Charlaine Harris and her publishing company own all of the characters. I am just writing fun stories. Please don't sue!!!

A/N: This chapter take place monday. Thanks for sticking with me thru the cliffhanger guys!! This is a long one and I hope you think its a good one!

Chapter 4

1. Will the bond ever fade?

2. Can it ever be broken?

3. How do I know the difference between my emotions and yours?

4. Why did you use the knife instead of biting yourself or letting me bite you?

5. What is the range on the vampire GPS?

6. What happens if I get asked out on a date?

7. If vampires found out about our bond, would that put myself or both of us in danger?

8. What do we call each other?

9. Did you plan this all along from the beginning?

In my black order book I had a separate piece of paper that I used throughout my shift in between taking orders to write down questions that I did not feel that Pam had answered or that I did not ask. The last question I wrote came to me right after Jason came in and sat down at the bar after he had gotten off of work.

"Hey Sis, can I please get a bottle of Bud?" He still didn't look at me in the eyes and he always used his best manners around me. He knew that I was still looking for every chance I got to blow up at him telling him what an inconsiderate bastard he'd become. Truth be told the idea of telling him off sounded mighty fine at the moment and bad manners would be a perfect excuse.

"Yeah, I'll be right back with that. Are you hungry?" I asked cold enough for Jason to know I was ticked off but nice enough that the other people in the bar wouldn't ask questions.

"Nah, some of Crystal's family are coming to the house tonight and they ordered pizza for everyone, I don't wanna go but I don't want that many Norris's in my house when I'm not there." That was the longest sentence Jason has spoken to me in 3 months.

"Okay." That was the average length of my responses.

I took the order from a family in the corner of the restaurant before getting Jason's beer. He could wait. Some people call this pettiness. I call it "Don't make your sister break her friends hand or else you'll get bad service"

The bar was somewhat busy for a Monday. It was almost time for me to get off and I only had 3 more tables plus Jason before I could go home.

"Got any plans tonight Sookie?" Sam asked why pouring Jason's Bud. He had come in at 3 today because he had to meet with some guy about getting a part on a new freezer.

My kind of vampire husband is coming over to have a much-needed discussion and that may or may not end with the most amazing sex of my life.

"Not really, I just have some housework I need to take care of and then I'll probably end up reading or watching TV. Amelia and Octavia are still out of town so it's been nice to have the place back to myself." If I told Sam that Eric was coming over than he would have just asked too many questions and I had enough of my own.

"I bet. They seem like their pretty good roommates. You never complain about them. But it is your house." He said handing me Jason's beer.

At 5:30 I finished with my last table. Jason left me a five-dollar tip for a $2.75 beer and told me to have a goodnight before he left to go to his houseful of werepanthers. I could feel him wanting to apologize or hug me or something but he just gave me a little smile and head nod before walking out.

I finished up all other duties before heading to Sam's office to get my coat and bag. "You know Sookie, it's been nice to see you without you being put through all the vampire drama that you're normally a part of." Sam said standing in the doorway.

"Things have calmed down quite a bit since Felipe gained control of Louisiana. There really hasn't been that much drama that I know of so they haven't needed me. I'm sure not complaining!" I said smiling. According to Pam there could have been just as much if not more vampire drama and Eric was just not telling me about it because he thought it would be a bad idea to bring me in. Like I said to Sam, I am not complaining. The less the chance of me helping the vampires, the less the chance of me being beat up, shot at, staked or any of the other awful things that have happened to me in the past few years as a result of my generosities.

"That's good to hear. I can tell you've been a lot more relaxed lately. Like we got the old Sookie back." Sam said smiling.

"I don't know if I want the old Sookie back Sam, the old Sookie was so naïve, I didn't know anything about the world other than I was different and I had no idea why. I still don't know why I am different but I now know that there are a lot of other different people out there too. You included. Do you really want to go back to the days before I knew about you?" I was standing in front of him.

"No, I hated those days when I felt I wasn't truthful with you. I always wanted to tell you, I was just too scared you would reject me. Being a shapeshifter isn't something you can just tell anybody."

"Being a telepath isn't something to tell everyone either, but I told you." I have always thought of Sam as one of my best friends. He is one of the few people in my life that I've trusted and known he would never use anything against me.

