Sorry for the delay, I have an excuse, but I won't bore you with it. On with the show…
Previously…
Suddenly I felt unworthy of Eric. I realized that he had left me out of his plans against Russell, but that did not negate the fact that he did what he did to save me. He had freely given me his blood to heal and I had not considered the gravity of that offering. He really did care about me.
"I need to go home." I said almost in a panic. I got up and ran to the door, but before I could open it Claudette appeared before me.
"You cannot, not yet anyways. You need a few more days for the magic to take root in your body. You are still maturing, but I assure you once you have learned all that you need to, you can go home." She reassured me, and I deflated. I felt like the more time I spent here, the more strain my relationship with Eric became.
Chapter 18- Sookie's POV
The next few days I spent mostly in bed. I had no energy in my body not even enough to complete the most basic of tasks. I felt as if I had the flu, but Claudine said that I was going through the final stages of my maturation. I didn't really care what she was talking about, all I knew was that I felt like shit. My body ached, I couldn't stop sweating, and I burned all over. It was awful, mostly because on top of feeling physically ill, I was incredibly anxious to go home. I had unsettled business with Eric and the more time I spent here, well, I just felt as if he would give up on me if he hadn't already.
I had been in bed for the past two days, but today was the absolute worst. Claudine said that it would be over soon and that I could go home. I heard the door open and as I glanced to see who it was, I immediately felt my body healing.
"Great Grandfather." I said reverentially. His presence was easing the pain from my body. That was curious.
"How are you feeling Dear one?" He asked, his voice full of care and concern. I felt loved, I don't know how I knew, but I just knew that he honestly did love and care for me.
"Better now that you are here." I said without thinking, however it was the truth.
He laughed a little at my honesty and gently stroked my cheek.
"You are a very brave and spirited young woman. You remind me so much of my wife. " He said, and I could tell that he was reminiscing her.
"You know Great-granddaughter, I know I told you to seek out the Viking, and I still stand by that, but I also want you to know that you are strong, you are able to care for yourself. I am however very sorry that for the past years, you and your grandmother have had to struggle financially. It was Fintan's duty to provide for you. I cannot say why he didn't, perhaps he wanted you to keep a low profile, but regardless I will not have blood of my blood have to suffer the indignities of serving others. " He said, and I knew he was speaking of my "lowly" waitress job.
"I have a lot of business investments in the human realm, in fact, I am really quite wealthy. I have absolutely no need for such wealth in that realm. Human currency means nothing to me, but it does mean something to you. I have contacted my attorney in the human realm, Mr. Cataliades. He is a demon and a lifelong friend of your grandfathers. He has drawn up formal papers that will transfer all of my monetary assets to you. You will not want or need for anything ever again in your life." He said and gently placed a kiss upon my cheek.
It felt somehow wrong to take all of that money and I wanted to protest. "Great-grandfather, while I appreciate all that you are doing for me, I can't just accept all of your money. I didn't earn it." I said knowing that he would give me the money anyway.
"Dear one, your grandmother has instilled some very honorable characteristics within you, but you must understand, that in the fairy culture, it is my duty to provide everything you need. I would be a dishonorable man to have you struggle financially in your life. You are a fairy, you must learn to embrace our ways. I know you enjoy working for the shifter, but you need to think more long term than that. If you could do anything with your life, what would you do?" He asked.
I knew that working for Sam was not glamorous and that the job was very low on the social strata, perhaps great-grandfather was right, I now had the means to do whatever I wanted with my life, but I had never been afforded the opportunity to dream big. I had a puzzled look on my face, I really didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, so to speak.
Noticing my perplexed feelings, he said, "It is alright, dear one, you do not have to figure it out now, but you are royalty and a princess, you have the means to do anything you like. You must learn to let others do for you as you have done for them for all these years." He said patting my shoulders in a gesture that reminded me of a normal human father daughter talk.
"Please use some of the money to provide yourself with security…bodyguards, fences, security systems etc.. and I want you to put some wards on your home, I believe Claudine showed you the spells for those. You will live a long time, you need to start thinking of your own survival. Now, having said all of that, I want to leave you with a little parting gift, a token of my love for you." He said with glinting love in his eyes.
