Jeeze. I feel like I should do a recap for you guys who've likely forgotten the entire story line so far since it's been so long. I apologize. I've no creative excuses. I've been reading a crap ton of awesome fics, to wit:

Anything seastarr08, MissConstrued and Fardareismai2.

Also:

Zigster's Bourbon and Tea

And With Thee Fade Away was effing awesome. /www . fanfiction . net/s/5304342/1/

Gynazole by Mrs. TheKing and my newest favorite ficsf

Mortal Instruments has fics on here. Turbulence by ddpjclaf. She also wrote Rogue. Lovely stuff.

More mad props to my beta, AmaZen. I love her more every day. She's my rock, y'all.

I mustered up all of my wit and said the most intelligent thing possible in that given moment. "Whoa." The entire bar erupted into applause. And so did my nether regions.

EPOV

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her feet slip and watched her go down. I turned on my heel and slid next to her as she reached nearly horizontal prior to impact. I slipped my arms where I had been wanting and slid her against me. Her smile, radiant, met my gaze. "Boo," was all I could manage, so enamored with her beautiful grin was I. As her weight finally hit home against my arms, I heard the bar explode in shouts and I watched her brain reconcile her impending impact with the end result.

"Whoa," she gasped and I held her tighter against me. She was so tiny in comparison and nearly weightless. I lifted up from the knee I was kneeling upon and pulled her tiny body against my own. She fit perfectly beneath my chin. I lifted her gaze to mine with a hand cupping either cheek and lightly kissed those lips. She was so surprised she had no time to consider the act. She held still, for once, and just let me do my thing. I ignored the ensuing crowd and pulled back earlier than I'd liked. Sookie had her eyes closed, her hair tumbled down her back and around my arm holding her against me. She sighed slightly as I pulled away.

"There you go," I whispered while I lightly brushed my lips against her forehead. When I looked down she was beginning to open her eyes. Those icy blues looked into mine tentatively.

"Th..thank you," she groaned. Her cheeks colored high and I could feel her pulse speed up. Years ago I'd be dying to bury my teeth into that throat. Now? Now I was enjoying the show.

"It's what I'm good for... history lessons, condescending diatribes and rescuing damsels before they can spill their pretty asses onto the floor." I couldn't help but chuckle as Sookie buried her face against my chest. "See, you need to keep me around. I'm more than a pretty face." Just then she lifted her face and rubbed my chest with her nose.

"I guess you are. I bet I underestimated you're undead ass yet again." Snark is back.

"Uh-yuh. Yuntoo git-on-outta heyah?" I asked. Dear God in heaven she actually snorted. Miss Stackhouse snorts!

"Oh my God, I did not just do that. You've seen nothing." She was guffawing into my chest.

"Oh, I saw and heard it all, Miss Proper. You just snorted into my shirt. My dry cleaner is going to be so unimpressed once I explained that particular stain. Wait until I tell Pam what you're capable of doing."

She blanched. "You wouldn't."

"You're right. I'll throw the shirt away, but wait until Pam hears of this. I can't wait to bring you back to Fangtasia." I was boasting, but I was allowed at that moment.

I grabbed her by the hand and began to drag her toward the Peanut Gallery before she could resist. She tried halfway there, but I put the death grip on that hand and wouldn't relent. "Ladies and Gents, now that you've seen Miss Grace in action, I think it's high time I bring her home so that Amelia can corner the honors for the rest of the night." With my free hand, I removed one of Amelia's while Tray roared in laughter. I kissed her knuckles and bid her until next time. I gave the Claudine/Tara/Claude mixture a seductive wink and fist bumped Jason and Hoyt. JB was still enamored with his coaster, so I let him be. From behind me a rogue hand came out to wave goodbye, as I felt Sookie press her reddened face into my back. "Group, Sookie is too embarrassed to say goodnight, but the hand on my right appears to be waving goodbye. All wave goodnight to my third arm." I heard a snort to my left and pointed at Amelia. "Arm, Amelia, not leg." Amelia hiccuped and the group laughed out loud again.

I clasped Tray's shoulder and wished him fucking good luck. He was going to need it with that brand of piss-weasel.

Sookie followed me outside to the car. I obligingly opened the door for her and took the keys. Vampire don't get inebriated. While I had no doubt that she was stone sober by this point, I'd seen enough of her on her feet. She'd be slip-sliding this piece of shit the whole way home. At least I knew I'd get us there in one piece.

I stalked around to the driver's side and slid in. She was busily buckling herself in, not that she was slow, but I didn't take my time. I slid the key in, ignited the pitiful engine and was backing out as she finished. "Damn, I wish I could have blended with the wall. What is wrong with me?"

