It seems like forever since I posted a chapter of this story, and that's because it has been forever! I'm sorry I kept you all waiting so long, but life got crazy busy for a while and unlike Just in Time, all the remaining chapters for this story are not edited or even completed yet which means more work involved to get this ready to post.
Anyway, enough of my excuses and whining and on with the story! As always, these characters do not belong to me. They are the sole property of Charlaine Harris.
"That was unbelievably fucking awesome," Pam exclaimed as the trio settled themselves into the black SUV they were traveling in. "You are absolutely my favorite breather in existence," she told Sookie with a wide, appreciative grin. "If it weren't for him," she jerked her head towards Eric, "you'd be my very favorite person in the whole bloody world."
"It was nothing, really," Sookie demurred, but with a matching grin on her face.
"Don't sell yourself short," Eric interjected as he started the vehicle. "That was impressive – and entertaining – to watch. I've never seen Sophie-Ann so cowed."
"Alright, it was fun," Sookie admitted, her blue eyes twinkling as she thought of Sophie-Ann's face. Surely not much had ever frightened the vampire Queen, but there was fear in her eyes tonight. "I think she got the message, though. That was the important part. The rest was just me doing what I had to do, just like you would have."
"Yeah, but we don't glow and shoot sparks, Princess," Pam drawled as she regarded the telepath with amusement. She'd first been amazed and then amused by the vehemence behind Sookie's outright rejection of her birthright. Like father, like daughter; Pam never missed an opportunity to tease Sookie about it.
"And I can't move faster than a speeding bullet, or leap tall buildings in a single bound, like you guys can," Sookie pointed out with nary a trace of irritability at Pam's teasing. The telepath was learning to ignore their needling just as she was learning all of their soft spots. Revenge, her great-grandfather Niall told her, was a dish best served cold. Sookie couldn't agree more. "But thank you. I'm just happy everything went well and we all got out alive."
"You more than made your point," Eric said with pride in his voice and in his heart. "We can't rule out Sophie trying to make life difficult, but I think you've got her where you want her."
"If she tries to make my life difficult, she won't get what she wants from me," Sookie replied with a frown.
"It's not you she'll mess with," Pam spoke up. "If she wants to, she can make life fucking brutal for Eric and I. She's a wretched, spoiled little bitch."
"What do you mean?" Sookie asked curiously. Sophie-Ann's penchant for retribution was an angle she hadn't really considered.
"Nothing too serious," Eric reassured her, reaching across the center console and picking up her hand. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. "She isn't completely stupid, after all."
"Not too serious!" Pam snorted from the backseat. "Are you kidding me?"
Eric glared at his child through the rear view mirror as Sookie turned to look at Pam with a worried look on her beautiful face.
"What do you think she'll do?"
Shooting another baleful glare through the mirror, Eric answered before Pam could speak.
"She might bury us in paperwork, or audits, any kind of foolishness she can dream up," he said, his fingers giving her hand another squeeze. "Nothing to worry about. Pam's just being melodramatic. She hates paperwork."
"Uh huh," Sookie murmured, her gaze drifting between the two blonde vampires. His explanation hardly satisfied her curiosity but she let it drop for now. There would be time for questions later. "So what's the plan? What are we doing now?"
"Whatever you would like to do," Eric replied smoothly, his eyes smoldering as they settled on hers. There was no doubt what he'd like to do, but this was her night. He wanted to indulge whatever whims she might have.
"I feel like celebrating," Sookie replied with a smile, her eyes filled with a matching intensity. Her inexperience notwithstanding, the telepathic fairy princess instinctively knew how she'd like to celebrate, but the social conventions to include Pam in the celebrations weighed heavily on her. Her only saving grace was in knowing Eric would find a way to make Pam disappear at some point.
"You know what that means, don't you, Eric?" Pam asked with a devilish laugh. "We're going to the Quarter!"
"Oh, Christ, no," Eric replied firmly. Sookie looked at him with a question in her eye as Pam began her wheedling from the backseat.
"Come on, Eric! I bet Sookie's never even been to the French Quarter," Pam pleaded as Sookie listened with amusement. Since meeting her vampires, she'd been regularly amused by the antics between them; neither truly behaved in a manner befitting their scary vampire status. The constant bickering back and forth was reminiscent of her relationship with Jason, complete with teasing and taunts.
