I'm so sorry for not updating. I know how frustrating it can be to not have a story updated in a long time. I'm still constantly surprised that people actually like my story and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your reviews. I'm going to do my best to update this on a weekly basis from now on, but I won't make any promises. Thank you so much again and without further ado..

Charlaine Harris owns all.

I had a lump in my throat the size of a cantaloupe as I got out of the drivers side of my car. I threw my keys in my purse and straightened out my dress as I stood up. I looked over to Amelia, who seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I was screaming on the inside.

I was nervous for two reasons; as much as I wanted to get back at Eric for being shallow, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. My other issue was that, I was horrible with men! The idea of flirting with some unknown man that night made me want to throw up. I never had quite shaken that 'fat girl' mentality off. To that day, when a man hit on me, I thought it was some sort of prank.

As I approached the door, I noticed I was getting a lot of looks from all the men standing outside. I decided my dress was doing it's job. I don't think I had ever been so admired in my life. Amelia and I went straight to the bar and ordered drinks.

I turned to Amelia, "Why don't you scope the place for Eric? I wanna look, but I also wanna seem aloof." She knowingly grinned at me. "I'm gonna run to the ladies room, get me a whiskey sour."

I turned to the bartender who seemed deep in conversation with a man at the end of the bar. Upon seeing me, he immediately started making his way to me.

"Hi there beautiful, what can I get for you tonight?" I smiled at him flirtatiously, wondering if maybe I could use him for my plan. He was pretty handsome, with black hair and bright green eyes. He looked to be in his mid to late thirties and definitely seemed interested in me.

"Could I please get a gin and tonic and a whiskey sour?" He winked at me and spoke, "Sure thing little lady." As he turned to make the drinks he continued talking to me, "I'm Will, what's your name, sweetie?"

"I'm Sookie, good to meet you."

"You too." He kept talking to me, but I decided if I was really gonna do this, I probably shouldn't do it with someone I would keep running into if I did decide to spend time with Eric. While hooking up with his bartender probably would make him jealous, it probably wouldn't serve me right in the long run.

Luckily Amelia returned right in time and I handed her her drink and interrupted Will, " It was really nice to meet you, Will, but I'm gonna go over there with my friend. See you later." I smiled and led Amelia over to a table in the corner so we could start looking for the right man for the job.

"I didn't see him anywhere, Sook. Maybe he's not in tonight. I mean he is the owner, they don't typically come every night, right?"

"I thought for sure he'd be here, because this is the night Jason usually comes here and they play pool and stuff."

We sat for a while talking about what we planned to do for the next few weeks, when an extremely attractive man walked past. He was probably 6'2" or 6'3", had shaggy black hair. His body was almost as nice as Eric's, and he had an air of self confidence to which I was immediately attracted. Amelia gave me a look that told me he was the one.

I had never been one to openly hit on a man, even since I had lost the weight. The man I had my eye on was extremely attractive and could surely have any woman in the bar.

I felt my stomach drop and turned to Amelia, "Amelia, maybe I should go for someone a little less attractive. If he turns me down the only one feeling shitty will be me."

She shook her head furiously, "You're the most beautiful woman in this place! The only way he'd turn you down is if he were gay or married. And he'd probably even be tempted then!"

I smiled sheepishly, Amelia always knew what to say. "You're the best friend."

"I know," she laughed. "Now get your ass up, and go get that big hunk o' man to buy you a drink!"

"Okay, okay.. but first I'm gonna go fix my makeup." She gave me a supportive smile and I made my way to the ladies room. I was walking down a poorly lit hallway to find the bathroom when I heard a deep voice in one of the rooms.

The door was shut, but I could tell which room is was coming from and it said "Eric Northman" on the door. Being the nosy person I was, I pressed my ear against the door, wondering if just maybe he would be talking about me.

When I heard the woman's voice on the other side of the door, I thought I was imagining it.

"You like that baby?" she moaned out. The blood rushed out of my face and before I could think it through, I opened the door.

Eric was standing against his desk and a beautiful brunette woman was kneeling in front of him. When she noticed me she leaned out from beside him and spoke, "What can we do for you?"

Eric turned around and pulled up his pants and screamed "Shit," as he noticed who the intruder was. I looked him in the eyes for what felt like an hour but was probably more like 3 seconds. When I felt tears welling up in my eyes, I ran from the room.

I have to find the damn bathroom, I thought to myself. I heard him calling my name as he chased me down the corridor. "Sookie!"

I found the bathroom and ran in, locking the door behind me. "Sookie, I am so sorry. I know this looks terrible but please let me explain."

I stood in front of the mirror and wiped away my tears hoping to keep my makeup looking nice. I could hear Eric still rambling on with apologies from behind the door, but I couldn't shake how rejected I felt in that moment.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I took a really good, long look because it was in moments like that I needed to. I was a pretty girl. Probably the prettiest I ever was or ever will be in that night. But I wasn't as pretty as that girl that was on her knees. The truth was, my body would never look like that girls. She was born with a figure to die for. And I was born with a figure I had to work for. I had stretch marks and flab and I would never be perfect. It was in that moment, with Eric behind the door waiting for me, that I realized I didn't need to be. Fuck him. I thought to my self. FUCKING FUCK THAT ASSHOLE. I screamed in my head. I brushed the hair out of my face, maneuvered my boobs around in the dress and wiped the mascara out from under my eyes.

As I walked out of the bathroom I had a new found acceptance and love for myself. I came face to face with Eric. He seemed extremely distressed as he spoke, "Sookie, I don't even know what to say. I'm an idiot." He looked at me expecting an angry response. I smiled sweetly. "Eric, don't worry about it, okay? I mean it's not like we're going "steady" or something," I joked.

His eyes narrowed, and I could tell he was very confused. "Really?" I touched his shoulder, "Of course Eric, we're both young and single, it's no big deal."

He smiled, seeming relieved. "That's great, Sookie."

"Mhmm," I said as I nodded. "If you'll excuse me, someone is expecting me." Looking confused again he murmured "Okay" as I walked away.

Coming down the corridor and back into the bar, I focused in on the tall, dark, and handsome man I had had my eye on earlier. I walked straight up to him and as he took me in, he smiled, seeming very pleased.

"Hi," I spoke, "I'm Sookie Stackhouse, how do ya do?" I could see Eric staring at me from the corner of my eye.

"Hey there, Sookie. I'm glad you came to talk to me. I've been looking at you since you walked in here. My name is Alcide Herveaux."

Thank you so much for reading everyone. Again, I'm so sorry to have taken so long! Please read and review. I know you probably hate me for making Eric into a bit of a bad guy, but I promise there is more to come! I just needed a bit of conflict. So review if you can and Happy Holidays! I will update as soon as possible!