Chapter 6

I would have to have another talk with Eric about Bobby Burnham. I sat next to him in a black convertible Mercedes SLK wondering how such an obnoxious little man had come to work for Eric. Eric must be spending a fortune on this guy for him to afford such a beautiful car. I purposely tuned him out because I knew that anything that he had to say would be colored by his hatred of me. I focused on the road ahead of me. Bobby was not content to sit in silence. He kept clearing his throat as if he was about to say something to me and I would conveniently turn my head to scrutinize something out the window. Finally, he must have worked up his nerve because he stuttered a bit and said,

"You know, Eric is a very generous man."

"Yep." I knew no such thing, but didn't know what else to say. I was thinking about the errands that I wanted to run this afternoon. Bobby was taking me to a jewelry store so that I could find a suitable ring for Eric. As I thought about it, I couldn't imagine finding anything that would suit him in a traditional mall jewelry store. I forced myself to talk to him, as I didn't have the slightest idea where we were and he seemed to.

"Bobby, is there some place that you know of that might have handmade jewelry. Something unique, you know one –of-a-kind that nobody else in the world might have?"

"Around here? Not really. But, I know a woman who is a glass blower. She may know some skilled crafts people." He actually seemed to perk up a bit when I asked for his help. Maybe that was the key to Bobby. Some people just need to feel useful. Maybe my tact with Bobby was all wrong.

"I'd really appreciate it if you called her. I can't imagine getting Eric something ordinary." I thought about the balance in my savings account. Unique often came with a hefty price tag, so I would have to be unique and spectacular on a budget. I sorted through my purse checking for my wallet. Jason was such a sweetheart. He'd tucked 50 dollars into my wallet when Bobby contacted him to get my things. Gran had always urged us to keep a 50 dollar bill as walking around money on us at all times. I'm guessing Jason had given me his own. I would have to call him as soon as it was safe and thank him for thinking of the little things that only someone who loves you very much would consider.

Bobby saw me rifle through my wallet and I saw him smile out of the corner of his mouth. I know I seemed country to him with his fancy car and shiny suits, but that was plain mean.

"You know, there's nothing wrong with coming from hard working honest people. I happen to be good at what I do, and I'm sorry you don't value that."

"Miss Sookie, you misread my intentions. I was not smiling to make fun of you, I am smiling because…" I awaited his answer. He seemed downright uncomfortable. "Because I have something to tell you that I'm not supposed to tell you until later, but you may as well know now."

I hadn't seen that coming. Bobby made me nervous and I didn't totally trust him, but Eric did, so how bad could he be?

"You don't have to worry about money." I looked at him, puzzled for a moment because I wasn't sure where he was going with this. "Master Eric has showered you with wedding presents it seems." We pulled to a stop and he leaned over me. I reached for the door handle and he laughed softly, reaching for the glove compartment. "I'm not going to hurt you, Sookie. Here, this is for you from Eric." He handed me a pink envelope. Pink? Really? It smelled faintly of roses, cinnamon and the forest after it rains. I pulled the envelope open. Inside was a folded note and a black metal card with numbers embossed on the front. These vamps loved metal calling cards. I flipped the card over and looked at Bobby.

"I take it you've never seen a titanium credit card." He looked at me expecting some sort of reaction, but I didn't know what to think. It was certainly heavier than any other card I had handled. I ran my finger over the letters "ERIC NORTHMAN." So, this was titanium? It was dark and felt cold and smooth in my hand.

"Can I find a ring made of this you think?"

"With that, you can find anything in the world." I stared at the card wondering how much money someone would have to have in order to get one of these. I thought of my pitiful little credit card with its two thousand dollar limit, rounding out at about sixteen hundred dollars or so. I unfolded the note and saw Eric's big dramatic letters. It said, "Because you love the sun."

"Because you love the sun. What does that mean?"

"This car? It's yours. I'm to escort you for the day, then take a taxi home." Something in my expression must have amused him because he laughed heartily. "You seem overwhelmed."

"That's an understatement, Bobby. I don't need such expensive things." I thought about all the bills that I could pay with the cost of this car. Then I ran my hand down the sides of my beige leather seat and breathed in deeply the scent of new luxury car. I had never owned a new car. My current car had seen better days and I'd have to remember to thank Eric for the rest of my life.

"Master Eric disagrees and I do not fight with him, ever." Bobby pulled the car into a parking space away from the others in a shopping center. "Shall we go put a dent in your husband's wallet?"

