a/n: Many, many thank yous go out to S Meadows and Glamoured69 for their beta awesomeness.

I'm determined to not let this story die before it ends. So, in order to save it from itself, I've switched up some stuff. Enjoy.

--------

The next day, I woke up before Sookie to sunlight streaming into my eyes through the windows. She was curled up into an impossibly small ball at my side, her hands clutching at my bare skin, and her head buried in my neck. I pulled her closer, holding her tight. It was drafty in her room, and I was worried that the small ball she had twisted herself into was a result of her being cold.

Not wanting to wake her, I carefully detangled myself from her grasp and slid out of the bed, but not before I'd rearranged the blankets around her, nestling her in their warmth. Of course, it would have been easier to just wrap myself around her and never let her go, but my curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to see Sookie's house without her sharp eyes gauging my reactions.

The morning chill didn't effect me, so I only bothered with slipping on my faded jeans before padding out to the kitchen to find the coffee and maybe something to make for Sookie. I could work wonders with Bisquick, or a sleeve of white bread, eggs and vanilla extract.

Sookie's coffee maker, however, was a percolator, and proved to be a fickle little bastard. The last time I saw one of those was on an episode of I Love Lucy that Pam had made me watch. It was a good ten minutes before I successfully made it yield to my will, and by then, the sweet sound of Sookie's soft yawns were echoing behind me.

"I thought you liked to snuggle," she said in a groggy, little voice that made me smile wide as her arms wrapped around my waist and gave me a squeeze.

"I do. I was just trying to cook us some breakfast."

"I don't see food." Her blonde, mussed head popped out from behind my shoulder, and I threw my arm over her, bringing her around me so I could hold her close like I wanted. Seeing her swollen lips and frizzy hair, knowing why she was so deliciously disheveled made my somewhat softened morning wood pop up again and say hi to its favorite person. This would have gone relatively unnoticed if it hadn't targeted Sookie's belly as its prey.

"Hello!" Her sleepy eyes widened and shot down towards my now severely tight jeans. I groaned and let my head fall back in frustration. I had wanted to make her pancakes or French toast; something sweet that involved syrup so I could lick it off her skin.

I was going to take my time, savoring the quiet of the morning during breakfast, and enjoy shattering it once we had finished. My body, however, had other plans, and my brain was too fuzzy with sleep to argue.

"Mind if I eat first?" I asked her, my voice heavy with want and laced with innuendo. Sookie made a small gasp of a noise as I palmed her ass and lifted her onto the counter before dropping to my knees and pushing her legs apart.

"Eric!" she cried a moment later when my mouth made contact with her heated skin. Her head had careened back, touching the curtains of the window behind her. I devoured her, as if I were a dying man being offered his last meal, except, luckily for me, it was only the first of the day.

When her limbs quivered around me and her body slumped on the counter, spent and shaking, I rose and made quick work of my zipper and jeans. I was inside of her before she could even catch her breath, and her body started to quake all over again; this time, around me, as I worked myself within her, with her.

"I think I'd like to start every day like that," I panted after we had reduced ourselves to a sweaty mass of limbs and tangled hair. Sookie merely nodded her head in lazy agreement.

I reluctantly pulled myself out of her warmth, and Sookie hissed at the loss, clawing at my shoulders with her fingers and digging her heels into the backs of my thighs with her legs.

"No," she moaned.

"But, breakfast," I offered.

"The coffee's done," she said, nudging her elbow at the percolator that had somehow managed to survive the earthquake-like ruckus we'd just caused. "That's enough."

I scoffed. "I'm making you breakfast, woman. I'm then going to hand feed you and hopefully dribble syrup over some very inappropriate areas of your body so I can have the pleasure of licking them clean. Please, don't ruin my fun." Sookie's face flushed ten shades of crimson before giving me a wide-eyed, eager nod.

We didn't leave the kitchen for three hours.

