Note*** Someone asked about Macedonian's being 'little people', in terms of their relationship to Eric, yes, yes they were. Averaged about 5'2. According to the Persian writings of the time, the Northern Europeans all thought that the big military drills and pomp that the Greeks used was 'short person syndrome'. Eric was picking on them by calling them 'tiny conquerors'... you know... cuz he's Eric. Also I've been told Chow is an asian guy. I swear my memory has him as a massive, slightly on the cuddly side, native American lookin' dude. Try to think of this guy as Chow 2.0 – Mea Culpa.
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Between Isabel arriving and Sookie's cycle of cool collectedness to nauseated hysteria and back, it was a trial to get her to sleep. In the end, Isabel had ushered everyone else away, while Eric scooped her up and carried her into the hall where most of the human force was already curled up in whatever they could find that passed for bedding.
"There's too much to do, still," She protested as he lay her down at the back of the small stage with his folded jacket for a pillow.
"The humans are asleep, and I can take care of everything else." He stroked her hair gently and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. "You will have to take care of these people until sunset, Sookie... you must be rested."
"Bill will come wont he...?" she asked quietly. "He'll be with the King."
"I imagine so," Eric conceded. "He will want to ensure that whatever deal it is he's made is adhered too. You would have me spare his life... wouldn't you?"
She swallowed hard as she looked up at him. "If you never knew me, if I wasn't a part 'o this, would you kill him then?"
"Yes," Eric hissed. "I am his Sheriff, his loyalty should have been to me. To our Queen. He betrayed us."
"I know you want to kill him... I guess, by your laws, he even deserves it, but..." she reached up and touched his face, and Eric knew that in two nights time, one way or another, Bill Compton was probably still going to be alive. "I don' wanna look at you everyday and see the person who killed him..."
He couldn't help the tiny grin that ruined his otherwise cool expression. "Are you suggesting you'll see me everyday?"
"You didn' have to do all this, I know that." She said seriously, her fingertips still tracing the line of his jaw, for a moment making his eyes flutter closed as he turned his face into her touch. "How much less effort it would'a been just to blame Bill, or to regroup in Shreveport and let the King take Bon Temps... and me. I'm not stupid, Eric... I can see what you're doin' for me."
"Then at least it's not for nothing," he lent down and kissed her lips lightly and Sookie found herself wishing there was more time. "Don't feel like that..." he warned her. She blushed and rolled onto her side so she could press her face against his thigh.
"Will you always be like this?" she asked. "Considerate and kind? Or am I going to wake up when this is all over and you'll have some other poor bastard chained up in your basement?"
"I am what I am, Sookie. I do what needs to be done to maintain order...That is why I am sheriff... because I can." He ran his fingers through her hair and watched as the strands slipped through his fingers. "I will make you a deal," he tilted her head back and waited for her eyes to open. "If you can find a method that works as well, then I will use it."
She blinked helplessly at him, "I..."
"I have been controlling men since I was fourteen years old. I do not expect you to have a strategy overnight...but in trying to find one that will work, perhaps you will be able to... understand me better."
When he emerged from the hall a few minutes later, having kissed her and told her to rest, Eric saw Bo waiting for him. With a resigned sigh, he followed her back into the shadows and away from the people... he had known this was coming and it was better to get it out of the way now.
"He left me a note," she said in a dangerously quiet voice without turning to face him. "Isabel sent it to me..." she spun angrily "he left me a fucking note!" She flailed out with one arm and left a significant dent in a steel railing. "Damn him!"
Eric said nothing, but he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. The top of her head didn't make it anywhere near his chin, and as always before, she felt as though she were disappearing into his chest. "He would never have waited for you, you would have been able to stop him and he knew it."
"He's a selfish fucker," she hissed into his shirt, her tears effectively ruining it.
With a not inconsiderable amount of effort, Eric suppressed the urge to hit her, to rail at her for speaking ill of their maker. He hadn't even thought of her the night Godric died, and he was honest enough with himself to admit he was ashamed of that. "It doesn't matter now. We will be in battle together again tomorrow night," he looked down and she managed a smile for him.
"You like her, don't you?"
"Who?" She smacked him in the chest and he half laughed, half coughed. "Alright, alright. Mercy. I..." He looked at her ruefully. "She argues with me..."
"I can see that." She laughed and gave him a squeeze before letting go, "I like her, and I think it's not good for you to be alone so much."
"Pam..."
"Is an angry lesbian, who likes to use you as her life sized barbie doll. Don't get me wrong, I like Pam too, but you wont get what you need from her." Bo walked past him back towards the lights. "I hope she gives you hell, brother."
"I don't think there's any escaping that..."
