Disclaimer: I only own my own creations but make them play in the True Blood world.

A/N: Can't apologize enough for the unexpected hiatus. Life happened. But have an extra long lemony chapter to make up for it, before heading into more story development. Enjoy!

Chapter 15 (M rated – sexual content and language)

Sookie POV

I can feel a slickness as my arm slowly pulls its way down the sculpted chest it's resting upon. Though my eyes are closed, I can sense the light as it drifts into the room through the window's thin drapes. Not a harsh light, just the early pre-dawn glow of soft pastels.

Morning is coming.

Did we really stay up all night?

The thought simultaneously alarms and amuses me. I know that I was the one that had initiated things last night, but I never dreamed it would turn into a marathon of sex. Like a virtual sexual camel, the orgasms I had been denied since my husband's passing, stored all this time, were more than willing to make a triumphant escape.

I tremble as images of our previous night come unbidden to my mind's eye.

I reflect with fondness on the incredible chemistry Eric and I shared all those years ago. I think we are both somewhat surprised at how easily it all came back to us…almost as if our bodies remembered one another.

The night was about more than just the physical act of love making, it was a reconnecting of body and spirit. As much as Eric traced and caressed every curve of my body and expanse of my skin, he never stopped talking to me. Words of praise, encouragement and light-hearted teasing brought smiles and laughter to us both. I had forgotten just how much "fun" Eric could be.

As if he could sense my thoughts, I feel the slight rumble of Eric's chest as he laughs quietly.

"Good morning, my lover," he croons as he grabs for the hand I am trying to remove from his chest. In the next moment that hand is brought to his lips, as they graze across my knuckles. "So soft," as he presses more kisses, and "so lovely," he whispers as I watch his eyes rake over my body.

I can't help the snort that escapes at his words, since I feel anything but. My once beautiful hair do is a tangled mess, my makeup probably looks like a deranged clown, and my body is glistening with sweat and the evidence of our repeated joining. In a word, I look and feel gross, but in the best possible way.

In a half-hearted attempt to leave the bed, I soon find myself wrapped in the steel-like grip of the vampire behind me. Eric drags me and pulls me back into the bed until I am resting against his torso. His mouth immediately attaches to the pulse point on the side of my neck, and I feel his blunt human teeth nibbling lightly at the skin. I realize with a start that he hasn't bitten me, not once, this entire time. In fact, he hasn't even brought it up. I wonder why? More important though, why am I disappointed?

What a hypocrite I've become! After all the righteous indignation I felt towards Bill, Russell and even Eric in the past over them "fang raping" me, now I find myself disillusioned because Eric didn't even try? Before I can think too much about it, however, I once again find myself drifting off in the arms of my long-lost love.

Waking a short while later, I'm uncertain when our post coital cuddling turned into Eric being out for the day. I find that I am laying under the dead weight of his arm and leg…if you'll pardon the pun. It is a little disconcerting to me, as I'd grown accustomed to sharing a bed with a warm-blooded man for several years. I forgot the eerie stillness that comes with a vampire's day rest. I stop myself from thinking of Eric as a corpse, since an awake Eric is the polar opposite. However, I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being just a little bit "weirded out".

You can do this Stackhouse! This is Eric after all.

Shaking off the fear and doubt that threaten to destroy my mood, I wiggle my way out of Eric's embrace, and bee-line it to the bathroom. I badly need to relieve myself. Once that is done, I feel the oversize tub beckoning me to its welcoming depth and promise of warm, bubbly goodness. After the tub is filling and the bath beads are added, I walk over to the mirror.

It's about as bad as I expected. The cringe on my face does nothing to improve the image of the wild woman staring back at me. Love bites. I spy for the first time the slight bruising that peppers my skin from ardent kisses and a vampire that has a bit of an oral fixation. He may not have pierced my skin with his fangs, but he suckled hard enough to leave marks. Too bad the King can't see me now…there would be no mistake that I DO belong to Eric.

Did I just think that?

Before I can think too much about that errant thought, I sink into the warm bath water as a moan escapes my lips. Luxuriating in its liquid embrace, I search for and press the Jacuzzi button. I am immediately rewarded when tiny bubbles start surrounding my love worn body.

I may not be aging, but my body still feels the after-effects of the extensive work out from the night before. Muscles tired and achy from over use. Skin tender from so much love and attention. A pleasurable soreness that reminds me of what it feels like to surround and accept him. Okay, so maybe a bit of pain as well. Ouch. All I know is the water feels amazing, and I surrender to its magic.

