A/N Charlaine Harris owns vampire Eric and the grown up versions of all these characters. The young cute ones are mine.

All boo boos are my own.

I had this chapter partially done for a while, then I was taking a break from Nesting Instincts this weekend and decided to complete this chapter. Nesting is going well (10 thou words and counting) and when it's posted, there will be a contest with it, so watch for that when it appears!

FYI, try not to fit this story into Canon timeline too tightly, it won't really fit. Just go with it... :)

recap:

Vampire Eric showed up on Open House Day at camp due to Bill sending him a postcard that had an invitation on the back. The two boys have been showing him around and he's sitting at the tables with them and their friends in the Big Hall.

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"Hey guys!"

A flash of pink and Eric was enveloped in a tight hug. Normally, Amelia's aggressive affection was welcome, but he was a little embarrassed with the vampire sitting right there next to him. Sookie was with her and had quietly slid into a chair next to Bill. Bill put his arm around her shoulders and drew her close to him. Bill and Sookie were so boring.

"Ah, this is my girlfriend, Amelia," Eric gasped out, since she was choking him a little.

"So, I gathered," the vampire commented dryly.

"Hi!" Amelia said brightly, energy just emanating from her like a high wattage light bulb.

"This is …um..Mr. Northman…you know, the guy I told you about?" Eric said, trying to avoid saying 'the vampire I told you about' out loud. It didn't matter with Amelia.

"I know, the vampire! Everyone is talking about it," she replied.

Everyone at the table discreetly looked around and realized that a number of the little clumps of parents/children and counselors were in fact, staring at their table expectantly.

"What are they watching for?" Bill asked quietly.

"They're wondering if I'm going to attack you," the vampire answered, chuckling very low. "That woman with dyed blond hair is calling the head of your camp from her cell phone to complain, and he in turn is talking to one of the men chaperoning us right now."

"You can hear that?" Bill asked, his eyes getting bigger. "What are they saying?"

"The camp head is asking what I'm doing."

"And what is Tim saying?" Eric interjected. This was great, it was like spy stuff.

"He's telling him I'm making S'mores." And then the vampire burst out laughing, which caused all the children at the table to jump a little, it was so unexpected. When they saw the scared expressions of some of the adults in the hall, they started laughing too. It was so ridiculous!

As they all started calming down, Bill remembered he hadn't introduced his girlfriend yet. "Oh! I forgot, Mr. Northman, this is my girlfriend Sookie," he announced proudly. She looked so pretty with her shiny blond hair pulled back neatly into a bouncy ponytail. And she was wearing the white lacy top she'd had on the first time Bill had seen her, with the little red flowers.

The vampire abruptly stopped laughing, staring at the girl sitting next to Bill. "Your name is Sookie?"

"Yes sir," she replied politely.

"Pronounced like cookie?"

"Yes"

His lips pressed together tightly for a second. "That's an unusual name. Is it your actual given name or just a nickname?" he asked carefully.

"My Grandmother always said it was a good old fashioned Southern name," Sookie answered, as she reached out for a piece of foil and started putting together a S'more.

"I'm going to put these on the grills they still got going," Lafayette said as he grabbed the little pile of S'mores and high tailed it to the firepit areas.

Sam followed, saying ," I'll go too. He always puts them too close to the fire and burns them."

The vampire was still quietly watching Sookie and a muscle below his left eye started twitching a little. Bill frowned, noticing it and made a silent eye move at Eric. Eric observed this for two seconds and decided to slide his chair away from the vampire just a smidge. Fortunately, the two girls didn't notice since they were busily putting together S'mores. The counselors were walking around the tables and clearing them, so they had to get them made before the ingredients were removed.

Dragging his gaze from the girl, the vampire commented," I can't stay. And I assume you will all be going to bed shortly."

"Can't you stay just a little longer?" Eric asked, trying not to sound like he was begging. He'd just found out he was sitting next to an honest to god Viking and he hadn't had the chance to ask any questions. This sucked!

"Is it okay…to…ask you some questions?" Bill asked, reading Eric's mind.

The vampire sat very still for a moment then said," Alright, but I can't guarantee I can answer all of them. We vampires are very private. And I can't stay much longer, so ask."

Lafayette and Sam slid back into their seats with the foil packets clutched in their shirts. "What's up? What are we talking about?" Lafayette asked.

