A/N. Hi Guys and Gals, sorry for the HUGE! Delay I never meant to keep you hanging I promis…. R/L got busy and I have had a change in Beta's so I'd like to send a shout out to DoderHolden with many a thanks to her help on the last chapter and that I hope her R/L has calmed down somewhat…. Hope to see you around on here soon =)

Also a huge thanks to the people who R&R =) it makes me smile and makes my day when I get a review (Honestly it does)

And another big thanks goes to my new Beta ljhjelm49 who has been absolutely amazing =)

I hope there are still people out there reading this…. I know it's a confusing story but it will all pan out soon I promise.

Ciao for now

oh and as normal I own nothing all rights go to Charlie Harris…. Well except for 2 Teeny Characters that I made up =)

Thanks once again for reading… please Read and Review, lemme know what you think and if you think something should happen lemme know =) it may just happen

At work that day everything that can go wrong does go wrong , wrong delivery orders, staff quitting, staff not coming in, it's now that bad that I am now doubling as a bar tender for lunch and dinner today, I honestly should have stayed home… but alas I cannot as I am part owner and Pam would kick my arse for not turning up as we both own a bar together, even though it's the anniversary of 'her' leaving Pam refuses to mourn it and treat it as a normal day, though I know deep down she hates this day just like I do, but even more so, but why I have no idea it wasn't like Pam and 'her' were closer to each other than her and I were… hmm something for later thought or chat with Pam or Amelia as I know Pam tells Amelia everything. I am so peeved and distracted by thoughts of Sookie that I cut an old scar, whilst slicing lemons, and man does that hurt like a bitch, it also makes me remember with a sad smile on my face as to how I actually got the original scar in the first place.

It was a day similar to the day I was having but at the time I was working at a 24 hour bar in a hotel in the city. I was rushed off my feet, my boss at the time asking me to do a double shift, nothing was going right, last thing I had to do for the morning set up was cut lemons to go into customers drink, should be an easy task yes? 1 chopping board, lots of lemons and a very sharp cooks knife and a distracted me equals an almost cut off finger, awe hell I'm exaggerating, but I did slice through to the bone.

So after swearing at my stupidity (the pain hadn't set in yet) I grabbed some tea towels and some masking tape, and quickly rinsed my finger under the water and then used the tea towels as a make shift bandage (what they are more adsorbent than the bandage you get in the first aid kit) and used the masking tape to tape it all up, told my boss what happened and got a waitress who was finishing up to drive me to the hospital.

I get admitted fairly quickly and some guy who looks like they should be back in the American civil war (seriously who has that big of sideburns now days) he checks and cleans my finger, and now it's starting to throb, he then gives me a local anesthetic and he tells me that the nurse will be in in a few minutes to stich my finger.

So I was sitting there for what felt like hours but was actual minutes, and this vision of a girl walks in to the area I'm in and I seriously thought I'd died and I was now in heaven, or Valhalla where my Swedish ancestors believed they would go once they died. All those cheesy pick-up lines about God missing an Angel or a girl falling from heaven… yeah I know you know them don't deny it, I know you have either used them or heard them at least once in your life. Well the point I'm trying to make is that those pick-up lines I swear were made about her, any way the point is she's beautiful.

"Mr. Northman?" she asks holding my file

"That's me" I respond

"Ok then well let's have a look and see if we can't get you all mended and pouring beers for everyone again" she responds…. Wait a sec…. she's read my file I don't know her and she knows my job… WOW!

"Sure Nurse Stackhouse" I respond, and I visibly see her shudder, now was it due to coldness or fear, disgust, or repressed lust? Hmm have to think on that one.

So after getting stitched up and constantly hitting on 'Nurse Stackhouse' to find that she was unavailable because she has a boyfriend named Quinn… seriously who names their kid that? Though she did give me her number… so maybe everything isn't ok as what she's portraying it is another thing for me to think on later…

And by now your probably thinking that I'm some helpless emo guy that's only ever had one girl he's ever loved in his whole entire life, well it's not true, I'm not emo and I have put myself out there to try a serious relationship after Sookie so in some ways I have grown up since she left. But I suppose you are wondering how her and I ended up house mates? As I have seemed to have told you almost everything else…. Well here goes nothing….

A year after I met Sookie and unsuccessfully tried to get her away from precious Quinn, Sookie and I become fast friends and became really close, it kind of surprised me that it happened, but none the less it did happen,

It was on a rare night that I was home alone the house mate I had at the time was out clubbing it up as usual, and I was kind of getting sick of him hardly being home, refusing to pay rent or pay food costs because he was hardly home and if he was he was bringing random girls home to bang till all hours of the day and night, it's not that I'm against it, it's just that I wish he was more discreet with who he bought home and who he screwed, because he didn't seem to care, because I was on the end of quite a few knuckle sandwiches thanks to partners of girls he slept with. Anyway I'm rambling…. So back on topic…..

