Author's Notes: I do not own these characters, they are the sole property of Charlaine Harris.**** This week, I have been working on a shadowbox that contains a four foot long sword, and of course I can't help but think about our viking while I'm working on it. That sucker is heavy! No wonder our Eric is so muscular! Anyway, here is the aftermath of the recent attack...

Chapter 37

Sookie's POV

It was about an hour and a half later, and Cooper and I were just leaving the police station. The Sheriff had gone over the "crime scene" (boy, what a mess. I was going to have to make it up to poor Patty, somehow) and the only thing out of the ordinary he found was a small plastic bottle of some unknown liquid substance, and a damp rag on the floor near where Cooper and the first attacker had been rolling around. The Sheriff seemed to think that it was peculiar that two men had came in to rob a florist in the middle of the afternoon, with no guns. He had asked us all to go back to the station to give statements.

Apparently the two men he had taken into custody had refused to say a word. They were being held until the Sheriff could figure out exactly what to charge them with. Cooper and I had both played as ignorant as possible. The Sheriff had wanted to know who Cooper was and what he was doing there. After it came out that he was a licensed bodyguard, things got really interesting.

After going around and around, I had finally got irritated and said, "Sheriff, I am going to be married soon to a businessman from Shreveport. He worries about me, so he hired Cooper. There is no law against it, as far as I know. We had nothing to do with this whole thing, except being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have never seen those two men before. Now, if you have any more questions, you can contact my lawyer, , in Shreveport." I had taken out a card the lawyer had given me earlier, and slid it across the Sheriff's desk. I hoped that Bud Dearborn would have fun trying to push him around. After that, we had left.

It was a little after dark when we got back to the Escalade. I realized that I needed to call Eric and tell him why I was late; somehow, I was not looking forward to making this call at all. Suddenly my cell phone rang, and I knew without looking who it was. I answered brightly, "Hi, honey! Sorry I wasn't home when you got up!"

He said calmly, "So, where are you?"

I said, "Well, Cooper and I are on our way back to Shreveport from Bon Temps. We had a little trouble at the florist."

He was not buying it, I could tell by the long silence. Then, "…Yes? Exactly what kind of trouble?"

I thought for about five seconds about lying to him, figured it wouldn't do any good, and so I answered, "Well, two guys came into the florist shop and tried to kidnap me, but Cooper stopped it, and the police came and arrested them both. I'm fine, really. They never even laid a finger on me!"

He yelled, "WHAT! Put the damned Were on the phone, now!"

Rather apologetically, I handed the phone to Cooper. I heard him say, "Yes, sir. No, she's really fine, they never actually touched her….yes, they took us in for questioning, but Miss Stackhouse finally got them to let us go…no, sir….yes, sir, I will." He handed the phone back to me, and his face was a little red.

Eric said, rather grimly, "Sookie, I want you to come straight to Fangtasia. Meet me in my office. We need to talk."

I said, "Uh…OK. We should be there in about a half-an-hour. Bye now."

I looked over at Cooper, and I could tell by looking at him that he was not looking forward to the meeting, either.

**********

When we got to Fangtasia, I told Cooper to pull around back by the employee's entrance. I had no desire to go in through the front of the club and have everybody staring at me. I had felt nothing but agitation and anger through the bond for the last half-hour, and I fully expected to see my vampire pacing around his office. Instead, he was sitting in his chair, pushed back away from his desk. He had one leg crossed over the other, resting by the ankle, and propped across his lap was a very large sword. He was patiently honing one edge with a whetstone. I glanced over at Cooper, and he had that "deer caught in the headlights" look about him. He swallowed once, hard.

Eric looked up from his work, and his blue eyes looked nearly black. He said in his deep voice, "Sookie. Come in." He stood up to his full 6'5", took the sword and placed it tip down to the floor, both hands lightly resting on the hilt. He was dressed tonight in an ordinary pair of jeans and a Fangtasia T-shirt, but nevertheless, looked totally formidable. I could feel through the bond that he was glad to see me, but he looked so scary right at this moment even I hesitated.

