Hello again! I'm sorry I've been such a sucky updater lately. I swear I'm writing, really I am. I currently have 4 Word Doc's open, all different stories, all partially written. *facepalm* I do have the next chapter of Studybuddies almost done. WDMC has been started, but I only have about 4 pages of that done. I've started writing the first chapter of my Halloween fic expansion, and I'm really excited about it. I'm also about to start writing an angst story on the side. I may not start posting that until I have a few chapters done so I know I can pull it off. Ya'll know how I am about angst. I'm looking at it as a writing exercise for me. I'm not exactly great at writing angsty emotion, and I would like to get better.

I've been pretty horrid about replying to reviews lately too, but I'm hoping to correct this. I've just been so freaking busy that when I'm at the computer, I can't force myself to do anything I should. Everyone please know that I love and deeply appreciate every single review I get. They are why I continue to post this horrible drivel! :)

Anyway, no lemons in this one *ducks* But there will be lemons in the next one. Juicy ones at that. ;)

Huge thanks and nerdvirgin hugs to Sunkisz for being my pinch-hitter beta on this. My regular goddess FDM is extremely busy right now, and Sun stepped up and edited for me even though her computer was being a d-bag. If ya'll aren't reading Sun's stuff, go check it out now. She's got some kickass stories.

Chapter 26

I must have been really tired, because when I woke the next day, Eric was already gone. I had a deep feeling of sadness when I saw that he wasn't next to me. He'd never not been next to me the morning after a night with him. I sat up and noticed a piece of paper on his pillow. I picked it up and found that it was a note to me.

Sookie,

I'm sorry that you're waking up without me, and I would love nothing more than to be there with you right now, but unfortunately I had to go to work. You were sleeping so peacefully, and I didn't want to wake you. I may have snuck a brief kiss when I woke, but I can't really be blamed for that. You've spoiled me, and I can't start my day properly without a kiss from your soft lips. Shit, that's cheesy. I cut you up some fruit for breakfast, and it's in the fridge. The coffee pot is all ready to go, so just hit start. I know you like your coffee in the mornings.

I'm not entirely sure when I get off work, but I will be there to pick you up tonight. I love you, and I already miss you. Is that cheesy too? If it is, I don't care. I actually have an ache in my chest from the thought of leaving you here. I can't wait to see you. I love you.

Eric

I never thought I'd be one to get all swoony at a simple note, but I did. He was just so thoughtful and considerate, and he even admitted he was being cheesy. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I got up and headed for the shower.

Showering without Eric always sucked, so I got through it as quickly as I could. I went ahead and dressed in my uniform, and headed to the kitchen for some coffee and fruit. Eric had arranged a bunch of my favorite fruits on a plate and put it in the fridge for me, and I ate all of it.

After I ate, and had drank at least half the pot of coffee, I gathered my things and headed back to my apartment. Amelia and Tray were there, passed out on the couch. They had a blanket covering them and I didn't want to be there when one of them woke up and it fell off, so I quickly went to my room. I picked up a bit and put a load of laundry in the washer, and then I was at a loss. All I wanted was to spend time with Eric. I decided to stop by the library and see him on my way to work. I knew it wasn't exactly wise to go in on his first day, but it was a library, so I didn't think it would matter a whole lot.

I took my time walking to the library to kill some time, because I didn't want to be early for work. When I finally got there, I found myself feeling quite happy that I was about to see Eric. He wasn't hard to spot. Eric was standing behind the counter, checking out books, and the first thing I noticed was that he was wearing his glasses. He didn't wear them that often anymore, and every time he did, it reminded me of how he was when we first met. The fact that he was wearing them, and in a library… well, lets just say that I had a few rather naughty scenarios running through my head. After I got over my initial happiness, I noticed an older woman standing behind him. She was probably in her 40's, and looked like she took care of herself, but there was no way her boobs were real. She was also staring at Eric's ass like it was water in the desert. From the look on her face, I knew just what was going through her head. She was having sex with Eric in her head. Immediately I felt territorial. I wasn't worried about it, or jealous for that matter. I had already gotten over that hurdle, and I knew Eric wouldn't cheat on me. I trusted him completely. The way she looked at him bothered me, but I was sure that this must have been the way those guys were looking at me the night before. Eric was rather hot, and I realized I should be happy that other people noticed as well. I was the only one lucky enough to benefit from it, so other girls were the ones that should be jealous.

I took a deep breath, and just as I let it out Eric spotted me.

"Sookie! What are you doing here?" he asked as he came over to me, and wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't be here, but I wanted to see you before work," I said.

