Thanks to all of you who are enjoying this story and sending in reviews. It is encouraging me to fight with the lousy internet connection here to try to keep posting.

Again, just this particular plotline is mine. Everything else belongs to Charlaine Harris.

Chapter 13 History

As soon as Pam was gone Sookie put her face in her hands, trembling slightly. Eric crouched by her. "Let's get you back to the apartment. Do you want me to drive?" She nodded and stood carefully. Now that she didn't have to act anymore she felt drained and shaky.

"I'll get my purse." she said as she began untying the apron. "If I leave this on the bar, can somebody take care of it?"

"Here, I'll take it." He did and moved behind the bar as she walked back to the lockers.

He was at her side as soon as she emerged from the back. "Can you walk? I could carry you." he offered.

She shook her head, "No, I can make it. I just wish I had remembered to bring comfortable shoes to wear home."

He put an arm around her waist and she leaned against him as they walked out the door into the night. "I'll massage your feet when we get back."

"Mmm, that will be nice." Suddenly her cellphone rang within her purse and she jumped before fishing it out. She looked briefly at the screen and noticed it was from Claudine and that there were several missed calls.

"Hello Claudine." She said as she answered it, Eric looked down at her with his eyebrows raised in question.

"No, I'm fine. It was just the fake attack I told you about. I'm fine." a pause, then, "I was just really startled that's all."

"I'll meet you tomorrow, promise."... "No. I'm with Eric right now, I'll see you tomorrow, I'm safe, I promise."... "Goodnight."

"Does she sense your fear?" Eric asked as she went to tuck the phone back in her purse, but at his question pulled it out again.

"I guess so, doesn't everyone? It must come with the fairy godmother job description." Looking at her phone she sighed, there were several calls from Bill, she thought he was traveling for his database again. "I'll meet with her tomorrow, tell her what we found out about the Fellowship." She showed Eric the call log. "I better call Bill or he'll be breaking down the door."

He nodded "Keys?" Eric held out his hand as they approached her car.

She dug through her purse and handed them to him. He opened her door for her and she slid into the seat. He had a bit more trouble folding himself into the driver's seat behind the wheel and had to move the seat all the way back. As they drove she called Bill and assured him she was fine.

"No one is forcing you to say that are they?" he asked suspiciously.

"No, I'm working for Eric, trying to track down some drainers. But I'm good."

"This is the third time in three days that you have been that frightened. He is putting you in too much danger." She could almost see him puffing his chest out.

"Bill, I'm a big girl. I know the risks and I make my own decisions." His over-protective attitude really grated on her nerves now that she was no longer completely enamored with him.

"Put Eric on." He demanded.

"No, I will not. If you have a problem with me you will talk with me. I'm calling the shots here." Eric was grinning, listening to the conversation, she knew he could hear both sides.

"Sookie, Eric would have no qualms risking your life to serve his ends. He..."

"Good night Bill!" She hit the button to end the call and wished there was someway to slam a cellphone.

"Don't say a word." She warned Eric, she had gone from frazzled to furious within a minute.

He looked wide-eyed and innocent as if he didn't know what she meant and she rolled her eyes at him.

Then his phone rang, He took it out of his pocket with a wide smile. "Northman". She knew it was Bill.

After a brief pause, "She's fine, do you think she's lying to you? Don't you trust her?", his smile could almost split his head in half. Sookie knew that somehow during this conversation Eric was going to make it known to Bill that she was his now. It was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I knew you didn't trust me." Eric said after a brief pause. "As Sookie said, she's been making all the plans here, I've always cautioned her when I thought something was dangerous. But I trust her enough to know what she is capable of and I have never tried to hold her back."

She could just barely hear Bill's voice but couldn't make out any of the words, she could tell he was furious. Eric's voice when he replied was calm, which she bet infuriated Bill all the more. "Bill, the women of your time might have been brainless bits of fluff, but my folk had respect for our women and knew they were strong." He glanced at Sookie admiringly, "Sookie is much more a warrior woman than a southern belle. I'm surprised you haven't learned that yet." Sookie smiled at him, a little flustered at the praise. Another pause as Bill vented. Eric's face became serious. "You can not protect her by keeping her in the dark about our world now that you have introduced her to it and it to her. Nor is that what she wants." After a shorter pause, Eric, obviously cutting Bill off, said flatly. "I let Sookie decide what is good for her, as I have always suggested, you should do the same. Goodnight Bill." he hung up the phone.

"You didn't tell him." Sookie said softly.

"About us?" Eric asked glancing at her as he pulled into the parking lot.

