Here's Eric's POV of all that happened since he first showed up at her door (it starts right after the end of chapter 17). As always, I found it extremely hard to write in a man's (or rather, a 1000-yrs-old Vampire's) perspective. I hope you'll find it Eric-like. And don't forget to drop me a line if you can! Thank you for reading. :-) Cheers from Portugal, Célia

Eric "Come Back"

As soon as Sookie opened the door, I wanted to push her against the wall and fuck her senseless right there.

She looked slightly older than before because she had maybe a couple more age lines around her eyes, but there were no more significant diferences in her. Yes, I'd say that she only looked about two or three years older... I wondered why. But even stranger than that was the fact that she was still perfect to me. More than perfect to me. Actually, her smell was as strong and sweet as before and her face and body called to me as if the last ten years hadn't happened at all.

But just how did she do that? I had drank and fucked two girls half an hour before, but there, at Sookie's door, I felt as hungry and thirsty as never before. Yes, "push her against the wall and fuck her senseless" was a pretty good description of my cravings. But you don't get to live for a thousand years by doing what you want rather than what you should.

"Hello Sookie," I managed to say. I could hear her heart and her breathing and even without a blood-bond, I could tell she was nervous. She invited me inside and asked why I was there. When I answered that I was just visiting, she laughed loud and seemed to calm down. These changes from "nervous" to "calm" or even "horny" or "mad" or to some other feelings were so frequent in her ten years before, that I just smiled inside because she was still the same. Sookie was still Sookie. And I still remembered how she was always saying that she hardly ever lost her temper, but I had always secretly thought that she was as unpredictable, volatile and impulsive as you could get.

And her laugh was still the same too. And in that moment, when she laughed after I told her that I was just there for a regular visit, I time-traveled a decade into my past. But soon I'd come back to the present, when I smelled her living room and could tell no were had been there, at least in the last couple of days. I need to know the reason behind it. And so I asked about her husband. She told me about "some problems" and said he wasn't living there any more. And then the strangest thing happened because I became sad for her. I was sorry that her marriage hadn't worked out and that she had suffered. And her child as well. Her child…

"You have a daughter," I said. She nodded and I could see her love for the child in her face. I asked if I could see her and Sookie let me. The girl was sleeping peacefully with her blond hair all over her pillow. Even with child features, she looked like Sookie and even her smell was Sookie-like. I told her so when we left the bedroom before asking if the child had her gift as well. She said that she didn't while we continued into the hallway. I wondered if she was telling me the truth. After all, Sookie had always tried to hide her own telepathy. It was expected that she would do the same for her daughter. I hoped, for the child's sake, that Sookie was telling the truth. And I also hoped that if the child ever developed that gift in the future, Sookie would trust me enough to tell me that. I had managed to get her free from De Castro so far and I would do the same for her kid.

Soon we were back on her couch and I asked her why she had left. She started talking about children, and peace and normalcy and I didn't know what to answer until she said Compton's name.

"I am not Bill," I answered her. I would never be like William Compton. I would never behave like him nor would I be such a coward that I would lie to Sookie. She replied to me with the cruelest words: "I was afraid that you would break my heart." I wanted to leave her house that moment and never return. I would never have harmed her. On the contrary, I was the one whose dead heart had been broken. And I told her that. She then said she was sorry and I could hear in her voice that she meant it.

And then, in that very second, I really wished I could kiss her. But I didn't. Give me a dozen enemy warriors and I'll fight them all without a second thought. But kissing Sookie Stackhouse? I wasn't brave enough to do it. But she was. She closed the gap between us and our lips touched. And in that moment, it was as if I was still in her grandmother's house without a clue about myself other than the certainty that Sookie was the only one I could trust.

But even though back then when I wasn't myself, I could trust Sookie, I knew now that I couldn't anymore. She had left me. She had hurt me. And she had turned me into something I didn't want to be. I had even felt the need to be close to Ocella for crying out loud. Sookie had broken me when she left. And it had taken me too much damn time to pull myself together again. I wouldn't risk it again.