"Eric is this one of your friends from school?" The older woman said.

Eric released me, and turned to the woman. "Selah, this is my girlfriend Sookie. Sookie, this is my boss Selah."

If Selah was upset that I was Eric's girlfriend, she hid it well. I shook her extended hand and said, "It's so nice to meet you. I know I shouldn't be here while he's working, and it won't happen again, but I pass by here on my way to work and I wanted to say hello real quick."

"Oh nonsense. You can stop in anytime. As long as Eric gets his work done, I don't have a problem with people stopping by to see him."

Well, that was nice of her… too nice considering the way she was staring at his ass just minutes ago. Was she trying to convince me that I had nothing to worry about from her? It didn't really matter what her intentions were. I knew Eric wasn't going to do anything, so I just nodded politely and thanked her. She walked back to the desk, and I noticed her watching us as we talked. I had a feeling that my initial reaction to her was correct.

"Would you mind if I ate at the restaurant for supper tonight? Is that allowed?" Eric asked.

I giggled, "Of course it's allowed. You could have a later dinner and just stay until I'm done if you want."

"That sounds perfect. I'll see you around eight then," he said with a bright smile.

"Eight? Eric, you'll sit there for two hours waiting on me."

"I don't mind," he said, and somehow I believed him.

"Well, bring Tray with you then. Amelia and I are both working tonight, so at least you'll have someone to talk to that way."

"Okay, I will."

"Alright. I'll see you later," I said, and stretched up to give him a peck him on the lips. Then I remembered everything from that morning. "Oh! I also wanted to thank you for the fruit, the coffee, and the note. You are cheesy as all get out, but I love it."

He grinned at me, and gave me another hug. I took that opportunity to whisper in his ear.

"I also really love that you're wearing your glasses again. Especially in the library. We may have to christen that big bookshelf in your apartment soon." His grip on me tightened, and he cleared his throat.

"Is that a promise?" he asked.

"Yes, it is. I better get going. I'll see you later," I said as I reluctantly pulled away from him. He smiled mischievously at me, and watched me walk out the doors. I had a grin on my face the whole way to the restaurant. That grin stayed there as I walked through the doors, clocked in, put on my apron, and then it promptly died when I saw John Quinn in a manager's shirt. I spotted Sam heading into the kitchen, so I quickly followed and cornered him.

"What is John Quinn doing here in a manager's shirt? The man's an idiot!"

"He's also your new boss, so keep that to yourself," Sam said, and pulled me back into the prep area.

"How is he my new boss?" I asked.

"His mom bought the place. She just came into some major money and wanted to own something. She's keeping on all the current staff because we know how to run things, and her only stipulation was that her son be given a manager's position. He is an idiot, and I'll end up doing twice the work while he walks around feeling entitled. All he's done today is eat and walk around hitting on all the waitresses. He's even getting paid more than me."

"Oh, Sam," I said, and hugged him. He was too good-hearted for his own good. "Why don't you quit? You don't deserve this."

"I couldn't leave ya'll here to deal with him," he said, but I noticed that his gaze flickered off behind me. I turned my head to see what he was looking at, and smiled. It was Missie Summers, one of the other waitresses. She was one of the sweetest girls you'd ever meet, and she lit up a room with her smile. Sam had been head over heels for her for over a year, but he was too chicken-shit to do anything about it. I knew for a fact that Missie was sweet on him too, because she was always talking about him, and her eyes always seemed to follow him longingly when he was in a room.

I smacked Sam on the shoulder to bring him back to the present. "Would you just ask her out already?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, putting his serious face on.

"Oh come on! You like her, so ask her out. She told me she likes scary movies, so take her to one."

"I think you have some work to do," he mumbled, and walked around me. I shook my head, and went out to start working.

I managed to avoid Quinn for about an hour, but when he spotted me he let it be known.

"Sookie Stackhouse?!" he bellowed while I was taking a table's order. I apologized to them, finished up with their order, and tried to figure out a way to get to the kitchen without talking to him. There wasn't any way out of it though, so I walked towards him.

"Hello Quinn," I said.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while. I've missed you," he said in what I think he intended to be a seductive voice. I couldn't believe it. I'd never called him back after I discovered his little "too early" problem, and he was acting like we'd had an intimate relationship, and had nothing to be embarrassed about.

"I've been fine, and if you don't mind I have work to do," I said, waving the ticket in front of me.

"Oh, of course. We'll have to catch up soon," he said as I walked around him and into the kitchen.

