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

A/N: I know its been awhile…but trust me when I say I will never give up on this story. We're over half way, and there's so much still to come! To (hopefully) make up for the long wait, here's an extra long chapter. As always, huge thanks to all of you who have stuck with the story, and to all of you new followers too! Love the feedback! Remember story is rated M for mature content.

Chapter 17

LA – Eric's office

Eric POV

(A male voice comes through the intercom) "Mr. Northman. I have a Mrs. Boudreaux, on the line. She says it is a personal matter. I can get rid of her if you like." I can sense my assistant's over-protectiveness. It is one of the reasons I am grateful I hired him. However, blocking calls from Sookie will not do.

"No, Andrew. That is not necessary. In future, any calls from Mrs. Boudreaux are to be put straight through. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Thank you, Andrew." With that exchange finished, I hear Sookie's voice come through my earpiece.

"Hello, Lover. What a pleasure it is to hear your voice," I purr.

"No need to lay it on so thick, Eric. After all, we have spoken every day since New Orleans and I'll be seeing you later tonight, right?" she asks with a hint of humor in her tone.

"Wild horses could not keep me away…it has been far too long already."

"It's only been two weeks, you big sweet talker. I think you can manage to hold on for a few more hours." I can easily hear the amusement in her voice, as well as feel it through our now stronger bond. "Besides, we agreed it was the best way to convince the King that you have no further interest in me."

"I know that it is. It doesn't mean I have to like it." I retort.

"Awww. If I didn't know any better I'd say you miss me." Sookie responds once again with her enjoyment evident. "I miss you too, you know?"

"Yes, lover. But tonight that will end. My plane should be landing in Dallas in a few short hours, and I can fly to your home in an hour or so after that. No one will suspect that we met. My assistant even arranged to have another vampire stay in my room in Dallas, and placed a room service order to further corroborate my stay there."

"That sure seems like an awful lot of trouble," she starts to protest.

I cut her off with a quick, "You are worth it." Just as I expect to hear her deflect or deny what I said, she surprises me with a barely audible 'thank you'. The Sookie I used to know always struggled with her self-worth and routinely thought too little of herself. It is so refreshing to see the changes the past decade and a half have made.

"The King will no doubt piece together that we are bonded AND business partners once the launch is complete, but I would rather keep him away from our personal and professional business for as long as possible." I note the time on my watch and say, "As much as I would love to prolong our conversation, I'm afraid I must cut it short. You caught me on my way to my final meeting of the day. I will see you in a few hours, and we can continue this discussion then."

"See you soon." She replies, and with that we hang up.

En route from Dallas to Bon Temps

My plane lands and I send a car with my luggage and travel coffin to the hotel. We will be returning to Dallas (separately) the following day to meet with some of Godric's old nest mates. Isabel is now Queen, and she has graciously offered to do a tasting of our blood additives with several of her local retinue. Sookie had originally wanted to test market and launch our product in New Orleans, but I distrust the Louisiana King…now more than ever.

Isabel was very eager to be made a part of our joint venture. She was actually one of the first vampires I approached with the investment opportunity. She has the highest number of shares in Saveur á la Vie, behind Lafayette, Pam, Sookie and myself. More importantly, I trust her. She is among a very short list of individuals I can say that about. Were he here, I know Godric would support my decision. He always thought very highly of her. Assuming a positive outcome in Dallas, I've made plans for further testing and marketing in LA. To avoid favoritism to any one state or Monarch, we will be launching the full line later this year at VampCon.

I start running through some of the details of the tasting as I make my way to Bon Temps. It's a pleasant night, no rain or strong winds (thankfully), so the flight should take about an hour. I can feel her anticipation, and it is fueling my own. I have longed to have her with me from the moment she left New Orleans. My guards assure me there has been no unusual activity. I refuse to put too much stock in the 'no news is good news' approach, so I will continue to remain vigilant. I have to admit, there is a very small part of me that almost wishes the King would make a move. First, because it would give me an excuse to take him down. Second, because I would also like to see someone try to mess with Sookie. With her enhanced fairy abilities, she is a force to be reckoned with. She tried to argue this very fact with me herself. Though I agree that she is very capable of defending herself, I just feel better knowing she is warded and guarded from harm. As I have said so often, I have not achieved my advanced age by being careless.

