Author's notes: These wonderful characters are owned entirely by Charlaine Harris. I am just borrowing them for my own amusement.

Chapter 25

Sookie's POV

It was nearly 8:00. Amelia had gotten home in time to sit in my room and talk to me while I was getting dressed. I pulled on an old pair of jeans that had been washed enough to be soft but to fit like a glove, and a dark green sweater that showed my curves to good advantage. I threw on my tennis shoes that I normally wore to work. Amelia put my hair into a French braid, and I didn't forget to dab on a little of Eric's favorite perfume.

Amelia hadn't pried too much into my conversation with Niall, and all I had volunteered was that we would all have to wait and see what would happen with the magic stuff. She seemed disappointed to hear that. I guess she could envision us sitting around trying out new spells together. I hoped that I wouldn't have any mishaps like Bob.

I hadn't said anything about the whole "living longer" thing, because even to me it sounded crazy; and also because I was pretty freaked out by the whole concept. I mean, how awful would it be to see all of my human and Were friends get old and die? It made me so sad that I refused to think about it. I guessed I would just pull a Scarlet O'Hara and think about that tomorrow.

For now, though, the anticipation of my "special date" with my vampire was keeping all other thoughts at bay. Amelia and I had speculated about where he was taking me, but neither of us had a clue. We were having a little fun at his expense, by guessing things like, "Moonlight Walk in the City Cemetery" or "Self-Guided Tour of the Local Stake Factory" (get the point?). We were still laughing at our own terrible sense of humor when I heard the throb of the Corvette's engine pulling into the drive.

My heart did a little leap when I heard the car. How sappy is that? Anyhow, I made myself wait a ladylike few moments between the knock and opening the door. He must have been on his very best behavior, too, because usually he doesn't bother to knock.

He stood in the doorway, and I felt a little giddy. I had always thought the description of women "swooning" in some of the romance novels I had read to be a little over-the-top; but now, I kind of knew what they meant. He was nothing short of spectacular even though he was wearing nothing more than ordinary jeans and a sweater; it was just the total overwhelming package. Sigh.

He looked pretty glad to see me, too, and swept me up and spun me around while planting a kiss on me. I giggled, and he set me down. He could see Amelia sitting in the living room and he nodded to her, "Witch."

She nodded back, "Viking."

Those two, best buddies. What can I say?

He said to her, "Don't expect her home tonight. She will be with me."

"Hey, I'm here in the room! And don't be so sure of yourself, Pal. You take a lot for granted!" I was just teasing, and he knew it. It was interesting to hear that he planned on me staying with him all night, though.

"Pal? Sookie, you do call me by the most interesting names. However, we need to be going. Do you have a coat? We will be outside and it is chilly."

Outside, huh? The mystery deepens. I grabbed my cranberry-colored coat that he had given me, and we left.

*****

We had been driving for about fifteen minutes, and I couldn't stand it any longer. I begged him to tell me where we were going and finally he said, "On a picnic."

A picnic with a vampire? I'll bet I knew who would be the first course.

"Isn't it a little cold for a picnic?" I said.

"I have made provisions for that. Now be a good girl and don't ask any more questions. I want this to be a surprise." After that, he would say no more. We had been driving on a country road, headed in the general direction of Shreveport. In another minute we pulled onto a graveled drive. We were driving under a thick canopy of trees, and Eric had slowed down to keep the low-slung Corvette from bumping around too badly on the slightly uneven road. Now I was really curious.

We had come to a stop in a circular area at what appeared to be the end of the road. It was a full moon tonight, but the trees were fairly dense and so I could only see by the light from the car's headlamps. He shut off the engine and announced, "We're here."

Uh huh. Where ever "here" is. Eric got out and came around and opened my door for me. He pulled me up out of the car and took my hand. By this time, the automatic timer on the headlights cut off, and it was very dark. I knew he could see just fine, but my human eyes could hardly see a thing. As if he could read my mind, he said, "I know you probably can't see very well, my love, but you will just have to trust me. I will not let any harm come to you."

The words Bill had said to me on our first meeting came to mind, "Aren't you afraid to be out here alone with a hungry vampire?" I had to smile. Nope. Not a bit.

I said, "O.K., but don't let me trip!" He held my hand, and we began walking down a little trail that seemed to wind around to the left a bit. The trees were getting a little thinner, and suddenly we stepped out of them altogether. I gasped.

I could see perfectly now in the bright moonlight, and ahead of me lay a scene straight out of a fantasy. There was a lake that was as smooth as glass, and on the shoreline was an enormous and elaborate tent. It wasn't the usual camping type tent. No, it was like something out of Arabian Nights. It was glowing from within, the light throwing sparkles across the water.

He led me over to the tent's entrance. He pulled back the flap, and we stepped into every girl's fantasy. There were gauzy hangings draped all around, and jewel-toned pillows piled everywhere. There were clusters of lanterns on pedestals scattered in strategic areas which provided light. In the center of the tent was a fire pit, glowing with coals. It was throwing off enough heat that it was quite warm inside. Off to one side was a low table with a few baskets on the top. Next to that was a bucket with a bottle of what looked like champagne sticking out. I imagined this was what the inside of a sultan's harem would look like. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. For once, I was speechless. He saw the look on my face, and laughed with delight. "My darling, I wish you could see your face! Is it a good surprise?"

