A/N: Hey! I am back! The next update probably won't be for another week. I've got a bunch of things I need to do. Thank god it's almost Christmas. Time to relax and do nothing, but I will be going on vacation during my Christmas break. I will write another chapter before I take off. Ok so I was debating if I should write from Sookie or Eric's POV for the reunion and I couldn't decide. So it will be from the third person POV.
Sookie's POV:
I have been a nervous wreck since last night when Marius asked me to talk to Eric tonight. From that point on, our meeting, our reunion was all I could think about. I had barely slept last night. I was still awake, tossing and turning in Marius' bed when he had returned. When he came in the room I immediately got up to greet him. I was going to ask him how the meeting went but instead he laid a smouldering kiss on me that lasted for several minutes. When he finally let me go I was breathless. He excused himself afterwards and took a long shower while I waited for him. When he returned he told me all that had happened at the gathering. He said that Eric was compliant and was eager to see me again. He also told me that his vampire wife was present. It left me a little sad. I didn't want to know anything more so for the rest of the night he just held me until he left to go rest for the day.
I spend the day babysitting my nephew and god daughter while Tara and Jason take their respective spouses shopping. Marten had set up department store accounts for them at every major shop in the city.
Emily and I sing a lullaby to Evan and soon he falls asleep. I sit back on the sofa thinking while Emily plays on the floor with her dolls and toys.
Am I ready for this? I think to myself. Having to meet Eric is inevitable. Knowing how he is, he probably still thinks of me as 'his property'. He would demand that I go back to him and would never accept the choices that I have made for my life. I was also a little afraid at how angry he must be at me for running away. That was enough to almost make me want to cancel out. But I wanted to ask him why he cheated on me. Why he damaged our relationship so severely. There were many things that I needed to tell him; I just hope that he would be reasonable and listen to me.
The day goes by and I return to Marten's penthouse apartment with my were guards. It is almost sunset and I take another shower. I walk into the closet and I have a hard time figuring out what to wear. The scorned woman in me wanted to wear something sexy; to show Eric what he gave up and could no longer have. After careful deliberation I choose a strapless, ruffled, light ash gray coloured dress that went to down to my mid-thigh. I lay it down on the bed and begin flattening my hair with a hair straightener. I also apply a little makeup.
When I am done I lie back on the bed and watch some crime scene drama on television. By this time my anxiety kicks into overdrive. I fidget nervously looking at the t.v. screen but not really paying attention to the show.
Just then Marius walks into the room. I get up and go to him.
"How was your day?" he asks me after releasing me from a hug.
"It was great," I tell him, "I can't wait to spend more time with them tomorrow. Jason and Tara wanted me to tell you and Marten 'thanks for the gifts'.
"It was no trouble at all Sookie. They are your family and therefore I will take care of them as well," he says placing a light kiss on my lips. "Are you almost ready to go?"
"Ummm yeah I just have to put on my dress," I respond. I walk back to the bed and pick it up. "What time is Eric coming?"
"I told him to be at Marten's other home at 9pm, but he is probably already there," he says.
I turn around to look at him, "We're not meeting him here?" I ask sounding confused.
"No," he says. "Marten has another apartment near the park that he uses for business meetings and feedings."
"Oh," I say. I guess that was practical.
I put my dress on in the bathroom and we head out. We arrive about 30 minutes later at another building near Central park.
I let out deep breath as I stare up at the windows where there was light shining. My anxiety was rising even higher knowing that Eric was somewhere in there. Marius takes a hold of my hand and leads me in. We take the elevator up and enter a plush foyer. As we walk down the hallway, I glance quickly into one of the open doors and see several human women sitting on the sofas looking bored.
"Who are they?" I ask Marius.
"Blood donors and Marten's entertainment," he replies.
"They're beautiful," I say. "He feeds from all of them?"
"Yes, he has a rather large appetite," he says. I can't help but wonder if he has fed from them too. A slight tinge of jealousy creeps up in me.
He looks down at me and smiles. "They're too tall and skinny for my taste."
I smile back at him. We walk into a room which appears to be a study. There are books on the shelves and a laptop and telephone on the glass desk in the center of the room. The steel blinds on the windows and balcony door are down.
The telephone rings and Marius goes to answer it. He speaks Old Norse to the caller and hangs up the phone a minute later.
"Northman is waiting in one of the other rooms on this floor," he says looking at me intently. "Did you want me to be in there with you?"