I had never been able to shop with abandon. Previously, my every purchase came with the angst of how many hours I would have to put in at Merlotte's to cover it. I always thought of things in terms of smiles given, pinches endured, aching feet and back. I thought about nights sitting in my chilly kitchen wishing that the little pile of dollars would reproduce overnight and I'd have lots of little dollars adding up to a less worrisome existence. I tried on jeans without looking at the price tags. I went into stores I'd only read about in magazines and I actually made purchases. Every one of these stores called American Express to verify that I was an authorized user. I must have seemed so shabby. But Bobby took care of everything.

I filled two bags at Victoria's Secret; I even stopped at Coach and bought myself a bag that wasn't a knock-off. It took a while for me to actually buy anything. I didn't feel right spending Eric's money. But Bobby told me that if I came back empty handed, Eric would fire him on the spot. I knew that Eric wasn't totally serious, but I took Eric's generosity as good-natured. Bobby and I took a break for coffee and I noted that it was getting close to time for Eric to awaken. Bobby saw me look at my watch and he smiled.

"He loves you." I smiled at this and took the stir stick from my coffee.

"How long have you worked for Eric?" I wanted to know as much about my new life as I could. We hadn't traditionally dated, so there was a lot I didn't know about Eric. In fact, I knew very little about him having been to his home for the first time just three nights ago. Our home, I corrected myself silently and smiled again.

"A few years now. Pam recruited me. I think I worked for him for nearly a year before I actually met him. I was as taken by him as most humans are."

"Yeah, I understand that. He's something isn't he? We should head back, I don't want him to worry." Bobby excused himself to go to the restroom while I gathered my packages and I turned to pick up a scarf that slipped from one of my bigger bags. A large man's hand reached for it as I was reaching for it. I stood and looked up at Quinn's pansy purple eyes. My own eyes grew wide.

"Quinn? What the heck are you doing here?" He kissed my hand and lingered a little too long for my liking. I pulled my hand back but tried to do it in a way that wasn't rude.

"You're looking good, Babe. Doing some shopping today? Looks like you won the lottery. Or did Eric leave you everything?" I couldn't tell if he was joking or if he was trying to insult me on the sly.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I am doing a little shopping." We stood there awkwardly for a moment. "So, what did you say you were doing here?" He seemed to be hedging, as if he had to think about his answer.

"Uh, we're doing the stage design and set up for "The Best Dressed Vamp."

"So, you just happened to be in this very mall?" Was he trying to provoke Eric or was he just that financially strapped with the burdens of his mother's and sister's care?

"I'm not exactly a little kid that can be ordered to stay off the playground. You don't really think Eric has that kind of control over anybody right, or has he suckered you that completely?"

"I'm not anybody's sucker. But you are playing a dangerous game with him."

"Who's playing?" He winked at me in a way that made me uncomfortable.

"Quinn, you should go."

"I just wanted to say hello I'm not as afraid of Eric as you are, so I don't care if he'll be mad that I was here."

"There really wasn't any need for you to come over here. We said it all last time we talked." He caught sight of the ring on my finger and he grabbed my hand.

"Oh, you've been bought and paid for, look at this."

"That's a shitty thing to say." I was starting to regret my relationship with him by the minute.

"How is that husband of yours? I heard he had a run-in with someone who wants him dead." He smiled but I glared up at him.

"He's recovering nicely, thank you for asking." How had Quinn heard about Eric?

Bobby came out of the restroom and took me by the elbow.

"Mrs. Northman, is there a problem here?" I looked at Quinn and wished he would melt.

"I don't know, Quinn, is there a problem?"

"Mrs. Northman? Fancy, fancy. No, there isn't a problem. Just saying hi to an old friend. Be sure to tell Eric that Quinn says hello. Sookie, are you staying in town here? Maybe I'll run into you again I'll be here for a few more days."

"Yeah, Quinn. Take care." I let Bobby rush me out of the mall and into the parking lot. I suspected that Quinn was watching us or maybe even following us. Something about him seemed ominous to me in a way that he never had before.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to drive you around for a while until I'm sure that we're not being followed." Bobby had picked up on the same intensity that I had.

"No, I don't mind. My bigger concern is that Eric is going to smell Quinn on me and freak out. I did everything I could to not touch him, but he kissed my hand." Eric was possessive. Not in a way that scared me, but I didn't want to spend our evening talking about Quinn. "Is there someplace I could take a shower and change clothes?"

