A/N Sorry for the delay with this chapter. I've been working on my other stories and this chapter took a bit longer than i thought. there is a lot of information in this chapter and a bit of Sookie and Eric and a bed. I'l let you translate that as you see fit. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Review are like crack and make me want to write more:)

I managed to get out of Pam's van, but I was hesitant to go inside. I had butterflies in my stomach, I was so nervous. I didn't know if I could go in there knowing that it was just going to be the two of us. I took a couple of deep breaths and pulled up my big girl panties. I could do this. I held my head up high as I walked inside Fangtasia.

I looked around as I walked in and it seemed strange not having to shield myself against dozens of minds. I had my mind wide open and all there was, was silence. I could get used to this.

I was still looking around when I saw Eric sitting on his throne. He had his hair pulled back with a few wisps falling over his face. He was wearing black leather boots, black leather pants and a long sleeved black silk, buttoned down shirt that only had a few buttons done up. I could feel his beautiful eyes on me, but I was more focused on his chest. I wanted to run my hands and lips over every inch of it. I wanted to walk up to his throne, straddle him and ride him like a hobby horse… Son of a bitch! This was going to be very, very difficult.

"Good evening Miss Stackhouse."

"Good evening Mr. Northman."

"Have you made your decision?"

"Yes. I accept your protection, but I have a couple more questions that I need answered."

I'd been across the room from Eric, but within a second he was right there next to me. He was leaning in so close that I felt his cool breath on my neck as he spoke. "Will this question and answer session end up like last night's on the phone?" He trailed his fingers down my neck and my whole body was trembling, but I managed to force myself to calm down.

"Eric, we can't do this."

"I love how my name sounds on you lips Sookie."

"Ditto, but we really can't do this Eric." My voice was huskier than I had intended and my heart was pounding in my chest.

"We could be so good together." He continued caressing down my arms, then settled both of his hands on my hips. I wanted more of his touch, I wanted to press closer to him, but I knew that I had to keep my distance.

"But for how long? I don't know you Eric, but I can tell that you are not someone who is familiar with monogamy."

"Sookie I…" I brought my fingers to his lips to stop whatever he was going to say to me. Big mistake. He darted his tongue out and pulled my index finger into his mouth. In that moment I wanted his mouth on other parts of my body and those thoughts caused my panties to become very wet and I could feel my nipples harden against my dress. I was in deep trouble.

"Eric, please, I cant do this." I managed to pull my finger out of his mouth and put some distance between us. "I want you more than anything right now, but I'm not about to be just a notch in you bedpost. That's not how I want my first and every time after that to be. I want to make love to somebody that I care for and I want it to be romantic and special and magical."

He stepped closer to me and took my face in his hands. "I could do that for you Sookie. I could show you so many things if you would just let me."

"I know that you could, but could you love me?" He pulled his hands away like my skin was burning him, but he didn't say anything. I had my answer and I knew that Nessa was right. "That's what I thought. Would you be willing to answer my questions now?"

His composure had slipped when I asked if he could love me, but he put his sheriff face back on when I asked if he'd answer my questions. "Of course I can do that. Let's take a seat." He led me over to a booth without touching me which I was a little disappointed about, then he disappeared. I was worried that maybe I had screwed up, but he came back a moment later with a stack of papers. He separated them into two stacks in front of me and handed me a pen. "These forms are standard Fangtasia new hire forms, and this is a personalized contract I had drawn up for our arrangement."

"Before I sign anything I really do have a couple of important questions that I need you to answer." He motioned for me to go on. "I know that you said you could find somebody to help with my Gran, but what about at night when Bill Compton is out and about? I've warned her against him, but she's curious and might still confront him. I don't want something to happen to her because I was saving myself. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened."

He took back the personal contract, flipped a few pages in and scribbled something down. "I have now extended my protection to your grandmother as well. I will see that she has a bodyguard watching over her at night."

"With they be a vampire?"

"Yes, and I have just the man for the job. He is a bit slow, but he's good at taking orders." I looked at him confused about how a slow vampire would be able to watch my grandmother, so he continued. "He can do this. He needs to be kept hidden, so jobs like this are perfect for him.

