Happily Never After by PersianFreak
Sequel to Surprise
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris; the song belongs to Pete Townshend. Please don't sue.
Rating: M
A/N: Oooh, last chapter, you guys!! Seven pages!! This was my favourite chapter to write and I hope you guys will enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sorry about the wait, but I find I'm having separation anxiety because I love this chapter so much, so it's been sitting in my computer for a while now (I finished it before I started that last chapter...)
The song is 'Behind Blue Eyes' by The Who.
I would like to thank everyone who took the time to read my story and then reviewed it; you guys are fantastic and I promise I read every single one of your reviews even if I didn't have time to respond to all of them. Thank you so much! Any last reviews are encouraged and much appreciated :)
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I paused before opening the door, not bothering to glance through the peep hole before swinging it open. The cool summer breeze rolled in, brushing against my bare thighs and arms unprotected by my shorts-and-tank-top ensemble. I smiled at the full moon before my eyes settled on the figures standing in front of me.
"I believe this is yours," Lucius sneered before stepping aside and nodding at his lackeys (I still didn't know their names). The women stepped forward, holding something between them. They then proceeded to throw the hunched figure at my feet. "Good night." I looked up, but the three were already gone, freeing me to gape at the man silently curled up at my feet.
"Oh my God," I gasped, dropping to my knees. His skin was murky and bore an unhealthy pallor, his once-beautiful hair almost grey with grime. Deep gashes and strangely-patterned burn marks covered his body, viscous blood sluggishly flowing out. A single scar ran diagonally across his chest, ragged and badly healed. He was only dressed in a beaten and disgustingly dirty pair of jeans that I recognized as designer jeans once belonging to him. "Baby," I bit my lip and brushed his hair out of his face to reveal unseeing eyes, "C'mon, let's get you downstairs." With great difficulty I managed to stand him up, the entire time telling him that I was proud of him and that I knew he could do it. He was leaning on me heavily, clearly favouring one leg and wincing every time my hold on him tightened, but I had no trouble carrying his weight; had he not been so tall, I would have been able to simply carry him downstairs but this would have to do. There was an awkward moment as I tried to enter the code that revealed the stairs, and then another one at the door leading to the basement, but I managed it, carefully leaning him against the wall as I quickly entered in the pass code.
"Just a little further, sweetheart," I murmured, half-carrying him to the bathroom, gently settling him on the edge of the Jacuzzi tub as I ran the water and waited while it warmed. When it did, I stood him up once more, murmuring soothingly as I slid his jeans off of him and helped him into the tub. He made the smallest moaning noise as his body was submerged, but otherwise gave no indication of awareness of me or his surroundings. Whipping my cell phone out of my pocket, I quickly dialled a number and waited for my call to be picked up.
"Pam, he's back, and he needs blood; human blood," I gushed without so much as a greeting.
"Done," Was her curt reply before she hung up. Shooting a calculating look at the man silently lying in the blood-tinged water, I ran out of the bathroom and returned with two bottles of Royalty Blended. Popping them open, I sat on the edge of the tub, my feet in the murky water and my legs framing his broad shoulders, gingerly placing the bottles beside me.
"Drink, baby," I murmured, holding my wrist out in front of him, finding it hard to even think his name, let alone say it. Saying it would mean he was back, mentally as well as physically, and I was sure I wouldn't be able to handle that; I was positive that I would crumble under the weight of the mourning I had denied myself for eleven years, something I couldn't do until he was fully recovered. He lifted his head to place the softest kiss against the inside of my wrist; my eyes filled with tears.
"Take... too long... to reco-" He paused, gulping, "To recover." I already knew that; taking the amount of blood that he needed from me would weaken me for several days, but it would work a hundred times better than any synthetic bottled shit. Human blood would be best, but until Pam got her hands on some... I shook my head and fought back the tears.
"I don't care," I brought my wrist to my mouth and bit hard enough to draw blood, quickly pressing the gaping wound against his lips, "Drink. Drink!" He timidly licked at the blood now dripping into the water, then clutched my wrist to his mouth with shocking speed and began sucking. I bit into my lip in an attempt to quell the arousal, reaching for one bottle of Royalty Blended and chugging it as he continued to draw from me. There was a soft gasp from the doorway and I whipped my head around to find Pam staring at him with a strangely tender look on her face.
