Hi everybody! I'm sorry it took so long to upload this chapter! Real life got in the way. But I promise I'll post chapter 8 this week (Friday or Saturday). I'd also like to ask to all Eric's fans (in advance): please, don't hate me! And please keep with me! This is ultimately an Eric&Sookie story! I'm just an angst-lover and I thought about creating a new problem for them. And that problem is the nice boy (I mean: were-bear) David!

Sookie "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'"

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she replied.

I paused in the act of tying my shoe to watch what happened next: the vampire, in her black night dress, and the human man, in his tuxedo, were kissing at last, as the music increased, the camera showed the whole beach at night and the credits started rolling.

I switched off the television and tied my other shoe, shaking my head at America's new addition to Hollywood: the vampires! Not as a character as in the Twilight books or in Bela Lugoci's Count Dracula movies, but rather as actors and actresses as well. They were in every movie and TV show nowadays. And I hated it.

After two years in Tennessee, I didn't think about Eric as often as before, but I still thought about him quite often (well, if I'm being serious, I still thought about him too much) and I didn't need any more reminders that there were vampires out there, including former Vikings.

But thinking about Eric was manageable now (that is: I didn't crawl into a fetus position anymore). Actually, I was now perfectly capable of thinking about him, smiling at that period of my life and keep functioning. Well, most of the time. Once in a blue moon, I still had a little panic attack.

The last one was eight months ago when I dreamt that Niall had visited me to tell me that fairies were going to kill Eric that morning. In my dream (or rather, in my nightmare), I was at my parents' house, in my former childhood bedroom and I begged him to leave Eric alone. At first, he said that Eric had to die, but after a while, when he was about to give in to my plead, his cell phone rang. Niall read his text message and then he told me "It's done".

I woke up at David's, screaming and unable to breath. That was the first night I was spending there and he just rationalized everything as a simple nightmare. And what was his explanation why I had had such a bad dream that I actually woke up screaming? Well, he said that it was because I wasn't used to his mattress or pillows. Yeah, right! It's the mattress' fault. But, either way, David was great. Completely unaware of my past (and unaware of my dream – I told him that I didn't remembered it), but great nonetheless. He made me breathe to a bag; he hugged me, calmed me down, made me drink water and then went to sleep holding me. The next morning, four months after his first "I love you", I told him I loved him back as well. And it was true. It is true. Well, obviously, it's not a "crazy, can't live without you" kind of love, but it's a mature love that grew out of friendship.

David is my Sam II. He's a were and a good man; he's my friend and my boss. Two months after I arrived in Tennessee, we started dating. But we stayed just friends for a long time. Dating my boss was always in my not to do list. And so, we just hold hands for a little less than a year. But then, there was the first kiss. A week later, there was the first make out. A month later, there was the first sex.

My apartment in Cleveland was a few blocks from the restaurant and I usually walked the distance. That morning, I arrived at Brown's Rest and Grill a little before the start of my shift and found David working the books at his office. I left my purse there, kissed him and went to the front to work.

I still don't know how I got involved with him. I guess I thought that David was my second chance. Sam was a good man and a good friend. And I knew that he liked me but I never gave him any shot (you know: the non-dating your boss issue). And because I was alone, I suddenly found myself involved in all that vampire mess (that included several attempts to my life). I wouldn't make the same mistake again in Tennessee and so I got myself a non-vampire boyfriend. Yes, David is a supernatural creature. He's a were-bear. But he's totally non-pack material. He runs alone when it's a full moon and all his friends are regular humans.

So… I had a great apartment next to work, a good job and a first class boss/boyfriend. Everything was really great. I just had this tiny problem with David. He had been insisting that I move in with him but I wasn't sure yet.

"Common Sook, you stay at my place three nights a week and I stay at your house at least twice a week, what's the problem with definitively moving in together?" And he was right. We used to spend lots of time together and moving in seemed like the next obvious step.

So why didn't I? Well, I still hadn't told him about my telepathy. It's not that I didn't trust him, or thought that he'd use me. And to tell the truth, I have never got a full sentence from David's mind; just feelings and emotions. And they were good feelings and emotions. Yes, I had to tell him. And then maybe we could live together for a while and… Who knows? Maybe even get married and have babies. A girl. I'd love to have a daughter and we'd cook together, I'd brush her hair… David's nephew was 8 years old and he absolutely loved his uncle. Yeah, we'd be alright with a baby of our own. I decided then that I'd tell him. I'd tell him everything. I'd tell him about the telepathy, about wanting to get married and wanting a baby in maybe 1 or 2 years time. And that night. I'd tell him that night.

-x-

"Christine, table 9 needs their check and go get more bread to that group of boys in 7. And please tell Anna that table 12 wants more coffee and 15 is in a hurry so she should recommend the day's specials, will you? My tables are all okay for now. I'll just be in the back for a while helping David checking the delivery."

"Delivery today? It's Sunday!"

"Yeah, but tomorrow their truck has to go to the repair shop, so they came a day earlier. Now, please just do as I asked."

"Will do. Thanks."

I could hear her talking to Anna about her tables. And I could also hear her thinking (and not for the first time) that I should give a waitress course or at least write a manual because I always seemed to know what's needed where.

I smiled to myself. Yes, I was a good waitress and I had lots of experience but being able to hear my clients' thoughts made things much easier. I still remembered back when I started working at Merlotte's how tough it was to block everyone and I silently thanked Bill for his coaching and help in controlling my telepathy. Even though, back then, it was Bill's assignment, he actually helped me a lot and now, being telepathic, wasn't that big a problem. Well, at least, I hoped it wasn't that big a problem and wouldn't be that big a problem. Especially to David.

