Title: Halo Effect
Chapter 16: The Meaning of Everything
Disclaimer: These characters belong to Charlaine Harris. I just take 'em out to play, and send them to my favorite restaurants.

A/N:
Umm. I have a meeting in the morning, so I thought you'd rather get this earlier than later. Enjoy!

Beautiful giant Skarsgard sized thanks to Sapfirerose and A Redhead Thing. These two spent the weekend partying with our friend smfogleman, and still found time to look this over for me. I am quite jealous of their get together. *sniff*

OMG- I've totally neglected to tell you something super cool. A Halo Effect reader, DaisyDrk, created a Halo Effect inspired cupcake and included it on her blog! It's so cool!
Go read her blog - and go make some cupcakes!
http:/bubbleandsweet(d0t)blogspot(dot)com/2010/05/halo-effect-cupcakes-inspired-by(dot)html

Since the foundation of this fic is the Waterfront Film Festival, I wanted to let you know that the 2010 WFF is here! June 10-13th. http:/www(dot)waterfrontfilm(dot)org/

00oo00oo00
From Ch: 15
(SPOV) When I returned to the table, there were two plates of tiramisu waiting. I smiled, it was fitting really, and yet actually kind of bizarre. Eric was looking at his phone, reading something. Exiting the screen, he put the phone in his pocket and smiled at me.

"Pam texted me. Our picture made it on live TV at the game and now it's popping up everywhere. She is beyond pleased."

"Oh, that's good," I said distractedly.

"Hey." He took my hand; his eyes were focused on me, full of concern.

I twined our fingers together, looking at his large hand next to my much smaller one. Raising my eyes back to his, I smiled, and then leaned forward. I brought my other hand up to his cheek, and kissed him.

When our lips separated, I kept my face close to his and whispered, "I remember everything."

00oo00oo00oo00
EPOV
I looked at her, with wide eyes. What exactly did everything mean? "Everything?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Mmhm."

I tried to read her. The hand holding, the kiss, the sparkle in her eyes, they were all pointing to good things, but she had acted strangely before she excused herself. "Are you okay? I thought maybe you weren't feeling well."

"No, I'm fine. I think I was just remembering everything and it was overwhelming. I didn't realize what was going on at first. On top of that, I've had this weird déjà vu feeling since we got here, but that's not really what it was. I think it was more of a premonition."

"A premonition?"

She smiled. "Yeah. That this is only the first of many meals here with you."

"Really?" I smirked.

She grinned, nodding. Her eyes danced with delight and she looked stunning.

I was thrilled that she had her memories back and that she was thinking about us in terms of the future, but I had a confession to make. "Sookie, I didn't know," I said quietly. "I thought you were a grandmother or something."

"I know," she laughed, it was lyrical. "And I thought you were a lonely celebrity that needed a friend."

"Unreal." I shook my head, smiling. "You never gave me your name. You signed every email, 'The Queen.' I went back and checked, to see if there were any clues, you know, after I figured out it was you."

We were still sitting very close together, grinning at each other.

She leaned back and took a very sexy bite of tiramisu; then sipped her coffee and raised an eyebrow at me. "Exactly why did you share so many personal details with some little old woman over the internet?" She tried to look serious. "Don't you watch To Catch a Predator with Chris Hansen? I could have been anybody!"

I laughed. "I have no idea."

The first post on her blog that I read, the one about Rose Angelis, had led to a great dinner with my mother. She was having a hard time being in town for my cousins wedding only a year after his mother, her sister, had died. Mom had been able to relax that night, not worrying about putting on a happy face for all of her relatives. It was a memorable night for us, a chance for me to turn the tables and take care of her for once, and to top the evening off, she fell in love with the tiramisu.

I felt compelled to respond to the blog by email, not wanting to leave an anonymous comment or bring attention from others by posting my name. I could have used a pseudonym, like something Pam checked me into a hotel with, but I wanted her to know how much her blog had affected me, not Bart Simpson or Richard Head, or some other ridiculous name, but me.

She responded to me with the kindest message, telling me that she had lost her parents when she was young, and she thought it was great that I spent time with my mom; commenting that it was easy to forget that a celebrity like me was someones son too. We'd emailed back and forth after that; she was a sounding board who didn't have a vested interest in my career and was always candidly honest with me. I felt like I could tell her anything. I knew it was risky to put myself out there, but somehow I knew she would never use any of the information against me.

