Chapter 21:
Eric smiles at the sight of his wife sitting in the car that he bought her. Silently, he walks up and opens the driver's door. Sookie jumps so bad that she hits the roof of the Bentley. They both laugh at the move.
"I just wanted to open you door, min älskare." Eric reaches for her hand. She allows him to pull her out and into his arms. "Was your party enjoyable?" He asks before kissing her.
"Yes, it was. I tried to keep them on track, but all the women wanted to hear about being married to, and I quote. "That Greek god that sits on the throne at Fangtasia." I corrected them." Sookie shakes her head about the whole thing. He leads her inside the house, by-passing everything in a hurry to get to the bedroom.
Eric strips their clothes off and takes his time going over his woman's body. After sending her to the heavens twice, he speaks. "I'm sorry that I was moody last night. We both were given many shocks. You, more than anyone else. I don't have any plans but to worship you for the night." He gets back to work on making Sookie see stars.
During a break an hour later, the phone rings. Eric answers. "Hello. Ah Jason. Really, well may I ask why we need to get out to Hot Shot, in an hour?" Eric asks amused with the antics that his brother in law gets up to.
"Married. Well, I guess we can do that." Sookie groans, causing Eric to look over.
"Crystal's pregnant again?" she mouths.
Eric shrugs. "Is the bride pregnant?" He asks Jason. Eric nods to his bride.
Sookie groans again, and nods as she walks back to the bedroom. He assures Jason that they'll be there and hangs up. He walks into the room as Sookie steps into the shower.
"Lover, what's the problem with them being pregnant?"
He was worried that she was subconsciously upset that she could never be so; all that is coming over the bond is annoyance. Eric steps into the shower behind her.
"Crystal has miscarried one baby by a pure blooded Were-panther like she is. She has miscarried one by my brother also. I had to call Dr. Ludwig to treat her because she couldn't go to the hospital.
Jason does things without thinking of the consequences for others. I have a feeling that there is something more involved than just a wedding ceremony going on tonight, and I have a feeling that they will try to pull me in." Sookie tells him as he washes her hair and body.
"I'll be there with you. You know that I would not let anything happen to you." Eric turns Sookie around and holds her to his chest. They get out, dry off and get dressed. Sookie wears the same dress that she wore to Fangtasia the first night.
"You looked so delectable that night. I was ready to fight Compton then. I should have, we could have skipped a lot of bullshit and could have been together sooner, and you wouldn't have been through all that you have." Eric watches as she fastens her red sandals and has to adjust himself as she absently runs her hands up her bare leg. He dresses in a vee neck sweater and some Dockers-like slacks, and covers his wife's bare shoulders with his massive leather jacket, while they walk to his Corvette.
The drive to Hot Shot takes only a few minutes with Eric driving. He helps Sookie out and they meet up with Hoyt Fortenberry, who just got there also.
Sookie tries to comfort Hoyt as much as possible, the poor man was going to be lost without her brother. She explains this to Eric, who really couldn't care less, but tried to appear interested for her sake.
Eric takes Sookie's hand, as they walk up to the group gathered for the ceremony. Jason is standing in front with a blue suit on, it looks new. Sookie is grateful for that at least. Crystal is at his side, wearing a low cut leopard print dress. Sookie rolls her eyes. 'Is that really what she is wearing to get married in? Gran's rolling in her grave over this.'
Calvin, Crystal's uncle and leader of the group of the Were-panthers, stands up with them. Calvin nods to Sookie and then to Eric, who nods back. Calvin's thoughts are a mix of grudging respect and quiet resignation of losing Sookie to the vampire. Night walks from the shadows behind Calvin. Jason sees Sookie and Eric then and beckons them over.
"I told you so." Sookie tells Eric as they step forward.
Calvin asks if Eric is Sookie's man now. "Yes Pack leader, I am her man. Now and always. We married almost a month ago now." Calvin is a little down hearted but nods.
Crystal turns and stares at Eric. He turns to her and nods at her. "Crystal, I hope you and Jason are happy together, but if you have any doubts, this is the time to deal with them.
Marriage is a huge commitment and takes a lot of work to keep it healthy. Sookie and I have known each other for almost two years now. Jason and especially that baby will need nurturing. Can you do that for the rest of your life, if you can than by all means get married.
If you can't, it's not right. This means no partying, having to watch the kid or kids and cleaning the house." Eric then loops his arm around Sookie's shoulders.
Crystal wondered to herself how her future sister in law was able to land such good looking men. That Bill was hot, but a fuddy-duddy compared to this one.