---------

"You don't have to come in, Eric. I just felt it'd be better if I asked in person, as opposed to doing it over the phone. I've already taken so much time off." Sookie's face was contorted with worry, as she rambled on about asking her boss for a few more vacation days. If I had my way, she'd be giving him her two weeks notice, but I kept my mouth shut and did my best to encourage her not to worry.

"Well, didn't you want to get something to eat?" I asked. We hadn't left the house for most of the day, since we were too busy desecrating every surface we could find. The last sustenance the girl had consumed -- besides some much needed protein -- were the pancakes at breakfast. It was practically seven at night. How the hell was she not starving?

"Sure! But... here?" She looked skeptical, this merely piqued my interest.

"Yeah, here."

Sookie gave me a small smile, a shrug, and then an "okay" before getting out of the car. I followed soon after.

"What's wrong with here?" I asked as we walked up to the front doors. "You've worked here for years, haven't you? What's good for you is good for me."

To my surprise, and alarm, Sookie snorted a, "sure." I wanted to call her out on her sarcasm, but was interrupted the moment we stepped through the doors.

"Sookie!" Someone shouted as a whirl of flaming red hair hit me in the face. A waitress had launched herself at Sookie like she'd been flung from a catapult. Jesus.

"Arlene," Sookie said, giving me a sympathetic look as she patted the redhead on the back. "So great to see you again, girl."

"Oh, thank god you're back! Dawn can not keep up for shit! My poor ankles have been screaming at me these past weeks."

"Arlene, I've barely been gone ten days."

"I know! Ain't it just awful?"

"Sookie!" A man called to her from behind the bar as Arlene turned the full force of her sinister, calculating eyes on me. I tried to be polite, but I was too busy watching the exchange Sookie was having with the man who'd shouted her name. There was an enthusiastic smile plastered on his rather ruggedly good looking face. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the fucker looked like James Bond in flannel. Needless to say, that when Sookie skirted behind the bar to give him a very thorough hugging, my fists clenched.

When the man grabbed her ass, I full out growled. Arlene's eyes widened next to me, but I think she was more aroused than concerned. That, of course, concerned me, and I walk away before the woman could palm me through my jeans.

Sookie swatted at the man's hands on her backside -- that backside belongs to me, Jimmy boy -- and pulled away, but not before she giggled and smiled at the bastard. I silently counted down from ten in my head.

"Eric! Come meet Sam," she called out while waving me over to the bar.

I tried not to seethe as I curled my hand around his, and held on tight. We both assessed each other as we shook hands, my blue eyes fighting with his for dominance over Sookie.

"You must be Sookie's boss," I said, putting on an air of professionalism. I had manners, dammit. I could charm this guy.

"The one and only," he shot back with a lopsided smile I'm sure the ladies loved.

"It's good to meet you," I told him, taking the high road. Sam merely nodded back at me with a warm smile.

"Eric owns a bar in New York, Sam. You'd really like it."

"Oh, really?" he asked, eyeing me. It was my turn to give a warm smile and a nod. "I'll have to stop by the next time I'm up north."

"Please do. It'll be on me."

"Sookie?" another voice behind us questioned.

I had to hold back a groan of frustration. Who's asking after her now? On one hand, it made me happy to think that she was so well loved in her hometown, that she had people around her who cared for her, and had missed her. On the other hand, I felt a pang of guilt, because I wanted to take her away from these people, away from her home. Suddenly, I was reconsidering my decision to eat at Merlotte's.

"My god, you look... you're glowing, Sookie. Shit, you're not pregnant, are you?" a husky male voice asked. I turned my head to see who the tactless idiot was, only to come face to face with a fucking Calvin Klein model. How did I know he was a model? Well, I only walked passed the fucker's billboard everyday on my way to work in the city. The man was 5 stories tall, with a package wider than 20 feet. I instinctively squared my shoulders.

Sookie looked anxious and dropped her head at the man's intensity. He seemed to be one of those hands-on types. The problem? His hands were on my woman. I leaned over the bar and whispered to Sam, "Do we like this guy?"