We talked a lot about the ways my celebrity status had changed my life. How I had become almost a homebody after my first show hit it big. I hated the paparazzi. I just wanted to act, not see and be seen. I told her that after being flat broke as an actor for a few years, I thought it was ridiculous that now, when money was no object, people gave me everything free as 'swag.' She wrote back telling me that I needed to remember how lucky I was to be successful, and that I could turn down roles that might be too high profile, or move to England like Madonna. Then she teased me, telling me to find a girlfriend, someone who would enjoy spending time at home with me and would support me, making the other, more public things bearable.

I remember writing her back right away with a 'funny you should mention that' message. I told her that my friend wanted me to go on a blind date with someone from Chicago that he thought was perfect for me, but I wasn't sure if I was interested.

Her words of wisdom were simple; "What if she's the one? What if you don't go because it seems ridiculous, but it's actually fate? Do you want to take that risk? You can afford to take a weekend trip to Chicago. You should meet her with an open mind and go from there. Anything is possible."

That was one of the last messages she sent. I had gotten busy finishing up the season of Bloodlust and preparing for a month in Michigan and never responded. But we were like that, going months without chatting, and then I'd write to tell her about a great restaurant or meal to have when she came to L.A., or to comment on her blog post, and we'd write back and forth a few times.

It was unbelievable really, that she was sitting across the table from me, looking good enough to eat.

"Were you going to come to Chicago and meet me?"

I loved that she inserted herself into the role of the girl I was supposed to meet; she didn't seem bothered by the accidents and coincidences that connected us.

"I hadn't decided. I was considering it, because I knew I would be so close to Chicago."

"I think I'm glad we met the way we did."

"Really? Why?"

She shrugged. "I think we would have both had some reservations about getting involved, if we met conventionally. I would have been really nervous because of who you are, and you would have been wondering what my intentions were, if I was there for you or your name. The way things happened, we just skipped over that."

"But we didn't. You didn't worry about who I was at first, but then, after Sophie Anne, it changed. So we didn't skip over it, we came back to it, or whatever. How do you feel about it now?"

"You know what's crazy? I thought about this, months ago. I mean, when we were emailing. You seemed like you were tired of being alone. Like you really needed someone to share things with, but you didn't know where to start looking. I wondered then if someone like me, just a regular person, could deal with the crazy stuff that would come along with being with you."

"And what did you conclude?"

She took another bite of dessert and then sipped her coffee. She studied our hands for a minute, well, it was probably only a second, but waiting for her response was agonizing. Amnesia Sookie was terrified of Hollywood; I had no idea how this Sookie felt.

She exhaled and brought her eyes up to mine. "I decided that if she loved you, it shouldn't matter. You would face it together."

I could hardly breathe. "And does she, love me?"

A tear had gathered on her eyelashes and her voice caught. "Yes. Yes she does."

Leaning forward, I put my hands on either side of her face and kissed her. I wanted to pull her onto my lap and into my arms, or throw her over my shoulder and find the nearest bed; instead I leaned back and looked into her eyes. I wiped away the tear that had fallen on her cheek with my thumb. "I love you, too."

She smiled, and I was startled when she moved away from me, looking around the restaurant. Then I laughed, when I heard her call out as our waitress passed by, "We need our check, and boxes for our dessert, please."

SPOV
As we drove back to the Drake, I thought about the way that Eric's surprise for me had turned into something even better, for both of us. The first time I got an email from him, I thought it was a joke, and then two days later pictures of him with his mother at Rose Angelis made the news. I responded because, well, how could I not tell him how great it was that my blog brought him together with his mom? It was sort of a reality check too, you never think of the people you see on T.V. as being someone's son.

We emailed off and on. He was really down to earth, and although he was proud of his accomplishments, he was reserved and kind. Some of his messages seemed to be reaching out for a friend, or someone who would listen with an open mind. He wasn't comfortable with the spotlight, and he seemed almost lonely at times, so I suggested that he find someone to share the craziness with. It seemed innocent enough, but when he told me that his friend wanted him to meet a girl in Chicago, I was surprised by my jealousy.

Bill and I had separated by then, but I was still just one woman in a sea of women who would love to have a chance with Eric Northman. After more than two years of emailing, I still hadn't given Eric my name. The anonymity was freeing. I felt like I could be totally and brutally honest with him. After a bit of soul searching, I gave him the same dating advice I would give anyone else; in a nutshell, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I thought about what he said about the paparazzi and publicity, and the more I thought about everything I knew about Eric, I concluded that being in love with him would be worth the price, because you'd deal with all of it together.

