A/N: Hi all! Just a few more chapters left and I hope to have them written by the end of next week.

Chapter 27 EPOV

If I had a heartbeat, I swear it would have stopped. In the moments leading up to Dr. Ludwig's arrival, I feared for my love's life. Her heartbeat was weak and erratic, and her breathing was slow. I hovered over her as if she was the most precious thing in the world, and in reality, she was the most precious thing in the world… in my world.

While hovering protectively over her, I plotted my next move. Compton was secured in the basement, but he was not, by any means, safe from my wrath. The only logical conclusion I could make as to how Istvan had found out about Sookie, was through him. He seemed to know too much about the situation, like how he knew where to find Istvan. I would definitely be paying him a little visit.

Second, I had gotten information from Herveaux as to the identity of the weres that had been responsible for taking Sookie. They would also meet their ends soon as well.

I also needed to find out if anyone else knew anything about Sookie and her heritage. The more people that knew about her, the more at risk we were for something like this happening again, and I would go to the ends of the earth to ensure that it never did.

Seeing her like this and knowing what could have happened was enough to break my sanity. I loved this small woman, and there was literally nothing I wouldn't do to protect her.

Pulling me from my internal musings, Dr. Ludwig waddled through the doors of the club, taking one look at my unconscious lover; she shook her head at me. I didn't need anyone to make me feel anymore guilty that I already did.

"What happened this time?" She demanded in her high pitched no nonsense tone.

"She was attacked by a vampire and drained of her blood." I responded, impatiently. I didn't have time for twenty questions; I just wanted her to heal my love.

"She needs fairy blood." She said flatly and pointed at Claudette. "You, fairy come here." She demanded.

Claudette didn't need to be told twice. She unclasped her hands from Godric's, which was an odd thing to see in and of itself, and briskly walked towards Sookie.

"You must breathe into her." Dr. Ludwig said, as she grabbed the fairy's finger and picked it with a needle. She then placed Claudette's finger in Sookie's mouth.

As soon as the pearl of blood formed on her finger, I immediately became rigid. The smell was delicious, mouth-watering, overwhelming. I had to quickly get a hold of myself, and I noticed Godric eyeing me as well. We were both old enough to resist, but Pam was not. I noticed her unconsciously walking towards the fairy, and I immediately took action.

"Pam, go to the basement and stay there until I call you. That is a command." I said firmly, and her gaze broke away from the fairy and her body forced itself out of the room.

Godric and I both looked at each other; we had to stop breathing to control ourselves. Though Godric had never said it, I knew that he would do anything to protect Claudette, just as I would for Sookie. So if that meant commanding me, he would.

The blood exchange only lasted a few seconds, and the miniscule amount of blood was enough, apparently.

"She is not full blood; breathing into her will not work." Claudette exclaimed to Dr. Ludwig.

"Listen up Fairy, she may not be full blooded, but she has been given the magic of a full blood has she not?" Dr. Ludwig asked. Claudette just nodded in affirmation. "Good then let me do my job. Breathe into her." She demanded.

Claudette looked upon her skeptically, but relented. She hovered over Sookie's near lifeless form and opened her mouth as if to give her CPR.

Claudette took a large intake of breath and blew into Sookie's mouth. The air in the room felt heavy, somehow and even though I wasn't breathing, I could feel a change in the atmospheric pressure.

As the last particles of air entered Sookie's lungs, I could immediately tell the difference. Her heart rate had picked up and she began to take deeper breaths of air.

"I'll send you the bill vampire." Dr. Ludwig said, packing up her belongings and taking her leave. I rushed to Sookie at vampire speed and picked her up holding her close, while brushing back the strands of hair that had fallen into her face.

"Claudette and I will be going." Godric explained, as he pulled her into an embrace. I just nodded at the pair. I couldn't care about anything in the moment, other than caring for the woman in my arms.

I called Pam, and told her to lock up. As I carried Sookie out to my car, she began to stir and her eyes fluttered open hesitantly.

