Chapter 20- Will you marry me?
A/N: Ok this was not the plan but it just sorta happened. I cried as I wrote it but in a good way! I love my BETA the ever so sassy, sassyvampmama and my sweet content editor the talented kjwrit. HUGS
OK Now to the 23-30 of you who faithfully review every chappy… you know who you are… I LOVE YOU and I will try to have enough of the next chapter done so I can give you a sneak peek of 21. The other 2000 who read and don't review…leave a review and you might get a present! Mmmmaaaawww. I love you baby minions! HUGS
LAST TIME: SPOV
"Girls, that is enough. Preston is not my enemy. He was not one that wanted me to bleed." I back a little closer to Eric as Niall continued,
"Sookie, Belinda I would NEVER let an enemy in our mist. Not on this precious night, I promise." He said and I relaxed. As soon as I relaxed so did Belinda. She walked slowly to Preston and said,
"He is the only man who has ever taken care of me so you see even though you are blood he is family. He is my woman's maker and I trust him above you. In time, I hope to gain your trust and vice-a-versa." She explained in a voice that made me proud. Our little angel was beginning to come into her own. I also loved how she called Pam her woman. For that matter so did Pam, you could feel the pride rolling off Pam as she walked to Preston.
"I am HER woman, Pam, as well as The Northman's child. I am also the cook in this family and dinner is getting cold so let's go into the dining room shall we?" Pam transitioned us into the dining room and I took a moment with Eric.
EPOV
Magfuckingnificent! She was incredible. I had never seen a faery move that fast without popping before. She pinned Preston as easily as I could have pinned a human. I pulled her back quickly to keep her from ripping his throat out stunned that the move she had made was a killing move. She'd meant to rip his throat out, that much I could feel that from our bond. I watched our little angel side with us and felt great pride as my child flanked my side as well. It took a few moments, but Niall and I were able to defuse the situation. I was surprised that neither Sookie nor Belinda offered to apologize. I felt Sookie's need to be alone with me so I mentally asked Pam to clear the room, which she did immediately.
"You were magnificent Lover." I whispered softly.
"Come to my room with me?" she requested sweetly and I knew she meant the room I had made for her those many months ago, when she was only a dream and desire in my heart.
"Of course, are you alright?" I asked full of concern.
"Once we're out of hearing distance of our guest." She whispered laying her head against my chest as I swooped her up in my arms and carried her to her room.
"Eric, I can't explain why, but I need you to love me. I need you inside me now and I need you. I need to drink from you." She whispered as her voice shook with an unknown emotion. I knew why, it was the blood lust. She needed to sate it one way or another so I gave her what she needed.
I laid her down gently on the bed, much like the first time I took her in this room. I reached underneath her dress and removed her panties as she reached for me, unbuckling my belt and unfastening my pants. Sookie stroked me several times before pulling me forward and guiding me to her entrance. I ran my fingers through her folds to check her readiness and found that she was more than ready. She pulled at me again and this time I gave into her silent request, I slid into her with one gently stroke. She made sweet mewing noises. There was no hurry or heat to this it was just a sweet need and gentle act. I rocked my hips back and forth as she meet me thrust for thrust and we both came together as I kissed her lips. I looked deep into her eyes and knew she needed more so I whispered,
"Bite Sookie, it's alright, I love you." She drew back for a moment and I saw her fangs glisten before they slid into my neck. 'By the gods it feels so damn good', I thought as she drank. I knew I was supposed to give her the ring at dinner in front of everyone, but now I felt I could no longer wait. I had to do it now. Once she had her fill of me I gently pulled out of her and told her to lie still for a moment. I went into the bathroom and retrieved a warm washcloth and went back to clean her up. She smiled her sweet 'I love you' smile while I gently cleaned her and set her to rights. I then sat her up on the edge of the bed and made my confession.