"Blood?" I asked her quickly and she nodded, holding up the two plastic pouches filled with dark red liquid. The Viking quickly dropped my wrist and looked at Pam, making a small choked noise as his fangs sank into the plastic. Pam stood watching, seemingly entranced.
"You can go now, Pam," I told her quietly.
"He's as much my maker as he is yours," She snapped.
"He's my husband, Pam," I pointed out gently, "Please?" Her face softened as she gave my bonded a last look and nodded.
"Call me if you need anything," I inclined my head and she turned around, soundlessly walking out of the bathroom. Seeing he had already drained it, I gently took the pouch from his hands and tossed it onto the floor.
"Do you want another one?" I asked, placing a soft kiss on his filthy hair. He shook his head 'no' and leaned it back to rest against my lower abdomen. Oh God, I missed you. Careful to support his head, I slid back and stood up, quickly sliding my shorts and top off before joining him in the tub in my underwear. I reached for the soap and began washing him, carefully scrubbing off the grunge from his skin. He sighed quietly and closed his eyes, slumping a little in his seat. The superficial cuts were already fully healed, and the deeper wounds and burns were healing as I watched, leaving what I suspected was several broken ribs and a broken ankle.
"They will heal," He mumbled sleepily, his eyes still closed.
"I didn't say anything," I smiled at him.
"I can read your mind," His responding smile was weak, "That's how I know you're a hallucination."
"How so?" My heart dropped.
"The real Sookie would have blocked her mind like she always does," A single tear managed to escape my eye; the first tear I had shed in the past eleven years. I had long since stopped blocking my own thoughts from others, having had no one to block them from.
"What if I'm the real Sookie?" I squirted shampoo into my hand and set to washing his hair.
"Then I guess you'll still be here tomorrow," His smile was genuine and soft and tugged viciously on my heartstrings, "Although, you're much more beautiful than my other hallucinations, so I just may be willing to accept that you are real." He obediently ducked his head under water to allow me to rinse the suds out, and I chuckled. With the water now running completely clear, I stood up and grabbed two towels from the rack by the tub, wrapping one around me as I stepped out of the hot water. Eric slowly rose out of the water without any of my assistance, so I quickly ran to the walk-in closet and grabbed him a drawstring pair of pyjama pants, sliding them on after thoroughly drying him with the towel. I watched as he slid into bed on his own, his hair still damp from the water. Now dressed in panties and an old t-shirt, I watched from a few feet away as he settled himself under the covers.
"Sookie?" He rasped and my undead heart gave a start.
"Yes, baby?"
"Will you do me a favour?"
"Sure," I smiled tearily at him.
"Will you stay with me?"
"Of course," I crawled into bed next to him, loving the smile on his lips. I watched him sleep, the blankets tucked around his large form, until the sun began to rise and I fell asleep in his arms.
***
I opened my eyes to find... blue.
"You're still here," He whispered, his face close enough that his nose brushed against mine.
"Yeah," I gasped, fighting the urge to kiss him, to sob, to hold him until I was satisfied.
"I'm... home?" His eyes widened and I nodded slowly, still entranced by how close he was. "Oh, god, Sookie!" He kissed me over and over again; my lips, my nose, my forehead, then pausing for a moment to slide my shirt off before continuing to kiss my shoulders, my hands and my stomach before I pulled him back up to press my lips to his. My fingers dug into his biceps and he groaned softly, deftly sliding off my panties and his pants.
"I love you," I murmured, desperately wanting him to hold me tighter.
"Darling," He kissed my neck, my collarbone, "My darling." IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou, his emotions poured through the bond, overwhelming me. Eventually his hand slid down to touch me at the juncture of my legs, making me cry out as his fingers expertly stretched me and tested my wetness. I wanted to cry out, to moan his name and hear him say mine, but I couldn't. The wall I had so expertly built for myself was still there; somewhat damaged by the way he was kissing and touching me, but still functioning the same way it had for the past decade. He slid into me, his rhythm slow as we made love for the first time in a decade. I arched my back and thrust my hips up to meet his, my fingers leaving red marks as they dug into the flesh of his arms and his waist. I opened my legs even further, allowing him better access as he thrust deeply inside of me, his climax and mine both building. Our lips met, moving shakily in unison as he adjusted his angle and ground into me, forcing me to pull away and cry out. My moans got more frantic as I writhed under his body, his own rhythm accelerating as my climax approached.
