A/N: Hm... a fairly quick update compared to my past few. Yay inspiration!! Generally I have a bunch to blab about up here....but now, not so much. Enjoy the chapter!

Muchas gracias chisaii-kitty!

Disclaimer: I own Alexander Danger and his misadventures. However, I do not own any part of SVM, True Blood, The Today Show or The View, or the New York Times.

The cab pulled up in front of The Strip House, a classic New York steakhouse, where Sookie and Eric exited, pulling their coats tighter around them. It was March and winter still had a firm grip, refusing to let the warm air in. They stepped through the doors, alerting the hostess that they were part of the Northman party. She led them through the plush interior to a table near the back where Pam was already waiting with their mystery guest. As Sookie neared the table, she caught a glimpse of who they would be eating with. She grabbed Eric's arm, stopping him in his tracks.

"Eric, do you know who that is?"

"That's Stan Davis; he's the actor who plays Danger in the films."

"I know who he is! Why is he eating dinner with us?"

"Well, they just finished shooting The Danger You Know and he had some time before he started his next project. That's all Pam told me."

They approached the table, exchanging greetings and introductions. Sookie was shy at first, but Stan's Southern charm quickly endeared him. They shared stories of being raised in the South, comparing the similarities and differences of a small town like Bon Temps and a big city like Dallas. Conversation flowed easily among the group and soon dinner was nearing its end. A guilty expression soon crossed Pam's face.

"So I suppose I should reveal why I wanted you and Sookie to come to dinner with us. Stan, do you want to do the honors?"

"Sure thing. I've got this gap in my schedule, considering I won't be starting my next film until this summer. When Pam visited the set last month, she told me about this murder mystery night that's in the works for the release. We thought it would be a great way to promote the movie and book at the same time if I pick up my role as Danger for the dinner. She also might have mentioned it would be the only way I'd get an advanced copy of the book and I knew my wife would kill me if I turned that down."

Sookie let out an audible gasp, drawing everyone's attention to her. She blushed a deep red before stammering out, "Oh my God, I'm your Susannah!"

"Well, Sookie, it'll be a pleasure to work with you. From what Pam's told me, the rest of the roles are being filled by the actors from the theater group that puts on the dinners. It'll be nice to have someone else who's worked so closely with the source material on the project. Is it going to follow the plot exactly or are they going in a different direction?"

Eric fielded the question, all things considered. "I've written out a story that follows the plot closely, but also incorporates some fan favorite characters from the other books. It has to take place in one night, so it highlights my favorite aspects of the work. Obviously, all the interactions are going to be improvised with the guests but each character has their own necessary secrets to reveal to everyone as the night goes on."

"Great! I look forward to hearing from you or the theater group once everything gets hashed out. I'm sorry to jet on you like this, but I've got a flight back to Texas to catch. Sookie, it was nice to meet you. Pam, Eric, good to see you again."

He rose from the table, hugging the ladies goodbye and offering Eric a hand shake.

Pam was all smiles until he left her line of sight, then she was back to business. "Now that Hollywood's gone, we've got press tomorrow. Book release is in a month, and the movie comes out two weeks after that. You ready for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is the Today Show right?"

"You'll be on Today in the eight o'clock hour and The View airs at eleven, calls at ten. You need to be on set for hair and makeup by six and you'll have to book it to the next studio right after your segment."

"The View? You didn't mention I'd be on that squawk fest too. Do you hate me that much?"

"You have a mostly female fan base, as to do they. It's your target audience. Get over it. Speaking of getting over it, you know both shows are going to tackle the past few years. They're going to ask you about Felicia. Are you going to be okay?"

He reflected for a moment, feeling Sookie's hand wrap around his and squeeze. He looked to her, seeing the support in her eyes. He responded without looking away, "I'll be fine. You'll be with me, right?"

Both women answered in unison, "Of course."


