A new one.

:K


Chapter Forty Nine


Pam POV

"Are you sure that's her?" I looked at the photographs carefully, but I couldn't be completely convinced. "It could be anyone..."

"It's her," Calvin Norris answered without a shadow of doubt. "I've been following her the last few weeks and there is no doubt. This woman is obsessed and will make a mistake soon."

"I want you to destroy her, I want to be sure Shannon Tale will never be hired as a model. Her life is going to become hell when these photos come to light." If she had been brave enough to burn Eric's car down and turn his life into a nightmare she would have to face the consequences now.

"Pam, I'm the best at my job, don't worry."

I snorted and started pacing back and forth. "Do not tell me not to worry, because I'll rip your balls off if you keep treating me like a sweet little girl." I said glaring at him and continued talking. "You've no idea about the problems this bitch has caused and she's trying to get away with it….I think not."

Someone knocked at the door and Norris stood up, collecting his things.

"Come in." I said firmly.

"Hey Pam," Sookie greeted me with a smile. "Can we talk a minute?" She entered surprised when saw Norris. "Mr. Norris, I didn't know you were here, I hope not to have interrupted something important."

"No, I was already leaving. Good to see you again, Miss Stackhouse."

"Likewise." And she did not say another word until Calvin left my office, closing the door behind him.

"What is it, Sookie?" I knew exactly why she was here, but I was surprised when she had come alone.

"This." And she tossed an envelope on my desk and stood still. "What does it mean, Pam? Why had Tyler given those photos to Eric?"

I sighed heavily and placed myself in front of her. I hadn't even noticed her outfit, but she was really sexy and I had to force myself to stay focused.

"Why are there photos of a naked Shannon Tale with other men? Also the burning of Eric's car in this envelope?"

"Because, I asked Calvin Norris to follow her and take those photos." Her eyes opened wide as if she was surprised by it. "Did you really believe someone else had sent these photos to you two? Come on Sookie, you knew it was me."

"Of course not. I knew it was you, but I had no idea that Calvin Norris was following her." She sat on my couch, but I remained standing before her. She lifted her head and looked into my eyes. "When he came home we were talking and he asked me to tell him all I knew about Bill. I did, but we never talked about Shannon Tale. I don't know, until a few weeks ago I had never thought she could be involved with him."

"Well, she is. Those two have been working together since the beginning." I answered honestly. It was foolish to try to hide the truth, because she would discover it sooner or later.

"Guess that makes sense," she said whispering.

"What do you mean?"

"Bill and Shannon, together." I'd never thought about it before because I didn't care. "It makes sense, because she is obsessed with Eric and Bill hasn't stopped harassing me since I left Bon Temps. Shannon is desperate to get Eric's attention again."

"You think she's doing all this out of jealousy?"

"No, of course not. She's jealous, I'm sure of that, but there is more to it. She wants to hurt him. All that is important for Eric and his car was something important to him so…"

"But there is something else, isn't it?"

"Yes." She breathed deeply for a few seconds, trying to decide whether tell me or not but she finally did. "A few days ago a messenger handed Eric a package with no address and we had no idea what it was about. Eric opened it and inside was his license plates, you know the Corvette, and I guess that was the only thing left when his car was destroyed by Shannon."

"Are you serious?"

Sookie nodded and kept talking. "He was really mad and I was scared that he might do something crazy, but we talked and I got him calm down. He was feeling better, but a few minutes later Shannon called and told Eric that he was going to regret what he did to her. That she was going to take everything from him. She assured him that she could convince anyone that she was just an innocent victim and she would get all his money as compensation."

"Damn crazy bitch!" I yelled and didn't care who would listen. I was pissed, very pissed off and wanted to find Shannon and destroy her beautiful face. "Sookie, you need to talk to Eric and tell all of this to the police."

"Eric said he'd call the FBI agents who were investigating in Stockholm and he also kept the box in case there were fingerprints or any other evidence against Shannon."

"I'm going to kill her!"

"Listen Pam," she said standing up and staring at me. "You will not do anything, okay?" I was about to protest, but I stopped myself. "Eric and I have been talking and Cataliades agrees with us that we must remain calm and let her make a mistake."

"A mistake? Sookie, this is very risky. What if she doesn't make any mistakes? She's not as stupid as she seems."

"She's not as smart as she seems either," Sookie replied and was right. "Look, Eric and I trust in Cataliades and Calvin Norris. With all these photos, it'll be much easier but we still have to find enough evidence against Bill."

"He tried to kill you both in Stockholm, is not that enough?"

"Pam, listen to me." She demanded firmly. "I assure you there is no one else who wants to end Bill Compton like me, but if I lose control, if I let myself go by my emotions and pregnancy's hormones right now…I will make a mistake and all this won't serve, do you understand?"

I nodded, but I was still thinking it was too risky. "Sookie, do you realize how difficult it'll be to get something against them?" She sighed and sat down on the couch again, but this time I sat down beside her. "They won't be as stupid as to act again when the police is investigating."