Seeing the top of her home snaps my thoughts back to the present. I plan to enter through a second floor window she has left open for me. With any luck, no one besides Sookie will know of my arrival. I crawl through the window trying unsuccessfully not to bang my head on the sill. The noise was enough to alert her, and I sense her excitement as we run into each other in the hallway.

She launches herself upon me, all arms and legs, and soon my neck and waist are encircled by my little fairy. She crashes her lips to mine, and smashes her breasts against my chest, until there is literally no space between us. Clearly, her mind is on a reunion that doesn't require talking…and I am suddenly VERY on board with that notion. I can feel our mutual lust begin to soar, bursting alive in our bond.

In mere seconds we are in the master bedroom, a tangle of limbs and clothes. Our sole focus is on reuniting our bodies, everything else be damned. I hear her gasp as we finally find ourselves laying on the bedspread with her astride me. She impales herself and begins riding me like her life depends upon it. It doesn't take long for us to find an angle and pace that works for us both. Like horny teenagers, it takes only minutes for our bodies to respond, forcing first her orgasm and then my own.

Lying there panting, still on top of me, Sookie raises her eyes to mine with a nervous "hello". I have never found her more adorable than at this moment. She so obviously enjoyed what transpired, while simultaneously feeling embarrassed by it…she is a walking contradiction.

"Do not be shy, Lover. That was, or rather you were…exquisite." I rub my hands down her back soothingly. "I don't think I have achieved completion that fast since my human days," I say with a smirk.

"I didn't mean to go so crazy, I just wanted to give you a proper welcome home kiss," she mumbles now unable to make eye contact. "I'm not sure what came over me."

"Are you joking? If that is your idea of a proper kiss, I am NOT complaining. In fact, I would very much enjoy it if you wanted to greet me in that manor any time we spend time apart." A full grin is now adorning my face as I reach and lift hers to mine once again. "Sookie, do not be ashamed. It takes two people to make passionate love…so I am just as guilty of losing control as you." I see her begin to nod slowly when I add, "I have no regrets, aside from it not lasting longer."

At last, my attempts at humor have elicited a response…she laughs softly.

"That's more like it. How about a quick shower before we get down to 'actual' business. The quicker we can get that over with, the sooner I can have my way with you again." My comment is met with an eye roll and a smile.

Showered and dressed we find ourselves at the dining room table a short time later. Sookie has assembled some samples of each of our prototypes and is filling me in on all that she and Lafayette have been up to. She feels strongly that the flavors are finally ready for testing. I go over the plans I have made with the Dallas vampires, and she seems genuinely excited for the tasting. As I began to discuss the next steps we will take after Dallas I notice her attention begins to wane.

"Sookie, what is it?" I inquire.

"Oh. Nothing bad. I was just thinking about the last time you and I were in Dallas together." She sighs. "So many memories."

"Yes," I agree. "Some of the best and worst of my existence."

"Well, I understand the 'worst' part, I know losing Godric was very hard on you." She states simply.

"That is true. However, there were other painful moments as well." I reach to take her hand in mine. "You were not aware of it, but I was very conflicted in my feelings towards you in Dallas. When you were taken by the Fellowship, it made me aware of an attachment I felt towards you that far exceeded the simple attraction you already held. I was genuinely concerned for your safety and well-being…which led me to make some regrettable decisions."

"Like what?" she questions so obviously eager to hear more.

"Though I do not in any way regret giving you my blood, I do wish I had acted less impulsively when I deceived you into drinking it after the bombing. Knowing you as I do now, I understand that I should have been honest with you about my intentions. By tricking you, it did irreparable harm to your trust in me. I only furthered the smear campaign Bill had already started against me." I could sense Sookie's thoughts as she processed what I was saying. The mention of Bill caused a slight twinge of hurt and considerable anger…which did please me, I must admit. "I also regret not looking more thoroughly into Bill's motivations for being in Bon Temps and his apparent obsession with you. Perhaps I could have unearthed his mission from Sophie Ann sooner, and saved you from some of the pain and manipulation you suffered. His misuse of your love and faith in him still enrages me."