Amelia had just gotten to work, and she was in the kitchen when I walked in. She immediately pulled me into the cooler with her.

"Is that…"

"Yes."

"Did he just…"

"Yes."

"What the…"

"I know."

"How?"

"His mom bought the place, and he's only here to put in his time for a legal paycheck. He hasn't done anything but hit on all the waitresses."

"Should we warn the waitresses about his… condition?" she asked, trying to stifle a giggle.

"It's not funny, Amelia. And if you want to warn them, by all means, warn them, but I'm keeping my mouth shut. We better get out there before he discovers us in here and tries to have a three-second threesome with us."

We both got back to work, and time would not fly by. Quinn kept slowing things down. He would drop things so the waitresses would bend over to pick them up, and I was surprised at how many of them seemed to know exactly what he was doing, yet still went with it. Amelia ignored him, and I tried too, but every time I walked past him he tried to ask me on a date. Missie seemed to be the only other waitress with a problem with him, and every time Quinn was around her, I saw Sam keeping an eye on them. The boy really needed to grow a pair and ask her out.

Finally, right at eight, Eric and Tray came in. They had to sit in Amelia's section, so I didn't get to go say hello right away. We were too busy for me to get a chance. I noticed Quinn go over to talk to some guys sitting in a booth behind Eric and Tray's, and I hoped he wouldn't talk to them. About an hour later, I finally had the chance to go say hello to Eric.

"Hey, busy night?" he asked as I grabbed a couple bites of his burger.

"Yes. We're never this busy during the day," I said, and took a drink from his water. I hadn't even realized I'd done it until after the fact, but I noticed that it didn't seem to faze him, and I loved him more for it. I glanced around, and saw that one of my tables needed re-fills.

"Oops, gotta get back to work. Thank you for the food," I said, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

I didn't have another chance to stop until we were almost done, and just as I was heading over there, Quinn stopped me.

"Hey, Sookie, could you help me real quick?" he asked.

I just wanted to get out of there, so I asked him what he needed.

"The computer is acting funny, and I need to clock out."

I followed him over to the computer, and showed him how to fix the issue. I was surprised that there had been a legitimate problem. I wasn't surprised that he came onto me… again. He tried to get me to go to a movie with him.

"Listen, I think you're a really nice guy, but I've got a boyfriend, and I'm really, really happy with him."

"Well, why didn't you say that to begin with?"

My jaw almost dropped. I hadn't expected that.

"Sookie, I don't want to screw up your relationship. I'm not into that kind of drama. Really, I was just hoping for a casual, sexual sort of thing anyway, but if you're taken then I'll go after one of the other waitresses."

Now that was the Quinn I knew, and before I could stop him, he was wrapping his arms around me and saying, "Truce hug!"

Almost as soon as he released me, I felt another arm around me. This one was around my waist, and it was Eric's. He thrust his hand out to shake Quinn's.

"Hey man, I'm Eric, Sookie's boyfriend."

I stared up at him incredulously. Eric, my Eric, was being possessive. I know another guy hugged me, and I know Eric was probably just doing the whole "marking his territory" thing, but being territory sort of sucked. It made me think back to the library earlier, I didn't end up marking my territory this way. It was marked, sure, but it was a hell of a lot more subtle. The way he was going about it showed that he needed to mark his territory. As if he constantly needed to show I was his when we were around other guys. I felt like I was being kept on a leash.

Granted, I was probably digging a bit too deep, but after the night I'd had, that was how I felt. Also, I'm a woman.

"Oh, she was just telling me about you. Nice to meet you," Quinn said as he shook his hand, and I was hoping it would make Eric feel ridiculous, but then he had to go and be Quinn again. "You're really lucky to be with Sookie. The girl is dynamite with her hands and mouth, if you know what I mean."

My jaw dropped, and Eric's grip around me tightened.

"Excuse me?" Eric asked, stepping forward slightly.

"Yeah, you didn't know we dated?" Quinn said, completely clueless that what he'd just said was completely inappropriate.

Before Eric could answer, Sam came out of the kitchen and told Quinn he needed to show him something. They left Eric and me standing there, and I didn't know what to say. I was livid. First, I was ticked at Quinn, and then Eric had to get possessive, and then Quinn had to say something that I knew would cause an issue with Eric and me.

"Eric…" I started to say, but he cut me off.

"I'll see you when your work is done," he mumbled, and went back to his table.

I was pissed. He wasn't even going to let me explain. He chose to sit and stew on it, and God only knows what kinds of conclusions he was coming to. Then let him, I thought spitefully. He could just sit there and think about lewd things between me and Quinn, and feel like an idiot when he finds out the truth.

