A/N: A few quick points to make today...I made a little error in the last chapter. Sookie poured coffee for Crystal after I made the whole point about her being on decaf teas exclusively. Assume that like me, Sookie was just being forgetful in the early morning, and Crystal did not drink it.

I've had some questions about Eric-specific information that I don't plan to cover in the main story. So, I've started working on an EPOV outtake set during chapter 21. I'll focus on his inner musings as well as Eric and Jason's rad bromance. So, I'm going to throw that up after the epilogue. In the meantime if you have anything you're curious about that you haven't already mentioned, feel free to send me a PM, and I'll try to answer questions this way. Should be a fun way to wrap this up! :)

Thank you to everyone who is continuing (or just starting) to read and review this story! It is wonderful to have feedback and to hear from those who are enjoying it.

We were too tired on Sunday night to attempt a live test with Eric's theories regarding my new shower's dimensions. The last thing we took off the truck was the new bed and it was a struggle even getting Eric, who'd collapsed on top of it as soon as it was in its frame, to get up so I could put the sheets on. I shooed him into the bathroom to wash up and quickly dressed the bed then spent the last of my energy on my own quick shower. We were out like lights. Professional moving services were definitely the way to go, even if you're only going a few hours away, was my last sleepy thought.

We had no choice but to wake early since the truck was due back and he had to get ready for work. I followed behind him as he drove back to the depot and then he went to find us coffee while I waited for them to check everything over, and to pay. I dropped Eric off and we had a sweet, albeit cramped and quick, goodbye. I thanked him for helping me move and he told me he would call me later. I stopped and bought some groceries on my way back to the house.

Unpacking was a monumental project, but one that had to be done. We'd just got everything inside last night, so my living room was stacked full of cardboard. I had no strategy for tackling the chore. I just dove in. The books were the worst. Seriously, in the future, books are being stored on the ground floor. No more of this upstairs office crap. Never again. I was panting when I ran back downstairs and answered a phone call from Arlene. She was on her way over and bringing me lunch. What a sweetie. I debated another shower, but as I had more work to do and would just get sweaty again in the afternoon, she was going to have to take me as she found me.

My considerate, homemaker of a friend turned up with a huge picnic basket brimming with gourmet foods and a bottle of wine. She had even gone so far as to pick out some plain, inexpensive real dishes to pack inside, just some white ceramic plates and simple wine glasses and cutlery. I was very touched. We enjoyed the food and the wine and I had plenty of leftovers and little snacks for later in the week. I told her a little bit about our crazy weekend. She was very interested in the Loudermilk house and agreed that offering it to Jason and Crystal was a nice solution. She was curious about Alcide and seemed to be probing pretty hard to determine if there was anything between us. I told her that he seemed like a nice guy, but I wasn't interested in anyone but Eric. That promptly spurred her toward making suggestions about our long and happy future together. I smiled and indulged her only to an extent. There's just no middle ground with some people.

My attempts at aloofness weren't helped by the arrival of flowers from Eric. He'd actually sent two things, which was a little overwhelming. After the delivery man had handed over the first, a large, potted orchid with pale peach blooms spotted with magenta, he gave a jaunty, "But wait, there's more!" in the style of Billie Mays and the best of infomercials. It was cute and Arlene and I laughed merrily. Then he jogged back to his truck and returned with a large bouquet of pale pink and lavender roses, interspersed with vivid yellow ones. That must be a really fun job, just brightening people's worlds and making them smile, all day long. The card tucked into the bouquet read, "Thinking of you, always. -E" I got a little mushy there for a moment. I excused myself from Arlene for a moment and brought my orchid plant upstairs to put on the little nightstand next to my bed. I called Eric.

"Hey," he answers, warmly.

"Hi," I grin. "Thank you for my flowers, both of them. They're lovely."

"I'm glad. I thought you might like some colour in your room until you decide what you're doing in there."

I smile. "I'm just putting the orchids in here now," I tell him. "The roses are staying downstairs so I can show off what a sweet boyfriend I have to all my guests."

"All your guests, hm?" he asks.

"Arlene's over. She brought me basket full of goodies."

"That's nice. I will let you get back to her then, I'm a bit busy."

"Alright, talk to you later?" I ask.

"Much, I think. I have a full afternoon. Sophie Ann's coming tomorrow."

"Mm. Okay. Have fun being ruthless and cunning."

He laughs. "I will try. Goodbye Sookie."

I went back to Arlene and we finished up our lunch while she continued to admire my roses, perhaps a little longingly. I wished I were friendly with her husband at all. He clearly needs to be reminded to bring her home some flowers. She stayed and chatted with me for a while after I'd cleared the lunch things, watching me unpack some of my kitchen gadgets from a box that I hadn't touched since I'd moved out of the condo. She admired a lot of my handy little tools and the fleur-de-lis patterned towels I hung from the handles on my stove. She loved the stove. She seemed to be lingering. The afternoon is wearing on a bit now and I feel like in the normal course she would have been off home making lentil chilli for her husband or something.

