A/N: So, as promised, another chapter, though brief. Also as promised, a lemon for you. Oh yeah, and Godric beat out Appius in a Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock fight. Whew, this story is consuming me. My mind is constantly thinking of it. Oh, well. I'm gonna go watch me some real sports-Puppy/Kitten Bowl. As always, thank you ever so much for all the lovely reviews, I will spend time replying back to them tonight. I am honored at the amazing things you guys say. And thank you to those who set me straight about why we are questioning DEA's HEA re:the short stories set after DEA referencing Sam and Beehl as non-contenders. I did not realize they were set after that book. I apologize for any typos, grammar, etc as my eyes are extra tired, burny, itchy today so stuff is blurry-yay allergies. I may have to re-re-edit once I do another read through tomorrow and my eyes have rested. Okay, I own nothing. Kisses and hip thrusts from the Viking.

Ch. 23

Once inside, Eric gestured I follow him to the kitchen and he sat me at the bar. "Is Alberik here?"

He shook his head, "I left him with Pam. She has two pets at her home and has him feeding from them in shifts." He placed a plate, heaping with food in front of me. Pork tenderloin, steamed broccoli and three bean salad. I looked up at him in disbelief. "What? Did you not believe me when I told you I could cook?"

"I guess not. More like I couldn't really picture it. This looks fantastic! You really made all of this?"

"All but the bean salad. That was pre-made. I got it when I got the other items. Stop staring at it like its got two heads and eat it! You need to eat and we're short on time." I started shoveling. In between bites, "So tell me what you did when you left."

"I immediately flew to Fangtasia. I knew there would be a ready source of donors there. We had to actually cute the donors veins, since he has no fangs." He grit out between his teeth. "He is not quite alert enough to talk about what happened, but he recognizes Pam and I and has said a few words. Once he had a decent amount of blood and was resting, I had Dr. Ludwig check him over. She says the worst part is healing from the silver poisoning. That will take some time but allowing him readily available blood sources will speed the process. He is 400 years old which is not a young vampire, so it hopefully won't take him too long. But they injected him with silver, so there's a lot of internal healing he needs to do. It is a very painful process."

"Ugh. Poor Alberik." I felt nauseous. "And his fangs and hand will grow back?"

His jaw was clenched, "That will take much longer."

I felt like crying for him, but fought it. "Well I would like to meet him as soon as possible and maybe I can help him...feel better, calmer or something, anything to lessen his pain."

"I am glad to hear that. He's been in and out of consciousness all night, only waking when we pressed blood to his lips, but asking for his Bergljót." He looked at me pointedly.

I repeated it, "Bergljót?" and pondered while I chewed. Was he asking if I knew what that meant? "Sounds Scandinavian, but that's all I got."

"Old Norse. It's a woman's name. Berg is help or save, ljótr is light. He considers you his light savior. "

"Aww, that's sweet. I don't know about all that, though." Changing the subject because the current one made me uncomfortable. "Tell me about your history. You two look so much alike, even his name has Eric in it!" I joked.

He got a far away look. "Godric, my maker, was a very fair maker. Whereas many will keep their progeny bound to them permanently, or at their whim, mine never did. I stayed with him for 600 years. We enjoyed and understood each other. After a time, I wanted to branch out on my own, to see if I could endure being solitary. During those times, there were no fangbangers who craved our company, so it was a lonely existence, unless you had another vampire or a nest. And truthfully, I had become unhappy and restless. I wanted something else, but didn't know what. So, he let me go. I traveled everywhere-Africa, The Orient, Antarctica, The Americas, though they weren't called that yet. After centuries of travel, we met up again in Europe. He had Alberik in tow. I had a feeling, a few decades prior, he had created another child. I felt a new thread in our bond. It pained me deeply because I knew he had created him to make up for my absence. Not to hurt me, but because he had been lonely and we did truly love each other. And I could tell they didn't have what we had. Anytime you try to fill a void in haste, without letting go and moving on, it is never the same. I believe humans call it a rebound." He smirked at his own joke. "And, once Alberik met me, he knew as well. So, it was an all around awkward situation. But we adapted. We three cavorted around Europe for another century or so. It was a new and exciting time of science and advancement, so that kept us entertained. And then I met Pam. Completely on a whim, I turned her. She made an excellent vampire. There was a lot of sex between us in the first few years." He looked slightly apologetic and I fought a surge of jealousy. Remember-water under the bridge. "I was possessive of her at first, and would not share her with Godric or Alberik, and Godric allowed it. We grew bored of each other quickly, as most maker and child sex does. She and Alberik became quite fond of each other, sexually, and even became exclusive, which is a rarity between vampires. Then they shared a mutual pet. A woman whose name is insignificant now, but they fought over her ferociously. So much so, that we needed to separate them. We forbid them to fight, but that didn't stop the animosity. None of us had a moments peace, they were always attacking each other verbally. We came to America and they stayed in Europe. Once our maker met his true death, Alberik came here. He never stays long, just visits then travels around, but he claims New York as his home."