Calvin explains that they have human guests, so they have to adjust their ceremony. "As Jason's oldest living relative, Sookie will have to vouch for his behavior and I will do the same for Crystal. We will have to offer a penalty if either does wrong."
Jason, true to form, had jumped into the situation with both feet. He had not thought of Sookie's welfare in this. She sighs, looks up at Eric and then to Night, before asking the obvious question.
"What is the penalty and what is the parameters of their "bad behavior"?"
Jason starts to sigh, before Eric glares at him. "I think that is a very good idea to know what she is promising, as she does not have the same rate of healing that the rest of the assembly has."
Calvin explains, "Being married means being faithful, unless for breeding purposes. Neither of you have any obligations in that.
If say Crystal runs around and she can't pay the penalty for any reason, pregnancy, or illness, a kid to raise. I would have to pay it. It's not money either. They are also swearing to keep our secret and to help the members of the community, if they are in need."
'That means that she will always be able to get out of paying the piper. She could feign illness, pregnancy or say she can't because of raising her kids.
Not that she will be able to have them. I didn't know that she had miscarried as much as she has. I just thought that it was Fenton and Jason, but she lost babies from over ten of the men here and some from in town. I wonder if Calvin knows.' Sookie thinks, having read the girl's mind.
Apparently she is as bad as Jase at running around. At least her brother is loyal when he is in a relationship. Crystal Norris is not.
Eric looks over Calvin's head; Night is shaking his head at him. Eric steps forward. "You are talking about physically injuring my wife, if her brother breaks his vows, or if this girl does; she would have to hurt you. A man, that I know she thinks kindly of and respects. Hell, she was more worried about you than she was about her kitchen burning or being shot herself." While Calvin hangs his head, Eric turns to Sookie.
"Love, if you do this and they end up hurting you; I will have to slaughter the whole community. As much as I respect this man before us and as much as I like your brother, you are the wife and the bonded of the Vampire Sheriff of Area 5, and that includes all of Renard Parish. Even if I was not the Sheriff, I would do this, if you were injured." He strokes her face with his hand.
Sookie nods as she thinks. She looks over at Night, who is once again shaking his head.
"I love you Jason, but if I do this, it could end up in destroying the whole of Hot Shot.
My problem is not with the whole ceremony or the community itself, it is that I cannot put myself on the line for this girl, who has never been faithful in her life.
The only men that this girl has not been with here are Eric, Calvin, Night and Hoyt. She is even thinking of how long she would have to wait before putting the moves on Hoyt and my husband.
Plus, the patron god of the two natured doesn't want me to do this." Sookie points behind Calvin, who turns. He drops to his knees, so does the rest of the panthers.
Crystal roars and jumps at Sookie. "You bitch."
Eric flashes in front of her and grabs the girl. "I have no qualms over destroying you. My wife has made it clear that you are not worth her possibly getting injured for. I personally think that you are not even worthy of being a smear on the bottom of her shoe, but to each their own." He holds Crystal out from him by the scruff of her neck and waits for what Night will say.
"Thank you, Sookie. The Northmans are under the protection of my sister and I. I am fine with the ceremony, as it is, seeing as I was there when it was written, but I'm sorry Jason.
Being who I am, means I have an ability to see into the future a bit. You will not be happy with this one. Crystal, you and I both know that if this baby lives, and that's a big if, it will come out a full panther.
It's not Jason's. If you two want to continue, fine; but there will be no tooth and claw vows today. Calvin, we will talk after they decide."
"Crystal, if the god of your kind is saying he's against it, that's a big sign that this is not to be." Jason turns to Sookie. "Looks like I did it again, didn't I, Sook. I was not thinking of others."
Eric answers him. "I would have laid waste to this whole place if you failed any of those vows and Sookie was injured." Jason's eyes grew wide. "I'm sorry everyone. There will be no wedding tonight." He calls out to the crowd.
Night motions for Calvin to follow him out of the hearing distance of everyone but Eric. "Calvin, your niece needs to be taken out for the good of the pack. She is an exposure risk. She can't reproduce, she is willful, she can't turn in a decent amount of time and then only on the full moon. You know that no male that can breed will take a bride that he can't have young with. If you can't bring yourself to do it, don't worry. I will be gentle.
My next point is Sookie. My sister asked them to marry; they were in love with each other, but didn't acknowledge it aloud until then.
She would not have made a good mate for you. We just found out recently that she was rendered barren by a violent rape when she was in Jackson. So be happy for her and Mr. Northman." Calvin nods and asks Night to take care of his niece. "I couldn't bear it, if I had to do it." He cries and falls to his knees.
Surprisingly, he is more upset about Sookie. Not that she had married but that even if she was not with the vampire, she would not be able to have children.