Chapter five belongs to Athenaie...It is tribute to show that sometimes Begging is the way to go.

Athenaie This one is for you!

Enjoy!

Sookie

Chapter Five

Mine; Officially

An ache crept into my chest. When Jason came for me. I wished more than anything that gran could be here. She never tried to think it and she certainly never said anything but I knew she worried that I would end up alone. I wish she could see how happy I was. She would have liked Eric. I thought of my parents. Being as conservative as she was my mother would have pitched a fit of that I was sure. There was no telling how my father would have felt about his only daughter marrying a vampire but I still wished they were here. Instead Jason was walking me down the aisle. I didn't let those thoughts mar the genuine happiness I felt.

My brother cleaned up nicely. We walked towards the main ballroom. I was holding his elbow. "You are happy right?" He asked. He was fussing with his bow tie. Delicate conversations were not his forte. He didn't want to come off as critical or disappointed. "I mean this what you want" I smiled and leaned into him.

"Jason I will never be as happy as I am right now" We never had an easy relationship Jason and I. It warmed my heart that he was trying. I heard the music and I held unto my brother a little tighter that what was necessary. The doors opened. It was like I was seeing Eric for the first time. All six foot four of him he was clad in a tuxedo that had to be custom made. It was all all black except his jacket. It was white. His hair was braided intricately and held at the ends with a black band. Dashing; debonair; stunning none of those words were enough to describe what I was seeing.

In my mind the music stopped. I didn't see anything else but Eric. Every step I have taken; every injury I suffered, every scar I harbored, every decision I ever made was to bring me closer to this moment. The last piece just fell into place and I didn't know it was missing. Here and now I felt it all. It didn't even bother me that I was the only one. Eric didn't understand the significance of this. I broke into a smile and I couldn't get up there fast enough. Thankfully I didn't have a long way to go. Before I knew it Jason was handing me off to him in this age old tradition. To my surprise Eric actually shook hands with my brother. Then he kissed me. Clearly no longer of caring about tradition I am not ashamed to say I returned it. He let me go but held my hand and we faced the justice of the peace. Nothing that the vampire in front of us said registered. My eyes were on Eric and his were on me. The parts of our vows came. He insisted on having his own. Nothing in the traditional one applied or appealed.

"I Eric take you to be my wife. All that I am, I give to you wholly and irrevocably" He smiled and put my ring on my finger. I looked down at it. Where my engagement ring left an opening the wedding band closed it. The emotions dancing through our bond was almost too much for words.

"I Sookie take you as my husband. All that I am, all that I will ever be. I give to you" I slipped his ring on his finger. His band was titanium. It was plain and simple and oh so Eric. He pulled me into another kiss. And let me tell you if we were not in a room full of people I would be getting naked.

"I now declare you husband and wife. You may continue kissing the bride" I smiled. Eric freed me of his amazing lips. All the creatures that weren't vampires erupted into applause. We turned and headed down the aisle. The ballroom doors led seamlessly into the scene I had looked over earlier. It was even more beautiful in the dark of night. The flowers I had seen had been artificial and they lit. The scene I had envisioned was put to shame. This was perfect.

Over head I vaguely heard the emcee introduce us for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Eric Northman. The first dance commenced. Eric pulled me into his chest.

"You are beautiful" he whispered. I was so happy. He wiped my tears and kissed me.

"You're not so bad yourself" He chuckled as we danced. It was a damn shame that I couldn't tell you what song was playing even if my life depended on it. He lifted me into the air and spinning me about. Like usual I laughed like a lunatic. To put it simply; euphoric. I forgot where I was. His eyes boring into mine were the only thing that kept time. Otherwise it would have been completely lost.

When our dance ended we went to our honored guests; the Koválls. They were a different kind of vampire. They were openly affectionate and generally peaceful. Most importantly they were the most powerful. Their maker was well over ten thousand years old and the vampire king of France. He was amiable in nature until his children were threatened. Then he kills people-a whole bunch of them. Most of the vampires here were eager to get a look at them. It wasn't that he was reclusive. Cohan and his children were always in the public eye. Any vampire that wanted to get into France had to get his clearance. He didn't give it out a lot to keep the humans in his kingdom safe from rogues. He was a bigger celebrity than Dracula. While all the vampires gawked at living legends they appeared to be blissfully unaware. All of them were seated and just watching the scene. Except Ateyo he was being led unto the dance floor by a little girl. The pair was drawing a fair amount of attention from all the creatures present. Myself included.

Eric stooped at what was the respectable distance for vampires. Anthony however had no regard for vampire personal space. He came forward and gave me a casual one handed hug. Thank goodness because in this noise and this distance I would have to strain to hear.

