A/N: Thanks so much to my lovely beta Suara_chan for helping me with this chapter. Thank you to all of you who continue to read, review, alert and favorite this story. Enjoy!

"Honey, what are you doing calling so soon? Where's Eric? Shouldn't you two be off on your honeymoon?"

Right, that. How to begin…

"We should be, but we never finished the ceremony." I tug at the bodice of my dress. Sliding my hands over the soft fabric which covers my legs like withered flower petals; I fight back a few tears.

"What? Why not?"

I really don't want to tell her but I called her. May as well get it over with.

"It turns out Eric is a big fat liar. He's… married." I can barely get the word to pass my lips without wanting to retch. My throat burns at the thought of having to repeat it again.

"Married? Oh honey… how are you? Tell me everything."

"I'm sad but I'm okay. I feel like such an idiot. Pam told me—"

"Pam! How did she know where you were? Oh… Jason Stackhouse. I oughta ring that boy's neck." She mumbles something else I can't hear.

"Huh? Gran, I'm not sure I understand."

"Pam stopped by here yesterday looking for you. She sat and talked with Jason for a bit at Merlotte's and he must have opened his big mouth. I guarantee he told her what I told him. He's a worse gossip than I am. I'm sorry, Sookie. If I wouldn't have told him where you two were going, Pam wouldn't have found out and shown up there. This is all my fault."

"Please don't blame yourself, Gran. She did me a favor. If I would have married Eric well, it probably wouldn't have been legal anyway. She saved me a bit of heartache, even if she stomped all over our relationship. After all we've been through, after knowing I kept my feelings for Eric at bay because I didn't want to ruin our friendship... Why would she do this to me? She's supposed to be my best friend. He's supposed to be my everything..."

"She had no right to do that. It's Eric's business to tell you things about his past and I'm sure he has a good reason for why he didn't tell you. At least he better. Though, you have to wonder sweetheart, if he wanted to marry you and made the effort to go through with it, he couldn't still be married, could he?"

Leave it to Gran to be the practical one. I don't think her logic is going to win me over this time. I don't care what the reason is behind him not telling me, the point is he didn't. How can I trust him after this?

"His wife is in Sweden. I don't think it would matter if he married me here. Truth be told, I don't know how it works. I'm just so angry I could spit."

"You're a lady above anything so you will do no such thing. Go take a nice hot bath and pick up a book to take your mind off things for a while. It'll help you relax so you can think better. You don't want to make any hasty decisions while you're upset. Should you decide to castrate him, you'll want to be level headed." She giggles.

I would laugh if I wasn't so upset. "Wait? Do you think I'm going about this wrong?"

"Not at all, dear."

I can feel her magic make-Sookie-see-what's-right-in-front-of-her-face mojo working.

"Gran, he never told me he was married. He kept it from me all this time. Don't you think there's something to that? Why hide it?"

"Did you talk to him about it or is this all on Pam's word?" Well, she got me there.

"I didn't talk to him yet."

She gasps. "Well, why ever not? I'd want to hear the truth from the horse's mouth. I think I might call him and give him a piece of my mind."

"I couldn't stand to look at him anymore. I was pissed off. I needed to get away. Besides, he didn't have anything to say and I didn't want to listen to anymore lies."

"Sookie, you're not being fair. I never took you for the type to avoid your problems. You always face them head-on. If Eric is who you want to be with, you have to get his side of the story in order to make an informed decision. I'm not saying what he did is forgivable or you should forget about it, I'm just saying you should have all the facts first. If he deliberately tried to mislead you for some unforeseen reason, then that's one thing. But taking Pam's word over his isn't—"

"I saw his face, Gran. I looked into his eyes and asked him if it was true and he couldn't even look at me. That was enough for me. I'm sorry, Gran but I don't want to talk about this anymore. I think I'm going to take that bath and try and get some sleep. Thanks for listening. And thanks for always helping me work through things. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd do just fine on your own, sweetheart. I completely understand how you feel and I only hope I helped you. No matter what happens, I'm on your side. I'm always on your side. Will you call me once you've talked to him? Let me know how things go?"

"Sure. I'll call to let you know when to expect me home. Maybe Jason can get me from the airport?"

"I'm so sorry, Sookie. I wish I could fix this for you." She sighs.

"A hug will be nice when I see you. That's all I need right now."