He pulled out a rectangular wooden box. The box in and of itself could have been the gift, it was made from some rare wood only found in the Fae realm, it was intricately carved to depict the forest outside of the castle, in fact there was a scene carved into the box that depicted the castle.
I looked shocked and completely awestruck. Niall chuckled at my expression which must have seemed juvenile to him. "Open it my dear heart." He said, and I could not get enough of the loving nicknames which he called me.
I carefully opened the box, frightened that I would break it. When I opened the box, I saw the most magnificent bracelet I had ever laid my eyes on.
It was a platinum charm bracelet, the charm was designed to look like the sun, but in the middle was what I thought was a topaz, but Niall said it was actually called chiastolite, and is considered rare, even in Fae realm. It is said to be a charm of good fortune, a protection stone, if you will. Niall said that I could harness my Fae magic into the stone and use it for protection. He explained to me how it all worked, but warned me never to take it off. He said there are those in the human realm who may recognize it and try to take it from me.
I thanked him for the gift, and he got up to leave. I walked him to the door.
"Great-granddaughter, I may not see you again for a long time, but I will always be watching over you. Please know that I love you." He said kissing my cheek once again, then he left the room.
I immediately felt a pang of regret, I didn't want to be away from him, he had made me feel happy and loved. A feeling that I honestly hadn't felt since gran passed away.
I sulked back to the bed, resigned to the fact that I wouldn't see my great-grandfather again for a long time, if ever.
Since his visit to my room, however, I noticed that I didn't feel like I had the flu any longer, in fact I felt invigorated.
I ran to the bathroom to shower and wash the sweat off my body. While in the shower, I thought about the fairy culture and what Niall had said about me embracing it. The Fae were definitely a proud race. They took their responsibilities very seriously, but they were also very generous. In a way, I wanted to be like them, but I also wanted to keep the values that gran had instilled in me too. I couldn't see where the two conflicted, yet, but I was certain that they would at some point.
The only thing I could think of would be killing. I was always taught, thou shall not kill, but I already had. I had killed Lorena in self-defense, and I didn't feel bad for it at all. I would do it again if it meant protecting myself or the ones I loved. It also didn't bother me that both Eric and Godric had killed, so long as it was not gratuitously. I somehow didn't believe they took another's life needlessly, since they had saved my great-grandfather and my cousin, both of which were considered the enemy.
I would embrace my 'fairy-ness', and I would take the money my grandfather gave to me. I would use to help my brother and the ones I loved. I would also use it for myself to fulfill my dreams, whatever they may be.
I knew I was ready, truly ready to go home. I had learned so much about myself and my family. I was powerful; I could protect and provide for myself. The only thing I didn't know was how the heck to leave.
Just then I heard a knock at the door and Claudette peeked her head in. I waved at her to come in. We both sat on the bed, she looked sad.
"What is the matter cousin? " I asked.
"You are leaving. I'm gonna miss you." She said wiping a stray tear from her cheek.
I smiled sadly, knowing that I, too would miss her and Claudine.
"I know, I will miss you too. It's gonna be hard to see Godric and not think of you or be sad about the two of you." I said fighting the tears, but it was fruitless. The traitorous tears fell anyway.
"Will you give him this letter?" She asked, handing me a letter, which felt more like a novel.
"Of course. You know, there has to be a way for you to be with him. I refuse to believe that true love doesn't win out in the end." I was determined to find a solution for the both of them .
"It's okay Sookie, It wasn't meant to be, besides I had a duty to fulfill, I had the children that Niall asked me to have. I love them all, and I wouldn't have had them had I stayed with Godric."
"You love your children, true, but you don't honestly believe that it's okay to put your happiness aside forever do you?" I asked incredulously.
"No, but when there is no hope to be had, it is just too hard to keep wondering what if." She said sorrowfully and hung her head.
I leaned over and hugged her. She had lost hope to be reunited with her love, and that made me incredibly sad for the both of them.