"I know, Pam. I know." She sighed again. "But what else can I do? I don't want to sit doing nothing at all, but I can't go outside either to look for them. I'm getting married in a few days, for God's sake! I should be thinking about the most important day of my life. I should be chasing Eric for him to tell me where he's going to take me on our honeymoon…but however I'm here thinking about Shannon Tale and Bill Compton and their next move. It is not fair!" She breathed deeply and had tears in her eyes. God, I couldn't understand how she was still sane.

"Sookie, do not cry." Talk sweet was not me, but I could do it for Sookie. She had become part of my family and I wasn't going to let other people to hurt her. "Look at me." She shook her head but I didn't give up. "Sookie, I want you to look at me, okay?" I asked her as gently as possible.

She finally raised her head and looked at me. Her eyes were red and teary. I gave her a handkerchief from my purse. "You need to stay strong, okay?" Sookie was going to say something but I cut her off before she could. "It is not an advice or a suggestion, is what you have to do and you have to stop mourning and worry about all this right now. You're getting married Eric at the end of this week and nobody will prevent this wedding, do you understand me?" Sookie nodded slightly but did not change the expression on her face. "You cannot let this affect you the way it's doing it because you are a strong southern woman and I'm sure you're able to get through this."

She smiled weakly and nodded. "I'm acting like a fool, right?"

"No, you're acting like someone who has too much to think about." Sookie chuckled but she knew I was right. "Look, I think you and Eric should go to Bon Temps tomorrow on the first plane." Sookie was surprised but said nothing. "I know you two were going to go before all of us anyway, but it may be a good idea to go out of this madness for a bit longer and I promise you that you won't have to lift a finger to organize anything, all right?"

"You think we should go?"

"I think it's the best for both of you; in Bon Temps you'd be together and relaxed, at least until Sunday."

"You know, I'm going to tell Eric."

"Do it."

"Thank you Pam, for everything."

"You're welcome. And if you see that beautiful model who's living with me, please tell her to drag her perfect ass to my office. We have things to talk about."

Sookie left and I felt better after having spoken to her. The girl was a mess when she confessed me everything that was worrying her, but she seemed calmer when she left.


Sookie POV

Talking with Pam helped me to realize that I was focusing all my energy on our problems and I did not want to keep doing it. I wanted to think on my wedding, my future husband and our baby. That's all. I entered Eric's office again with determination and closed the door firmly behind me.

"Sookie?" Eric asked me arching his sexy eyebrow. "Is everything all right?"

"We have to go, Eric."

"Excuse me?"

I sat on his desk again and put my hands on both sides of his face for him to look at me.

"Listen to me, Eric." He nodded slightly, without saying a word. "We were going to leave to Bon Temps on Friday, but I think we should go now. We could be alone and have time for us and we both already know that in a matter of hours the whole city will know that we're going to go to Bon Temps to get married and this will turn into a nightmare." I didn't want to look like crazy, but I really was desperate to abandon Los Angeles as soon as possible. "Also, I've been talking to Pam and she agrees with me. In fact was her idea and…I want to go, Eric. I want to have a couple of days just for us, you know, no paparazzi, psychopaths models and obsessed ex-boyfriends with mental disorders. Just us. At least for a few days."

"Okay."

"But if you don't want to go…" and a second later I realized he had agreed with me. "Do you agree? Really?"

"Yes."

"Don't you think I'm behaving compulsively?"

"No."

"Eric, sweetie, I love you…but if you keep answering me with monosyllables I will end up slapping you." I said calmly and smiling.

"Sorry."

"No," I sighed, "I'm sorry, this is driving me insane and I need to relax a little, that's all."

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"I think we shouldn't carry too much baggage." Eric yelled from the bedroom while I was gathering my things from the bathroom.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I poked my head into the bedroom with a frown. "We have to get the luggage for the honeymoon and our wedding clothes and more clothes for the days we'll be at my home and bath things and…"

"Baby, that won't be necessary."

"What do you mean?"

"It's our honeymoon and I'm pretty sure we'll spend a lot of time naked in bed…" I blushed completely and came back to focus on the bathroom stuff. Trying to concentrate on gathering all of our things before returning to the bedroom. God, all the time naked, no interruptions or work commitments, just us.

"Do you already have the tickets?" I asked him trying to change the subject.

"Yeah," he answered me and walked into the bathroom, hugging me from behind and looking at me in the mirror. "Our flight leaves in three hours. Pam and Amelia assured me that they would take care of the rest of our stuff. We just have to carry a bag, our wedding clothes and they will take care of the rest."

"Are you sure?" I asked, stroking his hands that were over my belly. "I don't want to cause trouble."

"No problems, my lover, Pam insisted and I agree. Don't worry about anything, everything's organized."

So three hours later we were at the airport, about to embark, and suddenly I felt much more relaxed. I did not want to admit it, but the big city was too exhausting for me since I was pregnant and I really needed a break.

"Ready?"

I nodded and grabbed his hand tightly as we were in our seats. After all this time I still hated takeoffs and landings and for some reason I knew that I would never get over it but with Eric by my side I felt much safer.

"Are you okay?" he asked whispering in my ear.

"Yep."