"Then it'll be waiting for you when you get here. And I'll talk to Jason right after I smack him first. I love you, Sookie. You have a good night and don't worry about a thing. You'll know what to do come morning."

"Thanks, Gran. Love you too."

I hang up with Gran feeling a little better. Knowing she's on my side helps. A few minutes pass and I hear the door to our hotel room open. I sit up a little straighter on the edge of the bed and pull in a deep jagged breath. Here goes nothing.

Relief washes over Eric's face when he sees me. "I didn't expect you to still be here. I thought for sure you were gone."

"I wanted… I need to hear what you have to say. That and I'm tired of running away from you. The last time I ran from you where did it get me? Sometimes I wonder how different things would be had I stayed with you then. But… that's all in the past. Can you just tell me why you didn't say anything to contradict Pam?"

"Because it was true. All of it was true except she didn't know about the annulment."

I look up at him in disbelief.

"But why didn't you tell me?"

He walks a little closer to where I am on the bed but doesn't sit down.

"I don't know. I didn't think it would come up. Sophie and I annulled the marriage years ago—before I met you. It was done in secret so my parents wouldn't find out and—"

"That's another thing. You're parents have that much control over you?"

"They did, then. It's not as simple as you think, Sookie. Things with my parents… they're complicated. As Pam mentioned, I'm uh…" his voice trails off as he tries to find the words to say.

"Pretty well off?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, Eric…" I sigh in exasperation.

"Sookie, I would have told you all of this stuff but I didn't think it would matter to you. I thought you were different from Pam with her shopping habits and blowing money on anything just because she could. You wanted me for me and I… I only wanted you. I wanted you so much that nothing else mattered. I didn't think. That's it. I don't have an excuse." He runs his hands through his hair and shoves them into his pockets.

Even now I think he's the most gorgeous man I've ever seen. But looking deep into his eyes, I see he's not the man I thought he was. I don't know him at all.

"Well, that clears everything right up, doesn't it?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to make this up to you, Sookie. I'll answer whatever questions you have. I'll show you whatever documents you need to see. I'll do anything. Just, please don't leave."

"Ah… I don't know what to say. This is unbelievable. If you'd told me about this before today, sure I would have been upset, but we could have gotten past it. We had an entire flight where you could have told me. I mean, we were planning to get married, Eric. Did that not trigger something in your mind? Did you not think maybe you should tell me you were married before and no one knows you'd been divorced?"

"Annulled. It's like I've never been married. I don't have an ex-wife. It's important that you know that. You… this would have been my first marriage in my eyes. I didn't know Pam would find us to tell you like she did."

"But she knew and I didn't."

"She found out somehow and held it over my head when I pissed her off. I know she can be a bitch but I didn't think she could be this big a bitch." He starts to pace. "Tell me what to do?"

"Go fuck yourself."

"Okay. What else?"

I fight hard not to giggle.

"Jump off a bridge, go drown in a river, kiss my ass!"

"I'll do all of that. What else? Tell me what else and I'll do it." He stops in front of me. "Don't leave."

"Eric…" I rub small circles on my temple to ease the building headache.

"I'm serious, Sookie. I'll do whatever it takes. I've never wanted anyone as much as I want you. I let my parents manipulate me into marrying Sophie because I was young and naïve. That's no excuse, but it's the way it was."

"What would they do if they found out you weren't still married to her? If they found out you were married to me—a nobody."

"First, you are somebody to me. You're everything to me. Second, if they found out, I don't know but you wouldn't be affected by it. They'd be pissed that's for sure but I would suffer the consequences."

"Punishing you would affect me. I wouldn't want that… I don't want that. Maybe we shouldn't get married." I start pulling pins out of my hair and it falls down around my shoulders in ringlets.

"Technically, we've done it. He didn't utter the words 'I now pronounce you husband and wife,' but did he really need to finish? We know how we feel about one another. Is that really going to change because Pam wants it to?"

"No, Eric. It changes because you lied to me."

"Omitted some information that would never have to be brought to light."

"Okay, omitted information. Why is that? Weren't you ever going to tell me?"

"I trust you so yes, I would have told you. I should have told you sooner but I didn't. I'm sorry I fucked this up. Don't be upset with me over this forever. You love me. Does that change because of something that happened years ago that shouldn't matter now?" His eyes appear glossy and my heart aches.