"I'll stop at the Motel 6, you can shower and change there. I'll put the room in my name and stay overnight. I'll drop your car off in the morning. I'll tell Eric we needed to detail your car again."

We rode in silence. I think Bobby was trying to determine whether or not to reveal this incident to his boss, who demanded absolute loyalty, or protect his boss's pretty young wife who had an accidental run in with an old flame. I could feel him getting wound up and I decided to ease some of the tension for him.

"Look, Bobby. I appreciate what you were willing to do for me. But that was just the panic talking. Eric will understand. I have to tell him that I ran into Quinn. If I don't, it will look as if I'm hiding something and I don't want that. I won't underestimate Eric. It was bound to happen someday, right?"

Bobby breathed a deep sigh of relief. He had been an unexpected ally in getting me out of that mall unruffled. I thought about Quinn being at the very mall where I was shopping and the possibility of it being a coincidence. I tried to push those thoughts from my head. Quinn wasn't crazy, even though he had been behaving strangely. I knew that Eric had had a stern conversation with him, in fact, Quinn's jaw was broken by Bill in a fight a few months ago, but that hadn't been Eric's fault. Quinn broke their agreement to stay out of Area 5. I would take full responsibility for running into Quinn and tell Eric the truth.

Bobby pulled the car up to the front of a windowless building in a research park. No one would ever think to look here for a vampire nursing home. I pulled the door latch and Bobby rushed around the door to help me out of the seat. I could see that Eric was waiting for us in the lobby. I went to grab my shopping, but Bobby waved me away saying that he'd take care of it. I ran inside and threw myself at Eric. Here he was up and walking when Dr. Armatrading had guessed that Eric would be incapacitated for another week or so. Eric was smiling so brightly at me that I thought he'd burst, then he tilted his head and sniffed at me. I have never seen such rage in person.

"When?" He growled.

"Baby, I didn't…he was at the mall. Bobby and I went for a coffee. He kissed my hand, that's all. I swear it." I didn't want this to play out in the lobby in front of the other patients. A few had turned our way when they heard Eric growl.

"That tiger knows we're here?" Eric asked but it seemed rhetorical, so I just stood beside the front desk hoping Eric would want to finish this upstairs.

"Baby, I didn't seek him out." I hoped he would understand. I'd had enough fighting with him. He must have sensed my panic, because he took a very unnecessary deep breath and instantly calmed down. I felt myself calming as he did so.

"I know that, Lover. Come upstairs, I have a surprise for you. It's a good thing I've drawn you a bath, I can't stand you smelling like the circus." He pulled me close and held me to him until the elevator chimed. It was a protective gesture and I meant to ask him about it but he distracted me with a kiss against the elevator wall. We were halfway to sex by the time the doors split and we hurried out to our room.

"I want to know how it is that you're up and running, so to speak." He pulled a sleeping mask out of his pocket and slipped it over my head. The hospital stocked them for the human guests because even though the private spaces are windowless, we tended to sleep in the daytime. Aspiring vampires, I guess.

I heard our door latch, and reached out to feel my way inside. Eric took my arm and guided me. I was struck by the soft smell of roses and something else. It was similar to what I'd encountered when I opened Eric's envelope earlier but much stronger. There was an odd note to the scent, as if it wasn't solely rose I was smelling. It was a delicious, earthy smell. Cinnamon and wood smoke. It smelled like Eric's home. I smiled when I thought of the two of us making a life there together.

He led me into the bathroom and began to undress me. Unable to see anything, I didn't know where his hands would be next and it thrilled me. He unbuttoned my dress slowly, and trailed his tongue down the back of my neck. When he got to my lower back, he knelt and kissed me. I felt like a goddess. I could hear foam from the bathtub as the air shrank the bubbles. Bubble baths were my favorite. I felt my hair being lifted and he placed a delicate kiss on the back of my neck. He piled my hair high and put an elastic around it. I felt him unhook my bra, as he stood behind me, caressing as his hands traveled. I felt him tug at my panties, so I lifted first one leg, and then the other. I was suddenly off my feet and into his arms as he placed me gently into the hot, sudsy water.

I reached for the mask and he grabbed my hand. I felt my hand being washed, the one that Quinn had kissed. After several minutes of light scrubbing, he rinsed it and kissed it himself. Have I mentioned that Vampires are possessive? I felt his nearness and tried to lean towards him. He had climbed into the water with me. He slipped the mask from my eyes and began kissing me before I could get a good look around. He broke our kiss and let me hang there in the air with my eyes closed.