Sam winked at me, actually winked, and responded as he shined a glass with a rag, "You won't."

Great.

"This is Eric Northman, Alcide," Sookie's voice suddenly registered, and I turned my head away from the cryptic bartender. "Eric, this is Alcide Herveaux." Sookie looked nervous. I took this as a bad sign, but smiled nonetheless, raised myself up to my full height, and shook the model's hand.

"Shit, Sookie, I knew when you said you were going up North that you might have some interesting stories to tell when you got back, but I didn't expect you to bring Thor with you!" the man exclaimed with a light laugh. He then moved in and gave me a one armed hug/pat on my shoulder as his form of greeting. I think he just actually wanted to know how much muscle I had on him. I smiled when he pulled back and noticed that he looked a little apprehensive.

That's right, Zoolander, Thor is packing.

In the interest of not letting this situation become anymore awkward, since it was already starting to severely swerve down that road, I once again decided to take the high road, and cleared my throat, "Why don't we get a round, and you guys can catch up? I know I've kept Sookie away for a while."

"Yeah, but she always comes back. That's what counts, cher," Sam said, giving Sookie's shoulder a squeeze from behind the bar. Her face reddened.

"Let's go sit," she offered, and led me over to a booth not too far from the bar. To my annoyance, Alcide followed. I had invited him for a drink, but I didn't expect him to take me up on the offer. Didn't he realize polite dismissal when he saw it?

"Tell me about New York, Sooks? How was Tray's band? Did the gigs go well?" Alcide launched into a series of questions the second his ass hit the leather, and Sookie shook her head as if to say, one at a time. Another waitress that we hadn't met walked over to take our drink orders, and ogled the shit out of me while Alcide continued to chew Sookie's ear off. I excused myself from the booth for a second, after giving Sookie a kiss on the temple, using the guise of opening a tab at the bar to make my exit. I wanted to talk to Sam.

I nodded to Sam as I walked over and leaned across the bar again, my body language clearly stating that I was perfectly comfortable taking what I wanted, no matter who owned the property.

"Who's Alcide to Sookie?" I asked Sam, more than a little curious. Sam threw his head back and laughed. His laughter was warm, but it didn't exactly send a friendly vibe my way, so I just waited for his chuckling to subside.

"Alcide is Sookie's ex." He shook his head and adjusted his belt. "They've been on and off for years. I'm sorry for laughing, but I was once in your shoes, I know exactly how you feel right now, buddy."

I doubted that. "You were in my shoes?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sookie and I dated just after she graduated high school. She came in looking for a job, but I convinced her a date would be more fun. It was only after we broke it off did she started working here."

I nodded and listened, wondering why he was sharing so much information. Was he trying to bring out my inner caveman? It was almost working. I shook off the edge I was feeling at learning that this man had "convinced" a naive and innocent Sookie into dating him, as opposed to giving her a job, like she wanted. Plenty of young girls came into Northman's asking for a job. They were fresh-faced, and doe-eyed little things, perfect prey to the trappings of New York's underground. I'd gladly give those girls a place at my bar, before I'd ever let them slip through the cracks, but I'd never attempt to gain anything else out of their employ. If that was Sam's MO, I highly doubted that we'd ever get along.

Before I let myself assume too much about Sam, still wanting to give him the benefit of my most definite doubt, I opened the tab I promised Sookie, and ordered myself some Black Label. Neat.

------

"Remember that time..." Alcide started to say, for the tenth time that evening. He'd had one too many and was pulling your classic, make the new guy feel out of touch with the idiotic stories of years past, bit. He couldn't get through my armor, however, I was a pro at dealing with drunken fools. I kept my arm slung around Sookie, and a soft smile on my lips the entire time. I'd had several urges to nuzzle my face into her neck, lick the shit out of her and leave a nice little bite mark where all could see, but I kept my temptations at bay. The fact that Sookie had been clinging to my side the entire evening, and rubbing soothing circles into my thigh, kept me both level headed and rock hard. It was a somewhat frustrating combination, but a comforting one, regardless.

