Authors Notes:
Just a couple of quick things and I will let ya'll get on to the chapter. First thank you all so much to those of you who took the time to send your kind words and well wishes for my health to return quickly, it means a lot to me and I really appreciate it. I am feeling a ton better, my back is still killing me but we can't have it all. I am a firm believer in the power of positive thought and ya'll were sending a ton of positive thought my way, so thank you.
I am half tempted to sit and apologize to ya'll for getting these chapters up a day late, but I am not gonna, this is me resisting that urge. I will however say stuff happens. It took me awhile to get them written and then I had to send them off to my beautiful editor, who has a life outside of helping me, so things happen. I am kind of behind on all of it, typically I have the chapters for the following week written and sent off to Catie the day I post the new ones, but because of being sick and the pain in my back I fell behind. I will try and get back on track, but there are no guarantees. I have a little one that I take care of and as seriously as I take my writing, it is hard for me to make the time. So, if I am late next week, just know it's because of all these things and not because the story is dead, far from it, I am actually almost done with the next chapter in The Dance. I should have more time to write in the following week though because my daughter is going on a little vacation, which will give me more quiet time to get my work done.
Anyways, as always thank you so much for taking the time to read and review my story. It means the world to me and I always love hearing what ya'll have to say, good, bad, or indifferent. So hit the little green button and tell me what you think, point out a favorite line, and maybe a song or two that popped into your head while reading.
Tons of love from the west coast,
Lilli
Chapter 11
** Sookie's Point of View **
A gentle caress on my cheek wakes me from my sound sleep. I crack an eye open to see a smiling vampire staring at me. "Evening lover," Eric says softly.
I look over at the clock on the nightstand next to me and see it is indeed evening, well after 6 in the evening for a matter of fact. "Well shit," I say, "did I really sleep through the entire day?"
He chuckles softly at me. "Mmhmm."
"How is that even possible? I don't think I have slept more than four hours in a row since…" I stop and think about that for a second, trying to remember the last time I had actually had a whole night's sleep. "Well since, before I met Asshole."
"You mean Bill?"
"Yes I mean him! How did I manage to sleep so long?" I ask more to myself than to him, not really expecting much of answer.
"Well, you did have a rather busy day yesterday, and it helps that I wore you out last night after we absconded from our own wedding reception," he says, wiggling his eyebrows at me suggestively. I feel a blush creep up my cheeks, but laugh at his antics all the same.
"Mmm lover I love it when you turn that particular shade of pink." He raises an eyebrow at me and a small lopsided smirk forms on his face. "I will have to think up more ways to turn you that…" he likes his lips slowly, "delectable color."
I roll my eyes at him. "Didn't you get enough Sookie nookie last night?"
He barks loudly with laughter. "Sookie nookie! Why lover what an eloquent way to put it, but to answer your question, no I most certainly did not get enough last night. Nor will I get enough any night ever. I want to do things to you that curl your toes and turn you into a useless blob of jelly. I want your voice to become hoarse from screaming my name. I want you to receive so much pleasure that you beg me to stop because you can't take any more."
My thighs tighten with his suggestions because my love life, or lack thereof, quite frankly has always fallen short, and if nothing else positive can be said about Eric Northman, it is that he is no slouch in the bedroom. "Mmm sounds lovely," I say. "Are you sure you are up for the challenge?"
He leans forward, barely brushing his lips with mine and nipping at them just slightly. "Definitely," he whispers and I can feel his cool breath spreading across my face, sending chills down my spine. "It's too bad though that we don't have the time," he says, and it takes a moment for that sentence to register in my head, because he has me so discombobulated with all the teasing and sexual innuendo. He must have been watching my facial expressions closely because the moment I figured it out he winked at me and then was gone.
I look around the room to see him standing in the doorway of his huge bathroom. "I am just going to take a quick shower and then I will pack our things while you are getting ready. Love you." He winks at me again, that darn smirk on his face, AGAIN! I think that smirk is going to go from cute to damned annoying pretty quickly if he keeps up this attitude. He pushes the bathroom door shut behind him and I groan in frustration, tossing a pillow at the door for extra emphasis. I can just make out his low chuckle over the sounds of running water.
I stare up at the ceiling, letting my mind wander aimlessly while I wait for Eric to get his cute behind out of the shower. I really wish we didn't have to even make this stupid trip to Vegas, but Eric says it is necessary for some reason. When it comes to vampire politics, I am always confused. Considering the fact that I have been embroiled in them for the last two years, you would think that I would have figured some of them out by now. But it seems to me that they have no rhyme or reason, other than the weak die and the strong survive. In their world that old proverb is very true; it is a dog eat dog world.
I shake my head lightly, trying to push aside thoughts of de Castro and why he could possibly want us to come to Vegas. I let my mind wander to last night after we had managed to make our escape from the wedding reception.
