Eric is hiding out in Sookie's house, following the threats from Marnie/Hallow. Sookie has returned from a short stay in the land of the Fae to find him there. We left them at the end of the last chapter sharing a shower together.

"Tell me what happened, Sookie, who hurt you?" Eric had wrapped a towel around her and was now sitting in a chair in her bathroom holding her in his arms. He sounded genuinely concerned, and that touched her more than she could say. Slowly and hesitantly she told him the story of her stay in the land of the fairies, and her second betrayal at the hands of Preston.

To her disgust, Eric seemed amused at the tale. "You should be honoured, you are only part Fae and yet they have accepted you as one of their own."

"They need me for a brood mare, that's the only reason. I can't believe I could have fallen for that shit again. First Bill tries to betray me to a vampire queen; then Preston tries to betray me to a fairy queen. Have I got 'sucker' tattooed on my forehead or something?"

"You're unique, my lover, it's not surprising that everyone wants you."

"Including you?"

"Yes including me, but I promise you that I want you only for myself. If you give yourself to me, I will protect you against anyone who tries to harm you."

Sookie trembled, and not because she was cold. She knew that if she took Eric as her lover, he would never let her go, at least not until he tired of her. Even with that knowledge, she felt powerless to resist him. The attraction between them was too strong to be denied. She searched her feelings, desperate to know if she could really trust him, or if this would lead to a third betrayal.

Eric gave her no further time to think, as he picked her up in his arms and carried her through to the bedroom. He deposited her carefully on the bed, leaving the towel wrapped around her. He sat looking at her for several minutes, his expression serious. She found it hard to meet his piercing gaze, focussing instead on his chest, considering how strange it was that he didn't breathe. Her heart seemed to be beating faster. Slowly she peeled the towel away.

He reached down with a hand, stroking the lightest of touches over her breasts and down across her stomach. Lowering his head, he allowed his mouth to follow the same track, pushing her legs apart to allow him access. He was in no hurry as he used his tongue and his fingers to taste and excite her. He knew now that he had wanted this since the first time he had seen her, but the wait had made the achievement all the sweeter. He could not remember experiencing anything quite so exquisite in his whole undead existence.

Sookie tangled her hands in his hair, closing her eyes to better savour every sensation. "Eric, please?" she murmured in a low voice.

He raised his head and looked up at her, his eyes dark with lust. It was taking all his self-control not to bite into the artery which he could sense throbbing in her inner thigh. He slid his body back up the bed, his eyes fixed on hers the whole time. He moved more slowly than she would have thought possible, dragging out every moment of anticipation, increasing her desire and his own with every second of delay.

Then, almost without warning, he was above her and inside her. She had thought she was ready, but even so the size of him came as a shock to her. She gasped as he began to move, slowly at first then faster. The feeling was like nothing she had ever experienced. She began to move in rhythm with him, meeting every thrust as he lifted her hips up off the bed.

As her excitement began to build, she could sense what it was he craved the most. "Do it," she ordered, arching her neck to allow him access to her jugular vein.

He raised his head, and with a soft click his fangs ran down. Sookie's eyes never left his face. She loved the cute way he wrinkled his nose. It was so incongruous on a face dominated by such intense lust and desire. She tensed a little before the inevitable assault but instead of the pain she had expected, a feeling of intense pleasure flooded her whole body as she reached that glorious moment of release.

She felt Eric reach his own moment of ecstasy before he loosened his grip on her neck and gently licked the wounds to heal them. He took his time, conscious of how important it was to both of them that no-one should see his mark on her. All the time he held her tightly in his arms, not withdrawing from her. He turned onto his side so as to avoid crushing her with his weight. Using his free hand he traced invisible patterns down her back and over her perfect ass. He was rewarded with tiny moans of pleasure from deep in her throat.

Sookie raised her head from where it rested against his neck and reached out to meet his lips with hers. Their kiss was at first tender and gentle, but the passion soon began to build. Eric's tongue moved against hers in a familiar rhythm. She pushed against his shoulder and he responded by rolling onto his back. Raising herself up, she began to ride him. It was Eric's turn to moan as she slowed the pace of her movements while tensing her muscles around him. She smiled with pleasure at the expression of pure lust on his face.

Eventually he could stand it no longer and slipped a finger between her legs, finding that most sensitive spot. Sookie couldn't help but call out his name as she increased her pace, savouring once again the sensation of how it felt to have him deep inside her.

