A/N: Here's Sookie swearing like a sailor again, and the beginnings of Eric's tale. Remember we left our fair couple leaving the Queen's with warnings about their power and the possibilities for the Vampire community.

Paradise Within…Happier Far

Chapter 12

Got a secret,
Can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save.
Better lock it in your pocket,
Taking this one to the grave.
If I show you then I know you
Won't tell what I said.
'Cause two can keep a secret
If one of them is dead.

Why do you smile
Like you have told a secret?
Now you're telling lies
'Cause you have sworn to keep it.
But no one keeps a secret,
No one keeps a secret.

Why when we do our darkest deeds
Do we tell?
They burn in our brains,
Become a living hell.
'Cause everybody tells,
Everybody tells.

Yes, two can keep a secret
If one of them is dead.

Yes, two can keep a secret
If one of us is
Dead.

Secret, The Pierces

Sookie stomped her foot, her face red with screaming at a bemused Eric. The more bemused he became, the angrier she got.

"How dare you Eric? You have kidnapped me. Do you know what that means? You have taken me against my will and out of this country without so much as a fare-thee-well. We were supposed to go home this morning. You were supposed to go into your God damn dead sleep and I was supposed to go to work tonight, today…whatever the fuck time it is? And why are you still awake anyway?"

"Is this one of the tantrums that you warned me about earlier? The ones that happen while I am asleep and you are considering harming me or my things until you calm down by the time I am awake?"

"Shut up you monster! You are a bastard you know that?"

"Yes, I am. And you have known that for a while now. Should I go into the lower section of the plane and climb into my coffin to sleep while you stomp around some more or are you done now and ready to listen to me?"

"Fuck you, Eric," and with that Sookie stormed to the back of the plane where there were two doors that led to two bedrooms. She stomped into one, her tiny feet making almost no noise against the very plush carpet of Eric's private plane. She slammed the door as hard as she could, making a slight and ungratifying noise. "I guess that would be a no," Eric thought to himself. Eric took a deep breath he didn't need and sat back, only to hear the door open again and slam again, and again, and again. He remained completely still as only a vampire can watching the display, disappointed in himself that he was the cause of this fury rather than finding it funny as it would anyone else. She kept at it until she exhausted herself, locking the door and putting a chair against the door knob, knowing it wouldn't keep him out but making herself feel better anyway.

She showered all the gunk out of her hair Pam had used to create the awesome hair style for her visit with the Queen, washed all her makeup off and, soaped her body with the floral scented soap Eric so thoughtfully provided. When did he have time to provide or even think about these little things? WAIT! She was pissed at him…no more of that sort of thinking. She brushed her teeth and her hair and slipped into bed in one of his shirts. While he had known about this little sojourn of theirs, he was able to pack and be prepared. She only prepared for the overnight visit so had nothing with her really. Not even a passport. Christ, she was going overseas to only God knew where without a passport or a visa. Would she end up in some God forsaken jail in some horrid prison with dirt floors and rats? All she had was a driver's license, an unmistakable southern accent, and a vampire to prove she was a US citizen. Bastard. Those were her last thoughts as she fell into an exhausted sleep, giving it all up to Eric. No matter how mad she was at him now, she knew he would never let anything happen to her. But what about a passport? Ugh, vampires. She wished they'd all stayed in their coffins.

Eric took the opportunity to sleep while Sookie slept. The plane was designed to stay completely dark no matter how much sun hit the plane. He could travel any time of day or night with no danger of being caught in the sunlight. The interior of the plane was lit by soft low lighting, with lamps that could be used for reading if one chose. His casket and other belongings were stored below. As he thoughtfully walked to the second bedroom, he knew Sookie had a right to be mad. He had kidnapped her in a sense, but there was simply no time to explain safely between leaving the Queen's residence and boarding the other plane. Unfortunately once they got onto the Queen's plane, Sookie fell into a deep sleep and once she awakened they were on their way to their next destination on Eric's plane. When she awoke this time, he would definitely start explaining. She still did not understand how both their lives had changed, by the simple act of meeting, the more complicated act of bonding, and the ever-more complicated act of actually being bonded to one's lifemate. This trip would help explain his past, her ancestry, and what the power was that existed between them that the Queen alluded to. Even as they flew away from the dawn creeping in the horizon, the pull of sleep finally overtook him as he climbed into the bed in the second bedroom. He wished for Sookie sleeping next to him, but they would be together soon.

Sookie woke hungry and thirsty and wondered where Eric was. Had he really climbed down to his coffin to get away from her? She couldn't blame him, she had been totally horrid. Like some screaming banshee, and completely unwilling to listen to what he had to say. She climbed out of bed and brushed her teeth and hair, happy that her face wasn't swollen with tears. She wandered out of the darkened bedroom and into the main cabin where she finally noticed the soft lighting, the beautiful art on the walls, some of it had to be original Viking pieces of jewelry and broaches she thought were lovely. They were intricately woven and what looked like they had been hand-pounded, a combination of gold, silver, and bronze, kept shiny and looking new even in their ancient age. The pieces were behind a special glass that must provide protection for the pieces. She walked from display to display. Since there were no windows in plane, there was a lot of display pieces. She found some striking large paintings that were signed by "E.N." it looked like. Eric painted? That was news!