She nodded.

"That would have led to another argument, lots of posturing and him coming here to fight for you. He's mad enough for tonight." Expertly pulling into a space he turned off the car, which sputtered back. He was out of the car and holding open her door in a blink. As he offered her his hand he added, "Besides, I knew it would embarrass you and probably piss you off. Neither of which are moods I wanted for tonight." He wrapped his arms around her waist as she stood, bending to kiss her tenderly.

"Good thinking." she breathed, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. He swung her up into his arms, like Rhett and Scarlet.

"I said I can walk."

"We're not walking." He smiled and launched himself into the air. Her arms tightened instinctively around his neck, but the ride was over almost as soon as it began. They were on the penthouse patio. It was lovely, it had a small table grouping and some lounges, but most impressive were the massive planters filled with a variety of flowers, all blooming white. The smell of jasmine filled the air. He set her down gently.

"Eric, this is beautiful." She moved to admire the flowers.

"Not many flowers bloom at night, and they aren't very colorful, but it is a small bit of beauty that we appreciate all the more." He came up behind her and bent to kiss her neck. He nibbled near Pam's bite, then lifted his head. "You are still covered in True Blood." He murmured with a look of distaste.

"I was going to wash it off at the bar, but my tan was already poking through and I think Leanna is getting suspicious."

"It probably doesn't matter now that the bar is closed for a week." He took her hand, and gave a slight tug in the direction of the apartment.

She followed him, hand in hand, he led them back to the bathroom. To her surprise the large tub was filled with water, she could tell by the humidity in the room that the water was hot. She looked from the tub to him, "How?"

"The apartment is state of the art. I can control quite a bit of it remotely. When I realized how stressed you were I started the tub so it would be ready when we got here. Otherwise it takes forever to fill." He turned her to face him, put a finger under her chin to lift her head for a kiss and then his hand drifted down to begin unbuttoning her dress. She undid his belt, then his pants, they were both moving slowly, savoring each moment. She worked his shirt up, caressing his back as she did. He broke off the kiss to pull the shirt over his head. Then worked her arms out of the sleeves. As he turned his attention to the fastener on her skirt his cell phone rang.

He ignored it but it continued to ring and Sookie pulled back. "It might be important." She slid her fingers into his pocket and pulled out the phone. "It's Pam." She said as she looked at the screen.

He took the phone unhappily. "It better be important." He said with a rueful smile. "Yes?" His voice did not sound patient. He sighed, and gestured that he would be a minute, before heading through the door to the bedroom. She could hear his voice through the door although she couldn't make out the words. He was keeping his responses short, probably trying to end the conversation.

She finished undressing and hung the dress back up. She was about to step into the tub, when she realized that the make-up, temporary hair dye and True Blood would make a mess of the water, So she turned on the shower and stepped in to rinse off. That took less than a minute, but she had expected Eric to be back by now, which he wasn't. She spread a towel out in front of her so she wouldn't leave a wet trail from the shower to the tub, padded over and slid into the hot water. It was heavenly, she wondered how to get the jets working and glanced around, then spied the control panel on the wall within reach of the tub. Reaching over she set them to the first setting and immediately they began to shoot. She relaxed onto one of the formed seats and the jets were in the perfect position for all her stress and pains. Leaning back she let the water take away all the tension.

She was not aware that she had drifted asleep until she realized that Eric was across from her in the tub massaging her feet. She forced her eyes open and smiled at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep. I was just so relaxed. That feels wonderful." She added nodding at her feet.

"Then I won't stop, yet." He looked to the side of the tub where a champagne chiller sat. "Would you like some champagne?"

"Yes, please." He lifted the champagne from the ice and began to open it.

"Eric, that's way too expensive for me. I'll probably only drink one glass, maybe two." She protested when she saw the label.

"Nothing is too expensive for you, I know you have always had to be frugal and manage your money, but at this point in time I can afford indulgences, and if I wish to indulge you I can do that too." When she opened her mouth to continue to protest he popped the cork, and began pouring her a flute. "Now that it's open, it would be more wasteful for you not to drink it." He held out the glass to her which she took reluctantly.

"Thank you." She said more subdued, she took a sip.

He moved back to sitting across from her and resumed massaging her foot. He looked at her curiously, "Are you angry?"

"No, maybe. I just..." she didn't know how to put it in words all the conflicted thoughts she was feeling.

"If you think, I am thinking that I can buy your affections with fancy things, I don't." That was a big part of what was bothering her.

"No?" she sounded skeptical.