"Please tell him that I loved him then, and I love him now. Please Sookie. He is a good man and he deserves to find happiness, it hurts me to think that he tried to end his life and that I might have been the cause or at least a contributing factor in that decision." And I could tell that she was really torn up about how Godric tried to kill himself.
"You must go now Sookie, Eric needs you." Claudette said kissing my cheek.
"How do I get home from here?" I asked.
"We must go to the portal. Bring your belongings and Claudine and I will take you. " she said getting up from the bed.
I packed up the toiletries that were in the bathroom mainly because they were divine and made my skin feel like silk. I also packed the clothing that I had been given, because they were just beautiful and unlike anything I had ever worn before.
Claudine came in and the three of us walked out of the castle into the forest, to a specific place in the woods where the air seemed to be denser, and I could feel it was a magical place, I could feel that deep within my bones.
"Good bye cousins. I love you!" I said and before I knew what was happening, I found myself in the same spot which I had left just a couple of weeks ago.
It was night time, the first time I had seen true darkness since I left. It was kind of an odd feeling. As I made my way back to the farm house, I noticed that it didn't look the same as it did when I felt.
The paint was new, the railings were a different design, and the shutters were new. Who the hell did this and why?
I opened the front door of my home, and as I walked in, anger erupted from deep within me. Someone had completely re-designed my home. MY home! Nothing was the same, new floors, new appliances, new paint, new furniture… Everything was new. The only thing I recognized was a few family photos. Where were my grandmother's quilts, trinkets, knick knacks. Where was the old cast iron pan that my family had used for 2 generations? What happened to the lace doilies that my grandmother handmade? What happened to the notches on the wall that gran had marked to show how much Jason and I grew over the years.
All the personality was gone, and in its place stood something from an Ethan Allen showroom. I hated it! I wanted the true country look, the one that took generations to build, not the imitation look from a catalog.
Whoever did this would certainly feel my wrath, and I had a sneaking suspicion that the Viking was to blame.
I had to will myself to calm down. I noticed that in my anger, my palms were lighting up and would begin to spark if I didn't calm myself.
I took my bag back to my room. When I opened the door to my room a fresh wave of anger came over me. Nothing and I mean nothing was the same. It was all just a lousy imitation of what once was. The blanket that my gran had hand crocheted was gone. Her jewelry box missing, the linens, my clothes, the paint. Hell! Everything was new? I screamed out in anger, so loud that I knew Bill would hear me.
I wanted to punch something or someone, I just couldn't calm down, and if I stayed in the house my light was going to erupt. I ran outside, which only set off a new wave of anger. My grans rose bushes were torn out and replaced with some cheap looking flowers. The garden that gran and I built together was gone and in its place was sod.
Light shot out of my eyes, hitting an oak tree. It would be my luck that the damn tree would buckle under the light that shot from my hands. The damn tree fell over and, of course, landed right on top of my old yellow Honda Civic.
Could I not catch a damn break? I had reached my breaking point. I flopped unceremoniously on the ground next to the fallen tree and sobbed.
I don't know how long I had been sobbing in the dirt, but all of a sudden I heard a voice. One that I had hoped I would never have to hear again.
"Sookie, are you hurt?" the southern drawl that I once found endearing was now nothing more than an irritation to me. Of course Bill would run right over.
"I'm fine. Go away Bill." I demanded.
"Sookie, where have you been?" he asked crouching in front of me, as if I wanted him in my personal space.
"None of your business." I spewed hatefully.
"Everyone thinks you're dead." He said with a little hint of question in his voice.
"It's only been a couple of weeks, Bill, Why would they think I was dead?" I said a little more hateful than necessary.
"A couple of weeks? No Sookie, you have been gone for over a year. A year and two months to be exact." He said sadly. How the hell did that happen? I knew for a fact that it was only a couple of weeks. Son of a biscuit! What the hell happened to the time?
"Leave Bill." I said sternly as I picked myself up off the ground and ran inside.