"My dearest friend, the ceremony was enchanting" I returned his hug. I liked Anthony. His disposition was like a breath of fresh air. It was very easy to forget he was a vampire. It didn't seem likely when he had showed up on the front steps of my house a few months ago. I guess he would call it destiny that I didn't leave him to die or that I was even home. Whatever it was those few days he spent hiding in my house were life changing.

"Thank you Anthony it's good to see you again " I said. He answered with a dazzling smile. That traces of saddened that shadowed his face was gone. Nothing could replace what he had lost when his mother met her final death. No one would understand as the people that surrounded him. He looked at Eric they one of those silent vampire conversations.

Cohan came to Anthony's side. The first time I met him he did things I am yet to understand. Not understanding them didn't make them less frightening. Cohan emanated raw power. It poured off him in waves.

"Hello again little one" The way he said little one wasn't insulting considering the fact that I was a grown woman. At his age everyone was little. I smiled and gave him a real bow and even added a curtsy. The last time I greeted him I was on the cusp of passing out and my greeting had been inappropriate if not insulting.

"Thank you for coming all this way"

He gave me a carefree wave. "I like weddings" That was as sincere as it was unexpected. "You have not been properly introduced to my children" I could identify them because I had seen pictures but I didn't speak up on the matter. I met Negy, Eráh, and Demetrius they were all very polite. They smiled and offered congratulations and commented on the ceremony. In person Negy was even more stunning.

"Atéyo is there" Eric and I looked though I already knew. His hair was in a word unmistakable. It made me wish for a brush a pound of gel. He saw us looking and the little girl he was with smiled and blew a kiss at Cohan. Cohan smiled back at her and he looked completely turned to mush. She was laughing and began running over. That little maneuver almost led a vampire to his final death. I was at least glad he wasn't one of ours. Awful I know but I was relieved all the same.

The child wasn't paying attention and ran into him. The impact landed her on her bottom. The vampire was angry. He spun around to find the culprit. Finally seeing none he looked down. At some invisible signal all the Kovall children were frozen. Their eyes were honed in on the scene. They looked all kinds of hostile. Except Cohan he appeared calm.

Atéyo however was the most terrifying. His fangs were not extended. His body posture wasn't aggressive. The look on his face however was bone chilling. Some of the other vampires that were watching looked scared. Just to give you a good idea. The girl hadn't even gotten the chance to register the spill she had taken. Atéyo went to stand behind her. He didn't help her up his eyes were fixed on the vampire she ran into. He immediately dropped on one knee. Then he extended his had to the girl she used it to get up. She gave a small nod of her head to the vampire that she ran into. I didn't know exactly what was being said but it looked like she was apologizing. Her bow said they were equals. The ancient vampire behind her said he had better accept. His bow was much deeper than hers. Atéyo picked her up. Humans were wearing a wide array of emotions. The vampires looked awe struck. Beside me Eric was a mixture of amused and confused. I didn't understand it either.

They came over to us. The child was cuter than a spotted dog in a red wagon. From the color of skin she was a beautiful mix of Caucasian and African American. The very light brown of her skin made her eyes pop. The blue of them were the color of lighting they were framed under thick lashes. Her hair was the color of caramel and it hung in curls around her face.

"Are you alright?" I asked her. Atéyo was straitening her dress and looking at her hands. In general he was just fussing over her or looking for a reason to take offense. His eyes were still following the vampire from the altercation. It was very clear he wanted to kill him. My only hope was that he wouldn't do it here.

The girl gave me a smile that displayed perfect dimples. "Yes, thank you" Her English was accented but it wasn't one I could place. She was easy enough to understand even with the usual verbal hang ups of a child her age. Her demeanor was very mature. and it was obvious she hung around ancient vampires. Her eyes left me and she reached for Cohan. Atéyo handed her over.

"Téyo I wanted you to greet Eric and his bride" Atéyo smiled and nodded at us. He still didn't look nearly as calm as you would want a vampire his age."This is his child Aríndia" (pronounced E-REEN-DIA) The little girl smiled again and waved her hand in beauty queen kind of way. Normally the thought of a child belonging to a vampire would have made me sick. I thought of Ocella and Godfrey. It was different for this little girl. Anthony had told me that his maker had found him as a child. They were never lovers it one of the many things that made his family different. Eric spoke to them about their flight any accommodations they may need to make their time here as enjoyable as possible.

We moved on to other guests. Eric was at my side the entire night whether we were greeting vampire, human, demon or two natured guests. The reception was in full swing. I danced with Jason, Pam and even Tristan. There was cake and picture and the tossing of the bouquet. It was a blast. This was easily the happiest day of my life. I caught Eric looking at me a few times. There a slight smile on his face.

