In Another Life... by PersianFreak
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris. Please don't sue.
Rating: M
Spoilers: None
A/N: Happy new year and merry Christmas, everyone =) Let me know what you think of this, reviews are very much welcomed!
Sookie's alarm rang at seven the next morning, which wouldn't have been so hard had she not stayed up with Eric the previous night. As it was, she had only had about five hours of sleep, which amounted to very little in Sookie's book. Sookie's hand smacked the clock upside the head, effectively shutting it up before she dragged herself out from underneath her covers which smelled very much like Eric. Smiling despite the sleep deprivation, Sookie stumbled to the bathroom in the dark.
Half an hour minutes later, she was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt and was dragging her now-fully-packed duffle bag down the stairs.
"'Mornin'," she mumbled to her parents, both of whom appeared far too well-rested and cheery for Sookie's tastes.
"Good morning, sweetheart," her mother actually kissed Sookie's forehead. "Do you want pancakes? I don't know what Eric would want to eat, but I think I remember him liking pancakes, huh? If not, I guess he can have cereal, but I really don't want to send him off that way..." Sookie interrupted her mother's nervous babble by assuring her that pancakes would be just fine as she poured herself some coffee and sat down at the breakfast table.
"Did you pack everything?" Mr Stackhouse inquired, setting down his newspaper, and Sookie nodded. "Got my credit card?" Sookie's parents had lent her their credit card for the road trip, reminding her multiple times that it was to be used only for a motel, food, and even the gas that Eric's car would be using up in driving their daughter across the country. All in all, it was a very generous move, and one that made Sookie choke up just a little bit.
"It's in my wallet," Sookie nodded again, dumping a ridiculous amount of sugar into her coffee. The doorbell rang then, and she jumped up to open it.
"You're up early," Eric smiled, perhaps a touch too indecently. He was dressed in faded out and ripped jeans and his old leather jacket over a white t-shirt; he looked like a fucking movie star.
"Oh, shut up," Sookie groused, further annoyed that she was wearing shorts and he had actually bothered to look good.
"Hey," he grabbed her wrist when she turned away and planted a kiss on her lips, "Good morning."
"Good morning," Sookie reciprocated reluctantly, somewhat glad that her parents couldn't see them when she tilted her head up to kiss him again.
"Eric, let go of my daughter and come eat your breakfast!" Mrs Stackhouse called from the kitchen and Eric obliged, smiling in amusement.
"Hello," he greeted Sookie's mother, though her father received a "Good morning, sir" that made Sookie roll her eyes and reclaim her seat and coffee.
"Thank you," she smiled at the plate of pancakes that was set down in front of her, Eric echoing her sentiments before they both dug in.
"Does your car have a full tank?" Mr Stackhouse asked in that polite tone that let Eric know his activities with Sookie were not news to anyone, and that as the boyfriend of a much beloved daughter, Eric was merely tolerated.
"No, sir, but that's what I'm planning to do first thing."
"And you have a spare tire," the older man's tone did not pose a question, but Eric confirmed the fact anyways.
"And your car is in good condition?"
"Dad," Sookie complained mildly, "Stop it with the Spanish Inquisition!"
"What, I'm just checking to make sure you guys are all ready to go." Her father blinked innocently, and Sookie got up to put her plate in the sink, shaking her head.
"It's not a problem, I understand," Eric smiled politely and patted her knee under the table when she sat back down. Mrs Stackhouse smiled discreetly.
"You guys should get going," her mother suggested lightly once Eric's plate had joined Sookie's and the two obeyed. They were outside a moment later and Sookie saw that Eric's car was parked in front of their house with the cargo trailer already hooked up to it.
"How long have you been up?" Sookie asked.
"A couple of hours," Eric shrugged, "I went for a run."
"That would have been a good idea," Sookie groaned, placing her bag in the trunk beside Eric's before turning back to face her parents.
"Call us every night, okay?" Sookie's mother's eyes widened, their blue strangely faded in the light of the early morning.
"I will," Sookie promised, hugging her mother. "Bye, mom. I love you."
"Bye, baby," Mrs Stackhouse's voice broke and Sookie pulled back in shock.
"Mom, you'll see me in a week! Don't cry!"
"I know, I know," she wiped at her eyes and her husband briefly put and arm around her before pulling his daughter into an embrace.
"Be careful," he whispered, kissing her hair, "Love you."