Around midnight, Alcide excused himself for a "much needed piss break." His words not mine. Sookie and I finally had a moment to ourselves, and I gave in and nuzzled my face into her neck, giving her a little nibble on her sensitive flesh. She moaned softly, and it took all I had not to take her on the table.

"Let's get outta here," I whispered into her skin. She whimpered in responded and nodded her head in agreement.

"Oh shit!" she said a moment later, making me move back and arch an eyebrow at her. "I forgot to ask Sam for more time off. Let me do that, and then we can leave, alright?" She smiled up at me; her eyes were slightly glazed, evidence that the several stiff drinks she consumed had done their job. I was the only one who'd stopped after my second drink, knowing one of us would have to be able to drive home.

"Go for it, luv." Sookie crawled over my lap, brushing my erection so many times as she climbed over me, I wondered if she was doing it on purpose. I could have easily stood up for her to exit. Strange girl. I smiled as she sauntered off, giving me a little show as she peeked over her shoulder at me and wiggled her ass.

Drunk Sookie is a fun Sookie apparently.

"What are your intentions with that girl?" a stern woman's voice scolded, cutting through my lust addled haze. I turned my head back to the booth to see Paula Dean's doppleganger staring back at me.

"Come again?" I asked, surprised at this woman's random appearance.

"Your intentions with our Sookie. What are they?" She folded her large arms over her even larger chest, the rings on her fingers shining in the dim light of the overheads.

"I don't know even know your name, Miss... ?"

"Fortenberry. Mrs. Fortenberry to you."

I nodded, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Fortenberry. I can assure you that my attentions toward Sookie are entirely honorable. I love that girl more than you know."

The woman narrowed her mascara rimmed eyes at me, before pointing a beefy finger my way. "You'd better be speaking the truth, Yank. That girl is a treasure around here. We all claim her as our own."

I quirked an eyebrow, wanting to know more. Luckily, Mrs. Fortenberry was just getting started. "I can see how you look at her. The deviant thoughts you've got hidden behind those baby blues. Sookie is not a toy to be played with and thrown out. She's got no one, yah here? This entire town has her back because the poor girl has been on her own for years. Her Gran died three years back, God rest Adele's sainted soul, and her brother and parents years and years before that. Now you swoop in, all fabulous pectorals, and that tight ass, knocking the girl off her feet with your big city charm... I don't like it.

"Mrs. Fortenberry, I'm not going to--"

"Don't interrupt me, boy! I'm not finished." She glanced over at the bar, making sure Sookie was still distracted before she laid into me again.

"If this is just a flash in the pan for you, just a roll in the hay with a charming southern girl for kicks, I will castrate you in your sleep, yuh hear? So will every other member of this town. She might look strong on the outside, but the girl needs stability. And if you can't give her that, then leave. Now." She nodded, as if she were happy with her speech and then heaved herself out of the booth and lumbered off. I sat there, shell shocked. I'd just had my ass handed to me by a woman who looked as if she baked a peach cobble for church every Sunday and read stories to school kids in her sparetime. Christ.

I looked back over at the bar with disheartened eyes, only to see Sam glowering at me. I tried my best not to laugh at his expression. I'd had enough of this place for one evening and stood to pay my bill. I threw a couple of hundred dollar bills onto the table and walked over to the bar, slinking my arm around Sookie's waist. She leaned into my side, and put her hand over mine on her hip.

"So, it's okay Sam? Really?"

"It's fine, cher. Anything for you. Though, Arlene's gonna kill me."

"Maybe you should hire that Maudette girl? She's been asking for weeks now for a few shifts."

Sam rubbed his hand on the back of his neck before giving Sookie a reluctant nod.

"We all set?" she asked me, and I smiled down at her.

"Yup."

"Great. G'night Sam," Sookie said with warmth and love to her boss. "Night Arlene! Dawn!" she called out over her shoulder as we made our way to the door. She waved at the rest of the patrons in the bar as we left, my heart sinking with each smile they sent her way.