"Mmm… you can't say that. It does matter because of your parents and what they'll do to you. It seems to matter to Pam since she felt the need to come all this way to tell me about it."

He looks at me with a blank face and bites out his words. "She just didn't want to lose you to me!"

"That sounds really healthy." My sarcasm is thick and biting. "What is her obsession with you, and me for that matter? Why can't she leave us alone to be happy?"

"I don't know." He whispers.

"You've been saying that an awful lot, you know."

"I'd rather say I don't know than lie to you. I feel like shit for not telling you about Sophie, but she's no threat to you. As far as the world is concerned, and for those who need to know, Sophie and I are still married. As far as you and I are concerned, we're married, and that's all that matters to me. Fuck the world and my parents. I only want you. And I want you to be happy. So end my torture and tell me you'll stay. Come downstairs with me and let the justice finish pronouncing us so we can move pass this."

"If it could only be that simple."

He drops to his knees in front of me, taking my hands in his.

"It can be if you let it."

"How can I trust you after this, Eric?"

I want to trust him more than anything. I want to forget this ever happened and just run off and get married. It would be simple. But this isn't some fairytale and I'm not a pushover. I can't ignore this, I can't forget it, and I can't do anything about it right now. I need to think. I need to decide if this is worth salvaging or if I should just give up. Give him up. My trust in him is broken and I'm not sure it can be saved. My heart aches at the thought.

"You don't think you can trust me?" He squeezes my hands a little tighter. "Over something Pam got wrong?" His brows draw together and he purses his lips. He shakes his head and drops my hands to brush his hair back behind his ears.

"She didn't get it wrong, Eric. She got it right and you should have been the one to tell me."

He rubs his face roughly. "You realize this is just a bump in the road to happiness. It's nothing we need to be swayed by. I love you; you love me; let's be together."

I stumble over my words. "I can't… I don't think I can … do it. I can't just forget you have some secret life that could impact our, my future. It's selfish of you to think so. If you can't tell your parents about us, then there is no us." My breath catches in my throat.

"Sookie, you don't understand. I can't just … it's more to it than that."

"Then explain. Tell me." I plead to him with my eyes.

"Trust me."

The hole in my chest swells with an ache that feels like I'm being sucked into a black hole, never to be seen again. I trusted him once and look at how well that turned out for me.

"Easier said than done. I need time to think. Until then… goodbye, Eric." I stand from my perch on the edge of the bed and grabbing what few things I can, I walk out the door.

( ) ( ) ( ) ( )

I'm dumbfounded. I can't move. My feet are stuck to the floor like I'm planted in cement.

Ring, ring. Ring, ring.

Fuck! I can hear my phone but can't remember where it is. If I miss her call…

Ring, ring. Ring, ring.

It's in my pocket. I whip it out and in my haste almost drop the phone to the floor. I hit the send button, my breaths leaving in quick pants, praying I don't miss her call.

"Hello! Sookie?"

"Uh, no. This is Adele Stackhouse. Sookie's grandmother."

"Yes. Hello, Adele. I can guess why you're calling. I take it you spoke with Sookie?"

"Sookie called me earlier and explained the situation at hand. I need to ask, what the hell is wrong with you? Why didn't you tell her you were married before? I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and let you say your piece before I rip into you because I've met you and you don't seem like an idiot. Although, I may have to reconsider once you tell me your side of things. Was there a reason you didn't tell Sookie about your wife?"

"She's no longer my wife. We had the marriage annulled. That means it's null and void; like I've never been married. And yes there's a reason I didn't tell her about Sophie Ann. I explained it to Sookie but she didn't think my reason was good enough."

I can hear Adele mumbling something about stubborn child, but I can't quite make out what she's saying.

"Why don't you try me? I'm all ears."

I explain to her about my parents—the stupid societal games they play—Sophie Ann, meeting Pam and everything else I can think of. Adele says an occasional "unh huh," but listens to what I have to say without uttering a word. Once I finish, she's quiet for a long while. I'm about to check to make sure she's still there when she clears her throat and speaks.

"I'm not sure how you're going to fix this. First, you should have told Pam everything while you two were dating. If she'd known the truth from the beginning, she wouldn't have had anything to hold over you."

"But, I—"

"You'd be wise to let me finish Mr. Northman."

"Yes, ma'am."

