I'm sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out, but I've been pretty much bedridden the past few days with a whopper of a flu. I'm on the mend now, so it's back to posting and writing. I hope you all enjoy! I can't believe the response this story is receiving! It makes me wish I'd put a little more time and effort into it, but I'm so appreciative for your kind words.

Thanks to Weewoman1 for pre-reading this chapter for me. I really appreciate it!

As always, I own nothing.

Eric Northman didn't think many things could truly surprise him anymore, unless you were talking about Sookie Stackhouse. With her, the surprises never stopped coming.

"Your fairy godmother thought me to be a suitable guardian for a fairy princess?" The vampire sheriff snorted the words in disbelief.

"I'm not sure she was thinking of you as a guardian," Sookie answered primly, "but she did tell me you were my best hope of survival long-term."

"Why me?"

Sookie sighed softly. "As you saw, I am well able to take care of myself. I can defend myself from any attack. Unfortunately, Claudine's visions indicated the attacks would not stop coming once they started and I wouldn't be able to simply kill everyone who came at me. There would be too many repercussions."

"And how do I fit in?"

"Claudine's visions are a little different from the way other people receive the gift." Sookie started to explain. "She tends to see outcomes more than anything else. Her gift allows her to see alternate endings, I suppose you could say. She never knows which one will come to pass, but she is able to see what is needed to affect change."

"Interesting gift," Eric commented. He gave no indication how he felt about what he was hearing otherwise.

"It is interesting. In this case, her visions showed her you are the necessary ingredient to affect the changes necessary."

"You need me in order to safely live in this realm?" Eric was sure the gods were giving him a precious gift. It was just as well they presented her gift wrapped, with one of those big bows Pam liked so much.

"Not exactly. I can live safely here, just not in a way which would allow me to live the life I was meant for." Sookie bit her lip. Eric stared at the spot her small white teeth were abusing. He was sure she had no idea of the effect her innocent actions had on him.

"And what is it you are meant for?" he asked the obvious question.

"That's the part I don't know," she admitted with a frown. "It's considered okay for Claudine to tell me some of her visions, but it's not acceptable for any seer to reveal what they see of a person's true path. Fairy magic makes it so it's almost impossible to reveal such information."

"So your purpose is a secret, but in order to reach it, you must have me in your life?" He questioned thoughtfully. "In what capacity?"

A slow blush spread across her chest and swiftly travelled to her cheeks. "Ah, I think that part might be more up to you, but from what Claudine tells me, you would have to publicly announce your protection of me. It is the only way to forestall the vampire interest in me."

Eric looked at her sharply. "Why have you not come to me, Sookie? Why did you wait until I came to you? And why did you turn down my offer last night?"

"I knew there was time. Every one of Claudine's visions told me I was safe up until the moment Bill Compton would walk into my life. That hasn't happened yet, but he's coming." She paused and distractedly bit down on her lip again. "And I turned down your offer because it was more about who was going to own me than anything else. I have no need of an owner. What I require is a partner."

"It still would have been sensible to learn what you could about me before you needed me," Eric pointed out reasonably. He didn't touch the owner comment.

"It would be sensible and that's why I did learn everything I could about you."

Eric arched a golden eyebrow as he returned her gleeful stare. "I see. And what is it you have learned about me?"

"I won't claim to know everything about you, Eric, but you've lived a long life. You're well known in the supernatural world. Some even claim you to be a living legend." She paused and raised her own eyebrow mockingly. "You have two progeny, both female. You released both around the century mark, but your eldest stayed with you for two centuries. Your youngest is still by your side, after a brief stint on her own. Minnesota, wasn't it?"

"Impressive, but it is hardly secret," he proclaimed in a deep voice.

"You were turned approximately a thousand years ago in northern Sweden. Your maker, Appius Livius Ocella, was a Roman Legionnaire when he was turned. He's best known for his callousness and brutality. He kept you, his second offspring, by his side for over three centuries."

Eric's impressive frame stiffened and he sat even straighter at the mention of his maker. It was not a matter open for discussion. He stared at her through narrowed eyes until she continued.

