AN- All characters are property of Charlaine Harris.
Smoothly Eric eases out of his chair. He extends his hand to Sookie. She takes a moment, drinking in this figure before her. He is wearing boots, jeans, and a vest. Period. Kind of like the guys on the cover of romance books. He watches with interest as her eyes blatantly wander every inch of his body. He chooses to question her later about how she knew the information about the cop. They needed to get out before the police arrived. Sookie cautiously takes his hand and they moved towards the door. He motions to Pam and she drags Bill with her.
"Please allow me to escort you home." He leads Sookie to his Corvette.
"What about Bill?," she glances over to see him slumped against his own car.
"I'm sure he will be fine." He barely controls his voice from betraying his anger. Surely she does not care for this other vampire. He can hear the sirens of the approaching police. "We must hurry."
He opens the door for her and she reluctantly gets in. As he walks around his car he stares holes into Bill. He will deal with this fool later.
"Where is it that you live?," he inquires as he backs the car out. In a hurry to not be questioned by cops.
"Bon Temps," she replies absently. Her thoughts are elsewhere and she is striving to not stare at the handsome vampire next to her. She rambles off directions to him and returns to her thoughts. However without even thinking about it, she has placed her hand on the hand that Eric is using to shift. The sensation thrills him because she is not even aware how natural it is to be touching him.
"You live by yourself?," he feels a sudden need to know everything about Sookie.
"With my Gran," she replies still lost in her musing.
"Tell me about your family," he urges. She doesn't realize that she has not used English since he first spoke to her in his native tongue. It is delightful to hear. She speaks it fluently, in a way that Pam never could. It is very stimulating and he does not want her to stop. She seems more than willing and launches into details about her family, what little of it there seems to be.
He drives slower than he normally would in an effort to drag this moment out. As she finishes her story he spots a likely place and pulls off to the side of the road. He smirks as he sees Bill speed by knowing that he will go crazy imagining what Eric is doing to Sookie.
She is still trying so hard to not look at him. He slowly reaches over and grabs her chin. Turning her face to his he summons up his most seductive voice.
"Sookie, my love, are you even aware that you have been speaking to me in my native tongue this entire time?"
Her eyes widen and her heart feels like it will burst from her chest. This can not be. He must be lying to her. But she can see on his face that he has told her the truth. She fumbles for the door handle. This is too much, she needs to leave now.
"Do not go Sookie, please." It hurts him to see her so obviously scared of him.
She has the door open now and she stumbles out into the night. She has no idea where she is, she just knows that she is in more danger than she has ever been in and she has to flee. How could she let his happen? She has been incredibly foolish and now Bill can't save her. She runs for what feels an eternity. She spares a glance behind her quickly, terrified of the strange vampire that she is fleeing from. As she turns back around she runs straight into Eric. His arms instantly circle her protectively. She screams and slams her fists into his chest. Her feet kick at his shins.
"Never run from a vampire Sookie," he warns. "It is absolutely intoxicating."
Glancing up she sees his fangs shining. Her heart flutters and her knees betray her. But his arms have her and she does not fall. "I am not letting you go that easily Sookie," he murmurs softly into her ear. He scoops her up easily and carries her back to the car. Her body turns to jelly and she finds herself slumping into his embrace. The adrenaline that had been feeding her flight has left her and she has no more energy to fight.
He gently sits her down on the trunk of his car. Her legs dangled over the side and she seems intent on staring at her feet. Eric stands in front of her gently resting a hand on her waist. He can hear Bill skulking around in the woods. He chooses to continue using the old tongue, knowing it will drive the young vampire crazy.
"Now tell me, how is that you knew there would be a raid tonight?" He can hear her heart skip a beat. "You need not fear me Sookie. I would not risk loosing you so soon after you finding you again. You can tell me your secret some other time if you wish."
"I read the cops mind," she admits. He is standing right in front of her and she can't help but stare at his perfect chest. Why couldn't he be wearing a shirt?
"Psychic?" His eyebrows arch inquiringly.
She shakes her head, "Telepathic."
"Can you read my mind?" That could prove interesting, though truthfully he wishes to hide nothing from her.
"I do not hear vampires thoughts. It is," she sighs, "peaceful."
"Is that why you were with this Bill?" Even mentioning her with another is loathsome.
"I had never met another vampire. I wasn't even aware that I couldn't hear them until he came into Merlotte's." Without being prompted she tells him the whole story of how she met Bill. Eric's fist clenches as he realizes that she has had Bill's blood. He is amazed that Bill has not slept with her yet.
