So this is my first fanfic, and I don't really know the rules, so…I'm changing this rating to M. Hope that doesn't offend anyone.
Also, people have been asking me about my inspiration for this, so I just wanted to let you know that while writing this chapter, and a lot of the chapters, I was listening to a song. I also got the title of this story from that song. It is by Thriving Ivory and it's called Flowers for a Ghost. If you have a chance, give it a listen.
He watched as the leaves arched themselves in ecstasy at the sun's touch. They shivered and shook at the sensation and danced wantonly away from the caress. Still, the sun remained undeterred and reached out with determined resolution, its glow becoming so brilliant that his eyes began to tear at the effect. Feeling inspired by the star's tenacity, he forced his stare steady and witnessed the union, watched in silent awe as the rays spilled around the sides of the leaves and branches and reached benevolently out to him, dazzling, painful, and almost blinding. Dark spots skipped across his vision, and, in silent resignation, he shielded himself from the assault, but he rejoiced as he continued to feel the embrace.
The blanket beneath him was soft and the day's gifts swelled around him: the smell of the raw earth, the tickle of the grass on his bare feet and hands, the sound of birds calling out their love. They filled his senses and his grateful lungs breathed in deeply. His shadow stretched out behind him, refusing to relinquish its hold, but all he could see was the light, enduring and effervescent, protecting him from the darkness.
A hitch in his breath accompanied his acknowledgement of the inevitable end. Soon, this would exist only as a faded memory. He wondered in vain how long he would be able to recall these sensations: a few days, a month, a year? How long until the warmth faded and the smell no longer lingered on his body? How long until he stopped craving it and became reaccustomed to the envelopment of the night?
A breeze washed over him, warm and comforting, and he turned his face toward its cuddle. He took silent inventory of all the things he would miss, attempting desperately to imprint them into his mind.
The smell of the damp Earth in early morning. The flash of color on a bird's wings. The explosion of taste on his tongue from a home-cooked meal. The ache of his stomach after too much laughter. The accompanying beat of his heart. The sun. Sookie.
He felt a stinging dampness behind his closed eyes and almost laughed at the absurdity. Tears for what? Regaining what was so unfairly ripped from him? He should be filled with glee at the idea of his return to power. The sun shifted behind a fluffy, white cloud and he opened his eyes to watch it float back to its rightful position, praying for its return.
Sookie watched Eric from a back window. He hadn't moved since he had first settled himself on the blanket after Bobby's call, and she wondered what he was thinking. Stretched out so openly, palms upturned and face tilted toward the sun, he looked vulnerable and innocent. She traced his figure through the glass and longed to touch his skin. She wanted to feel his warmth and know that, for this moment at least, he was still here, alive with her. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and protect him. He may try to deny it, but his heart was practically crying out as he lay there. She could almost see the sadness wavering above his body. The look on his face when he admitted to thinking of remaining human was one of bittersweet heartbreak and Sookie tried hopelessly to think of some way to show him that she understood his turmoil, that she cared for him, that he wasn't alone.
It was like she was watching him stand at a crossroads, and she was the only one who knew that the factors influencing his decision did not include his own wishes. The selflessness of his actions tore at her. Although she wished it were not true, she admitted to herself that feelings for Eric had stirred within her for a long time, but getting to know him in this way had yielded an overflow of those emotions. She truly cared for him as a person and a friend. As more than a friend.
She stared at him: this sensitive, caring man who in a short time would resume his mask of coldness and ambivalence, and she felt a tear drip onto her hand. She looked at the moisture in surprise; she hadn't even felt her eyes welling, and she realized that after Eric drank the potion to resume his role as a vampire, she would have no evidence of his stay with her. She had no pictures or proof that what had happened between them, the bond that had grown, the times they had shared, had occurred. She wished feebly for more time, for something tangible that she could hold onto, and she thought her heart literally might break at the realization that these last few days were all they had. It wasn't enough.
Eric didn't hear Sookie leave the house. He didn't hear her walk across the backyard and he didn't sense her gazing at him from above. It wasn't until her own bare feet brushed against his as she stood between his legs that his eyes opened to reveal her presence. He sat up on his elbows to look at her and their eyes met and held, but neither of them uttered a word.
Silently, she settled herself onto his lap, her dress splaying out around them so that her panties pressed firmly against his jeans. He reached out a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and his touch lingered. His eyes searched her face and her lips parted as she realized they were the same crystal shade as the clear sky.
She placed both hands flat on either side of his cheeks and reassured herself with the feel of his skin, the warmth and the slight edge to the start of his stubble. His eyes closed at the pleasure of her ethereal graze and she soaked in the details of his eyelashes and the arch of his lips. She lowered her head and kissed first one cheek then the other. She trailed a string of kisses up his jaw and leaned her face against his, breathing against his ear. They sat like that for a long moment, her arms around his neck and his resting softly on her hips, and then Sookie leaned back to look at him once more.
He tilted his head and smiled at her and her head felt so light that she thought she might float away were it not for his grounding hold. She leaned in and brushed her lips against his, lingering at that feather-light pressure. When she sat back, his eyes drank her in, darkening to a stormy sea of sapphire, but he made no attempt to pull her closer. Finally, she smiled and closed the gap between them, her mouth meeting his in a firm embrace. They kissed, hot and hungry for each other, until they were forced to break away for air, and Sookie bent her head to suck on the sensitive spot where his neck met his collarbone. Eric's head fell back at the sensation and his hands twisted on her lower back, desperate to make contact with her skin.