"Well that's all water under the bridge now, isn't it?" She asks sweetly.

"Yes, and yet we both still feel the after effects."

"C'mon Eric. You and I have moved past all this. He's gone." She waves her hand back and forth between us, "We are still here. Stronger than ever." Her eyes are boring into mine, hoping to get the validation she is so desperately seeking.

"Yes. Of course. You are right." She finally seems happy not only with what she sees in my eyes, but in my response as well. "I did not mean to imply anything different. It also brings us back to the topic of the better memories I have of Dallas." My signature smirk adds some emphasis to the latter part of my statement.

"Ooh. Do tell." She sasses while batting her eyelashes in an excessive manner.

"If you insist," I tease back. "I very much enjoyed seeing the blush that rose in your cheeks every time you looked my way after the bombing…it gave me hope that there was a mutual attraction between us. Do you deny it?"

"Oh, no. Though I was fighting against it from the start, I was always attracted to you and having your blood just made it worse. The dreams alone were enough to make me swoon!" she exclaimed.

My eyebrows arch and my smirk widen as I reply, "You must tell me of these dreams…I want to hear all the sordid details." I send a wave of lust through the bond for emphasis.

"Yeah, I'll bet you do, you big horndog! Truth be told, my dreams weren't quite what you probably have in mind. There was plenty of sex, of course, but they also showed me a version of you that was very different than the bad-ass Sheriff you were acting like back then. They showed me your more vulnerable side…one which was loving and kind. They showed me a glimpse of the man that I fell hopelessly in love with." I feel her squeeze my hand to reinforce her words, as the pure sincerity of them stream through our bond. As touched as I am by the sentiment, I can't resist the opportunity to tease her a bit more.

Putting on my most innocent face I ask, "So I wasn't the lying A-hole you claimed I was? You seemed quite convinced, as I recall."

The look on her face speaks volumes, but her voice comes out slightly raised as she says, "You were absolutely a lying A-hole…at the time!" She continues more calmly, "That was a long time ago, and you've proven that you are far more than that." Her kiss steals my opportunity for rebuttal.

As I pull back from the kiss my left eyebrow arches towards my hairline. "Miss Stackhouse, I do believe you are trying to change the subject. Now I wonder why that might be, hmm?"

"You're incorrigible."

"I am. And it's one of the things you love about me. If it weren't for my unrelenting pursuit, we wouldn't be standing here on the verge of a successful business and personal merger. Double entendre intended." Not wanting to wait any longer to move things back to the bedroom, I pull Sookie into my arms and have her laying naked before me on the table before she can blink.

"I guess the 'business' part of the evening is over, huh?" she squeaks.

Staring down at the beautiful length of her body I respond, "Business? Yes. Funny business? I'm just getting started."

Just after dawn – still in Bon Temps

Sookie POV

I awake with a start. My hand reflexively goes to my chest where I feel my heart racing a mile a minute. I try to shake my sleepiness to determine exactly what it was that woke me.

Was I having a bad dream?

I look over at Eric who looks so peaceful in his day death. His hair has fallen slightly over one eye, still messed up from our rather extensive sexual escapades. My body feels tired and sore, but I don't mind one bit. Feeling the minor urge to pee I decide I might as well head to the bathroom since I have a clear path and no vampire dead weight to hold me down.

I take care of things and then stand to go wash my hands. Something is still tickling at the back of my brain, but my head is still in too much of a post sleep and coital fog to figure out what it is. Hands all washed, I cup some warm water and splash it on my face. I stand upright as my vision begins to clear and immediately freeze as I see the image staring back at me.