"Go on darling, take a look."

I took a peek and was greeted by several dozen vases of cream and cinnamon colored roses. There were candles everywhere, just as I had seen in Eric's bathroom.

"Oh, Eric. This is spectacular. Where did you get these amazing roses?

"Would you believe that I cultivate and grow them? They are my own variety called Ravenwood roses. They bloom at dusk and their perfume lingers for hours.

"You are just one surprise after another, my love." I kissed him gently. "So, how are you doing? How are you out of bed?" Eric stepped out of the bath and retrieved the box that Pam had brought. What all was in that thing? As he opened the box, I watched his eyes. He was remembering something fondly. He slipped the gold and glass vial out of the box and held it up for me to see. It was about the length of a chemistry lab test tube, but way more ornate. This was the vial he had me drink from but it was empty now.

"This was blood from Mahesh-Ra, the oldest vampire in existence. She speculates that she is nearly 5,000 years old. She gave it to me a few centuries ago with the condition that I use it if I was close to death. When mixed with blood from someone who loves you, its healing attributes are unparalleled. Sookie, your wrist didn't break open yesterday morning, I had the nurse borrow blood from you. And before you get angry with me for not asking, I tried to, and you were sleeping so soundly that we couldn't rouse you. I tried three times. I swear it."

He rolled the tube in the light. "I took a chance that you meant it when you said that you love me. Otherwise, her blood was without any power at all. You have saved my life, Sookie. For that, I will be eternally grateful." I knew that he meant that quite literally, and he seemed wistful whenever he referred to time. "I should have saved some for an emergency, in case I can't get a hold of her, but I have to be mobile. I have to be able to protect you."

I smiled at him and motioned for him to get back into the water.

"You're welcome, many times over. But thank you for considering me. Thank you for trying to ask. Thank you for being amazing. Thank you for my car. Thank you for the shopping trip, and thank you for the roses." I kissed him again. "Oh, and the house. You don't have to really give it to me. It's obvious that it means a lot to you."

"I would burn it to the ground if you asked. You mean more." I was stunned by his response and tried to lighten the moment.

"I would never ask you to do that. Where would we live?"

"Will you come to live with me?"

" I will consider it."

He kissed the tip of my nose and splashed water at me. I splashed back. We heard Bobby put the last of my bags in the front room.

"Thanks for everything, Bobby."

"Sure thing, Sookie.. I'm leaving your car keys on the coffee table."

Eric called after him, "Please take Mrs. Northman's car back to Ravenwood. We're going home tonight."

"We are?" Had he improved that much in one evening? I would be glad to get him out of the hospital so that we could spend some time together that was not constantly interrupted by nurses.

"If that is what you desire. I personally would love to make love to you in my own bed. He moved closer to me and I stared up at him. "My lover, if you are hungry, your friend Tara sent a care package through Pam. I could heat something up for you."

"No, no, that's not necessary Love. Can I grab something on the way? I am so excited to see Ravenwood. Can you tell me about it? How long have you owned it? Why is it called Ravenwood Are there secret passageways?" He laughed at my exuberance.

"Your excitement thrills me, Lover. Turn around." Eric began washing my hair. "Ravenwood, is a very rough translation of the name of my village. You are right, it does mean a lot to me. I have owned it for about 117 years."

"Does it ever blow your mind to talk about time in terms of centuries?"

"Not anymore," he laughed. "I didn't really start to think about it until I'd existed longer than the oldest man I'd ever known. Then, I realized that I really wasn't going to age. It took some getting used to."

"Have you ever been so bored with life that you…well, considered…." I thought maybe I was getting too personal, but he didn't seem to mind. "I'm sorry, baby. That is really personal. Forget that I asked."

"There isn't anything that you can't ask me. But the short answer is yes. I have considered it. There have been some very dark moments in my history."

He looked so sad for a moment that I couldn't help but kiss him. Vulnerable Eric was still in there, he just didn't show it very often.

"Eric, we don't have to talk about this now, we have our whole lives together." I put my arms around his shoulders and held him tightly. He was silent and still and I kissed his cheek.

"Yes, we'll have other times." He looked down at me. "Should we get going? I can tell you all about Ravenwood in the car and the sooner we get home, the sooner I can make love to you."

"We can't make love here and at home?" I reached into the water and gently stroked him.

"You naughty little thing. You are always ready for me. I like that."

"I like you." We kissed, and then he lifted me out of the water and we dripped all the way to the bed.