"Look at me," He commanded raggedly, "Sookie, look at me." I bit my lip, drawing blood as my fangs softly tore into the skin and brought my eyes to his, whimpering as he pulled out and slammed back into me, his cock grinding against my clit and making me climax. The wall trembled and collapsed as I screamed his name and my muscles spasmed around his, making him come, and still his lips didn't leave my skin. He kissed his way up and down my body as I lay there shaking, watching him as he sucked and nibbled on my skin, all the time murmuring compliments and telling me how much he loved me, how much he had missed me. Tears flowed freely down the sides of my face and into my hair.
"Don't cry, Sookie," Eric cooed, trapping my tears with his lips, "Do not ever cry."
"Tears of happiness," I smiled.
"Well, then, by all means carry on," He chuckled and placed a soft kiss on my lips. He lay with his head propped up on his hand as he stared down at me, still smiling. "My memories didn't do you justice," He mused softly. I chuckled self consciously.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, holding his hand tightly in mine.
"Never better," Eric grinned before his face sobered, "You gave me too much of your blood." I shrugged and he continued, "You should not have done that for me."
"I don't mind," I admitted softly.
"You should," He pressed, a frustrated look creeping into his eyes, "I was too far gone for it to matter; you should have waited for the human blood or given me synthetic."
"I wasn't going to make you drink synthetic blood!" I snapped, frustrating him even further.
"It would have-"
"No!" Tears began to flow once more from my eyes and I sat up, turning to face him, "I wasn't going to give synthetic blood when I was perfectly capable of giving you my own, Eric. I wasn't about to deny you anything last night; I didn't have it in me to look at you after eleven years and decide that a few more hours wouldn't kill you. It may have been the logical thing to do, but I was too fucking relieved to see you to care."
"Alright, alright," He sat up and pulled me into his arms, letting me cling to him as I got a handle on myself, "Please stop crying," He begged miserably, "I've been back for a day and I've already made you cry!"
"You didn't make me cry," I sighed into his chest, placing kisses over his silent heart.
"I hate seeing you upset, love," He complained, pushing a piece of my hair back from my face.
"Good thing you missed the last eleven years," I joked weakly and he shook his head.
"I love you," He brought my hand to his lips, "I love you."
"Was it horrible?" I asked him, my voice a mere whisper.
"Yes," He nodded matter-of-factly.
"They tortured you, didn't they?" His eyes snapped up to meet mine, "With silver?"
"How did you know that?" I shrugged and looked away as realization dawned on his face, "You felt it, didn't you?" I nodded, hiding my face in his chest. "Fuck," The desperation in his voice made me look up, "I am... I am so sorry. I don't-" I put hand on his mouth, cutting off the confused stream of apologies.
"Don't, okay?"
"How bad?" He asked, his voice muffled by my hand but his eyes fully conveying his concern.
"Not bad," I lied and he narrowed his eyes.
"Sookie..." Warning rang in my husband's voice.
"Bad enough," Eric groaned, burying his face in his hands, "But I don't care. It doesn't matter." I added hastily, "Look at me. For God's sake, Eric, look at me." I pried his hands away from his face. "I didn't care about the pain; it meant you were alive and I was grateful that for the first time I was feeling something through the bond, no matter how painful." He still looked unhappy but he nodded, "Now tell me about the trial."
"They weren't too displeased with me," He smiled a little, "Turns out Sophie-Ann had been one of their favourites, so killing her was not appreciated by the Council members. They were planning on executing him without bothering to put him on trial."
"But they still tortured you?"
"To teach me a lesson," He laughed somewhat bitterly, "Better than forcing me to face the dawn, I suppose."
"Yes," I grinned, "Do you know where you were?" He shook his head.
"They are very good at what they do."
"Where they- the Council, where they scary?" I asked hesitantly.
"They were ancient," My husband smirked, "I still find it inconceivable to be that old."