And so I moved to the other side of her living room. And when I saw her moving towards me, I almost begged her to stay where she was and to shut up. But she didn't and I left her house. I had to leave because I knew that as soon as she'd close that gap between us, I'd lose my mind and fall for her all over again. And so, I did leave – I ran to my car and then I drove to the hotel.

As soon as I got in my room, I showered for more than an hour. I had been at Sookie's and I could still smell her on me. I had to take that scent off me and I only got out of the bath tub when there was only my smell on me. I then sat on my bed and I tried to emerge myself in the movies and shows on TV. I really didn't want to think about Sookie. I knew that I should go back there or at least call her and tell her about the fairies threat but I couldn't make myself do either. And so I watched television until dawn.

I woke up the next evening with the resolution that I'd call Sookie, tell her about everything and offer her the Louisiana Vampire's help. And then I'd leave Tennessee without seeing her again. She could talk about her security with Pam if she wanted our help. Or she might not want it at all. Her choice. Either way, I'd just call her, warn her and then there would be no more contact with Sookie Stackhouse.

But I was still pretty nervous and so I decided I'd go out for a drive to calm down before I'd call Sookie. I purposefully turned east when I left the hotel because I knew that her house was to west. But then, more or less a couple of hours after I left the hotel, I found myself parking at her door and ringing her bell again. I didn't really know why I was here. I just… was. But then again, it didn't matter. I'd speak to her and head off as soon as possible. Just speak to her and head off as soon as possible.

She asked me inside and then we both sat. I chose the farthest couch from Sookie that there was in the living room. I still feared her. And I didn't trust myself if I was close to her. I was only there to tell her about the Fairies and then leave. Nothing more. I didn't want anything more. But with her so close, my decision to just talk and not grab her and fuck her and rub myself all over her was… hard to keep. And to do as I had determined, I chose the smallest but farthest couch from Sookie. Why? Because her pull was too strong. The gravitational force wasn't anything compared to Sookie. She was the mermaid of the ancient stories, who sang and lulled the sailors to their deaths.

But she definitively wasn't singing. On the contrary, she wasn't even breathing. Instead, she just started mumbling "I'm sorry" after "I'm sorry" and she just coughed and coughed and coughed. What was that? Why was she behaving that way? Was she unwell? Gods! Was Sookie sick?

I moved towards her without even thinking. The fear that she was ill quickly overpowered the fear of having my heart broken again. She had to calm down and I tried to help her. And then Sookie just started saying the words I had been waiting for almost a decade. "I'm sorry for leaving Louisiana. And you."

And just like that, I was feeling pretty good about myself. Actually, I was feeling better than I had since that last time in my office in Fangtasia when she said she was leaving. But suddenly, Sookie was crying again and I just grabbed and hugged her. It was… instinctual or something. I didn't think. I didn't worry about her or me. I just grabbed her and I hugged her. And then she kissed me. For a second or two, I still hesitated, but soon her tongue decided for me and I grabbed her face, she hugged my neck and that was it.

I knew that I shouldn't be that easy. I knew that Sookie was like a poison to me. She did me wrong, she was bad for me. And I knew that I had gone to Tennessee just to talk and warn her. Nothing more. I didn't want to be hurt again. And I was really scared that it would happen again. I would be wounded by a human. And I was fucking terrified of it. And I am Eric Northman. Nothing scares me. But putting myself in Sookie's hands again was frightening as hell. However, like I said before, her pull was too strong. And I just couldn't make myself leave her. My mind was screaming for me to run off and protect myself from being dumped again... and by a woman. But my body didn't agree and it was just reacting to her. And to touch and to hold her was suddenly what was keeping me alive. I just… I just had to hold her. It was as if I was a human in the middle of the freaking Atlantic and she was a floater ... I just really had to hold on or else I would drown. And that was what I did.

We kept kissing and touching for a while. But soon, I realized that it wasn't enough anymore. I was a junky and Sookie was my drug. And I just wanted more and more.