"Everything alright Arlene?" I ask casually over my shoulder.

She didn't answer right away, so I turned to look her straight on and immediately saw her little frown and furrowed brow that answered my question with a clear, "No."

"Arlene?" I ask, coming over to rejoin her at the table.

"I don't want to butt in, but it's really bothering me," she explains.

"Well, then be delicate," I suggest with a smile.

"Tara says you're mad at her, and she doesn't understand why," she blabs out.

"Oh," I answer. That's really the last thing I was expecting. I figured it to be a problem with her husband, honestly. The idea that Tara had been discussing me with Arlene was surprising. I honestly hadn't assumed that Tara would notice that I've been avoiding her. I guess I hadn't been giving her enough credit.

"So you are then!" Arlene says accusingly.

I sigh. "I don't know. No. Not mad. I can't really explain it," I say. Arlene is about to interrupt me so I press on. "Can't is the right word there. It's related to things that I can't discuss," I stress. "As in not at liberty to."

"Is this about what she told you about Area Five?"

"She told you that!" I exclaim.

"We were trying to figure out why you weren't calling her... she said she's called you a few times but you never call her back, and she was thinking you were really busy, but I said that's funny because you call me back... Then we were trying to piece it together, and she said she hadn't actually seen you at all since that day we all had lunch and that was nearly three months ago."

"And what did she tell you about what she told me that day?"

"She said she told you Bill was going to get screwed."

"Yeah, she did. Not that that's going to happen now. He's gone to work with her now. Well, not with her. Same company. I think he's at their Little Rock office though."

"Yeah, he is," Arlene answers. I raise an eyebrow. "She told me," she clarifies.

"She shouldn't be talking about that stuff. That's the whole problem. She told me something I didn't want to know, and it put me in a bad position."

"Yeah, but it was good though."

"Meaning?" I ask stiffly.

"Well you are dating Eric Northman now, and you told him what she told you, and..."

"What?"

"She told me you told Eric and he got in touch with her, but now you're still not speaking to her, and my birthday is coming up and I want to have all the girls for lunch but if you and she are not talking that will ruin it."

"Wait, back up," I halted. Full on stop gesture with my palm out, too. "She knows that I told Eric... and she told you that? And she said Eric got in touch with her?"

"Yeah, she said she's been helping Eric, and so she didn't get why you were still mad..."

Here I'd thought that my days of being clueless were over. Well, that may or may not be the point right now, that remains to be seen. "Arlene, start over. Tell me everything she told you," I order. "Everything."

I listen, trying to maintain an impassive face. She repeats that Tara had told her that she'd said something to me about Area Five being in trouble, which was good at the time because Bill worked there, but then Bill left. Eric had approached her at some point about the work she was doing. She immediately freaked out and told David what she'd told me, but then he told her that it was okay because David and Eric are doing a deal. They'd been helping Eric ever since. How am I doing with the face? At least my mouth isn't gaping open.

"So now she is left wondering what else she did wrong, because she's on Eric's side and you're on Eric's side, and it all should be fine... but you're still not talking to her."

I gave an exasperated sigh, my mind too busily engaged processing this new information to remember my manners. "Look, the way she came off so vindictive really put me off. I know she was trying to be a friend when she told me originally about Bill's job being under imminent threat, but it was ugly. I know things like that have to be done in business but you don't have to enjoy it. But she did. She..."

I frown, interrupting my own stream of thought with the more pressing issue. "Arlene you can't repeat any of this. You shouldn't know any of this. I shouldn't know any of this. This is really sensitive information. Tara would lose her job for doing this stuff you say she's doing. For even telling this stuff to you! Maybe she should lose her job. Where in the heck is her discretion?" I ask, but not particularly of Arlene, just of the world in general.

"Sookie, you know I would never tell a secret." But you just told me, didn't you? I know that what she actually means is that she would never tell a secret to anyone who couldn't be trusted, to anyone outside our circle. That's not good enough right now.

"I am serious. You can't repeat this stuff to anyone else. Not even Whit. Forget you ever heard it."

"Who am I going to tell?"

"Freaking no one, Arlene!"

"Okay, okay, I get it," she holds up her hands in a gesture of surrender. I'm on a tear.

"This is exactly the thing. People are put in this bad situation where they know more than they should, and they're worse for the knowing."

"But there is no harm, right? You are all on the same side of this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure it'll be a real confidence booster for Eric to know that she's still running her mouth all over town, especially if it's true that she's now his liability. Yeah, I'm sure he'll see no harm at all," I roll my eyes to punctuate my great sarcasm. He will see harm. I know that much.