"Mr. Northman can't stay much longer, but he said we could ask him a few questions", Eric explained.

"Do vampires poop?" Amelia asked.

"AMELIA!" Sookie exclaimed at her friend. Bill sat next to Sookie paralyzed with an Oh My God look on his face. He stared at Eric, silently mouthing ,"Do something !"

"He said questions, not STUPID questions!" Eric yelled. What the Hell was wrong with her?

"It's JUST a question! And it's a perfectly natural bodily func…."

"Say you're sorry!" Eric demanded. Fortunately, his voice stayed low and didn't crackle upward, which would have taken away the seriousness of his request.

"I'm not offended," the vampire smoothly interjected, his mouth twitching like he was going to start laughing again. "And no, we don't…poop."

"So, you pee instead?" Lafayette asked, picking up the conversational thread. This made sense to him since blood was a liquid after all. Eric slapped his own forehead from the humiliation.

"No, we have no need to relieve ourselves."

"Then what happens to the…ah…food you eat?" Bill asked, tiptoeing around the fact that the vampire ate blood.

"It is utilized entirely, I assume. There is no waste."

There was silence at the table while the children digested the concept of never using the bathroom, EVER.

Eric was so embarrassed. His friends were being total idiots. They have a chance to ask a Viking vampire questions and they're asking about pooping? The vampire probably thought they were total losers. Eric would ask a question before someone asked something even more moronic.

"You said you were a VIKING," Eric said, glancing seriously around the table to remind his friends who they were dealing with. "Can you tell us anything about that? Or is that …private?" He added politely.

"What did you want to know?"

"Did you wear a helmut with horns like Thor?" Lafayette blurted out.

"Lafayette the Vikings didn't wear horned helmets, that's just some bs someone made up later," Bill interjected. "Right?" he asked, looking at the vampire.

"Correct," the vampire answered. He thought for a moment. "We dressed how you would think people from the Middle Ages dressed. Have you studied that in school?" There were nods at the table. " And as far North as we were, staying warm was the priority. We wore lots of wool , fur, and animals skins."

"Did you ride around on one of those ships with the dragon's heads?" Eric asked.

"Sometimes. A good part of the year, the water was too cold and ice was a problem. But during the warm months, once the slaves had the crops planted, we went raiding."

"You owned slaves?" Sam asked softly.

"Yes, It was common back then. Usually, they were people we had captured during combat.

"That's awful!" Sookie exclaimed.

Bill and Eric froze, wondering if her outburst would anger the vampire. He appeared nonplussed by her reaction. "Like I said, it was common back then and if I had been defeated in battle, I could easily have been taken prisoner and enslaved as well. That was the risk one took."

"Oh," she said softly. Bill gave her shoulder a meaningful little squeeze.

"So, did you fight with swords and stuff?" Eric asked eagerly, trying to get past the discussion of enslaving people who had been dead for hundreds of years, like that mattered now. Eric was pleased to see a smile cross Mr. Northman's face.

"Oh yes," the vampire sighed nostalgically. "And axes and spears ….a couple times I got to use a mace as well."

"What's a mace?" Sam asked.

"It's one of those balls with spikes on it, at the end of chain and attached to a club," Bill explained, then glanced guiltily at the vampire for interrupting.

"Ooooooo, " Sam and Lafayette said.

"Your description is correct," the vampire said."I took it from an enemy combatant in battle, then lost it two weeks later in another battle."

"Did you kill a lot of people?" Eric asked. Then, realizing what he'd just asked, he shrank down in his seat.

The brilliant blue eyes drilled right through him and the white face closed down a little. " I suppose it depends how you define it. We mostly fought hand to hand combat and lacked the means to kill people en masse, like soldiers do nowadays. So, by today's standards, maybe not. But I was considered a good warrior amongst my people, so." He stopped right there and shrugged, so apparently that was all the explanation they were going to receive on that subject.

"Were you married?" Amelia asked, glancing at Eric with a look that said "is that good enough for you?"

"Yes, almost everyone was back then. It was expected."

"How old were you?" she asked curiously.

"I was sixteen, I believe."

"Wow," Eric blurted. He couldn't imagine having to be married…like two years from now?

"What was her name?" Sookie asked softly.

The vampire's left eye started twitching again as he looked at the young blond girl. "Next question," he replied with a smile.