"Indeed. The earth didn't shift on its axis. There were no quakes. How did you manage to lose your complete footing in cowboy boots in a redneck bar?" I kept the little 4-cylinder at an even 50 on the highway. I checked the meters and quirked her a stare. She was too busy glaring out of her window to reply. I thought I'd nudge her along. "Did something distract you? I mean, surely you saw the waitress mopping up that spill? What had you so oblivious that you couldn't keep your feet out of harm's way?"

She flung her head up and looked straight ahead. "I have work on the mind, you know. I have deadlines. I'm considering one and the next thing I know I'm slipping..." She huffed and so did I.

"Wouldn't have something to do with a certain blond blood sucker would it? You know those are distracting. I know I caught myself in the mirror and couldn't help but check myself out. It's a good thing I don't obsess over it or I would not have noticed you flying on your..."

"Don't say it, Northman," she threatened. I couldn't hold my laughter. This was too rich.

"I hear you over there. Don't think I don't. She must have put some detergent down and I missed it. That's all. Nothing to do with you."

"Uh hu. You just slipped. Well, I caught you."

She giggled. "I guess you did."

Soon enough, I was pulling the car into her driveway and around to the back of the house.

"Back door access, may I try yours?"

She rolled her eyes and opened the car door. Before she could put her feet on the ground, I ran over and scooped her up. She was demanding that I put her down, but I merely reminded her of how dangerous that could be. Once inside the door, I let her slide slowly down my body and held her by the hips.

"Cut it with the back door access, and no more walking jokes, Eric. I slipped for Christ's sake."

"Just making sure, Lover." She huffed, spun on her heel and began to stalk down the hallway. I waited a moment until I heard thumps coming from down the hall. I walked to her bedroom doorway just as she was tossing her last boot into her closet. Sookie was sitting on the edge of her bed, knees pressed together, ankles splayed out. The loose collar of her shirt was beginning to slide off of one shoulder, exposing the thin bra strap. Her hair was a wild jungle of loose curls and shiny locks threatened to fall into her face. She looked tired and spent, disheveled but enormously sexy.

She looked at me watching her and then glanced to the dresser mirror. She brought her hand to her hair in a futile attempt to manage it, but gave up almost immediately. She brought her gaze back to me, "Did you think I came pressed and wrinkle free? I've had a rough week and it's showing. I think now is your cue to run screaming for the hills. Perhaps flying would be your choice of escape?"

I remained silent as I leaned against her doorway while sliding my boots off of my feet. Once done I shoved them to the side and out of the doorway lest she trip over them somehow. Her eyes widened as I stalked toward her and slowly lowered to my knees. I reached out and gently opened her thighs and knelt between them. Using my thousand years of experience taming windblown hair from my own flights, I gently raised my fingers to her locks and slowly removed the tangles. Her head fell back into my open palm and I slowly massaged her scalp. After she was thoroughly relaxed I sat back on my heels and ran my hands from her hips to her knees.

As I lowered my face she jumped and tried to close her thighs. Her little heart was racing. "Not yet, Lover." She relaxed a bit. I lowered my lips to the inside of her knees, kissing them through the jeans. I continued my way up until I reached as far as would be within her comfort level.

"Eric, I'm a hot mess. Please..." she whispered.

I wrapped her legs around my waist and began nibbling on her neck. She stiffened against me so I moved up to her ear lobe. "Is that your only objection?" She sighed and ran her fingers through my hair, gripped it at the base of my neck. I brought my lips to hers. The bourbon on her lips only added to the sweetness, and did not take away from it as it did with the fangbangers at my bar. We kissed slowly, without any hurry. I didn't want to rush this moment, despite my need to consume her. I wanted to show her I wanted more than a quick fuck. I wanted her.

As her grip tightened around my neck, I ran one arm around her amazing ass. I stood up on my knees and crawled my way onto the bed with one hand holding us up.

With her legs still wrapped tightly around me, I let her down gently on the comforter. Her hands were running up and down my back, around my shoulders. She wasn't hurried, she was learning me. It had been so long since anyone wanted to do that. But, she still had not answered my question.

I brought her hands above her head one at a time and held them there. Sookie groaned against my chest, trying to press her body against mine.

"You didn't answer my question, Lover."

Her head fell back to the bed with a puzzled expression. I stared into her blue eyes and reminded her. "Any other objections?" She shifted her hips against me, eliminating any remaining space in my pants. "Lover, are you smirking?"

"Maybe," she giggled. That was all the answer I needed. I continued to hold her hands as I kissed my way down her jaw to her chest. This silly shirt didn't give me nearly enough access, but I realized it laced up the front. I took one end of the bow into my mouth and pulled it loose. She gasped and held her breath as I continued to pull the ribbon through the eyelets and free of the offending garment. I watched as she took in a deep breath, causing her shirt to fall to her sides. I sat up and took her in.