I own NO True Blood characters. Not a one.
I have gotten some really good emails, reviews, and a flattering amount of alert notifications. I love it. Thanks to all of you who are sticking with me, and for the encouragement. I think I just might be over the hump, and a little wine last night did not hurt a bit. I am in the LONG process of buying a home, a short sale, right now. It is a nightmare and truly affects my life and all aspects of it!! So yeah. Thanks for hanging around.
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For Genevieve, dating a vampire was probably not as strange as it would have been for anybody else. She had had much prior to Eric in the way of relationships. She sympathized with Sookie about the daytime absence, but she worked mostly then as well as a scattering of nights at Merlotte's. Eric worked most night at the club, taking an occasional one here and there to give her a break. He avoided Merlotte's, letting things calm down before he made any appearances there.
The first night that she had gone to see him at Fangtasia after they were official was very surreal for her. Pam had greeted her with an unusual smile, the hunger in her eyes less pronounced now. She actually told Genevieve that Eric seemed a little happier and relaxed now, and Genevieve had just looked at her. She had walked in and looked over at him leaning back looking completely delicious, and then her gaze drifted to the women that gathered around the stage. She felt a pang of jealousy, and glanced down at her short black dress and heels with a doubtful look. She glanced back up at him, and he was looking at her intently as he raised his hand to beckon her over. She bit her lip as she walked through the throng, smiling as she walked up to him. "Am I going to cramp your style?" Genevieve teased him, and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "All of these girls….."
"They mean nothing to me. They never have." Eric assured her, and she sat down in the chair next to him. "You are the most beautiful woman in this room." He reached out a long arm and stroked her short ponytails and gazed into her eyes. "This is all one big gimmick for the humans that come here."
"How am I supposed to act?" Genevieve asked him, glancing at the jealous gazes that she was receiving.
"It depends on your mood. You have already been in my lap and didn't seem to mind. You seem uncomfortable tonight." Eric told her, and she shrugged.
"The feel of something new. I'll figure it out." Genevieve gazed around the building. She listened to the song and shook her head slightly. "I like the music here. I really do. But you could probably switch it around a little. I could help with some songs that have a vampire feel to them, but have a great beat. Where is the DJ?"
Eric gestured with his hand to a dim corner, and looked at her with a curious gaze. "Are you taking over my business already?"
"No, I would never do that. I guess I just miss the dark clubs of New York sometimes. They were so big that one could just go and dance and lose themselves in it. Some of the songs still make me a bit wistful." Genevieve said, and smiled. "I love to dance."
"You do it very well." Eric told her, and his leg traced her bare leg. "I get quite bothered over here by it." He slid his hand up her leg and she looked at him with heavy green eyes as she took a deep breath. "Feel free to enjoy yourself here, Genevieve. You are known as mine now and very safe." He stared at her, taking in every inch of her face. "Kiss me. I have missed you this evening."
"Yes, sir." Genevieve smiled and stood up to lean over him. His lips claimed hers hungrily, and she felt her legs turn to jello as he demanded her to return it. When he finally pulled away, she was breathless. "Eric, you make me so……shaky."
"Just wait until I get to leave here tonight." Eric told her in a low voice, his hand running down the open front of her dress slowly. "You'll be a lot more than just shaking." He slid it to her legs again, and she closed her eyes. "Genevieve, you have a long night ahead of you."
"Yeah, I'll say. Maybe I'll get a drink." Genevieve told him, and kissed him again before she walked to the bar. The bartended slid her favorite drink over to her, and she gave Eric a raised eyebrow. He nodded at her with a neutral face and she sipped it as she tried to calm herself down. Desire was a funny thing, it was. She had another one and headed out to dance, watching Eric watch her as she did. He would not take his gaze off of her, and she saw the hunger there as she added to the movements. Genevieve knew well what she was doing, reading his face. She got a certain thrill out of it, and smiled as she blew him a kiss. The night ended quicker than she expected, and soon she was walking into his house as he pressed her against the wall with a deep kiss. She guessed that it had worked.
One night when she worked late at Merlotte's , LaFayette was sitting at the bar while it was slow as she grabbed her purse to leave. "Do you have a date with your big, bad vampire tonight, baby girl?"
"I am supposed to go there, but I am tired. His being awake nights can really mess with me."
"I'll bet, sweetie." LaFayette told her, with an exaggerated wink. Sam saw this from the register and rolled his eyes, and Genevieve blushed. "Well, you do know what they say about them vamps."
