As always, I own nothing. These characters are the property of Charlaine Harris.
Thanks again to Weewoman1 for her wonderful help. Without further ado, Chapter 8.
"Claudine! Be serious for just a minute, please?" Sookie pleaded as she tried to suppress a giggle.
"Oh, but I am, cousin!" her fairy godmother trilled back in her musical tones. "The things I could do to that man, if only I could get close enough! Never mind, I shall have to live vicariously through you, instead."
"You will do no such thing," Sookie replied sternly, her voice suddenly serious. "I don't know how you do what you do, but no peaking in on Eric and I, understand me? Do you promise?"
"You are simply no fun whatsoever," Claudine pouted before laughing. "Yes, I promise. No peaking. Don't worry, Sookie. I'm only joking with you. I've no designs on the vampire. He is meant for you."
"So you say," the telepath replied.
"Is something the matter, Sookie? Do you not approve of the Viking?" Claudine asked seriously.
"Oh, I approve," she confirmed, her eyes becoming bright as she nodded her head slowly. "How could any girl not? But he's a whole lot of –" she paused, struggling for words. "Hell, he's just a whole lot of everything, Claudine. I'm not sure I even know what to do with a man like that. Are you sure about this?"
Eric was interested, even saying as much last night. There was no mistaking the desire burning in his intense blue eyes; no mistaking the smoldering chemistry between them. There was no sense in denying her own attraction to him, either. But the telepath had spent the wee hours of the morning wondering if she could ever be enough – if any one woman could ever be enough – when faced with the storied history of Eric's sexual experience.
"As sure as I can be," came her not so reassuring reply. "Eric Northman is a lot to take in, I'll grant you that. But never doubt your own appeal, and your own worth, Sookie. He's the lucky one in this scenario, not you."
"I know I'm every inch his equal, but somehow I doubt that's what he usually looks for in a woman," Sookie stated plainly. "I'm not trying to talk myself down, or out of this, but merely trying to be realistic. I don't see him as the settle down kind of guy, and I'm not the casual type."
"He's just never met his match before," Claudine stated firmly. "When are you seeing him again?"
"Tonight," Sookie replied with a smile. Eric had insisted and she'd agreed, on her own terms.
"If he asked, would you be his?"
"Good grief, Claudine! I've only known him for like a minute!" Sookie replied in a scandalized voice.
"You've known almost all there is to know about him for years now," Claudine pointed out. "It's not like he's a stranger to you, and besides, you always knew you two would meet. What did you think was going to happen? Haven't you asked yourself this question before?"
Yes, she had. Sookie had asked herself that question many times before, starting with the very first night she'd seen his face. Her Fae kin had been schooling her in vampire relations for a few days by that point, and Claudine had finally broached the subject of Eric Northman the night before. The telepath had initially balked at the idea of the vampire; not because of what he was, but because of the role Claudine had predicted he would play in her life.
In retrospect, Sookie understood her initial reticence. With so little life experience under her belt, the knowledge Claudine was trying to impart on her was lost, in so many ways. For a girl who'd never dated, being told her eventual life partner may very well end up being a vampire, well, let's just say it was unsettling, at best. It had taken her time to reconcile the path Claudine was promoting; time and seeing his face.
She'd woken in a happy mood that day, taking a few moments to stretch under the luxurious bedding and simply enjoy the sunshine flooding through the window. After a showering, she'd returned to the cheerful yellow and white bedroom to find Claudine waiting, perched on the high, four-posted bed with a breakfast tray beside her. More importantly, she'd held a single photograph in her hand; a photograph which would change the course of Sookie's life.
Frozen in time like frames from an old movie, the memory played in her head like it was yesterday. Her hair had still been wet from the shower and the damp tendrils felt cool against her bare back. The warm, yeasty scent of buttered rolls was heavy in the air. She'd held the huge, fluffy white towel tighter with one hand as she reached for the offered photo with the other. Not bothering to look at first, Sookie climbed up onto the bed beside Claudine and settled back against the pillows before she lifted the picture and took her first look at the vampire she was supposed to rely on.