He must have sensed my reluctance, because he sort of shook his head, laid the sword down flat on the top of his desk, and then smiled. He said, "Come in, Lover, I am not going to bite you." (I guess that was a little vampire humor.)

I went over to him and he leaned down and kissed me softly on the mouth. His eyes locked on to mine, and he said gently, "Are you certain you were not harmed?"

I nodded, and said, "Cooper was there. He got one guy, and I was able to get away from the other because…well, you know." I didn't want to go into it in front of the Were. I was also going to leave out the part about Cooper not having been there the whole time, since it was really my fault that he was not.

However, Cooper was determined to tell him the gory details, and he did, leaving out nothing. I could see Eric suppressing a smile when Cooper him my final words to Bud Dearborn. He finished by saying, "I should have never let her go in alone. I take full responsibility for this, Mr. Northman."

Eric had leaned back against his desk, and he looked up at the ceiling for a minute as if searching for answers there, and then said, "You are partially right. You should never have let her out of your sight, even for a minute. But, you did indeed come to the rescue in time to avert disaster. If you had not, we would be having a much different…conversation."

He looked directly at Cooper, and I think his meaning was quite clear to all three of us. He continued, "You can go. Take Sookie's car back to the house and drop it off. Be there tomorrow for gate duty."

Cooper nodded to Eric, and said, "Yes, sir." Then he looked at me and said, "I'm glad you're OK, Sookie."

I smiled at him, and said, "Thanks for everything, Coop. I'll see you soon."

Eric escorted him out the door, and shut it. No sooner than the door was firmly closed, he whirled around and in a flash had me crushed up against him. He was kissing me and running his hands over me, as if to satisfy himself that I was in one piece. He whispered hoarsely in my ear, "Are you sure you are all right?"

I said, "Yes, baby, I'm fine. It made me mad more than anything!"

We resumed our kissing. Things were beginning to heat up a bit, and just as he was lifting my top over my head, Pam came in, followed by two vampires that looked vaguely familiar. I gasped and pulled my shirt back down, but she just grinned and said, "Are you two at it again? Master, your visitors are here."

Her Maker growled a little deep in his chest, but said, "Lover, I must meet with these men. Have you had any dinner?"

I realized that I was quite hungry, because I had been too upset to eat anything at Merlotte's. I shook my head. He said, "Pam, please take Sookie out and get her something to eat. By the time you get back, my meeting should be over."

The two "visitors" had been hovering in the hallway, and now they came all the way into Eric's office. Eric said, "Sookie, this is Joeseph, and Weldon. They are visiting the area, from Arkansas. Joseph, Weldon, this is my Bonded, Sookie." They both gave me the vampire nod, and I said brightly, "Nice to meet you both. Now, Eric, I'll see you later. You boys have a nice meeting."

I followed Pam out and we took her car to a near-by restaurant that served human food as well as an assortment of Bloods. We ordered, and while we were waiting, Pam said, "So, Sookie, I hear you have been in trouble again." She made it sound like I had gone out and scrounged up the first trouble I could find.

I said rather sharply, "Nothing I couldn't handle." Well, me, a bodyguard, and three policemen.

She sighed, and said, "I just hope you make it to the wedding. I will never have another opportunity to be a maid-of-honor." No wonder she was so concerned.

To change the subject, I told her about everything I had accomplished so far in arranging the wedding, and then asked about the plans for the reception. She laughed and said, "Sookie, my Master is having much fun with making the arrangements, but I am not allowed to tell you anything. He wants you to be surprised."

So far, his surprises had been really good ones, so I said, "Well, all right. I guess I can wait. It will be here before we know it. I can't believe I let him talk me into doing this in such a hurry."