"Did you ever meet anybody famous?" Sam asked. Everyone looked on approvingly. It was a good question.

"Yes, a few, although most of them weren't famous until after they died," the vampire replied.

"Like who?"

"Most of their fame has been lost to time. I think you wouldn't know any of them," he explained. He noticed the disappointed faces around the table and added," I did see Abraham Lincoln once."

"Whoa!" they all exclaimed.

"You saw Abraham Lincoln?" Bill cried out. He suddenly realized how loud he was being, so he lowered his voice and added," for real?"

"Yes, for real," he answered with a smile.

Bill looked like he was going to burst. Where was a pen and paper when you needed it? "Like how ..where..did you…tell us everything!" he demanded, his brown eyes flashing.

"Such a thirst for knowledge, I guess all is not lost for the human race just yet," the vampire laughed. " I saw him late one night at a train station. We were both waiting for the same train and I noticed him right away. It was unusual back then to see men my height."

"Was he wearing that tall hat?" Sam asked.

"Yes, he was wearing the stovepipe hat. I'm surprised I remember this so clearly, but then the war was winding down, everyone knew it would be over soon and he was the President. "

"Did you speak to him?" Bill asked.

"No, but he smiled and touched his hat brim when he spotted me…as if to say…from one tall man to another …"

All the eyes gazing at the vampire were big and round, utterly mesmerized by his little story.

"How did he look?" Sookie asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know…did he look happy or sad or…"

"He looked tired and old, as most presidents do after they've been in office, especially after going through a war."

"Oh," she said. "That's so sad."

Mr. Northman shrugged,"That's the nature of the office I guess. You pay a price for accepting it. Any other questions?" He glanced at the clock on the opposite side of the big hall.

"Do you like it better now or were things better a long time ago?" Bill asked. The vampire looked at him with a puzzled expression. "You know, old people are always saying the old days were better..and stuff," Bill added awkwardly.

Mr. Northman smiled again," That's because most people have selective memory of the past. They remember the good things but not the bad…mostly they remember the fact that they were young….. But to answer your question, I wouldn't want to go back. Life is much more pleasant now and this past century has been very exciting."

"What do you think is the coolest invention?" Bill asked, with the tone of someone writing a book report.

"That's easy," the vampire replied. "Plumbing…indoor plumbing especially beats everything else."

"You wouldn't pick airplanes, or cars or, light bulbs …" Bill searched for other ideas.

"Those are conveniences, but they're not necessary for people to live. Being able to manage waste and have clean water to drink is important in building great cities. It's one of the reasons the Romans were as successful as they were And being able to take a warm bath or shower is one of life's simple pleasures," the vampire stated, with a secret smile expanding across his face. The children sat quietly pondering that statement. Bill wished he was recording this. This would make an awesome report for school, talk about instant A+!

"So, we is back to talking about poop," Lafayette stated. Everyone looked at each other, then started laughing, the vampire included. This drew attention from the rest of the people in the great hall as they puzzled over what on earth could be going on at that table.

"I think we've come full circle and it's time for me to go," the vampire said, while rising out of his chair. "This has been more entertaining than I thought it would be." He nodded at the children and was bombarded with a chorus of "it was nice to meet you and thanks for coming" etc. Bill and Eric both stood to walk the vampire back.

Sookie held Bill's hand and looked up at him. "Bill," was all she said.

"But Sookie!" Bill answered, then he sighed. "Oh, alright. It was really cool of you to stop by Mr. Northman, thanks a lot."

The vampire looked down at him with his girlfriend clutching his hand. His face was expressionless as he said," Good luck to you both, goodnight." He nodded at the children, turned and started walking out.

Eric looked at Amelia, hoping she wouldn't be a baby like Sookie clutching on and he hoped she wouldn't ask to come along either. Her answer was a mixed blessing. "I'll see you later," she whispered. My girl and I are going to come visit. I've got something fun planned, you'll see!" That would have sounded promising if Amelia hadn't been saying she was going to bring the leech. Eric gave her hand a squeeze and chased after the vampire who had already gotten to the door and was heading outside with the "chaperone's" trailing at a discreet distance.

Damn, the vampire had long legs, Eric had to do a short sprint to catch up with him. "I'll walk you to the main office," he said.