"I really don't, nor do I want to." Genevieve replied, laughing. She glanced at the clock and sighed. "I'm tired. So tired." The door opened and Eric walked in with Pam and Bill, looking very serious. Bill asked to see Sam and they went back to his office, as Sookie and Genevieve looked at the other vamps curiously. Eric's gaze brushed her gently, but she sensed an air of business about him. Genevieve approached him and he looked away. "What is going on?"
"We have certain business with Bill. I'll need to cancel tonight." Eric told her, and Genevieve looked at Sookie. Her friend's face was growing pale, and she fell into the booth that she was wiping down. Bill came out, anxiously taking Sookie's hand and leading her outside. Eric started to follow, but Genevieve grabbed his arm and made him look at her. "I need to be the sheriff tonight, Genevieve." His voice was firm, but his eyes rested on her with regret filling them. "I will call you soon." He kissed her forehead and walked out as Pam gave her a slow glance, and Genevieve stood there in stunned surprise. Sookie came in crying after a long few moments, and Genevieve wrapped her arms around her.
"Sookie, what happened?"
"Let's go to my house and talk." Sookie said, her face breaking as she cried. Sam got her purse and Genevieve drove them to her house as she sobbed. "I worked at Fangtasia again the other night after hours, and it was so much worse than before. More money had gone missing, and I learned from one of the waitresses that the main bartender was the one stealing it. Long Shadow. He got so angry and flew across the room at me. Bill staked him and now he needs to go to trial for it."
"Trial? They do that? Couldn't Eric have done anything to help him? Bill was protecting you." Genevieve said, her mind going numb as she remembered what he had done for her. She chose not to say anything at that moment about it.
"Other vampires were present so it needed to be told to their queen. She ordered this, not so much Eric. He is under her and follows her orders. He tries so hard to keep you separate from his life as the sheriff, but tonight was killing him. I could see it. What if they kill him?" Sookie babbled, and Genevieve took it all in for a long moment. She pulled into Sookie's driveway and the tears started flowing. The girls walked inside and collapsed on the couch together, as Genevieve cradled her crying friend. She comforted her as her own mind raced, and she felt the tears sliding down her cheeks. They slept in Sookie's room fitfully, both of them too upset to rest properly. Genevieve battled with the images of Eric in her mind, and the struggle was between the Eric that gently loved her and the one that had shown up tonight. She didn't doubt that he would do what was needed when he was asked to, and he obviously had been handling business all along as he was in the relationship with her. She loved him for keeping it away from her, but this reality was a slap in the face as she watched Sookie crying. Bill could be dead, at Eric's hands. Genevieve shuddered, and she stroked Sookie's hair.
"I am so sorry." Genevieve whispered to her, and her eyes burned from crying.
"You aren't at fault. He was following orders, but I will never understand it all." Sookie said, and Genevieve shook her head.
"I am not just sorry for you. I am sorry that I ever loved him." Genevieve told her, and Sookie hugged her.
"I have been so wrapped up I didn't really think about that. You must feel awful inside." Sookie said, and Genevieve closed her eyes.
"I feel like my heart has been ripped out again." Genevieve agreed, and took a deep breath. Her eyes burned and her body ached with stress, and she drifted off restlessly, dreaming of a cruel Eric as she slept. The dream ended with him coming towards her with menacing eyes, and she woke up with a start. The girls woke up early and drank coffee silently, both working the lunch shift. They showered and Genevieve ran home to get some clothes for work on the way to Merlotte's. She looked for a note or anything from Eric and was disappointed to see that he had apparently not been there. They both went in and Sam took a long look at them as they walked in.
"No word yet?" Sam asked, following them to the office as Sookie took a seat.
"None. We do not even know where they are." Sookie replied, her voice hoarse. Sam looked at Genevieve for a long moment, and she dropped her gaze to the floor out of guilt. "I just pray that Bill's OK."
Genevieve said nothing about Eric, and the girls got through their shift somehow. They went to Sookie's again, and drank wine as they stared blankly at the television. Every second of the darkness dragged for them, and soon they tried to sleep again. Sookie had the next day off but she went in with Genevieve anyway that night to see if Sam needed her. They closed together, both of them staring at the door constantly as they worked the small crowd. Sam tended bar and they sat down towards the end of the night on some stools to rest. Genevieve ended up wandering over to the jukebox that sat in the corner and stared at it. She grabbed some quarters from her pocket and dropped them in, selecting a few songs that she liked. She returned to the stools and listened as they came on, and her and Sookie gazed at each other. Sookie did not seem to be holding it against Genevieve what had happened, but Genevieve was straddled with the guilt that she felt over it. She felt her stomach tighten up and she took a deep breath. Sam stared at her and she closed her eyes. "Genevieve? Are you alright?"