But how? Why? Truth be told, I did not understand that need. I just knew that Sookie belonged with me. And I craved more. I really had to feel all the skin on her body and so I asked her permission. I was still pretty nervous and unsure. Me. Eric Northman. Scared of a young little girl. Well, a woman now. But still…

I decided that the best was to follow my instincts and I just kissed and touched her wherever and however I felt like it. And when after ten or fifteen minutes, I entered her, I felt that all was well in the world. The air smelled better, the colors were brighter and I just wanted the whole world to be happy and in peace. I wondered for a moment who I was and where my true self had gone, but then I sensed her hold on my back getting stronger and I decided I'd just feel her and not really think about what was happening.

Seconds later, when I started moving, she almost screamed my name. I still remembered her previous words, and so I began kissing her to keep the sounds low. But every time I shifted in and out of her, she moaned and I was having difficulty keeping quiet myself. And then she asked me to bite her and I felt like the luckiest SOB in the world. My fangs penetrated her skin and we came almost together as if we had been doing that every night for the last ten years.

I waited for her to calm down because her breathing was still irregular and we got dressed. I knew we had a lot to talk about (Niall and Lincel for one ), but I figured I deserved a few more moments and so I placed her in my lap and we stayed there, in silence, just hugging for half an hour or so.

But reality came back when I realized I couldn't lose her again and I started telling her everything about Gilbert's call.

"And Lizzie? Is she safe?" She asked without delay. Obviously, as the good mother Sookie was, her thoughts went immediately to her daughter. I, on the other hand, hadn't thought about the kid. Well, it all depended if she had the so-talked-about essential spark or not.

"I don't know," I answered, "I haven't heard her name in all this mess. But I worry about you Sookie. I think you should come back to Shreveport with me. Tonight."

She moved out of my lap and sat in front of me on a coffee table. She grabbed my hands and said: "I can't Eric. I wouldn't leave without my daughter. And besides, there's Lizzie's school, her friends. And there's also the restaurant, my job. And David. He is her father and I can't decide something like that without talking to him. I can't just leave to Louisiana."

There's David? But… "You said that he moved six months ago..." I didn't understand. She had said that they weren't together anymore. She had said that.

"He moved from this house. The two of us are not a couple anymore. But he's Lizzie's dad and he'll always be. And David is a good father."

"What happened between you two?" It was the second time I was asking. And this time she answered.

"David's a born were-bear but during most of his life he never wanted to be a part of the supernatural world. His friends weren't weres and every full moon he would run all by himself. And that's what first attracted me to him. The fact that he just didn't care about the supernatural world." She paused for a moment and then continued. "But when I was kidnapped he felt that if he was more into this crazy world of yours, he might have prevented it."

The way she accentuated the "yours" almost made me shiver. She hated the supernatural world. She really did. And I couldn't blame her. First, there was Bill's assignment and all the dangerous situations she had found herself in, then she had felt the need to leave Louisiana (I still didn't understand that) and now, apparently, her so-called husband's double-nature had been the means to the end of her marriage. I had to know more about it and so I said: "And?"

"And so he decided he wanted to meet other supes and began spending more and more time with a few packs nearby. Eventually, he started meeting other bears, female bears and started talking about his 'duty'" – she was doing the upper commas sign with her hands – "yeah, that was actually the word he used: his 'duty' to have full were-bear children with them. I said that I'd leave him if he did it and he dropped the subject."

If he had really dropped the subject, we wouldn't be having this conversation, that was for sure. Why the hell would a fucking bear want a full bear child, when he had Sookie and her kid at home? I had always thought that weres were stupid and here I had the confirmation. Fucking two-natures. "Then what?" I asked again.

"Then the subject came back again." I knew it. She paused for a few seconds and then she carried on. "This time with artificial insemination in the middle. He wanted to go to a clinic and donate his sperm and then this 21 year-old were-bear girl would have his child. But it was almost the same. Yes, he wouldn't be having sex with her, but it was still something that I couldn't accept. The fact that he wanted to have full were-bear children just meant that Lizzie wasn't enough for him and we grew apart, but stayed together."

"I see."

"Six months ago he told me his first were-bear son had been born and I asked him to leave this house."

"I see." I repeated.

"And before he found his new apartment, he stayed at the girl's house for two or three weeks, with her, her parents and the child. The baby boy was already four months old then. And… she was David's girlfriend. She still is, I guess. It had taken them almost a year until she had gotten pregnant. Trough a… conventional way."

