Wow, thanks again to all who reviewed! I had been asked about the bond between them, as a vampire Eric could feel her emotions. As a human he cannot. I didn't think to include that, I'm sorry for the confusion. Also remember that this story does not follow the show to a "T". Jason won't be a savior to inbreeds for one. Also things could change as I write. If you're confused just message me and I'll be happy to clear it up. I hope you like this chapter. It's short but I think it needs to stand on its own.
Chapter 4
Sookie woke to birds chirping outside her window. Where was she? Oh right on the couch, with Eric. Eric! Her eyes flew open searching the room for her new houseguest. Where was he? Getting off the couch and wiping the sleep from her eyes she walked to the kitchen hoping to find him. Where could he be? She checked the bathrooms and the guestroom but she still didn't see him. "If I lost him Pam will kill me." She thought. Walking back down the stairs she saw him on her front porch swing. Feeling relief she opened the door she went to join him.
"Beautiful isn't it?" She asked noticing the elation on his face.
"Yes, I didn't really get to enjoy it the other day at Fangtasia, to many other things on my mind."
"Being as you were out there intending to kill yourself I'm sure it was the last thing on your mind." She chuckled letting the comfortable silence take over. After several minutes she heard Eric ask her something but wasn't sure what he said.
"What?" She asked.
"What did Godric think of it all, his last moments in the sunshine?" He was still staring at the sky, not meeting her eyes.
"He loved it; I think he missed the warmth." It was all she could think of to say. He nodded his head the smile still on his face, but his eyes had taken a far away quality. "He asked me to take care of you, you know?" He laughed loudly finally turning to look at her.
"Did he? How were you to do that?"
"I wasn't sure of the time, but I think this qualifies." He nodded again and moved his hand to touch her face. Sookie jerked back away from him. Things had become familiar enough between them. She warned herself. Eric's eyes looked sad at her reaction, but he dropped his hand and looked up towards the sky again. They sat in silence each in their own thoughts when Eric spoke again.
"Why can you not hear my thoughts if I am human?"
"I'm not sure, what confuses me most is that I can't hear you as a human but I heard..." Oh shit. Her eyes jumped to his face, a questioning look on his now.
"What Sookie? What did you hear?" He lowered his head meeting her eyes with a questioning stare. Oh shit, oh shit. Her and her big mouth!
"Nothing, just forget it. You want breakfast?" She stood trying to stop the conversation. She rushed into the house and into the kitchen, Eric following close behind her.
"Eggs, French Toast, Pancakes?" She nervously rattled of any breakfast item that came to her mind. "Oatmeal, Grits, Hash browns..." Eric rushed towards Sookie pushing her into the counter his hand going over her mouth.
"Enough. What. Did. You. Hear?" His eyes were cold; Sookie was scared for her life. She tried to break from his grasp, but he was still ten times stronger than her. She tried to call upon her fae flash powers and nothing happened. After she stopped struggling he dropped his hand from her mouth still pinning her with his body.
"Eric let me go this second, how dare you!" She started to protest.
"Sookie, were you about to tell me that you heard my thoughts before I was human? When I was a vampire?" He asked her a dangerous voice. Oh great here it goes, goodbye cruel world. Her head dropped, her eyes squeezed tight ready for whatever Eric Northman had planned for her.
"Yes." She whispered. Eric released her and stalked to the other side of the room. She opened her eyes and watched him pace backwards and forwards mumbling to himself. "If you're trying to think of what to do with my body, it will be a whole lot harder now that you can't glamour the cops!" Sure Sookie, incite him further that will help the situation, she rolled her eyes at her own ignorance. He stopped suddenly turning towards her.
"Is that what you think?" He asked. Sookie couldn't be sure but he sounded almost hurt.
"Yes Eric, it's the only reason you didn't kill me that night you summoned me to Fangtasia, right?" He started walking to her, slowly. She could feel her heart pumping in her ears.
"Yes, at first. But that was before Dallas, before Godric. Before Russell and before you saved me from the sun. I am upset that you did not tell me this before. That you kept this from me." He was standing right in front of her now, his eyes glassy. "Is that what you think of me Sookie? You are afraid I will hurt you, that I will kill you?" Well when he put it like that...
