A/N: If I got into detail about what's been eating me, there would be no chapter to read. I hate that I have kept such great pace with this fic and now the best I can promise is sporadic updates. I can't really apologize, it's out of my control. Okay...I'm done forcefully crying on your shoulders. :D Enjoy!

Chapter 22

Marry You

I wasn't sent to the dungeon but I wasn't far from it. I was escorted into a small room that I could barely stand in. It was light tight and had a bed. The door was solid silver and the guards still wanted to put handcuffs on.

"Justice my cold dead ass, this is sadistic," I sighed, as if utterly dismayed. "How's a guy supposed to jerk off?"

Half the guards laughed, while the others were stone faced. I didn't resist as my hands were bound behind my back. The faster they left, the sooner I would get my phone call. Once they had gone, a scribe came down to advise me of my right of "Virtute Officii." I had three inalienable rights while I awaited trial, not even the Pythoness could take them from me, or any accused no matter how severe their crime. The first was safety from the sun. The second was sustenance. Last were three phone calls or letters that were granted at three separate occasions and were of unspecified length.

"Your trial has been scheduled for two weeks from today," she told me and then handed me the phone and left. I called Sookie. I'd be damned if I'd spend the calls thinking about my fake trial, so we didn't talk about what I was facing or what lay ahead. Our conversation was about what she had been doing and about Kai. I loved that most about her. She knew when I wanted to face my troubles and when I wanted nothing more than to forget them. It wasn't until a half hour before dawn when the scribe returned for the phone.

The first few days were torture. I had a feeling that the Old Bat was doing her best to make it look good, appearance sake. My blood was cold and the brand was 'Red Stuff', not even 'Tru Blood'. Due to my extreme threat level, I was remanded to my room. I could sit still for years at time if it was what I needed. That wasn't the hardest part. I missed my son. I missed my mate. I was trying to space out my phone calls so I could call every few days until my trial.

A week and a half later, I heard someone approaching my cell. That usually marked one of my three meals a night. I was more than surprised when the door opened and closed quickly, at least as quickly as he was capable. It was the vampire from the gate, Camden. He pulled a six pack of Royal Blended from under his jacket.

"They threw me party to celebrate my stupidity, my valor, and sheer dumb good luck. I got this and a star, so thanks." he said, handing me the beverages. Two of them were warm and the others were almost frozen so they would keep until tomorrow.

"Anytime you want an ass kicking, just ask," I said dryly.

He grinned and scurried out of the room. I called Sookie for the last time two days before my trial and I knew she was hanging on by a thread. The only reason she hadn't yet come was because everyone she would trust our son with was refusing to watch Kai while she came to spring me.

Finally, the night of my trial arrived. My cell door opened and in the doorway was my ex-wife, Freyda. Everything else until this point had been punishment enough; this was just plain overkill.

I looked into the face that I had once found so beautiful, a face that I had loved. The memory of that past often brought raw emotion to the surface. I realized the only reason I couldn't see what she was back then was because I had been just as shallow. She had been a princess and despite my cover as rogue, she had desired me and risked everything to be with me. I waited for anger, pain, or shame, but there was none. There was nothing. The thought put a smile on my face and she, of course, misinterpreted it because in her mind, nothing could make me as happy as she had.

"I tried to pay your fine and your bail," she said.

I looked down at the watch I wasn't wearing. "It's only two hundred years late, but thanks anyway."

She ignored my jab. "I have brought you a lawyer. He has been reviewing the charges against you and he is confident he could have you released with a large fine."

I walked towards the door and looked over her head. Of course, she had paid the guards to leave us alone. If this made me late for my hearing, I was really going to be pissed.

"I have grown and I regret many things," her eyes were downcast. "I saw this as a chance to make amends. I have never forgotten what you did for me. I reward loyalty. I will offer you power, wealth, territory, and a place at my side. We can be allies, you and I."

"Your lawyer can go to hell and you can suck sunlight," I said, moving her aside and exiting my cell. "Or don't, I don't care. Just get out of my way."

"I am here to help you," she said, keeping up with me effortlessly.

"You want to help yourself, I get that, even if you don't. I'm not interested in helping you," I replied, distracted. I was only paying the conversation a minimal amount of attention. There were more than a few gates that I had to mangle to get out of the dungeons.

Having this back and forth with Freyda was easier than I thought it would be. Then I realized I hadn't thought of her in so long that I never realized how much my feelings had evolved. I was in a place where the anger was gone and so was the hurt. Truly, I never thought the damage she had done to me could feel so miniscule. Yet, she was now like anyone else I passed in the street. I would be a smartass because it was ingrained in me, but I didn't care if she lived or died. I was totally indifferent to Freyda.

I walked up the winding staircases. When I entered the ground floor, all the guards froze. Then they assumed attack positions. I wasn't in the mood. If they were going to take bribes then they shouldn't try to get noble with me. In addition, I didn't want my clothes wrinkled.

