Eric walked into the house and stood there for a moment. Her scent lingered in the hall. He hadn't seen the Jeep he had bought her in the driveway and knew that she was gone. Bill had told Sookie and Sawyer had managed to get it out of her. Eric sighed and tossed his key in the bowl on the table by the door. He stopped and smirked for a moment. For once he had actually done what she had asked him to do and she wasn't here to see it.

He walked into the living room and stood in the doorway. He looked around the room trying to remember her being in it with him. How whenever he was in this room with her, he wasn't the Sheriff of Area 5, he wasn't the owner of Fangtasia, he wasn't a 1000 year old vampire; he was just Eric Northman, the person that Sawyer loved. He walked over to her desk and pulled out the chair. He sat down and looked at her things. He frowned when he saw an envelope with his name printed on it. He took it and opened it carefully not wanting to ripe the letter inside.

He pulled the letter out and her Norse talisman fell out with it. He stared at it on the walnut wood of the desk not knowing why it was there. Her grandfather had given it to her; she should have been wearing it at that very moment. He turned back to the letter and unfolded it. He started to read it.

Eric,

By now you probably know that I got Sookie to talk. She gives in too easily when it comes to friends and family. I know what the Queen ordered you to do. I have a few choice names for her other than your highness but I won't mention those. You could probably fill in the blanks anyway. I'm sorry, though. God am I ever sorry. I did this to you.

Eric had to stop reading. He was crying and a red drop of his tears had fallen on the tip of the paper. He put the paper down and sat back in the chair. He turned and looked at the fireplace and tried not to think about the ache that was forming in his non beating heart. He had told her he loved her in front of that fireplace. She had laughed then when she had realized he was serious, she had slapped him. He smiled a little. Sawyer always had to be different and she always surprised him. He turned back and took the letter again. He needed to know what her last words to him were.

I am so sorry I made you love me. I knew that I would only screw up your life. It's what I do; I mess up people's lives. I am also sorry that I ever asked you to be a father to my children because now... Not only did I lose you but they did too. I messed up letting you get too close. I can never... There is nothing I could ever do to fix it. I just hope that you can move on and be... Be yourself again. You know that egotistical prick that I first met... Actually, I kind of miss him, he was hot.

Eric smiled. He wiped the tears from his face and told himself to get his game face on. He could never let anyone know how much losing Sawyer was going to kill him inside. He had put on a brave face after Godric and lied to everyone that it didn't affect him. Until Sawyer; she had seen inside him and had known he had been lying to everyone else. He looked back at the letter and saw that there was only a little bit left.

Eric, I am giving you my Norse talisman. I... I think my Gramps found it for it reason and that me having it when we met was supposed to happen. I think it was leading me to you all along. I think... I think it is the one your father gave you. So in reality, it was never really mine to begin with but always yours. I'm returning it, Eric along with your love. I want you to take both and move on with your life. Be the vampire your Queen demands you to be and don't stop to think about me. Before you know it the years will have past and I... I'll be dust in the ground and you'll still be here. I don't want you wallowing in pain and missing me. I won't allow it. MOVE ON, that's an order.

Your Vacker... Always.

Eric felt his hand trembling. The thought of Sawyer dead and gone where he would never be able to see her again... He shook his head when his cell phone rang. He reached in his pocket and answered it needing a distraction from his thoughts.

"What?" he demanded.

"There's a problem down here," Pam said.

"You handle it."

"I can't. The Queen sent the problem here demanding you deal with it. I like you Eric, but I am not going to let myself be staked for you."

"A little dramatic, don't you think Pam?"

"No, dramatic is this... GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"

Eric pulled the phone away from his ear as she screamed then hung up. He looked around the room. He got up and tucked the letter in his jacket pocket. He saw the talisman laying there. He grabbed it and pulled it over his head. The iron touched his skin and all he could think of was Sawyer. He had never not seen her wear it and knew that it had been a huge sacrifice to leave it behind for him. He touched it softly.

"I will be the vampire the Queen wants on the outside but on the inside... I won't forget who you helped me be, Sawyer. Never," he said softly walking out of the room then out of the house. He didn't turn back to look at it because he knew he would lose it. He climbed in his car and drove away from Bon Temps and the life he had wanted with a human he had loved.

A/N: So, that's it; at least for this part. I do have an idea for a sequel but at the moment, I think I am just going to take a break from writing. I got my summer classes that are almost winding down and I am trying to deal with the loss of two of my cats that I loved dearly, so although finishing this story gave me the distraction I need, any sequels or thoughts of them will be put on hold for a while. Thank you to everyone who read this story, favourite it or favourite me. It means a lot to me. Your kind words really help me feel good about what I am writing and encourage me. Hugs and cookies all around. Lol. Anyway, I'll see you guys in the next one sometime soon. Peace.