A/N: I will say up front that I am not thrilled with this chapter, but it gets the story to where it needs to go. I have a whole plan in my head for the next one, but I had to get this out of the way first. Also, I know that the Eric POV transition last chapter was abrupt and possibly a little confusing. It was meant to be. It happened suddenly. There was no transition as a point. Still reeling a little from Deadlocked and have some mixed feelings about what I've read about Dead Ever After, but nothing about that is set in stone yet, thank God. Mrs. Harris owns these guys, but I'm designing their costumes.

SPOV

I stretched my arms as I woke up and felt the heat from the sun coming in through my window. God, it had been so long since I'd seen or felt the sunlight. All I wanted to do was bask in the day and enjoying being alive. While it was true that I asked Eric to turn me, now that I had a comparison, I far preferred being mortal to being undead.

I made my way to the kitchen and smelled the hash browns and bacon that Gran made for breakfast. My mouth watered. Real food! Gran smiled at me and handed me a mug of perfectly doctored coffee and sat down across from me after I filled my plate.

"So what are your plans for today, Sweetheart?" she asked before taking a bite of her food.

I swallowed before answering. "I'm working lunch today, then I was thinking I might head to Shreveport tonight. I thought I might go by that Vampire bar that opened when they all came out a couple of years ago."

Her face was thoughtful. "Do you think that's safe, Dear? I listened to some girls on Oprah talking about how they can be real violent. Do you know any vampires personally? There aren't any here in Bon Temps, are there?"

Not yet, there aren't. Give it a week. "Not that I know of, but I heard Dawn at work talking about it and it seems like an interesting way to spend a night off."

"Are you going alone? Are you taking Tara or, say, why don't you take Jason?" Gran suggested.

The last thing I wanted was company when I saw Eric again. I just had to remember to act the way that got his attention last time. It couldn't have just been the fact that I was with Bill that pulled him to me from the beginning. I just had to do this right. I needed him back in my life. "I'll see if Dawn wants to go with me. But I'll come home before leaving so I can change."

I finished my food, which after over three years of living on blood and another two years of making my own food, being able to have Gran's cooking again was a gift from Heaven. I took my dishes to the sink and kissed her wrinkled, soft cheek again, so happy to be able to do so. I went to my room, still having to remind myself to turn left in the hall to go into the smaller room rather than right into Gran's room. I pulled a robe around myself and made my way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for work.

It was hard to get back into the swing of waiting tables again. It had been over three years since I had done it. I also had to remember how to use my shields since it had been so long since I'd had to use them if physical contact wasn't involved. Sam could see the wear on me and pulled me to the side after the lunch rush had passed.

"Cher, are you doing okay? You seem all kinds of flustered and out of sorts today."

I shook my head. "I'm fine, Sam. It's just been a tough shift. After Holly and Danielle come in, I think I'm going to go home and get some rest. My batteries are just a little low."

He nodded, accepting my answer. "Well, you know I'm always here for ya, Sook. Take care of yourself, hear?"

I nodded with a small smile and went out to take care of my remaining tables. Yes, I was worn out, but I was getting anxious for the sun to go down. I had the following day off, and Pam and Eric usually didn't make it to Fangtasia before ten, so I had a long night ahead of me. I could have cried with relief when Danielle and Holly walked in together at four to relieve me. I caught them up on the tables and headed home, hating that I had to drive my crappy old Datsun. I had become accustomed to much nicer (and more reliable) vehicles since then.

Gran was visiting with Maxine Fortenberry when I got home, based on the note she left for me on the table. I went directly to bed and laid down for a nap. I set my alarm for seven to give me enough time to eat and get ready before I left. My heart was racing so much at the prospect that I was amazed that I was able to sleep, but I was so tired that I was out almost instantly.

Gran made steak and gravy for dinner and I got to see Jason. Even though, in my reality, I had only seen him a couple of days ago, it was another shock to my system to see him. So much had happened to him, seeing him so youthful-looking and carefree was like a balm for one of the many scars on my heart. I made it a point to get him alone before he left for his misdeeds of the night after dinner was finished.

"Jase, I've heard some things around town and I think you should avoid 'dating' Maudette Pickens, and maybe Dawn too" I try to tell him, but I also forgot how Jason thought of me just a few years ago.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Sook, I'll date whoever I damn well please. You just stay out of it," he grumbled before leaving his mess on the table for someone else to clean and taking his souped up truck recklessly down the pitted driveway. Yeah, that was something else I was going to have to take care of.

I cleared his dishes and washed them before taking another shower to get rid of the grease and beer smell that tended to linger after a shift. I put on very little makeup and no perfume, not wanting anything to distract from my natural scent. Eric had told me many times in the past (future?) that he could become intoxicated on the faint Fairy sweetness that I carried in my blood. I dried my hair into glossy waves and left it loose and flowing down my back. Finally, I slid on The Dress. As I pulled the zipper up my back, I evaluated myself in the mirror and was a little sad.