"Anybody touches me," I said softly, "I'll butt fuck them with a silver blade." I walked on and they let me. It might have been my threat or the fact that I was heading for the courtroom that made them stand down.

A queen she might be, but Freyda had no right to the proceedings. Criminal case proceedings were entirely different from the civil litigations that a royal normally attended. They lasted about a half hour, lacked all the spectacle of royal bickering, and had a lot less paperwork. When I opened the door, Freyda had to remain outside. The only people in the courtroom were my accusers and the others who were waiting to carry out my sentence. It wouldn't have helped my case if they were still sporting the holes I'd punched thorough them. Next to them stood a slighter battered Camden and the female Enforcer I'd fought in my cell, but whose name I didn't know.

If anyone thought it was odd that I was unescorted, they didn't show it. I marched myself into the defendant box. Of course, it was silver. The acrid scent of it had been my companion for the past two weeks. My charges were repeated by the head scribe.

"Do you have any evidence to refute these allegations?" The Pythoness asked.

The first time I had broken it was when I chose to go with Sookie instead of coming in with her. That wasn't the serious crime, I was looking at a fine. Desertion, however; was a whole other issue. Luckily for me I hadn't deserted, I was on vacation and my paperwork had just gotten lost in the mail; Pam made damn sure of it, the thing had more stamps than a collection.

The reason I knew the law so well was because I got off on bending it without breaking it. Everyone thought the Pythoness let me get away with minor infractions. The Old Bat didn't let me get away with shit. She was The Law. I had no doubt that no matter how much she valued me, she would subject me to the full extent of the law.

"I did not defect. I had given my word, and in thousand years no one can say I have ever betrayed it," I began. "A call from an investigator is how my cases are assigned because of my S7 Grade. The last one I received I responded to. I couldn't take the case per the guidelines of my position. There was a conflict of interest. The target was my lover."

"Who is the investigator?" The Pythoness asked. "Let him come forth."

Bill was here and he testified to what I said. "Was that the last assignment you had for him?" he was asked after his anecdote.

"No," Bill said, consulting a notebook. "Since last contact, there have been fifteen cases that have been escalated to his pay grade."

"Did you contact him to assign said cases?" The Pythoness asked.

He nodded. "I attempted to do so," he said.

I could yawn as he proceeded to break down all the calls he had made to me and how my phone had been disconnected. He had all the letters he had sent and how they had come back to him stating, 'Return to Sender'. Then he received the letter later that told him where I was, courtesy of my sister. If Bill didn't enjoy hearing himself talk so much we would have been done already.

It really didn't matter where I was. All that mattered was that I sent a message. Getting my assignments to me was his responsibility. That right there was the defining factor in being a defector versus being a bad employee. I was a bad employee, an underachiever, but I valued my word, and the Old Bat had it.

"In regard to attacking other Enforcers what evidence do you have to prove innocence?" she continued.

"Again, I had not been notified of my cases and so I was not notified of the warrant that bore my name. None of the Enforcers had identified themselves and wore plain clothes. They attacked, I retaliated. When I learned of my status, I immediately turned myself in. Yet again, the guard at the gate attacked and again I acted in self-defense."

"Anything more before I issue my verdict?" The Old Bat asked.

"Yes," I said. "These accusations are based upon flimsy circumstantial evidence and a grave misunderstanding. I have facts. I have never failed in any cases I have been assigned in two hundred years. I have upheld my duty. I have shed blood to uphold vampire law. I sit here before you willingly submitting myself to those same laws in the hope I may one day be given the honor of upholding them once more."

I spoke many languages but none of them could let a person bullshit their way through a conversation like the English language. If I had any doubts, which I hadn't, the look on the face of the scribes assured me I was going to get off scot-free.

"Eric Northman, I find you to have very little regard for manners and etiquette. Your attitude is vulgar and your disposition is appalling."

She knew my personality so well. All she had to do was call me an asshole and she would win my heart. "However," she continued. "These are character flaws, not crimes. It affronts my personal beliefs but the law is the law and it compels me to find you innocent of all listed charges."

"Thank you," I said, rising to my feet.

I thought that was it but it wasn't. I might be free but I wasn't unscathed.

"Your bail will be forfeit, it will go to cover the expense for your search as unnecessary as it might have been. I will fine you a quarter century salary as recompense to the Enforcers that suffered injuries at your hands."

Then she looked to the nine Enforcers that were seated in the bench. "My Law Guardians," the Old Bat asked somberly. "Is this acceptable? Or do you desire more for the blood offense?"

It was a very easy choice. They all nodded in accord. I supposed The Pythoness was making an example out of me. It was a pretty fucking expensive example. There was no way I'd kicked their asses hard enough that it should cost me several million apiece. None of them had lost a limb at my hands. I had made them safe during the day. Once we reached the accord, a scribe handed them the proper paper work and they signed off.