"Love you, too, daddy," Sookie smiled, pulling away when she heard her mother's voice.
"Oh, Eric, darling, I'll miss you, too!" Sookie watched in astonishment as her mother pulled her boyfriend into a hug, though she had to stand on her toes and Eric had to bend down awkwardly. Eric shot Sookie a baffled look over the older woman's shoulder and Sookie smiled, committing the image to memory.
"Don't you dare get yourself hurt in the Marines, or I will personally find a way to come over there and kick your ass," she threatened Eric, her hands on either side of his face.
"I'll be fine," Eric promised with a hint of his award-winning smile, and Mrs Stackhouse released him. Sookie hugged her mother again as Eric and her dad shook hands and said their farewells until the following week, and then Eric and Sookie were in the car and driving away, Sookie twisting in her seat to wave good-bye to the two figures standing on the driveway of what used to be her home.
"Hey, you okay?" Eric asked uncertainly.
"Yeah," she smiled, wiping away the tears that had just fallen, "I guess it just hit me." Eric's hand took hers and held it in his lap, his fingers stroking hers reassuringly. "Thanks for putting up with my dad."
"Oh, it was no problem," Eric actually laughed, "I figure if I'm going behind his back and doing dirty things to you while he's down the hall sleeping then I might as well take it when he interrogates me about shit."
"I like the dirty things you do to me," Sookie smirked, carefully looking out the window.
"So, I'm pulling over at the next gas station, and we are having sex in the bathroom." He announced casually, and Sookie laughed, clutching his hand tightly.
***
"Sookie," a hand nudged Sookie's knee and she groaned and turned her head away from the voice. "Sweetheart, wake up."
Sookie made an incoherent noise, "I'm sleeping!"
Laughter. "I know, I've been in the car with your lazy ass for the past four hours." Offended, Sookie opened her eyes unhappily and met the gaze of Eric.
"I was tired, okay!"
"Okay, okay," Eric bit his lip in an attempt at holding back the sneer, "Sorry. Do you want food?" For the first time, Sookie realized that they were parked in front of a McDonald's.
"Yeah, food would be good. And coffee." She rubbed at her eyes and followed Eric out of the car, glancing at her reflection in the window. "AH."
"What?"
"I look interesting." Sookie shot herself another displeased look and fell in step behind Eric, "It's what I get for being too lazy to put on makeup."
"You look fine," Eric promised her, taking her hand and studying the massive over-head menu once they were inside. "What do you want?"
"Surprise me." Sookie grumbled and hid her face in Eric's chest, making him laugh.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I'm too sleepy to function!"
"I'm pretty sure you just caught up on all the hours that you missed last night," Eric commented, kissing her hair and nudging her forward in the line.
"I like my sleep in one chunk and during the night, thankyouverymuch."
"Alright, I get it! No more midnight sex!" Eric teased, causing a middle-aged woman to shoot a displeased look at them over her shoulder; Eric met her gaze evenly.
Sookie put her arms around his waist, "Who are you trying to fool?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Eric blinked innocently, smiling when she stood on her tippy-toes to kiss him.
"Where are we, anyways?" Sookie's phone told her it was just after noon.
Eric was still trying to make a decision, "Um, we passed Dallas about an hour ago." A McDonald's employee waved them forward and Eric gave her their order, picking an item at random for Sookie who was drowsily taking in her surroundings. The restaurant was pretty crowded, filled nearly to the limit with tired families and hyperactive children bargaining with their Happy Meal toys. Once their food was ready, they took turns sitting at the table while the other went to the bathroom. Sookie splashed water on her face when it was her turn to go, careful to avoid the random puddles of water collecting on the dirty tiles as she made her way back out.
"You look more awake," he commented through a mouthful of fries.
"Yeah," Sookie unwrapped her burger, "Do you want me to drive for a bit?" Eric swallowed, shooting her an apprehensive look. "Oh, come on! I have my license now!"
"You've had it for a month," he pointed out and she scoffed.
"Fine, you can drive all the way. All 30 hours of the way."
Eric sighed and put down his burger, "Fine, you drive."
"I'm not gonna drive if you don't want me to drive."
"Drive!"
Sookie smiled sweetly, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he rolled his eyes. "Just don't get me killed."