"So you're upset that she told you and me the truth?"

"No! I'm upset that she put me in a position where I was seriously conflicted for having been told. I wasn't exactly with Eric at the time, but I still had to say something. I was totally freaking out. If not for Amelia talking me down, who knows, I would probably still be freaking out."

"You told Amelia," she says flatly.

"Of course I told Amelia, I was really upset and had no one else to talk to."

"So that's okay, but you get mad at her for talking to me or to you."

"I'm not mad at her for talking to you. And it wasn't the same with me, she wasn't confiding in me out of necessity. She was gloating. If I'm mad at her for talking at all, I'm mad at her for talking, period. It's different with us, you know that," I tell her.

"Right, because it's you and Amelia, it's different."

I glare are the floor. She doesn't get it. Tara is directly involved with this and therefore she's held to a different standard. And that's basically the only thing that's keeping me from getting upset with Eric right now - because while part of me is screaming "What the heck, why didn't he tell me this?" the other part is calmly saying, "There's no reason why he should have." Now that I know though, I'm going to have to say something.

"Arlene," I begin, taking a breath and speaking with something a lot closer to my normal tone of voice. "I felt compromised by what she told me. It was an inappropriate burden to lay on me. Even if I was angry with Bill at the time, it's not like what was going on would have affected just Bill. It would have impacted dozens of people I've known casually, and hundreds more besides that. It's the way she's being so cavalier with this sensitive information that has put me off."

"Are you ever going to talk to her again?" Arlene asks.

"Yes, but, probably not until this all blows over."

"I should be going home," Arlene announces abruptly.

"Alright..." I say.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to say anything about any of this to anyone. But you should talk to Tara, sooner rather than later. You both have other friends and it feels real awkward to be caught in the middle of your fighting."

"Are you upset with me now?" She sure sounds like it.

"No. No, I'm not," Arlene softens a little. "I just should have probably stayed out of it. Don't be mad at me. Try not to be madder at her."

She left pretty quickly after that, hugging me goodbye. The hug had seemed important. I think I held on a few seconds longer than she expected, but I felt it was necessary to impress the point that she and I were okay. I went back to the kitchen table to stew. It seemed like the right room for it. Tara and David were apparently acting as Eric's inside men in some fashion. I wondered how that had happened, and if Eric would tell me when I asked. I would be asking. I want to call him right away, but I know he is busy. He will want to know that Tara was still being a blabbermouth, even more so if he was working with her in some way. It explained a couple of things, really. The fact that he'd seen enough of Tara that she was using him to convey greetings to me was one. The fact that David and Eric were meeting in private at awkward times, another.

Ugh. No wonder Bill never had trouble keeping the wool pulled over my eyes. It's not like I'm dumb, I guess I'm just very accepting. Plus, I've been incredibly busy these last weeks. I don't question things that don't immediately need to be questioned though. I'm not particularly nosy, no more so than anyone else really. Obviously I'm curious when it comes to things that pertain to me or my friends. I'm not unconcerned. I was certainly curious about this, now I had a hint of it, but I hadn't gone looking for that hint. The one you can trust to keep your privacy is the one who doesn't pry. That was more of Gran's wisdom. I tried to be that person.

As far as Eric not telling me about all this stuff goes, I wasn't mad. Maybe a little hurt. A little. But only because I would have felt a little more secure about his efforts if I knew he had help from within the enemy camp, as I'd been thinking of Arkansas Confederate. Maybe just a little because it could mean he didn't trust me. I finally decided to send him a text, based on the fact that he liked having information sooner rather than later.

"OUR friend Tara still a chatterbox. Please call when you have time."

I figured that conveyed a whole lot very succinctly. I got one back immediately saying that he'd be done by eight o'clock and he would see me then, so I took that to mean that he was coming over after work. I went back to unpacking until around seven thirty, and then I made us some dinner. I'd made a whole lot of progress unpacking today, but I was not quite done. I did manage to get most things in place, and everything that was still left in the living room I'd pushed against the walls. Not long after eight there was a knock at the door and I answer for Eric. He looks a bit tired and no wonder since we'd been up so early. Looking past him I see that there's a bright red car parked at the end of my driveway.

"Is that yours?" I ask pointing.

"Yeah," he smiles. "Pam had it shipped and it got back today. I haven't driven it in weeks so I thought I would. Come see."

I smirk but let him lead me by the hand out to see his red corvette. I do my very best to try and observe the differences between this one and the blue one as he points them out. I didn't do very well actually perceiving them. It seemed to be basically the exact same car in a different colour. I did pay attention to everything he said though.

"Do you like it?" he asks.

"It's very nice. Very flashy!" I smile. "I like the blue one better though. It matches your eyes."

"You just haven't been for a ride in this one, you are biased."

