AN: I'm so grateful of your overwhelming response to my little story. Keep the reviews coming, and I'll update even faster. Love ya!
Sookie woke up early as she had every morning since she arrived in Sweden almost a month ago. As she had every morning since that dreadful encounter in the kitchen, she got fully dressed before making her way to the kitchen to get her morning fix of coffee. She returned, as always, to her living room to drink it by herself. Afterwards she always went outside for a lonesome walk of the woods before joining Eric in the office.
Sookie knew she was in love. The northern part of Sweden was mesmerizing, and she loved walking around in the woods by herself, clearing her head and soothing her nerves for the day ahead. In the beginning, she hadn't strayed far from the villa, because she was afraid to lose her direction in the thickness of the forest. But day by day, she added to her knowledge of the surroundings, and she ventured father away. It was late October, and the sun rose noticeable later each day, and Janne had told her that in mid-winter, it wouldn't rise at all. Months of total darkness and a cold she couldn't even imagine, would take control over her life. She dreaded that because darkness would mean spending all her time at the villa, and at the villa… Well, he would be there too.
For the past month, she had done everything to act professional towards her boss. She had been careful to do a great job, and she was meticulous with every detail. He kept her busy every day, and she liked her job a lot and keeping busy was the best way to avoid regarding Eric Northman as anything else than her boss. In the office, she almost succeeded. The nights and her days of, well that's another matter completely.
Sookie did her best to stay busy around the clock. Her aim was to exhaust herself to the point where she could fall into bed every night and instantly fall asleep. On the weekend, she usually went with Janne to the nearest town, to shop or do some sightseeing. She studied Swedish as much as she could, and had learnt a phrase or two by now. Going into town was a great way to practice, and Janne willingly obliged. Swedish was complicated but had a simple and clean sound to it, and she relished hearing the swedes talk it amongst themselves. She had yet to hear Eric speak his native tongue; all of their communication was in English.
And Eric, well, he seemed to stay clear of her as well. She knew he jogged every morning before breakfast; he showered and spent the rest of his days in his office, having Janne serve him his lunch at his desk. Since Sookie herself took all her meals in her private quarters, their paths seldom crossed outside of office-hours. Weird, really, Sookie thought, that two people living together managed to keep their lives so separate. But she knew that it was necessary. She could not have her boss know about the fantasies of him haunting her every night and every non-occupied moment. Her only chance of keeping her thoughts private was to avoid him as much as she could, stay professional and polite, but never indulge in small-talk or sharing meals with him. Not that he'd asked.
This morning, after checking her watch, she decided to make her morning-walk a little longer. She dressed in a pair of comfortable blue jeans, a t-shirt and a warm coat she had gotten during one of her visits to town. Her coat from home was far too thin for late autumn in northern Sweden. A knitted cap with matching mittens completed her outfit, and she laced her high boots up and took off. Her breath turned into mist as it left her mouth, and she could feel her cheeks blossom in the cool air.
Her thoughts, like always, strayed to the man she shared the house with. Eric Northman, the enigmatic head of NorthCorp, the founder and developer of the multi-million dollar company with branches all over Europe and in the USA. His reputation said him to be cold and ruthless in business, calculating and very intelligent, and the fact that he'd accomplished all this before he even turned 35, was only confirming that reputation. What she didn't get, was the fact that Eric struck her as a lonely man. He seemed to love his little part of Sweden, and for the month she had been there, he had never left to go out of town for any reason. He held his meetings via direct-link or phone conferences, or old fashioned hand-written communication. To Sookie, this seemed a bit odd, but he appeared to be content with solitude. Then why had he hired her? Now that she knew the job, she was certain that her task could easily be performed by someone somewhere else. His assistant had no logical reason to be at his physical side, hell; she could've done it from Bon Temps. So why?
Something suddenly softly touched her face, and she was brought back to the present. Sookie looked up and found large and soft snowflakes slowly falling from the sky. It was snowing, and her forest turned even more magical buried under a thin blanket of white. She gazed in wonder at the thickening snowfall, and cherished the opportunity to inhale and exhale the smell of winter. The snow silenced her steps, and she realized that the forest was submerged in complete silence. As the snow started to fall a bit more heavily she decided to head home, but when she checked her surroundings she found that every landmark she had known was covered in snow, and it hit her that she had no idea of where she was or even in what direction the villa was. She was alone and she was lost.
Eric was worried. He had seen Sookie leave the house hours before, no doubt to go for her regular stroll in the woods, but it was late morning now, and she hadn't returned. The first snow of the winter was coming down hard outside his window, and he knew how different the forest appeared in the snow. Was she in her room, just running a bit late, or was she out there in the woods alone and lost? He had to check on her.
Her bedroom was empty, and so was her living-room. He checked the kitchen to make sure, but she was nowhere to be found. Flipping his cellphone open, he hit speed dial and Janne answered quickly.
"Sookie hasn't returned to the house. I tried her cell but it was turned off. I'm heading out to look for her." He could hear the worry in his own voice. "Did you see what direction she took when she walked away?"
"Yeah, she walked north. I'll go with you. We can search through a larger area, the two of us together." Janne's voice was worried too.
"Bring your cell, and a thermos of tea. Maybe and extra jacket or a blanket too. It's cold out there today."
The two men headed north and split up some distance in to the forest. They both called Sookie's name, but their calls seemed muffled by the snow. Eric knew that the chance of finding her was small and getting smaller by each falling flake of snow. If they didn't find her before dark… He didn't want to finish that thought. She must be so scared.
The snow continued to fall heavily, and Eric decided to return to the house. The blanket of snow was so thick and dense now; he knew he could use the snowmobile in the search. He could cover more ground with it, and if he found her… When he found her, it would be the easiest way to get her home.
He knew these woods, and he made good time with the snowmobile, but his anxiety increased with every passing minute. Darkness fell early this time of year, and the temperature would drop significantly after that. He sped up, and prayed. Please let her be fine, please let me find her; please let me hold her… Please please please….
Sookie was tired and cold. She had walked for several hours and she couldn't even tell if she was heading in the right direction. Her legs were beginning to suffer from the constant battle against the thickening snow, and she tripped and fell over and over. Her feet hurt from the cold, and her cheeks felt numb. She kept walking though, not giving in to the temptation to lie down in the snow and rest just for a little while. She knew that if she did, she could fall asleep and never wake up again. She had to keep moving.
Fear struck her again as she considered the possibility that she could be walking in the wrong direction. What if she was moving further from the house, instead of getting closer? What would happen when darkness fell? Sookie had gotten used to seeing the occasional moose during her walks, and deer often had crossed her paths. But she recalled Janne telling her that this huge and seemingly never-ending forest was the home of packs of wolves. Wolves that could track her down without effort, and, giving they were hungry enough, could kill and eat her just as easily. The prospect of being out here at nightfall and killed by wolves made her quicken her pace despite her weariness. No Sookie-burger for the wolves anytime soon, she thought. At least I hope not. Keep on moving, Sookie.
The already grey light of day was fading fast, and Eric knew that his time was running out. Her time. He had to find her soon. The headlights of the snowmobile were creating fleetingly shadows as he continued to search for his beautiful assistant. He didn't want to imagine her laying pale and still, covered in snow. Her gorgeous body cold and her heart not beating anymore. He had come to realize something during these hours of frantic search. She belonged here. His harsh country was hers as much as it was his. He had seen the spark of joy in her eyes when she had been out walking, or when she had followed Janne in to town. If he found her safe… When he found her safe and sound, he wanted to be a part of that. He wanted to get to know her.
He had done everything in his power to banish all fantasies of her during the last month, knowing that he owed it to her to keep their relationship professional. He'd kept his appearance cool and distant, even though his body ached for her every second of the day. When she moved through his office, he had tried to takes his eyes of her, tried not to drown in the scent of her shampoo and tried, hard, not to reach his hand out and touch her as she passed him. He wanted her, but he had feigned a disinterest in her just to keep her around. He didn't want to scare her off. Sookie was hardworking and loyal to his company; she had proven herself efficient and competent. But outside the office, she had carefully avoided him. She spent a lot of time with Janne, and Eric couldn't help the painful sting of jealousy he felt every time he heard her laugh and talk to his right-hand man. He wanted to be the one to make her smile. He needed her to be… His. Only his.
Eric's thoughts were disrupted as the headlights caught the pale face and scared eyes of the woman of his fantasies. As he jumped off his vehicle and ran towards her, she sank to her knees in the snow and closed her eyes. He could see her lips form his name, before she fainted.
"SOOKIE!"