Eric presses me firmly to his chest, kissing me silly the entire way down into his underground hidey hole. Never once does he stop to look, he just rushes forward trying desperately to get us to our ultimate goal. I have the funny feeling that if we didn't reach the bedroom soon, any horizontal surface would do, well any vertical one might work as well, hell who am I kidding at this moment I would sit on a cactus if it meant I could get his clothes off any faster.
We must have reached our final destination because the forward propelling force that I had previously felt suddenly came to an abrupt halt. Eric gently set me down on my feet and our kiss slowed, it is like now that we are here, in our room the rush to tear each other's clothes off and become intimate, had dissipated slightly. "This is so crazy," I say to him softly between kisses.
"What is lover?" he asks, pressing his lips against mine again before I had the opportunity to answer.
He finally pulls away slightly, leaving my lips feeling bruised in the best way, but I still felt the loss of him profoundly. "This is crazy, us, everything. I can't believe we just got married after only knowing each other for a day. It is so unlike me. I am just having a hard time wrapping my head around it, that's all."
Eric ponders this for a moment, his expressive face turning into a cool mask to hide whatever it is that he is feeling at the moment. "Do you regret getting married Sookie? Do you not want this?" he asks, waving his hand nonchalantly between the two of us.
"God No! I mean… of course I want the two of us, but you have to admit Eric it is kind of nuts. We don't even really know each other. It isn't that it doesn't feel right, I have no doubts about it at all, but it is just so out of character for me. I mean normally I would have been all kinds of irritated at Russell for plannin' a weddin' without talkin' to me first, but the thought to be mad never even occurred to me when we went into that bridal shop. I haven't stopped to question your sincerity one time, I haven't even thought twice about how I could possibly be in love with you after only a day. Normally I am running from relationships, not towards them." I shrug. "It is just really out of my normal parameters of behavior. I know it is right, and this is exactly what is meant to happen. I just think it's crazy is all."
I wait in a dreadful silence as Eric thinks about my comments. "I must admit, although I do so begrudgingly, that I agree with you. I have never been one to rush into anything, even while I was still human. I was then and still am, an excellent strategist, and part of that is examining every detail for possible outcomes. I haven't once stopped to examine our situation. It is like someone came and just turned that switch off in my brain when it comes to you. It is also quite unlike me to show so much, emotion to someone I don't know. Even Pamela does not see a lot of what I am feeling, despite the fact that we have been together for a very long time. With you it just all comes so… so…"
"Easy." We say in unison and then laugh at speaking at the exact same time.
We stare into each other's eyes, both of us, well I couldn't speak for Eric but I have no doubt his thinking was similar to mine, trying to figure out what it is about the other that makes it all so simple. What makes this, our relationship, come so naturally and effortlessly. What makes us both jump head first into a blood bond and marriage without even stopping and thinking about it first. I didn't have doubts, not even a little bit, but I still wondered, how is it that I could change my whole life so drastically and never once stop to think about all the what if's and could be's?
"Sookie," Eric says softly after awhile.
"Yes Eric," I respond.
He steps closer to me cupping my cheek in his enormous hand; I can feel the soft, slick calluses on his hands and fingers as they brush against me. I smile lightly at him; just this gentle touch brought me such happiness. "It doesn't matter why we are acting so impulsively, we have each other and that is all that matters. I love you and I will love you for the rest of my life."
"Oh Eric, I love you too and you're right, it really doesn't matter, as long as we're happy."
He leans forward, grips my chin softly, and pulls my bottom lip into his mouth, sucking on it slightly and then giving it a soft nibble, and a moan builds in my chest and breaks through my lips. When my lips part to allow the escape of my ecstasy, Eric's tongue pushes into my mouth, devouring every last morsel of my moan. His tongue sweeps across mine in slow strokes, stoking the fire that is already roaring inside me. I didn't think it was possible to climax from a kiss, but somehow I knew that if anyone could cause that to happen, it would be Eric.
His fangs come out of hiding suddenly, piercing my tongue and drawing blood, his own moans of excitement travel down my throat and into my belly, rolling around and causing a feeling of contentment within me. His free hand grips my hip tightly and he pulls my body closer to his. It still isn't close enough and we both groan in a mixture of frustration and anticipation.
He pulls away from the kiss, leaving me dazed and wanting. "By the Gods you are even more beautiful like this," he says, his voice a few octaves lower and almost scratchy with his need. "Cheeks flushed from passion." His thumb slides across my cheeks in a small circle of movement. "Eyes hooded with lust and desire," He kisses each one of my eyes in the gentlest of movements. "Lips swollen and red from our flesh being pressed together." His lips slid across mine in a soft, barely registered brush of skin. "Your bosom heaving, trying to get enough air, but not really caring because you are so overridden with passion." His fingers ghost around the outline of each breast in a slow languid movement. "Your entire body trembling with anticipation of what is to come."