"I know that." He walked up to me with open arms to go in for a hug. I went into his arms and looped my arms around him. "You're a good woman Sook. You always have been." He said over my shoulder while hugging me. I started to pull back to end the hug when he turned his head and went in for a kiss on the lips. I was so surprised I held the kiss for just a second before pushing him forward and taking a step back.

"Sam you gotta stop doing that! Why can't you ever kiss me when it's the right time!" The second sentence was meant to be rhetorical (Thank you word of the day calendar.) but Sam's eyes caught on to something.

"Right time? You said you didn't have plans tonight, and you're for the most part out of the vampire shit. How is this not the right time to kiss you?" Sam said with a shot of pain.

"Sam everything is so confusing right now, Eric and I uh..."I shut my eyes trying to gather my thoughts. "Eric and I...we have a lot things we need to talk about, and he is going to be coming by the house tonight so we can." I didn't risk a look from Sam's face. "I don't know what is going on between us, and like you said 'I've been out of the loop' for awhile so this is the first chance we've had to talk."

All hope it seemed like vanished from Sam's face when he looked down at the ground to his side slightly nodding. "Fucking vampires." He muttered just under his breath. "You gotta get out of this Sookie." Sam was gaining momentum and some anger. "There's no future for you with Eric or any of the vampires! Can't you see that? You are only going to live what, a hundred years if your lucky, do you really expect to keep working for them and doing their bidding when your in a wheelchair with white hair and wrinkles and all of them being the same as they are today?" He was looking at my face now and as serious as I've ever seen him.

"I don't have white hair and wrinkles now. They treat me well. I have protection from them." I was trying so hard to keep my cool. I have to be back to work with Sam in less than 24 hours and I hate fighting with him. I was both defending vampires and my connection to them. "I've chosen to help them, and part of the reason why Eric is coming by tonight is to set out a guideline for how and when I help them."

Sam seemed to ease up a bit. He still looked angry but he hearing that I was going to set up better terms of my services lightened his anger. "Good." He said matter of fact. "Good. Tell him not to drag you into shit that doesn't concern you. Tell him that you're too good for that. You tell Eric that he should take more care in picking out what you should be brought in to. You gotta be high enough up on the vampire totem pole by now that you don't need to be brought into stuff that would put you in danger. Tell him if he doesn't do that he'll have to deal with me."

Imagining a fight between Eric and Sam over me was terrible. If Sam could shift into something with enough strength to take Eric on, he might have a chance, but then I've seen up close and personal what Eric is capable of doing when the lust of battle and violence comes along. Trying to push aside the horrible thought of 2 of the closest people in my life killing one another in defense of me, I realized that everything that Sam wanted and was being so tough in wanting Eric to do, Eric either already has done or is part of our bond. I really had no idea how high up I was on the vampire totem pole of security. I have been able to live my life as normally as possible with few interruptions so I suppose somewhat high.

"That's part of what we are discussing tonight Sam. See no need to worry." I smiled and put my hand on his arm. "I know how to take care of myself."

"I always worry about you Sookie. You… Your one of my best friends, you know that. I'm always gonna be here for you. Remember that Sook. Now you go on home so you can straighten all this mess out. Let me know tomorrow what you and Eric laid out." He put his hand on top of mine and gave it a light pat. He gave me a smile and walked with me back out to the bar.

10. How high up am I on the Vampire totem pole? Now and before.

11. Don't kill Sam.

11 wasn't a question but a demand. Eric has never threatened to hurt Sam, but I know if he ever got the chance he would. I would never forgive Eric if he ever hurt Sam and he needs to know that.

Pulling into my driveway I saw Bill sitting on my front porch.

2 days ago I found out the blood bond is a VERY big deal. Yesterday someone tried to set me up on a blind date. Tonight one of my best friends and boss kissed me in our annual game of badly timed kisses, and now my ex-boyfriend is waiting at my house when I get off work. Ugh.. Yippee for me.

"Hey Bill, What are you doing here?" Trying to sound not too excited about him waiting for me.

"Eric told me to leave tonight." He did not sound pleased.

"Leave where? For how long? Why?"

