A/N: Love to everyone for their reviews and alert adds. Hope this chapter lives up to standards regardless of the lack of citrus :)

Charlaine Harris owns all - please don't sue, I'm poor and unemployed.

Chapter 27 – SPOV

I couldn't contain the sigh of happiness when I lowered myself into the water and back against Eric's chest. Feeling his arms wrap around me made me smile and I wished that I had a never ending supply of hot water so that we could stay in here forever.

As awesome as it was to sit in hot water and feel my muscles relax minute by minute, while my beautiful sex god of a fiancé held me in his arms and washed me down, I rethought my wish when I looked at my hands and found they were all pruney then realized we had been sitting in the water so long it was starting to get cold.

"We should move" I whispered softly, running my hands up and down Eric's thighs

"We should, but I like it right here" he whispered back with a smile

"I do too, but I'm getting all wrinkly" I chuckled, showing him my fingers "and everyone will be getting home soon, I have to check on dinner and the water is getting cold."

"I don't like it when you're rational" he pouted "you make too much sense and my brain kicks in and starts thinking again"

I couldn't help laughing and turned around in his arms to hug and kiss him into a better mood. As uncomfortable as the position was he was just too cute when he was pouting for me to let it go without kissing him and I think he knew it.

"When we find a place of our own, we need a huge tub" I said, sitting back on my knees and preparing to get out "I like bath time with you, but this one is really a little bit small"

"That's a fantastic idea, I can't wait to start house hunting. You're right about the size of this tub though" he chuckled "My knees are freezing from being up out of the water this whole time."

I kissed his kneecaps with a laugh and got out quickly, scampering away and wrapping myself in a towel before he could start something… he had that look in his eye and I knew it would only end badly because we wouldn't be able to finish.

I dried off and pulled on the clothes Eric had bought over for me, plain cotton underthings, nice comfy sweats and a pullover. I couldn't resist running my hands down his ribs as he pulled on his shirt, my man was just too well built to discourage touching.

After a chaste kiss we headed downstairs and into the kitchen to set up for dinner. As I had suspected it was getting late and everyone was sure to be home sooner rather than later. The kitchen smelt awesome from the chicken in the slow cooker and I pulled the rice out of the microwave to finish cooking on the stove top with some ginger ale to give it flavor.

"We have to get a slow cooker when we move in together too" Eric sighed, sniffing at the steam coming out of the pot while he stirred

"Slow cooker is a must have" I smiled "Do you cook much?"

"Meh" he shrugged "I don't starve, but I wouldn't say I cook a lot, Subway is too handy" he chuckled

"I'll teach you how to use the slow cooker" I laughed "I like my meatball subs, but I'd much prefer something cooked at home"

"If you're cooking it I'm sure I'll prefer it too" he smirked. I poked my tongue out at him and he blew me a kiss.

We were just finishing up setting the table when we heard the gravel crunching in the driveway. The sound of footsteps and the murmur of our families drifted up the hall.

"ARE YOU DECENT?" Pam yelled, walking into the kitchen with her hand over her eyes.

"Yes" I laughed "Did you have a good day?" I asked, giving her a quick hug

"Great" she smiled "I don't think I could live here full time because you don't have Starbucks, but it was still fun"

"I'll work on that for you" I laughed "What about everyone else?" I asked as Gran, Amelia and Alexis trooped in.

"Tara has magic fingers" Amelia said, collapsing into a chair "She gave me a foot rub while I was having my pedi and Oh Em Gee…drool"

Alexis laughed "I have to agree that Tara and her staff are very talented, she could make a killing in an area with more customer opportunities, but I'm sure she loves it here" she smiled "She showed me pictures of her little ones while we were waiting for my nails to dry, they are the most darling little things"

"Yeah, Maddy and Cole are very cute" I agreed, remembering the last time I had seen the two little cherubs "How old are they now?"

"Nearly five" Gran laughed "they get into so much trouble, Tara swears she has to dye her hair more often since they turned four"

I laughed and listened to the rest of their day, pushing them gently into their seats so that we could start eating. Considering all the exercise Eric and I had done while they were out I was starving and dished up a larger than normal portion for myself along with an extra large portion for Eric.

"So what did you two get up to today?" Pam asked with a twinkle in her eye that I had been quick to learn meant mischief

"Oh y'know…" I stalled "this and that"

"Uh huh" she chuckled "Like what?"

"Well…we took a little run this morning, cleaned up a bit, just hung out together really" I said looking at her with a smile pasted on my face.

She chuckled under her breath and continued eating… Thank goodness

We watched some night time TV until Eric and I started yawning, we had had a long and exhausting day after all. We said goodnight to everyone and went up to bed, happily falling asleep in each others arms.

The next morning, while Amelia had been in the bathroom …

"So I was thinking we could go and see the sights in Shreveport today" I announced to the table as soon as I heard the bathroom door shut.

"Sounds good to me" Alexis said with a smile

"Do we have time for shopping?" Pam asked hopefully

"We can do what ever you like" I grinned "Have a look online and see if there's anything you want to do, otherwise we can just go to a movie or something. I have to confess I have an ulterior motive for wanting to go today though."