"As I was saying, she wouldn't have had anything to hold over you, but I understand the position it would have put you in. If you were trying to keep this a secret because of your parents, you really didn't have a choice in the matter. But, most likely they would have found out anyway. What I don't understand is why you don't just tell your parents how it is? If they love you, they should be supportive of you, no matter what position they hold in society." I want to scoff at that but bite my tongue. If she knew my parents, she'd change her tune.

"Second, you should have told Sookie everything before you asked her to marry you, and definitely before the two of you decided to get involved with one another again. Third, when I see Pam again, I'm going to have a few words with her. She used to be such a sweet girl. I don't know why she's hell-bent on making everyone around her miserable."

I laugh at her perfect assessment of Pam. There has to be something going on with her that even I don't know about.

"Give Sookie some time. She hasn't left as far as I know so maybe she's thinking things over. Sookie can be stubborn, but in this instance, you and I both know she's right to be upset with you. This is no small thing and she's going to have issues with trusting you after this. Sookie's real big on trust and once you lose it, it's hard to win back."

"I know but I'm willing to do anything."

"I really think you should call your parents. Tell them whatever you need to and handle your issues with them. If you can't get your own house in order, the two of you will have more problems than you can shake a stick at. Once you've done that, I think Sookie will be more willing to listen to you. She's so used to doing for everyone and she has no one doing for her. She may seem tough as a brick, but deep down she's as gentle as a flower and it doesn't take much to crush her. She's given you her heart and you've broken it. You have got to make this right, Eric. Now, I'm done."

She chuckles and I breathe a sigh of relief. I thought she was going to yell at me to stay away from Sookie or worse.

"Adele, you should know I love Sookie more than anything. I want to protect her as much as I can from my parents and their lunacy but I don't know what they'll do once they find out I'm not married to Sophie Ann. It's been easy to keep up the façade and stay out of the limelight but you don't know them. They don't think logically; they only think about their status; and they care about being important. There's a reason I've stepped away from that lifestyle. I don't want it and don't want the attention. I think I should talk to Sophie Ann first and she how she feels about it. It involves her too and I'd hate to cause her any anguish. Thank you for calling and talking with me. I appreciate you giving me the chance."

"I didn't do it for you. Sookie means more to me than you'll ever know. She does so much for me when she should take better care of herself. She's so giving and that's what I'm most worried about. I know how much Sookie cares for you and how hard this whole thing has been for her. She was so torn up once she found out who you were to Pam and now this on top of everything is just too much. I've listened to what you had to say and I can't say I understand it completely, but it's not for me to decide. I can't say what Sookie will do and I can't say she'll trust you from here on out, but that's something the two of you will have to work out."

"What would you do in her shoes? Knowing what you do?"

"That's a good question young man. A very good question. I'm going to bed and I'll think on it. You'll let me know how things turn out with your parents?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good boy. And Mr. Northman?"

"Eric… please, it's Eric."

"Very well. Eric, if I ever hear of you hurting my granddaughter again, you won't get a phone call next time. You catch my drift."

She must be referring to the shotgun hidden in the closet near the kitchen.

"Yes, ma'am. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Eric. And it's Adele."

I hang up with a smile on my face and send Sookie a text. I want to be sure she knows I love her and will do whatever she needs—even if it means staying away from her. Anxious, I pick up my cell to check for messages and there are none. Once I'm done willing the damn thing to chirp, I strip out of my suit and hop in the shower. I need to wash this day off me and start fresh.

As the hot water runs over my head and down my back, I can't help but think about Sookie—her touch, her scent, her taste. How I would kill to have her here with me now. I should be calling her Mrs. Northman and making love to her while on our honeymoon. I need to give her space and I will, but not forever. I know she'll be heading to Bon Temps so I plan to book a flight back as soon as I'm out of the shower. I shut off the hot spray of water, towel dry and grab my laptop from the desk. I get my flight booked and find a hotel in Shreveport. I don't want to push my luck thinking she'll want me to stay at her house. Once that's done, I climb in between the cool, crisp white sheets of the king size bed which feels even bigger now that Sookie's not here. There's always the chance that she'll come back tonight. I can only hope.

I lay back and close my eyes, saying a silent prayer that I hear from Sookie tonight. Before I know it, the sunlight is breaking through the drapes in the room, rousing me to face the new day. Alone.