"He was brought into the morgue the night he supposedly died and the attendant working was a vampire and a big fan. He found that there was still a tiny spark of life, so the attendant brought him over, but the transition didn't go quite right because there was so much alcohol and drugs in his system. As I said he's slow and had a taste for cat blood, but he's very loyal."

"You said that the attendant was a fan. Is this vampire a celebrity?"

"He was a very famous singer when he was alive, but he doesn't go by his given name anymore. We call him Bubba now. We have to keep a close eye on him. The tabloids have spotted him in the past and it's always big news when he is seen."

There was one person who popped into my mind that there was always sighting of, but it couldn't be. "How long ago was he turned?"

"Later summer of 1977 in Memphis."

"Holy shit! Elvis is a vampire?" He nodded. "Wow!" I pushed aside my awe at what I had learned and got back to business. "So my Gran with be safe with him?"

"Yes. He will let no harm come to your Gran."

"Are you going to be all right doing this for me? I mean are you going to be punished for keeping me from the queen?"

He reached across the table and took my hand. "Why would you care if I was punished? No matter what happens to me you will be protected."

"I care because I don't want to see you hurt. If something is going to happen to you, we are going to tear up the contract right now and I'll find another way to get myself out of this mess." I went to pick up the contract to rip it up, but he stopped me with a smirk on his face.

"You are feisty. I like that. In answer to your question, nothing is going to happen to me. I am older than the queen. I could take over her kingdom if I choose to and she doesn't want to take that chance."

I felt better knowing that everyone was going to be safe I went about filling out my paperwork and signing my contract. Eric was nice enough to explain to me anything that I didn't understand. I was fighting the urge to ask him to sit next to me or go and sit next to him on my own, but I managed to make myself stay where I was.

When all the i's where dotted and all the t's where crossed I thought that I would be able to go home and not have to fight this lust building inside me anymore, but I was wrong. "Now that we have the paperwork part done, how would you like to go and see your new home?"

I couldn't stop myself from getting excited. I'd never had a place of my own before. "Can we really? I would love to."

He stood up and held out his hand for me to take. "Of course we can. Would you rather drive or fly?"

"You can fly?" That sounded totally cool, but a little scary too."

"I can do many things Sookie." He was looking me up and down with lust filled eyes. As much as I wanted to try flying being curled up in his arms, but for my sanity we needed to take his car and I told him so. He seemed a bit disappointed, but he let it go and led me out to his shiny, red corvette. He held the door for me and helped me in before we were on our way.

It was a quiet ride to my new home. I wanted to say something to break the silence between us, but instead I just kept looking at him out of the corner of my eyes. He was gorgeous and who wouldn't want to look at him, but there was something more to him and I hoped that I would be able to find out what that was.

I was so focused on Eric that I didn't even realize that we were stopped until I saw him get out of the car. I looked around to check out my new place and realized that we were in a two car garage and the other car was a very expense looking Audi. I hadn't expected to be in a house, but this just made it even more exciting. I hoped we wouldn't be disturbing anybody coming here this late at night.

Eric came around to open my door and he held out his hand to help me out. I took his hand and he led me inside. We entered through the kitchen and it was even bigger than Gran's kitchen. There were beautiful granite countertops and brand new stainless steel appliances. I could cook a feast in this kitchen. I would have to invite Gran over to do some cooking here.

I looked through the cabinets and drawers and they were empty except for a couple of glasses. I would have to stock up, but for now I would have to settle for the bare necessities. Maybe Gran would let me borrow some things until I could afford my own.

After I'd explored the kitchen, Eric showed me the downstairs bathroom that was decorated in a black and white scheme. There was a toilet, sink, and a walk in shower. It was darker than I would have liked, but it worked for me.

He led me down the hall to where the den/library was. There was a huge fireplace, a black leather couch, with two matching arm chairs and shelves and shelves full of books. I couldn't resist taking a peek.

They were mostly leather bound books and looked as if they were first editions. Most were classics and some I'd never even heard of. I was going to love getting lost in these tales in front of a roaring fire, but I wondered who all these things belonged to. I didn't want to put anybody out. "Eric, whose house is this?"

"It will be yours when you sign the deed if you decide that you like it." He led me out of the den and to the stairs. I saw the living room as we passed and it was the room from my dream. I more than liked it.