"He called me last night and told be to be out of Bon Temps by 6:30. He was coming here and did not want any interruptions. He told me to find another place to spend the day tomorrow. " I knew Bill too well that I knew he was quite upset. His voice never fluctuated tone. "Please remember how much I care for you. I will always be there to protect you…and love you." He softened his voice for the last sentence and looked at with his deep dark eyes.

"Bill I told you, you need to stop coming up to me all the time saying things like that. It's not automatically gonna turn everything around. I care for you a lot too, and I really do appreciate that you would do anything for me, but if you think that what your doing is going to send running back to you, its not." I was trying to not yell but I was sick of this. Bill was my first lover and is still my next-door neighbor, well across the cemetery neighbor but still the closest one.

"I am sorry to upset you Sookie, that was not my intention. I will leave you in peace. I will see you at Merlotte's when I return." He looked at my eyes and for a split second gave a look like I just punched him in the gut then disappeared into the woods.

I wish I could end a conversation like that.

So Eric arranged so Bill could not spontaneously appear to distract us from our talk. Hell I probably would have too. Bill had a tendency to appear at times like that, and if he saw Eric's car or caught a whiff of his scent I know all too well that he would have knocked on my door with some dumb excuse just to interrupt.

I raced through the house dusting off every corner and picking up anything that was out of place. I have never been like this before when I was about to see Eric. I changed into just a simple pair of jeans and a nice white long sleeved shirt with a light blue zip jacket. I didn't have enough time to dress any nicer, and I actually did want to talk with Eric and if wore anything more revealing, talking might not happen right away.

At 6:50 I got a knot in my throat and I became so tense that the fists I made almost cut my palms with my fingernails. I looked all around my house thinking something was out of place, was it too messy? Had I put everything away? Oh God where are we going to talk? Are we going to sit on the couch? Out on the porch? In the kitchen at the table? I was in a state of absolute panic all of a sudden and I had no idea why. I was somewhat excited for most of today about seeing Eric tonight I was only a little nervous, why was I dreading it so much now?

Was Eric close? Was I feeling his anxiety? When does Eric the great Viking vampire get anxious? Or was this my own nervousness mixed in with Eric?

Then came the knock at the door and I jumped in place.

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath before I turned the knob.

"This is it." My eyes went wide and I got a sudden shock of panic. That was not my thought. I was thinking about what kind of greeting we should do, a handshake? A hug? A kiss on the cheek? I froze halfway turning the doorknob. Eric's mind had projected those three words so clearly I could have sworn it was a human who was an exceptional broadcaster, but I knew it was Eric. I could feel him through the bond, and a moment later I could sense his brain's signature vampire void.

"Sookie, what's the matter?! Open the door right now!" He called. No doubt he could feel my sudden panic. I don't think a 2-inch thick door would shield the emotions being picked up by each other. I could now sense his own little bit of panic of wondering what startled me so much.

I opened the door immediately and took all six and a half feet of Eric. He looked amazing. His long hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and he had on a pair nice faded jeans with black dress shoes. He had a black and blue button down long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up half way to show off his forearm muscles. He was breathtaking. I could tell that he wanted to dress up a little bit more than usual but like me, I think he wanted to actually get to business about discussing everything before things got out of hand.

"Everything's okay. I just got kind of nervous for a second. Eric, are you okay? I think I could feel some anxiety as you were getting closer." I wasn't about to tell him the truth. I always wondered if he could feel my panic in Rhodes at Sophie-Anne's trial when I read one of Arkansas's vampires mind. After my initial shock of seeing I could do it, Eric came and stood by my side soothing me. Could I be showing the same panic as then? I shrugged it off then as a fluke since I had Eric's blood soon before and I told myself my ability was just amplified because of it. Today I don't know why I would pick up on a thought.

"Me nervous? My lover, do you really think that's possible?" He said smiling walking in through the threshold.

"Yes." I figured tonight would be a night for honesty. I was only going to be dishonest about the ability to pick up on stray vampire thoughts here and there for my own personal safety, but everything else I was going to lay out on the table. No better time than the present.

"Hmm…Like I've said before I guess I cant get anything past you anymore." He looked a little upset that he couldn't hide that particular emotion. I suppose anxiety would be one of the emotions that vampires feel as a great weakness and want to hide.