"Well maybe you will take me for a ride in it sometime?"

"Yes. Not tonight though, unless I hallucinated the smell of dinner a minute ago and we need to go out for it."

"There's dinner. It's not fancy though, just chicken and rice and some veg."

"It sounds great."

I lead him inside and set out the table, dividing what was left of the bottle of wine Arlene brought between two of the new glasses. He tastes it while I'm fixing our plates off the stove, giving an approving comment. I don't bother with serving dishes. It's a whopping four paces to the stove if he wants seconds.

"So you're keeping both cars?" I ask, setting his plate down in front of him and taking my seat.

"Probably not. I just wanted a little more time with it before I get rid of it. If I'm being honest, the new one drives better. I have fond memories of that one, though."

We continue on like that for a few minutes, having nice normal dinner conversation about nothing of importance. There is a strange vibe in the room that we both seem to be trying to ignore. We can't hold off anymore when there is a lull in the conversation and neither of us seem able to think of anything else to say.

"So, you talked to Tara today?" he asks, getting there first.

"No. Apparently Tara's not as oblivious to the fact that I've been avoiding her as I expected, and she talked to Arlene. She told Arlene what she's been up to as pertains to you. Tara believes that since we are now all 'on the same side' that I have no reason to be mad at her. Eric, why didn't you tell me she's helping you?" I finish with a hint of frustration at the end.

"Several reasons I suppose." I watch expectantly as he takes another bite of the seasoned rice, chews and swallows. He takes a sip of his wine. He is buying time to consider his answer.

"First, because I know that you remain upset with her, and you have been avoiding her of your own volition. I have not mentioned her to you at all except on those occasions when she specifically asked me to tell you her hellos, so as not to bring up what I know is a sore subject. Second, as a test of sorts, for her. When I confronted her about her past indiscretion she assured me that this would not be a problem in the future. She's obviously failed on that point if you've become aware of the situation. Third, without offence, it's none of your business. This has all been treated as need-to-know."

I breathe out a sigh. I shouldn't really be surprised to discover that I'd be having this conversation with Businessman Eric, but I was still a little disappointed to see him at my dinner table. I did a minor shift of my internal gears, bringing out my rational arguments. I'm not great at this when it comes to him, but I give it a try. "Can I tell you why it is my business a little bit?"

His mouth is full again so he simply gives me a nod and I continue. "I worry about how things are going for you. You've said you have a plan, but I don't know the details. It would have been a comfort for me to know that you had more help than I knew of. I've been thinking all the while that it's been you and Pam against the world, and Eric, you're clever as hell, but I don't love those odds. And... I'll preface this next bit by saying that I know you have a lot on your plate, and I'm not trying to sound needy or anything, but it hurts my feelings a little bit that you wouldn't want to share with me."

"Obviously nothing was left unsaid with the intention of hurting your feelings," he answers quickly.

"I know that. I do not think you were trying to hurt my feelings, I am just saying that I cannot help it that they were a little bit. I thought that I'd earned your trust on the subject of your secret work things. So I guess your not confiding in me makes me doubt that."

"Again, this is not intentional. You'll understand of course that this particular instance has been carried out very clandestinely. Even Sophie Ann is not aware of all my contacts at Arkansas. I've given her the broad details, but she won't get the specifics until she gets here."

I frown. He is not quite getting it. "It was unpleasant to hear, from someone who is a stranger to you, details about what you've been up to on a daily basis. I know that I might often seem uninterested, but maybe that's not a good thing. In the past I have let myself go along unquestioning, and it was to my detriment in the end. I don't make any kind of comparison between what you're up to and past situations, but I should be learning from my mistakes. I may not be interested in corporate endeavours, but I am very interested in Eric endeavours. I want to feel like I can ask more things, and that you'll tell me."

"I will admit, I have enjoyed putting thoughts of work aside for the most part when we are together. You have observed before that it seems work is my whole life. Perhaps I am also trying to learn from my mistakes."

"May I be blunt?"

"Why stop now?" he smirks. I'm very grateful to see his little smile in this moment. This back and forth has been very stilted and tense.

"That last statement sounded like a textbook definition of compartmentalisation, and while yes, it's technically good progress to have more than one compartment, I don't think that's what anyone should be shooting for as an end goal. Oh God, that sounded so rude," I say hastily. "I'm not trying to criticize you. I just love you and I want you to share things with me. Oh God, that really does sound so 'needy girlfriend' doesn't it? 'I want you to share with me?'" What am I even saying to him? I replay my words to myself. "Oh God, I love you!" I blurt out, then I literally slap my hand across my mouth. I'd been quoting myself, and I ended up saying that twice. Jesus H. Christ. I glare at my wine glass, which has only one sip or so left in it. I don't think it's really been enough that I can lay blame there. Well done, Stackhouse.