"Your …girlfriend…does not mind you leaving her?" the vampire asked, gazing down at him with a curious expression.

"Nah, she's not like that," Eric drawled, picking up a long broken branch that had fallen off a tree they were passing. He swung it back and forth in the darkness as they walked. "She's cool. She's not clingy like some girls, always telling guys what to do and who they're allowed to talk to…all that shit."

"Your friend's girlfriend is different." The vampire commented mildly.

"HAH! She owns his ass, ordering him around…..if she was my girlfriend…I'd …."And here Eric stopped, not sure where he was going with that sentence.

"Ah," the vampire responded, nodding to himself. They walked in silence for another minute.

Eric was glad the chaperones had fallen back a bit, so he didn't feel like he had to watch what he said. Then Eric knew what he'd wanted to ask at the table. "Do you LIKE being a vampire? Is it better than being a ..you know…regular person?"

"I am comfortable being who I am. My life has unfolded the way it's unfolded and I don't sit around pondering what ifs. That's a waste of time. You work with what is handed to you."

"Oh," Eric replied in a tiny voice. He took a peek up at the vampire again. The pale hair practically glowed in the dark and the profile stayed facing forward, not looking at Eric, as he answered. "But…if you could CHOOSE…would you have rather been a human?" he asked meekly, hoping he wasn't pushing the vampire's tolerance too far.

The vampire stopped dead in the damp grass. "Then I would have been dead centuries ago and we wouldn't be having this conversation." His blue eyes were hooded in the darkness and the white face was completely still as he looked down at Eric."There are choices we get to make and choices we don't get to make. Your life will be defined by how you handle both. Do you understand?" he asked with no emotion emanating from his voice.

"I think…maybe..I guess so," Eric stammered. "So, you're saying we don't get to choose stuff, that sometimes stuff just happens and we have to man up and deal."

The white face smiled and spoke, this time more gently. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. The path you choose is important, but what's more important is how you deal with the things you don't get a choice in. That will define your life and who you are as a man."

"Okay, I think I get it," Eric replied, a little more confidently. For a second, he almost thought the vampire was going to reach out and touch his shoulder or something. But then, the moment was gone and the vampire's arms stayed down at his sides. They turned as one and kept walking, this time more slowly. The vampire no longer seemed to be in a hurry to leave as he had been a few minutes earlier.

Eric started swinging the long stick at passing trees and bushes, pretending they were enemy combatants. The vampire would probably be really good at video games where you got to slice people up Eric thought. That would be awesome to see. They were nearing the main office which seemed to have every light on inside and outside. Eric couldn't remember having ever seen it like that. He stabbed at a flowered bush.

"Here, let me show you," the vampire's deep voice said. He held his hand out and Eric placed the long stick in it, wondering what he was going to do.

The vampire grasped the long stick with both hands and suddenly it wasn't a stick any longer. It was a long broadsword, poised for battle. He went into a defensive crouch, staring at the flowered bush with complete focus and for one moment the tall body was completely still. Then he lunged at the bush like it was the most dangerous thing he'd ever seen, swinging the stick so fast it made a whistling sound in the night air. He jumped back, his feet kept moving left , right, back and forth. Then he stabbed the evil, dangerous bush again and again and again.

Eric stood with his mouth hanging open, completely mesmerized. This was WAY better than Russell Crowe in Gladiator or what's his face in 300. The vampire could kick both their ass's in Eric's opinion. Flowers were flying off the bush like snow in a blizzard. Eric laughed and jumped for some of the petals.

Just as quickly, the show stopped. The vampire straightened up and the stick was just a stick once more. He handed it back to Eric. "That's how you do it," he said with a smile.

"That was fucking awesome!"Eric exclaimed. "Can all vampires do that?"

"Actually no, we're no different than humans in that each of us has our own gifts and skills. And I grew up handling swords when I was a child. Guns hadn't been invented yet, so I'm comfortable with them. "

"I'll bet you kick ass with guns too," Eric gushed.

"I've learned to shoot them, but I'll never be as good some others. I know a vampire who fought in the Civil War and he's a much better shot than I am. But I'll always be better than him with a sword," the vampire paused and smirked, "no matter how much he practices." And he grinned so wide you could see all his teeth, even his fangs that appeared to be jutting out a little.