I was greeted with a mischievous grin from Eric at that statement and while I'm sure whatever was running through his mind would be… more than interesting, I actually wanted to give Amelia a chance to see Trey.

"I thought we could surprise Amelia and drop her off at Trey's house for the day" I suggested "I think they deserve a little time together"

"That's a lovely idea Sookie" Gran said with a smile "When are you going to tell her about it?"

"Just make sure you tell her when she's not in the car… I don't think my ears can take her squealing in a small space." Eric said with a chuckle "I'll call Maggie and make sure Trey is available to be surprised today."

"I was thinking I'd just let her figure it out for herself," I shrugged "If she hasn't worked it out by the time we get to Trey's house, then I'll tell her when we get out of the car to save poor Eric's ears"

By the time Amelia came back from the bathroom, plans were in place and mischievous grins were hidden while we got ready to leave, I told Amelia that we were going to a movie in Shreveport and that Eric wanted to do some sciencey stuff and she squeaked a little and ran off to her room, coming out a few minutes later with a sad look on her face.

"I called Trey to see if he wanted to meet up with us, but Maggie has him doing stuff around the house today, so he can't" she said sadly "Is it completely lame that I want to go and mope in bed now?"

"It's not lame Meals" I said, giving her a hug "It's normal when you can't see them every day to be bummed that you're missing out when it is an actual possibility."

"I guess it's not so bad" she said with a little smile "He's asked me to come and stay for a couple of days while you're all in Cali"

"That's so great!" I squeaked, hugging her tight "When?"

"Well, you know I have all the crap with the parents to do in New Orleans," she said rolling her eyes "So after that's all over I have just over three days before you get back and we have to go back to LSU, so he asked me to come and stay"

"Awww." I squeaked "Have you decided on coming to NY with me, Trey wanted to know if you were coming and if you'd want to stay with him?"

"Mmmm" she grinned "I told him I would, I hope you don't mind if I spend absolutely no time with you"

"Not at all" I chuckled "I was going to ask you the same thing"

"Cools" she grinned "Shall we go? Are we going shopping too? I want to see Pam make Eric cry"

I laughed at the idea, knowing it probably wasn't far from the truth "We will most definitely be shopping, but I don't think he'll actually cry"

"Five bucks says she can do it" Amelia grinned, sticking her hand out

"Five?" I laughed "You're on, I bet he'll get pissy but he won't actually cry"

"What are we betting on?" Pam asked, walking past while we were shaking on it

"That you can make Eric cry sometime today" Amelia said with an evil grin "Sookie thinks you can't do it."

"Hmmm" Pam said thoughtfully "It'll be a close call… On the one hand, I can make him so pissed he would cry, on the other hand he has Sookie to distract him"

"Hmmm" Amelia mused "You're right, Pam. Sookie, I think you have to wander off with Gran and Alexis a bit, otherwise you can use your feminine wiles to keep him chilled out"

"Agreed" Pam nodded "Not fair with the wiles, and no tipping him off on the bet either, you're a sneaky one Ms Stackhouse" she added narrowing her eyes at me before winking to let me know she was kidding.

"Fine" I laughed "But no shoe shopping, that's cheating"

"Lingerie?" Pam asked, raising her eyebrow

"Allowed" I laughed "But that one might backfire on you"

"True" Pam smirked "So you're not allowed to be there"

"Fine" I sighed, rolling my eyes "Just make sure he doesn't buy anything ugly"

Pam laughed loudly "You do remember who we're talking about right? Can you really imagine Eric buying anything ugly? Sometimes I think he has better taste than me"

I laughed and walked into my bedroom to finish getting ready, a pair of tight jeans, a low cut top with a cami underneath and my ballet flats made up my outfit. Lipgloss and lashings of mascara finished me off.

I loved the way Eric looked at me. I walked down stairs and into the kitchen to see him sitting at the table, as soon as he saw me his entire face lit up. His smile was infectious and I grinned so hard my face hurt.

I caught Gran and Alexis in the corner of my eye, smirking at each other and chuckling a little. Eric pulled me into his lap and hugged me close and I completely forgot to be embarrassed. Was this how it started? When would we hit the point where we would turn into that couple that made out in public while emo teens walked past and told us to get a room?

"You two are just so cute" Alexis said with a laugh "you don't even notice the rest of us are here do you"

"We notice" Eric protested with a smirk "We kept our clothes on didn't we?"

"Eric!" I yelped, slapping at his arm playfully

"Sookie, I'm not stupid" Gran laughed "I know you're not a nun"

I turned a beautiful shade of puce and scrambled off Eric's lap while everyone laughed at me. Thankfully Amelia and Pam joined us soon afterward and the laughter trailed off. Pam suggested we shop first, giving us the out we needed to get to Trey's house and off we went.

Eric drove while I rode shotgun, the back seats being claimed quickly by the others with grins and smirks aplenty. The smile that was glued to Eric's face while we drove was worth it though, once we hit the freeway his hand rested on my thigh and didn't move until we needed to exit.