"Can I ask about Godric?"

"You may, but I will save that for another night. We need to talk about everything that happened tonight."

"Ah. Good point." I walked my empty plate to the sink and cleaned it. He came behind me and pressed me to him, while I cleaned and placed it on a towel to dry. I turned in his arms. "What do you think the chances are we could stay on task while talking and showering at the same time? I feel icky." I eyeballed him in a challenge.

He put on his best face of extreme innocence and held up a hand. "I will be on my best behavior." "Hmf!"

We did pretty well, until it came to actually soaping up. He allowed me to wash my own hair, while he watched at full attention, in every aspect, while we compared what I saw to what he saw. He literally saw everything I did. While Claudine and Claude were running around, wondering where I had gone, Eric was watching the magic orb above the area where our triad had been. For him, it was still there for him, but they did not see it. He saw every step I took, everything I had seen, through my eyes, as if it were playing out on television. My cousins thought I might be stuck somewhere and Claudine went to get her reference book from her place, in fear they would have to work some strong spells to get me back. I was back before she could even retrieve it, but he knew that. I filled him in on my talk with my cousins, my theory about Preston and that Claude was going back to talk to Niall. Then we got soapy.

"So-ah-what do you make of how you lit up, right after me, when I mixed the fairy potion into your blood?" He was running his hands, very slick with body wash over my breasts, palming my nipples.

"The feeling was exquisite." He never stopped his motions, making circles now. "I assumed it had something to do with the magic of the potion. What do you make of it?" He gently lifted my breasts and squeezed them.

"I, uhm," this shit was seriously distracting but I wasn't going to complain, "I think we need to Dr. Ludwig about that." His hands slid down to my bottom and squeezed, then pulled my hips into his, making small thrusting motions with is hips. I couldn't help the gasp I made and I closed my eyes, leaning into him for support.

"Oh? Why is that?" He continued "helping me" by, rubbing my bottom and my inner thighs with his slippery hands, at that sensitive spot where the butt meets the legs and in between.

I was trying to keep my voice steady and not pant, "Because the fairy potion I added to your blood was a binding potion."

His movements stilled. Damn. I opened my eyes.

"Who told you this?" His expression was very tense.

My words came out in a rush, and increased in pitch the more I spoke "Claudine had to use a binding serum to draw out the elements of your blood that are bonded with Alberik's, because of your shared maker, in order to find him. It was the only thing we had that contained traces of him, but I didn't know it was potentially going to be a binding thing until she told me after the fact and now I'm thinking we are somehow bonded in some way, since you lit up right after I did and then you were able to see when I went to Fairy, but I don't really know, so I think if we ask Dr. Ludwig because if that is the case, I understand if you don't want-"

"Sookie, sshhhh, it's alright." He pressed his lips to my forehead. "I'm not mad." He pulled back to look at me, "Surprised, yes, but not mad. You didn't know. In fact, it was a huge sacrifice you made doing all you have done. So, if the worst thing to come from all of this is that we are somehow bonded in a fairy sense, then so be it. I am honored. I owe you much more for every chance, every risk you've taken to help me."

His words were so heartfelt, so full of reverence and loyalty. The tears slipped down my cheeks before I even knew they were there. Then the tears turned to sobs. Followed by racking sobs, more tears and snot. I had been fighting it all night and my slip of a few tears at his tenderness turned into a deluge of other emotions-hurt, fear, betrayal, exhaustion, the tumult of whatever our feelings were for each other-it all surged right at that moment. So I had a good cry. I had a meltdown right there in the shower. And Eric held me while I worked through it. Until I quieted and just plain ran out of tears.

He rinsed us, toweled us off, then placed me in bed. I loved this bed. We lay on our sides while I traced a pattern with my fingers on the blanket. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You have been though more tonight than I think many vampires could handle. And this is the first moment you've had to even relax and reflect all night."

"Thank you. For the record, I hate crying."