Too soon, the water begins to cool, and the skin on my fingertips and toes start to pucker. My stomach is growling, so it's probably for the best. I wrap up in a fluffy towel as I exit the tub and make my way back to the bedroom.

Eric is in the exact position I left him in. It would be so easy to sneak my way back into his arms, but I really need to get something to eat first.

Somewhere in the midst of our evening, Eric mentioned the palace has staff to cater to humans during the daytime. He felt very strongly about me staying in our room until he rises, but said that room service is always available. A quick call to place my order, and I'm indulging in a delicious soup and sandwich in no time at all.

After setting my dirty plates in the hallway, as I was instructed to, I start snooping around the suite. There's a large flat screen smart TV, so I can pretty much access any book, music, video game, movie or TV show I want. There's a couch and chair setup near the TV, so I opt for the comfier of the two…the couch. I'm still wrapped in nothing but a towel, but figure there's no one else here that's gonna mind.

I flip through some recent movie releases, not finding anything of interest. Music doesn't seem like a good choice, since I don't have anything else to do while it's playing. I switch over to broadcast television, thinking if I can't find anything to watch, I will simply choose an e-book instead.

The default channel is a vampire network…no surprise there. To my delight, however, they're playing old reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is the one where everyone forgets who they are due to a spell cast by Willow, and they all wake up at the magic shop trying to figure it out. I laugh out loud as Spike figures out he's British and his name is Randy.

Spike was always my favorite character. The black leather wearing platinum blond, blue eyed, sexy yet snarky (in a totally lovable way) vampire…kinda sounds a bit like someone else I know. Huh. I had never made that connection before. Though I'm quite sure Eric would deny having anything in common with the fictitious vampire, I can't help but see some fundamental similarities.

Both of them have a great capacity for love, and as art so often imitates life, both have found their heart's desire in a (super) human woman. Ok, so I'm not a supernatural vampire slayer…but I am supernatural, and I have slayed a few vampires.

Once again, my thoughts are distracted when the end of the episode shows Spike and Buffy kissing, while Michelle Branch sings "Goodbye to you". I always loved that part because I felt they belonged together.

I continue watching the next two episodes and watch as Buffy and Spike spend their first night together, having building destroying sex. I gotta say, I can relate a bit more than I would like to admit. Last night, the entire Palace could've fallen down around Eric and I, and I would barely have noticed. We may not have broken furniture or walls (thank goodness) but we did spend the entire night giving in to passion and comfort and love. To quote Spike, "It was a bloody revelation."

Between the show, and my recollections, I find myself dropping my towel, and snuggling back into Eric's body. I just have the overwhelming need to feel him…skin on skin. I push my way back towards his chest and stop once we are pressed together fully. His scent drifts into my nose, and I relish the oceanic saltiness that is unique to him. It's such a simple thing, but to be in his arms like this, gives me a feeling of peace I haven't felt in so long.

As I lay there, looking up at the ceiling, the memory of laying in Gran's bed with a warm fire comes to my mind. It was the moment Eric offered to run away with me, leaving his world and even his memories behind. His sincerity broke my heart. As much as I wanted to run away and never look back, I knew we couldn't. Is it possible we're getting another chance? Do I dare let myself dream of a life, a future on our own terms, with Eric?

Only the struggle to keep my eyes open alerts me to just how truly exhausted I am. Unwilling to put up a fight, I quickly succumb to the pull of sleep once more.

Eric POV

I wake slowly, to the smell of sunlight, even though I know inherently the sun has just dipped below the horizon. A smile I cannot prevent makes its way across my otherwise relaxed expression...my little fairy is pressed naked against me. Much as I had all those years ago, I roll over and press my cheek to her breast, curling around her torso as she slides gently on to her back. She has not woken, and I as I lie there motionless, her steady heartbeat begins to feel like it is my own.

What is it about this woman that makes me feel so human?

To say that being intimate with Sookie again was good, would be perhaps the biggest understatement of my undead life. It was exquisite, and all the more because for the first time we were truly together. No spells, memory loss or thoughts of lovers past to come between us. For better or worse, it was the "real" Eric Northman that made love to her all night

The small tie I have with Sookie assures me that she let her guard down as well. She is not the innocent virginal girl that walked into my bar. She has grown into the amazing woman she is today…fairy and human living in harmony. I always knew I would like fairy Sookie. Last night confirms it.

My thoughts continue to drift as my free hand begins tracing the contours of her body. She smells of bath salts and shampoo, so she obviously bathed during my day rest. I tentatively play with the soft hair that covers the juncture of her thighs, and without thought, begin to dip my fingers down her folds.