"Why were you at Fangtasia tonight?" His hand absently strokes her arm. The sensation sends shivers down her spine. She finds that she wants to share everything with this vampire. She knows him somehow. His touch is familiar and comforting. Of course this also sets off huge warning alarms in her brain. She knew that she needed to snap out of this trance that he had her in.
"My brother is being blamed for murders in Bon Temps. The victims had been with vampires and I thought to shift the focus of the investigation and free my brother." Suddenly she remembers something that Pam had told her. "Where you really with Dawn?"
He can see that she is hoping that he was not, but he can not lie to her. "I was," he admits sadly. "If I had known of your existence however I would have flown across the earth to be with you. No one has ever meant as much to me as you." He hopes that she can believe him.
How could she mean anything to this vampire? Was this just part of his seduction? "You can fly?," her eyes widen.
He smiles wickedly. "Come," he holds out his arms to her.
She hesitates glancing down at his gloriously muscled arms. Does she dare trust him? She feels as if she is standing at the edge of a cliff with no bottom in sight. The only thing left to do is leap. She glances up at his face and is again struck by the image of them naked. She realizes that her desire for him is driving her crazy. She silently curses herself for being so wanton. Cautiously she wraps her arms around his neck. His arms instantly fold around her gently. She feels safe, safer than she has ever felt. The ground drops out from under them as he takes to the sky.
Above the tree line the moon shines for them. He can hear her breath stop as she gazes up at the beautiful night. The stars reflect off of her wide eyes.
"Breathe lover," he prompts.
She dutifully inhales the night air. "You keep calling me that, but I hardly know you."
"You know me better than any other. You just don't remember. Do not fear, it will come with time." He hopes.
"What if it doesn't? What if I am not this woman?" It still made no sense to her. Such things only happened in fairy tales. She admitted that her sudden knowledge of his language was very strange however. It seemed so natural to speak this way, as if English was never what she was intended to use. She could feel this other language flowing through her.
He has no doubt, but he can see that she needs convincing. He slowly lowers them back to earth and once again places her on the trunk of his Corvette. Her arms remain around his neck. Taking advantage of the moment he leans in and kisses her passionately. Once again he is kissing his wife, her lips recall his and it is perfect. She pulls herself closer. Wrapping her legs around his waist.
In the trees, Bill watches this entire spectacle in shock. Not only can he not understand a word they are saying but now she has given in to his charm. He curses himself again for taking her to Fangtasia. He will never accomplish what the Queen has sent him to do now. She will probably punish him in some manner.
Sookie has to admit to herself, kissing Eric is instinctual. She sees him above her again and she doesn't want the memory to end. Reluctantly they pull away from each other after what seems an eternity.
"Do not go back to Bill," he pleads in English. Knowing full well that Bill is still out there listening to their every word.
"Will I see you again?" She still doubts her worth to him. It angers him that she can think so little of herself.
"I never want to part from you." It sounds foolish as he says it, but he knows he speaks the truth. He wonders absently if he should have kept that information from Bill however. The young vampire did not need to know that Eric in fact loved Sookie. That could prove dangerous to them both. He must be more careful in the future.
"Than I will not see him anymore," she announces also in English.
From the trees Bill storms, "Please, Sookie, I beg you to reconsider."
Eric had expected Bill to make his entrance much sooner, but Sookie is taken completely by surprise. A happy side effect of this is that she clings to Eric for protection from Bill. He gently strokes her hair reassuring her. The look he gives Bill promises death. The growl that irrupts forth is primal. Eric is fully aware of how vicious he appears and he is grateful that Sookie has her face buried in his chest.
"You said you would let me go to him if I wanted to Bill." Her voice is so small, only a vampire could ever have heard her.
"He will use you up and toss you aside Sookie! Please don't do this. He uses every woman he is ever with." Bill hopes that by sharing this knowledge she will see what a womanizer Eric really is.
Eric realizes quickly that this tactic could in fact work to Bills favor. His lips find their way to Sookie's ear, "Every other woman was not you, my wife. How could I ever be happy with them? If you wish it, I will pledge myself to you now. I will follow you to the ends of the earth and never touch another again."
"Even if it kills me," he adds softly kissing her ear.