Yeah. Stupid, stupid weres. He had chosen someone else over Sookie. How could he? Suddenly, I could almost smell the salt in Sookie's still nonexistent tears. She was about to cry again. I had to change the subject to something that brought happiness to her.

"And your daughter?"

"She misses him. We told her the same things every couple say when they separate. You know: mommy and daddy still love you very much but we won't live together anymore, you're still the most important thing for us and everything will be all right, and so on... I swear, I never thought I'd be saying those words, but I actually did." Her voice was full of defeat. She had taken it as a personal failure that her marriage was over.

But for me, it was a miracle in disguise. Maybe I would convince her that she should go back to Louisiana. "There's Lizzie's school, her friends. And there's also the restaurant, my job. And David." But the kid was five; she would make new friends easily. And the job wasn't important either. I'd give her money, or I'd get her a job in one of my bars if she wanted. "And David." Apparently, he had a new family. Maybe he didn't care about where Sookie would live. Maybe…

"Does he spend time with her?"

"Yes. I told you: he's a good father. Liz spends two weekends a month with him and he comes here to dinner every week. He's coming tomorrow."

"Oohh" I said. Yep. Really fluent and eloquent Eric. Congrats!

But my whole "maybe he didn't care about Sookie" theory had just gone down the drain. He did care. The kid stayed with him quite often. And he still had dinner every week at his house … well, at Sookie's now. Shit! And I'd bet they still saw each other every day at the restaurant. Double shit! What the hell kind of a separation was that?

"Look Eric…" Sookie said and then paused. She scratched her neck right where I had bit her but then her hand went back to touching mine and she continued: "I'll tell David everything tomorrow. He'll talk to his friends and they'll protect us. David is… well, he is pretty well considered now in the were community. They will help us." She paused again and both her hands left mine. "Thank you for coming all the way here to warn me about all this. We'll take care, you don't have to worry."

What? Was she kidding me? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "That's it Sookie? 'Thank you for dropping by'?" I deserved more than just a fucking "thank you for warning me". She deserved more than just a fucking danger notification. I couldn't let things stay that way. I had let her have her own way ten years before, but I wouldn't no more. This time, I would not accept her words and just shut up. I spoke my mind: "I know I said that I was just visiting but I am not. I want to keep you safe. I want you to come home with me."

"This is home." She answered.

She was so annoying. And so stubborn. And so… Sookie. But I was stubborn too. "No. I won't allow you. You will not stay here all by yourself."

"I told you. David and his friends will protect us. I am sure of it. We'll take care. You don't have to worry. He's my hus… David is Lizzie's dad and he'll protect us." She trusted her safety to a fucking bear? And she was telling me that I should be okay with that? Hilarious.

"I do worry."

"You don't have to. I don't want you to. David will take care of us. We're his family. It is his job to protect me and Liz. I've promised him in the past and he'll want to do it, and I do to. And just… please don't go all high-handed like you were before Eric…"

Aarrgght! I fought my instinct to grab her over my shoulder and fly the hell away from there. What was it with Sookie Stackhouse that always brought out the Viking in me? I decided that I should act the opposite of what I would have done ten years before, and so I tried to compromise.

Even without needing, I deeply breathed and then I said: "I'll stay here until dawn. As soon as it's day, you'll call your… you'll call David so he can stay with you during the day. I'll call you as soon as it's dark. And I'll come back if David or his people are not here with you."

The littlest smile appeared in her face and her hands touched mine again. I repeated my previous sentence: "I will not let you be taken away from me again."

"You're extremely important to me. But you're second to my daughter. I won't let the fairies change Lizzie's everyday life. And so, I won't go back to Louisiana." Her voice was strong and full of certainty.

Will he be able to change her mind? Or will he go back to Louisiana and let her stay in Tennessee? Or maybe he'll he stay in Tennessee as well? Will Sookie move to Shreveport because of this threat? And will she take Lizzie with her? How will David react to Eric's visit? What do you think? What would you prefer?

"Come Back" was the very first song written for the album "Bon Jovi" (the debut album from American rock band Bon Jovi) released January 21, 1984. It was written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora.