Set in a mix of the books and the TV series. Sookie and Bill come back from Dallas quarreling and break up. But Lafayette is still alive and had gone through his ordeal in Eric's dungeon.
Of course I don't own these characters, I am just very thankful that Charlaine Harris did.
Rated M for sexual content. Thanks again to everyone who has sent in a review, the encouragement is great!
Chapter 5
Finally, it was last call, Sookie had already finished clearing and wiping down the empty tables, she got the last round of orders served and started doing her closing prep, filling the salt and pepper shakers and checking the condiments.
Eric got up from his booth and walked slowly toward her, his hands in his pockets in that oh-so-casual way he had. He came up behind her, standing so close she couldn't move without rubbing against him. "The bar is closing, let's go." he whispered in her ear, sending goosebumps across her flesh.
"Eric, I've got to get this done." She was trying to force herself to not sound breathless. "Go wait at my place. I'll be home soon." She grabbed a ketchup bottle and started to refill it.
He sighed his impatience and stood his full height. He looked around like a king viewing his court, until his eyes found Arlene. "You, waitress, finish Sookie's tasks." He commanded, Arlene looked confused. Anyone else she would have told to go ef' themselves but she was afraid of Eric and was kind of deer-in-the-headlights when he singled her out.
"Eric!" Sookie turned on him and yelled, "This is not Fangtasia. You can not just order everyone around. I can finish my own work."
Eric was still focused on Arlene. "I will pay you one hundred dollars."
If Sookie hadn't been so mad it would have been funny. It was so like a cartoon when you hear the cash register ching and dollar signs appear in their eyes. The idea of that much money for so little work overrode her fear of Eric. "Well allrighty then." she glanced at Sam for approval and he just gave a disgruntled wave of his hand.
Eric pulled a crisp $100 bill from a money clip bulging with them and held it out to her. She sashayed up to the table and snatched the money from his fingers as if it would vanish. "Thank you, you and Sookie have a real nice night." and she winked at Sookie.
He looked very pleased with himself but Sookie just glared at him. "I have to get my purse, are you riding in my car or will you meet me at home?"
"I'll ride with you." And he followed her to Sam's office as she got her purse and dinner. Once they were outside he pulled her into his arms and bent to kiss her, but she quickly put her hand between her mouth and his.
"We need to talk." she said flatly.
He took her hand and began to kiss her palm. She tried to pull it back but he held firm. "It is not talking I am interested in now. I have spent the last several hours planning what I want to do with you tonight and now I want to do it." His tongue darted out and traced a small circle on her palm, causing her breath to catch.
She stood her ground. "Eric you embarrassed me in there and you showed no respect whatsoever to Sam whose bar this is. You undermined his authority."
"I have no respect for the shifter."
"That doesn't matter, it's his bar and you have no right to boss his employees around. And don't call him that, nobody knows." She shushed him. "May I have my hand back so I can drive us home? I'm tired and hungry and we have a lot to talk about." He turned her hand over so he could kiss the back of it chivalrously and let go.
She grunted in exasperation and stomped over to the car. She had been looking forward to a night of breathtaking sex and now she just didn't know what would happen.
Eric somehow managed to fold himself into the tiny passenger seat and turned to watch her. The car started on the second attempt and Sookie pulled out of the lot.
"Your car sucks." he observed.
"It gets me where I need to go." she shrugged.
"What kind of car would you like, a convertible?"
"You are not buying me a car."
"Why not?"
"Because I won't accept it. I earn my way. If I do enough work for you and earn enough I'll buy a new one. Otherwise it will just seem like you are paying me to have sex with you." she shuddered.
"So I can't buy you a gift?"
"Sure, something reasonable, flowers, candy, a nightie, something like that. I'd include jewelry but you'd probably buy me the crown jewels." She gave him a half smile. He looked disappointed and she hoped that he did not have the crown jewels on order already. "Eric, I am yours, you don't have to sell me on what a bargain I've got."
"Most women want men to buy them things."
"I've always been a 'small but from the heart' girl. Gran didn't have a lot of money when she was raising us, but her gifts always meant so much. She either made us something or she found just the right thing that said I saw this and it made me think of you."
He seemed to be mulling that over. "'Small but from the heart'. I'll try, however I've always been a "shiny and from the showroom' type."
Sookie laughed, "Well, you didn't seem to go for half measures. Speaking of which," she slapped his arm playfully, "Ow! That was not taking it slow last night." She looked at him accusingly.
He had the courtesy to look sheepish. "I know, I have some trouble controlling myself around you. You are alright though? My blood should have healed you."
"No, I'm fine, it's just a lot to spring on a girl." He laughed and she pulled into her driveway.
As they closed the car doors, she looked at him over the roof of the car. The last thing she wanted was an argument but she knew she had to put her foot down now, she also knew she had only one one way to drive her point home. She took a deep breath and said firmly. "Eric, you can't turn me." He looked startled and then sympathetic.
"My lover, don't worry, it won't hurt anymore than the bite I gave you last night."
She shook her head and headed up the steps to her back porch. "You don't understand. I'm not afraid of becoming a vampire, I just don't want to." She looked at him while she fumbled with her keys.
"Why not?" He looked puzzled as if he could not comprehend anyone not wanting to be a vampire.
"Why would I?" She unlocked her back door but left it closed turning to face him. "I like being human, I love lying in the sun, I love my home and friends. I don't mind growing older."
"But your life will be so short. As a vampire you will live forever." he reached out and pulled her closer, his hands meeting behind her waist. "Don't you want to spend eternity with me?"
"Until last night I didn't think I wanted to spend 5 minutes with you. I want you to promise me that you won't turn me unless I ask." She reached for the doorknob, turning out of his arms.
"Sookie, you're just afraid. You'll love being a vampire." he persisted.
She spoke facing the door. "And if I don't can you change me back? It's a one-way street and I don't want to go down that road. Promise me?" she asked again.
"To save you from death, if you lie dying at my feet, I could not let you go." He was looking for any loophole.
She sighed and opened her door, stepped through and turned to face him. "Eric, I rescind your invitation." He looked as if he had been slapped in the face and she felt like a total bitch, but this was her life on the line. "I can't be in this relationship if I am constantly afraid I'll wake up a vampire." She softened her voice trying to get him to understand. "I was dying, my back was broken, I was bleeding inside and I wouldn't take Bill's blood until he assured me it wouldn't change me. I don't have a problem with dying, but I don't want to be a vampire. I need you to accept that or we have to end this."
He shook his head in disbelief, "I usually have people begging me to turn them..." He smirked slightly, "Do you really trust me to keep a promise?"
She thought a moment, did she really trust him? Would he keep his word? He didn't kill Bill but she had come out. What if she hadn't? Would her first lover be nothing but a stripe of goo in the Merlotte's parking lot? What did he hold sacred enough that he would take it seriously? Then it hit her. "Swear on Godric's memory. Swear that you will not turn me, or arrange for me to be turned, unless I ask you to be."
He looked as if he was going to argue some more, she shook her head sadly and started to close the door. "Goodnight Eric." she whispered.
"Sookie wait." he swore in a language she didn't know. "You are stubborn enough to be a vampire." he said with a half grin. "All right, I swear by Godric's memory that unless you ask, I will not turn you, nor will I have anyone else do it."
She sighed in relief. "Thank you."
"May I come in now?"
She opened the door wide and gestured for him to pass. "Please come in." He stepped through but stopped right in front of her, taking her face in his hands he leaned down and kissed her. This was a kiss like in his office, it lit a bonfire within her that melted her bones, causing her to sway into him. But other needs were calling. She broke off the kiss, breathless. "I'm hungry."
He smiled at her, "So am I" his fangs snapped down and he lowered his head to her neck.
"Later." she said, though her breath caught in anticipation. He sighed against her neck, raising his head. She could see his look of annoyance. "Hey, while you spent the evening sitting on that gorgeous butt of yours sipping True Bloods, I was working."
"Oh, I was busy too." He looked lasciviously down at her, she looked at him skeptically. "I was thinking of ways to pleasure you tonight." is tongue traced a fang.
"Hold that thought." She winked at him then quickly moved out of his grasp to grab a plate to nuke her dinner on. She cut the burger in half, putting half on the plate and the other back in the styrofoam clamshell and into the refrigerator.
He sat dejectedly at the table watching her. As she was punching buttons on the microwave he asked, "So I have a gorgeous butt?"
She felt herself blush and she didn't turn around. "Yes."
"Then we make a good pair because I could not take my eyes off yours this evening. It took all of my self control to keep from leaping from that booth and biting it in the middle of the bar."
Sookie whirled, "I would have died if you had done that!" The microwave dinged and she took the food out and joined Eric at the table.
He gave her a wry look. "You keep making me regret my restraint, If I had done it, I could have turned you then before you extracted my vow."
She rolled her eyes at him before biting into the burger with an appreciative moan.
"Is it that good?" he asked curiously.
Sookie nodded her head as she finished chewing. "Lafayette makes the best burgers." She looked at him and tilted her head. "Don't you miss chewing food?"
He looked thoughtful, "Not anymore, I dimly recall missing it when I was first turned, but it's been so long and I don't think food of my time was as good as now. Not as many spices and very monotonous."
She looked at her burger guiltily, opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again.
"What is it?" Whether he was reading her emotions or her expression his was one of exasperation, he sensed another reprimand.
She put down her burger. "Lafayette, Eric you really traumatized him. I know you were doing your job but he's really messed up. My lord, he almost went catatonic when a gun went off near him."
"In my defense I never authorized his being shot. He was trying to escape and that idiot Ginger shot him on accident. But his dealing V got a vampire killed, and I believe your brother was involved."
"Jason?"
"He's your only brother, isn't he?" He raised one eyebrow.
She nodded but said, "I can't believe he would do that."
He looked at her skeptically, "He was a member of an anti-vampire militia."
"Only because stupid enough to fall for their bull. When it came to the moment of truth he picked the right side." She defended her brother and resumed eating.
"It's only because of my feelings for you and his actions in Dallas, that I have not questioned nor punished him." He leaned forward and looked very serious. "If any vampire, other than Pam, knew this, I would surely lose my position as sheriff and probably my existence. No one, not even Bill, can know."
She nodded again, her eyes wide. "So you don't know what really happened?" He shook his head. "Do you want me to try to find out?"
He shrugged, "It would be a relief to know your brother is not a vampire killer, however if I have confirmation that he is, my position is more precarious."
She took another bite and chewed it thoughtfully. "So, what about Lafayette?"
Again a shrug. "As long as he is a good boy and does not cross us he has nothing to worry about."
She decided that was the best she was going to get and changed the subject. "I want to thank you for getting here so fast tonight I thought it would take you longer. I was really worried when Bill showed up when he did."
"I left as soon as the sun set. I fly very fast."
She finished her last bite of burger and stood. Eric was on his feet and at her side in a blink. Pulling her to him, he kissed her as his hands moved down her back, slipped under her shirt and caressed her as he brought her shirt up. As he broke the kiss to pull her shirt off she gasped breathlessly, "Don't you want to move to the bedroom?"
"Too far." and he picked her up and set her on the edge of the table, bending to trail kisses down her neck as his hands moved to her bra clasp.
She fumbled behind her to push the plate aside. Then she started pulling up his shirt, letting her fingers play against his taut stomach, then chest, brushing his nipples. She pulled up to get the shirt off and he took advantage of that to remove her bra. With her arms still extended over her head she leaned in and took his nipple into her mouth and sucking it lightly. Eric moaned and held her head to him. "Bite it hard." he whispered and she bit hard, drawing blood which sent tingles through her tongue. His other hand came down, cupping a breast while his thumb teased the tip.
She lowered her hands and undid his belt as she continued to suck on his nipple and the few drops of blood her bite produced before he healed. He released her head and that hand joined the other at her breasts. Every caress was fanning the heat building within and she pulled her head back from his chest to catch her breath. He took the opportunity to recapture her mouth, his tongue seeking out hers. He swallowed her moan as he pinched her nipples lightly and their tongues teased each other. His hands moved lower, tugging open the snap on her shorts and unzipping them. Then his hands came around her, sliding under the cloth to cover her butt and knead the firm muscles.
Finishing with his belt, she put her hands flat on the table behind her so she could lift herself up enough that he could strip the shorts from her. As she arched back he broke off the kiss and his mouthed moved down to capture her breast as he removed the shorts. His fangs scraped her breast deliciously as his blunt teeth nipped and his tongue teased the rosy bud. He applied just enough pressure to force her torso down until she was just propped up on her elbows, as his mouth moved to her other breast and his fingers began tracing light, tickling paths on her inner thighs. He was teasing her, his fingers getting just close enough to brush the light curls before trailing back to her knees, she whined softly in frustration and could feel him smile against her breast. Then his fingers parted her and began to tease her swollen nubbin. She could feel how wet she was and moaned as the slickness heightened the sensation. He began kissing down her stomach, his tongue darting into her navel sending goosebumps across her skin.
He continued kissing down her body as his fingers started a luscious rhythm within her. She started to lower herself from her elbows when he said "No." She looked at him curiously and he gave her a wicked grin, "I watched you eat, it's your turn." Her eyes widened and she could feel herself flush in anticipation.
He sank to his knees, but his mouth did not replace his fingers, instead he started kissing, licking and nipping her inner thighs, until the muscles there were spasming. He looked to make sure she was watching before he pierced her leg. It felt as if each draw on her blood was pulling her closer to ecstasy, and then with a shift of his fingers she went over the edge. As the world was returning to focus, she felt Eric licking the wound closed. She whimpered lightly in protest when he withdrew his fingers, but he turned to her and shifted her legs to his shoulders. His fingers parted her and she watched, breathless, as his face moved closer. Then his mouth was at her nub and he kissed it gently before pulling it between his lips where his tongue flicked it, almost like a snake. She moaned and her elbows could not support her anymore. She lay back on the table arching and writhing from the sensations washing over her. Her breath came in unsteady gulps, wanting to ask for release she could only murmur his name over and over again, until he sucked hard on her throbbing nub and she shouted "Eric!" with her orgasm.