Chapter 8: Welcome to the Family

"Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing, and the overtaking and possessing of a wish discovers the folly of the chase." –William Congreve

SPOV

I was never so glad that my friend Tara owned a boutique in my life. Right after work the day after Eric invited me to meet his parents at that formal event; I headed straight to Tara's store. I needed a dress. Nothing I had in my closet was black tie appropriate and I knew Tara would have what I needed. She was ready and waiting for me with possible options when I got there. God bless her for knowing my tastes and sizes before I even walked in the door.

"You are a lifesaver!" I hugged her when I walked in.

"Don't worry, honey, this is what I do. And I promise you, we will find something you adore." Tara said and led me toward the back of the store where she already had a fitting room all set up for me. "Now I've got a couple of different styles and colors in there for you to try on, so let's see what works and what doesn't."

I stepped into the changing room and got busy. Tara definitely had a wide array of dresses for me to choose from but the one that caught my eyes the most was a pretty peach colored dress that was almost backless and had a flowing silk-chiffon skirt. The bodice of the dress was slightly wrapped and it wasn't strapless, which I was thankful for. Wearing strapless dresses with boobs as big as mine was always like playing Russian roulette.

I decided I was going to save that dress for last and started with a mossy green silk dress that looked all kinds of wrong against my tan. Tara agreed and I moved on to a pale aqua dress that was pretty but wouldn't lay right on me. After that was a pink dress that felt more like a sausage casing than anything else and I wouldn't even leave the dressing room to show Tara what it looked like, it was that bad.

I tried on three other dresses, including an off-white one that looked a little too much like a wedding dress for me to keep it on very long. I could only imagine what Eric would think and seeing as how we'd just had the relationship status talk that formally made us boyfriend and girlfriend, it would probably be too much to show up in what could be mistaken for a wedding gown. I took a big fat pass on that dress, as pretty as it was.

Finally, I was down to just the peach dress. I took a deep breath and hoped it looked as good on me as it did on its padded hanger. As soon as I got the dress on, I knew I had a winner. I gasped as I turned from side to side, checking one angle after another.

"How's it going, Sook?" Tara called from the other side of the door.

"Tara, I think we have a winner!" I beamed into the mirror.

The dress fit me perfectly and set my tan off nicely. The color just complimented me, from my skin tone to my hair color and it even made my eyes look more turquoisey than usual. It was perfection and as soon as I opened the dressing room door to show Tara, I knew I was right.

"Oh Sookie!" Tara gushed, her smile as bright as mine. "That's the one!"

I nodded excitedly and hugged Tara again. I felt like I was seventeen and shopping for my prom dress. I tried to imagine what Eric's face would look like when he saw me and that only made the butterflies in my stomach feel more like Mothra.

In addition to the dress, we picked out a pair of goldish-peach, glittery, peep-toe pumps with a five inch heel I was going to have to practice walking in so I wouldn't kill myself. I was a sneakers or flip-flops kind of girl, so walking in heels didn't come naturally to me the way it did to lots of women. Then, of course, there was the lingerie. The dress had a built-in bra, thank God, because there was no way I could go braless. The girls were perky enough but it just would have felt tacky to me.

I refused to wear a thong no matter how elegant it might be. I'd worn one once and that was enough. There was nothing sexy about feeling like I had to dig out a wedgie every couple of seconds and I knew enough about Eric's tastes to know he didn't think much of them anyway. I found a pretty pair of lacy peach boyshorts and since the skirt flowed, I doubted anyone was going to be checking me for panty lines anyway.

While I was browsing the lingerie section, I started looking at chemises and other easy-to-lose sleepwear. When my eye caught a silky peach colored number trimmed with black lace, I knew I had another winner on my hands. The bust of it was this sheer black material with lace covering all the appropriate bits and the Eric in my mind was doing one of those wolf whistles at the idea of seeing me in it.

"That's pretty," Tara said from behind me when she was finished helping another customer. "It'll go nicely with your dress."

"That's what I was thinking," I found my size and pulled a hanger from the rack.

"So, are you going to tell me about this new guy in your life or do I have to guess?" Tara nudged me with her elbow.

I hadn't really talked too much about my relationship. I suppose that had more to do with the fact that up until the night before, I didn't really know where it was going and I didn't want to jinx it by speaking too soon. Or maybe I liked the idea of keeping him to myself, relatively speaking since Jason knew, for just a little while longer.

But now that I knew where we were going and that we were exclusive with each other, there didn't seem to be any reason to keep mum on the subject, so I started from the beginning and told Tara all about him. She listened while I talked; nodding in all the right places and asking all the questions I would expect a girlfriend to ask about the new man in my life.