"I find it inconceivable that my husband is twelve hundred years old." I muttered.
"I find it inconceivable that you still find it inconceivable." Eric retorted with a grin.
"I can't help it," I grumbled.
"Where are you going?" Eric asked a moment later as I tried to wriggle out of his grasp.
"I need to shower!" I complained as I fought against his hold.
"Ooooh, can I join you?" His eyes lit up.
"I'll think about it," I told him sombrely as I managed to escape. He followed me, pushing me against the wall the moment we were in the shower to press his lips to mine, among other things. We emerged a while later, both drying the other with a towel before tumbling back into bed, tangling gracefully in the sheets.
"I love you," I mumbled for what must have been the thousandth time that night.
"Say it again," Eric whispered against my lips.
"I love you, Eric Northman," I giggled.
"I love you, too, Mrs. Northman," He grinned and kissed me again.
***
"Sookie, I'm going to ask you a question and, for his sake, the answer had better be 'No';" Eric announced as he watched me get dressed the next night. I turned around to face him. "Did Compton attempt to seduce you while I was away?" I rolled my eyes and went back to applying my makeup. "Did he?"
"Actually, yes," I put down my mascara and faced him, "We made sweet love, the likes of which the world has yet to see. It was beautiful; I wept."
"Well, I suppose this would be a good time to tell you about my guard at the prison," Eric told me, his expression deadpan.
"I didn't think the Council would have female prison guards," I mused.
"They don't,"
"I guess that explains the Lycra pants," I smirked.
"And you thought I was pretending," Eric sighed sadly. I laughed and jumped into his arms, Eric himself laughing as he caught me.
"I love you," I whispered into his ear, kissing his earlobe.
"I love you, too," He stage-whispered.
"Ready to go?" I hopped down.
"Are you ready to go?" He made a show of admiring my outfit.
"I didn't take that long!" I protested.
"Right," He took my hand and led me towards the garage, where he paused. "You kept my Corvette?"
"Of course I did," I frowned in confusion. Per Eric's request, we both upgraded our cars to a newer model every few years, but in his absence I had kept his old one, not wanting to sell the car that belonged to him, "Why wouldn't I?"
"I don't know," He shook his head and turned to my Corvette, a newer model of his, "Keys?" I handed them to him, not caring that he was going to drive like a madman. He held my hand as he drove, veering back and forth between lanes and eliciting angry honks from several cars. He screeched to a stop in the parking spot closest to the Fangtasia employee entrance and, for the first time, looked unsure.
"What is it?"
"I don't know," He shook his head, "It feels strange, not having been here for so many years." I nodded.
"Come on," I got out of the car and ran around to the driver's door, opening it and taking his hand. He let me lead him inside, a smile slowly lighting his face up.
"Master," Pam grinned as she walked towards us, "It's good to have you back."
"Good to be back, Pam," Eric grinned at her, pulling her forward to kiss her forehead.
"Want to see your office?" I nudged him.
"Oooh," His grin widened as he trailed behind me, watching as I unlocked his office door with a key from my purse. I swung the door open and stepped aside to allow him entry into the room for the first time in eleven years. "It's exactly the same," He announced happily.
"I cleaned it myself," I looked around the room, really seeing it for the first time since the night he had left.
"Why would you do that?"
"She didn't let anyone in here since you left," Pam rolled her eyes from the doorway.
"Why not?" Eric was looking at me curiously. I shrugged and sat down on the couch, absently spinning my rings on my finger. "Sookie?" I glanced at Pam and she sneered at me.
"I have work to do," She disappeared, swinging her hips and making her flared black skirt swish. Eric closed and locked the door behind her and came back to kneel in front of me.
"You kept my car, locked my office door and didn't let anyone else in," He murmured, as if to himself, "Why would you do that?"
"It wasn't abnormal or crazy;" I protested.
"Respecting my privacy isn't," Eric allowed, "But keeping the car when I would have changed it myself a few years later? That's strange, Sook." I pressed my lips into a hard line and looked away, but he cocked his head to the side. "Sookie..." He pressed.
"I didn't want to get rid of your car when I could still smell you scent in it," I admitted softly, "Same with the office; if I let people in, then your scent would get faint and I didn't want that." I bit my lip and looked down at me hands, "It sounds really cheesy." He put a finger under my chin and tilted my head up to face him.