"You are safe, my love." I cooed, placing her in the passenger seat. She hadn't gained her full faculties yet, and seemed to be slightly disoriented.

I jumped in the passenger seat, and buckled her in. I took her small hand in mine as I drove away from the club. I didn't want to take her back to her home yet, at least not until I improved the security there. I knew that she would insist on staying at the old farmhouse, which I was not necessarily opposed to, but I would be damned if I would let her go back there without some security assurances.

"Eric." She called my name out weakly. I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles gently. "I am right here my love."

She opened her eyes fully and looked over at me in a very confused manner. "What happened to me?" she asked in a very small voice.

"You were taken by weres and drained by a vampire." I said. I could feel her emotions since I had given her my blood, but it was a weak connection. I would bring up the topic of a bond later.

She shook her head as if to will herself to remember and said, "I'm so sorry Eric." She apologized and her voice cracked a bit, as she tried to hold back the tears, but I could smell them and I knew that she had begun to weep.

I wanted to pull her into me and beg her not to cry, give her all the comfort that she needed, but in the confines of my car, that just was not possible.

"Do not cry, love. You have nothing to be sorry about." I said kissing her hands again. It broke my heart to see my strong beautiful fairy look so broken.

"I shouldn't have left that night at the club." She said wiping her tears. She had nothing to be sorry for, there were people plotting against us that night, and none of the subsequent events were her fault.

"Sookie." I said dropping my voice in sadness. "That was not your fault, none of this was. If anything, I failed to protect you. You were cursed, and I should have brought you into my home until you were cured." I said shaking my head at my own stupidity.

"I promise you this. I will never let anything happen to you again. Ever." I said looking directly into her eyes, begging her to believe me. I needed her to feel safe, and I could only pray that she felt safe with me.

I wiped her tears away with my free hand and caressed her cheek tenderly as I pulled into my gated community.

Sookie hadn't even paid attention to where we were going until we approached the gates. "Where are we?" she asked looking around to see if she could see anything familiar.

"This is my home, Sookie. Is it okay that we come here?" I asked, wanting to make sure that she would not be uncomfortable.

"Umm." She said biting her lip nervously. "You want to take me to your home?" she asked apprehensively.

I smiled weakly at her and said, "If it were up to me, it would be your home as well." I would bring her to my side, care for her, give her anything her heart desired. All she would have to do was give me the go ahead.

"Eric." She said breathily, and I couldn't help but to give her my most honest smile. I wanted her to know how serious I was.

I pulled into my garage, and turned the engine off, but we both sat there for a few moments, just staring into one another, but the desire to hold her close won out and I got out of the car and ran around at vamp speed, picking her up.

"Eric!" she exclaimed laughing melodically. It was the most beautiful sound in the world to me, and I wanted to make her sound that way every day. I wanted to make her happy, and that was a miracle in and of itself. It was quite a foreign feeling to me, the need to please someone else, to put their happiness before my own. It was a piece of me that I knew I had and could never give to any other person.

I just wanted to hear her laugh and see her smile, and I would do whatever it took every single day for the rest of our lives to make sure that it happened.

"I can walk ya know?" she said playfully indignant, but I knew she didn't really want me to let her go, I could feel it in her emotions.

I sped her into my home and dropped her carefully on my large jewel toned sofa. I knew that she probably felt less than fresh, so I ran down to the large bathroom and started to run her a bath. I grabbed a terrycloth bathrobe and went downstairs to retrieve Sookie.

"Would you like to take a bath?" I asked her as I dropped to my knees to meet her gaze.

"Yeah, actually I would. I feel kinda gross." She replied fingering her hair which still had dried blood in it.

"Let me take care of you." I whispered to her, taking her hand out from her hair and kissing it lightly. I figured that it would be quite a concession for my strong willed fairy to actually let me take care of her, but I had hoped that she would take what I had offered in the manner that it had been given…out of love.

"I'm exhausted Eric." She said deflating a little as she laid her head on my shoulder for support.