I breathe in deeply again and take a moment to think. "Ummm, I don't think that would be a good idea. I'll be fine."
"I will be right back and tell him that you will be there in a few minutes."
He walks out of the room and closes the door. I close my eyes, trying to mentally prepare myself for what was to come.
Eric's POV:
I pace back and forth in the conference room waiting for Sookie. As I pace I look around the room to try and find a way out with Sookie, if need be. There are no windows; so I couldn't fly out with her. I tapped on the walls and they are reinforced steel. The ventilation shaft was too small for myself or for her. The only way out was through the door. Just right then the door begins to open and I stop in my tracks. But it is not her; it is that imbecile vampire.
"Where is she!" I demand.
He walks in and stops about three feet away from the door. "She will be here in a few moments. I wanted to make a few things clear before she comes in." His expression is neutral.
I stare at him waiting for him to speak.
"First don't even try to take her against her will. You wouldn't get very far and I would be very displeased if you tried. Second, you will not harm her in any way," he says.
I sneer at him, "You think I would hurt my bonded? I don't care what the council says; she is mine and always will be. And I will not take her by force. She will leave here with me tonight because it will be what she desires."
"We shall see. I meant what I said. Do not try to harm her because I will know," he says.
"I would rather that you did not listen in but regardless, the outcome will be the same," I point out.
"I didn't say that I would be listening in or watching for that matter. This room is soundproof and there are no electronic devices."
"Then how would you know..." I freeze instantaneously and the anger within me builds.
"How dare you give her your blood!" I seethe, my voice thick with rage as my fangs pop out.
"It was for a good reason which I am sure that she will share with you," he states.
"You had no right to..!" I yell, but he interrupts me.
"If you are going to act this way, then I suggest that we delay this meeting until you have calmed down. I do not want your anger to upset Sookie."
I loathed the fact that he was right. Sookie didn't respond well to anger. I also needed to be calm in order to convince her to leave with me. I use all my willpower to lessen the rage that was within me and slowly my fangs retract.
He stares at me until I am more composed. "I will bring Sookie." He leaves the room and closes the door.
I probe our bond to check if I can sense her. But as it has been for the past several months, I sense nothing.
It has already been five minutes and still she has not come in. I start to walk to the door to see what is keeping her. Suddenly the door handle turns and it is Sookie. She peeks her head in the room tentatively and looks at me. The look on her face is that of apprehension and uncertainty. After a long moment she opens the door even more and walks in. She closes the door behind her and takes a few steps into the room; she continues to stare at me.
We continue our staring match for a few more minutes, both of us unable to speak despite the fact that there was so much that needed to be discussed.
Third Person POV:
Sookie takes a few more steps to close the gap between her and Eric. He didn't appear to be angry at her but relieved.
"You look well," Eric says. He takes the time to assess her appearance. She is even more radiant and beautiful than ever. Her body was a little more leaner and muscular. Her skin is flawless and her hair is longer. He focuses on her upper arm. One of the scars that she received from the fairies was gone. His temper threatens to overtake him again knowing that it was due to Marius' blood.
"Thanks, you look good too," she said taking a deep breath. He was wearing a light blue shirt that matched his eyes and dark blue jeans. His shiny blonde hair fell around his shoulders. She had almost forgotten how devastatingly handsome and stunning he was. She also noticed how pink his complexion was as well. Obviously he was feeding from others and probably doing more. Her jealousy and anger began to rise.
Stop it Sookie, you're not with him anymore, she tells herself. She took another deep breath. "I suppose you were wondering where I was," she says nonchalantly.
He looks angry now. "That's an understatement," he says.
"I was in Canada. Alberta, to be exact," she tells him.
"With that vampire?" Eric sneers.
"For part of the time. I lived in a town called Canmore for a few months with a wonderful lady who helped me when I was down."
"And?" Eric snipped.
"And then I met Marius again. He took me away from this awful world for a brief amount of time and to a place where I found happiness," she said.
"Where you found happiness," he said in a somewhat sarcastic tone. He took a few steps closer to get a stronger whiff of her scent. He could smell Marius on her. It was not only on her skin and clothes, but also within her. He could smell the vampires' blood radiating from her pores. Thankfully though, he did not smell semen or her arousal. But still that did not mean she was not intimate with him. Eric had added another person to his list of vampires that he was going to kill. He would find a way to kill Marius for touching her. What did she mean by again?
"What do you mean you met him again?" he said with a raised voice.
"I need you to listen to what I have to say," she said in a defiant tone. "Then I will listen to you."