I feel an icy chill run through my body as I blink my eyes rapidly hoping to make the apparition disappear. Unable to stop my hand, I slowly reach out towards the mirror in a subconscious attempt to touch the man standing behind me. This can't be real. My mind is screaming at me that this is obviously some kind of dream, but the tears that have started running down my cheeks say otherwise. The other face in the mirror looks back at me, with a look of worry and pain etched across its masculine features.

Without thought, I turn towards the place the man in the mirror should be standing but the space is empty…there is no one here but me.

I spin back to face the mirror once again only to find that he is still there. When my hand begins its trek back towards the mirror, I watch as his hand reaches towards mine as well. In my mind, if only briefly, I wonder if I will feel flesh when our fingertips meet? But instead, I feel nothing but the coolness of the vanity mirror's glassy surface.

My eyes travel back up to the face of the dark-haired ghost from my past, and I watch as his mouth forms words that I cannot hear…not with my ears or my telepathy.

"I can't hear you," I cry in desperation. "I don't know what you're saying."

I point to my ears and give a shrug, while shaking my head back and forth. The man keeps talking, raising his voice if the strain on his face is any indication. I slowly mouth the words again, "I. Can't. Hear You." I watch as the man stops his attempts to communicate, while his hand drops back to his side. Then, ever so slowly his image starts to fade away like a mist, until nothing at all is left.

My body is racked with sobs as I grab a hold of the porcelain sink on both sides to stop myself from falling to the floor. The only sound I hear are my own mournful cries. My brain is still spinning trying to figure out why he reappeared, and wondering if he will again?

A little voice in my head says, "He's gone." With that realization, I can feel all the emotions of my bereavement trying to bubble back to the surface…the devastating pain of loss. Why? Why now, when I am finally beginning to move forward with my life, and with Eric?

I try to convince myself that it is simply my subconscious playing tricks on me. Perhaps making love to Eric in my home, in my bed, has triggered some kind of latent guilt? That would make sense, after all. The problem is I don't believe that it is just some illusion conjured up in my own mind. I saw what I saw. It was real. He was real.

And if all that's true then one burning question remains, "What was my husband trying to tell me?"

Before dusk – Greenwood to Dallas

Sookie POV

While Eric is sleeping, Lafayette and I cater a wedding in Greenwood. It is a mid-afternoon ceremony with a reception immediately following. Lafayette and I have all the food prepared in advance and our usual crew is more than capable of running things with minimal supervision. It is the perfect cover to get me out of town without anyone noticing.

Once I am satisfied things are going smoothly, and the flavor samples are loaded into Lafayette's car, I take off towards Dallas. The wedding venue is right off I-20 near the Texas border making it just a few hours from Dallas by car. Lafayette's dark window tinting will prevent anyone from seeing me driving, and with any luck, I'll be at the hotel before nightfall.

The plan is for me to take Laf's car to Dallas. He will drive my car back to the house where his boyfriend will be waiting. They will stay at my house to keep up the appearance that I am at home. Upon rising, Eric will fly to Dallas and meet me at the hotel. I still think this might be overkill but I defer to Eric's judgment. He knows better than anyone how vampires think and to what lengths they are willing to go. Besides, I know in my heart that my safety is one of Eric's chief concerns…we wouldn't be doing all this if he didn't think it was necessary.

As I'm driving down the highway I notice I have left the radio off allowing my thoughts to drift back to this morning. The sight of my husband in the bathroom mirror was unsettling, to say the least. I hadn't thought much of it since then as consumed with the wedding as I have been. But now, with nothing more to distract my train of thought beyond my driving, it is all I can think about.

As if on cue, while checking my rear-view mirror to see if I am being followed, his image appears out of nowhere looking as if he is sitting in the backseat. I yelp while simultaneously jerking the wheel, causing the car to swerve out of my lane. Thank goodness the traffic is so light. I am able to correct without any harm being done.

Just as before, he looks at me through the tiny strip of mirror mouthing words I cannot hear. It isn't long before he recognizes the futility of his newest attempt, and once again, I watch as he fades back into nothing. At least this time it isn't quite as much of a shock, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't still shake me up.