My house mate was out I was at home bored, eating tea and my front door opens and I knew it could only be a handful of people, house mate (Thought I doubted it), parents, sister or Sookie. And I hear a shaky voice call out

"Eric?"

"In the lounge room, Sook" I respond knowing who it was by her voice.

She walks in a beautiful mess her clothes all wet and disheveled, hair wet as anything, the makeup she wore slightly running, red irritated eyes meaning only one thing she'd been crying, and her posture was like she had given up on the world, to this day I cannot get the image of how she looked that day, even back then when I had no feelings for her besides friendship, all I wanted to do was to make her smile and take her pain away.

So not caring what state she is in I rush over to her and hug her tightly

"We need to get you out of those clothes, before you catch a cold your soaked, I had no idea it was raining outside, did you walk here or something?" I ask her knowing it's no good to ask her what's wrong or why was she crying she will tell me when she is ready.

"No you doofus I didn't walk here, this was just from walking up your driveway, and do you mind if I have a shower to warm up?" she responds to me.

"No at all Sook, my house is your house, you know this. Did you want anything to eat when you get out of the shower?" I ask

"I suppose I should eat so whatever are doing thanks" she responds as she's walking into my room to use my ensuite, as she obviously wants some privacy and time alone.

After her shower and her eating we start chatting as we haven't seen each other in a few weeks, which are just unacceptable, we normally at the absolute least catch up once a week more if we can.

Just after we finish eating and chatting about other things besides the main one I want to know which is why did she come here tonight looking like she did…

Well I get my answer just before we decide to head to bed, Sookie sleeping on the fold out couch in the lounge room, though I did insist she take my bed and I sleep there as I have no doubt that she maybe woken up by my house mate and one of his 'friends'

"Quinn and I broke up, I don't want to talk about why just yet I thought you should know, and that's why I'm here I didn't know where to go and I knew you wouldn't judge me or treat me differently and that's what I wanted, so thanks I guess" she blurts out just before I leave the lounge room to go to bed.

So again I do the best friend thing and go back to her and hug her and tell her what a fool Quinn was to dump her or whatever and that I'm here if she wants to talk.

Half way through the night my bedroom door opens, the only reason I know this is because I am a light sleeper, and its Sookie.

"Sookie what's wrong are you ok?" I question her, in this light it looks like she has her eyes shut and is sleep walking, but it's hard to tell.

"Yeah everything is ok, I just don't want to be alone so can I sleep with you please?" she responds sounding a tad dreamy.

"Sure, hop in" I quickly say

She quickly scrambles into my bed and quickly turns her back to me and shuffles close to me indicating that she wants to snuggle/spoon and that I'm to be the holder /big spoon and I quickly drift off to sleep having one of the best sleeps of all times, enveloped in Sookie's scent which I cannot ever get enough of, it's a mixture of all things good and with just a hint of all her and only her.

I wake up the next morning very refreshed but to Sookie very worried.

"Eric what happened last night after we went to bed? Why am I in your bed?" she questions

"You demanded that you sleep on the fold out in the lounge, I got that ready for you, I came in here, fell asleep, woke up around midnight-ish to you asking to sleep in here for some comfort as you didn't want to be alone" I respond leaving nothing out, as I have nothing to hide from her at all.

"Oh" is all she can say in response.

"Now let's get some food into you and then we can go get your things from your house" I say brushing off the slightly awkward moment.

"Ok, but where am I going to live? I cannot move back in with my Dad, as much as I love him, I would end up going stir crazy if I lived with him, and I cannot continue to sleep on the fold out here, your house mate isn't exactly the quietest person when he comes home, especially with company" she says and blushes furiously at the last statement.

"Well, I think I know of a room that's going to become available soon, so how about I find out if it is and we get you set up there" I respond, not letting on that it's actually going to be my room, as I am kicking my house mate out, as I'm just sick of his attitude and his lifestyle.

"OH yes please Eric, I'm just going to have a shower and then we can go" she says perking up a bit at the prospect of 'moving on'.

When she is in the shower I go into my house mates room, his name is Alcide, who seems like a nice hard working honest guy, well that was part of the reason I accepted him when he applied to be my roommate as I didn't want the drama of what he's actually doing and I told him that. And I know it makes me sound like a prick but I like to have a calm house, sure I may from time to time engage in sex with girls I hardly know but I NEVER and I repeat NEVER bring them home as it just creates too much drama and stress, and you get no weird phone calls, letters or random crazy girls stalking you, or trying to get into your house yes since he moved here, we have had that and a few other situations and to be honest it's just getting old.

I open his door to see booze bottles, and some drug taking paraphernalia and baggies of said drugs littered across the floor and room, now this just pisses me off, I had no idea, and would have been screwed if the police had of come here on a raid.