"Sookie, I was going to do this at dinner, but now I see that is not how this should be. This is personal and we should be alone for this." I saw her eyes go wide as I pulled the box Niall had slipped to Pam and then Pam to me from my pocket. "A little over a week ago you agreed to marry me, but I have not yet given you an engagement ring. For that I am truly sorry Sookie, you deserve a beautiful ring. You deserve a ring that is fit for a Faery Princess." I paused for a moment as I took her hands into mine and her eyes sparkled and were full of love for me as I continued,
"This ring belonged to Laurell's mother's line of Fae family. Laurell wore it when she was married to Niall and she always wanted the ring back, but it was a sore spot and he would not return it. However, he changed his mind when she told him why she needed it this time. There is a tale to go along with the ring; it is said that the ring holds Fae magic that can only be called on by its true linage. It is an ancient ring that is surrounded with love and magic. So with all that being said," with that I opened the box and going down on one knee and asked,
"Sookie Stackhouse, love of my existence and light of my entire world, will you do me the great honor of being my wife?" I slipped the ring on her finger and smiled like a loon. She could do nothing but nod for a few moments until she was able to get out,
"Yes, yes a thousand times yes! I love you Eric and I can't wait to be Sookie Northman!" She wrapped her arms around me and laughed in happiness, both out loud and silently through our bond.
We sat there and just enjoyed each other's company before I said,
"You know we have to get in there or Pam is going to kill us right?" I smiled and she giggled as we made our way to the dining room. She kept looking at the ring and now that it was on her hand it sparkled in a way that it had not done in the box. Perhaps the story of magic that Laurell told me was real. With all of the magic that lay dormant in Sookie anything was possible, anything. Now it was my turn to wish for a child, wanting more than anything to be able to give her that, to make her wish to be a mother come true. The thought of her womb full with my child gave me a strange rush of excitement. Her eyes went wide and she said,
"I thought we talked about this. I'm really okay about giving up being a mom. Are you okay with it?" she asked with concern in her voice.
"It was just like with you and what you thought that night. Just something wonderful that I wish I could give to you." I smiled.
"You have already given me the world. I adore and love you more than any wish I ever had for a white picket fence and 2.5 children with a shaggy dog." She smiled as she laid a soft hand on my cheek. We had just come to the entrance of the door to the dining room as she lifted her hand and that was when we heard Pam shriek.
"YOU GAVE HER THE RING? I have never been madder at you EVER in my whole EXISTANCE!" With that she tossed the pot holders she had in her hand down on the table and walked out the room muttering about timing, the douche, plans, pictures, posters for Fangtasia being ruined and god knows what else. I was forever in trouble living with three women. At least I always had Sookie on my side. Well, almost always. To the room it looked like Sookie was smiling, but she was talking to me through her teeth,
"Eric, I just realized something, darling." 'Darling?' Oh by the gods I was in trouble, "Were you really going to ask me to marry you in front of Bill and Sam?"
"Yes, I thought you…"
"Oh, oh I know what you thought, you naughty vampire! You high handed…You… ugh… You had better be glad that I love you more than life itself, but I swear, why don't you just whip it out and pee on me? Now let me go, I have to check on Pam. I'll be right back." She smiled a little at me as she shook her head and went out the door after Pam.
Belinda walked up, patted me on the arm and smiled as she said,
"I told you so old man."Giggling she said, "I'll go talk to them. I love you Eric. You make me smile!" She walked after them as she shook her head and held the bridge of her nose. I thought to myself, 'Isn't that supposed to be my move?'
SPOV
I wasn't mad at Eric, not really, but inviting Sam and Bill to a dinner where he was planning to go down on one knee and ask me to marry him was a little too mean. I mean come on, Bill was of course still a douche, but he didn't deserve to have to sit through that. And Sam, poor Sam, that would have broke his heart. I may not love Sam the way he wanted me to, but I loved him none-the-less. It would be different if it was me doing the proposing. That was what Bill and Sam need to see. They needed to see how committed I am to Eric. In his heart, I knew why Eric had planned it that way much was true; they both needed to see our love and not just hear me tell them about it.
Pam was standing looking out the doors in the kitchen that led to the deck. I approached her quietly and said,
"Are you really mad at him or do you just want new clothes?" I ended the question with my own raised eyebrow.
"Oh I always want new clothes, but I am a little put out. I worked hard on this dinner and I wanted to see your face when you saw the ring." She paused for a moment and then turned and said with a start, "You did say yes didn't you?"
"Of course I said yes! I'm not an idiot. I love my vampire and I'm not running anymore." I smiled and so did she as Belinda walked in the door and looked at Pam.