"You're awfully quiet, Eric," Sookie remarked as we drove back to her house.

"Hmm?"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, luv. Just... thinking."

Sookie snorted. "I know, I can hear you. I just don't understand the gibberish running around in your head."

"You're calling my native tongue gibberish?"

"Maybe."

"That, Miss Stackhouse, is not a smart thing to do," I growled low in my throat. Sookie's eyes widened, and I smirked at her excitement. She was so emotive.

"So, Sam," I prompted, being cautious of how I continued, "how old is he?"

"Oh... um. I don't really know. He's never told me. Sam's a bit of a mystery, you see."

I nodded. I bet he was. "But he wanted to date you when you were only 18?"

"What? Who told you that?" Sookie's voice raised an entire octave within two seconds. I almost flinched.

"He did."

"What?!" There went another octave.

"He told me about when you came to ask for a job. Sookie, you didn't let him manipulate you into thinking that you'd only get a job if you went out on a date with him, did you?"

"Eric Northman, you stop your train of thought right now. Sam has always been a gentleman to me."

I was too tired from the night, and a snort slipped out of my mouth before I could control my actions. I don't ever remember grabbing the ass of one of my waitresses as a form of greeting. I wanted to tell her as much, but I kept my mouth shut. Sookie had already crossed her arms and started huffing in her seat. Playful Sookie was all gone for the evening, apparently. Dammit.

The rest of the drive was painfully quiet. I'd hit a nerve, a sore one. Sookie didn't even glance in my direction as we pulled into her driveway and walked up to her back porch. I cursed the silence.

Sookie

We walked into the kitchen, and I watched as Eric hung the keys on the hook by the door and offered to take my purse to put on the counter where it lived when it wasn't draped over my arm. He seemed so familiar with his surroundings. My surroundings. It only angered me more. I was too used to being alone. Seeing him so comfortable in my kitchen, with my things, after having met the other men that have been in my life, I just wanted to spit. My anger was irrational, and unwarranted, but... shit, how could he be so comfortable hanging up my keys and looking so perfect in my old kitchen, and not know anything about my past? It seemed wrong. Off. I hated it. How did we overlook this?

"Wanna head to bed? You look tired, luv," Eric asked. He was trying to be sweet, but I wasn't in the mood.

"I'm not tired."

Eric nodded. "Okay, how 'bout a bath? We worked hard today," he said suggestively, advancing on me with dark eyes. I put my hand out to stop him in his tracks.

"No."

Eric's face fell, and my heart clinched at the look he gave me.

"Dammit, Eric," I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the sadness in his.

"What? Sookie, I'm sorry. What did I say?"

"Nothing! It's not you--"

"Don't even finish that extremely clichéd sentence, Sookie. I know I did something. You're upset."

"Don't tell me what I'm feeling!" I yelled, proving Eric's point that I was clearly upset. Dammit. Eric snorted, and I seethed.

"Sookie..." he started, trying to appeal to me. I shook my head at him.

"No. I'm not gonna let you sweet talk me."

"According to Alcide, you like sweet talk." Eric's hands balled into fists at his sides the second he finished speaking. I saw from the way he recoiled, that he'd regretted saying that. And with good reason, I was two seconds away from snapping.

"I shouldn't have said that," he started, but I cut him off.

"Damn right, you shouldn't have."

"I didn't mean--"

"Don't pretend to know everything about me, Northman. You barely know me at all! And I clearly don't know you all that well either," I shouted, extremely disappointed by that fact.

"I'd like to change that if you'd let me," he said, stalking towards me and towering over my small frame. His voice was so deep with frustration the windows practically rattled in their panes. I guess he'd finally come to the end of his somewhat patient rope. His eyes were wild and desperate looking. He was utterly sincere, and his intensity made me falter.

I turned and walked to the bedroom. I wanted to get out of my clothes since I was covered in grease and smoke from the bar. Eric followed behind me.