The next mileage marker I see says that I'm only 13 miles away from Dallas. The sun is slowly setting, so I should be getting to the hotel just before full dark. Good. That should give me enough time to get my shit together, because right now my heart is still beating out of my chest.

Eric and I have the presentation later tonight. I can't afford to lose my focus, so much is riding on this. At the same time, I can't just act like nothing has happened. I have literally seen my dead husband twice in the past 24 hours. It has to mean something, but what?

Worrying that Eric may be feeling my all-over-the-place emotions, I call the house. He should still be there. After two rings I hear Lafayette answer.

"Hey Laf, it's Sookie."

'Hey there Hooker! You make it to the big D yet?" he asks with obvious enjoyment. "Oh wait, that's right, that's still up in your shower attached to that hunk of a vampire...gettin all clean for ya."

"Very funny, Lafayette. Don't let Eric hear you saying that," I reply.

"Why's that? You think he's going to get all upset?"

"No. I think it'll go straight to that big head of his," I try to respond but am cutoff by Laf's laughter as he adds, "I think that's exactly what he's hoping for, sugar!" More laughter comes through the line.

"Lafayette! Ugh, I don't have time for your teasing, I really need to talk to you." I can tell he understands that I am being serious, because the laughter stops immediately.

"What's up baby girl? You ok? Everything alright with the samples? You ain't in trouble are ya?"

"No. I mean yeah. I mean everything is fine with the samples, it's me I'm worried about." I continue quickly, so he doesn't get the wrong idea. "I mean, I'm fine, no trouble getting here and whatnot. It's just that I've seen something weird a couple of times, and I don't know what to think about it."

"Well what do ya mean by weird? It sounds like you is freakin out," he responds.

"What would you say if a told you I've seen my dead husband? Twice!"

"I'd say that is all kinds of fucked upness, but I'd also say it must just be another day in Bon Temps." Lafayette waits a beat before continuing, "Go on then, tell me everything. What exactly did you see?"

I explain to him about being woken up in the morning, and what I saw in the bathroom mirror. Then I tell him about what just happened in the car. My nerves are finally starting to settle down when it occurs to me that Eric should have felt something coming from me with our bond. "Lafayette, is Eric still there?" I can't help but wonder why he hasn't called or checked on me.

Before I hear his response, the Viking himself is on the phone. "Do you want me?" he asks playfully. "I was just about to take off, have you made it to the hotel yet?"

Huh. He doesn't sound the least bit concerned. That seems odd. "Not just yet, I'm about 5 minutes away."

"Good. The timing is as planned. I'm heading out now and should be to the hotel in just shy of an hour," he replies normally. "Oh, before I forget, there should be a little something waiting for you in our room. I hope you like it."

"What did you do," I begin.

Eric immediately cuts me off saying, "Sorry lover, I'm taking off now." At that, I hear Lafayette's voice come back on the line, "Damn, that man of yours sure knows how to make an exit!"

I can't help but smile at his words, and then I feel a sudden waive of emotions…guilt, anger and sadness? Is this coming from Eric? No. I can feel him as well. He's happy and excited. I can feel his exhilaration from flying. So where are these other emotions coming from?

"Hey Laf, I'm starting to pick up on some strange feelings now, but they are not mine and they are not Eric's. Not only that, but Eric didn't seem to pick up on how stressed out I was before." I add hastily.

"Look here, you needs to keep your mind focused. Do whatever mind mojo you do, get through the tasting tonight, and when you gets back LaLa will make it all better. Don't go worrying your pretty head over it anymore. You dig?" he asks. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out once you get back from D-town."

"How is it that you can manage to be sweet and nasty at the same time?" I ask. "Wish me luck?"

"You knows it is my gift, baby girl. Besides, you don't need no luck, just go show them vamps what they've been missing all their undead lives!" he says with enthusiasm and adds, "You got this!"

"Thank you, Lafayette. I'm at the hotel finally. I'm afraid the signal will drop when I pull into the parking garage, so I'll call you tomorrow about the tasting…bye."

"Bye Sooks."