Eric contemplated her request for a moment and nodded his head.
"First of all I wasn't completely honest with you," she said.
He stared at her, his eyes blazing, waiting for her to continue.
"I know that I said I could cope with your marriage and gradually accept it. I lied. I now know there was no way I could live that way with you," she said.
"But you were the one..." Eric snapped.
"Please let me finish, then you will have your chance to speak," she said, raising her hand.
She continued on, "At the time I truly did believe that our love was enough. That is was enough to overcome all the problems that we had. I thought that I could get used to the way things were now, that we could continue on as though nothing had changed. But I was wrong. Our relationship began dying the moment you married her."
Eric was about to say something but she quickly kept talking, "I know Eric that it wasn't your choice; you didn't want to marry her. It was ultimately my decision to let you marry her. You had given me other options but those options came with consequences. My brother's life was being threatened. There was no way I was going to make that sacrifice. If I could back in time, I would make the same choice."
Sookie took a deep breath. "What I am trying to say is that we can't go back Eric. We can't go back to the way things were. I know we can't cut our bond, but that doesn't mean we have to be together. I need to move on with my life. I want to be happy. I want to eventually be with someone who will only belong to me as I to him."
Eric's face darkened. He mulled over Sookie's words. The anger that he tamed within him only a few minutes ago was beginning to build again.
"You do not want to be with me anymore? You don't make that decision Sookie. You are my bonded, that means you are mine," he seethed. "Is this because of that fool? You didn't answer my question earlier Sookie. Did you meet him before Canada?"
Sookie knew that he was getting angry but she was getting irate too. "This isn't about Marius Eric. Even if he wasn't here my decision would still be the same. You know why I don't want to be with you anymore."
He was incensed. "Where did you meet him?" he said angrily.
Sookie was glowering now. "If you must know, I met him in Shreveport. The night I went out alone with Tara."
Before Sookie could process what was happening, Eric smashed one of the steel chairs against the wall. He picked up another one and did the same thing. Sookie took a few steps back fearful of the display. In an instant Marius came into the room. He pulled Sookie behind him and lowered his fangs in a protective stance. Eric's fangs were out as well and he looked like he was going to attack him at any second.
This is going to end badly, Sookie thought to herself panicked. She quickly thought of something that might defuse the situation. After months of putting up walls, she finally opened up the bond to Eric and sent him calm. The emotions that he felt and that were sent by Sookie hit him like a tidal wave. He looked up at Sookie shocked. Sookie put her hand on Marius' shoulder.
"Everything is alright," she said calmly. She quickly removed her hand just in case Eric got angry again. Marius stood up slowly and retracted his fangs. Eric did the same.
"Could you give me a few more minutes? I still need to discuss some things with Eric," Sookie told him.
Marius stared at Eric a minute longer and looked at Sookie. "I'll be outside if you need me." He didn't touch her as he knew that would probably set off Eric even further. Marius didn't want to get Eric agitated any more. He could feel Sookie's determination to settle things with Eric and he wanted that as well. But he also knew that the blonde vampire was not going to give her up that easily. Marius was also certain that Eric would try and send him to his final death. He had a small hope that Eric would be rational and let her go so that he would not have to kill him. He didn't want to cause Sookie any more pain.
Marius went to the door and closed it behind him. Sookie turned back to face Eric was again, the bond between them still open. "As I was saying before you lost it," she said exasperatedly. "I met him in Shreveport at the night club. We talked a little and he asked me to dance. Then I talked to him a little more later in the evening. That was all we did," she said.
"Really?" he said in a sarcastic tone. He could sense that she was telling the truth but she was hiding something. "Were you attracted to him?"
She was feeling angry again. "As a matter of fact I was," she stated firmly. "But like I said, I didn't do anything with him."
"And you kept this from me? When you told me over and over again that you only loved me. Now I find out that you lied to me and was unfaithful." he growled.
"Oh my god! You are such a hypocrite!" she almost yelled. "You are trying to make me feel guilty about nothing but yet you've done something far more worse!"
Eric stared blankly at her. He knew what she was referring to. He was certain before that she knew about what had happened. He would explain and reason with her about that. He would ask for her forgiveness and tell her that it would never happen again. She would forgive him, but the question remained was how she found out.
Sookie waited for him to say something but he continued to stare at her. With the bond open, she could feel his turmoil but yet he still didn't say anything.
"Are you really just going to stand there and pretend to look like you don't know what I'm talking about?" she said.