I went to the back of Brown's and saw that the truck was parking on time. I helped David checking that day's delivery and making the next delivery's list. Everything was alright, and so I left him and the delivery guy unloading. I kissed David quickly and said:

"Oh, by the way, would you mind if we have dinner at my place tonight instead of going out?"

"Why? Any problem?" We always went out to dinner and a movie on Sunday's evenings. And David hated any change in our routine. He truly was "Mr I Hate Surprises".

"No. I just want to talk to you more privately, that's all."

"Talk to me?" Even if I couldn't hear his thoughts or fell his emotions I would have been able to see by his face's expressions that he was wondering if I was leaving him. His ex-girlfriend had left when he insisted he wanted to have a more serious relationship and he was still hurt because of that. You know the saying: once bitten, twice shy. "Something you can't tell me at a restaurant?"

"Yeah. Maybe I want to talk to you about our living arrangements" – I turned down my voice and got closer to him – "and maybe I want you to spend the night" – even lower and even closer now – "so you'll help me pack tomorrow?" Brown's Rest and Grill was closed on Mondays. A great smile appeared in his face.

"Okay. Tonight, at your place." I smiled at him back and went to the front.

Sunday was a calm day and usually both of us left early. The staff have been working there for at least four years (except me) and David trusted them (with good reason, my telepathy told me). And so we left at 5 pm, went to the supermarket and then to my place where we started making the dinner – well, I started; David just tagged along. He was positively gleeful. We had dinner, watched TV and then made love.

Making love with David was always calm and sweet and there was never the kind of urgency I felt with Eric (and even with Bill). But it was nice and usually I came.

David was still in top of me, my arms around his back. We lay in silence for less than a minute and then he moved. He thought that I minded if he stayed on top of me. And I knew that even thought I actually didn't mind it, it was my fault that David thought I did. "You're heavy. I can't breathe with your weight on me" I told him once. But the reality was that in that night, for the first time ever, David had started kissing and licking my neck in a lazy way. And, in my mind, neck equals vampire and "you're heavy" was easier to say than "you are still inside of me but I'm thinking about Eric who, by the way, is a vampire who used to bite me just there where you were kissing me". Yeah, definitively easier.

"I'm thirsty. Do you want anything from the kitchen?" He asked. His brown hair was voluminous and kind of messy. I smiled and said no with a shake of my head.

"Sixty seconds and I'll be back". He put on his t-shirt and boxers and left the room. I immediately got into my pajamas and followed him to the kitchen where I kissed him for a few minutes.

"One minute and you were already missing me?" David teased me when I kissed him.

"Yeah! Aaahh… listen David: we have to talk."

"Sure. What's up?" I could tell he didn't think this was "the talk". In his mind, when I told him that maybe I'd need his help packing tomorrow, that sealed the deal. So I told him what I needed to say.

"Before we move in together there's something about me you should know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it before." And then I paused. I wasn't looking for an effect; I just didn't know how to tell him. The effect, however, was there. And I felt myself in a soup opera right before the "Tune in next week" phrase.

"Go on."

"You know that there are vampires, right?" He nodded. "And you are a were-bear, so you know that there are shifters and weres." He nodded again. "Well, I'm all human but I have a twist." Telepathy? Need to know basis. Fairy prince great granddaughter? Do not need to know basis.

"Twist?"

"Yes, a twist. Well… The thing is: I can read minds. I hear people's thoughts." He was looking at me like I was a freak. And… I guess that I was. I had just told him that I was a telepathic waitress. He made this gesture with his hand that said "go on" and I continued talking. "Not everyone's. I mean: I can't hear what vampires think but I listen to what humans think. I can close it and not hear at all for a while if I try hard or I can go further into people's minds other times."

"And me? I mean weres?" Typical. Believe I can hear thoughts? Okay, sure, no problem. Believe I can hear you? That's another question all together! And this always happened. I still remembered Andy Bellefleur's reaction towards me: how he was absolutely sure that I could hear people's thoughts but he still didn't believe I could hear his thoughts.

"With difficulty. It's not whole sentences or images like with humans. Just emotions or feelings. And born-weres like you are even tougher to hear. I… I…"

"What? You what?"

"I've never heard a word from you. Just emotions. But your face expressions tell me the same that I fell so…" I shut up. I had chosen the worst time and place to tell him this. After sex, in my kitchen, at 11.30pm, both dressed for bed. Am I dull, or what?

"So… So what Sookie? Finish your sentence."

"So it shouldn't matter."

"So it shouldn't matter that you've kept secrets from me?"

"Well… I…."

"Do you have any other secrets?"

The "friend of the pack" status with the Long Tooth Pack. The 1/8th fairy. Eric. My blood bond with Eric. My marriage with Eric.

"No."

"Okay." We stayed there not moving, looking at each other, for a couple of minutes. "Okay." He repeated. He moved in my direction and hugged me. "So it doesn't matter."

We kissed again and then went to bed. We spent the next day packing some of my things and just taking it easy in our day off. By the 30th that month, I was giving my landlord back his keys and David was making a copy of his keys for me. That night, and after almost 9 months, I dreamt of Eric again. And a month later, David asked me to marry him.

So… What do you guys think? David sounds like a good guy, right? Btw: I didn't wrote how he is physically because, lets face it, after Eric, every man would look more or less the same… But he does look like a nice man. I mean: he cares for Sookie and she's happy with him in the "normal life" she always wanted... Should Sookie marry him? Would you rather she answers "yes" or "no" to his proposal?

"The Power Station Years: The Unreleased Recordings" is a compilation of Jon Bon Jovi's songs (1980-1983) that includes "Don't Keep Me Wondering".