"You hold the position of Sheriff of Area Five, under the reign of Queen Sophie-Ann LeClerq. You've held this office for about fifty years. You operate out of Fangtasia, but the bar is far from your only business. Pamela Ravenscroft is your second in command. Most consider you to be trustworthy and loyal."

"You have done your homework," he stated, grudging respect in his tone.

"No, others did it for me. I simply sat and listened," she retorted with a cheeky grin. "There's tons more, if you want to hear it."

"You did leave out my status as a legendary lover," he pointed out with a cheeky grin of his own. "Surely someone must have commented on my sexual prowess."

A deep rosy blush stained her sculpted cheeks. "As a matter of fact, it did come up. It was quite an enlightening conversation to have with my great-grandfather," she shook her head ruefully, golden curls bouncing on her shoulders.

Eric's hearty, genuine laughter rang through the cramped confines of the vehicle. "I wouldn't have thought the Prince of Fae would be touting my talents to his kin."

Her nose scrunched up as she regarded me. "Oh, trust me, he wasn't," she revealed dryly. "A Lothario, I believe he called you. He was trying to get me to see reason. He wasn't a fan of Claudine's plan."

"A Lothario?" Eric laughed shortly. "That's rich coming from a fairy."

"Are you not known to be a seducer of women?" she asked, curiosity burning in her eyes.

"I am no seducer of innocents," he defended. "I may have indulged in my share of sexual activity, but truth be told, I rarely put forth the effort to seduce anyone."

Sookie silently assessed the vampire. Eric sat calmly and accepted her regard.

"No," she replied eventually, her tone even. "I suppose you have to beat 'em off with a stick, don't you?"

"I don't carry one with me or anything." His voice was deliberately light. His sexual history was a touch subject for a first date, or whatever the hell this was. Sitting on the side of the road wasn't likely to win him an invitation inside, either. He put the car into gear and continued to their destination.

Sookie was silent for the rest of the drive, her face turned slightly toward the window. He was sure she was mentally reviewing every single thing she knew about him. Eric wondered if she found him lacking. Despite knowing her fate lay with him, the fairy telepath had not come to him on her own accord.

"Why were you so suspicious of me when we first met?" he asked, breaking the silence surrounding them. "You knew who I was."

"Not suspicious," she corrected. "I didn't expect to see you walk in, and when you did, I didn't know what to expect. When you said you were here to see me, I got nervous. It just wasn't how I expected things to go."

"You thought you'd be in control of our first meeting," Eric surmised correctly. "How would that have went, Sookie? Were you planning on coming to Fangtasia?"

"I hadn't made up my mind," she told him, turning her head to look at him in the dim confines of the vehicle. "I didn't have many choices. It was either go to Fangtasia, or send you letter asking you to meet with me, but I didn't know if you'd even read a letter, or what I could say in it to convince you to meet me."

"Pam probably would have been the one to open the letter," Eric admitted. "I wouldn't even see it unless she deemed it important."

"So, after waiting forever for a reply that likely wouldn't come, I would have gone to Fangtasia anyway," Sookie replied. "I haven't the faintest idea of what I would have said to you, though. My planning hadn't gotten that far. And now it's a moot point."

"Indeed," he nodded his head. The car slowed as their destination came into view and Eric made a right hand turn, pulling into the area's most prestigious restaurant.

"Legends?" Sookie asked, giving Eric a sideways look. "Going all out tonight, huh?"

He grinned, white teeth flashing in the dark. "Don't worry. I own half of this place," he told her before climbing out of the car. Moments later, the passenger door opened and Eric's large, pale hand appeared. Sookie placed her hand in his and gracefully exited the low-slung car.

"How did you get into the restaurant business?" she asked as they walked towards the ornately carved front door.

"This place is owned by supernaturals and has always catered to that community," he explained. "The ridiculously high prices on the menu were meant to deter the human population, but instead created a 'must-have' for the area's elite. Even still, we keep the human reservations capped at twenty-five percent, and then only between six and ten."

"Clever name," she replied, giving a little laugh. "Y'all are living legends."