"How did you find out?" he finally said.
"Seriously? That's your response? No apology, no explanation? How I found out is beside the point! You cheated on me! Not only with your wife, but with other women!" she yelled. "You put the final nail in our relationship! So don't try and guilt trip me for something I have never done!"
"Sookie what you saw..." Eric said but Sookie cut him off.
"What I saw was something that ripped my heart in two. It almost killed me!" she said, tears forming behind her eyes.
He could feel the hurt and pain that Sookie carried. He knew that he was the cause of that. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to drop to his knees and beg for her forgiveness. And he did just that.
Eric dropped to his knees, his eyes filled with regret and sadness. Sookie was stunned as she looked at Eric before her. A bloody tear shedding from his right eye.
"I have lived a long life on this earth Sookie and I have never regretted any of the things that I have done until now. What you saw is something that I will regret forever. I never meant to hurt you so deeply and I will spend the rest of eternity making it up to you," he said, his voice almost breaking.
More tears shed from Sookie's eyes, her heart went out to him. Every fibre of her being wanted to get down on her knees and embrace him. But she couldn't. It would send him the wrong message.
She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked into his eyes. "Please get up Eric. I do forgive you. You have been there for me during my worst moments. You picked me up when I couldn't get up. You carried me when I couldn't walk anymore. What you did, I once thought was unforgivable, but not anymore."
Eric had a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Sookie..." he said as he got up and walked forward towards her.
She stepped back and raised her hand. "Eric, I forgive you for what happened, but that doesn't mean we're back together. We're two different people. Our paths are no longer parallel but separate."
He reached out to grab her hand but she took a step back. "Eric, don't. It's over. I can't be with you while you are married to someone else. Can't you see that?" she said sadly. "You've caused me enough heartache. I want to move on with my life just as you have."
Eric looked at her confused, "What do you mean? I haven't moved on, if you would just let me explain..."
"Eric I don't want to know what happened that night. Whatever your explanation is, there is no excuse. What you do now is no longer any of my business. You are free to do whatever you want, just as I am. All I want from you is for you to let me go."
Eric was having trouble reining in his anger and frustration. She wasn't even giving him a chance to talk and explain things from his point of view. They were both silent for a few seconds until Eric spoke. "Are you finished?"
Sookie mulled it over for a several seconds and then nodded.
"Good, now you will listen to what I have to say," he said gruffly.
He took a moment to gather his thoughts. "You are right," he said. "What I did, there is no excuse. But I need for you to know how it happened. Before that night I was already feeling frustrated and angry, mentally and physically, about everything that had gone wrong in our life. The fact that you were already pushing me away didn't help either."
"So you went out and had sex with another woman, I mean women, that you could find?" Sookie scoffed.
"Hear me out," Eric said in a low tone. "I was in a terrible mood that night when I arrived at that party. I spent a few hours talking to some old acquaintances and taking care of the business that Rosamund asked of me. She never approached me the whole time I was there. I stepped out for a few minutes and that's when I noticed a scent. It was then that my vampire senses started to kick into overdrive. I couldn't control the urge to seek it out. When I found the source, it was a woman."
Sookie was starting to tense up. She knew what was next. Half of her wanted to run out of the room and the other half wanted to know.
"I was drawn to not only her scent but to her blood. Rosamund was there and she had told me that the woman was half fairy. I was fighting the inner battle to leave but due to my negative emotions, I was losing the battle. She pricked the woman's skin and a drop of her blood flowed out. My vampire instincts took over. I let it take control until it was too late."
He looked away from her, feeling remorse.
Sookie gulped and wiped away a tear. "Well now I know everything," she said bitterly.
He looked backed up to her, "That is not everything Sookie. I only let it go as far as the half fairy. I never had sex with Rosamund."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better? What about now? What about the many women you have probably been with since I left!" she said.
"I haven't been with anyone since that night Sookie."
"Really? Okay so why is it then that your cheeks look so rosy? I seriously doubt that you have been living on synthetic blood Eric, since you could never stand the stuff when we were together. And you and others have always said that blood and sex almost always go together," she said accusingly.
Eric was starting to lose patience. "I have only drunk from men. It took me weeks after you left to finally drink human blood. I have only taken their blood to keep up my strength for when you return to me."
Sookie probed the bond and found that he was telling her the truth. "So you mean you haven't been with anyone else?"
"No," he said.
"Not even your wife?" she whispered.