Eric's hands slide down my face, over my throat, across my shoulders, clavicle, and sternum, down my ribcage, and finally settle at my waist. He never once looks away from me, while his hands embark on his journey of memorizing my form. I am completely hypnotized by his words and his actions, so loving and so perfect; no one has ever looked me in the eyes and told me how much I excited them and how beautiful I am to them. Not only does Eric do that, but he describes each and every thing he finds beautiful, this is why he is perfect for me. This passion, this fire, this loving attentive man, beneath the cool exterior, is why I can never and will never leave his side.
Without a word his fingers make quick work of completely unlacing one side of my corset, pulling the red silk ribbon free and dropping it to the floor. He pulls the beautiful corset away from my waist and it too hits the floor. My body trembles as the soft folds of satin drift around me, in a slow sensuous dance.
He smiles softly at me and kisses my forehead, that one simple act calming my frazzled nerves. 'Don't ask me why I was so nervous, it isn't like we haven't had some rocking sex over the last day, but for some reason it just seems different. I mean, shouldn't it be? When a man and woman come together for the first time as husband and wife, it should bring a whole new level of physicality that is never there previously when you are just fooling around.'
He pulls my dress up my body and over my head, for a moment I can see nothing but fabric and darkness, until I finally emerge from the darkness to see the shining eyes of my loving husband staring at my face. He drops my dress beside my corset and I have a temporary flash of irritation that he threw my wedding dress on the floor instead of draping it over a chair or hanging it up properly in the closet. As if he read my mine he smiles at me and whispers, "Later love, and if it wrinkled I will take it to be dry cleaned and pressed myself, I promise." He winks at me and I can feel my cheeks flush slightly with embarrassment from my very poorly timed irritation, but hell that is my WEDDING dress, it isn't like it's a pair of jeans or something.
For the first time he breaks eye contact with me, scanning my body and moaning approvingly at my lingerie. Slowly that too is peeled away from my body, one item at a time, his touches never anything more than a brief caress or lingering squeeze here and there as he slides each item off of me. Nothing overly sexual, nothing I have ever would have considered as exciting, but there is just something about having your partner slowly undress you. I swear I thought I was going to melt into a big pile of Sookie soup right there in front of him at any moment.
The last stocking fell to the floor, to join the heap of my discarded clothing and for a moment he just knelt there in front of me. Staring up my body and into my face, his expression is one I have never seen before, but can only be described as one of adoration and awe. Gracefully he rises to his feet and lifts me from the floor, cradling my body against his still clothed form by my waist and walks me towards his bed, our bed, and setting me down on the edge, leaving my feet to dangle off the side.
He stands between my knees, as he too slowly begins to shed his wedding garments, one article at a time. I want to watch his body slowly revel itself, but his loving look holds me captivated through the soft rustle of fabrics. "Gorgeous," I say in a breathy whisper after the last of his clothing disappears. He smiles at me again and I return it in kind; I can feel the happiness radiating off of me and at this moment I didn't care who sees it.
Grabbing my waist again, he slides me to the middle of the bed, propped up against the headboard so that I am still sitting up. This really confuses me for about a minute, until he turns and grabs a beautiful dagger from his bedside table. He takes me by the hand and pulls me to my knees, our bodies press against each other from thigh to chest. My arms slide around his waist, as I silently wait for what is to come next. He leans back slightly, sitting his weight onto his calves behind him and pulling me into his lap, so that I am in a slightly higher position.
One of his arms slides around my waist, gripping my butt firmly in his large palm. The other hand raises the golden dagger to a spot just at the bend of his neck, where his neck and shoulder meet, and slices a clean gash into the smooth perfection of his skin. My lips immediately seal around the wound, pulling the cool, syrupy blood into my mouth. The moment his blood hits my tongue, I hear the heavy thud of the dagger hitting the mattress and feel him move just enough so that his sharp fangs can slide into my throat, in the mirrored position of my own. Our jaws work at the exact same pace, pulling the life force of the other into ourselves and sealing the bond between us with the third exchange of blood.
Slowly I can feel emotions, not my own, mingling within me, there are so many and so vivid that they threatened to overwhelm me. I cling tighter to Eric and I can feel one emotion in particular spike with this small movement, lust. His lust entices my own, and suddenly I am on the verge of orgasm. I want nothing more than to have him buried deep inside me as we continue to forge our bond. As if reading my mind, he lifts me up just enough to maneuver himself into position and impales me onto him. I moan loudly, never releasing the wound at his throat, and he does the same. I can feel the vibrations of his moan, sliding down my body and stirring my already frenzied libido, into a fevered pitch.
My hips rock a slow and steady rhythm, as we both climb the mountain to our release. Both ofus creating an endless loop of rocking, thrusting, pushing and pulling, into an endless cycle of sexual ecstasy, while we both continue to complete the loop by binding ourselves closer and closer to the other by taking the others blood. His fingers grip my hips tighter, and he bucks into me with more force. I gasp slightly, in a strangled moan of excitement. I maneuver my feet around, using my toes and the balls of my feet, creating more leverage to lift and slam myself down onto him, meeting him thrust for thrust.