Sookie ran her hands down his chest to tug at the bottom of his shirt and he obligingly raised his arms to remove the article. Her fingers traced the ridges of his abdomen and she felt his chest vibrate with a low growl. She rose slightly and slipped out of her dress while he wriggled his jeans off. As she settled back on top of him, the revelations of the thin material left between them made her gasp.
Eric took her all in, his eyes trailing over every inch of her, his hands tracing the maps his eyes blazed. His fingers ran up her sides, coming to rest at her bra, undoing the clasp with a single manipulation. Her breasts swung free in the afternoon breeze and Eric leaned closer to latch himself to one. She tugged at his hair and felt her breathing increase in response. Eric switched to her other breast and as her nipples hardened, she ground herself against him, causing him to cry out against her flesh.
His face rose and hers lowered as they nuzzled each other and instinctually sought out the other's lips. Their exchanges were becoming more frantic as she rocked against him, and as their tongues met, he slipped a finger past the barrier of her panties and plunged into her wet folds. Her moan broke the kiss, and she rested her forehead against his. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as he added a second finger and without thinking, she dropped her head back to his neck, sucking and biting lightly as the feelings washed over her.
He removed his fingers and she watched while he sucked them clean, her taste spilling over his tongue. When she felt like she could take it no longer, she broke away so they could hurriedly remove the thin layers that separated them. His eyes never left hers and she felt the intensity of his stare add to the burning in her lower abdomen. Her hand stroked his face one last time and he licked his lips and inhaled sharply.
"Eric," she said and she lowered herself slowly onto him, feeling him fill her with his hot need. Her walls stretched and flexed to accommodate his size and a strangled noise escaped her as she settled on him fully.
"Eric," she said again and his eyes rolled back at the feel of her, warm and tight around him.
She could feel the boundaries of her barriers breaking away as they connected and her ability to hold up her shields quickly faded. She had tried hard to keep out his thoughts, to give herself this peaceful experience, but the physical sensations were too much for her to focus on her mental abilities and she closed her eyes and prepared herself for the onslaught of Eric's brain.
Her head was back and her eyes snapped open to take in the brilliant blue of the sky stretched above them, as Eric's mind opened to her. But instead of words and concrete thoughts attacking her, colors washed over her, blues and greens and purples and reds, rich and beautiful. Air rushed to her lungs as she saw the colors hum around their entwined bodies, and she let herself be carried away in their hold.
Eric found her nub, and as one hand guided her hips' movements, the other stroked her. She cried out his name as searing pleasure streaked through her and for a moment she left her body, floating in glorious bliss.
She collapsed against him and he stroked her back softly. After a few moments, he flipped them gently so that she lay under him, and she groaned in satisfaction as he filled her once more. He withdrew and hovered above her, watching her with eyes full of emotion. His kiss was tender and warm and when he thrust into her again he whimpered and dropped his head to her shoulder.
"Sookie," he murmured and the wonder in his voice brought tears to her eyes.
He found a rhythm and Sookie's body sprang back to life as she felt him hit her spot over and over. Her hands roamed his body and his wet kisses and tongue stroked her.
The sun was strong on his back and Sookie's body was soft and yielding beneath him and he could feel himself rapidly loosing control. Their bodies moved as one and he longed to lose himself in this connection with her. The sound of her soft cries and the brush of her lips against his shoulder fueled his lust. He had never felt such unity with a mate and as her arms clutched him, he felt a safety in her hold. When their lips connected, he could sense her cleansing him, healing his cracks and insecurities. 'So this is what it feels like to be whole.'
Her body glowed in the sunlight and he stared down at her in reverence as she writhed beneath him. She was beautiful. The wind swirled around them, drying the sweat that was gathering on his forearms and back, and his body rejoiced at the coupled heat of her grasp and the sun's rays.
Her walls began to tighten and flutter around him and he sped up his hips, feeling his own moment approaching and wanting to bury himself inside of her, to rebuild himself in her love. She screamed his name and dug her hands into his flesh, driving him deeper. As she came undone beneath him, an explosion went off behind his eyes so that all he could see was white-hot light.
"Sookie!" He yelled and plunged into her again and again, rapture overtaking him.
It was the feel of her body that brought him back to Earth, and he gazed down at her radiant form, his own body trembling. He propped himself on an elbow and used his other hand to brush aside strands of her damp blonde hair. She blinked up at him through sated and caring eyes, and he felt a rush of emotion fill him.
"Sookie," he whispered softly, and leaned down to kiss her lips, her cheek, her temple. He withdrew from her and they both sighed at the loss. Stretching himself next to her on the blanket, he looked up at the sky in astonishment. He had fantasized about their union for so long, but never had he thought it would feel like this, that it would have this effect on him.
Sookie snuggled up against his chest, draping an arm over his stomach. He wrapped an arm around her to pull her closer and their legs tangled comfortably. He kissed the top of her head and rested his cheek against the soft hairs, smelling her shampoo. "Sookie," he said again as if he could not believe he held her in his arms.
She murmured his name sleepily and nuzzled against him. He felt his own exhaustion consuming him as he heard her breath deepen into slumber. The trees in her backyard sheltered them and the sun glowed happily down on their naked bodies and Eric felt as if all of nature was celebrating their consummation.
Sookie mumbled in her sleep and he stroked her arm sweetly. "Sookie," he whispered again, knowing she wouldn't hear him, but needing to say her name aloud once again. Their bodies molded perfectly together and he could feel contentment expanding in his chest. His eyes grew heavy and he could not recall a time when he had felt this peaceful.
Still, he lay awake in the sunshine, listening to the rustle of the leaves and the chirping of the birds, feeling the warmth of her sun-kissed body against his and the tickle of her breath against his chest. He held her for hours, staring up at the sky and refusing to miss a moment of this life.