"Actually, I have," she told Pam seriously. The small town country girl inside her was proud of her trips to the city. She'd rarely left the confines of Bon Temps and Renard Parish in her previous life; other than a disastrous high school trip to New Orleans, Sookie had only been as far as Shreveport before meeting her fairy family and embarking on a whole new life. It didn't hurt that the new life came comfortably padded with an extensive financial portfolio. For a girl who'd been proud of her meager savings account, it had taken her some time to adjust to having money at her disposal, but she'd managed, with Claudine's help.
"Pfft! You're not helping," Pam replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Come on, Eric! Where else can you really celebrate in New Orleans?"
"I was just thinking a drink would be nice, but we can do that anywhere. We can even head back to the house for our celebration if that's easiest," Sookie replied to Pam's entreaty with innocence in her tone and in her big, bright blue eyes. She actually wanted to go to the French Quarter, now that Pam had brought it up, but couldn't resist teasing her new friend.
"You really aren't much of a princess, are you?" Pam's tone, and her expression, was disgruntled. "You cannot properly celebrate anything at home, Sookie! We need to go out; we need to go to the French Quarter."
"I really don't think Sookie wants to go to the Quarter with you, Pamela," Eric replied firmly, shaking his head as he spoke.
"Why not?" Sookie asked. Eric's steadfast refusal had her curiosity piqued.
"Just because you don't know how to have fun doesn't mean Sookie doesn't want to," Pam argued her point passionately.
"Not your kind of fun, she doesn't," Eric retorted sharply. Sookie watched the two of them with fascination and raging curiosity.
"Maybe I do," Sookie interjected, a little miffed they were talking about her as if she weren't there, not to mention Eric making decisions for her. If she hadn't wanted to go to the Quarter before, she certainly did now.
Pam's laughter echoed through the car. "Yeah, Eric. Maybe she does," she goaded her maker.
"Maybe she should know what she's signing up for with you in the French Quarter," Eric countered. "If she still wants to go, then we'll go. It's up to her."
"It might be nice if someone would tell me what's going on," Sookie noted. As fun as it was to watch them go at it, she hated being out of the loop.
"Eric's just too old to remember how to have fun, Sookie," Pam replied with a touch of petulance lacing her tone.
"I'm not too god damned old to remember how to read a calendar," Eric retorted testily.
"I can read a calendar, too, Master," she answered sweetly. "I just don't give a fuck what it says."
"Will one of you please tell me what the big deal is?" Sookie exclaimed with a laugh.
"My delightful child is of the opinion that every night in the French Quarter is Mardi Gras," Eric told her seriously while Sookie frowned her incomprehension.
"That's strange, I'll grant you, but where's the problem with that? Every night is a party on Bourbon Street, isn't it?"
"Yes, every night is a party! It's completely delightful," Pam exclaimed passionately. "Where else can you just ask to see someone's breasts?"
Sookie stared at her with wide eyes and a slack jaw as Eric snorted in disgust.
"And that's why I don't go to the French Quarter with her," he told Sookie. "She goes too damn far every time; running around handing out strings of beads and propositioning every woman in sight."
Sookie's deep blue eyes looked between her vampire companions, each meeting her gaze with wide eyed indignation. She could only handle the hilarity of the situation for so long before breaking into peals of laughter. Her slight frame shook as she tried to contain her giggles and compose herself, as difficult as it was.
"Okay," she gasped out. "This is what's going to happen tonight – we're going to Bourbon Street and we're going to dance and drink, but there will be no boobs or beads. We're going to have a good time and celebrate without propositioning anyone, understood?"
Pam groaned from the back seat. "I don't know which one of you is a bigger party pooper," she grumbled. "If you're not going to let me have any fun, I may as well call Amelia to join us."
Eric's grin was triumphant as he looked at Sookie. Picking her hand up once more, he pressed a kiss against her knuckles, making the young woman acutely aware of the sensitivity of the skin he touched.
"If you must," he replied to Pam, while Sookie questioned, "Who's Amelia?"
"A friend," Pam replied distractedly as she fiddled with her phone. Her pretty blue eyes raised to meet Sookie's inquisitive gaze. "With benefits, you might say."
