeting thoughts. She threw her shields back up. Eric's hands began to travel up and down her sides, making her start to pant. This was about to be game over. So she did the only thing that she could do. She wiggled against him again, causing a deep groan of pleasure to sound in his chest. His hands began to move restlessly over her.

Sookie could feel when he spread his legs so that his gracious plenty was more in line with her butt. She prayed that it was enough. She pushed against Eric who groaned appreciatively, then hugged the wall and fell to her knees. She sat back in the space between his legs and kicked against the wall. She moved easily behind him.

As Eric turned to her she hit him with the pillow in the chest with all her might, knocking him into the wall next to the door. Then she could feel air blow by her as Eric swung at her and missed.

"Very clever of you lover." Eric complimented her as she jumped three feet onto the bed to miss his next attack. Sookie bounced once on the bed then jumped towards the bathroom. Eric anticipated her move, he thought that she could expect him to follow her onto the bed, and she counted on the time he used to land so that she could launch herself once again at the door.

Instead Eric went around the bed and folded her into his arms with a big smile.

"Welcome home lover." He said as he adjusted her so that he as holding her-Rhett and Scarlett style-as she liked to call it.

"You always win." She pouted.

"Not always." He said. Then he kissed her pouting lips.

She snorted. "Eric, you're the most competitive person I know. You don't know how to lose."

"That's why I'm as old as I am. That's why I'm Sherriff. But more importantly, that's why you love me." He smiled winningly and sarcastically at her.

"Ugh. All of a sudden I'm feeling very nauseous."

"Hmm, then I suppose that it's a good thing that I know the cure for that." He didn't even give her a chance to respond before his lips were on hers. She forgot her witty come back and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

He carried her into the bathroom. Sookie wasn't quite sure as to how he got the shower started without putting her down but she was immensely grateful. Eric stepped into the shower, with Sookie still cradled to him.

"Eric!" she jumped in his arms. "Our clothes!"

He stood her on her feet but restrained her when she tried to jump out. "Not a problem lover." He assured.

He traced his fingers over her breasts and then tugged on her dress. It came off without hesitation. Then he tugged on her strapless bra and her panties and they too disappeared in a similar fashion. Since she met vampires, she lost more underwear that way.

She looked up at Eric to see that he was already nude. He'd have to teach her how he does that sometime.

"Later." He said as he took in her body, that as now glistening with water. "Right now I have a different lesson in mind".

He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He trailed kisses along her jaw line before he reclaimed her mouth. Sookie twined her fingers in his hair pulling him closer into her.

Eric picked Sookie back up and pressed her back against the tile. She moaned at the sensation that the cold tile had on her hot body. A shiver rippled through her and caused one in Eric as he entered her.

"Eric." She gasped as he pinned her to the wall with long languid strokes. She tightened her legs around his waist driving him deeper. Eric began to pick up the pace, driving harder and harder into Sookie. He bucked at the end of each stroke trying to get even further into her. Feral growls and animalistic moans erupted from both of them. Sookie met Eric's every thrust with a grind of her own. They were both lost in each other.

The bond opened up even wider, as their mutual lust grew and was magnified between the two. Both were too far gone to notice their golden encasement with silver currents running through it. She arched her back and closed her eyes.

"No." Eric said. "Watch me lover."

Sookie complied through a chant of "Eric…oh Eric…god yesss…pleasepleaseplease." When Sookie opened her eyes she found that Eric's bright blue eyes were gone, and they were now replaced by solid gold. His golden eyes gleamed brighter when he saw her solid silver eyes.

The ground began to shake. They knew what would happen next but at the same time they were powerless to stop it. She didn't want to hurt anyone, and if the same thing that happened to Eric's house happened to this hotel, someone would get hurt-possibly even killed. In the dream realm they could control their power between their will through the bond and the strength of their mind, but right now they were both mindless.

Gold and silver lightening began to strike out around them. They were cast into darkness when the light fixture was destroyed, but they were both able to see as clearly as if it were day light.