"Pam, do you really need new clothes this bad? You know you are not this mad at him!" Belinda said with a raised eyebrow. I almost laughed when she did it.
"I am not bucking for new clothes. Although, now that you have both brought it up, I can probably get a shopping trip to New York out of this, fashion week next year perhaps…mmm…" she had that devious look in her eye as she tapped her chin with her red finger nail and turned back toward the stove.
"What about you Sookie? I kinda told Eric I thought this might upset you but he said they needed to see the love you have for him shining in your eyes." She said. Of course he did, in the past I've always hid that I cared about him.
"He said that? Of course he did, I've never shown any pride in the fact that he is mine." I said sadly to Belinda and Pam. That was when I had an idea,
"Pam, I need your help. I need to show Eric I am proud that I am his and I need to do it in front of the others, but in such a way as to not really hurt Sam or Bill. I want them to see that he is my choice and that I love only him, all the while not purposefully hurting either of them. So what do I do?" I asked with so much confusion. Pam looked very thoughtful for a few moments and then she grinned as she said,
"You have to make a decision Sookie. Do you love Eric more than you want to save people's feelings?" I thought for a millisecond and nodded yes! She smiled and said, "Well then Sookie, I have a wonderful plan. Belinda, go get my camera back out and we need to get to my jewelry box!" She smiled and I just thought 'oh shit what have I done? I unleashed Pam and her planning potential.'
EPOV
I could feel Sookie and Pam through our various bonds and they were very excited about something. I sat with Jason at the table and talked with him about various situations. I felt sorry for him that he had so much family around him and he didn't know. It was not my place to tell him and I knew Sookie was putting it off for tonight. Sookie believed that Jason was going to be hurt by the fact that Gran was unfaithful to her grandfather and that the faery side of the family seemed more interested in her than him. She told me she wanted to speak to Laurell in private about everything before she spoke to Jason. So for now he believed that Laurell was my family, but I watched him look at her with great interest. I also caught Laurell looking at him lovingly when he wasn't looking.
Jason and I turned the conversation to Newlin and the fact that Detective Bellefleur had no leads. No one had seen Newlin in months. It seemed he had gone into hiding, but I had no doubts I would find him eventually and then he would pay for even thinking of killing my beloved bonded. Belinda walked back in the room and winked at me as she took her seat by her father. She leaned over to Lillianna and whispered something causing Lillianna to rise and walk to Marcus and Laurell. She spoke no words only looked at Laurell and I knew they were speaking mind to mind. Laurell squeezed Marcus' hand before he stood and excused himself. I probed the bond to see where Sookie and Pam were, but there was nothing but a low hum from both of them. They were blocking me and as I stood to go find them Belinda had come around the table as she grasped my hand and whispered,
"Not all surprises are bad." She giggled Pam's words to me. I remembered how Sookie was afraid when I closed the bond to plan our engagement and that was what Pam had told her then. I nodded and resumed my seat. A few moments later my beloved glided back in the room. She walked to Jason and whispered something in his ear. I started to listen in but I behaved. He looked strange for a moment but then he smiled and nodded. She then walked to me and sat down in my lap and hugged me. She brushed my hair away from my face and whispered,
"I love you so much. Do you want to tell everyone our news now or later?
"I would be honored to tell them now my Lover." I pulled her to me even closer and kissed her cheek. We stood and since my seat was at the head of the table we immediately had everyone's attention.
"Sookie and I have an announcement to make." I said as everyone looked on, "I asked Sookie to marry me earlier this evening and she has agreed to be my wife." I smiled as Sookie squeezed me around my waist. Bill stood and walked to us and shook my hand. He looked at Sookie and smiled a sad smile,
"Congratulations Sookie, I wish you every happiness in your life." It was not lost on me that he congratulated her and not us, but I let it go. He was losing the love of his life. I bet it hurt like hell. Before we could sit down or anyone else could say anything Sookie spoke up.
"I have something to say to Eric and I would be grateful if ya'll would be witness to it." Jason rose and took Sookie hand and walked her a few feet in front of me. She then turned back to face me and I felt Pam walk in the room. I turned and saw she was carrying a tray with a piece of black velvet over it. Sookie smiled her 'I love you' smile at me and as she began to speak she reached out taking my hands into her own. Jason then kissed her cheek and resumed his seat. I then realized Marcus was standing in front of us and Laurell was stand to my side as Pam was standing to Sookie's with the mysterious tray.