Suddenly, Eric and I were in my car, having just professed our love for each other. It wasn't actually sudden, but it seemed like it. I remembered my time with Eric, but having my other memories rush back had mixed up my internal time line.

I glanced over at him and smiled. As unbelievable as it seemed, he was mine. An interesting thing about my returned memories, was that they made me realize how great Eric was as a person, and how the short time I had spent with him couldn't be compared to the years that I had spent with Bill. Eric made me happy; he made me feel alive. I had never felt like that with Bill. We had been happy, and I had been content at first, but in hindsight, I spent most of our time together taking care of him. Eric had already demonstrated more concern about my well being than Bill ever had.

"Are you okay? You're quiet."

"I'm fine, Eric." I took his hand, and I remembered something else. "Oh! Are you ready for your surprise?"

He teased, "You mean you getting your memory back wasn't it?"

"No," I laughed. "The surprise I had planned is upstairs."

He waggled his eyebrows and smirked. "I can't wait to find out what it is."

Eric parked in the valet lane at the hotel, and took my hand after the carhop helped me out of the car. With his hand on my lower back, he walked us through the lobby and onto a waiting elevator. He stood behind me with his hands on my hips, holding me against his body. His arousal became obvious as he kissed my neck and nibbled at my ear. I put my hands on top of his and sighed. Closing my eyes, I gave myself over to the feelings he stirred in me. His hands began to slide down, lifting the hem of my skirt, and then the elevator dinged, breaking the spell.

We went to our room and I put the tiramisu in the mini-fridge. Eric put his wallet on the T.V. and took his shoes off, then untucked his shirt to get comfortable. I loved watching him do such mundane little things, it was a testament to how comfortable he was with me. There was a part of my brain that couldn't quite get my head around it, but mostly, it made me insanely happy, and I had a ridiculous smile on my face.

He stretched out on the bed and smiled at me. I had taken off my shoes and was still standing near the wet bar. With my hands on either side of me, I leaned back on the counter, taking him in.

"You're very thoughtful tonight, Sookie."

I smirked. "Well, I have a lot of old memories to assimilate with some major changes."

"Come here," he said as he sat up in the bed. I walked over to him and stood between his legs, putting my arms around his back. He was so tall that even sitting like that, his head rested on my chest. "I may have gotten a little distracted when you told me you loved me. This has to be strange for you."

I laughed, running my hands through his hair. "It's a little weird. I mean, suddenly I remember how shitty the last year has been, and now I'm here with you and it's wonderful, but I think if I hadn't gotten hit on the head I'd still be drowning in my own sorrow. Honestly, the happiness is outweighing everything else though." I leaned down, kissing the top of his head as he caressed my back with his hands. "I'm good. We're good."

He started to lean back, trying to pull me down to the bed, but I stepped back. He raised an eyebrow and I smiled to reassure him. "Let me go freshen up. I'll be right back."

I opened my overnight bag and found my cosmetics bag and robe. Then I found what I planned to change into and wrapped it in the robe before going to the bathroom. I took a few things out of the bag and lined them up on the counter, then washed my face and put on moisturizer. I was doing my nightly ritual, staying with the routine to keep myself from rushing out to the other room.

When Eric talked about surprising me this morning, I decided that I would return the favor. I'd bought some new lingerie after I left Bill. I wanted some pretty things, just for me. I didn't have anything that screamed "SEX!", but that had never been my style anyway. Things with Eric had followed a strange course, and I wanted to do something romantic for him, so I packed a pretty black slip with appliquéd lace. I slipped it on, along with a matching black thong, and took a quick look at myself in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped back into the bedroom.

Eric had turned on the bedside lamp and was looking at the hotel information book. He turned and saw me, his face breaking into a smile. "Well, you do look refreshed."

I smiled. "I feel refreshed. What about you?"

"Oh, I could definitely use some help. What did you have in mind?"

I turned off the bathroom light and walked over to him. He reached for me, and I ducked, grabbing the waist of his shirt, pulling it over his head.

"That's better," he sighed, as my hands ran down his chest. "You look beautiful, Sookie."

I smiled at his sweet words, and reached down to the button on his shorts, "I think these may need to come off." I opened the zipper, and he lifted his hips so I could pull his shorts and boxer briefs down his legs. Kneeling before him, I ran my hands up the inside of his thighs. I was eye level with his belly button, and I leaned forward to kiss it.