I felt at home in Los Angeles, but returning to Bon Temps was something very special to me and it would always be my place. I was going to marry in the same church where my parents married, with my little family and friends around, with the man I loved, and knowing that a precious baby was growing inside me. Yeah, coming home was always good.

"Are you happy?"

I smiled and squeezed his hand. "Yeah, I want to see everyone and I miss the house where I grew up. I know it's ridiculous, but I suddenly feel like a little girl again. You know, going back to Bon Temps and seeing the people I left behind. But it won't last because in a matter of days the whole town will be full of people and the wedding will invade everything."

"Don't worry, everything will be okay."

"I know, I know."

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Being back at home was wonderful. Of course it wasn't the first time since I was living in Los Angeles, but it was the first time I was here and I wasn't pissed off and confused. I was still completely in love with Eric Northman, but that first time I was too proud to admit it.

It was so weird to be in the same house after everything had happened in our lives. As if they had actually spent years instead of months, but those last few months had been the best of my life.

Eric told me for the first time that he loved me here, we were together, getting to know each other and realizing that we were really meant for each other and neither of us had realized yet.

"I love being here," he said as he left our bags in the living room, "brings me a lot of memories." It was as if he was reading my mind. Memories and most of them very happy.

"I know, it's weird that it's been just a few months, don't you think?"

"Yeah, and the most incredible is that a lot has happened in the last few months but I assure you that I'm so glad to be here." We were standing there, looking around us with Eric hugging me from behind and enjoying the peace in Bon Temps.

We unpacked and Eric took the rental car to go buy supplies at the store. I changed the sheets in the bedrooms and fell asleep without realizing.

I was exhausted after the trip, but I had too much in my head and a lot of things to do that I decided not to waste a minute. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect because in a couple of days Amelia and Pam would be in one of the bedrooms and Eric's parents in the other one. Yes, suddenly my quiet home in Bon Temps was about turning into Stackhouse Hotel, but I did not care at all.


Eric POV

I loved living in Los Angeles, the big city, my job, the countless shops and traffic. Yes, it might seem overwhelming sometimes, but I had gotten used to everything. But living in Bon Temps was something I was sure I could get used to.

When I left in the car I decided to go to Shreveport. I remembered the way from the last time I was here and I knew the Wal-Mart in Shreveport would have everything we'd need at least for a couple of days, and I knew Sookie was too tired to come with me. I wanted her to rest, to do absolutely nothing at home and we would spend time sitting in front of the fireplace and enjoying the peace.

I bought food and some things I had forgotten and made sure I had everything before returning.

I was starving and could have stopped to eat something quick, but decided to go home and cook dinner for Sookie and me. After the trip she would be too tired to cook and I wanted to do something special for her after everything we had been through for the last few days. I was on my way back when my cell phone started ringing and connected the headset.

"Hello?"

"Eric."

"Hey Pam. How's everything? Did you miss me already?"

"Fuck you.." I was even sure that she was rolling her eyes. "Don't be so fucking self-centered."

"I love you too, Pam. What is it? Sookie and I have arrived a few hours ago and I'm on my way to Bon Temps."

"Great, I just wanted to make sure everything's ready." Wasn't that her thing? Pam never hesitated when she was in charge of something and that made me suspect something was happening.

"What is it, Pam?"

"Nothing, why?"

I rolled my eyes then, but decided to change the subject. "It doesn't matter. Hey, I thought of preparing a romantic dinner for Sookie so I want to be quiet tonight. Could you take care of my calls? Unless they are from my parents. I don't want interruptions tonight."

"Sure, don't worry." At least I could be sure no one was going to call tonight unexpectedly. "And how's the future bride? Nervous?"

"I am not nervous. I assure you, Pam, it's the first time in my whole life that I'm so sure of something, it's amazing and I thought I would never be the kind of man who would end up marrying and raising a family but…I dunno, I feel complete with her, I am happy and I'd do anything for my Sookie."

"Oh Eric, I'll end up throwing up if you keep saying all that shit, so please shut up." I shook my head and smiled as I was approaching to the house and decided it was time to end the conversation.

"Hey Pam, I'm almost home so I have to leave. See you in a couple of days."

"All right. Have fun and do nothing I wouldn't."

I walked through the back door and heard any noise so I assumed Sookie was sleeping. She told me that she was going to stay at home so I put the things on the kitchen counter and went upstairs to our bedroom.

I opened the door slowly and there she was, laying on the bed and wrapped with her Gran's afghan around her. Sookie seemed to be completely in love with this blanket and she carried it everywhere. She was beautiful while she was sleeping and I couldn't contain myself, so I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures of her. I couldn't stop looking at her, but if I wanted to prepare a good and romantic dinner I had to get started.

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An hour after the dinner was ready, the table set and the lights turned off. Only candles on the table, the kitchen countertops and around the living room just illuminating everything against the darkness from outside was a very romantic sight.

I had showered and changed clothes while the oven finished our dinner. I was checking everything was ready Sookie appeared in the kitchen's doorway wearing a beautiful pale pink dress, a white sweater and barefoot.

"This is unbelievable…" she whispered. Her eyes were sparkling with tears. I did not want her to cry, but I relaxed a little when I saw a smile on her lips. "Eric…I cannot believe you've done all this." She looked around while her smile became bigger and bigger and went to the living room where I had lit the fire and spread a soft and huge blanket on the floor.