He didn't leave, however. I saw him get out his cell phone, probably calling the Queen to let her know that I was still alive. Bastard.
I locked the doors and ran to my bedroom. I probably should have called Jason, Sam, Laf and Tara, but I was just too upset. I would call them tomorrow.
I threw myself on the uncomfortable bed and buried my head in the hard pillow that had not been broken in. Nothing was mine, everything felt foreign to me when I craved the comfort of my old belongings. I cried and cried until I finally just fell asleep.
My body and mind must have needed the rest because I didn't wake until almost two o'clock in the afternoon. I was determined to go through my house with a fine tooth comb. And just as I suspected, none of my familial belongings were anywhere to be found. Instead of the intense anger I felt last night, today I just felt sad.
I decided that I would kill as many birds with one stone and go to Merlotte's, god only knows what the rumor mill had conjured up.
As I walked into Merlotte's the first thing I noticed was Jason's truck. I was nervous about how he would feel about seeing me. I was afraid he would be mad at me for being gone so long, but maybe he would be relieved that I was alive.
As I walked in to the bar, I saw Andy Bellefleur sitting with someone in uniform. I didn't know who it was because I could only see his profile, but I knew it wasn't Kevin. Maybe we got a new deputy?
It was bizarre, though walking into Merlotte's. Almost like that scene in the movies where a newbie walks into a biker bar and the music stops and everyone simultaneously turns to look at the newbie standing at the door.
Well that is exactly what happened, even down to the damn music stopping.
"Sookie?" the new deputy looked up and questioned. It took me a few minutes, but I finally realized it was actually Jason. I ran over to him and hugged him tight.
"You're a cop?" I said through my tears.
"You're alive?" he said holding back his.
"Do you know that we were about to declare you legally dead?" he said with a slight hint of anger.
"It's a long story Jason, but I swear I didn't know I was gone that long." I pleaded. His immediate reaction to me was happiness, but I could feel that he was becoming more and more angry with me.
"I searched for you day and night for a year. I just knew that one of them damn vamps had either kidnapped ya or killed ya. You could have at least called." He said holding my shoulders firmly. Yeah he was angry. I noticed that the whole bar, including Sam and Lafayette, were watching us.
"I couldn't call, I promise I will explain it Jason, please don't be angry with me." As I said that I wiped away the tears, I felt ashamed and guilty that I had left him to suffer and mourn me while I was away relaxing in a castle. Had I known that time moved differently in the two realms, I never would have stayed.
As I said that Sam came over. "Jesus Sookie, where have you been?" That was obviously going to be the question of the day.
I paused for a minute to get my wits about me. Just as I did that, I let my shields slip and I heard the theories of the bar patrons.
I heard she was some vamps sex slave.
She sure don't look like she just had a baby.
She looks like she had plastic surgery, maybe that's where she's been.
I heard that Vampire Bill was hidin' her in his basement.
Well it's daylight so I guess she's not a vamp.
Okay, the plastic surgery thing was unexpected. Did I really look that different? I hadn't noticed, and maybe I should have I mean I did have all new high efficiency light bulbs in my house. Argh.
That reminded me. "Jason, what happened to gran's house?" I asked, ignoring Sam's question.
"That vamp Sheriff messed it up then he had it all redone for ya. He asked me if he could buy it once the deed was given to me, but since you're alive I won't be sellin' it to him." Jason had said that I was about to be declared legally dead, I guess that meant that everything I owned would be given to Jason.
"Why did he mess it up?" I asked angrily. My suspicions of Eric being to blame were confirmed and it made my blood boil.
"I guess he got real tore up 'bout you bein' missin' in all, I don't really know to tell ya the truth." He said, his anger towards me seemed to dissipate a little, but I would still need to tell Jason about my whereabouts.
I looked at Sam and he seemed a little miffed that I was ignoring him.
"I'm sorry Sam, I didn't meant to ignore your question. It's just been… well it's been a lot to handle." I said honestly. The bar patrons were still eyeing me, but they all seemed to have gone back to doing whatever it was that they were doing before I had walked in.