Eric prided himself on never losing control during sex, but the intensity of this experience went far beyond the physical release that normally satisfied him. The words he cried out at the moment of release were almost as unfamiliar to him as they were to Sookie; a long dead language which even he hadn't used for centuries.

Afterwards they were both silent for a long time. Sookie lay back against his broad chest. The feel of his cool skin, and the muscles working beneath it, was surprisingly soothing. She let her head fall back against the crook of his neck with a gentle sigh.

It still spooked her sometimes to be with someone who could be completely silent and still. Bill had always pretended to breathe when they had sex, which she had found strangely comforting. Eric, she knew, would never pretend to be anything that he wasn't.

Eric traced gentle circles over her stomach. "You're very quiet," he said, sounding concerned.

Before she could reply they heard a knock on the front door. Eric tensed up briefly, then relaxed.

"It's Pam," he announced.

Sookie was about to ask him how he knew, but then she remembered the maker-child connection that every vampire had. Sighing, she hauled herself off the bed and picked up an old robe to wrap around herself. Eric stretched himself out on the bed, smiling as he watched her.

She did a double-take as she opened the door, wondering if Eric could be mistaken. The figure who was standing there looked nothing like Pam. She was a good foot shorter, and fifty years older, with greying hair and shabby clothes. The old woman's voice was querulous as she proffered a charity collection tin. "I'm collecting for the parish poor fund; have you anything you can spare?"

"Oh very good, you've surpassed yourself." Eric laughed from the top of the stairs. He hadn't bothered with a robe. "Invite her in please Sookie."

"Won't you please come in, Pam," Sookie said with as much grace as she could muster.

"I'm glad to see you're keeping yourself entertained." Pam grumbled, looking at Sookie's hastily tied robe.

"What do you want Pam?" Sookie really wasn't in the mood for her sarcasm. Everything had seemed so simple a few minutes ago when she was in bed with Eric, but now all sorts of doubts entered her mind. The arrival of Pam reminded her of Fangtasia, and that reminded her of Eric's complex business and political dealings. She supressed a sigh and tried not to think of the implications of what she was getting herself into.

Meanwhile Pam had turned her attention to Eric. "I've come to help, I've found out more about this woman Marnie Stonebrook."

He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Are you sure your source is reliable?"

"One of the shifter's waitresses has been attending séances in her shop. I had Jessica glamour her to find out more. It appears that the Stonebrook woman is a necromancer, or is possessed by the spirit of one."

Eric gave an artificial sigh, earning a fierce glare from Pam, who continued her explanation.

"A necromancer raises the spirits of the dead to use for magical purposes. Of course with vampires she doesn't have a spirit to raise, so my suspicion is that she wants to control us. I can only assume that she's chosen Eric as a target because he is old and powerful."

"So what can we do?" Sookie cut in.

Eric considered carefully. His instinct was not to admit weakness, even in front of the only two women he really trusted. Unfortunately he had absolutely no idea what to do so he fell back on his most ingrained instincts. "We need to wait a little longer until she shows her hand," he advised.

"What's to say she won't go after an easier target in the meantime?" Sookie looked from one to another with concern.

"I'll put the word around for all vampires in the area to take extra precautions." Pam said, sounding supercilious.

"Pam, please." Eric's voice was stern, but the look in his eyes betrayed his concern for his child.

"I have no intention of meeting my final death," she responded. "And I expect you to be careful as well." It was her parting shot as she resumed her disguise and hobbled out of the house.

"You don't look too worried for a man who has the threat of final death hanging over him again," Sookie observed when Pam had left.

"What is your human saying? Every cloud has a silver lining? It gives me the excuse to spend some time with you. Truthfully, there is nowhere I would rather be than here with you."

"Please don't pretend that you love me Eric," Sookie hadn't intended to sound bitter, but that was how it came out.

He regarded her carefully, as if he was trying to read her mind. "Is that what you want me to say, like the hero of one of your cheap novels? If it is what you want I will tell you that I love you; that I will kill for you; meet the true death for you."

Sookie flushed red at the painful memory of the declarations that Bill had made to her, here in this same room. Silently she shook her head.

"You know that love is an emotion of which I am not capable," he replied carefully, then hesitated. His lips moved as if he were about to speak, but no words came. He crossed the room silently, stepping in behind her and slipping his arms around her waist. "But I do care about you, you must know that. I have protected you, saved your life, and I will do it again if I need to."