"What like thinking you could send Bill away for the night and I wouldn't find out?"

"I had good reason for that. You know as well as I do that he would have just gotten in the way. Look, he came to tell you that I told him to leave thinking that would change your opinion of me" Eric said matter of factly. Thinking like that, the only thing it did was make me think that Bill was nothing but a tattle-tail.

"Yeah you're right. Do you want to sit down on the couch?" I motioned over to the living room and we both sat down right next to each other in the middle of the couch as casually as could be. It was if a giant magnet were in each of us and when we were in the same room we were pulled by it and had to sit next to each other. Usually when you don't see someone for a long while you don't sit next to each other to the point of touching but we did and it felt totally normal.

"Say it again."

"Say what?"

"Say I was right." Eric probably had one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen him get.

"Oh Great Eric Northman, you were right in sending Bill away so we can talk about our issues in private without distraction." I said with the most sarcasm I could muster.

"You keep talking like that and we won't be able to talk. That kind of talk would lead to things that would most defiantly have to be private." He put his arm around me and leaned into me. "I was hoping to save that time for later." He breathed into my ear.

"Okay, I'm going to get some tea, do you want a bottle of blood?" I jumped up quickly and stood in front of him. We were going to have this talk damnit. You could already cut the lust in the air with a knife and he had been in the house less than 10 minutes.

"Please."

Pulling myself together going into the kitchen I realized this was going to be much harder than I thought. What happens if I pick up on another thought? Would he sense my panic again? How are we going to be able to keep our hands off each other long enough to talk about our situation? As the blood was heating in the microwave Eric came into the kitchen.

"I hope Pam able to answer some of the questions you had about the magazine article." I guess Eric was on the same page I was about getting down to business.

"Yeah, she did… there's only a few things that I'm still confused about." I sat his bottle on the table and took a seat. The kitchen has always the best place for me to have in depth conversations. As a kid Gran, Jason and I would always come to the kitchen table to discuss any problems that we ever had. Eric sat down adjacent to me.

"Please ask me whatever you were still unsure about." He looked like he was trying to keep his mind on track and force down any other feelings that he may have been having. I reached into my purse and grabbed the paper that I had written unanswered questions throughout the day on. I was about to ask the first one when Eric said "May I?" I handed the paper to him. There was no point in keeping it a secret. He scanned the paper.

"No and Yes to the first two." He said. Well that was easy. Maybe this won't be too bad. "You will learn over time how to decipher between my and your emotions. We can practice if you want to hurry the process. Once you can see the difference its quite easy to see between the two."

He was just going down my list of questions like he was at a press conference.

"I used the knife because it would be less painful on my part when I gave you my blood. The knife does have meaning yes, and I had been planning on telling you everything when we were to have our talk. The magazine beat me to it unfortunately."

"But you didn't recover your memories until after Rhodes. You knew the knife meant something then. Were you ever going to tell me?" I got a little annoyed. Did he think he could keep something like that from me?

"Yes I was going to tell you eventually. I just… I did not know of how…special our time together had been." He was picking his words carefully and talking slowly to where his accent was coming out a little. "I did not know how happy we had been. "

"Just stick to the list for now… we'll talk about what happened here after." If we stuck to the list it would be and easier flow of conversation I figured. He looked back down at the paper.

"As of right now with the bond GPS as you say, you will be able to sense my presence, I would say from about a half mile. I can sense you much further because I am a vampire, and my age has helped out as well. I will always be able to find you if you are ever in need. With emotions there is no real range, we will always be in tuned with each other's state even if we are not aware of it. If you concentrate you should be able to sense me in Shreveport. It would not be strong but it is there."

I would have to try that one day. He widened his eyes at the next question and I remembered what was next.

"Who wants to take you out on a date?" he asked.

"Well if you must know, I was approached by my pastor yesterday about going out with his nephew next week."

"What did you say?" He looked serious, I almost thought about telling him I said yes as a joke, but that would just be mean.

"I said no. The pastor had…ugly thoughts in his head and I didn't want to be a part of that."