I try to maintain control, holding off my completion as long as possible, I never want this moment to end and the only way for that to occur is to not let go. Eric's emotions tickle across me, coercing me silently to let go, to finish, to allow my ecstasy to envelope me, to envelope him, to let go of the control that I was so desperately clinging to. With a sharp thrust, I can't take it anymore, and I release his wound and throw my head back, screaming his name to the heavens as he continues to work my body through its completion and into his own. My name spills from his lips and I know he has reached his own, perfect moment, while my body continued to tremble, and quiver, and spasm around him.
Our bodies fall to the bed in a tangled mess of limps and hair, we hold onto each other for dear life, while we cool down from our passion. I close my eyes and just revel for a moment in Eric's emotions that swirl within me, as I try to sort out each one and identify its significance and place. When I stumble across smug pride at a job well done I burst into a roaring fit of laughter. Only a man would feel such a silly thing after such an emotional, loving exchange. I open my eyes and look over at him, his face twinkling with amusement. He shrugs slightly at me and says, "What can I say, it's good to know that I did my job right and gave you a mind blowing orgasm."
I laugh again and shake my head. "I love you Eric Northman."
"And I you, Sookie Northman." We spend the rest of the night showing each other just how much in love we are, worshiping each other's bodies, with teeth, tongues, and gentle caresses.
"My love you need to get your mind out of the gutter and get your pretty little ass into the shower, so that we can get ready for the night," Eric says startling me out of my reminiscing of last night's events.
"Yeah, yeah, stop your naggin'. You know I thought it was supposed to be the wife that nags," I say as I slide off the bed brushing past him and kissing his cheek lightly.
"In my experience lover, women spend far too much time getting ready. If you start now, we might have time to make it to the plane before dawn." He smacks my rear lightly on my way past him and all I can do is let out a little humph of irritation.
I jump into the shower and try to rush through my routine. I would never tell him, but of course he is right. I take forever to get ready to go anywhere and I still had to pack, dress, do something with my hair, maybe a little makeup, hell it is a pain in the ass being a woman. If I ever went anywhere un-coifed I would never hear the end of it. Women are supposed to be perfectly pretty all the time. Heaven forbid we have a bad hair day, or don't match our shoes with our outfit perfectly. I have noticed that vampires are even more fashion forward than most humans. If you are going to go into a room full of vamps you don't want to go in looking like a country bumpkin.
I shave all my bits and bobs, quickly scrub myself down with the most delicious smelling body gel I have ever run across, wash and condition my hair, and am out of the shower in maybe fifteen minutes. Yay for me, I just set an all-new record.
I jump out of the shower and run a brush through my hair quickly, and start slapping on my makeup. "Eric," I holler into the empty space beyond the bathroom.
"Yes lover," he says winking at me from the doorway, with the cutest crooked little smile on his face. Damn, damn, damn, I wish we had more time.
I sigh heavily to myself, I am sure we could find time to get 'closer' at some point between here and Las Vegas. "We have to make a stop before we go to the airport."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I need to take you to the blacksmith that made my sword and our wedding sword," I say, slightly exasperated as I stab myself in the eye, again, with my eyeliner pencil.
"Give me that," Eric huffs and walks towards me with his hand outstretched. I raise an eyebrow at him questioningly and he rolls his eyes snatching the eyeliner from my hand and lifting me onto the counter. "Close your eyes." I obey, holding my breath slightly and waiting for the pain to come from his attempt, but nothing happened, just a barely detectable brush of the pencil across my lids. "Now you were saying we need to stop at the blacksmith. Do you really think that it is necessary for us to go before our trip?"
"Normally I would say no, that we are in too much of a hurry, but I just have this feeling that we need to go there before we get on the plane. I know that the shop will still be there when we get back, I definitely know that your weapon will still be there when we get back, but I just have this feeling that we need to pick it up on the way. I have learned the hard way not to ignore those little inklings I get from time to time. So, I am trusting my gut; we need to go. Oh my goodness Eric," I say snapping open my eyes and he stops his machinations mid stroke, he had moved on from eyeliner and was applying eye shadow now.
"Are they going to let us get on the plane with Guinevere and Arthur?" I ask suddenly panicked that I wasn't going to be able to have my sword with me.
"Close your eyes so I can finish," he says softly, as he brushes my cheek with his thumb in a soothing manner. "Now who are you talking about, who is Guinevere and Arthur?"
"Our swords," I huff.
"Our swords are named, after the English King and his traitorous Queen?" he laughs lightly.
"Umm… from what our blacksmith said, Guinevere was forged long before the Arthurian legend was created. Arthur though was forged more recently from what he told me. So I would say no, they are not named after the legend, but what do I know, history tells of all kinds of similar sword in the stone type myths. I just know that our swords have names and their names are Guinevere and Arthur." I shrug. "Now back to the question, are they going to let us bring them on the plane? I don't think that I could handle them being in baggage or worse leaving them here."