His breath caught as my lips touched his stomach. "Sookie," his voice rasped. "You don't have to do this."

I hadn't done this for him yet, but I'd definitely thought about it, and lucky Eric, I remembered that I liked it. It was intimate and made me feel very much in control. Taking his erection in hand, I raised my eyes to his. "I want to."

"Shit."

I pumped my hand up and down to feel how hard he was already and then circled him with my hand, putting pressure around the base of his shaft and rubbing my thumb over the tip. I leaned in closer, and paused to look up at his face. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes were dark, then I gave him a long lick from base to tip.

"Fuck." His eyes closed and his head fell back.

I swirled my tongue around the head, then my lips closed over him, and gently sucked. His hands became tangled in my hair, and I could hear his breath coming faster. Delivering a few more tongue strokes, I knew he wanted to feel more of my mouth on him. I sucked a little harder, tightening my lips on him for a second before plunging down to take him as deep as I could. I licked around his shaft, and brought my hand up again to stroke what wouldn't fit in my mouth. I started sliding my lips up and down, stroking him with my tongue as he moved in and out of my mouth. He was raising his hips and starting to pull at my hair. I increased my suction and swirled my tongue around his tip again, focusing there when I felt him start to tense.

"Sookie. Jesus." He was close, and I let him take over, pushing and pulling my head up and down between his legs until he gave me a final push, and came in my mouth.

He tasted salty and sexy; I smiled to myself as I gave him a final swirl of my tongue. Bill had thought blow jobs were dirty; it was nice to know that Eric did not. I gazed up at him, and he leaned down, while gently pulling me up towards him for a kiss. His hands caressed my shoulders, then slid along the silk of my lingerie down my sides.

With his hands on my hips, Eric stood up, pulling me with him. He cupped my breasts, his thumbs rubbing the fabric against my sensitive nipples. He began kissing my neck, and I felt the hem of my slip being raised.

He whispered in my ear, "You're over dressed, lover."

I bit my lip, savoring the feel of the silk gliding over my skin as he pulled it up my body and over my head. His hands ghosted across my skin, and his lips burned a path down my body as he crouched to remove my underwear. He kissed my stomach before standing again and climbing on the bed. He held my hand, pulling me with him, and we stretched out next to each other. He pulled the sheet over us; it was such a sweet gesture.

I put my hand on his chest and leaned forward to kiss him. It was slow and lazy, and I felt like we had all the time in the world. The kiss ended, and we were laying together, our faces inches apart.

"I love you, Sookie. I know it's fast. And I know it's scary, but it's real."

I cupped his face, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "I love you, too. As long as we're in this together, we'll be fine." I laughed. "I think."

He smiled back. "I like the confidence you have with your memories back."

"It's weird, I remember the time with you, but I can't imagine not being me. I think maybe I was me, but dialed back a bit."

"You haven't remembered anything crazy that I need to know about have you? No boyfriend in Chicago? You're not leaving to teach English in Japan, or something are you?"

"Well, I do have a trip planned."

His face fell, and he waited for me to continue.

"I'm visiting a friend for Fourth of July."

"Oh, really?"

I tried to be serious. "Yeah, I have this friend in L.A., he's an actor. You might know him."

He started laughing, then started tickling me and we were wriggling on the bed. I was shrieking and laughing; I hoped our neighbors weren't too mad. Then I was trapped beneath Eric's large body as he grinned down. "That wasn't very nice. You know what happens to girls who tease me like that, right?"

"No," I laughed. "What are you going to do to me?"

He kissed me on the lips, hard and fast, and waggled his eyebrows. "Torture you." Then he flipped the sheet over his head and moved down my body, fitting himself between my legs.

"Eric!" I laughed, then I felt his hands on the inside of my thighs and his breath on my arousal; I moaned. What delicious torture it would be.

oo00oo00oo00oo00oo00oo

A/N:
Okay, sorry to have teased you that she might not remember him. She totally remembers!
They'll have a nice time at home, but what will happen when Eric needs to head home? Will she go with him? Join him later for the fourth? Have we heard the last from Sophie Anne? Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my! Drop me a review.

Okay, totally laugh worthy, as I'm typing this, there's a Pure Michigan ad on T.V. (voiced by Michigan native Tim Allen). Since this fic seems like a gigantic Michigan tourism ad - here's the link:
http:/www(dot)michigan(dot)org/topics/pure-michigan-ads/default(dot)aspx

Black silk lace applique slip http:/yfrog(dot)com/7flaceappliqueslipj