As I park the car and make my way to our room in the elevator, an eerie sense of déjà vu overtakes me. Being back at the Hotel Carmilla brings back images of Bill, Barry, Lorena, the Fellowship, Gabe, Godric, the bomb and Eric. It's shocking to realize that most of them are now gone. Bill, Lorena and Godric having all met their true death's (never mind that I was responsible for some of that). Gabe and the Fellowship members are either dead or forgotten, the Church having lost its supporters when their involvement in the tainted True Blood was revealed. And Barry, who could still be in the Fae world for all I know.

Eric and I alone have survived.

I open the door to the room and recognize it immediately. It's not the room that Bill and I shared, no. It is the room I had pictured in a dream once, the suite that Eric had stayed in…the suite he had mourned the loss if his maker in. My eyes take in the over-sized bed, lit fireplace and seating area. There on the coffee table is a stack of three silver boxes, each one slightly larger than the last, all wrapped up with a bright red bow. I reach for the attached card seeing my name elegantly written across the front. It reads:

My dearest Sookie,

I know that returning to this place may be difficult for you. We share many memories here, many of which were not good.

That being said, it is here that I became aware of my feelings for you. It was here that you and I began a bond that has not only lasted the past two decades but has grown even stronger.

I may have been infatuated with the Girl in the white dress, but she was young and naïve.

It is the Fairy and Woman you are today that garners my affection.

You are beautiful, intelligent, loyal and trustworthy.

In over one thousand years, I have never met your equal.

Please accept these gifts from me and consider wearing them tonight not only for the tasting, but afterward at the hotel, where I hope you will do me the honor of joining me in the third and final blood exchange to make you my bonded.

All my love,

Eric

Oh my. I wasn't expecting that. I mean, I know how Eric feels about me and I know that he wants us to be bonded. I just wasn't expecting it to be so romantic and proposal-y.

Now I have to see what's inside those boxes!

I decide to open the largest one first. I untie the ribbon and make my way through the silver wrapping paper. As I lift the lid off the box I see a beautiful scarlet red gown inside. I quickly stand up taking the garment with me, extending my arms out to examine the style and length. The gown is sleeveless with one-inch straps and a scoop neckline. The bodice is fully fitted with a short skirt that flares out from the waist that will likely fall just above my knees. I can hardly wait to try it on.

Moving on to box number two it reveals an elegant bra and panty set, also in red. I can see the bra is convertible, so it can be worn with or without its straps. I can't help but smile when I consider just how much thought Eric has put into all this.

I take a deep breath as I reach to open the final and smallest package. I am unsure what I am going to find, but nothing could have prepared me for what was inside. The interior of the box is lined with tissue paper, concealing the actual size of the gift it contains. I retrieve the small black velvet covered jewelry case, setting everything else aside. Slowly, because my hand is shaking slightly, I pull open the top.

There, laying against the satiny fabric inside is a stunning ruby necklace. I assume the cool metal is platinum or white gold, since silver is out of the question. The necklace itself is a "Y" design with three pear shaped rubies of incremental sizes hanging down the middle in a drop formation. It somewhat mimics drops of blood, and I realize in that moment that I am correct. Each drop signifies the blood exchanges needed to form a bond, and the increase in size the increase of the bond's strength. Of course, there is a matching set of earrings as well. No doubt the ensemble will look perfect with the dress.

Eric's thoughtfulness and obvious attention to detail has my heart soaring. I'm not one to accept fancy things for no reason, but I also learned the hard way that sometimes you need to be gracious and accept a gift that is freely given. My younger self would probably be getting ready to put up a fuss over being a "kept woman" but I'm wise enough now to know better. Besides, his gifts are more than just some dressy clothes and jewelry…they represent an offer and contract that if entered into will bind us to each other forever.

I have a lot to consider, and very little time to consider it. Eric will be here soon.

A/N: So, Sookie pretty much has her plate full right now…she's got a vampire King after her; a new business venture she's trying to launch; her dead husband making cameo appearances; and Eric proposing that they become permanently bonded to each other. I thought my life was busy!