"Eric, I love you. You have saved me over and over, even when I wasn't yours to save. You have always come for me. Whenever I have been lost and afraid you've just sorta always showed up. Like in Dallas when I had been so injured and you sat there with tweezers and pulled glass out of my arm or when you dove on top of me to save me from flying bullets. Then there is the night you accompanied me to an orgy and I know this is going to sound strange, but that is night I was most afraid. But you kept me safe that night and all those other times Eric, it was you. When I did finally realize I loved you it scared me. The commitment of it all, the forever and finality of it really did frighten me. But I am not scared anymore. Your love for me did that Eric; your love freed me from a life time of fear and running. You have never judged me or laid expectations on me. The only thing you have ever asked me to do is love you and not leave you. So as I stand here in front of God, our family and you my absolute everything, I promise that I will never run and I will ALWAYS love you." She paused as she turned and removed the black velvet cloth from the tray to reveal the ceremonial knife we had used to bond. The ring on her finger glowed with faery magic as she then turned and continued,
"Eric Northman, will you be my pledged?" she asked with the sweetest tone I had ever heard as she flooded the bond with love. I was so filled with emotion that I barely got out,
"Yes, my sweet Lover, yes." I smiled as she took the knife and gave it to me. I kissed it and held it to my heart and then as the ritual dictates I handed it to a cloaked Marcus. There are different variations of the ceremony, but this one was the oldest and Pam would have known it would mean the most to me. Marcus took the knife and Sookie's wrist making a small wound on her arm and letting the blood fall into the cup that Laurell was holding. He then did the same to me before he held the cup in front of us and said,
"You have accepted her as your pledged. Do you then in turn pledge yourself to her?" he asked very formally. I nodded as I licked her wrist to close the wound and spoke to her as I lost myself in her eyes. She was the only person in the world at that moment for me.
"Sookie, I love you and you are my…everything. You are the light in the darkness that has pulled me out of my empty world and into one that is filled with love. You said that I saved you even when you were not mine to save, but that is not true. You have always been mine to save. You were mine before I saw you. Our hearts have always been linked together; it just took some time for us to trust the love we felt. The abuse we both suffered early in our lives before we meet had a lot to do with how we reacted to the love we felt for each other. You see you were not the only one who was scared; I had no idea what these feelings were that you evoked inside me. There was a time that I just wanted them to go away, but once I realized the only way to stop the ache was to be embrace by you, it was then that I knew I would never be the same. So you see it is you that has saved me my dearest one. You have vowed and pledged to me that you will never run and that you would always love me so now I want to make a pledge to you here in front of the people that matter most to us. I promise you that I will never abandon you. I will always protect you, and I will always come for you whenever you are scared or feel alone, I will always be there to protect you and your sweet, precious heart. Sookie I love you and I will love you forever." I paused and kissed her cheek before I asked,
"Sookie Stackhouse, will you be my pledged?" I felt my eyes pool with moisture, but I held back the tears as I knew it would make Sookie cry. I hated to see her cry and she was near tears already.
"Yes Eric, yes I will." She smiled from ear to ear and I smiled like a loon as Marcus began to speak.
"You have accepted one another as each others' pledged and you have given your blood freely to each other. You may now seal your pledge by drinking the blood you have freely given." And as we drank from the cup he continued, "May your love and bond be mingled together forever as the blood in this cup. What fate has joined together let no one deter or attempt to break this unbreakable bond." He paused to take the cup from us and pass it to Laurell who was balling her eyes out. It was very mom like. After he passed the cup to her he looked at me and said,
"You may kiss your pledged. Congratulations Northman." I wrapped Sookie up in my arms and kissed her passionately. When we broke apart to thunderous applause I whispered,
"You will never know what this meant to me Lover. This means the world to me. I love you."
"Eric, I know what it means because now in your world I am you wife. I am Sookie Northman." She giggled, "I kinda like the sound of that…Sookie Northman…Mrs. Northman…Mrs. Eric Northman…" and the giggling continued for a moment before she looked at me very seriously and said, "Is that okay? Is it alright with you if I take your name?"