"How else am I supposed to think of you Eric? You've always got an agenda; you never show me any emotions...except for lust." He smiled a bit at that part but she continued. "You're a 1000 year old vampire, what else am I supposed to think?" He nodded his head at her final words.
"Then I am to blame then." He sat at the table, his face somewhere lost in thought. Pushing herself from the counter she sat down across from him. "After this time together, I had hoped you knew I thought of you more than just a human in my employ. I've come to think of you more as a friend." He continued. "I have never told anyone except for Godric what I am about to tell you now." He looked at her seriously. "Telling you this I hope to make you more comfortable around me, to know that I hold you in a high regard. That I trust you, and I hope you can finally trust me."
"I hope so too Eric." It was all she could think of to say.
"As you know I was a Viking, around the area now known as Sweden. I was the son of a king. A strong and clever King." He smiled at his memory. "I wanted for nothing, food in my belly love from my family, and women. Oh the women." He chuckled.
"I would have thought no less." Sookie ground out already annoyed with where this story was going.
"My mother had just given birth to a child, my sister. It was because of this that my father began trying to groom me for his position, knowing I was to be the only heir to the crown. I hated the idea of it. Power and adoration was fine, but the responsibility was something I wasn't sure I wanted. If I were to be a king someday I would have to find a wife, and that idea scared me more than any battle I had ever faced." He heard Sookie snort in response. "There weren't too many women in our village, but besides the old, married or very young I had, had them all. And I could not envision being tied to any of them for a length of time. My father and mother loved each other, which was rare for those days. It was something I envied for I knew the chances of me finding a love like that was close to impossible. I began my affairs with the servants of our home, something I knew my father hated. To this day I am still not sure why I chose to rub his nose in this fact. Maybe I wanted to prove to him that I was not a worthy successor, I do not know." He stopped his face saddening, rubbing his hands together in front of him. Sookie laid her hands on top of his and motioned for him to continue. "It was on a cold winter's night that they were taken from me. All of them, in one deadly swoop." He registered Sookie's gasp but continued. "And I could have been there I could have stopped it all, but I was with our servant girl in the back. Oblivious to all that had happened."
"What exactly happened that you could have stopped Eric?" She asked softly, afraid of making him stop his story.
"Russell, with his band of wolves is what happened." He all but growled. Wow that explained Eric's vendetta.
"Eric, how would a human have stopped werewolves and a vampire from killing anybody?" Eric didn't answer.
"I swore it would be the last time a woman would stand between me and the people I cared about. If I had not been thinking with my dick, I would have heard the commotion, I could have been there...I could have saved them." He was fully in the past now, Sookie could tell. His hands were shaking along with his voice. Several minutes had passed since he had said anything.
"I broke that promise to myself with you Sookie."
"ME?" She squeaked.
"I could have easily given you to Russell and not put Pam and I in danger; it would have been over and done with. But somehow I could not do that; I could not betray you that way. This is new to me, this feeling of putting someone above the safety of myself or my childe." What did that mean? What was he telling her? She wasn't sure he knew the answer either. They sat there across from each other neither knowing what to do or say.
"How about pancakes for breakfast then?" She asked giddily trying to lighten the mood and avoid the conversation.
"Yes, I would like to try your pancakes." He smiled warmly. "No hot sauce though?" He asked worriedly.
They sat down eating the breakfast Sookie had made. Eric dug in with a moan on his lips. "Does he have to make those sounds?" Sookie thought to herself. "They are just way to sexy." She had decided she could come to terms with his attractiveness; there was no denying it to herself anymore. He was scrumptious, the height the hair the eyes that bare chest. She shivered remembering him shirtless. But she still couldn't get involved with him. Sookie wasn't a "friends with benefits" kind of girl. She wasn't going to hop in and out of a man's bed when he was through with her. She needed love and to be the only girl in her man's life. Eric couldn't offer this to her. It was foolish to expect it. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a vehicle coming down her drive. Getting up to look out the window she recognized Alcide's truck. This was going to be just great.