"I can't tell you where I have been, not yet anyways." I said grabbing his hand to show my sincerity. Just as I did that, I noticed a tall brunette woman approaching Sam. She was extremely pretty, with olive skin and big brown eyes. She had the same brain pattern as Sam, so I immediately knew she was a shifter, a true shifter like Sam.
I listened in and I sort of wished that I hadn't.
This must be that Sookie bitch that Sam has been so goddamned worried about. She's not that pretty, okay maybe she is, but I don't get what all the fuss is about.
She better get her fucking hands off my man, or I will…
I had to stop listening; she was very possessive of Sam and insecure about herself. She must be dating Sam.
"Sookie, I'd like to introduce you to my fiancé Luna. Luna this is Sookie." Sam politely introduced us. Fiancé? I was blown away. I really had missed out on so much.
"It's nice to meet you Luna." I said holding out my hand to shake hers. I knew once we shook hands I would be bombarded with her hateful jealous thoughts, but I didn't want Sam to think anything was wrong so I stilled my facial features and bit the bullet.
"Nice to finally meet you Sookie, I've heard so much about you." She said feigning politeness. She really did have issues to work out, and I hoped she did so before they got married.
"So when is the big day?" I asked politely acknowledging the social construct even though I hoped Sam would not end up marrying her. She had too many issues for him.
"Just a little over five months from now." She said merrily.
"That's wonderful! I hope to get an invitation." I said cheerfully. And I was sincere, I really did want to support Sam, even though I thought this girl was not right for him.
"You can count on it cher." Sam said. Luna leered at him seemingly upset at his pet name for me. Oh well. Not my problem.
"Is Lafayette or Tara here?" I asked looking into the kitchen, but I only saw Terry Bellefleur.
"Tara has been gone about as long as you have been, but I understand that she is living in New Orleans. And Lafayette is off today. " Sam said. I really had missed so much. Why was Tara living in New Orleans? Too many issues to deal with in a day.
I spent a couple more hours at the bar eating some lunch and chatting with Arlene and some of the other waitresses, most of which were new and I didn't know.
I found out that Arlene had a baby who was about five months old. I didn't even know she was pregnant. The waitress named Holly was a witch. Lafayette had a steady boyfriend, and Sam's brother was illiterate and getting his GED. There were also rumors that Andy was addicted to V. I wondered if Eric knew that Andy was a V addict?
I enjoyed sitting and catching up on the Bon Temps gossip, but I was still volcanically angry at Eric for destroying my home. I decided it was time to leave and go back to the farmhouse, which I refused to call my home, mainly because it didn't feel like it anymore.
I waved goodbye to everyone and started walking back to my house. It was a good thing I didn't live far from Merlotte's because I destroyed my own damn car last night.
As I walked home, I thought about getting in contact with Mr. Cataliades. I really needed some money to buy a new car, plus I wanted to give some to Jason. I knew exactly who to ask, but I was too angry to call him. If I saw Eric right now, I was liable to unleash my fairy wrath on his dead ass.
As I walked, the sun fell farther and farther from the sky until it was replaced entirely by the moon. I had just made it to the farmhouse when the sun had completely set.
As I walked in to the house, I felt a void approaching. I knew it was most likely Bill mainly because of the timing and his proximity.
A couple a minutes later I heard a knock on my door. As I opened the door, I started to tell Bill to shove off.
"Bill, I thought I told you last night that I don't want to see your fa…" I stopped cold when I realized it was not Bill at my door, but Eric.
"Sookie." He said in his deep sexy voice. He sounded almost relieved to see me.
"You!" I seethed, squinting my eyes in anger.
"Where have you been?" he demanded. All the anxiety I felt when I was in fairy had been replaced last night with extreme fury. I didn't know why he was asking anyway, certainly Godric told him where I went.
"That's the million dollar question isn't it." I said sarcastically.
"Everyone gave up on you Sookie, they all thought you were dead." He said pacing in front of me, his voice was calm even if his body language didn't reflect as much.
"But you knew I wasn't?" I said.
"I knew you would come back." He said standing an inch away from my face.