"Nothing would make me prouder than to have you take my name Lover." I smiled.
"You know the State of Louisiana won't recognize this as our wedding. You still have to put on a tux and walk down an isle with me, not to mention Pam will have a fit if she doesn't get to plan a wedding." And with that her giggling started again as she jumped up into my arms. She was draped around me as Pam poked her in her side and nudged me,
"Alright, that is enough! Get down monkey girl! I need to take pictures, not to mention dinner is practically over and you haven't eaten a bite." Pam, in typical Pam fashion, was in total planning mode. She was talking to herself going on and on about pictures, desserts and wedding dresses. Belinda just rolled her eyes as she wrote down notes as Pam went on and on. Sookie would giggle, nod and say "yes Pam whatever you think will work best and make the best picture." Never let it be said that my Pledged was not a smart woman. Pictures seemed to be all Sookie was concerned about she wanted LOTS of pictures tonight and even more at the wedding.
The rest of the evening went on without any problems. Jason gave me the big brother speech, which included how much bigger a part he would play in the REAL wedding. I had to laugh a little as he walked away. Bill had slipped out sometime between the engagement announcement and the pledging ceremony. I knew it hurt Sookie that he was in pain, but she handled everything she had done this evening with grace. She had not done anything to rub his face in our love, but he had finally seen I was her choice. He just needed to be alone and process once and for all he and Sookie were over. Sam gave her a hug and told her he was happy for us but when he walked to me he growled,
"If you ever hurt her, I WILL KILL YOU."
"If she is ever hurt, it will be because I am finally dead. If that is the case I leave it to you to protect her. And if she is already vampire, do not let her met the sun directly after my final death. Make her think about her decision first. I name you my second where she is concerned, but really I am not planning on going anywhere anytime soon." I laughed and he looked surprised for a moment as I extended my hand to him and we shook. Sookie walked over and Sam told her good bye. She looked at me quizzically asking,
"What was that about?"
"He was just marking his 'best friend' territory and I let him. I think it surprised him."
"Thank you Eric. Now if I could just get you to be nice to Bill."
"That will never happen, Lover. He was too cruel to you to ever deserve my friendship. Sam however has always been a faithful friend to you and he has never hurt you. He, perhaps in time, might gain my trust since he has yours. I do trust him where your safety is concerned." I said and she smiled and nodded.
The evening was winding down and people were beginning to leave. Belinda and Pam decided to leave with the rest of our guests and go to Pam's house for the evening. I did however make a point to tell them,
"Sookie and I enjoy having you here. I have not lived in a nest in a very long time, but I love our little nest. I know it is important to keep your independence but please come home soon." Pam smiled and hugged me. Belinda grinned at our embrace and then joined in on the hug herself. They left soon after and the house was quiet. I probed the bond to find Sookie out on the deck looking up into the night sky. I walked out and wrapped my arms around her and she wrapped her arms around mine as we just stood there looking up at the stars.
"Eric, do you remember the stories you would tell me when you were cursed? I always thought that was so weird. You had amnesia, but you could remember all the names of the constellations and the stories that went with them." She said dreamily.
"Yes. I also remembered I was a vampire and luckily for you I remembered how to fight and wield a sword." I reminded her before continuing, "I am guessing that those three things were so ingrained into me that not even the witches spell could erase them from my memory. Just like my love for you Sookie, she could not take my love from you away. I did that all on my own," I said sadly. She rubbed my arms as I continued, "I abandoned you out of fear of your love controlling me, but that is behind us now. We are bonded and pledged. I love you and I would rather be controlled by your love than live in a world without it."I said softly. She smiled as she turned in my arms to look up at me and said,
"I don't think our love for each other controls us. I think it guides us. I think that's what it was always trying to do but we were just so scared because of past pain." She smiled and cuddled up against me as we continued to stand there and looked up at the stars. I told her how I used to use the stars, in my voyages back when I was an explorer, warrior and trader for my village. That had been something I had not remembered while I was cursed. I knew about the stars and remembered their names, but I did not know why I knew them. As a Viking I had used them to sail from port to port and Sookie found the stories interesting. I told her a story of Aunna, my little girl and how she stole away on my ship once and caused me to lose a full day's sail because I had to take her back to port. Sookie laughed as I recalled how angry she was with me that I wouldn't let her go warring with me. Sookie particularly liked the fact that my little one had brought a wooded sword with her that belonged to her brother when he was younger. He got to go that trip and Aunna was furious that she could not go too. My son was a magnificent warrior and did very well that trip. Sookie was lost in my eyes and listened to every story. She would slip into my mind so she could see the sights as I had seen them. She smiled as she told me,
"I love it when you talk to me like this. It makes me feel so important. I think we should go to Sweden for our honeymoon when we take one and do all the things we talked about that first night together." She said as she cuddled against me and began to scent me and mark me. I began to moan. She knew how that affected me. She reached down and began to stroke me through my now straining pants. I ignored the trip suggestion she made (for now) and made one of my own.