Even though Claudine had described him as 'extremely handsome', Sookie hadn't been prepared for the devastating appeal of the Viking vampire warrior. She'd reacted as the virginal girl she'd been, blushing furiously as she gazed upon the most handsome man she'd ever seen. Even though she'd scarcely been able to define it at the time, Eric Northman positively oozed sexuality.
"Oh, my God," she'd thought, her blush deepening and spreading to her chest. "Do I want to be his?"
She'd been asking herself that question almost every day since. Aside from her obvious attraction to the vampire, she'd never found an answer, even if she did keep that first photo in her bedside drawer. Having met him, and spent some time getting to know him, an answer was slowly forming in her mind.
"I've been asking myself that question for a long time. And even though I think it's still way too early to make any kind of decision, I like him. He's different than I'd imagined he'd be, but I do like him." Sookie finally answered Claudine's question. "I like him enough to consider it, even though I have my doubts."
"Don't sell yourself, or him, short, cousin," Claudine advised, sweeping her long dark hair back over her shoulder. Her green eyes, as bright and shiny as emeralds, stood out in her porcelain face. "You cannot make assumptions based on his history with women. You are unique, my dear child. The vampire might surprise you."
"I'll know tonight," the telepath offered. "He made it pretty clear last night that he wants me in his life. He wants me to work for him, yes, but he's also said he wants to get to know me better. Even though he didn't outright mention sex, it's a given, right? I'm just going to tell him how I feel, and how I feel about monogamy. I'm not going to play games with him, Claudine. If this is going to work, we're going to have to be honest with each other. May as well start from the beginning, right?"
The confidence Sookie infused into her words sapped all the reserves she had in store. In truth, she was far less confident than her words suggested. Her heart beat faster just thinking about laying it all on the line like that. It was a terrifying thought, but it was also true honesty would be key to their ultimate survival. A brave face would be required, but she could do it. The vampire need not ever know how deeply she feared his rejection.
"Another date with the fairy princess?" Pam queried mockingly. A grin curved the corners of her mouth upward, framed by her pointy white fangs. She moved closer to her maker, her nose quivering as she tried to inhale whatever minute amount of Sookie's delectable scent still clinging to his skin.
Eric finished dressing, shoving the hem of his black t-shirt into the waistband of his snugly fitted dark jeans and ignoring Pam's antics altogether. Black boots and a heavy leather belt, complete with an ornately carved, Viking-sized buckle, completed his outfit. He tossed a leather jacket onto the arm of the sofa, ready to grab later.
"Yes, I'm seeing Sookie again this evening," the vampire finally replied.
"Your date went well, then?" Pam asked with the barest hint of a smirk on her blood red lips.
"It did," Eric replied, ignoring the jibe behind her words and failing to deny the fact it was a date.
"Any chance she will reconsider your offer?"
"Not as such," he answered with a thoughtful frown upon his handsome face.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"She feels my initial offer was one of ownership," he explained tersely. "She tells me she has no need of an owner."
"Fair enough," Pam conceded. "She is a princess, after all. But she must want something."
Eric shook his head ruefully. "Princess or not, I don't think it would have mattered if she were nothing but the penniless waitress she pretends to be. As for what she wants, she tells me she wants a partner."
"A partner?" Pam's face wore a quizzical expression. "What kind of partner?"
"That's open for discussion and debate, but there's more to the story than we first thought. It seems that her Fae kin, including the Prince and his granddaughter Claudine Crane, have educated her; not just on the subject of vampires, but of me in particular."
"Warning her against you?" the younger vampire asked indignantly.
"Quite the opposite," Eric proclaimed with a faint smile. "It seems Claudine, who is also Sookie's godmother, is a seer. Her visions have shown her Sookie will be safest with my protection. She advised the girl to turn to me."
"As a partner," Pam mused. "You offer her protection in return for what?"
"That's the debatable point. Ms. Stackhouse has agreed to provide her services in exchange for protection, but some of the fairy's visions indicated we might be more than business partners."
His progeny stared at him for a long, drawn-out moment, her expression contemplative. If he was suggesting what she thought he might be, the fairy princess was having more of an effect than she thought. Pam resolved in the moment to track the girl down and find out for herself what made her so special if Eric didn't introduce them soon.
"What then? Her life partner?" she drawled sarcastically. "Are you going to be her boyfriend?"