Eric's physical appearance had been stationary for the past millennium and he didn't look a day over thirty... until you looked into his eyes. He eyes held the knowledge, pain, and life of a thousand years. When I really looked at myself, yes, I still looked twenty-six, but my eyes were off. I may not have had centuries of even more than three decades of any kind of life behind them, but I had gone through so much more than your average twenty-something bar maid and my eyes showed that. I didn't have the innocence that I had the first time. The knowledge that I kept came with a price. I knew what kinds of horrible things people could really do to each other in the name of so many good things. I had taken more than one life. I knew how truly evil so many different beings could be. Yes, I'd heard the thoughts since I was born, but not until Bill Compton came into my life did I ever experience it first hand.

But I kept the knowledge for a reason. I had to know what to avoid, what to do, how to react to situations that were unknown to me before. A quiet mind wouldn't intrigue me quite the way it had before. I steeled myself for seeing the man I had given up everything for to spend eternity with again... even if he didn't have the slightest idea who I was. Yet.

I drove the forty minutes to Fangtasia and saw the line already queued up outside. Since I wasn't being escorted by a vampire this time, I would have to wait in the line, for the first time ever. The sky was black as pitch and the clothing of the fangbangers matched. I definitely stood out in my little white dress. I steeled my shields from hearing the derogatory thoughts.

Who the hell does she think she is, dressing like that?

Damn, her rack is hot, but she doesn't belong here.

Mmm... sweet little thing. She looks like bait. Wonder if she's undercover.

Oh God, I hope he's here tonight. I want to know what Myra was talking about she said his...

Yep, shields went back up right then. Jealously was pointless. Eric had over ten centuries of experience on me and I couldn't fault him for the legions of women that he had been with before my conception had even been imagined. The only thing that ever would have been a deal-breaker was being intimate with another woman after committing to me. That was Uber No-no number one. And he knew that. Well, he would. Eventually. Again.

The line moved forward slowly and I eventually saw my former blood sister for the first time in years. I bit my tongue and reigned in the desire to wrap her in a hug. Doing that right now would only lead to unpleasant consequences and I wasn't really wanting to draw that kind of attention. I dug around in my purse for my wallet when she asked for my ID.

"I haven't been carded in forever," I commented cheerily, remembering how it was last time.

"I can no longer determine human ages. We have to be careful not to serve minors. Enjoy Fangtasia," she rattled off as if rehearsed, glancing at the card quickly before handing it back and waving me in.

Long Shadow was still behind the bar, but I noticed that the throne was empty on the dais. I was not going to ask anyone if or when Eric would be in. I was sure any number of fangbangers did the same thing nightly. I simply ordered a ginger ale from Ginger and took a seat in a booth where I was able to watch the whole room.

I looked around the room and took in the whole scene. When I visited here the first time, I likened it to a vampire-themed Disney attraction. I wasn't too far off. The tourists gazed at everything in awe as they paid for their overpriced cocktails mixed by a real, live (well...) vampire. The fangbangers scoffed at the tourists and made the circuit of offering themselves to the various vamps positioned around the room. I remembered one of the Queen's guards mentioning that she missed the chase of the days before the reveal. I knew that she wasn't the only one to feel that way.

The Queen. Hadley. Waldo. Hunter. Something else I needed to resolve, and soon if I didn't want Bill to appear here in Bon Temps. We would both be happier. He could stay at court and not have to live in the decaying shell of a plantation house across the graveyard and I wouldn't have to deal with him. I started trying to think of a way to work out getting to and from New Orleans.

While I was lost in my thoughts, the minds of the general populace of the started buzzing and I looked around for the source of the excitement. I should have know. My own blood pressure spiked and pulse stuttered at the sight of the man entering the club from the office hallway.

Of course, visually, he was no different from the last time I saw him. Well, maybe not. His hair was still golden and fell down his back to his shoulder blades. His eyes were still the piercing sapphire that had drawn me in from the moment I laid eyes on him. His frame would still tower over mine. As he sat in his throne, he stretched out those mile-long legs and scanned the room in boredom. I hadn't seen the sardonic twist of his beautiful mouth since... well, the first time I'd seen him.

I already knew I wouldn't approach him. I had to wait for him to summon me. And I knew he would. While I waited, I caught a couple of stray thoughts from the crowd and figured, it's now or never. I left my booth and went in search of Pam.

Finding her still near the door, I asked for a moment of her time. Cocking her eyebrow at me, she responded drily, "Make it good, human."

I leaned in closer so I wouldn't be overheard, though I really didn't need to with her super-sensitive hearing. "The guy in the purple pleather pants, the one in the fuchsia mesh shirt, and the woman in a black leather bra with red streaks are here using fake IDs. They're all underage and drove down from Arkansas simply because they thought their fakes would be less noticeable out of state."

She tilted her head and stared me down. I met her eyes, having no fear. I knew she couldn't whammy me. "How do you know this?"

"Does it matter? Pull up a website picture of Arkansas licenses and you'll see the flaws on theirs. You can thank me later."

I felt the pressure push on my brain. I knew what it was by now. "How do you know? Do you know them?"