To his surprise she tensed up in his arms.

"What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely confused. He wasn't sure that he would ever understand human women, if this was her reaction to his declaration of affection.

"There's someone watching us," she whispered. "It's something supernatural, but I don't know what."

"I'll go out and look." Eric moved quickly towards the door, but not quite quickly enough to prevent Sookie grabbing at his arm.

"No you won't. You're the one who's been threatened, you could be walking into a trap."

"Would you care?"

Sookie sighed, wondering if Eric had been passing his time watching clichéd rom-coms while she had been away.

"You're my best hope of staying alive, and I could well be yours. We need each other."

"So that's the only reason you're letting me stay?" Eric had Sookie in his arms once again and was nuzzling at her neck. When she didn't answer, he slipped his hands under her dressing gown. "Is it?" he asked again as he fondled her breasts.

Sookie turned in his arms and stood up on her tip-toes to kiss him. "Just shut up and take me to bed, Viking."

Sookie's first shift back at Merlotte's the next day was harder than she could have imagined. With all the drama of the last few weeks, she found that her ability to control her shields was much weaker than normal. There was a big LSU football game on TV which meant that all the men were drunker than usual. That meant their thoughts were even more lewd than normal.

Arlene was in a very strange mood, and seemed to be thick as thieves with the new girl, Holly. They were both giving Jessica the cold shoulder, so it was only natural for Sookie to side with the young vampire.

Jessica seemed distracted. It soon became obvious that although she was trying to listen to Sookie, she also wanted to overhear the conversation which Holly was having with Arlene. Not being blessed with Vampire hearing Sookie couldn't follow it, but she was able to pick up on Arlene's thoughts.

"Shit, if that woman is as powerful as Holly says she is, perhaps she can help me get rid of this baby."

Sookie couldn't prevent the shocked expression which crossed her face, but she was also surprised by Jessica's reaction. She had the kind of guilty look that was more often seen on Jason's face when he tried to deny responsibility for something foolish that he had done.

Part of her wanted to find out what Jessica was planning, but first she wanted to find out what had happened to Bill. She knew she shouldn't ask, but she just couldn't resist.

Jessica was only too happy to change the subject and relive the drama of the night she had disappeared. She was proud of her own role in saving Bill from Queen Sophie-Anne, and even more proud of Hoyt. True, the extra strength he'd gained from taking her blood had helped. There was no way he would have been able to hold the queen until Eric's arrival otherwise.

She was a little more reticent when Sookie wanted to know about the queen's legal action against Bill, claiming not to know anything about it. Sookie might not have been able to read her mind, but she knew a liar when she saw one.

"I'm not going to be upset, Jess, you can tell me the truth, whatever it is."

Jessica swallowed hard before answering. "He's got this hotshot lawyer to represent him, Portia Bellefleur."

"Portia Bellefleur, a hot shot lawyer?" Sookie couldn't hide her surprise. She hadn't seen Portia for several years. She'd left town to go to college a while back. She remembered her being a quiet little thing, with her teeth in braces and her hair done up in a braid which would have been more suitable for her grandmother Caroline Halliday Bellefleur.

She was about to find out the hard way how much Portia had changed. She knew Bill was going to enter the bar a few minutes before he actually did. The bond that had existed between them gave her enough warning to straighten her clothes and plaster a big shiny false smile across her face. What she wasn't prepared for was the glamorous woman who he had on his arm.

She was at least his height in her 'fuck me' shoes, and even Sookie could tell that her clothes had never seen the inside of Wal-mart. She was designer-clad from top to toe. Her long brunette hair gleamed in the lights of the bar.

Naturally all eyes turned to Sookie to judge her reaction to the newcomer. She turned her back on the crowd, focussing her attention on the ketchup bottles which needed refilling. Just to make her evening complete the new arrivals sat at a table in her section.

"Bill," she acknowledged him as politely as she could manage.

"Sookeh," he replied in that dark voice she had once loved so much. "May I introduce Portia Bellefleur, my lawyer."

"Why Portia, it's lovely to see you again," Sookie lied, "it's been an age since you were last in Bon Temps."

"Yes, I've been working in DC for a while, but I wanted to return to my roots." Her voice was cool and sophisticated without a trace of the southern accent of her childhood. That had disappeared along with the bangs and the braces.