Amelia finished up her work before me, so she and Tray went ahead and left. I didn't get the chance to tell her what had happened, and I was really hoping that Tray was going to stay at his apartment so we could talk. I knew that with Amelia and Tray, there were no guarantees, so I went ahead and texted "girl talk night" to her so she knew we needed to be alone.

As I was finishing up, I saw Quinn hitting on Missie. The poor girl was too nice to be rude to him, so she was listening to him and clearly uncomfortable. Sam was staring at them, and he looked pissed. I went to Sam to give him the push he needed.

"Sam, he's hitting on her, and she doesn't like it. Go save her. Ask her to go see that new horror movie. I think the late show starts in an hour. You'd get a one-up on Quinn too."

A slow smile crept across his lips, and he walked right up to them. I listened in.

"Excuse me," he said. "Missie, I was wondering if you wanted to go to a movie with me tonight. There's a late show that starts in about an hour."

Missie's whole face lit up with her smile, and just seeing it made my night better. At least someone was going to have a good night, and boy did those two ever deserve it.

"I'd love to," she said. "I just need to clock out, and then I'll run home and change. Would you mind if I met you there?"

"Sure thing," Sam replied, his smile just as big.

Quinn left in the middle of their exchange. He had no more waitresses to hit on for the night.

I did the last of my side work, and went over to get Eric. He looked completely lost in thought, and when I said his name, he snapped out of it and looked at me with cold eyes. I hated it, and it only ticked me off more. He got out of the booth, and we left the restaurant. He didn't try to hold my hand or put an arm around me.

"We need to talk," I said stiffly.

"Yes we do," he replied.

"You need to cut out the possessive bullshit," I said, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"What are you talking about? Don't try to turn this around. We both know this is really about Quinn and the fact that you lied to me."

"I did no such thing. You started this crap when you had to mark your territory."

"I don't like that guy. He wouldn't stop looking at you, and then he hugged you…"

"Oh, so it's okay for you to get eye fucked every day by Selah, but if Quinn even looks in my direction, there's a problem?"

"What? Selah doesn't eye fuck me. She's a nice woman."

I let out a frustrated growl, and continued walking at a fast pace. Eric quickly followed behind me and started talking again.

"And yes, there is a problem with Quinn looking at you. Especially since you've been with him and didn't tell me about it."

"Screw you," I said, not willing to explain anything at that moment anymore.

"So you're not denying it?" he asked.

"I'm not talking to you right now. You can just go on to your apartment tonight."

"Fine," he huffed.

We walked the rest of the way in silence, and to his credit, he did give me a kiss on the cheek and tell me goodnight before I went inside. When I walked into the apartment Amelia was waiting with chocolate. I collapsed on the couch next to her and ten pieces of chocolate later I had spilled everything.

"You two need to talk. You need to tell him what really happened with Quinn."

"I know, but he's being such a jerk about it. He's acting like I slept with Quinn and outright lied to him about it. I've never even seen the man's penis!"

"Look at it from his perspective. You are the first girlfriend he's ever had, and he's madly in love with you. He sees another guy staring at you like he wants to fuck you all night, and then that guy hugs you… he's going to get a little possessive. And then he finds out that you've been intimate with that guy and didn't tell him about it. Of course he's upset. That's how he sees it. I can totally understand your side of it too, but you really need to talk to him."

I took a deep breath. "You're right. Maybe I should go over there," I said, suddenly missing him.

"Oh no you don't. You both need to sleep on it. Let this be a lesson to both of you."

"Can I at least call him and let him know that I'm not angry?"

She nodded, and gave me a hug before heading off to bed. I took another deep breath, and called him. The phone only rang twice before he answered it.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately.

"I'm sorry too."

"It doesn't matter to me if you did anything with him."

"We need to talk about all this, but not tonight. I think we both need to sleep on it, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. I just wanted you to know that I'm not angry."

"Okay. You don't work tomorrow, right?"

"No, I don't."

"Can I call you when I get done at the library?"

"Of course you can."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you, Eric."

"I love you too, Sookie."

Aww, see! They still love each other! Everything will be totes fine, I promise. This is all part of the story arc I'm working on, and this first little "couple fight" of theirs is important.

Another shoutout to S Meadows for being so awesome about being written into fics as Missie. Meads is super sweet, and again, if you aren't reading her stories go do so now. I hope you like your part Meads!

Thanks so much for reading! I can't wait to see what ya'll think of this one!