"Do you want to know a secret, dear one?" He asked, momentarily glancing up from my lips. I nodded. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me."
"Just kiss me already," I complained and he obliged, groaning as the kiss deepened and he pushed me back unto the couch. "Eric..." His hands pushed the skirt of my dress up and he broke the kiss to duck his head under my skirt, casually ripping my underwear away to nip lightly at the soft skin there. I jerked and cried out, my fingers tangling in his hair as he continued to tease me. His tongue darted out to give me a long, slow lick that made me writhe on the leather couch. Steadily pushing me closer to a climax, Eric sucked on my clit and I nearly came right then and there. I could barely keep myself from screaming, my hips thrusting upwards before I could stop myself. Eric chuckled darkly and placed a hand on my hip before I broke his nose, pausing to shoot me a quick glance before ducking back down to drive me halfway to insanity. It wasn't long before he made me climax and then he was back in my arms again, kissing me fervently.
"I can taste myself on you," I breathed and he groaned again, slowly rocking into me. I unbuttoned his pants and slid them off part of the way, releasing his erection and slowly pumping it in my hands. He made an incoherent sound and slid into me, my body adjusting around his length as he began to move rhythmically against me.
"Sookie," He gasped, his hands fumbling a little as the pulled the top of my dress down to fondle my breasts. My second climax came shortly after, quickly followed by Eric's as he shouted in Old Norse and collapsed on top of me, his weight pressing me into the soft cushions. I hummed lightly, my fingers running through his hair.
"You are breathtaking, lover," He leaned his forehead against mine, his lips brushing against my mouth.
"You are biased, baby," I grinned and kissed him.
"I doubt that," My husband kissed me back, "I am very good at being objective."
"My big bull-shitter," I teased lightly and he scoffed, "I love you."
"You better," He grumbled, sitting up and fixing up the situation with his pants and my dress, "Or else I will have to question why I put up with this abuse."
***
Eric quickly fell back into his rhythm at Fangtasia, coolly introducing himself to the human employees as the boss and re-establishing himself as the Sheriff. He contacted the Queen of Louisiana and informed her of his return and, from what I could tell, she was thrilled. I didn't let him out of my sight for more than a second which meant that the next hour found me sitting next to Eric on the throne, my legs thrown over his lap as I sat facing him and he sat facing the bar.
"What is funny?" Eric asked when he caught me smiling.
"Nothing," I shook my head.
"Do you still love this song?" He nodded to indicate the song now playing over the speakers; I nodded 'yes'. It was ancient by my standards, but ever since the vampires had come out of the closet the radio stations (especially those targeting a supe audience) strived to play older music; supposedly to induce nostalgia. The song now playing was an acoustic, more soulful version of a hit from before I was born but I had grown to love it because it reminded me of my husband. "Then let's dance." He gently pushed my legs off and stood, offering me his hand, wordlessly leading me to the dance floor and pulling me into his arms. I put my hands around his neck and leaned my head against his cool chest while he wrapped his arms around my waist as we began dancing.
No one knows what it's like,
To be the bad man,
To be the sad man,
Behind blue eyes.
No one knows what it's like,
To be hated,
To be fated,
To telling only lies.
There are no words, I thought to myself. No words to describe the pure bliss I felt in that moment.
No one knows what it's like,
To feel these feelings,
Like I do,
And I blame you.
No words for me to use in letting him know exactly what he meant to me; this thousand-year-old vampire of mine.
No one bites back as hard,
On their anger,
None of my pain and woe,
Can show through.
No words that fully conveyed the love I felt for him as he held me in his arms and danced with me, nor the relief I felt at having been given a second chance with him.
If I swallow anything evil,
Put your finger down my throat,
If I shiver please give me a blanket,
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat.
The song slowed in preparation for the last verse (a repetition of the chorus) and Eric pulled back to look down at me. His sapphire eyes sparkled as he tipped my head back to bend down and press his lips to mine.
No one knows what it's like,
To be the bad man,
To be the sad man,
Behind blue eyes.
"I love you, dear one," He whispered against my lips, "I have always loved you and I will always love you."
No words, I thought, none at all.