"Well that's real nice. I'm sure Bill is in excellent hands," Sookie replied, sounding insincere even to herself. "Now what can I get you?"

She felt proud of herself as she walked back to the bar, head held high. She served them a True Blood and gin and slimline tonic without once letting the smile slip. "You enjoy," she said. At least she might have the satisfaction of getting a tip out of them if Bill wanted to impress his date. He was a notoriously mean tipper.

Unfortunately for her, Portia could not leave well alone. She cornered Sookie outside in the smokers' shelter as she went for her break.

"My brother tells me you used to date Bill Compton." She had the lawyer's instinct of getting straight to the point.

"I did, but we broke up. I'm seeing someone else now." Sookie wasn't sure that one night of passion counted as seeing someone else, but it made her feel a whole lot better to be able to say that. She had a brief moment of satisfaction at the thought that the report would go straight back to Bill. It didn't last though, as she realised that her childish behaviour could put Eric's safety at risk.

"I just wanted to let you know that my relationship with Bill is purely professional. I would hate anyone to think I would cheat on my friends."

Sookie had to supress a laugh, when had she and Portia Bellefleur ever been friends? Still there was no point in making an enemy of her.

"Please, you don't have to explain to me. If you and Bill do get together I hope you'll be very happy. Now if you'll excuse me it's pretty busy in there – I need to get back to work."

The rest of the evening passed quickly, and for once she didn't mind being rushed off her feet. She had to admit that she was looking forward to seeing Eric, and she pushed her old car a little faster than normal as she drove back along Hummingbird Road. Nothing could have prepared her for the scene which greeted her as she entered the house.

"Eric, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

The Viking was standing in her kitchen, holding a knife in one hand but with blood pouring from the other.

"Really, Miss Stackhouse, your language is so unladylike," he laughed, which only served to increase her anger.

"Don't try to change the subject," but as she stepped in closer she could see he was holding a can in his hand.

"I was trying to make you some supper. I thought you might be hungry after your work."

She had to smile. It was such a human gesture, and so unlikely coming from him.

"That's really sweet of you Eric," she smiled, "but you should learn how to use a can opener." She reached into the kitchen drawer and pulled one out. "I guess these weren't invented in your human life."

"No, we stored our pickled herrings and salted reindeer meat in barrels for the winter months," he replied, "they both tasted disgusting, as I remember."

He slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck with his lips. "Now I have you to taste," he said in a low voice, "nothing could be finer."

"Oh great, so now I'm just a vampire ready meal." Sookie pulled away and went to change out of her work clothes. She hadn't meant to sound bitter, but it had been a difficult evening.

Eric looked puzzled at her sudden change of mood, but said nothing. He understood human women well enough to know that she would eventually tell him what was wrong. "There have been people here during the day," he said, steering the conversation back onto what he hoped was neutral territory.

"Yes, I arranged for Alcide to send a crew to do some work on the house, and to re-gravel my driveway."

"That explains the smell of fresh paint." He had to admit he had been so focussed on Sookie's return that he hadn't really noticed the home improvements.

"Oh," she exclaimed suddenly and headed off in the direction of the hall. "I have a surprise for you, come here." A door had been fitted underneath the stairs. Inside was a trap door concealed in the floor which she lifted to reveal a large coffin sized space. "I hope it's big enough. I'll get you some blankets and cushions to make it more comfortable."

Eric felt a most unfamiliar sensation. Even in his human life he had been the one responsible for protecting his people and ensuring that their needs were met. He couldn't remember the last time that someone had taken care of him, and if he couldn't remember that meant it was a very long time ago indeed. Sookie's concern for his welfare touched something deep inside that he had thought dead for many centuries - his humanity.

"I'm sure it will be fine," he said coolly, unwilling to reveal his true emotions. "But we have a little time together before you need to sleep." He gave her the smile that now had the power to make her go weak at the knees.

Sookie had no intention of arguing. The one place she really wanted to be right now was in bed, in Eric's arms, and the sooner the better.

I've been forgetting my disclaimers, but everyone knows who the characters really belong to, and that fanfiction is only for fun. Thanks so much for the feedback on the last few chapters – knowing that there are people out there enjoying the story makes it a lot easier to continue.

Very best wishes to everyone for the festive season, especially to those readers who take the time to post feedback and reviews – it is the season of goodwill after all.

I probably won't be able to reply to reviews to this chapter, but please don't let that put you off. I hope to continue the story in the new year.