"Eric I do like the house so far, but who owns it now? I don't want to put anybody out."

"You wont be. This is one of my safe houses."

I stopped short at the top of the stairs and turned to face him. "Eric, you can't just give me your house. Where will you live?"

"It's for your protection to give you the house. Any vampire can enter another vampire's home without an invitation and we don't want that. And this isn't my main residence. I have two other homes in Shreveport besides this one and many more throughout the state, hell all over the world. You can never be too careful." He did make sense, so I let it go as he showed me the first of the four bedrooms up here.

It was a dark, emerald green room. The walls, the bed linens and the curtains were all a beautiful emerald green. You'd think that it would be too dark, but it was lovely. I went into the adjoining bathroom and the fixtures and floor were the same dark green with the walls a bright white. I was definitely loving this house.

The other two rooms were in jeweled tones as well in a dark amethyst and sapphire blue. I wouldn't change a thing and I felt very comfortable here until we reached the double doors leading to the master bedroom. "This is usually my room when I stay here. It's light tight and there is a key code on the other side of the door that will keep people out. You can feel free to use this room if you like. It's the biggest and has the most luxurious bathroom."

I had been fine in the other bedrooms being so close to Eric, but this is where he'd slept before. This was completely different. I was definitely going to have to keep myself together in here.

He opened the door and led me inside. This room was even darker than the others. The walls were striped black and a deep crimson. Everything was dark and masculine, but the one thing that draws you attention is the bed. I had never seen a bed so big in my entire life. You could have a group of friends sleep on that bed with you and never even realize it. I couldn't stop myself from walking up to the bed.

There were black silk sheets with a red silk comforter and matching black and red silk pillow cases. I ran my fingers over the cool, smooth fabric and wondered what it would fill like against my bare skin. "Don't be afraid to try it out."

I had almost forgotten that Eric was there until I noticed that he'd made himself comfortable on the bed. He patted the empty spot beside him and I couldn't stop myself from joining him. I set my purse down, slipped off my shoes, then got onto the bed. There had been several feet between Eric and me one second, then the next he was right next to me. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but that would lead to trouble. "This is a very comfortable bed."

"I do enjoy my modern comforts."

"Is this bed durable as well as comfortable?"

He moved even closer and slid his hand over my side to rest on my hip. "I have never tested the durability of this bed before, but I'm always up for it."

I was shocked by that, but I decided to have some fun with him. "Well, we should really remedy that right now." I could see him start to move even closer to me, so I moved quicker than him. I stood up and started jumping up and down on the bed. "Woo hoo!" I felt like a kid again jumping up and down on the bed like this.

I looked down at Eric and he was looking at me like I was crazy. "Come on Eric. Kick off your shoes and jump with me. It's so much fun." He watched me for another minute before he kicked off his shoes and joined me. I couldn't believe that I was jumping up and down on a bed with a vampire, but it was so much fun.

Eric took my hands as we were jumping and he had a huge, gorgeous smile on his face. In that moment I knew that I was seeing the real Eric Northman, I also knew that taking things slow and getting to know one another was all going to be worth it.

When I was breathless from jumping I bounced down onto the bed with Eric right there beside me. We were both laughing and it felt right. I felt so comfortable with him. I wanted him to stay her with me, but that was rushing things way too much, at least for now.

We were on a bed smiling at each other when Eric did something I would never have expected. "Would you like to go get some ice cream?"

I couldn't stop the giggles that burst out of me, but I quickly reined them back in. "You don't even eat. Why would you want to take me out for ice cream?"

"I just thought that since we were having fun, I would take you to get something fun to eat. Ice cream is fun, isn't it?"

"It is very fun and I would love to get ice cream with you." I sat up on the edge of the bed and went to reach for my shoes.

Before I could grab the first one, Eric was there with my shoe in his hand. "Please allow me." I nodded my head. I wasn't about to pass up any chance for him to touch me. His hand slid down my calf and cradled my foot as he slid my shoe on. I never realized that my calf and foot were directly connected to my lady bits.

He did the same to the other foot and I was barely able to keep myself under control. I wanted him to touch every inch of my body for the rest of the night, but he wanted to take me to get ice cream, so I wanted ice cream.

