I woke up on my bathroom floor just as the sun was coming up. I was in just my underwear, covered in a disgusting layer of sweat and I was huddling under a couple towels. I shivered and searched for my clothes. I found them in the tub, in an extreme need of a wash (or two). I crawled to the door and pulled down my robe that was hanging on the back and slowly pulled it on. I took my time, struggling to stand on wobbly legs. I took a look in the mirror and my stomach gave a small lurch. I redid the ponytail in my hair, washed my face and brushed my teeth and began to feel mildly better. Well, not really. I took my time getting back to the bathroom door and out of the room. I was surprised to see Amelia passed out on my bed. I wanted to lie down in a comfortable bed but didn't want to disturb her, so I crossed the hall into the spare room and crawled under the covers. It felt like bliss. My eyes lids fluttered a few times and I was out.

A few minutes later I woke up and rolled over to check the clock. It was after noon. I slid out of bed and took a quick stop in the bathroom before heading for the kitchen. I didn't feel hungry, but my stomach felt safe enough to chance some soup. Amelia was sitting at the table eating a sandwich when I walked it.

"Hey," she said quietly, "How are you feeling?" I gave a weak smile.

"I'm doing okay. I have no idea what came over me last night," I said.

"I bet you're hungry. Want me to fix you something? You didn't even get to have any dinner. At least we know it was my cooking!" she said, laughing. I chuckled a little and clutched my stomach.

"Ow! Don't make me laugh!" She did her best to cover her giggles and got up to put her plate in the sink. Then she started fixing me some chicken noodle soup. When it was ready, she set a full bowl in front of me with a glass of ginger ale. I ate slowly, allowing my stomach the time to accept the food. I managed to get most of the soup down, along with two glasses of ginger ale, before my stomach began to protest. I put my spoon down and sank back. The roller coaster in my stomach felt like it was taking off. I slowly made my way to my bedroom, Amelia trailing me with a glass of water and a glass of ginger ale for me in each hand. I made it to my bed and curled into somewhat of a ball. Amelia set the glasses down on my bedside table and told me she'd be right back. She returned a minute later with her own cup of coffee. The smell of the beverage was both wonderful and disgusting to me at the same time.

"So what do you think caused you to be sick? I don't think it was anywhere or anything we ate, I'd be sick too if it was, and in the time I've known you, you've never been sick at all, not even a case of the sniffles. And I know the blood bond has helped you stay healthy. Do you have any ideas?" she asked as she sipped her coffee. I shook my head as best as I could considering I was laying down.

"I want to shower," I told her. She put her coffee cup down on my bedside table and helped me to the bathroom. She did her best to help me undress and helped me into the tub. While I showered, she grabbed me some fresh towels and some clean pyjamas and underwear. When I finished, she passed the clean towels through the curtain and I cuddled inside them for a second before drying myself off. I wrapped one towel around my hair and the other around myself and stepped out. She passed me my clean clothes and turned around, sticking close by in case I needed any help. When we were finally done, she quickly passed a comb through my hair and braided it for me to keep it neat and off my face. Then she lead me back to bed and tucked me in. My eyelids were already getting heavy.

"I was supposed to work tonight. Can you call Sam for me and tell him I won't be able to make it and I'm sorry it's such short notice?"

"Of course," she said. She went to the kitchen to make the call and was back only a couple minutes later. I was half asleep when she came back.

"Sookie, I called Sam for you. He hopes you'll feel better soon. He said he was already extremely short staffed so I offered to take your shift. I have to go get ready now but I'll check on you before I leave, ok?" she told me. I mumbled something resembling a yes as she left the room. About an hour later she came back, bringing me a small plate of crackers and a fresh glass of water. She also made sure my cell phone was close by.

"I'm going to head out now. I'll be back around midnight. If you need anything call my cell or Sam's or call us at the bar, ok?" I nodded my head once and drifted off to sleep again. I woke up hours later feel much more refreshed, but still feeling somewhat sick. I made a slow trek to the bathroom to take care of business. When I finished, I took myself to the kitchen for something more interesting than crackers or soup. I made myself a slice of toast with raspberry jam. It sat heavy in my empty stomach, but it stayed down and didn't make me feel queasy so I was happy enough. I glanced at the clock on the microwave and saw it was just after 11:30, so I dragged myself to the living room to watch some TV until Amelia came home. I didn't have to wait long, because she was coming through the back door about ten minutes later.

"Sookie, how are you feeling?" she asked as soon as she realized I was up.