"You like it?"

"Like?" she asked chuckling. "I love it and it's like a dream. Everything's so cozy and romantic and the fireplace…oh God, I want to make love in front of the fireplace."

I laughed. "I'm glad you like it. Come on," I said extending my hand to her. "Dinner is ready." She took my hand quickly and walked into the kitchen.

I had closed all the curtains and we could only see the outside through the window on the door.

I began to serve dinner and force Sookie to sit in the chair. I did not want her to move because all this was my idea and I wasn't going to let her do anything at all.

"Everything's perfect. Mmmm…" She moaned when tasted the first bite. "It's delicious."

If I ever thought dinner would only be a dinner I was very wrong. I could hardly eat a bite when she did, because I couldn't help looking at her. How beautiful she was when she was emitting moans of pleasure every time she tasted the food. Each of her moans went directly to my cock and I had to move several times in my chair to be comfortable.

"Mmmm…seriously, Eric, this is amazing and I cannot believe you took so much time preparing this dinner." I knew chocolate was Sookie's vice and Dr. Ludwig told us if there were no problems but she couldn't abuse. Of course I hadn't prepared it, I couldn't cook so well, I bought it but Sookie did not say a word at any time. "You are the best fiancé in the world." She said and a second later rose from her chair, sat on my lap and kissed me passionately.

I could taste the chocolate on her lips, like the rest of the dinner, but the sweetest was her scent. Her lips were so soft and full covered and were covering with chocolate's scent and couldn't help stroking them with my tongue before separating them to keep with our intense kiss.

My hands were clinging to her hair, stroking her slowly while she was doing the same by placing her hands around my neck. Both of us wanted to stay touching each other and when I was sure Sookie was safe against me I got up the chair, placing my hands under her ass and left the kitchen to the living room with her legs around my waist.

When we needed to breath again I pulled my lips away from hers, looked at her eyes and I stopped in front of the blanket that was placed on the ground in front of the fireplace.

"I love you, Sookie Stackhouse, and I will marry you in three days."

Sookie smiled broadly and told me that she loved me too and was crazy about me but at that time she really needed me to fuck her. Who was I to refuse? I laid her down on the blanket gently, supporting my weight on my elbows and staring at her before kissing her again, her forehead, her eyelids, her nose, her chin and her lips again.

"Ohhh…Eric…"

I kept kissing her collarbone, slowly, and the top of her breasts as I was massaging her breasts through her dress.

"God Sookie…you are fucking perfect." I couldn't stop looking down at her, but my girl wanted to fuck and I wasn't going to keep her waiting.

I got rid of her sweater, throwing it carefully far away from the fire and picked her up slowly, holding her against my chest as I unbuttoned each of the buttons of her dress until the straps fell gently on her forearms and lifted it to her head and threw it with her sweater.

"Beautiful." I mumbled and she blushed.

There we were, I was fully clothed and my precious fiancée just wearing her underwear.

I stared at her for seconds, memorizing every inch of her smooth, tanned skin until Sookie couldn't stand it much longer and unhooked her bra and grabbed my face with both of her hands, kissing me desperately.

"I love you Eric, but if you don't fuck me right now, I will explode."

I did not hesitate a second, I took off my shirt, boots and pants as fast as I could and was in front of Sookie again. She was wearing only her tiny thong and when she started removing it I stopped her.

"Eric…"

"No, my lover, I'm going to take care of you first."

Sookie smiled shyly, knowing exactly what was coming for her, and laid back on the blanket on her elbows and without looking away from my eyes at any time. Yeah, exactly what I was expecting. I knelt before her and began caressing her soft and delicate legs again and again until I spread them enough to place myself between them. I kissed every inch of her thighs, getting lost in the softness and firmness until my face was in front of her little bundle of nerves and inhaled deeply until my nostrils were flooded with her exquisite aroma.

"Mmmm…my Sookie, I'm so hungry for you." I whispered and I really was.

I spread her folds slightly, feeling the humidity and a moment later I buried my head between her legs, licking her, sucking her and lapping her like there was no tomorrow. Yes, I was hungry for my Sookie and when her hands rested on the back of my head I knew she was feeling the same. I kept fucking her with my mouth, making her explode again and again, making her see stars, making every second was perfect, special and I expected that Sookie was enjoying it.

"Yes, Eric, don't stop!" I wasn't willing to. "Ohhhh, God…" Her moans were getting louder and were screams in a matter of seconds and for the first time I was glad to be in Bon Temps where we hadn't close neighbours who could hear us.

I was so focused on pleasing Sookie that I couldn't think of anything else, I just wanted her to cum again, making her feel the luckiest woman in the world at that moment and when she orgasmed for third time I knew I had managed it.

"Oh, Eric, I love you." She mumbled while was trying to catch her breath.

I was over her, staring down at her with a smile on my face before kissing her passionately and let her breathless.

"I love you so fucking much." I said, and though it wasn't exactly the most romantic thing that had left my mouth it was what I felt at that time. "Tell me lover, are you ready again?" Sookie just grinned widely and captured my lips on hers as she placed my cock in front of her entrance.

