Sorry for the delay everyone.. All this H1N1 media has everyone going nuts so I have been running my rear off at work. ER has been packed for two weeks straight.. So when I am off, I've been too exhausted to write.. I'll try to get the next chapter up within the next two nights if possible :)

Disclaimer: Not my characters.. I wish they were, then I'd be rich. But they're not.. I'm only borrowing Eric for cold lonely Michigan nights :)

Within the half hour, our group was reassembled in the den of my home. As much as I didn't really want to include Bill Compton, I knew that he would be of some help. He brought along Jason who I didn't see as being a necessary component to our discussion but seeing him seemed to make Sookie happy. I told myself I should learn to tolerate Jason as he would soon become part of my family as well. It was a tough pill to swallow as the boy irritated me and I had always despised him for the pain he had inflicted upon his sister, physically when he had hit her on a day when she needed him the most, and emotionally with his "Crystal" incident. There were days I would like for nothing more to rip both his and Compton's heads off and shove them straight up their asses.

As the five of us gathered in the den, I took my place in my leather chair facing the room. Sookie began to sit in the chair beside me but I stopped her and pointed at an empty seat beside Pam. I saw a moment of confusion and pain in her eyes as I shook my head but I gave her a wink. "You'll be here beside me in a few moments. Go sit by Pam and you'll understand soon enough." She nodded and took the empty place.

"We are expecting a few more guests shortly but I wanted to have some time for some discussion with just the five of us. The topics of discussion are to remain private" and with this statement I looked directly into Jason's eyes " and shall not go beyond this room. Many lives will depend on the secrecy that is necessary from this point on, including your own. People who you know to be your closest friends could easily drive the nails into your coffin if you find yourself loose lipped."

I looked around the room. All eyes were on me and I could see the understanding upon their faces. I knew such a warning would not be necessary for Pam and Bill but both Sookie and Jason needed to know the importance of keeping things silent. Once enough pause passed for the point to be made, I continued.

"As everyone can see, Sookie is indeed well and safe. Jason, since you are unable to detect our kind, you will have to take my word and those of the other three vampires in this room that your sister is indeed changed, completely and is no longer in danger. As the situation stands now, Sookie has both a maker and a master, not one and the same. This is a completely unusual set of circumstances. To my knowledge, and Bill, you can correct me if I am wrong, there has never been a case where a vampire has a master who is not their maker. However, in Sookie's case, Pam is her maker, while I am her master, so to speak. I say this because while it has taken my blood to complete the transformation that was started when Pam took her to ground, I do not have the power to command her. Her will is completely her own. "

With this, I looked into her eyes. Once again, confusion clouded her expression. "I know this because of earlier in the kitchen. I told you to drink the blood and you hesitated and told me you had tried it already at Fangtasia. As your master, you would not have been able to disobey a command I had given you."

"There is another piece of this puzzle. Again, I need not remind you of the importance of secrecy to this matter. Jason, to make you full aware of the seriousness of the matter, the information I am about to disclose, in the wrong hands, will mean your sister's life. Many supernaturals will not appreciate and will destroy your sister for what I am about to say. We all knew about Sookie's abilities as a telepath. Her ability to read human's minds has come in handy many times. Since becoming vampire, Sookie's ability seems to have stretched beyond the minds of humans and she can now read vampire's minds. I do not know if this is true for all Supes."

While Bill's face did not change expressions, his eyes certainly did. I laughed to myself. Bill better watch his thoughts from here on out if he didn't want her to know what he was thinking about her.

"Now that you are aware of those two points, we need to get down to business. The facts are, Felipe de Castro is hell bent on finding Sookie, because he believes her to be one of his assets. Sookie as a human left him very little game play since humans are protected by law. Sookie as a vampire, however, puts us in a whole new playing field. Sookie is now a Louisiana vampire, which places her under Felipe's jurisdiction. Which, that reminds me, Sookie, can you please stand?"