It was 6:30 a.m. and a nervous Eric was sitting in the makeup room of the Today Show. The young lady currently doing his makeup was rambling on about her love for everything he's done. He was completely oblivious to her; he was focusing on the soothing circles Sookie was tracing into his palm. He never liked doing the press rounds, but it was a necessity of his business. His anxiety levels were higher than anything he's felt since he started dating Sookie.

Pam entered the room, shutting up the girl with one well placed glare. She turned her focus to Eric, noting the appreciative look on his face. "You'll be chatting with the new girl, Holly Cleary. Apparently she's in charge of the book talks now. When you're done here, we're going down to the greenroom, where one of the producers will come and give you the rundown of what you two will talk about."

"He's all done here, Ms. Ravenscroft. You can head down now. Amanda will be with you in a minute." The poor girl said her whole speech in one terrified breath, looking at her shoes. Pam grabbed his hand, pulling him down the hallway, leading him to the greenroom where they would wait for their segment. They helped themselves to the food, chatting with the other guests from the day's show.

Soon enough, a woman came through the door, armed with a clipboard and headset. This clearly was Amanda, the producer. She introduced herself, taking a seat next to Eric to get to business. She explained that it was a general author interview, and gave a general outline of the questions that Holly would be asking. She made notes of possible anecdotes that the hostess could cue based on what he was telling her.

"We want to delve into your absence from the scene for the past few years, but know it's because you lost your wife. Would you be okay with that coming up? If not we could skim right past it."

"I'd rather not linger there, but I don't mind giving an explanation as to why I've been gone."

"By the death grip you've got on this young lady's hand I'm going to venture a guess at new girlfriend. Can we talk about her?"

He looked over at Sookie, taking her affirmative nod into consideration. "Yes, this is my girlfriend, Sookie Stackhouse. She inspired the book so I suppose she'll come up in conversation."

"Oh that's great stuff! The fans will really eat that kind of stuff up!" She made fast notes on the clipboard. "Your segment's coming up in thirty minutes. Someone will be by in fifteen to bring you to set. Any other questions?"

As he declined, she moved on to the next guest, asking the same general questions. Eric looked over to Sookie, who was cuddled into his side, and then Pam who was completely ignoring them both in favor of her BlackBerry.

"Is this too early for you, Sookie? I don't think I've ever seen you functioning at this hour before."

"Well, I'm not doing much in terms of functioning. I'm just emotional support. I don't think I could form sentences for an interview like you'll have to."

"I try not to think about it. Just answer honestly and from the heart. I don't want to say anything stupid. How do I look? Am I camera ready?"

She looked him over from head to toe slowly, taking him in completely. He was wearing the slim black Armani suit he bought when they first started dating with the red tie she got him for New Years and a matching pocket square he had purchased. "Do you want the simple answer or the dirty answer?"

"Keep it simple, last thing I need is to be hard on national television."

"You look perfectly amazing."

He leaned in, giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. The page came in a few minutes later to escort them to the set. It was simple, two chairs framing a television monitor that displayed his name as well as the cover art for the book. He removed his jacket so they could attach the microphone to his shirt. He had just sat down, trying to find a comfortable position in the chair while Sookie rubbed his shoulders.

Holly joined them a short while later, giving him the same general rundown Amanda had in the green room. She was young and sweet, with a bright smile perfect for morning television. Another producer let them know they only had two minutes before going live. Pam and Sookie cleared the set while makeup came in to perform the final touch ups.

"Good morning and welcome back to the Today Show. We're being joined today by an author whose first three books spent a combined two hundred fifty weeks on the New York Times' Best Sellers' List. Early next month, the fourth in his Alexander Danger series, Danger is a Dame, will be released and is already the number one pre-seller with both Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. Please welcome Eric Northman. Eric, it's great having you here today."

"It's a pleasure to be here, Holly, thanks for the glowing introduction."

"Your fans have missed you the past few years. We haven't gotten a new book, but were able to enjoy the movie adaptation of the first in the series. If you don't mind my asking, what have you been up to?"