Eric chuckles lightly. "Open your eyes and look up." I open my eyes and look up like he asked, but even looking up from sitting on the counter I still have a marvelous view of his beautiful face. He is just so blasted tall. He snickers slightly. "And your super short, now hold still so that I can put on your mascara. Now, our swords, I don't see why they would be a problem. We are taking the king's private jet there and he tends to frown on it when his guests are searched. The great thing about a private plane is the discretion that it includes. We don't even have to go to an airport; we just have to go to the airstrip outside of town, so we won't even have to pass through security of any kind and if you insist on stopping at the blacksmith on the way to the airstrip that is fine. Who am I to question your instincts?"
I sigh in relief. "Good, that is one thing off my mind." I sit in silence as he puts the finishing touches on my lips and cheeks as our conversation fast forwards through my head. "Wait… Eric… did you read my thoughts? I was thinking that you are so blasted tall and you responded out loud with 'and your super short'? What the heck?"
He shrugs. "There all done, maybe I was just reading your facial expression, I am not positive. I didn't really put much thought into it; I just knew what was going through your head. It wasn't like I heard the thought exactly, I just knew. I have never had a blood bond before, so maybe that has something to do with it. We will see if we can come across some information in the king's archives while we are visiting him. Maybe we will be able to find something that will let us know what to expect.
"The biggest issue we might have though, is that all of the vampires that I know who have ever talked about bonding with a human, have done so out of necessity, needing daytime protection, insuring loyalty, that sort of thing. I have never spoken to anyone who has done it because they love their human. Then we have to factor in the matter that you are not entirely human, which has the potential to… change things. It all depends a great deal on how much fae you have in your blood, what powers you have, so on and so forth. There are a lot of variables." He kisses my nose softly and lifts me off the counter spinning me around to face the mirror to see his handy work.
"Wow… just… wow. Where did you learn how to do this?" I ask, utterly stunned at the job he has done with my makeup. I look like a friggin supermodel that has just walked off a professional shoot.
"I did live through the 70's and 80's lover, glam rock was big then," he chuckles lightly at me. "Plus, there were other times throughout history where it was expected for men to wear makeup. Not to mention the fact that learning how to apply a good foundation and rouge was often necessary while vampires were still in hiding. Anything to help us blend in."
I snort. "Somehow I don't think any amount of makeup would help you blend in."
He laughs and shakes his head at me. "Well, you are right about that, I do tend to stand out, just a bit. Come on," he grabs my hand, "let's get you into something pretty."
I follow behind him as he tugs me out of the bathroom and into our bedroom; I can't help but giggle at his behavior. He is acting like a kid on Christmas morning, eyes glowing and body bouncing in excitement at what is to come. When we stop at the bed I realize why, there spread out nice and neat lay two, very beautiful, summer dresses. "I wanted to give you an option, and whichever one you don't want to wear I will pack away with all of your other dresses."
"You packed for me?" I ask, stunned slightly.
"Of course," he says as if it would be foolish to think he would do anything less. "You were busy, I had time, it was no hardship to put all of your dresses that Pam acquired for you into a garment bag and all your other tidbits into a suitcase. Anything you don't have we will buy for you in Vegas; I have heard Pam go on and on about the shopping there. We, you and I, could make a night of it, finding various boutiques on the strip. We are also going to need to get you some luggage of your own at some point, but I have plenty to spare at the moment. I didn't really have much that I needed to pack for this trip. Plus it helps that I have multiples of all of my luggage, just in case."
"You are too sweet, and too funny," I say and kiss his nose. I turn to the options that he has laid out for me and give them a critical eye. The first is a beautiful white cotton, floor length, sleeveless dress. It has a deep v cut and from the looks of it, the bodice would fit nice and snug beneath my bosom, while the rest of the dress would just flow out and down, nice and full without all of the extra under things to make it that way. It has a beautiful silver pattern of roses on the bodice and at the hem of the skirt, but otherwise it was just a plain white color, very airy and summery, but somehow it seems dressy as well. Next to the dress sit the cutest pair of matching sandals; they are silver in color, to match the design of the dress, but they have large ivory stones set into the top of the shoe. They are what is known as an Egyptian sandal, which is just a fancy way of saying a thong sandal with an ankle strap.
The second dress is just as nice as the first, except this one seems to be much more casual by design. It is a peasant style dress, which I absolutely love, in a beautiful turquoise color, well almost turquoise, I personally didn't think it had enough green in it to be considered turquoise, but Lord knows I am not an expert on color. Not to mention the fact that all those stupid fashion lines have 100 names for the color pink. I mean, okay, I dabbled a bit with painting after I got out of high school and I know that there are a ton of shades that come when you blend various amounts of white and red, but come on! Fifty different designers can have the exact same shade of pink in their summer collection and they will all call it a different thing. It is utterly retarded.