He is now looking at me with a bemused expression, saying nothing.

"Fine, whatever. That just came out by accident but I will own it. I love you. You don't have to respond to it," I acknowledge. "The point is, I care about you and hope you will not exclude me from things that are important to you, even if they don't expressly pertain to me."

"Alright," he says.

"Alright?" I ask.

"Yes."

"More detail on the part that's alright, please," I prompt.

Finishing his plate he wipes his mouth with his napkin and fixes me with a steady gaze. "You are saying that you wish to be more of a part of my whole life and not a separate part of my life, because you love me, and this is important to you," he summarizes. "That will be alright with me. I will try to work on that."

"Well, thank you," I say, losing all my steam.

"You're welcome. I think I love you too, just to clear that from the air. I know the appropriate time to say so is highly variable. I was waiting for your cue there, so thank you as well."

"You're welcome," I smile, maybe a little shyly.

I let out a happy sigh and just sit there staring at him for a few seconds. He loves me. That's... that's just excellent.

"Oh, hey, I got you a present," I say, jumping up suddenly. I grab his hand and pull him up out of the chair, abandoning the mess from dinner and leading him upstairs. He seems ready to turn into the bedroom but I go through to the bathroom instead. I have placed the toothbrush I had bought for him this morning in the little ceramic holder built into the wall, next to mine. I gesture to it like a Price is Right model showing off a showcase.

"Am I the blue one?" he asks.

"Unless you want to be pink," I grin back.

He proceeds to try out his gift, and not to be the only one with garlicky breath, I brush as well. When we're done he bends to kiss me and it goes on and on as he cups my cheek with one hand and presses me to him around my back with the other. We stepped very slowly out of the bathroom and back down the short hall, not wanting to let go of each other. I suppose it's quite customary to make love after the declarations of downstairs. What can I say, really? Sometimes it's pretty great being a slave to convention.

Much later on we were happily snuggled in my bed. He'd already decided to stay tonight. It hadn't originally been part of the plan but all our plans for the evening had become very flexible.

"Tell me how it came to be that Tara and David are helping you," I ask.

He sighs. "You won't like it."

"Tell me anyway," I say, leaning over to kiss his chest.

He gives me a squeeze and then leans back a bit to tuck his arm under his head. "Well it was actually Jade that we got first, and that happened almost by accident."

I gasp. "Jade Chou is helping you against Peter too?"

"Yeah. She's got a lot of issues with the way he runs their company. I guess it's been tense for a while now. And like I said, she's very passive in the conference room until she can't restrain herself, so a lot of small things end up becoming big things. She was excited about the merger before, as I was, since it just makes sense for both companies. Then Peter started to get ideas about just taking over outright, taking our assets and eliminating jobs. It's not smart business. I can see his motivations, I mean it's always more desirable not to share, to not have employees with split loyalties. I just don't agree with it in this instance. Anyway, she made a very bold remark to me at one point expressing her disapproval, and it blossomed from there."

"And that's why you never minded that I was talking to her."

"Certainly not the only reason, and more for her, than for you. It will be good for her to know more people in New Orleans for when she moves here. It adds to her comfort on a personal level, with making such a big change. Mainly I really did think you two would get along. And you do, so I was right about this," he smirks smugly. "Anyway, so we got her first. I wasn't intending on using Tara at all, but then we learned that she was dating David Threadgill seriously and that was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. So I confronted her with Jade, and we basically uh, talked, about the benefits of assisting us and the uh, detriments of not doing so..." he trails off.

"Eric. Are you saying you blackmailed my friend?"

"Well. Yes," he admits, having the decency to look a little guilty. "I told you that you wouldn't like it. She didn't have any information that Jade couldn't have gotten herself, so it wasn't really a serious attempt at coercion. It was just the appearance of one, really. Her value was as the inroad to David. We were counting on her to confess her predicament to him and though it took a couple of days, she did. Once I got him alone in a confrontation, I was able to put him off his guard and play on some of the issues of fathers and sons, dropping in all the little slights, the trappings of nepotism. Turns out it actually didn't take much to convince him that the hour for him to be his own man was upon him. He's going to be stepping into my old position at Area Five."

"I thought you didn't like David?"

"Eh. I didn't, or don't, not particularly, but I do know him. I'm not the only one who has dismissed him as his father's lapdog in the past, and he knows that. No one wants to be that. So I provide him with the perfect opportunity to shirk a lifetime of sycophantism in this, and he gains some self respect and he'll gain some reputation in the corporate world as more of a shark, and that will serve him well in the future."

"So what's he actually doing for you?"

"Do you not want to be surprised?" he asks. "You are still coming to our meeting on Thursday, yes? It should be some fine theatre." Oops. I'd actually forgotten it was so soon.

I grin. "If you would prefer, then. I'll find out when everyone else does."