"I can't take the guilt. It is eating me alive." She rested her face in her hands, and felt arms around her.
"I don't blame you. You are not a part of this, Viv. He kept you away from all of it." Sookie told her, and Genevieve cried again. "Oh, sweetie. I know you hurt too. I know you are scared."
"I am so many things." Genevieve said, and she took a deep breath. 'Shit. I am losing it."
"Want to come over again tonight? I really like having someone there, so I don't just sit up and wait for him." Sookie said sadly, and Genevieve laughed without humor.
"Nora is going to think I moved out at this point." Genevieve said, and Sam covered her hand with his.
"I called her to let her know you're spending some time with Sookie. She is concerned, but glad to know that you're alright." Sam told her, and she nodded. "Look, you guys. I'll give you tomorrow off if you're too wiped out. I know you're killing yourselves right now."
"I can't just be home waiting. One more day, Sam. I'll be here tomorrow." Sookie promised, and Genevieve nodded in agreement.
"See you tomorrow at lunch, and you for dinner." Sam told them with a rueful smile as they stood up to leave. The girls went to Genevieve's car and both looked around carefully. They caught each other and smiled, and Sookie choked back a small sob. She looked at Genevieve for a long moment in the car as they drove.
"Do you still…..love Eric?"
"I……love the Eric that I know, but I am scared of the one that did this. How much do I not know about?" Genevieve shuddered, and Sookie touched her arm. "Is he so evil that I cannot move past it?"
"I have seen a kindness in him, almost even that….that night. But he was the sheriff too. I guess you never really thought about him as the sheriff a lot."
"That does not matter when it is just us. We are just another couple trying to be together then." Genevieve said, and sighed. "But now, I don't know. Maybe if he comes back, I'll have a better grasp of it."
"When they come back. They will." Sookie said, her voice filled with shaky determination. The girls watched movies and chatted softly all night, until they fell asleep on the couch. Sookie woke up in the morning to head to work, and Genevieve headed home to shower and say hello to Nora. Her best friend sat at the table drinking coffee as Genevieve poured herself a cup, and looked closely at Genevieve.
"You look sort of like shit." Nora observed, and Genevieve laughed out of sheer exhaustion. "Can you tell me anything?"
"Eric and Bill are gone on vampire business, and nobody has heard from them. Sookie is freaking out, and I am feeling guilty and freaking out." Genevieve said, and bit her lip. "You know Eric is the sheriff, and he needed to take Bill. I assume that he had no real choice in the matter." She gazed at Nora. "He has not been around here at all?"
"I have not seen him." Nora said, almost apologetically. She stood up and hugged Genevieve tightly. "You sure know how to pick them, Viv."
"I guess that I do." Genevieve sat down and glanced at the paper, chatting with Nora about other things as she did. Nora talked about her classes at LSU, and Genevieve felt a slight tinge of guilt at never having gone back. Nora was studying Psychology and a couple of years away from graduating. She wanted to move to Shreveport, but the rent where they were was too good to pass up. Genevieve listened to Nora talk as her mind wandered, but she tried to focus on what her friend was saying. She really felt like Nora had been very excluded lately. Nora had to leave for a class, and promised to come and see Genevieve that evening at work. Genevieve crawled into her own bed for a few hours and got up to shower and actually wear make up so that she would not look like the living dead for the first time in a few days. She slicked back her hair and slid in a sequined hair band, smiling as she looked at the fading black. Eric really wanted it red again. Eric. Her smile faded and her body ached for him, more than she could have ever known possible. Her heart hurt with all of her knowledge that she had about him. She wished that she could just wrap up in his arms and make it go away. Genevieve came back to reality and wiped the tear from her eye, grabbing her keys to leave.
The dinner rush made time pass a little quicker than Genevieve expected. Nora came in for dinner with her parents, and Genevieve hugged them all gratefully. Sookie stayed to eat some dinner, and went home after being ordered to take the next day off. Sookie kissed Genevieve's cheek and left with a sullen face, and Genevieve watched her for a long moment. Nora stayed afterwards for a few drinks, and even Genevieve noticed the flirting that was going on at the bar with Sam. She watched with a small smile, wondering if she had passed up a good thing that night so long ago. She helped the lingering customers and started to clean once they were all gone. Nora was still leaning close to her boss as Genevieve played her songs on the jukebox, using the button that Sam had shown her so she would not have to pay every time. They played in the same order every night, and Nora turned around at a certain one with a growing smile. "Girl, you have been crooning this one for years." The two girls sang it in unison as if on cue, and Genevieve felt a happy jolt run through her for the first time in a few days. Nora jumped off of the barstool and danced around with Genevieve, over pronouncing the words as she laughed. They both fell down, and Sam came over to help them up. They were both giggling, and he shook his head. "Nice pipes, Genevieve. You as well, Nora, but wow. Were you a singer back in New York?"