"Amelia Broadway," Eric supplied. "A witch with powerful connections, and as she said, a friend to Pam," he finished delicately. Sookie assumed the 'friend' status elevated her above a common feed and fuck.
"I've yet to meet a witch," she said. "Claudine has told me about a few, but that's it. Is she as powerful as her connections?"
"She's what you might call a talented novice," he informed her. "But she is a member of the most powerful coven in the state, if not the country. Her family is well connected to the financial and political communities. Her father is Copley Carmichael."
Sookie's head nodded in understanding. Even in the backwoods of Bon Temps, people knew the Carmichael name. His companies controlled half the construction in the entire state. Jason had worked on one of his projects in Monroe right before he'd gotten hired with the parish.
"That's a lot of clout to swing from," she spoke her thoughts out loud.
"But she doesn't use it," Eric said. "That's why she goes by Broadway, to distance herself from her father."
"She's going to meet us," Pam informed them, shoving her phone back into her diminutive bag. Leaning forward, she reassured Sookie, "Don't worry, you'll love her. She's piles of fun and nothing like the rich bitch you might think."
Sookie's golden curls bobbed on her shoulders as she shook her head. "Honestly, I wasn't thinking anything like that. I'm just interested in meeting my first witch. If you guys like her, that's good enough for me," she said earnestly.
"Like might be too strong of a word," Eric muttered. "Tolerate is a better one."
"You don't like her?"
"Eric doesn't like her because she's opinionated and not afraid to speak her mind," Pam offered her explanation.
"No, it is because she's loud and arrogant," Eric argued vehemently. "Look what she did to Bob, for Christ's sake."
"Jesus, Eric! It's not like she meant to do it. And he's fine now."
"Who's Bob and what happened to him?" Sookie asked with fascination in her tone.
"Bob is her ex-boyfriend," Pam stated a little dismissively.
"Amelia turned him into a cat," Eric said bluntly, "and then hid her misadventures from the coven. The poor bastard lived for months as a fucking cat."
"Oh my God!" Sookie exclaimed. "Oh my God, are you serious?"
"It was an accident," Pam proclaimed firmly as Eric snorted. "It was no accident she waited so long to get help, was it?"
"Either way, he's fine now," Pam repeated. "And she learned her lesson well. Don't worry, Sookie, you'll love her."
A couple of hours later, Sookie was willing to concede that while love might be too strong of a word for her, too, she really did like Amelia. The young witch was full of life and fun; her bubbly, up-beat personality infectious. With a backward wave, the telepath left her new witch friend on the dance floor with Pam. Weaving her way through the crowded bar, Sookie made her way back to the table and Eric.
"I'm done," she announced as she sat in the chair Eric thoughtfully pulled out for her. "No matter what Pam says, these shoes are complete torture! I can't dance another step."
"Can I get you another drink?" the vampire inquired solicitously.
"No, thank you. Another drink and you'll be carrying me home," she replied with a laugh. In truth, she'd limited her alcohol intake purposely through the evening, not finishing any of the three drinks she'd had and drinking plenty of water in between. A clear head was necessary if she planned on following through with her plans for the evening.
"Would you like to leave?" Eric asked casually, trying not to betray his eagerness to be alone with her. "We could go for a walk, if you're not ready to go home yet."
"Seriously? A walk?" Sookie stuck a foot in Eric's direction and twisted her ankle to show the five inch heels she'd been wearing for the past six hours. "How about we hobble to the car and you take me home. It's cool enough to light a fire and burn these shoes, don't you think?"
Eric laughed as he stood and extended a hand to Sookie. "Do you want to get on my back and I'll carry you?"
"No, I can manage," she replied. If she'd had on jeans, she would have given it consideration, but her dress was far too form-fitting. "What about Pam and Amelia? Should we wait for them?"
"Don't worry about them. Pam will get home before dawn," he replied vaguely. Sookie only nodded in reply.
Despite her protests, Eric swept her into his arms and cradled her to his chest after her shoes caused her to wince in pain one too many times for his liking. "Don't worry," he told her. "Everyone will just think you're drunk."