"Good then," he says, giving my temple a kiss.

We talked for a little while longer about some of the finer details of what he's been up to trying to orchestrate the big switcheroo. He also mentioned that David was planning to propose to Tara this weekend, a fact that he credited as part of David's willingness to strike out on his own. I compared it with dragging the big mammoth carcass back to the cave and that made him erupt with laughter. Eric told me that he and David had become something like friends over the last few weeks, bonding over the shared experience of saying a figurative "Fuck you," to their respective fathers. His words, not mine. He also said that the lingering uneasiness between he and Tara had largely abated, once it became clear that they were all cohorts together. I knew that he still didn't think particularly well of her, and I couldn't really expect him to. I thought maybe in the fullness of time, they could be a couple we were friends with, though. Probably not close friends, I didn't think I'd ever be close friends with Tara again, but still friends.

We woke up on Tuesday to Eric's phone ringing with a very snitty Pam on the other end. Eric had to get going or he would risk missing an early appointment and incurring her wrath. I made coffee while he showered and gave him one of my travel mugs as he hurried out the door in the pair of jeans and t-shirt that had somehow gotten packed in with my clothes, to his great convenience this morning. I watched him from the door as he jogged down the driveway after kissing me goodbye and hurled himself into the little red car. It was a pretty picturesque sight, with his hair down and all. He gave a little wave and took off. I noticed his suit jacket was still on my coat rack so I carried it upstairs and collected his pants where they'd been discarded on the floor. I wondered briefly if I should have them cleaned for him or something but settled instead on just hanging them in my closet. I'd take them the next time I had things of my own. I didn't even know who the good drycleaner was in this neighbourhood, anyway.

The kitchen was still pretty much a disaster area from the night before. I hate leaving a mess for the morning but when your gorgeous boyfriend tells you he loves you and wants to spend the rest of the night making sweet, sweet love and cuddling, you don't jump out of bed to wash the casserole dish. At least I don't! I stoppered the sink and left the whole mess to soaking and then went about tackling some more of the unpacking. I was back at the sink in the afternoon and staring idly out the little window when I saw Madge coming up the little back walkway with Patti Parker and Inge Northman in tow. I smile and give them a little wave, hastily finishing my work and ducking into the powder room to smooth my hair back. Just like with Arlene yesterday, these ladies can take me as they find me, I think, glancing down at my dishwater-splashed thighs.

"Welcome wagon!" Patti squealed as I open the door. I can't help but smile as I step back to let them in.

"Oh it's so cute in here already!" Madge said, looking around with a smile.

"Thank you," I acknowledge. "I've got a lot to work on still but it's a good start!"

They had brought me treats from the same bakery from where Inge's raspberry torte had come. I served tea, mainly because I did have a full set of Gran's teacups and saucers, which had come back from Seattle, as opposed to three mismatched coffee cups and the travel mugs, which I was certainly not going to present to these ladies. I showed them to the table, happy that I had gotten it straightened out. I had one of Gran's table cloths down and the flowers from Eric as a centrepiece. It looked charming, if I do say so myself. I moved the flowers out of the way and Madge helped me to unpack the little pastry boxes onto a platter while the older ladies sat down.

We spent an enjoyable hour chatting about the neighbourhood. They had recommendations for me for restaurants and shops and cute little places I just had to stop in and see. Unfortunately not a one of them could advise me where to go to get a suit cleaned, but Inge promised me she would check with Greta and let me know. Patti and Madge were full of chatter about upcoming happenings that I just had to turn up to, with Eric of course. Inge and I had exchanged a single glance the first time it was mentioned and she gave me a smile. I took it as cheeky. Maybe she was going to back off, but she couldn't be held accountable for her friends. When they did leave I told her I thought we'd see her Sunday.

I met Eric and Pam for dinner that night, and for the first time they were a lot freer about discussing things that had happened at work in front of me. Pam had been momentarily taken aback when he raised the subject, shooting quick looks from Eric to me and back to him again, but she soon settled to following his lead. Though I wasn't able to add much to their conversation, it was nice to be included. I'd driven myself so I got a serious kiss and an, 'I love you' in the parking lot before I left for home and he took Pam back to the hotel. I spent the rest of the night working on my curriculum and went to bed feeling like if the last two days had been representative of life in New Orleans this time around, then that was going to be just fine.

Amelia and I had lunch on Wednesday and I told her that the big Area Five general meeting was tomorrow, and she immediately decided that she wanted to come. I wasn't sure if she would be allowed. I would be Eric's guest, but these aren't public meetings, and I wasn't sure if she could just walk in. She answered that by pulling out her phone and buying two shares of Area Five stock, just like that. I hadn't told her all the details of what Eric had told me. I'd shared, in hushed tones, a little bit about what Tara had told Arlene. Amelia had been following the saga from the start, and I felt she was owed a little bit of explanation now that it was almost over. When she pushed for some details I wasn't comfortable sharing, I distracted her with the news that David was going to propose to Tara.