He took my hand and helped me up. He led me back downstairs and he kept holding my hand the whole way until we got to the car. His hand felt right entwined with mine. He helped me in the car, zipped around to the driver's side and we were off again.

He had a standard transmission on his car, so has he drove he wasn't holding my hand anymore and I didn't like that one bit. Without really thinking about it, I reached over and rested my hand on top of his. I waited for him to push my hand away, but he didn't. He looked over at me and he was smiling at me again. I had a feeling that seeing Eric Northman smile was a rare sight and I was privileged to see it so much tonight.

He started caressing my hand with his thumb and I got so lost in that gentle touch that I didn't even notice when we had stopped again. He pulled his hand away and I still didn't like it.

I watched as he zipped around the car to open my door and held out his hand for me again. He was definitely getting bonus points in my book for being chivalrous to a lady.

He led me inside and I could see that we were in a very upscale restaurant. This was not what I was expecting when he said he wanted to take me out for ice cream, but who knew what else was even open this time of night anyway. It was twelve-thirty in the morning after all.

We stopped at the hostess stand and I couldn't stop myself from slipping into her mind. After everything that I'd heard the last few days I figured it would be better to be safe than sorry, especially around strangers.

Her mind was fuzzy to me, kind of like Sam's mind when I wasn't touching him. I tried to push a little further into her mind, but I was only getting sporadic words here and there. I was so focused on this woman's mind that Eric had to tug on my hand to get me to follow him to our table.

We sat down in our booth and I couldn't help opening my mind up to see what I could find. Surprisingly there were quite a few minds that were fuzzy to me, there were also quite a few voids that were other vampires and there were also other minds that were shut off to me, but I could tell that they weren't vampire. I felt like I was in a telepathic funhouse.

Eric tugged on my hand to get my attention as the hostess handed my a menu and said that our waitress would be right with us. "Are you all right Sookie?"

"What kind of a place is this?"

"I was wondering if you would notice."

"How could I not notice? There are barely a handful of people in here that I can read clearly. What are these other people?"

Eric went through and pointed out different people to me and told me what they were. The hostess with the fuzzy thoughts was a werewolf, the voids were obviously vampires and the others that I couldn't read he told me were daemons. I was in awe with all this, but the biggest thing on my mind was that Sam's thoughts were like the hostess's. I was about to ask Eric about that when the waitress came to take our order. I quickly looked at the dessert section of the menu and I ordered a tropical fruit sundae. It was vanilla ice cream with chocolate fudge sauce, a mango and papaya puree, chunks of pineapple, whipped cream and a cherry on top. I felt better ordering a sundae this late at night knowing that there was a lot of fruit on it. Eric ordered a glass of blood off of a separate menu and when the waitress went to fill the order I asked Eric my question. "Is my boss Sam some kind of werewolf?"

"He never told you that he was a shape shifter?"

"No and what in the hell is a shape shifter?"

"Unlike the werewolves or the were-panthers or any Weres that can only take the shape of one animal, a shape shifter can turn into any animal. They are very rare."

"I can't believe that he never told me that he was different. He has always known that I was different and he never said anything."

"Sookie, you have to understand that for the supernaturals we are used to living in secret. We have been hiding ourselves for thousands of years. It just becomes second nature to us."

"I guess I can understand that." But it didn't mean that I wasn't going to ream Sam Merlotte out the next time I saw him, even if I was telling him I was quitting my job, but I didn't want to think about him anymore. "How have you been able to hide for so long?"

"Most of us blend in with humans, but vampires have always had the most difficult time not being able to go out during the daytime."

"Do you ever miss being out in the sun?"

"I've been living in the dark for over a thousand years. It's hard to miss something that you don't remember."

The waitress came back then with our order. I thanked her, then I decided to keep asking Eric questions until he told me to stop. We could have a getting to know you session over our snack. "Do you like being a vampire?" I took a bite of my sundae and I couldn't stop myself from moaning as all the different tastes exploded in my mouth. This was the most incredible sundae that I had ever tasted.

Eric was smiling at me as he went to answer my question. "I love being a vampire. I enjoy the strength and the power and the danger and everything that goes with it."

My next question was hard for me to ask, but I needed to know his answer to it. "Are you seeing anybody right now?"