They made it up to the porch of the office. A couple of the male counselors had been hanging around the front and they went into the back to get Mr. Benson. He came out as Mr. Northman was signing out on the register.

"Did we have a nice visit?" he asked politely, observing the vampire and Eric carefully.

"Yes, we did. This appears to be a well run facility. You and your staff should be proud of the quality of its operation," the vampire commented.

Mr. Benson's bushy eyebrows rose at the vampire's words and he straightened a bit. "Well, thank you very much. We take great pride in our little facility here and in nurturing the young people who attend. I'm glad your little tour was a pleasant one and I'm sure the boys enjoyed having a visitor."

Mr. Northman nodded towards him and the other counselors. "Good night," is all he said, then he turned to leave. Eric followed, feeling a bit forlorn that the vampire was leaving. He wondered if he would see him again. He wondered if he should ask.

They stepped out into the little field that had served as the parking lot that day. The red corvette's surface was shimmery and dark under the moonlight. Eric decided to ask. "Will we ever see you again?"

"You never know how paths will cross," was the reply.

Well, that was nice and vague. To Eric, it sounded like a big fat NO. He walked slowly next to the vampire with his head hung down.

"Why are you sad? You were in good spirits just moments ago."

"You're leaving," Eric answered, trying not to sound whiny. This was the story of his life, people leaving.

"Are you saying you're going to miss me?" The vampire's deep voice sounded incredulous.

"Yeah…maybe…I guess so…" Eric admitted, not wanting to stick his neck out. He kept his eyes down towards the grass as they got up to the vampire's car.

"That's very strange."

"Huh?"

"I'm not used to people missing me," the vampire said, sounding bemused.

Eric shrugged, unsure if he was being made fun of or not.

The corvette's alarm system made a little beep when the vampire pushed his key fob. As he opened the door, he looked back at Eric. Eric stood with his arms crossed, his head down and glancing up at the vampire through his eye lashes. The vampire paused still, looking at Eric and it seemed like he had something to say. But all that came out was "Good night Eric. I hope you and your friends enjoy the rest of your summer camp."

"Thanks," Eric muttered. The vampire's golden head nodded and he folded himself into the vette. As the powerful engine rumbled to life, Eric gave a little wave. It looked like the vampire waved back through the glass as he pulled away, but it was hard to tell.

As he trod back to the office, he noticed there were several of the counselors waiting on the porch with Mr. Benson. It was like all the tension had been released out of the counselors with the vampire's leaving.

Tim spoke first," That's a sweet car. At least he drives American huh?"

"And he probably DRINKS American too!" one of the other men said. There were some snorting chuckles over that until Mr. Benson's stern gaze quieted them down.

"He behaved like a gentleman and the boy here had a pleasant visit. That's all that matters," Mr. Benson said, running his gaze across his counselor crew like a weedwacker waiting for that dandelion to raise it's little yellow head.

Everyone grudgingly agreed, then one of them said," Hey I video'd him attacking that bush with my cell phone. Anyone want to see?" There was an immediate crowd around him as he played the little video back.

Mr. Benson just sighed tiredly, muttering about the longest day of his life, and turned back towards his office. "Good night Eric."

"Good night Mr. Benson….and uh…?"

The bushy eyebrows rose once more," Yes, Eric?"

"Thanks for letting him stay," Eric mumbled, staring down at his sneakers.

The tanned face smiled. "Don't mention it. You need to head back to your cabin. It's curfew."

"Yes sir," Eric answered and turned to leave the cabin, but first he elbowed his way in between the men to take a peek at the video. It was too dark and the vampire was almost a blur with the petals flying off the bush, you really couldn't see what was going on.

"Do you think I could submit it to one of those websites? You know, the ones that pay for good vamp video?" the cell phone's owner asked.

"Nah," Tim responded. "If I hadn't seen him moving like that with my own eyes, I wouldn't know what the hell I was looking at." Eric said nothing but agreed with the comments around him that supported Tim's statement. As the counselors continued talking excitedly about the evening's events, since Mr. Benson had gone back to his office, Eric slipped outside.

The night seemed really boring all of a sudden. He could hear trees and feel the damp grass as he trod slowly. Amelia's promise of fun later suddenly didn't seem as appealing as it had earlier.

And the walk back to his cabin was much longer without the vampire.

TBC

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next chapter: relationships start to crash and burn