"Sometimes I wish I hadn't. You ruined my home and everything in it. This house and its content have been in my family for over 150 years, and you destroyed all of it!" I yelled furiously. I noticed the light in my hands start to flicker so I forced myself to calm down taking in and releasing the oxygen. In through my nose out from my mouth was my new calming mantra.
As soon as I screamed the words, Eric looked ashamed. He moved his eyes away from my face and began to pace again.
"I am sorry for that." He conceded. It was nice to hear an apology from Eric, seeing as how those are few and far between, but it didn't change the fact that he lost his temper and took it out on my belongings. He had no right to do that.
"If it's any consolation, Pam saved all of the items she thought you would value. They are in a storage unit." He said. I felt relieved and thankful to Pam that she had the foresight to save some of my family's precious items.
"I want them back immediately." I demanded maybe a little petulantly, but hey, he wronged me.
"Of course, I will have my day man bring them to you tomorrow." He said attempting to atone. I nodded in assent.
"I need to get a hold of the demon lawyer Mr. Cataliades. Do you know how I can contact him?" I asked effectively changing the subject and allowing my immense anger to dissipate.
"Interesting. And why would you need to get in contact with him?" Eric asked.
"That is not your concern, can you tell me or not?" I asked impatiently. I knew I was being a little snippy with him. He deserved it, at least a little bit.
"You are just full of surprises. I know you were taken by the fairies. Did they harm you? Why do you need to contact the demon?" He finally admitted to knowing my whereabouts, but still demanding an answer to his previous question. I wasn't about to relent though.
"I wasn't taken, I went willingly. And I have a business matter that I need to handle with the lawyer." I said attempting to placate him.
Eric opened his wallet and took out a business card and handed it to me. It was contact information for the demon lawyer.
"Thank you." I said staring him in his beautiful indigo eyes.
"You are welcome." He said staring at me in the same manner.
"You look different." He said appraising my body.
"I am different." I said flatly. I wasn't ready to explain that statement however.
"Can I come in?" He asked. I hadn't invited him in earlier, mainly due to my volcanic anger. And even though I wasn't letting him off the hook for destroying my home, I found that I wasn't as pissed off as I was before.
"Certainly, Please come in Eric." I said putting on my Southern charm.
He smiled in victory, as he walked through my threshold. He looked around appraising all the work that he had done.
"Do you like it?" He asked. Obviously he did, but I wasn't going to lie for the sake of politeness, at least not in this circumstance.
"Not particularly." I said honestly. That pretty much wiped the smirk off his face.
"Why not?" He asked genuinely concerned.
"It's lost all of its charm. It doesn't feel like my home any more. It all feels so…so contrived." I admitted trying to find the right word for it.
He nodded understanding exactly what I was trying to convey. "I am sorry. I feel like I should explain." He admitted walking past me to go sit on the "shabby chic" couch that was meant to depict what some designers idea of what country living should look like. Ugh, I hated it.
I followed him sitting in the chair across from him. I stared at him waiting for him to explain, but he just looked at me, then down to his hands.
"When Godric told me that you had left, I didn't believe him, I flew to your home to see for myself. And of course, you were gone. It pained me terribly to know that I had contributed to your despair, to the point that you felt like you had to leave. I only meant to protect you. I know that the means were slightly deceiving, but you should know that the intentions were good." He said. I knew he was being honest with me, although "slightly deceiving" was quite an understatement. Still, I felt bad that I had caused him pain by my leaving.
I moved to go sit next to him as he continued his story. "After almost a year of you being gone, I became angry with you. It was selfish of you to leave without speaking to anyone. I honestly believed that I would never see you again, and it set me off. That's when I destroyed your home. As soon as I did it, I felt guilty for it. I immediately called Herveaux out to come fix the damage I caused. If I could take it back, I would, believe me, but I can't. I am sorry Sookie." He finished. I felt my heart wretch hearing his words, and I forgave him for the damage he caused.