A peal of laughter, then, "Oh, Sookie, I cannot believe that he was willing to wait this long! Most unlike him, when he truly wants something. Now, I understand you will need a rather ornate Bonding gown. Let me give you some ideas…"

So, we spent rest of our dinnertime discussing the Second Bonding.

*******

By the time we got back, the other vampires were just leaving. They saw Pam and I coming down the hallway, and both gave us a bow, and then left. Hmm. I knocked on Eric's door, and went in. Pam followed me in, and shut the door behind her. Eric was on the phone, but motioned me over and drug me onto his lap. Pam sat in one of the chairs directly in front of his desk and crossed her legs. He said into the phone, "All right, Robert, I'll let you know. Thank you, Brother." With that, he hung up.

He nuzzled my neck a little, and I could feel his fangs slide out. If Pam hadn't been staring at us with such a leer on her face (and her fangs were down, too, I noticed) I would have just pulled all my clothes off right there and let him have it.

However, after a couple of minutes he unfortunately quit, and cleared his throat. He said in a very neutral voice, "Sookie, it is clear that Victor is not going to give up easily. In spite of our precautions, he has very nearly gotten hold of you on two occasions. I am unwilling to risk that he will be unsuccessful a third time. So, I am going to do the one thing I can think of to keep you absolutely safe. Until the wedding, I am sending you to stay with Robert, in New York."

He said this very, very calmly, but I could feel his agitation through the bond. I was so surprised if he hadn't been holding me, I would have fallen right off his lap. I could hardly believe that he thought another vampire might be able to protect me better than he could. I sat in stunned silence.

He continued, "I am sending Pam with you. If you wish, you can take the witch to keep you company during the day. Robert will be sending a plane for you tomorrow evening."

No longer able to contain myself, I burst out, "Eric! I have a wedding to prepare for! I can't leave! You can't just pack me off like an unwanted step-child without asking me first!" I tried to get off his lap, but he held me still.

He said sternly, "Do you think this is easy for me? I despise it! However, for now it is prudent. Beloved, do you trust me?"

I was still upset and angry, but after a long moment I nodded. He said, "All right, then. Whatever still needs to be done about the wedding, can be done by Internet, telephone, or you can send Bobby to handle it. No one must know where you are."

Pam said, "Sookie, be practical. You still need two dresses, and New York is the ideal, if not the only, place to find them. You can also buy almost everything you might want or need for your new home."

Well, she had me there. The biggest objection I had, although I had not said so in front of Pam, was that I didn't want to be away from Eric. The very idea made me feel slightly ill. Sappy, but true. Ugh. So, I asked him, "Is there any possibility that you could come?"

He sighed and told me, "No, I have too many things here that are urgent. It won't be for long. You can come back just before the wedding, we will be gone on our honeymoon for a week, and arrive back in time for the Second Bonding. I am certain that after the ceremony, Madden will no longer be a problem."

If only that were true. I felt like he would never give up, even after the supposed Second Bonding. If it wouldn't cause an even bigger mess, I would just call him myself and tell him it was already a done deal. I knew that Eric was sending me off as a last resort, and that I really did trust him to know how to handle this type of thing. So I said, "If you insist on this, I will go. I'm not thrilled about it, though."

I think they were both expecting more argument. Eric gave me a squeeze, and then let me go. I stood up and so did he. Pam said, "So, are you going to ask the witch to come?" Her eyes were glowing. I knew that she and Robert were lovers, and she and Amelia had been lovers. Wouldn't that be awkward? It didn't look like she thought so.

I said, "Yes, I think I will. I hope she'll be able to go on such short notice." I got out my cell, and called her. When she answered I said, "Amelia, how would you like to go with me to New York for a couple of weeks?"

Without hesitation, she said, "New York? I'm in." And that was that.