"Well, around the time I was writing the last book, my wife passed away suddenly as a result of a drunk driving accident. It really sent me into an emotional tailspin. I wasn't able to get out of bed, let alone write. But the past few months, I've started to get my life back on track. I met an amazing woman who inspired me to get back to work. She's helped me so much; I couldn't have done this without her."

"My producer tells me that she's the inspiration behind the new leading lady. Why don't you fill us in on what's happening in this new installment?"

"Danger turned to the bottle to help him deal with his own bad luck, and one night in a jazz club he hears an angel singing his favorite songs. He falls head over heels for her. At the same time, he gets assigned a new case involving a serial killer. That's all I can say without giving too much away. It focuses on Danger rebuilding his life after losing a great love."

"So a case of art imitating life?"

"Precisely."

"Now your message boards are raving about the release of your first book in three years as well as a sequel to the box office hit. What do you have to say about the support from your fans?"

"Oh, without a shadow of a doubt, I couldn't have done this without my fans. They mean the world to me. Pam, my editor and best friend, would deliver bags of fan mail and printouts from the internet with words of support, love and praise. I'm honored that they stood by me for so long, and am thankful that they're still here and still excited."

"I understand you have something special planned to thank them?"

"That's right. They have a tremendously creative group at ACE Publishing and one of the new members of the advertising team came up with a murder mystery themed dinner. I've written a storyline that shadows the new book. And Pam just gave me the go ahead to reveal that the role of Alexander Danger would be played by none other than the star of the film adaptations, Stan Davis. Really, there's no one more qualified."

"That sounds so exciting! How can fans get tickets to the dinner? And by fans I mean news reporters."

They shared a forced laugh at her joke. "Well, they can enter a raffle on my website. Fifty fans will be selected at random and receive two tickets. The book is coming out April 6th, and the dinner will be April 4th. Those who get tickets will also be able to purchase the book early that night, and I will be available for autographs."

"I hope your website's servers are able to handle the mass of people heading there right now. You'll also be signing autographs on release day, right?"

"Yes, at the Barnes and Nobles on Fifth Avenue."

"Well, that's all the time we have for today. I want to thank our guest, Eric Northman, for coming out. Good luck with the new book, and new movie."

"Thanks, Holly, it was my pleasure."

"When we come back, how many calories is your dog consuming every day? We're talking with a canine food expert to get the low down."

The producer signaled the cameras were off. Holly shook Eric's hand, thanking him again for coming. Pam walked on set, handing the young brunette two tickets to the dinner with a wink. She wrapped Pam in a hug before running off to prepare for her next segment. Sookie had run over, wrapping Eric in a big hug and then slapped Pam on the arm.

"You're a shameless flirt! How do you know if she's even gay?"

"You don't have to be gay to have fun, Sookie. She's cute. Now come on you two, we're heading to the View!"

Eric groaned, running his hand down his face, grimacing at the makeup now covering his hand. "I hate this stuff. This is the last interview today right?"

Pam answered as she ushered them towards the town car. "Wrong, you have a phone interview with the New York Times at two and an online chat on your website at eight."

"You just love telling me about these things ahead of time don't you?"

"What matters is that one of us knows what's going on. I don't need you worrying your pretty little head over silly interviews. Shut up, we've got ten minutes before we're at the next studio. I don't want it spent with you complaining."

He gave her a wicked grin, pulling Sookie into his lap for an impromptu make out session. She giggled and pretended to fight against him while Pam groaned. "Ugh, I didn't mean to fill it with something else. What did I do to deserve friends like you?"


Later that evening, Eric was lying in bed while Sookie was rubbing his shoulders, sans massage oil. The two aspirin were working wonders on his headache, while Sookie's amazing hands finished the rest. Between the two live interviews, the one over the phone and the live chat with his fans, he was physically, emotionally and mentally spent. He didn't have much practice talking about the difficult time he had the past few years outside of his conversations with Sookie.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thanking whoever invented aspirin and whichever god gave you those hands. I went from zero to ten after that massage."