"Oh, that's just great," she groused, even as she used the moment as an excuse to cuddle closer to his hard, chiseled chest and bury her face against his neck. He smelled as good as he always did, soothing muskiness mixed with hints of cool mint from his grooming products. "It feels too good to be off my feet to care."
Eric laughed and continued their short journey to their car, parked just a couple of blocks away. There was an obvious reluctance to his movements as he relinquished his hold on the telepath so she could get into the car. He shook his head at his own absurdity; he didn't want to let her go at all, not even to bring her home so they could have more privacy.
An uncharacteristic silence accompanied the vampire and the fairy telepath on the short drive home. Sookie's thoughts were consumed with anticipation and nerves. She'd kissed Eric a few times, even indulging in a very sophomoric make-out session in his car one evening, but that was as far as they had gone so far. Instinctively, she knew tonight was the night and the anticipation was killing her, settling into a writhing ball in the pit of her stomach.
While nervous tension danced in Sookie's blood, in truth it was the Viking who was the most on edge. He hoped he'd read all of Sookie's subtle and not so subtle signs correctly, but was still left to wonder whether tonight was in fact going to be the night he got to fully experience and explore the delectable fairy princess. He fervently wished for it to be so, but he couldn't avoid thinking of the unique circumstances he found himself in, and the possible ramifications of their actions. The Viking couldn't quite remember the last time he'd been with a virgin, although he was sure it was centuries before. More importantly, he would be having sex with someone he cared for, a first for him. He'd grown to care for Pam during their early years together when they were still having sex, but that had been different on almost every conceivable level.
Simply put, Eric was dangerously out of his element. Despite his advanced age and considerable life experience, the Viking was woefully uneducated in the ways of women and relationships. Before the fairy princess came into his life, the vampire would have scoffed at the very idea; Eric Northman was known far and wide as an exceptional lover.
Nothing in his legendary skill-set remotely prepared him for Sookie Stackhouse and all she represented, however. Despite being known as a great lover, Eric knew in his heart and soul that he'd never in all his long years actually made love to a woman. He'd had sex with plenty, but there had never been more than a desire to sate physical urges. It was nothing more than fucking, but his heart and soul also told him it could never be just fucking with Sookie. With her, it would always be more, even if he didn't know what the 'more' entailed.
Pulling into the driveway of the stately two story home on the outer edges of the Garden District, Eric put the car into park and turned it off before silently getting out of the vehicle and vamping to the passenger door. Sookie blinked, startled by how quickly her door was swung open. A lop-sided grin formed on her face as she stared at him with a quirked eyebrow,
"Seriously, vampire, you may be the death of me yet! Stop appearing so darned fast, got it?" she scolded playfully, fanning herself for emphasis. Accepting his offered hand, Sookie swung her legs out of the car before standing and looking up at her escort.
"I find it's the only way I can catch you off guard," Eric replied in an equally playful tone. Each was doing an excellent job of pretending something momentous was not about to happen. Holding her hand in his, Eric shortened his stride to match hers while Sookie did her best not to show the renewed pain in her feet as they walked. Opening the door, Eric ushered Sookie ahead of him where she gratefully kicked off her shoes while he entered a long string of numbers into the beeping security system.
"Can I get you anything?" he asked, walking toward the kitchen. "A drink, perhaps? Are you hungry? You haven't eaten this evening."
"No, thank you. I'm fine, and I ate just before you rose this evening." Sookie paused, steeling her resolve and her nerves. "I think I'd rather just go to bed, actually." She suppressed a grin as she watched his back slowly stiffen. In lieu of the grin, she allowed herself a tiny mental fist pump; it appeared the vampire was disappointed with her decision.
"Very well," he replied in an even tone.
"There is one thing I need to know first," she said, deciding to just go for it and put him out of his misery.
"What's that?" Eric asked, staring at her through hooded eyes, with a totally indecipherable expression on his handsome face.
"Where is your room?"
"It's in the basement," he replied slowly, giving her an inscrutable look. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I have no intention of waking up in my bed alone after I have sex for the first time," she told him softly, but with clear intent. "Can I sleep with you?"
And I know you all hate me just a little – or maybe a whole hell of a lot! – for leaving it there, but I promise the next chapter will feature some sweet happiness!
I hope it was worth the wait! What do you think?