******

After we had finished making plans for Pam's and my departure, Eric said he still had a few pressing items he had to see to, so I sat in his office and made a list of the things I had to do before leaving. After about an hour, however, he stood and said, "Come, Lover, let's go home." He waved at Pam on our way out, and he drove us the short distance to his house.

We went in, but instead of going downstairs, he drew me into the living room and set me down next to him on the sofa. My vampire took both of my hands in his, and said, "Sookie. I can feel that you are annoyed with me."

I sighed, and said, "I thought you were going to start telling me what was going on. I don't much care for decisions being made for me without my consent."

He looked uncomfortable for a moment then he said slowly, "Sookie, in this instance, you really are going to have to trust me. Know this: Madden has much bigger plans than just taking you from me. I am taking steps to see that he does not succeed."

Sometimes, although he looks perpetually young, I can see the weight of his years in his eyes. Tonight was one of those times. It made me so sad, that I could hardly stand to add to his problems. I decided to cut him a break, and just quit my bitching.

I leaned back against the sofa, and softly brushed his long hair away from his face. I said, "I've had a long day. Would you like to share a bath?"

No sooner had the words left my mouth, he stood and swooped me up in his arms, and carried me down to his chamber.

I began to run the water for our bath, and poured in some bath oil; a lovely smell rose from the water. As I was taking off my clothes, he lit several candles that were placed around the room. I pinned up my hair, and slipped into the hot water. I watched him as he pulled off his shirt, and then the rest of his clothing. He stood still for a minute (to let me get the full effect, I'm sure) and then he joined me.

I sat facing him, and silently took a sponge and some soap, and began bathing him. I ran the sponge over all his beautifully sculptured muscles in his arms and chest. In the last few weeks, I had come to know every inch of him intimately, and if I was going to be away from him I wanted to make sure I had it all memorized.

I think the feeling was mutual. As soon as I had finished with him, he returned the favor. The flickering of the candles was casting a play of light and shadows on his face; he looked both mysterious and familiar, all at once. I don't think that I've ever wanted him more than I did that minute. I leaned forward and kissed him deeply. His big hands began stroking my breasts then he leaned down and kissed each one, in turn. He looked up at me and his eyes in this light looked as dark blue as the deepest part of the ocean. He said huskily, "My love, I need to taste you."

I nodded, and he stood and pulled me from the water, dried me and took me to his bed. He laid me down across it, crawled up between my legs, and began to give me pleasure with fingers and tongue. I was soon bucking and moaning, but he was taking his time; bringing me close to my release, then backing me down, until I wanted to scream. Just when I thought he was going to drive me mad, he bit and my orgasm rolled over me like a tidal wave.

Before my muscles had stopped contracting, he had crawled up and covered my body with his large one, and slid inside me. I must have felt as good to him as he did to me, because he moaned and threw his head back. I wrapped my legs around his waist and let him thrust deeply into me. He nuzzled my ear and whispered, "You taste incredible."

After a few minutes, he rolled off and lay on his side facing me. I was still lying on my back and he ran his arm under my shoulders. I was lying at a slight angle away from him; he raised my legs and slid his thighs under my bent knees, almost like I was sitting on his lap. The difference in our heights made it possible for him to penetrate me this way, and he reinserted himself into my wetness. He used his free hand to stroke my nub as he thrust into me. He said softly, "Look at me, lover. I want to watch you cum for me."

My temperature must have shot up ten degrees. I rolled my head over and stared into his eyes, and the combination of his hand and the slow thrusting from below was enough to bring me to the edge. My eyes began to loose focus and he said with satisfaction, "Yes, my love…" and once again he made me come, shuddering and twitching.

As soon as I was still, he rolled back on top, and resumed his slow pace, but almost instantly he was ready for his completion. He bit into my breast, and came inside me. We lay joined for few minutes, still relishing the connection, and when he slid out of me I ached at the loss. He cuddled me to him, and said gently, "You are mine, and I love you."

I wondered how I would ever manage to drag myself on that plane.