"If you were a gold-digger you would have dropped Bill for me the first night we met in Fangtasia. Or at the very least you would have profited more from your relationship with Bill before moving on to me. But you still work to support yourself and still drive a piece of shit car." When she looked offended he quickly added. "You are beholden to none, tell me, do you even have a balance on your credit cards?"

"No." Gran had only used credit cards in a real emergency, like if their car broke down, they lived too far out to go without a vehicle, but other than that she wouldn't buy something if she couldn't afford it at the moment. Sookie had strived to live the same way. She took another sip, more to keep from having to speak than to savor the champagne.

He nodded, with a smile of satisfaction. "As I said to Bill, you are more like a viking woman than a southern belle."

"I thought vikings were all about pillaging and ..." she let it trail off. She didn't want to say it.

"Raping?" He looked grim, "Most often when we went out, it was for trade, but we would go raiding, or to war. If we conquered an area, part of that conquering would be raping the women and sometimes the men, it showed our power, our complete control over them. But at that time, that was a part of war, not only for us but for most of Europe. On a raid, we took slaves, thralls, they were our property, women thralls often became concubines. But our women were treated well. You looked for a wife who could manage your land and household while you were gone for months at a time. She would have to make sure your slaves worked and didn't run away, get the crops harvested and set enough in stores for winter, in addition to raising the children, weaving, making clothes and so many other things I can't name." He shook his head, "Upper class women from Bill's time made a show of how delicate they were. No, give me a woman who knows her own mind and can take care of her own." He looked at her admiringly.

"I think there is a compliment in there. Thank you." She said slowly and looked at her champagne.

Eric released her foot and glided over to her. He lifted her chin so he could look her in the eye. "Have I upset you? I wasn't going to lie to you. I don't lie to you. I can't always tell you everything, especially about vampire matters, but if I tell you something it is true." He looked at her with sadness, "You know there are many terrible things in my past. Things that would horrify you. Please don't ask me about them if you don't want to know. I don't want to drive you away by something that happened a thousand years ago, or a hundred years ago or even ten years ago. Throughout history we have lived on the fringes of your world, as predators. It is how we had to survive and it was all we knew. I can't change any of that."

She looked in his eyes, and saw the fear that she would hate him over the truth. "I know, and I shouldn't have asked. You were born into a different world." She dropped her eyes. "But you don't... you haven't...?" She couldn't finish, because this answer might make her recoil from him, but she had to know.

"Are you trying to ask if I carry on my viking ways now?" He asked softly.

She nodded, afraid to speak or look into his eyes.

He shifted to sit beside her, not touching her. "It has been a very long time, since I have behaved so barbarously." He stared ahead and appeared to be looking back through the years. "In the early years after I was made, I raped and killed, usually simultaneously, because the hungers are so strong, and that was what my maker taught me, how he hunted. Later, as I ventured out on my own, I learned I could survive on less blood so I would glamor victims, take a little blood and hide the attack, then the less damage you caused the less you had to hide. So it was easier to hide my true nature if I only fed. It also allowed me to stay in one place longer and actually have a home. I still couldn't stay too long in one area, because people would notice I only was about at night, or that I didn't age. But in any city there is always an element that keeps to the night, mostly thieves and prostitutes, other criminals. It was always easy to blend in there since they didn't ask many questions." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back onto the side of the tub. She turned her head to study his profile. "I didn't have trouble finding willing women to slake my sexual appetite. I could pay a prostitute or find a woman who found me attractive. I would glamor them into forgetting I drank from them, but I wouldn't glamor them into my bed."

"If you hadn't in so long, why were you afraid you might have when you were staying with me?"

"I wasn't sure of what I'd become during that time. If I'd regressed to how I was when I was first turned, it was very likely that I could have. If I had become as I was before I was turned, then it would have been a grave offense to violate your hospitality with such an act." He shrugged, "I have been many different men in my long existence, most of them very dangerous."

"That first night I came into Fangtasia with Bill, you tried to glamor me. Why?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"To get you to leave Bill and come to me. If you had, I would not have kept you glamored." He turned his head and looked at her so she could see the truth in his eyes.

"But why me? The bar was full of people who wanted you."

"Do you own a mirror?" He asked, turning in his seat to face her. He slowly lifted a hand to her face, watching her every reaction. When she didn't shrink back, he let his hand cover her cheek. "You are beautiful." She blushed and began to protest but he shook his head. "I don't know how you were treated, or who told you you weren't, but you are. You're beautiful and brave and clever and earnest."

"You didn't just want me because Bill had me?"