"Perhaps," Eric replied, not rising to the bait she was trailing through the already murky waters. "I could do worse, don't you think?"
"Jesus, Eric!" Pam exclaimed. "I was being a sarcastic bitch, but you're serious, aren't you?"
"Think about it," he defended his position. "For some unknown fucking reason, the fates have smiled on me and dropped a gift-wrapped, telepathic fairy princess on my lap. She's unbelievably gorgeous, smart as a fucking whip and sexy in a way I've never known before. Better yet, she seems to want to be with me and she's unbelievably fucking powerful! I'd be a fucking fool not to consider it." He shook his head. "There's no fool like an old fool, Pam, and I'm way too fucking old to act like a fool now."
"Okay, so she's perfect. What are you going to do? What now?" she questioned, her mind racing as she imagined every scenario and the repercussions associated with each one.
"For now, I'm going to go out with her again and hope to have as good a time as last night. I hope to talk to her some more and find out more about what she wants," he shrugged his massive shoulders. "I really don't have a plan beyond that."
"You should," Pam scolded lightly. Eric always had a plan. "You never know when Sophie-Ann will rear her ugly red head."
Eric smiled at Pam's insult. She and Sophie-Ann had never gotten on well. She was right, though. He did need a plan, but Sookie's mercurial nature made planning almost impossible.
"In the meantime, should Sophie-Ann make contact, stall her for now. I'm hoping tonight will give me the information I need," he replied, already thinking ahead to the evening. Sookie surprised him when he asked to see her again this evening, declining his invitation and instead insisted she was taking him out tonight, telling him to dress casual. Glancing at his platinum wristwatch, he realized she wouldn't be much longer.
He hadn't truly wanted her to come to Fangtasia at all, concerned for the stir she might make with the vampire population. Until he had her locked down, he preferred to keep her away from any potential trouble. She'd insisted, however, and Eric was planning on meeting her in the parking lot to forestall any possible interactions she might have.
"Where are you taking her?"
"Nowhere. She's taking me out tonight," Eric replied casually.
"Very modern of her, don't you think?" Pam's face wore a deep frown. "That could be a bad sign, Eric. Modern women are much harder to predict."
With visions of fairy Sookie dancing in his head, Eric gave his child an incredulous look before breaking into full-blown laughter. Pam waited silently, her eyes narrowed and her foot tapping, as the mirth slowly left her maker and his laughter ceased.
"If you think modern women are hard to predict, you should really meet a modern fairy princess," he finally said, chuckling to himself again. "They're impossible to fucking predict."
"Introduce me to her, then," Pam pouted, turning a beseeching gaze on her maker.
"Let's see how tonight goes, and then I'll think about it," he answered firmly. "If she's going to be around, you two are going to have to get along."
"Why on earth do you think I wouldn't get along with your princess?"
Eric leveled a skeptical look on his child. "Really, Pam? You don't get along well with anyone, especially other women."
"Nonsense," she declared. "I love women."
"No, you like fucking women," Eric corrected with a grin. "You don't like them, especially if you view them as a threat."
"Is your fairy a threat to me?" Pam demanded, her hands on hips.
"No, I wouldn't think so," Eric replied after the briefest moment of consideration.
"Then I will like her," she proclaimed. "She's a princess, Eric. There's no way I wouldn't like her."
Eric smiled at her fondly. Pam was nothing if not supremely self-aware. If he'd thought about it for a moment, he'd have realized being friends with an actual princess would trump any female rivalry she might otherwise feel. For the first time in her long life, Pam might actually view another being as a friend, and possibly even an equal.
"Then I shall make sure you meet her soon," Eric replied, standing to cross the room and drop a kiss on Pam's head, careful not to muss her carefully arranged up-do. "She really is entertaining. She shows absolutely no fear, nor does she show much respect. It's rather refreshing."
"I look forward to it," she replied, her thoughts on the telepath in question. She didn't hold much stock with a fairy seer's visions, but Pam was intrigued by the changes she'd seen in her maker since he'd met Sookie Stackhouse. In all their years together, Pam had never known a woman to stir more than Eric's sexual interest.
If her suspicions were correct, much more than sex was on Eric's mind. Pam couldn't wait to meet her.
Next up is the second date. What do you think so far?