He kissed my streaked, hot cheeks and his cool lips felt wonderful against my skin. "For the record, I hate seeing you cry. It makes me want to smash things."

I laughed at his deadpan tone. "So, do you think Alberik is safe for the time being? I am worried some Water Fairy will pop in and steal him back or something."

"While Dr. Ludwig was there, I had her see if she could detect any tracking or recall magic that would allow someone to find him or conjure him back to them and she found nothing. No traces of anything but the silver. I have a feeling they weren't that well-thought out. Especially if you are correct about that Preston being the one chosen to watch over him. And if he visited your cousin with the intent to snatch you up or harm you, he doesn't sound very bright. He obviously hasn't met you. You are a formidable opponent." He joked. "I wonder if he was the reason for the lack of smell around your building."

"Maybe."

"Speaking of smell, I think I am now immune to the craze that the fairy smell used to induce." Why did a teeny tiny part of me feel sad at this information? I'll examine that sick thought more thoroughly later.

"I noticed you seemed surprisingly under control when we were in my apartment."

He nodded, "It didn't happen until you mixed the potion to my blood and I lit up. Once I felt that magic flow through me, a lot of things seemed to change. The enthrall of the fairy scent, I was able to see you in the Fae realm, now we can feel each others proximity."

"Yeah, I felt that, plus I was very anxious, until I could feel you were closer. I felt like a caged panther at my apartment, until I was on my way here."

"It is almost like a blood bond, except we still can't feel each others emotions."

"Hmm...sounds like more questions for Dr. Ludwig." I snuggled into his neck. "So, you're immune to my smell now, huh? Tsk, tsk. My blood will probably taste normal too, so you'll probably tire of me now..." I fake pouted.

He growled and flipped me so he was on top of me, and buried his face into me. "That will never happen, Sookie. And you know it, so do not even joke." He was being very serious. "You still have the same smell as you always have to me: that sweet, delicious, haunting scent that makes me driven to distraction and madness, that makes me want to fuck you and bite you and rub myself all over you."

"Does it, now?" I arched my neck and ran my leg between his thighs.

He growled again, this time much sexier, if that was possible. "You little minx. Your attempt to get me to bite you will not succeed. I have taken too much of your blood tonight."

I ran my tongue around the shell of his ear and bit his earlobe. He shivered. I slid my hand between us and gripped him firmly, "Then you had better make it up to me in another way." I heard his fangs snick down before his lips attacked mine, demanding entry, which I gladly gave. I squeezed his length a little tighter and slid my hand up and down his shaft, eliciting a grunt from him. He reciprocated by sliding his hand down my stomach to test my readiness.

"Gods, Sookie. So wet, so soft." He ran his fingers through my slick folds, then slid two of them inside without warning and I cried out. "So warm. How could you ever think I could tire of you?" He moved his fingers in and out, then placed his thumb on my nub and made circles. "I will probably meet my final death still wanting more of you." If he kept that up much longer, this was going to be over before it started. No more time for foreplay. I needed him inside of me, on top of me. Now.

"Show me." I pulled his engorged cock to my entrance and as soon as he removed his fingers, I wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled him inside of me. We both cried out at the same time. He was still for a moment, and we both just enjoyed the feeling of being joined. Then I bit his chest, "Show me!" which spurred him into action.

It was fast and hard, but that was exactly what I needed right then. I was scratching at his back with my nails and biting into his shoulder and chest as he pounded into me. Something about the intensity and the drama we had that night, but it didn't take long. A few more deep thrusts and a hip tilt or two and I was close. I felt the now familiar coiling in my nether region and stomach. "Ah-Eric!" He unlatched my hold on him and pulled his head back, to look at me.

"Come for me, Sookie." So I did, keeping my eyes locked on his as I cried out. He followed right behind me, and I watched him, his eyes burning holes into me, while he exclaimed something in his native tongue. One day I would ask him what it meant. Or look it up. He fell forward on top of me. I wrapped my arms and legs around him like a spider monkey. He rolled off me, onto his side and I whined at the loss. "Dawn is very close. I don't want to crush you."

I didn't have the strength to argue. My eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds each. "Mmmkay. I'll be here when you wake up tomorrow."

"You had better be." He kissed me gently and I barely moved my lips in response. He laughed. "Sweet dreams, Lover."

The last thing I mumbled before I passed out, "I almost forgot, have you ever heard of Phaedra?" But I succumbed to sleep before he could answer, and did not see the look of rage that crossed his face.