"Oh God…Eric, please do it, fuck me. Fuck me!"

"Your wish is my command, my lover." And in one motion I was inside her, moving slowly at first but increasing the pace further and further until Sookie was screaming her lungs.

"Oh fuck! Eric, don't stop! Fuck me! Please don't stop, please!" We fucked and fucked for hours, unable to take off our hands from each other and we were completely exhausted Sookie fell asleep on my chest and I used the blanket to tuck her in and went to our bedroom.

"Sweet dreams, my lover." I got into bed and snuggled next to her, placing one hand on her hair and the other on her belly, caressing it until I fell asleep.

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I woke up next morning alone in bed and looked like Sookie had been gone long ago.

Fuck, I was sore, but when I remembered the reason I could not stop smiling knowing that Sookie would feel the same way.

"Morning," Sookie appeared in the doorway, wearing my shirt and holding two cups of coffee.

"Morning," I said, clearing my throat. I yawned and she sat next to me on the bed. "I guess it's decaf for you." Sookie rolled her eyes and took a sip from her cup and winced. "It's disgusting."

"If you had awakened me, I could've prepared my special coffee for you," I said with a wink, before taking a big sip of my coffee. It was delicious but rather to enjoy it out loud I decided to keep the comment for myself knowing that Sookie would hit me without hesitation. "Mmmmm…you look beautiful, especially when you're naked, but I love watching you wearing my clothes."

Sookie giggled, drank the rest of her coffee and put the cup on the nightstand. "Do you realize today will be our only day off before Ravenscroft Hurricane comes here?" Sookie said, smiling but sad.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded but I wasn't convinced. "Sookie, what is it? Do you…have you changed your mind?" If Sookie did not want to get married I'd wait for her but I really wanted her to become my wife. I wished it with all my strength like that night when I proposed to her. "Because we can wait, you know, I…we don't have to if you're not…"

"No! Eric, I want to marry you but I was just thinking, that's all."

"Thinking on what?"

Sookie sighed deeply and looked into my eyes. "I'm not doubting, Eric, I promise." She caressed my hand for a few seconds, the longest of my life, and finally went on. "I think coming back to Bon Temps has made me realize all I have left behind. I love living in Los Angeles, I really do, but I want to come here often, especially when the baby is born so we could come on holidays or whenever we want and our child would grow up in the family home."

If Sookie really thought that we would never be here, she was very wrong. Of course I'd thought about it. Living in Bon Temps made me feel good, happy and relaxed, something not often happened in Los Angeles but our jobs were there and we couldn't leave it all behind.

"Sookie, of course we'll come, I promise you." She smiled again then, but this was a sincere smile. "I've been thinking about it since I knew you were pregnant, and I agree with you, I want our child to see all this, to grow up in a place as wonderful as Bon Temps is and if that means having to extend our holidays, we will."

"Really?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "You're willing to do that?"

"Of course I am." How could she doubt it? "Also, our baby will have to meet to Uncle Jason and the rest of the family because your friends are your family, Sookie, and I won't ever change that." The tears were running down her cheeks, I hugged her tightly against me and stroked her hair until she stopped mourning.

"I'm fine," she sobbed, "I'm fine. They're happy tears actually, so I'm not sad." She was trying to convince me but it broke my heart when she cried and I tried to cheer her up in any way.

"You know, we should spend the day at home, relax a little and when the times and everybody is here to prepare the wedding we'll leave the house and spend the day seeing your friends, what do you think?"

"It's a good idea but I think we should go to talk to Father Riordan today and make sure everything's ready for Sunday. I know that's not exactly the best plan but…"

"We will."

"Really?" she asked surprised. "Because I can handle it and you want to stay here."

"Sookie, I'll go with you."

"Okay."

Although we were going to talk to Father Riordan, we decided to take it easy and spend most of the morning at home, eating breakfast together, showering together and enjoying the quiet until lunchtime.


Sookie POV

I couldn't believe it; I was getting married in the same church where all my family had done it before. Jason wasn't exactly the kind of man who gets married, at least for now, so I would follow the tradition.

It was very special to me and although at first I thought Eric wouldn't agree or maybe thought it was stupid, he was always enthusiastic about the idea to get married in Bon Temps. He wanted our wedding to be special and if he had to do it in a small town in Louisiana he was willing to.

"We're close."

The church was a simple but beautiful building and I remembered perfectly well because my brother and I always went to church with my Gran on Sundays until things changed. I didn't go often to church now, at least not in Los Angeles, but Bon Temps was special and a part of me knew I had to.

"Are you nervous?"

"Yeah," I replied laughing, "but I don't understand why. Anyway, it's not the first time I'm going to this church, but this time is special. We're getting married and if someone had told me a year ago that all of this was going to happen, I would have thought they was crazy."

Eric continued driving, following my directions but before reaching the church, I saw Father Riordan sitting on one of the benches near the church.

"Eric, stop the car."

"What?"

"Stop the car. Father Riordan is out there."

Eric stopped the car a few feet away from the bench and we got out of the car. What was he doing sitting out there?