As she wandered, she found the fridge and pulled out a fresh sandwich and a bottle of water, then she wandered back to the closed second bedroom door, hoping to find Eric lying in bed there. She wasn't disappointed as she found Eric bare from the waist up lying under the black satin sheets, which had slid down and away from his body. She thought he had never looked so breathtakingly good. She knew he would be waking soon, she was already beginning to feel him stir through the bond. She lay beside him in his white silk shirt and ate her sandwich, enjoying the view. She almost laughed out loud at his arousal course through the bond before he was even awake enough to open his eyes. She guessed he could smell her as his mind fought for consciousness. His 'Viking Sword' as she liked to refer to it was certainly taking on its appropriately named proportions.

She leaned over to Eric's ear and started to whisper his name softly, mostly the air of her breath through his name to his ear. She licked gently on his ear and sucked on his earlobe. Slowly she made his way down his neck, licking and sucking on his neck and then moved down his body to his chest. His chest. He was made like a god, and his chest was as if carved from marble. She straddled his still sleeping body, running her fingers down his marbled chest, her small nails leaving tracks behind as she scraped down his body, running her nails over his extended nipples and feeling his abdominals clinch. He moaned and he was definitely awake or almost so. She knew from previous experience sometimes he would wake up slow and then become fully awake, and go immediately into attack mode as if she was an enemy. And sometimes, under less stressful times, he would allow her to wake him up slowly, making love to her slowly and lovingly, feeding at his leisure and life would be perfect. He moaned as she scratched at his nipples while she ground into his fully extended 'sword.' He lay there enjoying the experience before reaching for her under his shirt, reenacting her actions from before. Eric swept her under him as he turned and started kissing her, fangs extended, the scratch of her tongue over them teasing him with a taste of her blood.

He whispered to her as he moved his mouth down her body, "Does this mean you have forgiven me?"

She laughed almost silently, her hands wrapping themselves in his hair. "Eric, you know I can never stay mad at you for long. It's like I need you, you complete me. You know I don't like my freedom seemingly taken away, or my decision making disregarded. But for the most part, you give me my way, and you compromise on almost everything else. This, I eventually figured out, was probably not something you could compromise on, and I was asleep at the point in time when you would have told me anyway. I might have stormed off in my high heeled shoes and thought to walk back to Bon Temps from Shreveport. But no Eric, no, my love, I may understand, but you are not forgiven. You will pay for this for a very long time. This is just the beginning. "

"Ah, I see. I think I will enjoy earning your forgiveness." Eric laughed into her stomach.

"Perhaps not always. I have no clothes, no underwear, nothing. Wherever we are going, I will have to have all new things. And I think they shall have to be very expensive. Too bad Pam is not here to help me spend your money."

"I think it is just as well. And you shall have everything you desire and more."

And he started making that down payment on her forgiveness right then, giving her everything she desired and more.

Sookie lay relaxed in Eric's arms, her head resting on his chest, her hand playing absently with his almost bare chest. "So are you ready to tell me where we are going and why Eric?"

"Hmm. Promise not to move from right here and I will tell you anything." Eric was very content and Sookie knew it.

"I won't move. Now tell me what is so mysterious. And explain how I am going to be able to get in and out of foreign countries without a passport."

"Vampires have been traveling for thousands of years without passports, baby. It won't be a problem. Besides, I have a passport for you." Sookie started to move in surprise. "You promised to stay where you were, Sookie. The passport is totally legit, although it did not go through all the red tape it normally would. You'll be fine."

"Don't you dare let me end up in one of those horrid prisons I've read about in stories because I get caught with a fake passport!"

"Not going to happen. Now, do you want to know what we are doing?"

"Tell me." Her voice was nervous and scared, but more excited about the adventure than anything.

"The Queen alluded to a power that exists between us that no one in the Vampire community had seen in memory. I thought it important for us to learn more about that. We will first explore my past. I will show you where I lived, my home—yes, Sookie, I actually have what might be considered a castle and quite a bit of land. I have had it for centuries, before I was turned. What do you know of Vikings?"

"I only know when they were briefly covered in a history class years ago. There wasn't much time spent on them. They were considered barbaric, a great fighting force that spent their time conquering, raping, and pillaging. They were greatly feared for those reasons. They wore hats with horns on either side, and made beautiful boats. They cremated their dead by sending them in a ship and lighting it on fire. And one of the more torrid parts I remember hearing about, although not from my teacher, was that after a male Viking died, his wife was passed from man to man for sex and then after every man had had her, she was strangled and buried with her husband." Eric raised his head and looked at Sookie, shock and surprise on his face, shaking his head in disbelief. "That, my dear Viking, is the extent of it. Is a word of it true? Remember I was taught in a very small school, with my teacher probably not much more educated than I was."

"The part about being a great fighting force is true, and we did make beautiful ships, not boats baby. These ships sailed oceans. Boats are made for lakes and rivers. The rest is either a gross exaggeration or simply not true. Let me tell you what our lives were really like."

"Is this your life, Eric? Or life in general?"

"My life encompassed the lives of many, but this will be the story of my life," Eric said quietly.

TBC