I made use of the telepathic communication we discovered some time ago "What" I asked.

He just kissed the top of my head. "I love you" I all but melted.

I was glad when the evening began to wind down. I wanted to be with just Eric. We got ready to leave. That was when I picked up the mental signature of a fairy. Of course there was no thoughts to be heard. But this fairy was familiar. I didn't know how I knew. I just felt like I knew this fairy. If a fairy was here they weren't going to come close to the main reception, what with all the vampires and everything.

"Lover?"Eric still had a hold on my hand and I was looking in the opposite direction.

"My cousin is here I think" He nodded in understanding.

"Take your time"He kissed my lips lightly and let me go.

I walked through the lobby of the hotel and ended up on the opposite side from the reception. There he was sitting on a bench under a weeping willow. "Niall" I whispered. It was a question. I had stopped moving expecting him to be figment of my imagination. Maybe I had spent too much time on cloud nine and was now hallucinating. He stood and held his arms open for me. I ran at him (I have been doing a lot of that lately). In this instance it was more than right to do so. He let out a little "oof" when my body hit his. He wrapped his arms around me. We just stood like that for a long minute. He pulled away and examined my face like a I would fruit at the grocery store. He turned it this way, then that like there was supposed to be an answer to a tricky question written there.

"You are lovelier than I remember" Good bye plain Jane. A fairy called me lovely. If that wasn't an ego booster I didn't know what was. I could have been mistaken but I could have sworn he also sniffed me. "Stronger too" There was a small smile on his beautifully aged face. I nodded. We sat down he put his one arm around me and I held the other. This is why I was having boundary issues. It felt right to be like this.

"I didn't think I would ever see you again"

"I did not think you would want to but I did not want to miss this" He looked as uncertain as I imagine a fairy prince of his measure ever could. The last time I saw him I had been badly battered from being caught in the crossfires of the Fae war. The war was centered on keeping the portals of their home world sealed. Although Niall was on the opposing side of that view point after the war he sealed the portals anyway. It made getting hurt so badly seem that much more pointless. I never blamed him for any of it. It made me happy to have known him no matter how short a time. I was also happy to learn about my lineage. I told him so. He gave me a look I couldn't quite decipher.

"I see you married him then" I frowned when I recalled his last words to me. Life would have been easier had he told me at the time he was referring to Eric. It would have saved me a lot of uncertainty.

I simply answered, "Yes"

"I must give you a gift. It is customary" I sighed. He has been trying to give me things since the first day I met him. Outside of helping me find Remy there was nothing I had ever wanted except to know him. I suspect this was a perfect opportunity for him to give me something I didn't need. I was about to go with my knee jerk reaction and refuse but the perfect thing came to mind and only he could give it.

"Anything I want" He seemed more pleased than suspicious that I was actually going along.

He patted my hand. "Of course child if it within my power. You have but to name it" Okie Dokie then.

I wasn't looking at Niall's face so I never saw his initial reaction. "I want you to let Dermot back into Faery" I kind of just blurted it out so I wouldn't prattle with an overture as I often did when I got nervous. When I looked back at him his expression was calm.

"I can smell him on you" Ah...hence the sniffing. The enhanced sense of supes was beyond intrusive. "You broke the curse" I nodded. At least he wasn't denying he did it. I didn't exactly know how long Dermot had been under that curse but it made him seriously crazy. I knew he suffered. He still suffers. We all have. I felt it was enough already "I take it you have forgiven him"

"Yes" I didn't know if it was a deciding factor or not but I added "I love him" Niall nodded. He seemed to be deep in thought.

Then he changed the subject very indiscreetly. "You are able to use magic" He said. I nodded. I told him about what I could do. He was stunned I was able to use Fintan's sword. He seemed proud that I followed after him in terms of magical ability so much so he even gave me pointers. We talked about some of the changes I was coming into. I told him about Jason though he wasn't mighty interested. He listened all the same.

He let out a deep breath that was uncharacteristic for someone as elegant as he. "Call him"

I did as he asked and five seconds later Dermot was in front of us. His face went from shock to fear then it settled on pain and shame. He dropped on both knees simultaneously. He was on the grass but it couldn't have been painless

"Father" His head was bowed and his eyes were glued to the ground.

"On your feet my son"

Dermot didn't move. Which I thought wasn't very smart. He looked up and I saw tears running down his face. I would leave them to it but I didn't fully trust Niall not to curse him again. Fairies kept their word but he hadn't made me any promises.