"Besides that. Your face was screwed up tight, like you were deep in thought."

He paused for a minute, trying to formulate an answer. He turned over to his back so she was straddling his waist. "I'm just thinking about how grateful I am to have you in my life. I couldn't have done any of this without you."

"Duh, you would have never created Susannah without stalking me on the treadmill."

"I'm serious, Sookie. You changed my life."

She shifted, curling on her side while he turned to his to face her. He took her hands in his, kissing her knuckles, noting how they were warmed with the friction of his massage. "I know, and you should know that you changed mine. I was giving up on love after such epic failures like Bill and Quinn. You pulled me out of my shell just as much as I pulled you from yours."

"Do you realize you've slept here more nights than you did in your own apartment?"

"Yeah, last time I went back home I noticed I have more clothes in your closet than in my own."

"Why don't we make it official? Sookie, would you like to move in with me?"

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. We spend most of our time together anyway. I would love to spend all my time with you. I'd love for you to live here."

"I would love to, but what about Amelia? I can't just abandon her to cover the entire rent on her own. I need to talk to her before I make a decision. I'm sorry."

He pulled her in closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I think it's a testament to your character that you would put your friend's concerns over your own happiness. I'll wait for your answer, as long as you keep staying here until you make your final decision."

"You couldn't kick me out if you tried."

With that, he turned out the lights and the two lovers drifted to sleep wrapped in each other's arms.


Eric had just finished a walk with Clancy, rounding the corner with his furry companion, approaching his building. An interesting sight greeted him coming from the opposite direction. Sookie, Amelia and Tray were walking down the block, each carrying an armful of boxes. He ran over to them, helping a struggling Amelia with her share.

"What are you guys doing?"

"I'm moving in!" He nearly dropped the boxes at Sookie's exclamation in his desire to pull her in for a kiss.

They made their way into his apartment, putting down the heavy load. Sookie gave Eric what he wanted, throwing herself into his arms for a searing kiss that left her breathless. Amelia took it upon herself to explain.

"Tray and I wanted to move in together for a while, but he felt weird living there with Sookie. When she came to talk to me about moving here, I helped her pack the rest of her crap and got her ass out!"

"Which is why Pam was being so flirty with everything with a vagina! She and Amelia had stopped seeing each other when things got serious with Tray," Sookie chimed in. "We've got everything packed into Tray's truck. Could you come help with the rest?"

Two more trips back and forth and everything was sitting in Eric's living room getting a full examination by Clancy. They were sitting, resting, and sharing a glass of iced tea. Amelia gave Tray a slap on the leg, trying to snap him back to reality. "We should head out. We need to pack up your apartment next and let these two lovebirds settle in."

Amelia pulled Sookie in for a tight hug before she left with Tray. They left, leaving Eric and Sookie alone with the rest of her life packed tightly away in boxes. She lounged comfortably in his arms, taking in the apartment with new eyes. It might be her new address now, but over the last few months, this place had certainly become her home. Eric kissed the top of her head, tilting her back to look in her eyes, "Welcome home, Sookie."

A/N2: AW! I love the warm and fuzzies!! And now, a word from the lovely :

Attn: SVM readers and writers! SVM Teaser Mondays is still going strong! Get a sneak peak at what is coming up on your favorite fics! Any SVM writer can post a teaser! Subscribe to the thread here (remove spaces): http: // forum. fanfiction. net/ topic/ 55534/19191439/1/

Check out the forums!!! I post every Monday as do many of my favorite authors.

Stay tuned for the next chapter where we join our friends at an exciting murder mystery night. Who's gunna die....and who's the killer? Only I know!! *evil laughter* Review please! Last chapter was the most reviewed chapter to date, let's see if you can beat it!