I may have spent the better part of the past day indulging in various sexual acts with her, but it is never enough. She draws me to her like a moth to a flame, and I never feel fully satisfied until I feel myself buried deep inside her.

I need her NOW.

To my extreme pleasure, I find that she is wet and responsive, though she seems to still be asleep. I turn my head slightly, to take one of her hardened nipples in to my mouth. Flicking and licking it until it stands rigidly on its own. Sliding my leg over her hip and in between the slight part of her legs, she opens herself to me further as my second leg joins the first.

Looking down, I see my straining cock hovering over her entrance. Hesitating only long enough to assure myself she won't mind being woken up this way, I press my hips forward sliding into her waiting channel.

Valhalla.

It is difficult at times like this not to think that she was made for me…because I can't fucking think that there could possible be anyone else that could ever feel this good…EVER. I've had thousands of partners (women and men) in my lifetime, and no one can hold a candle to Sookie.

Gods, I want to bite her so bad, just the thought has my fangs running out. But that I will only do consensually. She must understand that I want so much more than just her blood. I want her to believe she means more to me than the sum of her parts…faith that I am attracted to her as a person, not her "irresistible" blood.

The gentle rhythm of my strokes has been waking Sookie up in more ways than one. I watch her eyelids flutter open with a look of surprise, followed by the parting of her lips and the same eyelids slowly closing again for a reason other than sleepiness.

Her arms snake around my neck and I feel her arching her back under me. Her hot breath blows against my chest, urging my body to increase its pace.

As I speed up the pulsing of my hips, Sookie runs her hands down my back and over the roundness of my ass cheeks. I feel as she grabs tighter with her fingers, as if trying to pull me inside her ever deeper. I am helpless to deny her. Our bodies both working of their own accord…desperately seeking its missing half. Ever since our blood exchange, there's an undercurrent to physical joining that was never present before. Something I want to ask Sookie about, but clearly not now.

Her stamina is surprising, far superior to a regular human. I can only think I have fairy Sookie to thank…and thank her I will…repeatedly.

Her breath has become more of a series of pants, with my name coming out as a sweet moan from time to time. It's like music to my ears. I never want to stop hearing her say my name like that.

Sookie's hips are now meeting mine thrust for thrust. I can tell she's getting close…just the thought brings me to the brink myself, knowing if I set her off, her squeezing walls will bring me off with her.

My eyes have closed as I throw my head back. The pace we have maintained is turning frenzied, and as our orgasms mutually build, I feel the heat between us grow.

"Fuck Sookie, you're so hot," the words slip out unexpectantly. "Come for me my lover."

Her answer is something that sounds like, "You. Good. Mine." At the last word I hear her mouth let out a strangled "Eric", erupting from her throat as she crests the wave of her climax. Hearing and feeling her come around me brings my own release, and I thrust a few final times as I ejaculate deep inside her. Just as I am about to roll to her side she surprises me by bringing her hands to my face and pulling me to her mouth for a toe curling kiss.

"Sookie?" I ask after she pulls away.

"Bite me," she responds. "Eric, I want you to have my blood again."

"Are you sure?" I question, though on the inside I'm silently rejoicing.

"Yes, I've been thinking about this all day. I'm not doing this impulsively," she replies.

"I agree, but on one condition." Here is the opportunity I have been waiting for. So here goes nothing, "I would like you to take some of my blood as well."

The old Sookie would have immediately and stubbornly refused my request, but as a testament to her maturity, Sookie agrees. I'm not sure which of us is more shocked.

Before she has a chance to change her mind, I roll off her and sit up against the headboard. Quickly reaching over and picking up Sookie until I have her straddling my waist, sitting us face to face, I look her in the eyes.

"Before we do this, and I want you to know that I want to do this more than you could possibly know, I need to explain what this will mean to us going forward." I begin. "When we exchanged blood before, during the curse, I initiated it on gut instinct not realizing the ramifications. When a vampire and human mutually exchange blood, it forms a bond."

"Well yeah, that happened before, but it faded," Sookie says with a confused look on her face.

I respond, "Not exactly. When we had each other's blood in Dallas, that formed a tie. A tie is temporary. The exchange was never mutual. Blood bonds, especially after the second or third time, become deeper and eventually they become permanent." I take a moment to gauge her reaction, and continue, "The bond we made during my curse never faded…for me."