He does not want Bill to know who Sookie really is however so he refrains from using English. He has perhaps said too much, and he can see Sookie waver. She has just met him and this is quiet a lot to take in. But his desire for her is great and he will not squander such a unique opportunity as this. It was, however, quiet strange for a husband and wife to love each other so deeply in his time. Marriages were merely arrangements between two families. He admits to himself that he never loved another after his wife.
Sookie quietly considers what Eric has told her. She searches her memories, hoping she will find something that will tell her what she should do. She looks intently into his eyes. The intimidating aura he had a moment earlier seems to melt away just for her to see. Ignoring Bill for the moment, she stretches up to kiss Eric again. After a moment her decision is made. She knows what she must do and it doesn't scare her as much as it should. She turns to Bill so there will be no doubt what is being said, "Leave us Bill. I am Eric's now."
With a look of rage Bill turns to leave. He knows that he doesn't stand a chance in a fight against Eric. He has been dismissed and if he doesn't leave Eric will have no choice but to attack. "Do not say that I failed to warn you Sookie." Quickly he is gone. The Queen will not be happy with him. He is certain he should still keep his eye on Sookie.
"Just when I thought my life was getting dull. This night is full of so many wonderful surprises." Eric can't help but grin ear to ear.
"I think I should get home now," she says meekly. "Gran will be worried."
"I would love to meet her, if she is awake. Maybe I will come by tomorrow." He couldn't believe it after he had said it. Sookie was making him soft and he had just met her.
She hadn't thought about how awkward it was going to be to explain this all to her grandmother. Sookie doubted that Gran would believe such foolish stories about past lives. Not to mention that she had just been introduced to Bill and now she was with a different vampire. And Eric while gorgeous, was much more intimidating and dangerous than Bill ever could be.
"You don't want me to meet her," Eric guessed. He couldn't blame her. A vampire is not someone you can just bring home to meet the family.
"She thinks I'm with Bill. I think she took a liking to him. I'm not so fickle Eric. I...You...It's against my nature. She won't understand." Her head falls against his chest in defeat. "I've never been with anyone Eric. Never even had a boyfriend until Bill."
His eyes widen as he realizes what she has just revealed to him. Against all belief this beautiful woman before him is a virgin. "How is it that someone as lovely as you has not drawn the attention of every man in Bon Temps?" He lifts her chin with his long finger delicately. She is radiant when she blushes.
"That's not it at all," she shakes her head. "It is very hard to date when you hear all the thoughts of the man you are with. I went on a couple of dates. But the things they think, it's just too much."
"It would seem that we were meant to be," Eric muses. "You could only have fallen for a vampire. Eventually we would have met somehow. I'm just glad that it's now," he pauses gazing into her beautiful eyes. "Let's get you home then. Wouldn't want your grandmother worrying about you." Without waiting for her to move, he carefully lifts her off of his trunk and sets her in the passenger seat.
"I feel the need to warn you Sookie," he says as he continues down the road, "I am not the 'southern gentleman' that Bill pretends to be."
"I know," she gazes at his profile, "you are a viking."
"I do not remember telling you that Sookie," he smiles. "Tell me how you knew. Or did you guess?"
She closes her eyes and he can see her rubbing her back on the chair beside him. "I feel furs underneath me." She inhales deeply, "I can smell the fresh straw of the mattress and wood burning somewhere." Eric can not believe what he is hearing. With difficultly he remembers that he is driving before he causes an accident.
Sookie opens her eyes again."You are with me." She reaches out and lightly runs her fingers through his hair. "Only... Your hair is braided. And your skin is flushed." Her hand trails down his neck. "You are...younger?"
Eric knows exactly what she is reliving. It is the same memory he had earlier that night. "It was our wedding night," he says softly. He can not contain the tear that trickles down his face, betraying him.
"I did not know that vampires cried blood." Her hand reaches up as she wipes away his tear. Without thinking she places it in her mouth. Savoring the sweet taste of his blood.
He can not believe what she has done so innocently. "Oh Sookie, you know nothing of vampires. I will have to instruct you it seems." She gives him a questioning look, wondering if she has done something wrong.
"It's fine really, it will be easier for me to protect you," he admits. She stares at him waiting for an explanation. "You have my blood in you now. I will always know where you are. I will sense your feelings, know when you are in trouble."
Suddenly she realizes, "I've had some of Bill's blood too." The thought of Bill knowing so much about her seemed a violation. Sookie found herself not caring if Eric knew however.
"Yes we will have to beware of Bill. I'm sure he will not give you up so easily." Eric glances down at her. "I certainly wouldn't let you go without a fight."