They were approaching their climax and that's when they felt a change. Their eyes began to glow brighter. Eric's hair began glowing solid gold and silver streaks began to show in Sookie's.

"I love you." Sookie said even though her voice was strangled and broken.

That sent Eric over the golden barrier and he climaxed, pulling Sookie along with him. Instead of a great outward explosion, their energy bombarded every part of their body. The closest thing that Sookie could associate with this extreme feeling was when she drank from Eric. Yes, it was the same as the way Eric's blood crackled and popped inside her. Only this was beyond belief, it was magnified a million times. It felt like they would explode, there's no way that their bodies could handle this. Every part of them sparkled and popped, their muscles tensed, and they held on to each other for all they were worth.

Sookie cried out Eric's name, and Eric roared. The pressure and the power that coursed through them held and they trembled under the weight of it; then finally it dissipated and they both sagged on the shower wall. He rested some of his weight against her as they both tried to calm themselves. She was glad that he hadn't put her down yet, she was pretty sure that she couldn't stand on her own now. They trembled with every aftershock because their bodies sparked and jumped with their energy every time.

"I love you too." Eric murmured as he set her back on her feet. Vampires didn't have a need to breathe, but Eric sounded breathless…as breathless as a thousand year old vampire could.

They were both standing now but their bodies were still pressed closely together. Finally Eric put one had on the wall and pushed himself back, so that his weight was totally on his extended arm, instead of her. When they looked at each other they marveled at their appearance.

They weren't completely changed but their eyes still glowed gold and silver. Eric's hair had lost much of its natural highlights and Sookie had shinning platinum silver liberally streaking her locks.

Eric's eyes blazed into hers, and she felt love and happiness push in on her from every side. They were no longer encased by their gold and silver energy but their feeling still echoed around them like the surrounding bond was still there. They paid no attention to the hot water that was still beating down on them.

"Amazing." Eric marveled as his fingers combed through her gold and silver locks. Then he brought one hand to her face so that he could run his index finger around her eyes; her hands mimicked his.

They remained like that until Eric reached past her to turn off the hot water. Sookie was about to step out when Eric stopped her.

"Careful." He warned her. Sookie looked out around the pitch black bathroom.

She shouldn't have been able to see anything, but her vision was clear. Everything had taken a silvery tint. There was glass everywhere. There were large holes in the walls, but nothing like her bathroom at home.

"At least we didn't destroy the entire hotel." She joked, secretly relieved (well maybe not so secret, but you get the idea). She looked back at Eric, and then noticed that he had a faint glow about him.

It was more than the faint glow that all vampires emitted; this was a slightly golden tint. She lightly stroked his skin.

"You're glowing." She commented. He laughed and picked her up.

"I could say that the same thing about you." He replied, and then he flew them back into the bedroom.

Sookie looked down at her own hand. She had a glow about her too, brighter than the faint vampire glow but not as bright as she is in the dream realm.

Before she had a chance to comment a loud banging erupted from the sitting room.

"Who is it?" Eric barked.

"It's us." Pam replied through the main door. "We've come for the meeting."

'Has it been two hours already?' Sookie asked herself, before she tried to recount the seemingly missing time.

"Not now." Eric replied. He couldn't let anyone see them like this, especially when they have no control over their abilities. He trusted his child, and grudgingly Bill, but this is not the time or place he had chosen to have this conversation.

"There's not time, it has to be now." Bill said.

'He's right Eric; we have to talk now if you want us to arrive early. But how are we supposed to explain this?' she motioned to her eyes and hair.

"Hold." Eric commanded them. Then he spoke to Sookie silently. 'Lets try to suppress the power. We can do it in the dream realm so that we can look like ourselves. We should be able to do it here too.'

'Why? It's not as if anything else works here.' She pointed out…a little bitterly.

'We have to try anyway.' Eric said, and then stepped in front of her. 'I can still feel all that energy in me, I know you can too. It's worth a shot Sookie.'

'Okay.' Sookie agreed, not too graciously.

They closed their eyes and reached for their bond. They pulled on it, opening it further. They could feel their life force pulse between them. They focused on the energies that now freely coursed through their bodies and began to will it into the bond. The bond grew to accommodate the silver and gold energy.