"What?" she chokes out. "All these years, you could still feel me? My emotions? My feelings? Eric. Oh my god. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Don't be upset, it wasn't that bad…I got rather used to being able to feel you all these years…it filled the hole left when I lost Godric and Nora. It made me feel less alone. I came to cherish it." I stroke a finger down her check and pull her in for a quick kiss. "But its why I wanted you to know that exchanging blood again will be a second exchange, and as such, will affect you much more than the first." I add, "I honestly don't know why the bond remained intact as it did…it shouldn't have lasted this long."

She nods as she adds, "I had no idea. Its funny though, now that you mention it. I would occasionally get thoughts of you that would pop up in my mind at he oddest times…no rhyme or reason to it. And every time, I always seemed to sense how you were feeling. I just thought it was my over active imagination. I guess it really was you!"

She places her hands on my shoulders and states, "This changes nothing. I still want to do the exchange. And Eric, thank you for your honesty, it means a lot to me."

With that I bring my hand to my fanged mouth, just like that day in the cubby, biting deep into my own palm. As Sookie brings my bleeding appendage to her luscious lips, I lean forward in to the crook of her neck and slide my fangs into her pulsing jugular.

Many things happen simultaneously. First, the unparalleled honey ambrosia that is Sookie's blood hits my tongue and it feels like coming home. In that same moment I feel the ever-present bond to Sookie literally come back to life, as Sookie's emotions come barreling into me…the primary one being astonishment, as she comes to grips with feeling me in response. My eyes open as I prepare to pull away, and it is my turn to be shocked as I notice that Sookie is glowing!

Her neck is iridescent where I am pulling her life's essence into me. I pull my fangs out to see that my hand is glowing too, as she pulls another mouthful of my blood. What the fuck?

Just as I am about to say something, Sookie breaks away from my hand, and opens her eyes too seeing the ethereal glow encompassing my hand.

"Cheese and rice! Is THAT supposed to happen?" she squeals.

"I have no idea; your neck is glowing too. I've never seen anything like this before." I answer.

Before either of us can become too unhinged by this latest development, the glowing starts to fade away completely.

"Oookay, so that happened." Sookie drawls. "I'd ask if you're as confused as I am, but I can tell that you are. Eric, not to state the obvious, but I can feel you…I mean, really FEEL you. This is incredible!"

"I'll contact Dr. Ludwig, to see if she has any insight. But you're right, the bond can be useful," I admit, "It's not exactly telepathic, but it is way for me to get some insight into what you really feel about things…and it works both ways." I take her hands from my shoulders and squeeze them slightly. "Sookie, you'll never have need to doubt how I feel about you, ever again. It won't be like before."

Sookie cast her eyes down, avoiding my gaze. Lifting her chin back up, I ask. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking that it shouldn't take a bond for me to be secure in your feelings towards me. I was so naïve and dumb before, I honestly don't know how you can still love me after everything I put you through," she sighs.

"Don't you see Sookie, the very best things in this life are the ones that you fight the hardest for. It may not have been easy, but despite everything we are here. I never gave up on you, not in Dallas, not when you were taken to Fairy, and certainly not now. I always believed we would end up together. You are mine, Sookie. You were the moment I first laid eyes on you."

I thought for a moment she might start to cry, as unshed tears filled her eyes, but instead, she crushed her mouth to mine while running her hands through my hair. Kissing until she had to break for air, she shook her head and began, "Thank you for never giving up on me. You're the only one, besides my Gran, who never lost faith in me. More importantly, you accept me for who I am, ALL of who I am. Even Gran and my husband struggled with that from time to time…not wanting to acknowledge my "otherness". I feel like for the first time in my life I am free to be myself, do you have any idea what that means to me?"

With my signature cocky grin, I reply, "I'm getting a pretty good idea right now (as I tap the side of my temple). But I'm doing no more than you are doing for me. I'm no saint, you of all people know that, and yet you still let me into your heart. The monster, the man, you accept them both. We really do make quite the pair, don't you think?"

The mood is interrupted by the sound of Sookie's growling stomach. As she blushes in embarrassment, I laugh as I suggest we get cleaned up and go out for dinner. After a rather long shower together and hasty dressing, we head out into the New Orleans' night. We still have more to discuss about our newly formed bond, and whatever the hell that glowing was, but for the next few hours, we are just going to enjoy being together.

Which we did. Neither of us noticing the vampire that was following our every movement.

A/N: Again, must apologize for the long wait. Already started the next chapter and I am hoping to get it out in the next week or so. Thanks for your continued support and as always, thanks for reading!