I watched her graceful body as she rose from the couch. It had been less than 2 hours since I made love to her, yet watching her move only made me crave her all the more.

"Sookie, as you already know, I am the Sheriff of Area 5, the area of Louisiana that you reside in. Any vampire passing through my area must check in with me. Any vampire who will reside in my area must pledge fealty to me or leave my area. It is my understanding that you wish to remain in Area 5, correct?"

She shook her head, not saying a word.

"Then, you must pledge fealty to me." I smiled at her, giving her encouragement.

With that, she knelt before me, lowering her head. "Sheriff Northman, I pledge fealty to you and to Area 5. " She remained there until I told her to rise. She smiled coyly and turned to return to her seat.

"Sookie? Please, come and join me here. I believe this seat is unoccupied" I said, motioning towards the chair to my right. While this would be lost on Jason, Bill surely would take notice of such seating arrangements. If indeed we decided to overthrow de Castro, Sookie as my queen would always be to my right, establishing her place in the hierarchy of my world. Our world, I corrected myself. She now belonged permanently in the realm of Vampires. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pam's smug smile.

"With that out of the way, lets continue. We all know that Felipe has desired to be able to bring Sookie to Nevada to keep her at his side as his own personal lie detector, even when Sookie could only read human minds."

I saw the wheels in Bill's head begin to spin, starting to put two and two together.

"We can't allow that, Eric." he said with more passion then I've probably ever heard from him. "It's out of the question. Felipe would use her to his own advantage and if she didn't perform, he'd destroy her."

"Precisely why we will not allow Felipe the opportunity to begin with." I said with a nod. Well, at least Compton wasn't at thick as I thought he was. It was moments like this that I knew why I kept him around, even if he annoyed the hell out of me. I'm often reminded of that book Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice, the writer from New Orleans. Had she met Bill? Maybe he was her inspiration for the character of Louis, the vampire still clinging to humanity with both hands and fangs. ""Oh, Louis, Louis. Still whining, Louis." Just change Louis to Bill and it would be the same.

"So, what do you plan to do, Eric? You must have a plan, right?" his voice still a bit to passionate for my state. He might be dull most of the time but Sookie's well being sure lights a fire under his ass. Another reason to hate him but also a reason to keep him around. It would come in handy, his dedication to her – he would go against anyone, even myself, if it meant defending her and hopefully putting himself back in her good graces. The damn vampire would probably spend the next era trying to win her back. Time to deflate his balloon just a bit.

"I have some ideas. First of which, I have asked Sookie to be my wife and she has accepted, provided I agree to abide by her terms."

"WHAT? You can't marry him, he's a damn vampire, Sook. What the hell?"

This was the first Jason had spoken since we had seated but another one of those times where he should have just kept his mouth shut. I was about ready to stand and knock the shit out of him when I felt Sookie's hand upon my shoulder. I turned to look at her, the rage in my eyes quickly estinguished by the sadness in her own as she shook her head. She gave my shoulder a weak squeeze then rose from the chair, crossing to her brother. She knelt before him, taking his hands in her own.

"Jason, look at me" she said softly. "Jason, look at me. Look at my eyes. Feel the touch of my skin. Look at me and then look at him and tell me what you see?"

"Sook, it's just not right, you being a vampire. How am I suppose to handle it?"

"The same way I handle you being a Werepanther, Jason. You didn't ask to be bitten but you were and you are. But I love you unconditionally. Well, I told you yesterday, I chose this. This is what I wanted. I want to be with Eric. I love him Jason and he loves me. I'm still here, Jason and I'm still your sister. Only now I have the opportunity to be happy for a change."

I watched the two of them, the younger but wiser sibling and the older brother who she always had to take care of. I always found the situation between them despicable. Jason should have protected his sister, taken care of her, supported her at least emotionally. Instead, the roles had been reversed and it was she who had to tend to him. His head was too far up in the clouds being the party boy to really understand the responsibilities that he had completely discarded. Sam Merlotte had always been more of the big brother Sookie needed. There was a huge part of me that respected the shifter for being the one looking out for her, even if I knew he wanted a lot more than platonic relationship with her.