"Master, are you okay?" Pam called through the door.

To Eric and Sookie, Pam sounded like she as a mile under water. They couldn't answer her though, they had to concentrate. The newly released energy felt concentrated and it wanted to flow, not to be contained. Slowly they gathered and forced their energies into the bond. It was very draining but they persisted.

They could faintly hear what they supposed was someone yelling and banging on the outside door, but they could no longer make out the words. They dropped to the floor onto their knees as they willed the last of their energy down into the bond.

The door burst open and Pam and Bill were at their sides within the blink of an eye. As they began to close the bond they began to become more aware of her surroundings. She could feel hands on her waist. She was panting and Eric was growling as they closed their energies inside the bond. They looked into each other's eyes, to see that they had returned to normal. Their glow was gone.

"Get your hands off her!" Eric growled.

The hands on her waist tightened. Sookie was too tired to move but she could see the picture in Eric's mind. Bill was the one clutching her bare waist. Eric was physically weak but, being a vampire, he was quickly recovering.

"Now!" Eric roared. He shot to his feet and into a crouch.

Bill gave one last squeeze before reluctantly stepping away from her. Pam was kneeling next to her in the next second with one of the complimentary white robes.

She wrapped it around Sookie and then helped her to the bed.

Sookie could feel the curiosity rolling off Pam, but she knew Eric well enough not to question him; Eric always has a good reason for the things he does. He would tell her when he deems it necessary for her to know.

Bill disregarded his better judgment. He was seething that Eric seemed to have done something to hurt Sookie. Even more at the knowledge that they seemed to be keeping something from him and that something seemed to be what was hurting her. He hated that he wasn't more powerful, that he couldn't just order Eric to leave Sookie alone. Everything that he had been feeling since their breakup seemed to be overflowing.

"What the hell is going on?!" he demanded. When no one answered his question he began to get irate. "Eric!" he yelled.

Eric was pinning Bill to the wall faster than Sookie could track his movement. Growls erupted from both of them.

Sookie tried to get up, but Pam held her on the bed.

"No Sookie." She said. "They have to work this out and you interrupting will only make it worse."

Sookie balked and tried to push Pam away but she was still too weak. Containing their energy really had taken a lot out of her, and even now she could feel a minute stream coming back into her. They couldn't contain it completely; at least she couldn't, and somehow now didn't seem to be the right time to ask Eric.

"Trust me Sookie." Pam urged her. Sookie stopped trying to fight her; it really wasn't doing any good.

"You listen to me William Compton because I will only say this once. You do not ever question me again! I am your Sherriff. I do not answer to you nor will I ever. Sookie is my bonded. She is no concern of yours anymore. You have survived under her protection long enough."

"Her protection!" Bill raged, still past reason. "I don't need her protection! I am the one who has always protected her!"

Eric slammed Bill into the wall so hard he broke through one side of the dry wall. "Her protection is the only thing that has kept you alive, but no more! I won't allow her to shield you any longer. If I have to remind you of your place again it will not be pleasant if you ever survive it. Do I make myself plain?"

Bill took too long to answer so Eric slammed him into the wall again, breaking through to the bathroom.

"Yes, Sherriff." Bill said through gritted teeth.

Bill was still hanging off of Eric's arm as he began to lower him. Sookie thought that he was about to put Bill down, but she was oh so very wrong.

As soon as Bill's feet touched the ground Eric pulled him close and bit his neck. Bill growled loudly and tried to break Eric's grip, but it was futile. Even a weakened thousand year old vampire was stronger than a Civil War era vampire.

TBC

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*Okay fans, to get a sneak peak at the next chapter you have to review! For the first fifteen reviewers I will send you a juicy sneak peak. I promise that you will love it...or hate it but which ever, you wont forget it. Everyone else, please don't be discouraged, for everyone else that reviews I will send something special too, but you have to review to see what it is...

Of course it goes without saying that this will only last until the publishing of chapter 11

So review review review, I promise that it will be worth it!