"No, I was in vocal training and just fixing to start auditioning. That was when the accident happened." Genevieve replied, and he raised his eyebrows.
"Maybe I need to plan some entertainment." Sam said, his eyes warm on Nora's face as he gazed at her. He finished cleaning up the bat and Nora joined him in the office, and Genevieve shook her head sadly. She sang along to the slow song that was playing, and closed her eyes as she pictured Eric. She wiped up the last table and looked around at the empty room, and walked over to lock the door. She glanced outside at her car, and saw a tall figure leaning against it. Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked around the room. His head raised as if he knew she were there, and she bit her lip. She didn't want to bother Sam, but she also could barely contain herself. She dashed back to the office and tapped on the door, hoping that he and Nora were not hot and heavy yet.
"Sam. I'd like to get my things. Eric is outside." The door opened right away, and she was greeted by some messy clothing and two shocked faces. "I will be out of your hair. I'll be here in two days!" She walked to the front door again and walked outside, taking in the springtime breeze for a second. She walked very slowly, not really knowing where her mind was right yet. She stared at him, as the moonlight shone on his long blond hair as he tilted his head forward. His arms were crossed, and his black shirt clung to him just enough that she felt a wash of desire that made her legs shake slightly. She took in all of him and the beauty that he possessed, and she took in all of his emotions as she approached him. He was fearful, worried, relieved, and she felt like part of him wanted to run away from her. She was closer to him now, and his face was gazing at her with deep blue eyes and she felt him searching it rapidly. She closed the distance, but paused a couple of feet away as she tried to look into his face. Her eyes stung with tears, and she opened her mouth silently.
"Genevieve." His voice was a low whisper, and she gasped for air. He reached for her, and she finally met his eyes. "Come to me."
"Eric." She melted into him as his arms wrapped around her, and she took in everything about him. She choked on tears as she tried to memorize his scent, and trace his back with her fingers as she slid them under the shirt. "I was worried…..I was worried that you would not come back."
"That was not a concern of mine. I was worried about you here, and what you must have been going through." He slid his hands up her back and around her face as he gazed at her with desperate eyes. "Bill is home and with Sookie."
"He is OK?" Genevieve asked, and he nodded. "Thank God. Sookie was a mess."
"You don't look like you handled it well either, Genevieve." He traced the circles under her eyes, and she sniffled. "You barely slept at all." He gazed at something in the distance and his expression hardened. "I am always making you cry or making you worried, it seems." Genevieve stared silently at him, and he traced her lips with his finger absently. "I can feel that you want me, but I do not know why." He looked down at her again, and she remained silent. "I feel like I need to explain things. I feel like I owe you so many answers right now." He slid his hands around her face again, and lowered his lips to hers. "I just need to feel you for a moment." He captured her lips and she pressed closer to him. "Please come to my house with me. I don't care if you want to do anything other than talk all night, sleep, or ignore me. I just need you to be with me."
Genevieve kissed him hard, and he held her face in place. "I will." Genevieve whispered, and he pressed his lips to hers again slowly. He opened the car door for her after asking her for her keys, and asked her if she needed anything from her house. She ran home to get a few things and tossed them into her backpack, and ran out to the car again. "So how come he is OK?" Genevieve finally asked Eric, and he stroked her leg as she curled up towards him.
"I had a…..a human moment, I would suppose. I knew that I had done the same for you because I cared so much, and I could not blame him for what he did. It was wrong being done in front of vampires and humans alike, but I defended him. The thief would have been killed anyway, just in a more private setting." Eric replied, his face hard. "I didn't know where it would get me to defend him, but Pam could agree to what I said and they spared him." He looked at her. "The Queen may want to see him personally, and she does not appreciate human and vampire relationships as others do."
"Oh." Genevieve said quietly, and he touched her hand. "I am guessing that she would not be supportive of us."