"Father Riordan?"

He got up slowly and smiled weakly, as if he was surprised to see us, but he just hugged me and said hello to Eric.

"Sookie, I'm glad to see you again and I guess this man is your future husband."

"Eric Northman, Father." Eric said, extending his hand to greet him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Father."

"Likewise, Eric."

"Father, what are you doing out here? I thought you would be inside."

"Sookie," he stopped and sighed, but then continued talking quietly, "I don't know how to tell you this."

"Tell me what?"

Okay, I was getting worried now, but I still didn't know why. Father Riordan was standing there in front of us, with a sad expression on his face and without saying a word. What the hell was going on? And suddenly I felt ashamed for having thought of something rude in front of a priest.

"Father Riordan, please, what is going on?"

He breathed deeply and looked into my eyes. "Sookie, Eric, I'm sorry to say this, but I'm afraid it won't be possible to celebrate your wedding in the church." And automatically I looked at the place where the church had always been.

"What?" Eric and I asked at the same time.

"There were some problems a few weeks ago with the storms and the structure was badly damaged and the city council decided to demolish it because it was a danger to the whole town."

Suddenly, I felt tears in my eyes and although was blinking rapidly to contain them it was impossible.

"Oh my God…" Eric was beside me, hugging me but I couldn't help mourning. "I can't believe it! What…what happened? Father Riordan, why didn't you tell me before?"

"I'm sorry Sookie, but we didn't know what was going to happen until three days ago. Sheriff Dearborn checked out the structure personally with an architect a day before you two arrived and it was then when they decided to knock it down."

"But…" the tears were running down my cheeks and even I wanted to talk, to try to understand what was happening I was unable to control myself.

"Father, what are we going to do now?" Eric asked. It was exactly what I was thinking but I was suddenly unable to utter a word. The church where my Gran and parents had married, where I went every Sunday and the place where I was going to marry Eric. But now…no, now it was just a pile of rubble and dust, nothing more.

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"We don't have a fucking place to get married!" I yelled pacing back and forth across the living room. "The damn church has been demolished and there's not a fucking place to celebrate our wedding! Eric, why is this happening to us? Why? WHY? Dammit!"

"Sookie, calm down, please."

"I don't want to calm down! Don't you understand?" I yelled at him.

"Hey, I know everything seems out of a movie right now and maybe there's no a solution but we can always choose another place to get married."

"It's not about the place, Eric, okay? I know it was just a church, but it was a very special place for me and no longer exists now." I dropped myself on the couch and just wanted to cry. Everything seemed to be against us.

"Sook, baby, I'm sorry, I really did not want to offend you by saying all that, but I don't know what to say or do to make you feel better. I love you, I'm completely in love with you and I'm looking forward to being father and if I have to marry you in a casino in Las Vegas, in a huge church or in the backyard of this house, I will. Do you understand? I do not care the place or anything else; I just want to marry you."

"The backyard?" I asked suddenly. I hadn't thought about it, but I had to admit it was a good idea, a very romantic idea but it wasn't my family's tradition and it broke my heart.

"Yeah, the backyard of this house is gorgeous and there's enough room for a wedding and we'd enjoy a wonderful day, so if you really think it's a good idea I'll call Pam and begin to organize everything."

It was supposed to be a quiet and relaxed day but I was crying again, trying to understand why the problems did not stop appearing all around us.

"Guess we have no other choice." Of course to get married into the family home would be beautiful, but the church would have been the perfect place.

"I'll call Pam."

I just nodded. Everything seemed complicated all the time and it was like being trapped in a nightmare and being unable to awaken. That was how I felt since Father Riordan told us what had happened.

"Eric."

"Yes?"

I remained silent for a few seconds, but finally found the words. "You still want to marry me in a small town in Louisiana that doesn't even have a church?"

Eric knelt before me, cupping my face with his hands and smiled sweetly at me. "I would do it in the middle of a road if it was necessary."

I couldn't help but smile, instantly feeling comforted by his words.

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"I CANNOT believe there's no a fucking church where you can marry, Sook, it's fucking unbelievable." At least Amelia was as pissed off as me. I desperately needed to talk to someone who understood the situation the same way I did and Eric couldn't understand it.

"I know, I almost suffered a heart attack when I found out. Can you believe this?"

"Sook, this sucks, I know, but you can't turn back now and let a problem ruin it all, okay? You're my best friend, I'm your Maid of Honor and we're like fucking sisters and I'm in charge of planning this wedding so although there's no church I can promise you that Sunday will be the most special day of your life and your backyard will be the envy of Louisiana."

I couldn't help grinning like a fool as tears were rolling down my cheeks.

"Do you promise?"

"Sook, of course I promise. Listen to me, I don't want you to worry about anything, do you understand me? Pam, Claude and I are already working on it and although there is no a damn church that won't stop you and Eric to get married, okay?" I agreed with every word she said because with or without a church I was going to marry the man of my life and nothing would stop me.

"Love you, Ames."

"Love you too, Sook. And stop with the fucking pity party, okay?" she said teasing me.

"Is everything okay?" Eric was in the doorway and walked into the room a second later. He put down a cup of tea on the bedside table and looked down at me. "I heard you mourning and laughing at the same time."