"Sounds like a good guy, and you seem pretty happy. I haven't seen you light up like this in a while," Tara smiled at me.

"I like him a lot, Tara. Like, it's almost scary how much I like him." I admitted to her. "And the craziest thing? We haven't had sex yet. We've been dating for almost a month and the farthest he's gotten is third base and that was only once."

Tara giggled and said, "I can't believe you just used the term 'third base' like we're still sixteen."

"I know, but that's how I feel when I'm around him." I shrugged. I couldn't explain it.

"I think it's sweet that you're crazy about him. Lord knows you deserve it after the string of assholes you've dated." Tara shook her head.

String of assholes…there's a visual I was never going to be able to erase. Thanks, Tara.

"So what stopped you from letting him round home plate?" Tara asked as we made our way to the counter so I could pay for all of my purchases.

"We both sort of have a nasty habit of rushing into sexual relationships and I can't help but wonder if maybe that's why none of them ever worked out in the past. I've thought a lot about it and I've come to realization that I was always the one more invested in the relationship and I was using sex as a way to hold onto the guy I was with, meanwhile the guy didn't really see much reason to put in his share of effort because he was getting laid regularly. So I've been taking it slow with Eric to make sure we're on equal ground. If all he wanted was to fuck me, he would have left by now." I said as I pulled my credit card from my purse.

"Well congratulations on finding a winner," Tara winked at me and I winced when I saw the total. Even with my special friend discount, I was still paying a couple hundred dollars for one night's worth of clothing. And I was pretty sure those panties weren't going to survive the night.

"Thanks. You know we should get together for dinner one of these nights. I'll bring Eric along so you can meet him," I offered as I signed the receipt.

"Heck yes! Just call me and let me know what works for you." Tara gestured to a customer who was trying to get her attention. "It was good to see you, Sook."

"Yeah, you too." I hugged Tara and then picked up all of my bags and headed home.

o.O.o.O.o

Rather than having Eric come all the way out to Bon Temps to pick me up, I arranged to leave work an hour early on Friday. The event started at six and dinner was being served at seven. I tried not to let myself get too nervous over the whole meeting the parents thing but it was hard not to. I hadn't met a boyfriend's parents since I dated Bill, and his mother had always hated me for one reason or another. I think she saw me as some harlot stealing her baby boy away, or some such nonsense.

In the time since then, none of my other boyfriends ever seemed to consider the idea of introducing me to their parents. I was okay with that, for the most part, since I knew on some deeper level that the relationships weren't going to last so there wasn't much point. With Eric, however, I was nervous because for the first time I really cared about what his parents would think of me. I worried his mother would think I wasn't good enough, or that his father would think I was a pretty distraction but that was about it.

I wanted them to like me and I wanted Eric to be proud of me. Or at least proud to be with me. I didn't want to embarrass him or make him regret bringing me to meet his parents, especially at an event that was important to his father. My nerves were frazzled and I hoped a quick soak in the tub would help alleviate the stress. In addition to my anxiety over meeting Eric's parents, there was the sexual frustration that was starting to kick in.

I had intentionally not seen Eric since the morning after he invited me to the event with his parents. After having that sex talk, I was worried I'd end up jumping him and I didn't want the first time to happen that way. I wasn't usually such a gushy, romantic type but as it was with Eric in so many other ways, I wanted sex to be different with him too. I wanted the first time to mean something more than just a rush of hormones and loss of control. The easiest way to make sure that happened was to not see him.

Christ, if I didn't know any better I would think it was the day of my wedding. After my bath I rubbed myself down with a shimmering peach scented lotion and got to work on my hair. Getting it all pinned up and curled the way I wanted it was going to take a while but it would be worth it when I was finished. Eric's bathroom looked somewhat like a war room with all the makeup, hair stuff and bottles of lotion and perfume that were spread out all over the place.

Poor guy was being invaded.

When my hair was done I put my makeup on and wore what I usually did with the addition of a shimmery gold eye shadow and a hint of brown liner on my eyes. Black was always too harsh for my complexion, but brown did the trick. The extra bit of definition to my eyes made them pop and I already knew the color of my dress would enhance them as well. I stopped short of lip gloss, saving that for after I brushed my teeth.

I went into the bedroom and slipped on the pretty new panties I'd bought and tried not to get too attached to them on the chance they became spoils of Eric's inevitable victory. After that I put the dress on I went in search of the shoes. I'd looked a little ridiculous walking around my house in them while doing laundry and cooking dinner but at least they were a little broken in. I had no doubt my feet would be killing me well before the night was over though.