Aside from unbiased curiosity, the other reason that Amelia expressed a big interest in coming with me was so that I wouldn't be alone if I ran into Bill or Lorena. She wanted to finally meet Eric too of course. They probably wouldn't have much time to talk though, at least until afterwards. He'd be with the other executives most of the time and Pam would be shadowing him. He'd already explained that he wouldn't be able to stay by my side much and I didn't mind, but having Amelia along with me would be great. Eric's bosses had arrived in town and he was absolutely indisposed all day as they were busy preparing for tomorrow. I called Pam before I parted ways with Amelia to make sure that her joining us was okay.

"You want to bring along one of your sorority friends to watch Eric vivisect Peter Threadgill?" she asked.

"Tell her I'm a shareholder," Amelia said.

She was standing right next to me, listening into the phone, so she heard Pam, and Pam most assuredly heard her comment. Nonetheless I repeated, "She's a shareholder, Pam," she's entitled to come.

"What did she do, buy one share today while you were at lunch just so she could say that?" Pam asks.

"Two shares," Amelia clarified as I started snickering.

"Very well, laughing hens. Sookie, we're still picking you up in the morning between eight thirty and eight forty-five, so if your friend is coming that is when she needs to be there. We will not have any time to wait. You must be ready to go, and for the love of fucking if you come out of that house wearing sandals and a sundress you're not getting in the car."

"I'm wearing my blue suit, Pam," I say seriously. She had already given me the run-down on being properly business-attired.

"Oh, I'll wear my new cream coloured one," Amelia says.

"No. I am wearing cream," Pam snaps.

"Well how about black then?" Amelia asks.

"This is a shareholders' meeting, not a funeral. Wear grey," she barks.

"Um, okay," my friend replies, cowed.

"Well, we can see you're very busy Pam," I say.

"Yes. Eric and I will see you in the morning. Be ready at eight thirty," she repeats.

"Got it," I confirm, hanging up.

"She's a little intense," Amelia observes.

"She is, but usually a little more cheerfully. She's very stressed this week, I imagine."

"Sounds like she could use another sojourn in the day spa," Amelia mocks.

"Hey, don't be mean about Pam. She works really hard. You guys would actually get along really well, I think."

"Oh yeah, she sounds just peachy," my friend quips.

Amelia had to go get back to work, so I head home as well and work in my own right. I haven't talked to Eric all day. It seems like a first, in what seems like a long time, even though it wasn't actually very long that we'd been carrying on that way. By nine or so I found myself seriously missing him, so when I heard the knock on the door I leapt up from my desk and ran downstairs, flinging it open with a huge smile on my face.

"You know why don't you just take the extra set of key-" I stop short.

"Good evening, Sookie."

"What are you doing here, Bill?"

I push the door well open and take a firm stance in front of it with my hands going to my hips. I watch as my ex swallows hard and takes in my appearance. I'm wearing short sleep shorts and a tank top without a bra. Not the best outfit choice, but I'd hardly been expecting company. Screw it. This is nothing he hasn't seen before and I'm not about to let him make me feel uncomfortable in my own doorway.

"Well?" I demand.

"I've wanted the opportunity to speak with you for some time, but have been prevented from doing so. I hope you don't mind my calling at this late hour," he seems to recite.

"I do mind, actually, and you can step back off my stoop."

I watch as he docilely retreats the couple of steps back before turning to look up at me. "I'm glad to see you have healed. Sookie, there's a lot that was never said between us..."

"Oh, you sure are right about that! Where are we starting then? You were married before? You never said that. You were screwing her the whole time we were together? You never said that. The company pays a stipend for my rent the entire time we were living together? You never said that. How about 'I'm a lying piece of shit, and I am truly sorry for wasting three years of your time.' You've never said THAT, and it's about the only thing I want to hear from you."

"I'm sorry," he says.

"Not hardly. Get out of here," I wave him off.

"Sookie, wait," he pleads.

"What do you want?"

"I did - I do - want to apologize. I loved you. I love you. I know there's no chance of us reconciling. I'm not begging for that. I know I blew it with you, in a dozen different ways. I know that letter I wrote you was cold. It had to be, or my lawyer wouldn't let me send it, but there's so much else I wanted to say, but you would never let me talk to you. They said you're going to be there tomorrow and I just... I had to see you, alone."

"Yeah, I was wondering where your skank ho harridan is tonight. Let you off your leash for the evening?" I drawl.

"She's still at a meeting," he doesn't even argue my accurate description. "They're preparing for a...presentation...tomorrow," he says carefully.