"That was the thought," he told her, holding the door so she could pass into the spacious foyer. The beautiful fairy shone like a beacon of light; her golden skin and hair and the virginal white dress stood out in sharp relief against the backdrop of the deep red walls and dark paneled wainscoting. She looked, he thought, every inch a fairy princess; standing with her head held high and her posture ramrod straight, she looked as regal as any royalty he'd known.

"Mr. Northman," the hostess greeted Eric with respect before turning and offering Sookie a warm smile. "Ms. Stackhouse, if you will follow me, your room is ready."

"Thank you," Sookie murmured in reply. Eric indicated she should precede him and together they followed the hostess through a short hallway, passing the main dining room to instead be ushered into a small, intimate space just across the hall.

The hostess departed with assurances their server would be with them in a few minutes. Sookie looked around the room, taking in the heavy brocaded draperies and matching damask tablecloths. Eric pulled out her seat for her and Sookie sat, gracefully arranging her dress and laying her small red clutch on the table.

"Perks of being an owner?" she asked, waving her hand around the private dining area. It was an intimate setting, with the small table set for two.

"Actually, before the Reveal, this room functioned as my office and Area headquarters," he said. "It was the main reason I invested in this business, and this place made sense at the time. I still use it now because it is not only completely sound-proofed, but warded against all eavesdropping technology."

"Why did you move to Fangtasia?"

"When the Reveal appeared imminent, I decided to capitalize on the situation and opened Fangtasia. Moving my operations there ensured the vampire presence the club would need to succeed."

"Impressive," she complimented. "How many businesses do you own?"

"A dozen or so in Louisiana," he replied. "My time is limited, so most are managed by a team I've assembled. I'm only hands on in a couple."

A tuxedoed waiter entered the room with a big jug of water and a small, leather-bound menu. He introduced himself as Henrique and recited the chef's specials for Sookie in a slow, melodious voice. To Eric's surprise, Sookie ordered not only a large entrée consisting of beef and fish, she also ordered a salad and soup to start.

"I'm thinking of opening a business," she told him as Henrique departed. She picked up her glass of water and took a small sip before continuing. "Like I said, I don't plan on waitressing forever. My friend Lafayette and I have been talking about opening up a high-end bakery. There's lots of local bakeries, of course, but not many in this part of the state doing the kind of things we want to do."

"What's stopping you?"

"I have the funds to do whatever I want, but I really lack any business experience. I've taken a few courses, but I'm nervous about jumping in. I'm also going to have to move to Shreveport to do it, unless I want to spend half my life driving back and forth."

"You wish to remain in Bon Temps?"

"Not necessarily," she replied, giving him hope. "I'm always going to keep Gran's house, of course, and I might want to live there permanently again sometime in the future, but for now, nothing is holding me there."

"There's nothing preventing a move to Shreveport, then," he said.

"Not really," she agreed. "The farmhouse needs so many repairs, it would be easier for me to move out while it's being done, anyway."

Henrique reappeared with a glass blood for Eric and Sookie's salad and French onion soup, serving the dishes deftly before disappearing silently.

The attractive pair chatted aimlessly about all the innocuous subjects they could as Sookie consumed her meal and Eric sipped lightly on his blood. The real estate market in Shreveport was discussed, along with some general conversation about the bar business. Both could think of nothing but each other, and the unique situation they were in, but neither wanted to be the one to tread in such deep waters.

It wasn't until after Henrique delivered Sookie's warm fudge brownie and departed in his usual silent fashion did anyone break the wall of silence on what mattered most.

Eric watched as Sookie lifted a bite of the brownie to her lips, his body tightening in awareness as she moaned softly with pleasure. Long, full lashes fluttered against the soft skin just under her eyes, shielding her brilliant blue eyes from view, but the naked expression of pleasure on her face more than made up for it. The vampire swallowed reflexively as she swallowed another bite, his eyes taking in the seductive movement of her throat.

"Why did you bring me here tonight?" she asked, her soft pink tongue sliding along her lips, searching for any errant crumbs. "What are we doing, Eric?"

The ancient vampire stared at the telepath, at a sudden and unusual loss for words.

What were they doing?

Eric Northman on a date. How sweet. What do you all think?