"I see people all the time, but the only person I see right now is you." Good answer, but not what I was looking for.

"Do you date a lot?"

I could see that he was hesitant to answer for a moment before he spoke. "Sookie, I feel the need to be truthful with you. I don't date per say. I find someone and I feed and fuck them." I couldn't help flinching at his choice of words. "It's how vampires are Sookie. Feeding and sex are closely intertwined."

I was starting to lose my appetite. I didn't like the thought of Eric sleeping with somebody else or even feeding from someone else either. Maybe Nessa was wrong about Eric and I. I don't think that I can just sit back and be okay knowing that he was with somebody else when I wanted him to be with me.

I looked up at him and I couldn't do this anymore. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I wouldn't let them fall. I pushed my sundae away. "I'm finished. I want to go home now." I stood up and practically ran for the door before he could stop me.

I stopped at the corvette wondering if I would be able to sit with him in the car ride back to the house or if it would be easier to call Jason to come and get me. Before I could decide Eric was next to me. I took a couple of deep breaths to calm myself down. I could easily fall in love with Eric, but not if he was going to be unfaithful. My head was spinning as Eric spoke. "Sookie, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I just want to go home please." I couldn't look up at him. I was afraid that my tears would fall if I did so I kept my head down as I got into the car.

We drove in silence back to Bon Temps. He drove down the driveway to the farmhouse and I knew driveway was reeking havoc with his car, but I didn't have it in me to care at that moment. I needed to get away from Eric and the images I kept creating in my mind of him with those fangbangers at Fangtasia.

He barely had the car stopped when I jumped out and ran to the back door. I needed to have a good cry right now in my own bed without prying eyes. I should have known that I would never make it. Eric caught up to me on the porch before I could even reach the door. He turned me around so that I was facing him and brought my head up so that I was looking at him. "I have upset you."

I quickly wiped away a stray tear that had escaped. "Of course not. You don't know me and I don't know you. You can do whatever you please as long as you keep me and my Gran safe from the queen. Good night Eric." I tried to go inside, but he wouldn't let me go. "Eric, please, I'm tired and I have a lot that I have to do tomorrow."

I turned to go inside, but his voice stopped me. "What if I want to get to know you Sookie?"

"What?"

"I want to know you Sookie. I want to be in your company. Those others are only a means to an end and I do not want them anymore. I want only you."

"You won't feed on anyone else?"

"Will you allow me to drink from you every once in awhile? I'm old enough that I only need a few sips a week and if I were to need more I suppose I could handle drinking True Blood."

"That sounds reasonable. Will you also not have sex with anyone else?"

"If we can work something out on that end, then I will not have sex with anyone else either."

"I think that we can do that." I didn't know quite what he had in mind, but a little playing couldn't hurt. I was just happy that he was agreeing to this and I couldn't stop myself from throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him tight. "Eric, thank you so much. I promise you that you won't regret this."

"I know it won't. You are worth any sacrifice."

I knew that he was making some big sacrifices for me, so I thought I should give him a little something in return. I pulled away from hugging him, but instead of letting him go completely, I pulled him down and kissed him. I put every ounce of feeling and potential feelings I had for him into that kiss.

I had only been kissed a few times due to my telepathy and this kiss blew all of those other kisses out of the water. His lips were even nicer than I had imagined. They were soft and smooth and he definitely knew what he was doing. He had taken over the kiss and he ran his tongue over my lips asking for entry which I willingly gave.

I could feel that his fangs were out and that turned me on even more. It didn't even bother me when I tasted blood in my mouth. I thought that it was my own since my tongue was now playing with his. I thought that I had nicked it on his fang, but I realized that it was his blood. It didn't taste like blood to me, it was sweet like dark chocolate and I wanted more, but my need to breathe pulled me back.

I was breathless after that kiss and Eric wasn't completely unaffected either. We stood there for a few minutes just looking at one another. I wanted to go home with him and never leave his side after only that one kiss, but I knew that I couldn't, at least not yet anyway. "I should really get to bed."

"Someday soon Lover, we will get to go to bed together. Until tomorrow night." He kissed me one last time before he got back into his car and drove off.

I quickly went inside feeling better than I had in days. Maybe everything would work out well after all.