I heard the garage door going up downstairs and I sucked in a deep breath. A glance at the clock told me it was Eric and he was running late. God, men were lucky with how little time it took them to get ready. I'd been at it for almost two hours and all it would take Eric as fifteen minutes and that was if he took his time. I ran to the bathroom and took my shoes with me. He was going to have to shower in the guest bathroom down the hall since I didn't want him to see me until I was completely ready.

"Sookie, where are you?" He called out from the bedroom.

"I'm in the bathroom and you can't see me until I'm done!" I shouted back.

"Well can you hand me my shampoo then?" Eric asked through the door.

I reached behind the shower door and got him his razor, shampoo and his soap. Carefully, I walked over to the door and opened it just wide enough to put my arm through. The rest of me was hidden behind the door so he couldn't see me.

"No hello kiss?" he teased.

"Nope, now hurry up or we're going to be late." I warned and smiled when he kissed my hand.

"Guess that'll have to do for now."

"I'll owe you one, how's that?"

"Works for me. Carry on, dear."

o.O.o.O.o

"Sookie, come on, we're going to be late!" Eric called from the bedroom.

I took a deep breath and checked myself in the mirror. It was as good as it was going to get. My hair was pinned and curled perfectly, my makeup looked good and I was still in love with the dress. I slipped on the shoes and then unlocked the bathroom door. One more deep breath and I turned the knob to open the door. With my little purse clutched in my hand, I stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

Eric was in the process of tying his tie, and stopped when he caught my reflection in the mirror. He whistled. It wasn't quite the wolf whistle I had imagined but it was good enough. He spun around with a grin on his face.

"You look beautiful," he looked me up and down.

"Thank you," I blushed just a little, pleased that he liked what he saw. "You think this isn't too much?"

He shook his head slowly and gestured for me to turn around. When he saw how much of my back was exposed, he sucked in a breath and then growled just a little. "You realize it's going to be difficult not to throw you in the car the second the party's over, right?"

"I was hoping you'd say that," I said with a small laugh. "Just don't molest me on the dance floor."

"I can't make you that promise," his eyes were heated.

Dinner was going to be an exercise in torture.

A few minutes later we were in my car since there was no way I was going to be able to get in and out of the Corvette in the dress I was wearing without tripping all over myself. Since Eric knew precisely where we were going, I let him drive. He smartly leaned down to push the driver's seat back before trying to get behind the wheel.

The drive to the college Eric's father taught at didn't take long and we ended up arriving at about ten after six. Along with quite a few other people, we walked hand in hand to the space where the event was being held. A regal looking blonde woman in a beautiful rose colored dress was making her way toward us and by the shape of her face; I knew she had to be Eric's mother. My grip on his hand tightened nervously and he whispered in my ear.

"Relax, you'll be fine." Yeah, easy for him to say.

"There you are! Your father has been driving me crazy, going over his speech and making all these notes…" Mrs. Northman trailed off and her eyes drifted over to me. "You must be Sookie! Oh, I'm so happy to meet you."

Yep, she was hugging me. I tried not to be too stiff about it but I was scared shitless of saying something stupid or completely inappropriate. I hugged her back as best I could with one arm since my other hand refused to let go of Eric.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Northman. Eric has told me a lot about you," I smiled at her once we parted.

"I wish I could say the same but my son has been annoyingly silent. Come with me and we'll get drinks," Mrs. Northman took my hand and led me over to the bar, leaving Eric to stand alone and watch helplessly as I was being dragged away.

"I love your dress," I said as we approached the bar. Small talk was good, right? I just needed to keep taking deep breaths and not inhale my gin and tonic. I would not get smashed in front of Eric's parents the first time I met them.

"Thank you! I got it at this wonderful little boutique just outside of Ruston called Tara's Togs." Mrs. Northman told me and it was a good thing I wasn't drinking anything or I would have choked.

"My friend owns that shop. Tara and I grew up together," I explained and then gave my drink order.

"Really? I love that shop! Every time I go in there I find something I just have to have. Your friend has fantastic taste," Mrs. Northman complimented.

"I'll be sure to tell her you said so," I nodded and reached for the drink the bartender was handing me.

"And might I say," Mrs. Northman reached for her glass of wine. "That color is fantastic on you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Northman," I blushed slightly. "I got this at Tara's as well."

"I thought I'd seen that dress somewhere before! And please call me Della. Anytime someone calls me Mrs. Northman I start looking for my mother-in-law and she passed three years ago," she told me before looping her slender arm through mine and leading me toward the table where Eric and the man I assumed was his father were sitting. "Now Sookie isn't a common name, is it?"

"Uh, it's a fairly common shortening in the south. My given name is Susannah but no one ever calls me that." I explained to her.