I reached over and took his large hands in mine. "I forgive you Eric. I'm sorry I was gone so long. I didn't realize that time moves differently in the fairy realm. I really was only gone for a couple of weeks, I had no idea that a couple of weeks, in Faery translated to over a year in the human realm."
Eric looked puzzled; I was guessing that he didn't know about the time difference either. He squeezed my hand and pulled me closer to him. I heard and felt him sniff me, and I knew that he had, in fact, missed me.
"You smell different." He stated with a hint of question in his tone.
"I, um, I went through some changes Eric. I wasn't kidding when I said I was different." I said apprehensively.
"Explain." He demanded softly.
"I'm not sure that I can Eric. I can't explain something that I don't fully understand. All I can tell you is that my cousins taught me some magic and I got sick, but then my great-grandfather came to talk to me and I instantly felt better. I know I feel different, but I don't know how to explain it." I said. He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head.
"Maybe we should call in Ludwig." Eric said as he hugged me.
"I don't think that's necessary, I really just think that I matured, in fairy terms that is."
"Yes, you certainly did." Eric said pulling my face up to meet his. He placed his hand softly on my cheek and leaned in to kiss me. I felt butterflies in my stomach and my hands began to flicker.
He slowly put his soft lips on mine, kissing me reverently. I parted my lips as he did the same. After a few minutes our kiss deepened and he gently sought out my tongue with his.
My hands were glowing, but it was a different kind of spark than it was last night when I knocked down the tree. This glow was softer, sort of like the difference between a night light and a regular light bulb. Still light, but the wattage was lower.
Our kiss went on for a while, until I had to come up for air. I regretfully pulled away from him, and he leaned his forehead on mine.
"I missed you so much Sookie." The butterflies started swarming again, and I wanted to lose myself in the enigma that was Eric. I had been so worried that I would come back and Eric would have lost interest in me, but clearly I underestimated his feelings for me.
"I missed you too." I whispered back. That was really the first time tonight that I had admitted having softer feelings for him. Really I had been kind of bitchy to him because of what he did to my house, but that was water under the bridge now and I just wanted to stay in his arms for the next 500 years, or however long I was slated to live.
That reminded me that I hadn't told Eric that new piece of information.
Eric lifted my arm, noticing the bracelet the Niall had given me. He kissed the inside of my wrist, right on the pulse point. He certainly could tell that my heart rate was elevated to heart attack numbers.
"This is a special bracelet." He acknowledged.
"Yes it is, my great-grandfather gave it to me." I said looking into his beautiful eyes.
"Do not ever take it off my love." Eric said not bothering to break the eye contact. Did he just call me my love? At this rate, I certainly was going to have a heart attack.
"So I've been told." I said.
"I need to tell you something." I said. I realized I sounded mysterious.
"Go on." Eric said in anticipation with a slight hint of worry.
"When I was in Faery, I found out a great number of things about myself. One of which had to do with my mortality." I said, and Eric gripped my hand a little tighter, clearly this was a topic that he didn't like to think on.
"My great-grandfather, Niall Brigant, told me that I am one eighth fairy and of royal blood. He said because I have the essential spark that I will most likely live approximately 500 more years give or take. He said if I had yours or Godric's blood that I would probably surpass that number. I just thought you should know that. I don't want any secrets between us."
I realized my hypocrisy seeing as how earlier I had refused to tell him about the demon lawyer, but in my defense that was before I forgave him.
"I see. That is definitely a good thing Sookie. I want nothing more than to have you for an eternity, but I will settle for 500 years." He said smiling brightly. I couldn't help but to return his smile, he was infectious. I could really love this vampire.
"So no secrets huh?" he said teasingly, obviously referring to my need to contact the demon lawyer.
I decided to answer his question before he brought it up again.
"I needed his number because my great-grandfather left me all of his human monetary assets. He said he has no need for them. And since I destroyed my car yesterday, I need some of the money to buy a new one." I explained.
"You realize he is probably worth billions, and I will ask you about how your car got destroyed in a minute." He leered at me with one eyebrow cocked.
"What? Billions? No freaking way!" I said incredulously. There was no way in H E double hockey sticks that I needed that kind of money.