"No promises," Sookie took a sip of her water and smiled. The finished their lunch and Sookie followed Eric out the door. Eric didn't stop at the car though, instead opting to lead Sookie to the entrance of a bathroom at the gas station next door. Sookie followed him through the inconspicuous door tucked into the side of the building, feeling anticipation grow in the pit of her stomach as Eric nudged her in. It was a single room with a toilet and a sink in the corner, a diaper-changing station embedded in the wall across from the door. And, Sookie was relieved to notice, it was clean. Satisfied, she grabbed hold of Eric's collar and brought his body crashing into hers and into the wall, their lips already duelling for dominance as Eric's fingers popped open the button of her shorts and unzipped them, sliding them and her underwear down her thighs. Sookie's moans got swallowed up by him, and her fingers moved under his shirt to dig into the well-defined muscles of his chest. Eric hissed and rubbed at her clit, a finger dipping further down to swirl the wetness around the hard nub. There was the sound of Eric's pants unzipping, and then he pushed into her, groaning when she made a choked noise and arched her back.
"More," she breathed and tried to open her legs further, but her shorts were getting in the way and it took some time and a lot of struggling before she managed to free one leg and hitch it up on the diaper-changing station. It was only then that Eric obliged, pushing in ever so slowly with his eyes trained on hers to watch for the tiniest flickers on her face, in her eyes. He pulled out just as slowly, his heart beating erratically under the hand Sookie had laid flat on his chest.
"Eric," she gasped and claimed his mouth again, biting and leaving his lips red and swollen while his mouth returned the favour. His thrusts sped up eventually, the sounds they made rising in pitch and desperation as nails sunk into flesh and teeth grazed lips until they both fell over the edge, one right after the other. Sookie mouthed at Eric's neck lazily afterwards, smiling at the sound of contentment he made. When they finally managed to untangle and fix their clothing, they stepped out to find at least half a dozen people waiting in line for the bathroom.
They waited until they had reached the car and were out of sight of the disgruntled bathroom people before laughing hard enough to make their stomachs ache, Sookie hiding her blush against Eric's neck even as her laughter died out.
"Damn, I'd pay so much to see their faces when they heard us," he chuckled, perching on the hood of his car with Sookie still in his arms.
"You think they heard us?"
"You're loud when you come," Eric teased. "Not that I'm complaining," he added when he noticed the flicker of embarrassment in her eyes.
"Hmmm," she pursed her lips in mock displeasure and he kissed her, letting her settle back into his arms.
"You're cuddly today," he observed carefully.
"I guess. I almost want us to just turn around and go back home."
"Afraid?" He wasn't trying to get a rise out of her, she could tell, so she gave the question some thought before responding.
"A little," she responded eventually, "I don't like that I have to adapt," she added with a smile, knowing what he was about to say. Eric didn't say a word; just stared at her like he could have stood there forever with just Sookie in his arms and he wouldn't have needed anything else in the world. Sookie felt her insides twisting in that horrible way that she had come to associate with the thought of Eric leaving.
"Leaving" reverberated painfully in her mind.
"I love you," she enunciated quietly, brushing his lips with her thumb before realizing that her vision was blurred.
Fuck; she hated how much of a crybaby she was becoming lately.
"Is that why you're crying?" He smiled, almost teasing.
Sookie actually laughed through her tears, "I'm not that angsty."
"Then why are you crying?"
"No reason at all." She kissed him and gently stepped out of his arms before wiping her eyes. "Should we go?" He inclined his head and turned towards the driver's door.
"Uh uh uh!" Sookie hooked a finger through his belt and pulled him back, holding her hand out for the car keys with a grin. Eric groaned and handed them to her, unceremoniously claiming the passenger seat.
"And I had so much to live for," Sookie heard him mutter and smacked his stomach, smiling as she pulled out of the parking spot and merged unto the road.
***
Sookie yawned spectacularly, wincing a little at the headlights of the car behind her reflecting off of the rear view mirror and into her eyes. The road ahead of her was illuminated only by her own headlights, the road crew having deemed streetlights unnecessary, so Sookie had to slow down to a little under the speed limit to keep herself from ramming into something. There was a groan and a shuffling sound behind her and Eric sat up, resting his chin on the driver's seat.
"Good morning!" Sookie could hear the smile in his voice.
"You slept more than I did," she pointed out, glancing at the radio clock. "It's almost ten."
He kissed her shoulder, "Sorry. Want to switch?"
"I was thinking of just pulling over at the next motel?"