I shook my head and continued to meet her eyes. "Never seen 'em before in my life. Also, the tourist in the Yankees cap that's lingering by the merchandise is an undercover officer that is waiting to see just one infraction so he can hassle y'all more. He has a big ole problem with you guys."

She stared at me even harder. "What are you?"

I smile at her. Not my "crazy Sookie" smile, but a genuine, toothy grin. "Just a customer that doesn't want her night out fouled up by other people's stupidity. Just wanted to give you a head's up." With that, I turned and headed back to my booth and my ginger ale. I knew those little nuggets of info would get the ball rolling.

I flagged down Belinda for a refill and continued to look around. It wasn't long until the three kids were being escorted forcefully through the door with their fakies confiscated. I knew what a pain it was if you got caught serving minors. The fines were ridiculous. It was why Sam was meticulous about carding out-of-towners if there was even a question of their age before they were served.

Like I knew she would, shortly after they were gone, Pam made a trip up to the throne and leaned over toward Eric. He listened for a moment and cut those amazing sapphire eyes toward me. She said something else and his eyes widened just a margin. I felt a stronger pressure in my head than Pam had caused. Tilting my head much the way she had, I looked up to meet his eyes and the pressure increased. I just smiled and his lips relaxed into the cocky grin that I loved so much.

EPOV

She resisted my glamour? What the fuck is she? At my age, my influence is strong and she just shrugged it off with a smile. I took a moment to look her over.

When Pam told me that some little girl had alerted her to both the undercover officer as well as the underage vermin, I thought it must be a fluke. Our clientele serve no purpose other than getting bitten for our meals and filling our coffers with their money. Some of them may be visually appealing, but that was becoming fewer and farther between.

She was like a beacon once I cared enough to look at who Pam was describing. That dress... the little white sundress belonged at a garden party, not here. Her hair was in shiny, wholesome blond waves that bounced against her shoulders. And those eyes... her dark blue eyes looked older than the rest of her. I had to meet her. I had to know what she was.

I summoned her to the dais and was pleased to see her respond promptly. She was obviously not a fangbanger, but she already heeled well. When she approached me, her whole demeanor impressed me. No fear, but also no awe. That was unusual and it threw me for a moment. She simply stood in front of me, her hands clasped together loosely, and smiled silently, and waited for me to speak.

"Sookie Stackhouse, correct?" I asked. Pam had a photographic memory and informed me of her name... and her address.

"Yes sir," she replied quietly, continuing to make eye contact with me.

"Well, aren't you sweet?" I say with a smirk to her almost shy response.

She shrugged. "I can be."

That response seemed... not quite right. I had no idea why. This Sookie Stackhouse was an unusual human, that much was already clear. But something about her was intriguing me and I wanted to know more about her. Had one of the waitresses bring up another chair and invited her to sit. She nodded and took the seat.

"I am Eric Northman, the owner. Since you were so kind as to inform my associate of the lawbreakers in my establishment before they were discovered and I was penalized, may I ask how you were aware of them?"

She looked as though she was considering how to respond. Then she grinned at me. "You may absolutely ask. It doesn't mean I'll answer."

Not being able to glamour her was frustrating. I took an unnecessary breath to sigh and froze. That smell... sweet... clean... innocent. No, surely not. Woman in this era did not stay virgins until their mid-twenties unless there was some kind of defect. I looked over the beautiful, captivating woman to my right and could only wonder. There was nothing about her that seemed faulty. And that sweetness... I knew there were Fae still walking the earth, but did this girl know that one or more of them were related to her? Nothing else was able to replicate that specific scent and my fangs dropped.

She still didn't give off any fear. Her smile widened, which was unexpected. "Oh, I'm not here for that. You can put those away. I simply wanted to visit your establishment and let you meet me. I have a feeling we'll get to know each other better in the near future."

I had to try one more time. I pushed my will into her as hard as I could to make her follow me into my office. She shuddered a bit, but never broke contact. "I know what you're trying to do, but I hope you've figured out by now that that doesn't work on me. Having it done over and over tends to give me a bit of a headache and you guys have tried it quite a bit." She was no longer smiling.

I bowed my head. "I apologize, Miss Stackhouse. I have never met anyone that couldn't be glamored and I had to try. Has it been attempted in the past? Are you familiar with vampires?"

She thought a moment. "I can say honestly that at no point in my past have I ever met a vampire." Her wording seemed... off. I wasn't able to get what she was implying by wording her answer that way. She stood abruptly and tipped her head toward me. "Mr. Northman, I appreciate your hospitality this evening, but I have to do some traveling tomorrow and need a good night of rest. It's not going to be a short trip."

"Of course, Miss Stackhouse. It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope that your prediction for the future is correct."

"It will be." She nods her head again and leaves without a backward glance. I watch until she's gone and I don't even have to tell Pam to find a blond for me for later.

A/N: So I hope you like my little reimagining of their first meeting, just on a different day (beginning of June rather than near the end, per the Companion. That is what I'm basing my dates off of). This is also with Sookie being in the know of what's going to happen. Anyone want to take any guesses? Reviews are love and I'm in a slump. I am begging. Please let me know whether or not I need to even continue this.