"There has been no one else Sookie. The only woman I want is you," he said.
Her thoughts and feelings were disarrayed. She had spent months thinking that Eric had reverted back to his old lifestyle. That he had spent all his time feeding and fucking every woman he met. She had thought that his relationship with his vampire wife had changed and grown. Now she had just found out that she was wrong.
She felt so overwhelmed that she went pulled out a chair and sat down. She leaned back and closed her eyes. Eric took this chance and kneeled down in front of her, slowly took both of her hands in his. She gasped at his touch as he softly rubbed her hands. She was fighting off the strong urge to let him take her in his arms.
"Lover, please come back to me. We will leave this country and everything else to make a fresh start," he whispered into her ear. He inhaled her scent as he began to lean closer to her.
Sookie was almost succumbing to her desires to reach out to him until she remembered where they were. She thought of Marius. She felt guilty, not only because he did not deserve for her to do this to him, but also because of the way she felt about him. Her mind also went to Rosamund. No matter what, she was still Eric's wife. The thought was like a splash of cold water to her face.
She opened her eyes and pushed him away. He let her. She abruptly stood up. "I'm not going anywhere with you Eric. I told you, we're done. You've already broken my heart once. I'm not going to let you do it again."
She turned around to walk toward the door, but Eric grabbed her arm. He spun her around to face her.
He looked angry. "You said I've broken your heart? What about mine Sookie? You haven't even asked me about how I have been since you disappeared. These long and dreadful months have been nothing but pure agony and torture. A pain so strong that I have never experienced in my long existence. After months of worry and fear for you I see you again and you are with another man. How do you think that makes me feel? Don't answer that because you know that answer!"
Hurt, jealousy, and rage was flowing through the bond. But the hurt and sadness that he felt was the most overwhelming one.
"I've caused you heartache Sookie? You are not the only one who has been hurt," Eric says. "Obviously the broken heart you say I gave you wasn't that significant if you are already with another man after just a few short months," he added bitterly.
"You don't even know what Marius and I have..." Sookie said but he cut her off.
"As with me and Rosamund. You have been just making assumptions and running away without letting me explain," he said.
"What! I saw you fucking another woman! How much more explanation do I need? You obviously wanted that lifestyle again so go ahead and have it. But I'm not going to be a part of that!" she said angrily.
"See? There you go again making assumptions. I can make some too. I can comment on how you have been fucking another vampire just only a few months after claiming me how much you loved me. Now I am starting to wonder if you ever did love me especially since now I am seeing how easy you are with other men."
Sookie slaps him as hard as she could just a second later. "How dare you say that to me! You have no idea what you are talking about! If it wasn't for him I would have died."
Eric steps back and looks into her eyes, shocked. "What do you mean?" he whispers.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, "When he found me I was already in bad shape. I wasn't even living. The hurt and sadness that I felt was suffocating me that it even haunted me in my dreams. I barely slept, ate, barely did anything at all. One day he took one look at me and told me that I was dying. I would die if I continued on that way. He gave me his blood so that I could that the rips and scars would mend in my heart."
Eric probes the bond even more deeper. She was telling him the truth. He could sense that her life force had weakened significantly at one point in time. The remorse that he feels gets even heavier and a single bloody tear falls down his cheek. He began questioning whether or not he now deserved her.
"I am sorry," he says, his tone more gentler.
"Like I said to you earlier Eric, I accept your apology. Now please accept mine. I am sorry that I ran away from you and causing you worry. I didn't know what else to do," she starts to cry.
"I will Sookie, but only if you come back to me. I know you have forgiven me but please give me the chance to make it up to you," he begs.
Before Sookie could respond, there is a knock on the door. Eric quickly wipes away the bloody tear just as Marten walks in.
"I see that you have redecorated my conference room Eric," Marten says as he looks around the room. Eric stares at him with irritation.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but it was urgent. Your wife is outside demanding to come in and see you. She says it is an extremely important matter."
"Tell her to go away," Eric snaps.
"I tried, but you know how she is," Marten smirks.
Sookie rolls her eyes, "You should go Eric. We are done here anyway." She moves closer to the door with Marten.
Eric almost tries to stop her but decides against it. She had forgotten to close the bond, and he could feel that her emotions were in chaos. She was questioning the choices that she had made. For now he would let her go. "If that is what you wish Sookie. We will talk and see each other again very soon." He walks up to her and runs his hand down her arm. He looks into her eyes intently for several more seconds before heading out the door.