"Do you honestly love her, Eric?'" His voice pulling me out of my train of thought. I looked up to find him looking at me over his sister's head, his eyes full of tears. "Do you promise you'll take care of her? Can you put her first, before all else? I don't want her hurt and she deserves to be treated right. Is a vampire capable of love?"

The pain in his eyes spoke volumes.

"Yes, Jason, I love your sister, more than I love even myself. I have tried to take care of her, even when she was with someone else " I cut my eyes toward Bill "because I knew she deserved it and if others weren't willing to help her, I was. I would give my life for your sister, would sacrifice myself if it meant sparing her life. You ask if a vampire is capable of love – indeed, we are, if it's something we've clung to from our human existence. I've searched many lifetimes for your sister, a expanse of time that is beyond the realm of your comprehension."

His eyes lingered on mine a few more moments before turning back to his sister. He leaned his head down, his forehead resting upon the top of her head and he let a sigh escape from his lips. He wrapped his arms around her neck and spoke softly into her hair. "Sis, if this is what you want, then I accept it. I want you happy sis. Gran would have wanted you happy. Mom and pop would have wanted you happy. I love you, don't you ever forget that. And no getting staked either, okay? If I ever get married again, I want my kids to have Aunt Sookie around, even if she only comes by right before their bedtime." He raised his head and looked back into my eyes "And if you ever do anything to hurt her, I swear to God, I'll sharpen a stake with your name on it."

I couldn't be angry at him. I understood the compulsion to want to protect her, even if it was a bit late on his part. I just nodded and left it at that.

With that whole drama over, Sookie kissed him softly on the cheek and then returned to her seat. I noticed her eyes rimmed with red. I reached and gently took her hand in one of mine, while the other reached into my pocket for something that had been burning a hole in it since before we had assembled. I had wanted to wait but felt this might be the right opportunity. The light blue velvet of the box felt soft in my hand as I turned towards her.

"Sookie, you have already given me your terms and I have already agreed to them. I understand without a doubt that such an agreement between us is final. I agree to spend my eternity with you, with only you, until I meet a second death. I agreed to continue to mainstream with synthetic nourishment unless my life depends on it, only feeding from you and you alone. These are your terms, correct? Are there any others you would like to add?"

"No, I think those were the only ones I could think of."

"I've also promised your brother that I would love you and protect you. Are these terms satisfactory with you as well?"

"Yes."

I brought myself down on one knee in front of her, her hand still in mine. Her eyes got huge and I couldn't help but smile at her reaction. I kissed her hand softly then opened the blue box in my hand. The one carat pear shaped diamond sparkled brilliantly, the two sapphires on either side providing perfect contrast against the platinum band. Two years ago I had paid Tiffany & Co a great sum to design the perfect ring. For months I debated whether to have use rubies to represent our blood bond. Eventually I had decided on the sapphires instead, the color of our eyes.

"YES!!" she said before the words could even leave my mouth. I chuckled as I placed the ring on her finger. Pam came over and examined the diamond. "It could have been bigger you know." she said with a smile.

I felt bad for Bill at that moment. I could only imagine how it felt for him, to know he had loved and lost such a wonderful woman because of his own stupidity. But as I stood, he took to his feet as well and held out his hand. I could see the pain in his face as I took his hand and we shook as Sookie and Pam fussed over the ring.

"Congratulations. I know you'll take good care of her" he said.

"Thank you, Bill. "

"I get to be the maid of honor" Pam said with a laugh. "That means I get to throw a wedding shower. How cool is that?"

"Pam, how soon can you plan a wedding?" I asked. It was important to get everything tied up as quick as possible.

"I could have it planned for as soon as two nights from now although it would be better if I could have about 4 days?"

"Today is Monday. We need to get this done for her protection, so lets shoot for Saturday night. Sookie, is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me. I don't need anything elaborate."