"Sookie, stop walking away from me," he called, his voice slightly louder than it was in the kitchen. I laughed at him.

"I'm not walking away from you; I'm going to change out of these clothes. I stink."

"Woman, you don't stink."

"Ha!"

"Will you slow down? I just want to talk!" he boomed down the hall from me.

"Well, you're gonna hav'ta stop raising your voice at me, or I ain't gonna listen, buddy," I shot back.

"Quit with the nicknames, and I'll lower the volume," he said, now right behind me. I could feel the body heat radiating off of him. I almost staggered backwards from the pull he seemed to have on me.

"Quit looming over me like a god damned vulture, and I won't feel the need to be condescending, Lurch."

"Fine." He took a sobering step back from me and moved to sit himself down on the settee against the wall in my room.

"Fine," I repeated, and folded my arms like an insolent child. I was still angry at his remarks from earlier.

He raised an eyebrow at me from his seat. "Better?"

"Oh, don't be a smart ass," I scoffed before I turned away from him and walked over to the bed to perch on its edge.

I sat and tried to calm my rapid breathing. He lounged back in the settee and tried to stretch out his insanely long limbs. The piece of frail furniture looked like a children's toy with him draped on top of it.

Several minutes passed in silence. We simply stared at each other from across the room, calculating and gauging each other's emotions. Neither of us was going to give up on this angry energy we had pulsing through our veins, it seemed. In fact, I think we were holding onto it as a reminder that we were both so new to each other. We were fools to assume otherwise.

I wanted the anger, and so did he.

But after three tense minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. "Talk," I spat, my arms still folded and pressed painfully in on my ribcage. My walls were up, and I couldn't get them to come down.

Eric smirked at my demand. "Shouldn't you be the one to start? After all, you know most of what my favorite things are at this point."

"Knowing that you like to eat my pussy on a daily basis for breakfast does not count as actually knowing you, Eric." His eyes shot down towards my pelvis for the briefest of moments the second I uttered the crude phrase.

I crossed my legs before continuing. "Tell me something no one else knows about you," I pleaded, trying to get the conversation started.

Eric's face cleared of innuendo before answering in a deadpan, "I hate pickled herring."

"Ugh!" I cried. "You think this is a joke? You want to talk? You want me, but you can't even answer a fucking question seriously!"

Eric stood, and I saw in his eyes that he was going to do the whole 'stalk over to the woman and dazzle her with your brooding baby blues' bit before attacking me, so I threw my hand up to stop him.

"Don't! Even. Think about coming over here. Sit and tell me something substantial, or you can head to the guest room for the night."

"And where on the schedule for the evening is it listed that Sookie finally opens up to me?"

"You making more jokes?" I seethed, my eyes narrowing.

"I'm dead serious, luv."

He was; I could hear it in his head. He was projecting his honesty onto me in anyway he knew how. I sighed, relenting once again. I didn't care anymore about having the upper hand; I just wanted to have this venom between us diluted. I'd lead this uncomfortable conversation by example, and maybe we'd get somewhere.

I told him the story about the year I went to live with my Gran after everything collapsed around me. I told him about how stubborn and bitter I was, how abandoned I'd felt after losing my parents and brother, and how angry and resentful a child that made me. My Gran was clever, though, and coaxed the sweetness back out of me slowly, with a quiet demand of respect, and an uncanny instinct for finding humor in even the darkest of situations.

"She never raised her voice to me. Never had to," I told him as the memories started to run dry in my mind.

"The woman should be sainted," Eric remarked. I peeked at him with a skeptical eye, but he just smiled back at me.

With a snort of resigned laughter, I said, "You're right."

"I know I am."

"Don't get cocky now, dammit. We almost had a moment there." Thanks Eric, the second we have a little connection and make some headway, you let your ego rear its ugly head. I sighed and flopped back on the bed, emotionally drained.

I heard Eric move, but I didn't bother stopping him this time. I was too tired to care or fight. I didn't want to. Sookie Stackhouse had opened up. It was his turn now.