"Hardly, Bill had brought other women to Fangtasia before you and they didn't warrant a second glance." His thumb stroked her cheek. "Why can't you believe I want you for you?"

"I don't know." She looked away from the intensity in his eyes.

"Are you trying to come up with a reason to end our relationship?" He asked softly.

Her eyes darted back to his and she could see a wariness and weariness there. "No!" she denied quickly, but slowly added, "But maybe I'm storing up reasons for why it had to end when it does, so it won't hurt so bad."

He pulled his hand away from her cheek and smacked the water. "Damn Compton!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "Every time I see how much he hurt you I want to give him the true death." His eyes were fierce, a storm brewing in their blue depths.

"Eric, no, don't hurt him, please. I don't want anyone else hurt on account of me. I just walked into that relationship so naïve and innocent, that I was bound to be hurt by it." Her eyes were filling with tears, she chuckled weakly. "If I were a normal girl I would have had several failed relationships by now and it wouldn't have hurt so bad." A tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek.

Eric moved in, softly catching the tear with a kiss. "You're more than a normal girl." he murmured against her cheek, as his hand came up to brush the hair back from her face. He pulled back so he could look her in the eye. "I have lived for a thousand years and I have never met anyone like you."

She blushed and smiled weakly at him, a lump in her throat. Another tear escaped, followed by another, he caught both as he did the first, then tenderly kissed her mouth. Pulling away slightly, so she could end it if she wanted to, but she leaned towards him, seeking out his mouth with hers. When their lips met he deepened the kiss, his hand moved, becoming entangled in the hair at the back of her head as he pulled her to him. She slid off the seat and wrapped one arm around his waist, with the other she was blindly trying to put the champagne flute safely on the side of the tub, without success. She made a noise of frustration and broke of the kiss. He looked startled and wary.

"It's okay, I just don't want to break the glass." She said at the question in his eyes and she turned to place the delicate glass on the floor.

"Drink it." he encouraged. "You don't want to be wasteful, do you?" His eyes teasing.

She rolled her eyes, but finished the champagne in the glass. Setting it down she turned back to him. "There, frugal like a good viking woman." She slid her arms behind his head, pulling him in for a kiss. She realized in the water, the height difference wasn't an issue.

"A woman after my own heart." He murmured a second before their lips met hungrily. The kiss was intense, each pouring all their feelings into it. His hands trailed down her back to capture her butt, pulling her close against him, his gracious plenty growing between them. She rubbed against him and he moaned softly. She ran her fingers over his back, digging her nails in as his fingers followed the curve of her rear and slipped between her legs.

She wrapped her legs around him, buoyant in the water. The long fingers of one hand came under her leg to tease her opening, his other hand he brought to her breasts, his fingertips gliding over her skin. Her nipples hardened under his touch and she writhed against him. As she broke off the kiss to breathe, he kissed along her jaw back to her ear, which he gently nibbled, sending goosebumps across her flesh and fire to her core.

He moved them back slightly, until she was resting against the slanted seat built into the side of the tub, the jets pounding the small of her back. Kissing his way down her neck, he paused at the pulse point to lightly nip the skin there. She gasped and braced herself for his bite but he continued moving lower. He held both breasts in his hands, his mouth covered a nipple, biting it lightly and teasing it with his tongue. As he moved lower, there was less of him she could reach, but she ran her fingers through his hair and her feet stroked the back of his thighs.

He kissed his way down her belly, which took his head underwater, he went lower, until he was nuzzling the nest of curls just above her entrance. She trembled with need at the touch and had to grasp the edge of the tub to steady herself. He trailed kisses to her nether lips and parted them with his tongue. She moaned, and expected him to surface when it occurred to her that vampires don't have to breathe.

It was a strange feeling, her muscles had relaxed in the hot, churning water, while the wonderful things his mouth was doing were causing a delightful tension to build. It was almost as if the vampire and the hot tub were working at cross purposes. The result was an incredibly slow climb to the precipice of release, despite the intense pleasure Eric was invoking. When his fingers entered her and started thrusting she was sure she would go mad if she didn't come soon. Then he curled his fingers to hit just the right spot and within seconds the wave of ecstasy washed over her.

As the bliss receded and her eyes fluttered open, Eric was next to her, studying her face. "You are beautiful in rapture." He murmured as he brushed the hair from her face and leaned in to meet her lips in a kiss. She couldn't think of a response to that, but since the kiss continued she didn't have to.

She grew light-headed from the intensity of the kiss so soon after the powerful release, she felt a little drunk despite having only the one glass of champagne. It was a pleasant sensation, although she wondered why the room seemed to be getting dark.