"Well, I can drive and you can sleep. We don't have to stop yet."
"Huh," Sookie rubbed her eye, "Okay. I need to call my parents." The car came to a stop, gravel hitting the metal as Sookie pulled off the road. Switching seats, Sookie pulled on the hoodie that Eric had abandoned and curled up even though she had more space than Eric had had lying down in the backseat. She quickly dialled her parents and let them know where they were and what they were doing, informing them of the change in plans and assuring them multiple times that they would drive carefully before getting a chance to wish them goodnight and hang up.
"Where are we?" Eric asked, having resumed driving.
"Past Odessa, somewhere," Sookie mumbled, flipping her phone shut and shoving it into the pocket at the back of Eric's seat, "the map is on the passenger seat."
"Hmm, 'kay. Good night."
"Night, baby."
***
Eric woke Sookie up at some point, telling her that she needed to watch the sun rise over the barren horizon. He had stopped at a gas station, and he asked her if she wanted coffee.
"Yes." The answer was always the same, and Eric laughed. The gas paid for and the car moved out of the way of the traffic, Eric handed her a steaming mug of something that had very little coffee in it, but it would suffice.
"It's so pretty," Sookie observed drowsily. She meant it; the city of Benson, Arizona, had little to offer in terms of a skyline, but that only made watching the sunrise easier. Pink and orange and yellow melded and streaked across the horizon, reaching up to join with the light blue of the desert sky. The beauty of it woke Sookie up and she gently pulled Eric back into her, putting her arms around his shoulders as she sat on the car and he stood, both of them still watching the sun rise. Eric fidgeted when the sun had fully risen and Sookie planted a kiss at the base of his neck before letting him go and announcing that she was making a trip to the bathroom, emphasizing the "alone" part.
"I need a shower," she told her reflection after she had brushed her teeth and washed her face, applying enough makeup so as to look decent. Returning to the car, she found Eric lying on his back across the backseat, his feet propped up on the top of the open car door.
"Comfortable?" She grinned and he removed his feet to kick the door open, allowing her to crawl on top of him and rest her head on his chest.
"I'm sleepy," he whispered, his fingers tracing invisible lines on her back.
"Let's just sleep here," she suggested, "I'm comfy."
"Oh, I have no doubt that you are," he laughed, his fingers absently pushing her shirt up to find a strip of flesh. Sookie shivered and closed her eyes, letting herself drift off to sleep listening to the sounds Eric's heart made.
***
By the time the sun had set, their exhaustion was more than could be compensated by naps in the back seat, and they both agreed to find a motel to spend the night in. Their progress had already slowed considerably due to the numerous breaks they found they had to take in order to keep from going insane, so dinnertime found them in Ontario, California. Finding a motel that was clean wasn't as hard as Sookie had anticipated, so it really wasn't much later when they had finally been given the keys to the room they had rented (with her parents' credit card) and were moving their duffel bags up the stairs to the second floor of the motel. The room had a single queen-sized bed, a coffee maker and a bathroom; it might as well have been heaven for all Sookie cared.
"Dibs on the shower," Sookie called, retrieving her bag of toiletries and a change of clothes before glancing up at Eric's silence. "Eric, we can have sex now, when I'm dirty and exhausted and hungry, or we can have sex tonight when I'm clean and happy. It's your choice, really." She put her hands on her hips, holding back a smile.
"I'll shower after," he sneered, throwing himself onto the bed and landing with his arms curled under his head.
***
"I told you the drive wasn't going to take a week," Eric commented as he carried a box into Sookie's dorm room. Sookie ignored him and stopped in the doorway, tilting her head sideways and taking in the small room. The conservative furniture spread about the room made it look bigger than it actually was, though Sookie knew that it wouldn't be so bland once she had moved all her things in. A small door in the corner revealed an empty closet, while another led to the tiny bathroom that Sookie had all to herself. Wincing, she picked up the suspicious-looking bottle of shampoo sitting by the sink and tossed it into the trash.
"It's not radioactive, you know," Eric pointed out, setting down the box on her bed and grinning at her glare before disappearing, only to return with more boxes.
"So, this is it," Sookie sighed, sinking down on top of what was now her bed.
"Yup," Eric followed her movement, "Your home for the next four years."
Sookie turned to him with a grin, "Wanna have sex?"
"I love you," Eric decided, suddenly on top of her as his mouth covered her giggles.