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and looked up at him smiling. "Yeah, everything's fine. I was just talking to Amelia and you know how brutally honest she may be."

"Yeah, she and Pam look like a lot although they refuse to believe it." He added laughing and sat beside on bed. "You know, I've been thinking and I know I've not been too emotional to the whole thing." I grabbed his hand tightly and looked confused at him. "Eric, what are you…?"

"Please, let me finish." I nodded and closed my mouth. "To marry in that church was a dream for you, something you've been waiting for a lifetime and it breaks my heart that everything's gone to hell for a damn storm, twister and whatever. It's not fair, I know, and maybe I can not understand it the way you do but I promise you someday, when that church is here again, we'll come to Bon Temps and get married in it."

OH. MY. FUCKING. LORD.

To say I was surprised was an understatement. Of course to get married in that church was special for me but I had already made up my mind that it would be impossible but once again Eric managed to surprise me.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I am." He said with pride in his voice and was surprised by my question.

"Eric, we don't have to do this, you know, it really doesn't matter because we'll be married on Sunday so there's no need to prepare another wedding and…"

"Sookie," he cut me off, "I don't care if we have to arrange another wedding, all right? I'll marry you this Sunday, but someday I will marry you in that church and be perfect."

I couldn't help restraining myself after hearing his words and though I wanted to cry again, the desire to attack Eric was much stronger and I jumped on him without thinking twice.

"Love you, Eric!" I yelled and straddled his lap, kissing him desperately as his hands gripped my hips and I rubbed myself against his crotch.

"You," kiss, "are the best," kiss again, "man in the world," and I kissed him again but much more passionate this time. "I can't believe you want to do this!" I was euphoric and I had no idea what I was doing or saying, I had no control over my body and all I knew for sure was that I wanted to fuck with my future husband as soon as possible.

Eric must have thought the same, because the next thing I could remember was seeing our clothing on the floor, I sat on his lap and Eric inside me.

"Oh God…Eric, don't stop…" We weren't making love. We were fucking like two crazy. Yeah, fucking desperately and trying to seek more contact between us. "Fuck! Eric, harder, please harder, don't stop."

"Ohhhh…fuck, Sookie! You are fucking perfect. I love you soooo fucking much!" Hearing his voice just made me increase the pace; riding him like it was the last thing I could do before suffering a heart attack.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Eric, I'm so close…please don't stop, please…" The sound of our skins bumping against each other was incredible, but my brain couldn't process anything else at that time, just focusing and keeping up the pace while I could feel approaching one of the most intense orgasms of my life and it was then when I exploded.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUCK!" Eric kept moving me up and down, impaling me against his cock until seconds later he climaxed and I lost my balance and was totally exhausted.

"Oh fuck…was…was awesome…" was all I could mutter before falling against his chest as he hugged me and gently stroked my naked back.

Eric kept stroking me as I continued looking through the window. It was darker and darker but nothing mattered at that moment while I was in his arms.

"Mmmm…this is great." Eric had begun to massage my shoulders slowly and I felt wonderful. Suddenly I realized it was the first time in weeks that I was relaxed. "Keep doing that…it's great. You have amazing hands."

Eric chuckled but continued with what he was doing. "Do you want to lie face down while I continue with this?" I raised my head and looked into his eyes. He wiggled his eyebrows and I couldn't stop laughing. "Really?"

"Sure, I'll do it for you, my lover." I got up from his lap and he sat me down on the bed. "Lie on your stomach." I laid face down on the bed, waiting to feel his hands on my back but Eric got up and went into the bathroom.

I enjoyed the best massage of my life when Eric spread the oil over every inch of my skin and massaged my back gently. I hadn't even realized until that moment how much stressed I had in me and I felt completely relaxed for the first time in ages and I slept all night.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Voices. Tools. Orders. What the fuck was going on with all that noise?

I opened my eyes slowly, but the sun didn't let me see. Eric was still asleep next to me, snoring weakly and imprisoning me in his arms.

"Eric…" I whispered but he didn't move. "Eric, wake up."

Eric muttered something unintelligible but opened his eyes and looked at me confused. "What is it, baby?"

"I think," but I yawned before talking again, "I think we have a home invasion."

"What?"

"I think our wedding preparations have already begun." I got out of bed, still naked, trying to think clearly, but the noise was unbearable and I just wanted to hide somewhere and not come out until the wedding day. "I think we should go down and see what's going on."

"Is it necessary?"

"I'm afraid so," Pam said opening the door unexpectedly.

"Fuck Pam! I'm naked!" I yelled and quickly covered myself with the sheets. "What are you doing here?"

I snuggled against Eric, covering myself as much as possible while we were both looking at her confused.

"Pam, what the fuck are you doing here?" Eric asked pissed off. "And more importantly, why the hell did you come into the bedroom without knocking first?"

Pam just rolled her eyes and put her hand on her hip. "Well, I believe we have a wedding to organize so I thought it was a good idea to start as soon as possible, don't you think?" I was going to kill her. Yes, I was going to kill her slowly and painfully and I was sure Eric would help me get rid of her body. "So we started early. Amelia and Claude are downstairs, supervising."