Ughh, rant over, back to my dress my precious Viking picked out for me. It has a peasant style bodice, sleeves that cover your shoulders and a v cut that shows just enough cleavage without being risqué. Just below the bust line and all the way down below the belly button, they do this great trick with elastic to make it look like you are wearing a cinch without actually having to deal with the uncomfortable bullshit that goes with it. The skirt flows out from about mid hip, and comes to a stop about half way down the calf. It is perfect. The shoes are just as good. They are a plain white leather, in the same Egyptian style as the other pair.
"They are both very beautiful," I say smiling up at Eric.
"Really you like them?" he asks, and if I didn't know any better I would have thought he was nervous that I wouldn't like them.
"Very much, but..."
"What? What's wrong, we can always return them for a different style, or maybe a different color."
"No, no nothing like that, it's just… don't you think it is a little presumptuous of you to be picking out my clothes?"
He barks with laughter. "No, not really. From what I understand, wives have been doing it for their husbands since the invention of marriage. Why can't the husbands do the same? Besides, if you think this is presumptuous you should see the twenty other dresses that I packed for our trip, not to mention, all of the matching shoes and plenty of bikinis with matching cover-ups." He wiggles his eyebrows at me suggestively.
"I take it you are one of those guys that likes a girl to wear a dress and not jeans?"
"Jeans have their place, I suppose, but there is just something about a woman in a dress that appeals to me. I am not saying you wouldn't look very lovely in a pair of jeans, I just think you look better in a dress."
I giggle. "And how would you know that mister, have you ever seen me in a pair of jeans?"
"Umm, no, and if I can help it I won't anytime in the near future."
I burst into a fit of laughter at that, "Well, I think I can persuade you to change your mind when you see my ass in a pair of properly fitting low rise jeans." I wink at him and his eyes twinkle with mischief. "I'll wear the peasant dress, go ahead and pack the other one." I shoo him with my hands and he grabs the other dress and zips into the closet, to pack it away with all the others I imagine.
I throw on my dress and shoes, and finish at the exact same moment that Eric comes pouring out of the closet with several garment bags and two large suite cases. "How long do you think we are going to be in Vegas Eric?" I giggle.
"Hmm, I don't know." He starts walking towards the stairs that leads out of the light tight rooms and into the rest of the house, which I have yet to check out fully. I am going to have to make a point of that when we get home. "I don't expect the king will keep us more than a few days, but I thought since we are there we can take a mini vacation, see the sights, plan our honeymoon."
"That does sound nice. I have to warn you though; every single time I leave Louisiana something horrible always happens. So if a building blows up or we end up standing knee deep in bodies don't say I didn't warn you."
"Consider me thoroughly warned." He chuckles as he sets our bags down in the dining room area.
I look up to see Pam, Stephan, Kaare, and Ivar all sitting around the dining room table joking, laughing, and sipping on their true bloods, like it is the most normal thing in the world. Well, I guess for them it is. The scary thing is, if I put a lot of thought into it, these are all my new in-laws. Well, except Pam, I wasn't really sure how Pam fit into the picture. I know that the guys all said that they were Eric's brothers, but Pam's part was unknown to me. I have a lot to learn about the man I had just married. "She is my child," Eric whispers into my ear.
"You just did it again," I say and slap his chest lightly.
"I suppose I did." He laughs and without another thought he turns to the others and says, "God kväll. Ska vi ha kul?" (Good evening. Are we having fun?)
"Of course brother, aren't we always." Kaare laughs, in his deep bass voice.
"It is about time you and mummy got your asses out of bed," Pam says, and I know she is joking, but her face is deadly serious.
"Oh NO!" I say. "There is no way, you are calling me mummy. Not gonna happen Pam."
"It's better than mistress, that is way more formal. If I can choose between the two I will call you mummy every time," she says and winks.
"And what's wrong with calling me Sookie?"
"Ask him, he makes me call him Master."
I look over my shoulder at Eric and he has a huge smile on his face. "And that is how it should be," he says.
"There is no way she is going to call me either one of those things and do you really make her call you Master? Come on Eric what century is this?" I raise an eyebrow at him and the whole room erupts into laughter.
"I let her call me Eric, once and awhile, mostly when it is just the two of us, never in public. As my wife, she has to address you formally too. Mummy isn't exactly formal, but I think we can get away with it, seeing how you aren't a vampire."
"Be serious Eric, she is ten times my age. There is no way she is calling me mummy."
"I am in the room you know. Man, now I know why humans are always whining about their parents." I snicker and throw a quick look over my shoulder at her. "Wait, Sookie, how old do you think I am?"
I shrug. "Two hundred and twenty five, including human years."
"How could you possibly know that?"
I shrug again. "I don't know. I didn't yesterday. Today I do, just like I know that Ivar is two hundred years older than Eric, Kaare is two hundred years younger than Eric, and Stephan is the baby at a whopping five hundred years old." They all just stare at me, a look of utter shock on their faces. "Hey, don't look at me like that, he," I say poking my finger in Eric's chest, "has been reading my mind all evening. But this is all beside the point; do you really have to call my mummy Pam?" I whined.