So really not caring for this guy anymore also just sparing a glance at the girl who I am assuming is naked, and Alcide would be, and I believe the girl in the bed is one of his more stable fuck buddies

Darcy? Delena? Danni? Debby? Ehh I gave up a while ago trying to remember the names of the girls he screws. So I ironically find an air horn on the floor, so I pick it up getting evil thoughts.

When I get to the foot of the bed, I let the air horn rip and let's say to this day I cannot look at an air horn without pissing myself laughing at this memory, it may seem lame to you guys but to me it was hilarious, a guy who's just shorter than myself (6ft 4inch) and is more built then me, only because he's a laborer (construction) and a twig of a girl jump out of bed then realize they are standing in front of their house mate or partners house mate naked.

So after a lengthy chat (more like fight) with Alcide, he leaves that night and I move my things up into his room, after a good airing out and making sure there are no baggies of stuff in the room, I then go down stairs to help my new house mate unpack and get settled.

Now I know what you're thinking, and that it was that I went and did an Alcide on Sookie, but truth is I did but I didn't, the first few times I met them I went back to theirs, and it wasn't until they understood what was happening and that I knew they accepted it that I actually bought them back to my house, so the earlier memory of Sookie and 'the bitch' was slightly inaccurate, but still accurate, I know it sounds confusing but that was what my life was like back then and Sookie was the only person who seemed to ground me and keep my head deflated with all the attention I was getting from the promotion and my good looks. And also I never touched drugs in my life and I will never start.

Now it had been a few days since my day of mourning, and I still couldn't shake the slightly depressed funk I'd gotten into since that day and I think Pam is about to kill me, as she refused to let me be out front during service times and giving me various jobs out back or paperwork related as she thought my 'emoness' was dragging down the vibe of the place and she didn't want to lose profits and I wasn't really in people liking mood anyways so it suited me just fine.

The only problem with doing the back of house stuff is that once your caught up, you basically have nothing to do, same goes with the paper work, and with ample time on my hands I had more than enough time for my mind to wander and think about things I probably shouldn't be thinking about if I wanted to shake my 'funk' off, and if I am being honest with myself this is the first time ever I have ever been like this before or after 'the day' and it's slightly frustrating to me as I know I cannot continue to live in the past and that I have to accept my mistakes and her choices and move on, but I can't see to be able to and it's frustrating as hell.

I'd dare to say that if I believed in all of this soul mate stuff that all this stuff that I'm feeling is because I'm missing my other half and I know who it is, because I was lucky enough to meet her before she left me again…. And if I had to venture a guess who my supposed soul mate was it would be Sookie.

SOME WEEKS LATER….

Dam it why do I keep thinking about her it was 5 years ago and if she wanted to find me again she could easily find me again, it's not like I moved or changed my name. I get bought out of my thoughts by young girl I'd say she'd be about 5 years old crashing into my legs in the line at Starbucks.

I look down at her and what I see nearly blows my mind, the girl has the same shade of blonde hair as me but it's obviously not that, that blows my mind many people have the same shade of hair that I have, it's the girls eyes, and her face, her eyes are the same shade as mine, but in her eyes holds a mischief that I have only ever seen in Sookie's and her face looks like Sookie when she was that age (we didn't know each other then, but I saw photos of her), so I'm there internally freaking, but then I'm thinking that I'm reading too much into this because I've been thinking about her a lot the past few months, so compelled to help this girl I crouch down to her level

"Where's you Mum or Dad?" I ask her.

" Your my Dad, Mum is sitting over there with Leif" she responds looking so sure that I'm her father, how can I be I maybe a player but I'm always careful, and I mean always

"I'm sorry I think you may have me mistaken, how about we go see your Mum?" I ask hoping that if I see the mum I may be able to put this all to rest and get my coffee and go to work and forget about this whole weird encounter.

I stand up to my full height again and she grabs my hand and drags me over to where her mum is sitting

"Alexis Pamela Northman, how many times have I told you never to run off on me in public places? Now stay where you are and finish you orange juice!" the voice of the mother comes before I can see her as, the girl that I now know has ran ahead of me and because the mother has her back to me I cannot see her, but something about her voice, even scolding sounds familiar, also is it only me who thinks it's a coincidence that this child and I share the same surname? I doubt it's a very popular surname to begin with anyway.

"But Mum, I found Dad, he's coming over to see us, see look behind you Mum" she responds slightly whining

"Now hunny I won't have you say such…." She trails off as she spots me close by and when I look into her eyes and I look at the two kids, everything clicks into place, but how can this be?

"Sookie?" is all I can get out at the moment and to me it sounds very hesitant, almost like I'm afraid she'll leave again, which honestly if this person is her, and I'm about 99% sure she is, I don't want her to leave again so soon.