"Good." He looked relieved. "You dated the tiger while we were bonded. You know I have no control over your actions even though sometimes I wish I did. I hated the thought of him with you, but I had no power to stop you. I hoped that one day you would come to me, but if you were to choose another I can not stop you."

That was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a big long explanation of YOU ARE MINE and how much I hated that term and what goes with it, but Eric didn't do that surprisingly and went on to the next question.

"We being bonded puts us in no more danger than we were before. As Pam told you last night, you have a little more protection because of it. You are very valuable Sookie, in more ways than you know. You have ties to almost all of the supernatural communities. Many people would like to get close to you for good and bad reasons. I will try to stop the bad in every way that I can. I like being tied to you because I can protect you. And I like being tied to you because of you." He said that so sweet it almost made me cry. Eric being sweet was not something that you see very often. I had a feeling that most who did see it didn't live too long afterward.

"To answer the next question if the bond were made public we would call each other 'bonded' to others. That is the tem that we use. If you are not ready for that to be common knowledge then we do not call each other anything and people will assume that we are tied from being former lovers at one point. The magazine confused you with all the talk of marriage. It is not so black and white if there is no ceremony involved. If though, one day you decided you want it to be known than you must know that people will use the term husband and wife if they do not know any better. I don't want it to be a shock to you if you ever hear that."

That was the first time marriage was brought up.

"How do you feel about that? What do you want to call me?" I asked. I really did want to know what he wanted to call me.

"I call you whatever comes to mind." He stated. "You are very dear to me Sookie. I hope one day you can see how much you are to me. You have changed me in many. many ways. The time that I was here and had no idea what happened between us was the strangest time of my life. To not know how much you meant to me. To not know how much I meant to you…"

"Hey, come on, back to the list for now. We'll talk about lost memories later." I knew if we talked about it now it would lead us in another direction. I knew that I would cry. I was doing so well holding myself together so far; I didn't want to stop now.

"Alright, no I wasn't planning on the bond from the beginning. You are very high on the totem pole, you always have been, and I will not kill Sam if you do not want me to." He said quickly with a smile finishing the last questions on my list. He set the paper back on the table and took my hands in his own. "Lover, do you realize that it had been centuries since I have felt the feelings you have brought back into my life?"

Eric always got what he wanted and right now he wanted to talk about last New Years.

"I told you that you were happy when you were here, I told you everything that happened." Granted it was blackmailed out of me.

"Hearing the words and remembering emotions are two totally different things. I can tell you that you at one point liked a certain food, but you would not understand how much you liked it if you couldn't remember the taste would you?"

"I guess not."

"That's how it was for me, I was being told something like it was a story in a book. I had no memories what had happened but knew that it had happened to me. It was very frustrating."

"Yeah, you were pretty much annoying everyone you met." I chuckled.

"And annoying myself on top of it. I was trying to force the memories so hard and when they would not come I would get angry. Then the night of the takeover happened and I remembered everything. That is why I walked to your room. They came flooding back to me all at once I did not know how to correctly process it." He stood up from the table. "Come." He took my hand and we walked toward the living room closet where I once had Jason's shotgun. Home to the first clue to his memories coming back.

"Remember when I handed you the gun from here? That was the first old memory I got back that night. I went to the closet for the gun like it was second nature and once I had the gun in my hand the memory of you shooting the shifter came back with such force. I remembered how scared you were, and the pain of the bullet that went in my chest. I remembered the desire to protect you at all costs because I…cared for you so much." He ran his hand down the side of my face. "I still care for you."

This was about the point when my knees buckled beneath me, but Eric put his arm around my waist in time to hold me close to him and then put his lips on mine. The Earth as I knew it was still spinning but in that moment everything else stopped except Eric and I.

He pushed me up against the wall while kissing me for all its worth. He lifted me up by my bottom and I wrapped my legs around him while he pinned me against the hall wall rhythmically pushing his body into mine "I have wanted this moment for so long Lover." He breathed out in between many kisses down my cheek, neck and on my shoulder. "I have too." I said in between the moans and small gasps of pleasure.

He supported me with one arm while caressing my back with the other as he pulled away from the wall. Still wrapped around him but perfectly stable I pulled my shirt over my head in between kisses. We fumbled and made our way to the bed where we crash-landed completely wrapped up in each other.