She bursts into laughter clutching her ribs. "Now I definitely have to call you mummy, just to see the annoyed look on your face when I do it."
My phone rings and I stick out my tongue at her in spite as I go to answer it. "Hello."
"Sookie?" I groan internally. Alcide, ugh. It isn't like he is a bad guy or anything, I just really don't want to deal with any of his drama. He never calls to just say "hey"; there is always something going on that requires my attention and talents.
"Yeah, one sec Alcide." I hit mute on my cell so he can't hear me. "It is the local pack master, I will make my excuses so that we can get out of here," I say to Eric.
"It is a cellphone lover, you can talk on the way." I roll my eyes at him. "Pam, Ivar, Kaare, Stephan, Sookie and I have a stop to make before we get underway to Vegas. Will you please be so kind as to take the luggage and meet us at the airstrip?"
"Of course," Stephan says, nodding his head at Eric.
"How long is this little errand going to take? It would not be the best idea to keep the king waiting," Kaare says.
"Hmm, no more than a half hour or so I think, but it doesn't matter. We are not on a tight schedule tonight, he just wants to meet us before dawn and it only takes about two hours to get there since we are flying straight there."
"Okay brother see you at the airport," Ivar says and they all stand up from the table and start to make their way out of the room. I figure now that vamp talk is over, I can get back to dealing with Alcide.
"Sorry about that, what's up?" I ask.
Pam of course decides to choose that moment to bounce over to me and kiss my cheek and say, "See you at the airport mummy. Don't talk to the wolf too long, you'll get fleas."
"Watch it," I mock growl at her, "or I will ground your little blonde butt the whole time we are in Vegas. No shopping, no gambling, and definitely no topless dancin' shows for you missy if you don't behave."
I giggle at her aghast expression. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me." I stick out my tongue at her and she laughs and heads out into the garage. Eric starts zipping around the house, turning off lights and locking up and we also make our way out into the garage and I follow behind, only half paying attention as I turn back to my phone call. "So sorry, again. We are getting ready to leave and it is just chaos here."
"What was all that about?" he demands. "Who was that calling you mummy?"
"Uhh, if you must know it was Eric's child joking around with me. Now is there something I can do for you or is this just a friendly 'hey how you doing' phone call, because I really do have a ton of stuff to do." I pull the door closed on the car and look around a bit, noticing that we have gotten into Eric's Shelby instead of his Vette. I glare at him and he just gives me a wicked smile and winks.
"Well," Alcide huffs at me, "I am calling because I went to Merlotte's looking for you tonight and Sam said you weren't in and that he didn't know when you would be in. He told me you got married yesterday."
"Yep."
"Umm, who did you get married to Sook?"
"Not that it's any of your business Alcide Hervuex, but I got married to Eric Northman yesterday."
"THE NEW SHERIFF? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU SOOKIE?"
"Nothing, and if you want to continue this conversation, I would suggest you correct your tone right this minute. I will not let you talk to me that way Alcide."
"Sookie, come on. You went off and married a vampire that I know for a fact you just met, and you expect me to be calm? Where are you going to live? Are you going to stay in Bon Temps or move to Shreveport? Are you going to keep your job at Merlotte's? If you aren't what are you going to do with your time? Do you even know anything about him? Why would you do something so stupid? After all the shit you have been through with the God damn vampires you would have thought you would have learned by now."
"Okay, I am going to work really hard here to stay very calm, because I know you think you know what is best for me and are worried because you are my friend. WE haven't talked about living arrangements yet, but I assumed that I would move out here with him. I don't know if I am keeping my job yet or not, but again, that is something I need to discuss with my HUSBAND! You are right we don't know each other all that well because we just met. But it is my life and I know that Eric is it for me. I don't have a single doubt about that. As far as me being stupid, hmm I think I am going to ignore that and pretend you have completely lost your cotton pickin' mind on that one, because you would have to be crazy to be so idiotic as to talk to me in such a manner.
"Hell Alcide, my own brother approves of this relationship, and that is saying something, considering he never liked Bill, he loathed Quinn, and you were never serious enough with me for him to form much of an opinion about. Sam even likes Eric; he walked me down the aisle and gave a speech at my reception, so really I don't need your approval where Eric is concerned. Now as far as all the bull shit I have been through with the vampires, do you really want to go there Alcide? I have been in just as many scraps with the two natured as I have the vamps, and they never dragged me into their shit on purpose. You on the other hand do. Every single time you call me it is always with an ulterior motive. Hell Alcide, when you had me go with you to Cornel Flood's funeral for moral support as your sort of girlfriend, mostly friend, it was all about your dad taking over as pack master. You didn't even really want me there, except to use my extras."
"That's not true Sook, I care a lot about you. It meant a lot to me that you where there for me. You checking out the competition was just a bonus. Besides the vamps are just as guilty of using your extras as I am."