"I know, but I will care for you, then you may rest love." I stood up from the ground with Sookie and the bathrobe in my arms. I carried her to the bathroom, where the tub was just about filled with warm water.

I gently sat Sookie down on the lid of the toilet, while I retrieved some bath salts and bubbles. When I was satisfied that the salts had sufficiently disintegrated, I slowly began to peel the tattered clothing from Sookie's body. All she was wearing was one of my shirts that seemed to fit her like a dress.

I picked her up and reverently placed her in the tub. "How's the temperature?" I asked wanting to make sure that she was comfortable.

"Mmmm." Was all she replied. Her eyes closed and she looked relaxed. I took that as a good sign and quickly divested myself of the clothes I had on.

I grabbed the sponge and a bar of soap and sat behind Sookie in the tub. Her body instinctively molded into mine, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I ran the sponge over Sookie's body, careful ly making sure that I covered every inch of her. Her body was limp and the only thing keeping her above water was the firm grasp I had on her. She wasn't asleep however, but I was glad that I could provide some comfort to her.

"I'm going to wash your hair." I whispered, I didn't want to just start washing her hair and risk getting soapy water in her eyes. "Lean your head back just a bit." I said softly. I cupped some of the water and poured it over her head, and then I grabbed some shampoo and lathered it into her hair. I wanted to make sure that she was relaxed, so I took the time to massage the soap into her scalp.

"That feels so good." She said barely above a whisper. I was more than glad to make her feel that way. I continued to massage her scalp, until the suds got to be a little too much, and then I slowly rinsed her hair.

I didn't want this to be sexual, it was purely about providing comfort to her, cleaning her both literally and metaphorically of the happenings of the day. Still, it was hard to control myself with a naked, relaxed, sexy, wet Sookie sitting in my lap.

After I cleaned her hair, I took some time to massage her back and shoulders. My large hands easily covered her small shoulders, and I knew that I was doing an effective job by the moans coming out of Sookie.

I brushed her hair to the side, so that her neck was exposed to me. I could see and hear her pulsing vein, letting me know that my Sookie was alive and her heart was beating. I thought it was the most wondrous sound in the world. I placed butterfly kisses along her neck and shoulders as I continued to run my hands over her body. I knew I had to stop before I reached the point of no return.

"Are you ready to get out my love?" I asked. The water had started to turn a little cold, and although it didn't mean shit to me, I didn't want my lover to be chilled.

She didn't respond with words, only nodding her head. I lifted myself out of the tub and grabbed a towel. She stood up and I quickly retrieved her, not wanting her to exert any energy whatsoever.

"You don't have to treat me like a china doll." She accused lightly while laughing softly.

"No, but I love you and I want to care for you…If you'll let me." I replied. At my words, she stiffened a little, and caused me to pause. What had I done to make her react that way?

"You love me?" She asked hesitantly while looking me directly in the eyes, as if she were about to glamour me.

I realized my error in that moment. It is very easy to forget that I hadn't actually said those words to her, but since I had thought them in my head for so long, it was just so natural to say them aloud.

"Yes." I said emphatically. And for a moment, I just stood there looking at her, willing my love into her. Her eyes began to water, and I hoped upon hope that they were happy tears.

"I love you too." She said in a whisper as the tears stained her face. My heart swelled at her words, and I didn't remember ever being that happy in my life.

I gently wiped away the tears and kissed her lips lightly. Smiling like a fool in love, I dried her body and wrapped the robe around her. I held her hand and led her to my sleeping quarters.

"Will you stay with me?" I asked her, not wanting to presume anything.

"Yes." She said gripping my hand.

I grabbed a clean shirt of mine and replaced the robe she had on with the shirt. The robe would not be comfortable to sleep in.

I pulled down the comforter and motioned for her to get in the bed which she did. She looked so beautiful there in my bed, wearing my shirt, smelling like my soap. Gods, I wanted her so bad in that moment, but I would not push it, she had been through hell today.