"Well, you're the first Sookie I've ever met. Any that come along in the future are going to have a high standard to meet," Della patted my hand as we walked and I know I blushed under her high praise.

Either she'd already had a few glasses of wine or she was easily impressed because I couldn't think of a single thing I'd done to make her like me. Maybe just being respectful and polite was good enough for her. Whatever the reason, I was glad she wasn't giving me the evil eye the way Bill's mother always had.

"How's the speech coming along?" Della asked after taking her seat beside her husband.

"Fine, fine. Eric helped get the words in their proper order," Mr. Northman said without looking up.

"Martin, darling, you should meet Eric's Sookie," Della took the pen from her husband's hand and he looked up at me.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," I offered my hand and he shook it.

"Likewise. I apologize for my rudeness. I'm a bit ruffled at the moment," he said and it was a comfort to know I wasn't the only one who was nervous.

Eric pulled my chair out for me and I took a seat next to him. His hand found mine under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Martin went back to obsessing over his speech while Della started asking questions about how Eric and I met. It was the normal sort of stuff I would expect a parent to ask the significant other of their child. She asked about my family and where I'd grown up, then about college and what I did for a living. It was nice. It was normal.

It wasn't torture after all.

After a couple of vodka gimlets, Martin was a little more relaxed and stopped obsessing over his speech. Both of Eric's parents were extremely friendly and polite people. Their intelligence was apparent in the way they spoke and when Martin slipped into speaking Swedish, his wife gently reminded him that I wasn't able to follow along. I wondered if that was a common thing and decided I would ask Eric about it later. Maybe it was something Martin did when he was nervous, like how I would bite my lip or play with my hair, neither of which I had done since we sat down at the table.

Dinner was amazing. The salad they served was an ordinary garden salad. After that we had a light cucumber soup Eric didn't seem to care for very much, but I thought it was delicious. After that we had a Grecian style chicken with roasted rosemary potatoes and roasted vegetables that were served family style, which I wasn't expecting. Dessert was a light lemon sorbet that was a nice finish to a great dinner. I was glad they hadn't trotted out heavy pieces of cake or pie. I wouldn't have had room for that.

"Well I'm full until Thanksgiving," Della sat back in her chair after taking just a few bites of her sorbet.

"Me too," I pushed my plate away and wasn't the least bit surprised when Eric confiscated it. That man could eat more in a day that I could in a week.

"I don't know where he puts all of it," Della said with a shake of her head as she watched Eric eat. "And it was worse when he was a teenager!"

"He gets it from me," Martin spoke up and I didn't doubt that was the truth.

Both of Eric's parents were tall. I knew Della was wearing heels but even without them she had to be at least 5'9" and since Eric and his father were about eye to eye in their seats, I was assuming they were the same height. Granted it took more calories to fuel a body as big as Eric's, but Jesus; I couldn't imagine eating as much as he did most days.

A short time later it was time to get down to business. It was sort of adorable to see Martin's hands shake with nervousness while he waited to be called up to the stage to receive his award. He was being honored for his service to the college, as well as the number of papers he'd written that had been published in that time. His work had helped to make the college one of the leading schools with history programs not just in the state of Louisiana, but in the country. That was certainly impressive.

"Don't worry, Pop, you'll be fine," Eric said with a gentle knock against his father's shoulder.

Martin grumbled under his breath but it seemed to be a squeeze from his wife and a few quiet words in what I assumed to be Swedish that got him to settle down. It was sweet to watch and Eric squeezing my hand under the table told me he might have been as touched by the little display as I was. I always thought it was sweet when couples who had been married for as long as the Northmans had still seemed to love each other as much as Eric's parents seemed to. Just because a couple remained married for a long time didn't mean they were happy. It was obvious to me that Martin and Della weren't putting on airs.

Finally, Martin was called to the stage after a short introduction by the head of his department and I let go of Eric's hand long enough to applaud the nervous man who was slowly rising to his impressive full height. "Knock 'em dead, Pop." Eric said as Martin stood.

Della stood along with her husband and kissed his cheek before sending him toward the stage. As he walked, he dug the notes he'd been scribbling on from his inner jacket pocket. He climbed the steps and as soon as he was standing at the podium, all traces of nervousness were gone. He'd slipped into professor mode and exuded confidence and grace. Della sat down in Martin's chair and leaned over toward Eric and me.

"God, I love that man," she smiled with pride as we all watched Martin speak.

So now we've met Mama and Papa Northman. We'll get to see more of Martin's personality in the next chapter, and especially in the coming ones. Eric's parents are a hoot. Some awesome sets were made for me in Polyvore, so if you want to see what Sookie was wearing for this function, there will be a link to it in my profile. Reviews= love & teasers. Thanks for reading!