In The City Outtake by PersianFreak

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I'm just taking her toys out to play with.

Rating: M

A/N: Can you believe I forgot about these outtakes? I love this story, and I forgot about it! But it's okay, 'cause I wrote this and another outtake, and it'll be up pretty soon.

In other news, it was my birthday three days ago, so this is my way of getting some reviews out of you guys. GET ON IT.

I'm kidding. Reviews would be awesome though.

"You're serious about this?" Eric asks, staring at himself in the mirror of the massive store.

"This isn't my joking face, Johan," Pam snaps, calling him by his middle in a clear warning that he better watch himself. My fiancé shoots me a look of raw desperation in the mirror and I quietly move closer to stand on the little platform he just vacated to get a closer look at himself in the mirror. The height advantage allows me to wrap my arms around his shoulders and rest my head against the side of his.

"You look good, you're wearing this to your wedding," Eric's cousin continues, leaving no room for argument.

"Sookie," Eric whines.

"Baby, you look amazing," I have to agree with Pam and she makes a satisfied noise.

"I look like a Ken doll a cruel six-year-old dressed up," he complains and I laugh to kiss his earlobe.

"You look sexy. You look like I would want my husband to look on our wedding day," I coo into his ear because he really does look fantastic. Even if he hates dressing up, even if he feels ridiculous and would much rather wear jeans and a t-shirt. Even if we had a big fight over this yesterday and now we have a fragile truce going that can shatter any moment. The tux is so perfectly tailored, so beautifully crisp and flattering on his body that I briefly fear I won't look half as good on our wedding day. My words have the desired effect however, and his reflection meets my eyes with interest.

"You think I look sexy?"

"I think you're sexy no matter what you wear, but I love the way you look in a tux." Pam and Amelia are carefully busying themselves with the various shoes Eric can select to wear on the big day while Eric and I continue to talk privately. "Will you wear this for me? Since I have to wear four-inch heels to even look average next to you, will you wear this tux so I can show my wedding photos to everyone so they can see how handsome and sexy my husband is?" Turning his head, he catches my gaze and I smile at him shyly.

"You know you don't have to wear the heels, right? I don't care how far I have to lean down to kiss you on our wedding day, I love how tall you are without the shoes." I smile because he's making an effort too, to be careful and kind and diplomatic because fighting always leaves us exhausted and neither one of us is willing to stoke the fire after the clusterfuck that was yesterday.

"I know, I'd just rather not look like a child standing next to you when we're getting married," I smile and kiss his neck.

"You wouldn't look like a child, you'd look like the love of my life."

"Awww, thanks Älskling. Then you won't mind me kicking off the heels the moment we get to Merlotte's?"

"Nope," he grins and I pat his chest before we both return to his reflection. It continues to take my breath away, how fantastic he looks. "I'll wear it."

"Like it was even a question," Pam snorts but I ignore her in favour of tightening my arms around Eric and kissing his ear, his cheek and, when he turns his head, his lips.

"You're handsome, Mr Northman. You're handsome and I love you."

"I better be. Gotta do something to detract attention from my smoking hot fiancée." The grin on my face is so wide it almost hurts and I return to watching his reflection.

"So, are we all good and made up now?" he asks, referring to last night.

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"Now you're just repeating what I'm saying."

"Now you're just- Oh." Eric laughs at me and I join in.

"If you two are done having your 7th Heaven moment," Pam interrupts us, "I have three dresses to pick up from the bridal store and zero time to do it, so can we just make a decision about the shoes so I can go?"

"What exactly do I have to pick? Shoes are shoes." Shooting a look at me, realization dawns on his face. "Or, right, yeah, let's pick the shoes. I love shoes." I reach to smack his head but he ducks, laughing. Fifteen minutes later, after Eric dawdles until Pam and I make a decision for him, the four of us finally head outside so that Amelia, Eric and I can pile into my car to let Pam drive her Audi to the bridal store. I wait until Pam peels out of her parking spot before backing out of my own, rolling my eyes at just how fast my friend drives away.

"I'm so excited about the guys' tuxes," Amelia comments.

"At least somebody is," Eric mumbles and it's the final straw, after I spent that long trying to convince him. I stop the car in the parking lot to glare at him.

"Okay, that's enough," I snap, flooring it onto the street and refusing to speak to him for the rest of the ride. It makes for a bit of an awkward atmosphere but frankly, I no longer give a fuck. Even my friend wisely chooses to not comment on things further and it isn't until we drop Amelia off at her house that Eric makes another attempt at speaking to me.

"What did I say?" Eric asks, only stoking my anger. "You're just not going to speak to me now?" He sighs and we continue the drive. In our apartment, I toss my purse on the floor and sit on the couch, curling my legs under me.

"Call the store and cancel your tux order," I tell him crossly and his eyes widen.

"What, I said I would wear it!"

"And you'll hate every second of it, so I don't want you to do it."

"What the hell changed, Sookie? An hour ago you were convincing me into wearing the thing and suddenly you're against it?"

"I was telling you that you looked good in it, no matter how silly you feel, but if you really hate it so much, I don't want you to wear it."

"Okay, as kind as that sounds, that look you've got in your eyes makes me think there's something else going on here."

"I just don't want you to settle; it's your wedding too."

"Sookie, I was just being snarky. I was acting like a child, I'll wear the tux, okay? Will you please just not be mad at me anymore?"

"I'm not mad at you," I say forcefully, growing frustrated. "I just don't want you to do something you don't want."

"Honey?" he perches on the couch next to me. "I'm not settling, you realize that, right?"

"Right," I bite out.

"But you don't seem so convinced," he observes astutely.

"Like I said, you shouldn't have to settle on your wedding."

"Will you stop saying that? I'm not settling!" He looks pissed off now, his complexion growing a bit red as he stands up. "Can't you see I don't care about any of this?" My eyes widen and I feel like I've been stabbed, but before I can have more of a reaction, he continues. "I don't care if the aisle is a cobblestone path in the Butchart Gardens or if Amelia's dress matches Pam's dress or if I think I look like an idiot in a fucking suit."

"Then what do you care about?" I have to keep my voice from shaking because this conversation appears alarmingly to be leading towards something I don't want to be hearing. Claiming his seat, this time closer to me, Eric takes my hand.

"I don't care about any of the details as long as it's you and me, Sookie. I don't care what aisle you're walking down as long as it's me you're walking towards and I sure as hell don't care what I'm wearing as long as you take it off of me at the end of the night. And yeah, I'm going to complain and be a child about it, but I'm still going to do everything I can to give you your dream wedding because the only qualification for my dream wedding is that you be in it."

"Really?" He chuckles and shrugs a little. "Okay, but you were a bit of an ass about it, you know that, right?"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." He pouts, giving me his puppy-dog eyes. "Forgive me?" His bottom lip quivers and I have to giggle, bending forward to capture the pouty-lips with my own.

"I love you, you ass," I murmur and he pulls me onto his lap.

"I love you too." He smiles into my skin before pulling back. "You don't actually think I'm settling, do you?"

"What, with this smoking hot bod of mine?" I arch my spine and peer down my body. My fiancé laughs, and tightens his arms around my waist. "I'm definitely the one settling," I continue with a wistful sigh.

"Mmhmm, definitely."