I quickly got in the other side and pulled her to my body spooning her from behind. I still had a couple of hours before the sun would rise, and I would cherish those hours by holding Sookie, my whole world, in my arms.

I couldn't help but kiss her shoulder, rub her arms and smell her hair. Being in love with her was a weird feeling, it was like I wanted to protect her, be with her always, but also, I felt like I could never be close enough to her, like if I crawled inside her body, it still wouldn't be close enough. It was for that reason that I entwined our legs under the blankets. She just did things to me, caused these physical and chemical reactions within me. It was automatic that my body would touch hers, it couldn't be helped. We were like magnets, and there wasn't a force in the world strong enough to pull us apart.

"Eric." She whispered in a breathless tone that was seductive and innocent all at once.

"Yes, my love." I said as I caressed her breasts, feeling her nipples harden underneath my hands. Her bare legs began to rub against mine, in an effort to seek out friction. I knew that she was wet, I could smell it. She was the sun personified and her honey smelled like heaven.

"I love you." She said softly, breathlessly.

"I thought I had lost you. " I admitted, as I moved my hand to her heated core, touching her lightly. "It drove me insane." I said as I played with her curls. We were still spooning, so my mouth was directly over her ear, which I made sure to take into my mouth.

"I can't lose you, Sookie." I said sounding more desperate than I had hoped. But as I said the words, I knew them to be true. If I lost her, I would end myself.

Her arousal was growing more and more as I continued to rub her body. I inserted a finger into her core, and she was, as I suspected, so incredibly wet.

"Eric." She said in a hauntingly seductive voice as she ground her hips into the hand that was touching her so intimately. She needed my touch as much as I needed hers. She needed to be reassured that she was alive, and I would happily provide those assurances.

I inserted another finger and began to massage her slickness just as I did her shoulders in the bathtub earlier. My other arm snaked around her chest and I pulled her to me so there was not even an inch of space between the two of us.

I could no longer control myself, I couldn't control my dick from hardening and I couldn't control my hand from giving her pleasure. I pulled my hand out of her, and as I did I heard her disappointed whimper, but I only left her body long enough to pull my shirt off of her. As soon as the clothing was gone, I went right back to massaging her slick center.

I turned her head a little so that my lips could reach hers, and as they did, I kissed her passionately, desperate to get every part of my mouth into hers. When our tongues met in a heated match, I knew that my body needed the comfort of hers. I needed to be inside of her.

I curled my fingers just so, in a way I knew would hit that sweet spot reserved only for me. She came all over my hand, moaning my name. "God Eric, I need you so bad." I knew the feeling.

I lifted her leg and draped it over my own, and as I did so, I kissed her again, pulling her to me and entering her at the same time.

She felt like heaven, Nirvana, Valhalla, like…home, and as I thrust into her a second time, her taking me deeper, her moaning and the sweet honey that coted my dick and my fingers threatened my sanity.

"I love you so fucking much Sookie Stackhouse." I declared as I pinched her nipples and grasped her hips all while thrusting over and over. "You feel so," I moaned, "so good."

"Bite me Eric." She said huskily. I needed her, every part of her inside of me.

I bit my wrist and brought it to her mouth. "We will be one, Sookie." I said and I felt her drawing the life force out of me and taking it into her. As she took pull after pull of my blood, I bit into her neck.

Every part of our bodies were connected now, and it was the single most erotic moment of my life. I could feel her emotions so clearly. Love, lust, need, comfort. Not once did I feel fear, or panic or any other negative emotion that I hoped she would never have to experience again in her life.

I came so hard and deep inside of her as she pulsated around me, coming all over my cock. My wrist had healed and so had her neck. I never wanted to pull out of her warmth, being inside of her made my life complete in a way that was extremely frightening to me.

I reluctantly pulled out of her and tucked her body in closer to mine. I felt her body relax and her breathing even out and I knew that she had fallen asleep, in my arms, in my bed right where she belongs right where I belong.