"Not so much. It would be especially worse since I am in a position of power." Eric told her, and he looked at her as he stopped at a light. "I hid things from you, Genevieve. I admit that. It was to protect you from any knowledge that could be used against you. I forbid Sookie to tell you what occurred that night at Fangtasia, though it killed me not to run to you and wrap up in your warmth. I hid her ability in my defense of Bill as well, to protect her. I don't know of that will continue or not, and I do not know if you're safe. I feel like I put you in danger being with you." She stared at him, and his face was serious as he gazed at the road ahead of him. They pulled into his driveway and he parked slowly, turning to look at her. He stroked her face gently, and she closed her eyes as she took in the feeling with every part of her memory. "I can't not touch you. I can't be without you." He opened his door and came around to hers, opening it and pulling her out carefully. She let him pull her to the door by the hand as she slung her backpack over her shoulder, and unlock the door. She walked in slowly, feeling shy suddenly as she looked at him.
"Did you hide anything that would hurt me on a more personal level? "
"If you are asking if I was with anyone else, no. It was not about that. I needed to display my power from time to time, and the incident with Bill was the worst instance. It gets harder and harder to do being around you. I used to enjoy the trials and the punishments, and I always felt that they were warranted. This time, I could not help but to think of you." Genevieve sat on the couch and he sat next to her as a pained expression crossed his face. "There was another trial there after Bill, and he was not so lucky. They forced him to become a maker right then and there, and when the car pulled up with the intended victim…..I pictured you being tossed out of that car instead of the shaking girl that they did have. I had the image so clearly in my head that it almost made me believe that it was real."
"They made him turn her?" Genevieve was horrified, and she felt tears slide down her cheeks.
"You should not be hearing any of this, love. It is exactly what I am trying to….trying to shield you from in all of this. It is a world that I do not want you to know." Eric took her hand and stared at it as he stroked it gently with his thumb. She felt the jolt that passed between them and shivered a little. "You are so frail within my life, Genevieve." He looked at her with raw pain in his eyes. "I should walk away from you right now and not be so selfish."
"What keeps you here?" Genevieve asked him, moving closer so that she was against his tall frame. She inhaled the vanilla scent deeply, and closed her eyes as he enveloped her.
"I love you. I can't be without your touch, your scent, your very presence." Eric confessed in her ear, and she shuddered. He pressed his hand against her beating heart. "I love the way your heart beats faster when you are near me." His cool hand burned through her skin, and she turned her gaze to him. "It gives me hope that you still love me."
"I was so scared that something would happen to you." Genevieve whispered to him, as he hovered just above her mouth. "I love you so much, Eric." His hand slid over her breast gently and down to her legs, and she moaned as her desire began to hurt.
"It isn't out of the realm of possibility." Eric warned her, as his lips claimed hers. She slid her hands into his hair longingly, parting her lips as he teased her with her tongue. He pressed her into the couch as he kissed her deeply, and she was soon gasping for air. "Bed." His voice was low and abrupt, and he scooped her into his arms and carried her into his room and set her on the bed. He slid her shirt off as his hungry eyes questioned her silently. She pulled his face down and traced his fangs with her tongue, teasing him with a small bit of blood. He growled against her, and she realized that her must not have fed at all in the last three days. She anticipated his teeth in her skin, but they were closer to her neck this time and she gasped.
"Eric." Genevieve murmured, trying to push against the equivalent to a stone wall. He continued to feed from her and she gave in to the feeling as she relaxed against him. Want and desire coursed through her veins, love and emotion matching them. The moment slowed, and she slid her hands under his shirt and traced his skin. Genevieve began to feel weak, and she felt him pull away.
"I'm sorry. I got carried away. I was so hungry for you." Eric apologized, and he licked the wound tenderly. He watched her lay back on the mattress, and she stared at him in a daze. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. I am with you." Genevieve told him, and he moved next to her cautiously. "I nearly live for these moments where I can feel the world stop with you."
"Do you have the strength to take some of my blood?" Eric whispered to her, and she nodded as she inhaled his scent. He reached over to the drawer for a knife and gashed enough for her to cover as she sat up slowly. She leaned over him and drank hungrily, feeling a strength run through her veins. "It shows in you, my blood. You're so beautiful, and you really didn't need any improvement on that. Everything about you is more desirable." He groaned and his hands slid over her bare skin and her pants, and she felt the pain of desire throbbing again. "Stop, Genevieve." She pulled away, and he unbuttoned her work pants eagerly. "I want you in another way now." He slid them off, tossing them aside as he kissed her and pressed her back against the mattress.
"I love you." Genevieve murmured against his lips, and he smiled at her as he gazed at her. "I am proud of you for what you did."
"It is as if I am human or something, isn't it?" Eric said, and shook his head. "I love you, Genevieve." He kissed her again, and she moaned as he moved to her neck again.