"Fantastic Pam," Eric replied, rolling his eyes. "But couldn't you just have phoned us to tell all this? No, guess not." And I had to choke a chuckle. "And why are you still here? You know we're already wake and we'll go down in a while, so you can leave now and…you know, keep doing your stuff. You know Pam, Sookie and I don't care at all about what's going on down there and we just want to be alone and…well…spending time together." I nodded vigorously but she just stood there, watching us with an evil smile on her lips.

"You two are so cute together," she said sarcastically. "Okay, I'll leave you two alone doing your things but remember, there are over thirty people down there so you better keep the volume low if you don't want to put on a show." And she left. I didn't know how she did it but she always managed to leave saying the last word.

"What the fuck is wrong with her?" I asked while Eric was shaking his head.

"I've been asking myself the same questions for over ten years, I assure you." We knew Pam wasn't going to give up so easily so we got out of bed, showered, separately to avoid temptation, and went downstairs to have breakfast.

I wasn't even prepared for what I saw through the window. My backyard was completely full of people; people walking from one side to another, carrying tables, chairs, flowers and making sure everything was ready for Sunday.

"Oh my God! This is insane!" I said turning back. "Look at all those people. It was supposed to be a simple wedding, family and friends, but it's like they're preparing one of these comic conferences who attended thousands of freaks, it's amazing." Amelia, Pam and Claude assured me the wedding would be exactly as we wanted but I was beginning to doubt.

"You know," Eric said as he rose from his chair, "it'll be better not keep watching this. I'm sure Pam and Amelia know what they're doing and Claude is an expert so everything will be perfect."

"Do you really think so, or are you trying to make me feel better?"

"Both." He said chuckling. "Listen, I know Pam since…well, I can't even remember it, but I assure you one thing about her, that woman," he said nodding at her, "is capable of achieving the impossible and we're always trusted on each other. She's never disappointed me and if you want a simple wedding, that's what you'll get." Eric was right. Pam and Ames knew exactly the kind of wedding we wanted to celebrate and I was doubting again. I was ashamed of myself but I couldn't help it, I was nervous and wanted everything to be romantic, beautiful and perfect.

"I'm acting like a crazy again, right?"

"Just a little bit." I hit him playfully on his chest and laughed together. "But I love it, I've always liked crazy girls." Yes, like Shannon Tale, but I decided to save the comment for myself. "You know, I think we should leave home, you know, see your friends and let all these people work, what do you think?"

"Okay. I'll go to get dressed."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I did not realize how much I had missed everyone until we were there at Merlotte's, talking with them and receiving congratulations for our upcoming wedding. Tara, Lafayette, Hoyt and Sam and the rest of the waitresses and many of the customers seemed to be delighted with the show we were putting on. Everyone was happy, we were happy to be here again with them, but Eric seemed distracted for something.

"You okay?" I asked him while caressing his wrist and waiting for our food. "You seem distracted."

"I'm fine, it's just…I've remembered that I had to go to buy some things I haven't bought yet."

"Well, we can go after lunch."

"I know, but you need to rest and actually is not as important. When we get home I want you to take a nap and I'll take care of the rest."

"Are you sure?" I insisted. He was really weird. "Because I don't think I'm going to be capable to sleep with all the noise in the house."

"Do not worry," he said caressing my wrist. "Pam assured me that they'll do a one-hour break when we get there so it's perfect."

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"No," Eric said, smiling weakly. "No need. Don't worry, all is well. It's just I saw a few things at Wal-Mart the other day, but didn't have time to look them carefully so I want to go back."

All right. Eric was much rarer than normal and I didn't know whether to be excited, worried or totally scared. This man was able to do anything and he always managed to surprise me but for some reason I kept thinking that maybe he was scared.

"Very well. I'll stay at home and rest."

"Great." He replied, smiling broadly.

We chatted throughout the meal, especially about the fact that Eric's parents will be in Bon Temps tomorrow and I still had to talk to my brother about what he should do during the ceremony. Jason really was taking it very seriously but I knew he was a little bit scared and wanted everything perfect for me. Deep down he was a sweet.

I was jumping up and down waiting for Vera and Jesper to come to Bon Temps because they were lovely to me when we were in Stockholm. Of course things did not start well with Jesper but we finally managed to fix things and I was sure this visit would be much different than the first one.


Eric POV

"Do you think we can do it?" I asked Father Riordan when I went to talk to him after leaving Sookie at home. "Because I want it to be something very special, she deserves it and it'd be amazing."

"Eric, I believe it is a wonderful idea."

Father Riordan was unlike any other priest I had ever known, well actually I don't know many of them, but…you know what I mean. He fully agreed with me when I explained to him my idea, although it may seem crazy and everyone else had refused to help me or have thought it was stupid.

No, I had to. I had to do this for Sookie.

I had to be sure that Father Riordan agreed with me first because I would need his help, before telling Pam and Amelia my idea. Damn, if this went well it would be something spectacular, something that probably Sookie or I would forget for the rest of our lives.

Yes, it would be shocking.


Thanks a lot for reading and reviewing.

:K