"Elaborate isn't the problem. Elaborate is just fine. Which, Pam, spare no expense. And I don't want this to be something macabre, I want this wedding to be as close to a traditional ceremony as possible. I only want to make sure that we have time to do this before we have to meet with Felipe. If we're married, that makes things a big harder for him to try to acquire you for his own usages and bring you to Nevada. Pam, do whatever redecorating at Fangtasia as necessary. Make attendance mandatory for all of Area 5. That way we have plenty of witnesses to the union in case Felipe tries to pull something sneaky. Spare no expense and whatever Sookie says goes, however, I have only one request. I want the theme to be "Gone with the Wind". "

I knew how much Sookie loved that movie, she even forced me to watch it one night. However, she would never understand the significance of why I wanted that particular theme. I remembered how climbing the stairs at Russell's home in Mississippi how she made the comment about Rhett and Scarlett. But it was that night that I knew I loved her – her strength, her spirit. I remembered how she looked into my eyes at Club Dead, the trust in those eyes. Nobody had ever looked at me the way that she had, looked into my soul as if searching for who I was. When I carried her up those stairs and her spirit shined through with her Rhett and Scarlett comment, even thought at that time I didn't know what the hell she was talking about, I fell hook line and sinker.

"Oh, and one other thing. Jason, seeing that you are my betrothed brother, I would like to ask you if you would do the honor of giving your sister away at the wedding? "

"Yeah, I could do that" he said, shooting a smile at his sister. "I'd like being able to do that very much"

"Good, now, with that bit of business taken care of, we have one last thing to discuss before our company arrives. That business is taking out Felipe de Castro. I've given this a lot of thought over the last couple of days and the only conclusion that I can come to is that Felipe and Victor Madden must die. In the past, I have never given much thought about becoming King of any territory. However, things have changed. Sookie's protection is of my utmost concern and I do not believe that can be ensured with anyone else in the throne. She was always at risk even when Sophie was Queen. That became apparent to me when Andre tried to force a blood exchange with her in Rhodes. We already know that Felipe wishes to acquire her for his own and as the point has already been made, she's at more risk now as a vampire then she was as a human. So the only solution is a takeover."

"Eric, do you honestly think the four of us can take down the King? You're insane. "

"No Bill, I don't think four vampires alone can take out de Castro and Victor. That would be suicidal, I agree. However, within the next 45 minutes, we shall have a few visitors from various supernatural sects. What we need to see is how many allies Sookie has now that she is vampire. If they feel they still accept her even as Vampire, then we'll possibly have enough allies to help pull off a takeover. Once I know where we stand with the local supes, I plan on testing the waters with a few other allies she has, such as Russell Edgington, Bartlette Crowe, and Stan Davis. I already know that Niall Brigant will happily support our venture if it means his great granddaughter becomes the vampire queen. "

"Even with support, are you suggesting we go to war? Felipe isn't just going to lay down and allow you to take his kingdom, Eric. And you're going to have to get past Victor first. "

"I'm thinking we take Victor out as quick as possible, before Felipe has an opportunity to realize what is happening."

"So how do we take out Victor without Felipe getting suspicious?"

"The specifics we can work out after we find out who's on our side and who isn't. We have almost a week to plan. First we need to get a wedding underway. If I kill Felipe, I will step into his place and become King of Louisiana, Nevada and Arkansas. I want Sookie given the title of Queen at the same time which won't be the case if we wait to be married. "

I looked at her, knowing she was soaking everything in like a sponge. I kissed her softly, taking her hand in mine.

"I can't see myself as Queen, Eric. I've only been a vampire for a couple of days. Heck, I've only been a full vampire for a matter of hours. "

"Sookie, this is the best way I can think to protect you. As King and Queen, nobody could try to tear us apart.. I once told you I will share everything I have with you. And that every vampire who owes me fealty will honor you. Well, I'm standing true to that promise my love. "

The knock at the door meant that this conversation would have to wait til later.