"Who is it?" Eric asked with his mouth full.
"It's Alcide." At the mention of the other man's name he stabbed his stack of pancakes with a grunt. "Should you hide or something? He doesn't know about your...condition." She wasn't sure how to word it really. She rushed to answer Alcide's knock. She opened the door with her signature crazy Sookie smile in place.
"Alcide! What are you doing here?"
"I felt bad how we left things the other night Sook. That kiss was amazing and I'm a fool for holding on to the past..."
"Alcide I'm kind of busy can we continue this conversation later? Like tomorrow or something." She interrupted him.
"Is something wrong?" He asked her worriedly.
"No, no nothing. I've just got a huge headache and I was getting ready to go to work..." She lied easily.
"Oh, sorry for just stopping by like this. I'll see you later, we can talk then." He leaned in to kiss her again and she turned her head giving him her cheek. He looked hurt, but she couldn't think of that right now. She had to get Alcide out of here without him finding Eric.
"Okay, bye Alcide!" She called shutting the door in a hurry. She sighed making her way back to the kitchen. "That was a close call." She laughed to an empty table. Eric was standing against the sink his arms crossed over his chest.
"What's up with you?" Sookie asked confused by his change of mood.
"How many men do I have to fight Sookie?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" She asked confused.
"Bill, Hugh, and Alcide... how many men do I have to fight for your affections?" Was he serious?
"Fight?" He nodded walking towards her, grabbing her by the arms and turning her against the counter.
"You let him kiss you?" He asked his lips against her jaw, his nose in her hair. She couldn't think like this, what he was doing to her.
"Yes." She answered.
"Was it better than mine?" His mouth now on the outer shell of her ear. His hand making its way down her side over her hip and grasping her thigh.
"N..n..no." She answered shakily. He laughed against her skin. She could feel his breath on her face. He lifted her up placing her on the counter making it easier to meet his lips.
"That is good to know." He took her mouth in a rush, and she responded by pressing herself against him. He moaned against her lips feeling her breasts press against his chest. He took her head in his hands holding her against him. It felt as if he would never let her go. And that was just fine with her. He moved his tongue over her bottom lip begging for entrance. She greedily accepted, opening up to him. He pulled her center to his crotch; she could feel his hardness there. She got excited knowing that she had been the one to make it like that. His tongue moved within her, in time with his hardness on her center. She could feel the blood rushing to her head. She had never felt this good before, their last kiss had almost been goodbye, but this was something so different. Like he was meeting her for the first time.
--Riiiiiiing-
She broke apart from his lips, looking into his eyes at the interruption. Oh what had she done? She saw the lust in his eyes threatening to burn her alive. She could feel how wet she was, just from a kiss. How embarrassing! She blushed trying to avoid his eyes. He grabbed her chin in his hand gently bringing her face back to his.
-Riiiiiiing-
"Never look away from me. Never be ashamed of us, my älskling." He whispered his forehead touching hers.
-Riiiiiiing-
The phone, it was the phone. She didn't want to answer it she wanted to stay with Eric. What had he said to her? Her mind was like goo. Eric Northman had turned her into goo.
-Riiiiiiing-
Reluctantly she slipped away from Eric and answered the phone.
"Hello?" She asked obviously annoyed.
"Sookie? I'm sorry to bother you but can you work this afternoon? Lafayette still isn't back yet and I have to send Arlene in the kitchen to help Terry. He's losing it." It was Sam. Of course she didn't want to. She wanted to stay with Eric. Wait! No, no that was a bad idea.
"Sure Sam see you in a few." She told him hanging up the phone.
"Shifter." Was all Sookie could make out from the kitchen as she ran up the stairs to get dressed for work. How could she let herself do that? She told herself she wouldn't get involved with Eric and now look at her. That kiss, oh God that kiss. She couldn't do this. She would end up in bed with human Eric, who would turn into Vampire Eric and she would be just another conquest. Her head was still reeling from Bill's betrayal. She couldn't handle the rejection that would no doubt come from Eric. Her heart wouldn't survive it.