"Umm yeah they are, but mostly they were always up front about it. Except for Bill, but he is just scum. Sophie always told me the truth and was up front with me about everything."
"I love you Sookie," he sniffled at me.
"Fuck, are you kidding me? Somehow I highly doubt it Alcide. The last time I saw you, well, I should say, the last time I saw you before I made Quinn into shish ka-kitty, you had to be restrained from ripping me apart limb from limb. And if you do really love me, it really sucks that you didn't figure that shit out sooner. Maybe, and that is a huge maybe, we could have tried to date, but somehow I doubt that it would have worked. You are as bad as Sam sometimes when it comes to dealing with your otherness. It doesn't really matter though Alcide, I have made my choice and I am married to Eric, whether you like it or not. And whether you think you are in love with me or not, is moot. It's done. Now is there anything else I can help you with this evening Alcide?" I say the last bit pouring on my southern charm. My Gran would shoot me if I were rude beyond reason, just because Alcide is being an asshole doesn't mean I can be a rude bitch and forget my manners.
"But what about a family Sook? What about kids, and going on picnics after church on Sunday mornings? What about making breakfast for your man and spending the whole DAY with him? All that normal stuff that normal couples do, he can't give you any of that Sookie. Fuck you can't even go to sleep and wake up together in the same fucking bed because in the morning there would be nothing left but ashes and dust. I can give you a normal life Sookie, we can be happy together."
I sigh heavily and try to remain as calm as possible. "I hate to say that you are right but you are in some respects. Yes, Eric can't give me children, but that doesn't mean we can't have them someday by other means. Not that we are going to do that, we haven't even discussed that yet. I don't know if I even want that anymore to be honest, because my life is just too crazy at times to consider bringing children into the mixture. But if we decide to do that, there are other means for us to have kids. Whatever happens with that though we will be doing it together.
"Going on picnics, making breakfast, spending the day together, well shit Alcide, Eric and I can still do all of those things, he is just sunshine challenged. We can go on picnics under a full moon. Our breakfast time can go from seven in the morning to seven in the evening. Spending time together? Well hell, our day is just reversed. As far as us falling asleep and waking up together, umm, we have done it the last three nights now, so I really don't think that is going to be a problem. As far as having a normal life, come on Alcide who are you kidding, neither one of us is normal. Even if we were together nothing could change that, you're not human and neither am I. You really need to move on from this idea, because nothing you say is going to make me change my mind.
"To be honest I am kind of done here Alcide. I really don't owe you any explanations, but I have let you rant and rave and try and convince me to leave my husband. I have done all of this and explained why I never will leave him, because I consider you to be a friend. But friendship only goes so far Alcide and right now you are walking a very thin line to me never speaking to you again. I suggest you take some time to figure out if you can just be happy for me so that we can continue to be friends, or if we should cut ties completely, including any professional interactions, because I will not and I repeat I WILL NOT put up with you bad mouthing my husband every time I see or talk with you. So yeah, that's it, that is all I got to say on this matter, and I will talk to you later. If you had anything important to talk to me about call me back tomorrow and we can discuss it then. Goodbye."
As I was clicking my cell shut I could hear Alcide trying to argue with me "But… Sookie… No… But…"
I fume silently, and try hard to calm myself. I force myself to take deep calming breaths. "Fucking asshole," I mutter under my breath.
Eric chuckles and I look up at him, and he slides his right hand over and grips my thigh. "I am proud of you, my wife. You handled that magnificently. I must admit, if that conversation would have taken place while he was in the same room as us I would not have been so silent."
I snort. "Of course you wouldn't have, because you're a big strong man, who has to prove whose cock is the biggest."
"Well, that is an easy one, it is mine by far, I am sure." He laughs and I just shake my head at him and join him. I am not gonna say he is probably right, I don't want to inflate is already over inflated ego anymore. "My ego is not over inflated! I will have you know that it is just the right size to fit in my body!" he says indigently and my jaw drops.
"I did it again didn't I?" he asks sheepishly.
"Mmmhmm. You know, you are going to have to learn how to curb your responses. That is the thing about reading people's minds; sometimes people's private thoughts are just that, private. I would never tell you that you have an over inflated ego, but I could possibly think it from time to time. Most of the time people will think out everything they could or would say or do, before taking any kind of action, both good and bad. It doesn't mean that they actually feel a certain way. You of all people should already understand this; you are a strategist, and you have been around more than long enough to understand human behavior and why people do the things they do. It is why we have that saying 'actions speak louder than words' because people think and say all kinds of things, it doesn't mean they really mean them."
I notice for the first time that we have come to a stop at the mall and I slide out of the Shelby and into the parking area. Eric quickly joins me and grasps my hand in his. "I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you. I am not used to being able to hear the inner workings of someone's head, and it isn't even like I can hear them, I just know. I'm sorry."
I roll my eyes. "I'm not mad, not with you anyways, and we will figure out the whole mind reading but not thing. Come on the shop is down this way."