"I do not deserve the title. I am sorry father so sorry and ashamed for all the ways I have wronged you. In living or in dying I would take it all back" Niall got up and walked over to him and wiped his tears.

"I know and it if for that reason that I welcome you home" Dermot began crying in earnest. His father ran a hand through his hair. It was a tender gesture.

"I cannot" Dermot chocked out. He was looking at me. .

Niall looked too "You wish to stay with her" Dermot nodded. I was touched. I also felt kind of silly I could have saved myself the trouble.

He trained and I was no longer that helpless. It was still not in my best interest to get rid of the only person who could teleport instantly to my location if I called but I knew he missed his home world. I owed him my life. He has never asked me for anything. I wanted to at least try to do something for him. "It's okay" Not really because it left me with Claude as my only accessible Fae relation. Sigh. "I'll be fine"

Dermot looked like he was going to make a comment about my knack for disaster but Niall spoke up "It does not have to be now" We were both happy with that. "I wish to speak with her I will come to you later" Dermot nodded. He gave me a Jason kind of smile then he disappeared. I stood up.

"Will I see you again?" I asked hopefully. He looked above my head.

"The portals are still sealed" Asking him how he got here or how he knew I was getting married would have created more questions than it would answer. Although I was sad at not seeing him again I was happy I meant enough for him to want to be here. He walked closer to me. He placed a hand on my chest directly under the hollow of my throat and the other was cupped my face. He did it slowly as not to startle me. He said something in a language I didn't understand. His body glowed brightly for a second. I felt my spark react without my meaning to. The familiar warmth of it was running through my body. Then he released me.

"What was that?" It would have probably been more prudent to ask beforehand but I knew he wouldn't hurt me.

He smiled but it looked worn he suddenly looked fatigued; unwell almost. "Something to ensure your future" rarely do you get a yes or no answer when you asked a fairy a question. I was just going to chalk this up as some kind of fairy wedding ritual or good luck spell. "I must be going now as should you" I nodded.

"Goodbye Niall" I released his hand.

"Good bye my dear child and good luck" I looked at him until that shimmer in the air left me looking at nothing.

I began walking towards the place where I had left Eric. I didn't get far. Strong, familiar arms wrap around me from behind. "You really shouldn't go in there smelling like that" Before I could comment his lips were crushing on mine. He scooped me up bridal style and we were in the air. I gave a little shriek of delight. The flight to the balcony of our room was short. All the while his nose was buried in my shoulder. A low rumble was building in his chest.

"When you smell like that I want to fuck you, bite you and rub myself all over you" His voice held promises of sinful pleasures. A shiver ran down my spine. My libido was always doing flip flops whenever he was around. Add the extended absence and the fact that he sounded like pure sex and I was half way there.

"Have at it" I replied and he did.

I found myself naked in the middle of the bed with my husband over me. His kisses were urgent and hungry. He was rubbing his face against my body like a cat would cat nip. The look on his face was almost orgasmic. I knew he was too high off the fairy blood for foreplay. I knew he wouldn't be gentle, I didn't want him to be. My body had been aching for his touch. I was more than prepared. His fingers were playing my favorite tune. The anticipation was causing a tingling sensation deep inside me. It grew in force by the second. I felt like I was on fire and I needed him to put it out.

Our bond was fully open and it was filled with raw desire. His want and need fed mine and mine fed his. He pushed into me and I cried out at the sheer size of him. Every time we got together after any length of time apart it was like he never left. He drove into me hard. I raised my hips to meet him. I wanted to take him deeper. All the while my body burned.

Before this moment I would say Eric had discovered and conquered all there was inside me. Then he reached the source of the flames that had been consuming me. With every thrust my body clenched as he brought me closer to my release but it also intensified the heat that was now taking over my being. He bit into me. When I came it was powerful, dynamic, and almost painful but absolutely sublime. A transcending moment in time would have also been an accurate description. I had to bite him to funnel the excess otherwise I would explode. Well maybe not that but something drastic would happen. My idea about orgasms in jar was sounding better and better. With a growl Eric had his own release.

I had barely caught my breath but I was going for more. "Again, I want you again" It was the most demanding I had been in the bedroom. But he indulged me passionately. Kisses and caresses, moans and screams, there were no more words. My husband made love to me until I was too spent to move.

I hoped I provided a good look thus far into my own characters; Tristan and Gideon and their interactions with one another.

How did you all like the wedding?

It was a bit challenging trying to capture all the little details and emotions, It took some work until I was satisfied with it but I'm happy.

Anyone have any thoughts as to what that old fairy was up to?

One more time, Athenaie. Take a bow!