"Yes freaking way. He owns the company that invented the Japanese synthetic blood, in addition to some other pharmaceutical companies. He is one of the richest men in the world, yet no one knows who he is." Eric said mocking me.
"Oh my stars, what the heck am I going to do with all that money?" I said mainly to myself.
"Anything you want my love. I will help you invest some of it if you like. You don't need to work for the shifter anymore, you are free to pursue anything your wonderful heart desires." He said leaning down giving me a chaste kiss on the lips.
I hardly noticed his kiss though; I was too distracted at the burden of having all that money. I was just a simple girl that never really dreamed big or asked for much.
Eric took notice of my seemingly inert state. "My love, look at me." He said and I robotically looked into his eyes.
"If you could do one thing, what would it be?" He asked.
"To be honest Eric, I was never afforded the luxury of having such dreams. I, uh, I don't know. I want to help people, but if I could use the money one thing, I would use it to help victims of sexual abuse especially kids." I said not really realizing that I had just sort of spilled a secret of mine that I had never told Eric.
"Why those particular victims Sookie? He asked with a slight hint of anger.
I gulped audibly and looked up at him. No secrets between us, I said it myself.
"Because I know first-hand what it's like to live in your own personal hell, with no one there to talk to about it and no one there to advocate on your behalf. " I said sadly.
I felt Eric tense at my admission. All I had to do was say a name and they were as good as dead.
"Who." He demanded.
"My Uncle. He's dead now. Bill killed him." I said hanging my head in shame.
"Well at least Compton was good for something." He seethed.
"Will you share the story with me my love?" He softened again and I had the gentle Eric back. I couldn't get over the fact that he was calling me 'my love'. Did he really mean that? Did he love me? I couldn't see how, sure we had sex one time, but after that we really didn't get a chance to get close again.
"Maybe some other time. It's not that I don't want to share it with you, I just don't want to bring down our mood." I said smiling back at him. I was now sitting in his lap as he ran his fingers through my hair. I could feel his understanding as he held me.
"Alright love. Tell me some more of your time in Faery." He asked.
For the next couple of hours, I told him everything, except the part about Claudette and Godric. I didn't feel right talking to him about it before I had the opportunity to give Godric her letter.
Eric asked me to demonstrate some of my newfound powers, so I cast a spell to remove his shirt. He thought that could come in handy at some point.
"Can you cast one to remove your clothes as well?" He asked hopefully. Such a man. We both laughed. It was so nice to be so relaxed around him. If this is what a relationship with him was like, sign me up. He was easy to talk to, understanding, and his kisses were the stuff legends were made of.
It was nearing two in the morning, and I regretfully found myself yawning. I didn't want this night to end, but I knew I was going to fall asleep in his arms if I didn't go to bed. Ironically the thought of falling asleep in his arms appealed to me more than the bed did. I really hated that mattress.
"Come my love, let me tuck you in." He said kissing my forehead as he carried my bridal style up the stairs.
He laid me down on the bed and took off his shoes and shirt. He came to lie down next to me cradling me in his arms.
"This mattress is too hard." He complained. Those were my thoughts exactly. I know he felt guilty about ruining my home, and I honestly did forgive him, but the mattress made his guilt rise just a little more.
"Yes it is." I murmured.
"I will remedy that immediately." He said as he nibbled on my earlobe.
"Why don't we go mattress shopping tomorrow?" I suggested.
He growled playfully in my ear. "You realize tempting a thousand year old vampire in a furniture store is a very serious game." I laughed at his insinuation. The thought of having sex with him in public both horrified and excited me at the same time.
"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" I asked full of hope.
"Of course my beautify fairy. I actually made this room light tight." He said reaching across me to open the drawer to the side table. In it was a remote control that closed the shutters to the window. He set the timer and continued to cuddle me.
Who knew that he was a thousand year old cuddler. I loved this side of him, and I hoped to be able to see more of it.
I fell asleep in his arms and I actually slept more peacefully than I had in Faery, and that is saying something.