He kissed the heavenly trail of going from my chin down to my stomach with taking time at my breasts. I managed to pull his shirt off at one point and I was tracing the outline of muscles on his shoulders. He gently unzipped my jeans pulling them off as he was kissing just below my belly button.

Oh my God I forgot how good Eric was at oral sex! I screamed in my head as he was refreshing my memory. At the moment before my climax he turned his head and bit my thigh. My orgasm was one for the record books that's for sure. I looked at him as he was coming up to my face for a kiss. "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met." He entered me after that and I gasped at the pleasure. "Oh Eric" I moaned over and over as I could feel him inside and out.

I don't know if it was the bond or just that we had everything out in the open between us but with every thrust I could feel more and more connected and complete. This is how it should feel every time. I thought to myself. I haven't had that much sex as a normal girl my age has had but this was unlike any previous experience, even from before with Eric. It felt like we were dancing and hitting every step perfectly. Never stepping on any toes or missing any ques. It was an A++ if I had a grade book.

When he came inside of me he let out a massive pleasure filled grunt and collapsed on top of me. I have no idea for how long but we stayed very still like absorbing the moment for all its worth until he rolled over and I positioned myself on my side in the crook of his arm. I was running my hand up and down his chest and he was absently playing with me hair. We were both deep in thought of what just happened, what has happened in the past and what will happen in the future.

"Why did you not tell me how many times I offered to take you to my side, to be with you always?" He asked.

"I told you what you said to me, I told you that you said you would give up everything for me."

"You told me of what happened in the car in front of Pam's house and you didn't tell me then that you never gave me an answer. You never told me of the other many times I told you how much I wanted you and wanted to keep what we had."

"It wasn't the real you Eric and I knew that. I was thinking that once everything went back to normal that you would think that you were an idiot for ever thinking those things in the first place."

"You called yourself the idiot when I offered myself to you in the car before you walked away. I thought at the time that you did not want me and that I had failed you in some way. I have full memories now and I sill feel the same way now as I did then."

I didn't know what to say. I was still in the after sex dreamy state and hearing him say that to me made tears well up in my eyes. I couldn't look at him so I kept my head to his chest and said "I thought I was an idiot, I didn't know then what to think, I was still freshly heartbroken from Bill and I couldn't take another heart break." That was the truth. I have thought in the past if Eric woke up the day after the war back to normal with memories of our time together intact, if he had regretted saying all those things to me and told me that he didn't want to be with me it would have hurt so much.

He moved so we were both lying on our sides looking at each other in the face. "My lover, I would never break your heart. I could not imagine causing you pain like that. I would not be able to stand myself if I ever hurt you."

"You better not. You would be able to feel my pain too now."

"I have been able to feel your pain for quite sometime now, even before Rhodes. The night in New Orleans in the hospital with Bill, I felt how much he hurt you. I hated being the one to tell you but I felt as though I had to."

"I hate that you did too, but I'm thankful that you did. I couldn't imagine still being in the dark about everything."

"You will never worry about me not being honest with you. I always have been and always will be." He kissed me on the forehead.

"I know that, and I'm grateful to you for it." I moved to kiss him on the lips.

"How grateful?" He said grinning the very Eric like smile pulling myself toward him so that I could feel his excitement.

I showed him 3 more times how grateful I was before I was about to fall asleep. Eric told me that he was going over to Bill's house for the day. He fully remembered that the hidey-hole in my guest room was Bill's size and how uncomfortable it was for him. I guess Bill had made either many different sized hidey-holes or some sort of light tight rooms at his house and there was one that was more suited to Eric's proportions. Probably another reason Eric had to send Bill packing for the night.

"I will return to you tomorrow when I rise before I have to go back to Shreveport. Will you be here?"

"I work the lunch shift again so I should be home sometime before 6." I said on the verge of sleep still wrapped in Eric's arms.

"I will either meet you at the bar or here at your house before I leave." He kissed me passionately one more time before I fell into a wonderful sleep in his arms. I was so happy he waited until I was asleep before leaving.

Please Review!! Further chapters to come!!! Not sure how many more, this is so much fun I don't want to stop!!!