Amelia spoke up when we drove past the mall "Uh, Eric you missed it"

"I did?" He said, pretending to be confused "Oh, I'll turn around when I can"

"Okies" she grinned, turning back to her conversation with Pam and losing track of our position again. She didn't realize until we stopped at Trey's house where we were actually going.

I opened the door and pulled her out before she started squealing "We might have to suspend your bet today Ame's" I laughed as she gaped at me "We're abandoning you here"

"Really?" she asked

I nodded and grinned at her starting to dance in place

"Really really?" she squeaked

I nodded again and laughed as she jumped up and down squealing in joy before trying to strangle me with an excited hug.

"Thank you so much" she said, grinning at everyone "I totally owe you all one"

"Just go have fun honey" Gran said with a smile

With one last squeal she ran up to the door and knocked. We sat at the kerb waiting for the door to be answered. Trey came out and with a surprised yelp picked her up off her feet in a bear hug and spun around in glee. It was so cute everyone in the car, beside Eric, teared up, Eric just grinned and started the car, honking the horn as we pulled away.

"That was just so effin' cute!" Pam chuckled "remind me to tease her later"

"I get dibs on her dance moves" I laughed

We arrived at the mall a short time later and while Eric and I stood in line for tickets to 'Lucky Number Slevin', Pam, Alexis and Gran shot over to the candybar for supplies. Songs were piping through the cinema speakers and I couldn't help dancing while we waited.

"Sookie, could you please hold still?" Eric pulled me back against his hips "You're making me uncomfortable" he whispered

"Why? Am I embarrassing you" I teased

"No" he groaned "you're grinding on me"

"Ohhh" I gasped, finally catching on and holding still "Ooops sorry, I didn't notice, I just like dancing"

"I'll keep that in mind when we go clubbing at home" he chuckled, "I love the way you move, just remind me to wear kevlar boxers."

I chuckled and gave him a wink before letting him move forward to pay for the tickets. I tried to ignore the flirty looks he was getting from the attendant, but I couldn't help hanging on his arm a little and flashing my engagement ring.

"What was that?" Eric chuckled as we walked away to meet up with the others

"It's not my fault my fiancé is a hottie" I laughed "Besides, she was totally flirting with you"

"I didn't say I didn't like it, I just wanted to make sure you knew you had nothing to be jealous of" he said with a grin

"Who's jealous?" I laughed, shoving at him playfully.

We shuffled in and took our seats, Eric moving the arm from between our seats so that I could snuggle in to his side. I had to hide my face a few times, I wasn't good with the icky bits, but it was a good movie, if only for the person I was watching it with.

Alexis, Gran and Pam walked out of the movie talking nineteen to the dozen and had obviously loved it. We stopped in at a café in the mall for some lunch before making plans to split up for shopping time.

I actually wanted to get some books so I volunteered to go with Gran to Borders while Pam and Alexis double teamed Eric to get Pam the latest phone available, saying that they needed him to 'translate'

With a gentle sigh and a roll of his eyes he gave in and agreed to go along. I couldn't hide a laugh as he made them swear to stay away from shoes, handbags, jewelry, makeup and perfume counters while he was with them.

Although they obviously didn't like the idea, they promised not to subject him to any of the forbidden stores. Pam caught my eye and gave me a wink and a smirk when Eric wasn't looking… apparently the bet was still on.

Pam and Alexis grabbed Eric by the arms and dragged him away, the look on his face was comical and I couldn't help feeling a little bit sorry for him. Gran laughed a little and we moved off to do a little book shopping.

"Why did Pam wink at you?" Gran asked

"Amelia and I bet that Pam couldn't make Eric cry today while we were shopping" I confessed "I didn't think she could, Amelia thought it was possible as long as I wasn't there full time to distract him from his woe's"

"You're so mean" Gran laughed "I don't think she'll be able to do it either, he's too happy right now… you could probably pull his teeth out and he'd still be grinning"

I laughed, but couldn't disagree. I knew I was just as goofy as he was, we were made for each other and I was glad everyone could see it. "I'm glad I can make him that happy" I smiled

"Me too honey" Gran said, pulling me into a one armed hug as we walked along "I think you already know each other so well the only fights you'll have are over what to watch on TV" she added with a chuckle

"I'll just hide the remote" I quipped with a laugh.

We walked in to Borders and didn't talk again until both of us were loaded down with armfuls of new books and making our way to the counter.

"Lucky we have Eric to play pack mule" Gran said with a laugh

"We can go and drop them off at the car" I said with a smile "I can't torture him with carrying all of these as well as trying to keep Pam away from shoes"

Gran laughed again and after a quick call to meet up with the others we walked off weighted down with our purchases and happy about it. Eric, ever the gentleman, took the bags off our hands as soon as he saw us and begged me with his eyes to come with him to drop them off at the car.

"You turned up just in time, love." he sighed happily as we walked away from a chuckling Pam.

"Super Sookie to the rescue" I laughed, hooking my arm into his and taking a couple of bags back to free up his hand. "Is it completely lame that I missed you?"

"Only if I hadn't missed you just as much" he grinned and kissed me soundly as we moved up the escalator.

Awwwww!