"Oh look, you're still a big fat liar," I observe. I hear a car slow on the street and a door slam.

His eyes come to me now and there's a split second of recognition. I know exactly what he's talking about, what meeting, and even the manner of their 'preparation'.

"Well now you've seen me. Anything else?"

"Are you really with Eric Northman now?"

"That's none of your business."

"Right. I know, you're right. I hope he treats you well. I've heard he's leaving Area Five. It's good. After tomorrow...well. It's good for both of you that he's getting out of there. He'll be able to look out for you. I do regret the way I went about things with you Sookie."

I notice Eric standing at the edge of the driveway. I'd guessed it was him arriving when I heard the car out front. This isn't exactly a busy street and I'm sort of starting to recognize the sound of the Corvette. I can't see his eyes as he's standing in the dark, but I do my best to look directly at him. I know he can see me, as I'm in the light from the entry. Bill hasn't noticed though. His back is to Eric.

"Bill," I sigh. "What did you want from me?"

"I just hoped to talk to you and tell you what I couldn't say, before seeing you tomorrow..."

"No," I interrupt him. "What did you want from me. When we were together. You hid everything from me. Everything with you was a lie. Why did you do that to me? What did you want?"

"I wanted you..."

"Bullshit," I call.

"It wasn't. You were delicate, and kind. I wanted you. I had been married before, yes. Lorena had been like you once, or I thought she was, but when we were struggling, as I struggled, she...eventually she left. I wanted to... to prevent that, with you. To shield you."

"I see," I say. I suppose she'd been right in a way, if he was being honest with me now. I'd always been in her shadow. Somehow I found myself feeling oddly grateful to her. I mean, if not for her, I probably would have married this guy. "Well thanks, Bill, for clearing that up. If you've said your peace now, you can go on and get."

He looks oddly deflated, standing there. Eric is coming up the driveway now. He'd been waiting for me to dismiss Bill before approaching, I guess.

"Hey lover," he says with a grin as he reaches me. His hand slinks around my waist in the manner I'm coming to recognize as possessive. I don't exactly mind right now. "Compton," he greets as he turns back to Bill.

"Eric."

"Did you need anything else here, Compton? You've got an early morning, haven't you?" Eric asks, almost blithely.

"No. I just wanted to speak to Sookie."

"And you've done so. Off you go now." He turns and kisses me on the top of the head and says, "You should go inside, it's getting cool. I'll lock up."

I smirk at him, because he's just planting the figurative flag in front of Bill at this point, to put it politely. I lean up and kiss him and retreat upstairs inside my little house to grab a sweatshirt. I come back down just as Eric's closing the door.

"I'm glad I had the impulse to stop by on my way home," he says. "How long was he here?"

"Only a couple of minutes before you got here. You would be so proud, I totally recognized the Corvette noise."

"Purr. It's called a purr. The purr of the engine," he explains.

"Yes, that," I agree.

"I really don't like him showing up here. You should really have called the police."

"I will if he does again, but I don't think he will. Did you hear him?"

"A bit. Why was he here?"

"I think he just wanted to talk, honestly. He sort-of apologized, I guess."

"You sound unimpressed."

"He's unimpressive. Are you staying?" I ask him. "Pam will be pissed if you're not ready to go bright and early in the morning."

"I know. I can't stay. I found I was missing you and just wanted to stop by."

"Mm," I murmur. "You were missing me?" I step a little closer to him, enjoying it as his eyes go a little glazed. I'd put on the sweatshirt, but my legs were still bare, and I was using my sexy voice.

"Yes."

"I missed you too."

"Ugh. Sookie I can't stay."

"I know."

"I wish I could," he says.

"I know," I smile. I kiss him. I got several long minutes of quality kissing before he pulled away from me.

"I have to go. I need a full night's sleep and I have to be up really early. I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright," I sigh. "I'll just take care of myself tonight," I pout. I get a swat on the butt for that one, and I burst out laughing. I'd been laying it on really thick. I guess I kind of felt compelled, with the impromptu appearance of Bill, to make it clear to him that he was the only man on my mind. I hold up a hand for a moment and scamper back to the kitchen to retrieve the spare keys. I give them to Eric, explaining that when I heard what I thought was him knocking tonight, my first thought was that I should just give them to him.

I'm surprised to see when he takes them out that the keychain he's using is the one I sent him in the basket weeks and weeks ago. "Hey, that's the one I gave you," I say.

He looks at it. "Oh, yeah. I was using it in Seattle, for when I wasn't here. I like it."

I smile at that, incredibly pleased by the small thing. I give him one more kiss and send him on his way, before going upstairs. He was gone all of ten minutes before I heard him let himself in downstairs. I was on my bed reading. He pauses at my open door to explain, "Okay, I can stay till eleven, but for the sake of time management, I have to shower." I grin, and happily get up to join him.