"I'm doing okay. I managed to eat a piece of toast," I claimed triumphantly. Amelia gave me a thumbs up.

"I don't know if you want to know or not, but Pam is here. She didn't want to just walk in and she said she knocked several times but she never got an answer. Can she come in?"

"Yeah, I guess. Pam, you can come in," I called. The blonde vampire glided in from the kitchen wearing her favourite ensemble of a pastel coloured pantsuit.

"Sookie, you look terrible," she told me.

"Thanks Pam! What can I do for you?" I asked.

"I'm on a delivery run. I should have been by last night to drop it off but Eric didn't show up at the bar last night so I had to run things. At first I thought he was here and couldn't understand why he didn't just bring it himself, but then he didn't show up again tonight so I assumed he's run away for a while. He often takes off for a couple weeks when he's very upset. I left Maxwell in charge just for this evening. So I'm instructed to give you this box and insist you take it. Eric's note claimed it isn't exactly a gift. I also have a letter for you," she explained. I gestured for her and Amelia to take a seat. Pam chose the chair across from me while Amelia took the other end of the couch. Pam sat the small square box on the table and slide it across to me then placed the letter next to it.

I opened the box first and gasped. Inside was a gorgeous Tiffany solitaire diamond ring. It was bright and sparkled in the light of the room. I was absolutely speechless. Amelia looked shell shocked and even Pam looked impressed.

"I had no idea what I was actually delivering. I had seen it just before I went to ground on Saturday morning, but as I explained, I wasn't able to deliver it last night," she said. I just nodded. I closed the box and placed it carefully on the table as if it was made of glass. I reached for the letter next and opened it.

Dearest Sookie,

I understand now why you asked me to solve this problem within me. I never realized how much it tortured you and I separately.

I miss you so very much. Whenever you need me, I'll be here waiting for you. I look forward to the day when you and I are together again and I can smell the sun on your skin, the wind in your hair. I've kept the kitchen well stocked in your favourite coffee and snacks. Your toothbrush is in the washroom where you left it. I'm hoping one day soon you'll be back to use it.

I do have one more request of you. I want to marry you, legally. Please be my wife Sookie Stackhouse. I've never felt this way about anyone in my long life before. I also know you would be happier with a proper marriage, and I have no objections. I hope you will accept.

I've asked Pam to relay this message, considering our circumstance, but please call me with your decision. I'll be waiting by my phone, day and night, for your answer.

With all my love,

Eric

I was so shocked, I let the paper flutter to the floor. Amelia dove for it. She gasped almost immediately. Pam seemed to know what was going on without reading the letter.

"Your answer?" she asked.

"I-I-I… Yes," I answered after tripping over my tongue for a moment. Pam beamed, her fangs fully run out. I walked to my room quickly and grabbed my cell phone. I dialled Eric's cell phone number but his voicemail picked up right away.

"You've reached Eric Northman. I'm unable to answer your call. Leave a message after the beep," his smooth voice said crisply. I suddenly missed him terribly. I waited for the beep.

"Eric, I've just received your gift, and your letter from Pam. And I accept! Please call me when you get this. I love you," I said to his machine. I flipped my cell phone shut and went back into the living room.

"I've just called him. It went straight to voicemail though, strangely enough," I told Pam.

"Yes," she said, nodding, "I called him last night when he didn't show and again tonight and got his voicemail directly." I offered her some blood, but she declined.

"I must be on my way. I'm not actually working at Fangtasia tonight, but there is still paperwork that needs to be done from the past few nights. I'll let you know if I hear anything from Eric. I assume you'll do the same in return?"

"Of course," I told her. I showed her out. As soon as she was gone, I turned to Amelia and we both screamed, huge smiles on both our faces. It was very immature of us and I didn't care. When we'd finally calmed down, I grabbed the box carefully and opened it again. I couldn't stop staring at its' brilliance. It felt wrong to do it this way but I pulled it out of it's slot in the box and slid it onto my finger.

"Oooooo," Amelia squealed. I laughed, my smile extending from ear to ear.

"I agree," I told her. We were both fairly calm by then, and the exhaustion of spending all day sick in bed was hitting me. Hopefully tonight would be a peaceful sleep. I said my goodnights to Amelia, who gave me a quick squeeze of a hug, and then headed off to bed. I made sure to tuck the ring back in the box before getting cozy. Knowing my luck lately, it would fall off in my sleep. I tucked the box in my sock drawer where I planned on keeping it until Eric could put it on my finger properly.