"Come here," he said as he pulled me into his side and curled his long body around mine on the bed. We were still in our clothes from the evening, but neither of us cared. I think just being near each other was comfort enough for the both of us.

"I'm gonna tell you something no one knows about me, so listen," Eric prompted as he squeezed me tighter to his chest. "I don't care how fast this whole thing has happened. I don't, and the reason is because I've seen how short life can be, and how fast a good thing can disappear. I know you understand where I'm coming from, Sookie, I know you do. The loss you've had to live with for all these years boggles my mind. I couldn't do it."

He took a deep breath, and I felt him exhale. His breath hot on my neck and the tip of his nose nuzzling my hair. His heartbeat had risen dramatically as he spoke.

"I thought I was done when it came to being content in life, being in love, whatever you want to call it. I'd had my shot. I'd found my woman, and I was happy. Fuck, was I happy." He pulled me infinitely closer to him with each word, as if he thought I'd slip away if he didn't hold me so tight. "And for whatever fucked up reason that beautiful woman that I loved So. Damn. Much. was taken away from me. Whoever was making the decisions upstairs that day was drunk, or something. Or maybe he just decided to single handedly destroy my life with an electric spark..." he stopped suddenly, and buried his head in my hair, murmuring things about bad wiring and old houses. I was confused but assumed that this all connected back to the fire I'd learned about from Pam.

"She died," he said, his words muffled by my hair. "And I was left behind."

His voice wavered as he spoke, and I felt the prickly pain of tears beginning to sting at the corner of my eyes. I tried desperately not to whimper and give away my emotions. I didn't want to interrupt this strange trance he'd fallen into.

"I thought I was done, Sookie. I'd shut out that part of my life, I'd closed the door on giving a shit. It was easier that way. I'd fooled myself into believing that I was content, but then this girl — this feisty, frustrating girl — fell into my world, and I suddenly wasn't so sure.

"You're it, Sookie. If I can't see this for what it is, the fucking miracle that you are, then I don't deserve... " he trailed off as he shook his head from side to side, searching for the right word. Eventually, he gave up and just kept on talking, letting his emotions out. I was petrified to speak, or even move. I just let him squeeze the breath out of me, as he held me with all his strength and poured out his heart, uninhibited.

We fell asleep like that, twisted and curled together on the bed. My ribs felt bruised; Eric had held me so tight, I'm surprised I could actually breathe.

I woke with a start, some time in the middle of the night, and looked over at the clock on the nightstand through clouded, puffy eyes. It was 4:00 AM. I could feel Eric behind me, moving into a more comfortable position. I knew he was awake.

"I just had an interesting dream," he prompted, speaking into my hair. I stiffened next to him. The dream I'd just been having was the reason I woke up. Well Johnnie barking was the reason I woke, but still, his bark was a creation of my subconscious.

"Eric," I said, my voice rough with sleep. "I don't want to go to Sweden." I spoke fast before I lost my nerve, cringing as I told him, not wanting to hurt his feelings. I did very much want to experience Sweden, but the dream I'd just had made me change my mind. I'd once dreamed about meeting Eric down an alley in New York. It'd led me to him. I wasn't going to let down my subconscious now and not take the blatant clues it just hit me over the head with.

"Oh?" I could hear the amusement in his voice, it made me bold.

"No, I think we should go someplace else for our trip."

Eric smiled into my hair, squeezing me tight. "Where would that be?" he asked knowingly.

I rolled over, wanting to see his face in the dark.

"New York."

-------------

a/n part duex:

I gotta add a thank you to Smfogleman for her feedback one day when I was feeling fail. Also, if you haven't read her story 'A Royal Engagement', you gotta check it out. I don't read vamp fic, but this is an exception. I love the way she's reworked the story canon, and her Sookie is refreshingly mature, which is always a major plus in my book.

So, did we like the twist there at the end? Hope so, cause I'm not gonna change it. See yah next time in NYC! Woot!