"Mrs. Northman, why don't we continue this in our bed?"
"I would like that very much, Mr. Northman." She smiled a wicked smile and continued to scent me as I scooped her up and walked toward our bedroom. I loved how my resting chamber was now our bedroom.
SPOV
Eric carried me to our bedroom and I couldn't get enough of his scent. I had my face pressed to his neck and continued to breathe him in as he settled me onto the bed.
"The bed always looks so large when I place you on it. You are so tiny. Your personality is so large I forget sometimes how small you really are." He smiled at me as he began to disrobe. I was in the throes of major lust for him when he realized it.
"Do you like what you see, Mrs. Northman?" he growled.
"Yes I do. I want you so damn bad, my clit is throbbing." For whatever reason I was not embarrassed to tell him that, normally would've been, but not tonight.
"It is, is it? Well what can I do to help you with that? I. Will. Do. Anything." He said with deep lust in his voice.
"Eric undress me. I have to feel your hands on me now. PLEASE…" was my cry. It felt so good when he reached for me. He pulled my dress off and kissed his way down to my lacy covered breast. He nipped and licked as I moaned. Then he took the bra off me as he licked and swirled my nipples in his mouth much to my delight. He worked his way down my stomach and torturously with the slowest pace he has ever used, pulled my panties off me. He kissed my inner thighs before looking up at me and whispered,
"Tell me Sookie, tell me what you want."
"Lick me…"
"Where Sookie, I want you to tell me where you want me to lick you." he demanded. I complied and whispered,
"My pussy…oh Eric please lick my pussy…ahh…lick…ahh…" And he did. So well in fact he had to hold me down by my hips because I was thrashing around so hard on the bed.
"You taste so good Sookie, so good." He moaned against my throbbing nub and that was all it took for me to come for him as he drank me down greedily.
I pushed him back and climbed on top of him as he begged,
"Yessssss, please ride me Sookie, ride me…" The rest of what he said made no sense to me as he started speaking in a mix of English, Swedish and ancient Fae. If I hadn't been in yet another orgasm induced haze it would have been funny. I was rising and falling on him as fast as I could, panting and begging for something but I'm not sure what. He seemed to know what I needed because he pulled out, flipped me over and thrust back into me before I could really even comprehend it. He rode me hard and fast, it was heaven. When I came for the fourth or fifth time I was screaming his name and he yelled out too. We lay there silently for a few minutes. As I gathered my composure I said,
"Well Mr. Northman, I have been told sex after marriage can get dull but that was sooooo not dull." I giggled.
"Well Mrs. Northman, I am glad that you approve of married sex, since that is the only kind you will be having from now on." he laughed.
"I love you Eric."
"I love you too my dearest precious one." I cuddled against him as he said those sweet words to me. I closed my eyes and realized I was married to my best friend. I could feel the bond flowing between us as I fell asleep content and happy. The last thing I heard was Eric say,
"Sleep well, my wife, sleep well. I love you." And with that I was dead to the world.
A/N: See, I can write a chapter and not leave you with a cliffy! But hang on to your fangs - now we have to deal with Belinda getting her powers unbound, Ocella, Newlin, Sophie Anne, Bad Faeries and other outside forces….and perhaps a BIG FAT VAMPIRE WEDDING for Sookie, but that may have to wait for the next story in the "Remember Saga" (yes I referred to it as a saga.. insert self important writer crap here…hahaha) But seriously, we got lots of drama a coming! Dum dum dum… I love you my little minions! You all rock! HUGS