I said, "Yes! This is absolutely amazing! You went to all this trouble for me?"

He said, "Of course. I told you it would be a special date, and I always keep my promises to you. Now come, I want to feed you."

He led me over towards the little table and settled me on a cushion. He sat next to me and leaned over and pulled out the bottle of champagne. He said, "Care for a glass?" I nodded. He popped off the cork, pulled a crystal glass out of one of the baskets, and poured. He handed me the glass, and then reached back into the basket and pulled out a little basket of strawberries. He said, "I understand these bring out the flavor of the champagne."

My favorite romantic comedy of all time is "Pretty Woman", so I was familiar with the concept. I had a few sips of the champagne, but he wanted to feed me the strawberries himself. He then produced a container that held an assortment of bite-sized hors d'oeuvres, and insisted on feeding me bites of those as well. Finally, he produced tiny little tarts filled with different fruit toppings. They were delicious.

All the while, we were just talking and laughing about silly things like a normal couple in love. I asked him if he hadn't brought any True-Bloods for himself, and he just shook his head and said, "I prefer to wait until later, if you don't mind." I knew what he meant, and the thought sent the temperature in my lady bits zipping up about twenty degrees.

He put all the containers back in the basket, and took my glass from my hand and set in down. He pulled me towards him, and kissed me gently on the mouth. "Mmmmm, I love the taste of champange," he said.

I was a little shocked by that, and said so. "I cannot drink any myself, but I can enjoy the essence from your lips," he said.

Wow. I don't know why I found that so erotic, but I did. I leaned forward and gave him a very passionate kiss. Things were beginning to heat up a bit, so it surprised me when he stopped kissing me and pulled back a little. He looked at me intently for a minute and said seriously, "Sookie, there has never been a woman like you. You have made me feel things that I have not felt in a thousand years. I love you with a passion I never thought possible. I never want to be without you. I once told you that I would bring you to my side, and all those who owe me fealty would honor you. I want that more than anything. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

If I live to be a thousand, I don't believe I would ever be as astonished as I was at that moment. I literally couldn't believe I had heard him correctly. I must be dreaming.

I just sat there in stunned silence. He finally broke the silence by saying, "Come now, Sookie, I am not that poor a prospect, am I?"

I felt a single tear begin to roll down my cheek, which he immediately caught with one finger and said sternly, "None of that! I forgot to bring any handkerchiefs."

At that I had to laugh, and so I said, "Eric! Are you sure? After all, I'm just...a human."

Taking my face in his hand, he stared into my eyes and said, "You make me remember what it was like to be human."

Gulp. I hoped that was a good thing. I was beginning to feel a little lightheaded. He said, "So....?"

In the blink of an eye, all of the objections and cautions I had passed through my mind. I knew all the risks, and all the downsides of such a union; but I also knew one thing with crystal clarity: I loved him and didn't want to live without him. "Yes, Eric, I want to be your wife."

He said, quite simply but with great satisfaction, "Good." Happiness and love was flowing back and forth through our bond like a river. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a little white satin box. He handed it to me and said, "I hope you like it."

I opened it, and gasped. Nestled in the box was the largest, most beautiful diamond ring I had ever seen. It sparkled with fire. It was a radiant cut, surrounded with a bezel of smaller diamonds, with an ornately scrolled band with tiny stones set into the design. Even to my uneducated eye, I knew it had cost a small fortune. Now I really did feel faint.

Eric looked at me anxiously and said, "Do you like it?"

I swallowed the enormous lump in my throat. "Yes! It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. But Eric! It's too expensive! I could never wear anything like this!"

He took the ring out of the box and said, "Sookie, believe me, you deserve that and more. I am not a poor man. You will want for nothing as my wife."

Judging by the size of the ring, that was an understatement. He slipped the ring on my finger, and it was a perfect fit. It looked amazing on my finger. I simply could not believe this was happening to me. I felt as if any minute Amelia would be waking me up to tell me I had overslept.

"Sookie, for whatever time we share on this earth, I want us to be together. I want you to know something. If you will allow me to give you my blood, it will enable you to live somewhat longer than your normal human span."

It was about time he got around to mentioning that little fact. Well, I had a few surprises in store for him, too. "Eric, you know that Niall came for lunch today and we had a little chat."

He nodded, but I could tell he was a little confused by the apparent change in subject. I continued, "As it turns out, one of those little details he didn't mention until now was the fact that I'm going to live a really long time anyhow! And, he thinks that if I drink your blood I'll live a really long time. The way he put it was "a very long time indeed". He also thought it would be a good idea if we went ahead with that Second Bonding thing."

Now it was his turn to looked stunned. It only lasted a moment, though, and then he grabbed me in a bear hug. He was rocking us back and forth and laughing like a loon! Through the bond, I felt an enormous burst of happiness...and relief!

"Oh, my angel, this is the best news possible. I could not bear the thought of ever losing you, and now.....Oh, this is wonderful!" I pulled back and looked at him and sure enough, his eyes were rimmed with pink tears! I said, shakily, "None of that! You forgot to bring any handkerchiefs!"

With that, we both started laughing and crying, and before long, that turned to kissing, and then that turned to loving....