The papers that held my payment and sentence was before me when the female Enforcer spoke. "I contest," she said. Of course, it wasn't going to be that easy after all. Nothing was.

"Speak, Felicia," The Pythoness said. "What crimes has Eric committed against you? Let them be known."

"Not against me," she said with a deep nod. "He has committed many offenses against the law and the oath he has taken. He manipulated those same laws and those same oaths. He does not deserve leniency, in fact I believe he is making a mockery of the court."

This broad wasn't going to let that loss go. I looked over my shoulder and shot her a dismissive smile and she scowled at me. She was a lot more fun that Bill Compton. She fell for the blatant taunts. .

"Despite her testimony, I ask the court to consider that I have committed no offense against her." I stated baldly. "I harmed nine Enforcers, eight in California and one at the estate here. I fail to see her place in the proceedings."

The Pythoness pretended to need to have my charges reread to her to make sure it didn't include the officer. The only way she could contradict me was if she admitted to violating my due process. It might get me sent to The Catacombs but she would be right there with me and her sentence would be much longer. If she had just kept quiet she would been paid. Such as it was, she lost her payday and her vendetta.

"There is wisdom to your words Felicia," the Ancient One said, drumming her fingers. "Eric, you will apologize to the court, and to your brothers and sisters in arms."

I faced the Old Bat and nodded my head deeply for what had to be the first time. I knew she got a secret laugh out of it because we both knew that shit wasn't going to happen again, at least not this millennium. Then I faced the Enforcers I had injured.

"Sorry." It somehow came out as derisive and somber at the same time. It was probably because I was having a hard time not laughing.

"As moving and sincere as your apology was," she said, "I will fine you another twenty-five year's wages. If you cannot afford this you will be placed on a probationary period not to exceed fifty years."

Despite the great reveal and the many markets that now accommodated vampires, I preferred to live like the old days. Call me old fashioned but feeding off the hoof and going to ground appealed to me more than Tru Blood and an Anubis flight. I didn't have expensive taste despite the cars I used for work. Therefore, I basically had great wealth accruing that I never touched. The Old Bat knew I could pay.

"I will pay the additional fine to avoid probation," I said. I was very sure to sound aggrieved about it.

"Is there anything further against the accused?" she asked.

With the exception of Felicia everyone had been appeased, especially the other Enforcers. They were all walking out of here several million dollars richer. They could not care less what my punishment was. We all knew it and so, with that fact in mind, my sentencing was decreed.

"You are free to go, Eric Northman. You will return to work immediately to complete your case load."

Sigh. That was the real punishment. As I thought, the Old Bat was too cruel to suspend me.

The room emptied of all the claimants. Defendants used a separate exit. It was a walkway to say goodbye to anyone who would miss you when you were sentenced to The Catacombs or the final death. That was where Sookie, Godric, and Amelia were.

The door opened and Sookie threw herself in my arms with enough force to knock me back slightly. I didn't care. Her face was buried in the crook of my neck. Her legs wound around my waist and her hold around my neck was so tight it hurt, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I clutched her to me just as tightly.

"I love you, you asshole."

I chuckled and nipped at her ear. "I miss you calling me names." It was understood that I loved her just as much.

Finally, we pulled apart but we refused to break contact. We were eye to eye, nose to nose. Then she kissed me. It set not just my body but also my soul ablaze. Nothing had brought me this much relief or sweet pain. After being parted from her for so long, everything about her hit me harder. Her scent, the feel of her body, and the weight of her in my arms. The sensation of feeling whole washed over me.

I looked behind me where the double doors were still swinging. I marched us back into the courtroom. The Pythoness was still behind her bench, presumably awaiting the other case. It wasn't going to be a criminal case, it was going to be something else entirely.

"Is there is enough time for a wedding ceremony?" I asked when we were before her.

"Huh?" Sookie asked.

At the same time, the Pythoness waved us toward her. I moved forward. I didn't set Sookie down until we were before her.

"We're getting married." I clarified, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "You're dressed for the occasion."

"Whoa!" My very soon to be wife protested. "You're not even going to ask me? That's highhanded and more than a little presumptuous, don't you think?"

Americ was the only place where neither of us had been in jeans and boots. It wasn't just because she had been pregnant with Kai. It was because Americ was a place where our normal attire wasn't needed. We were free to be bare. Like that first night she had come back to me, our clothes matched not in color but in style.

Sookie was in a pair of low cut fitted light blue jeans. It did sinful things to her ass and hips. Their bottoms were slim and tucked neatly into grey combat boots. Her footwear wasn't laced all the way. Her t-shirt was white and a 'V' neck. I was in varying shades of black and dark blue. I hadn't imagined us marrying because we were mated, but I realized I wouldn't have it any other way. This was us. We were unsophisticated and downright crude but we belonged together.

I rolled my eyes. "I got the milk for free, and a calf might I add. I don't need permission to buy the cow."

Most women would have been horrified, but she laughed and kissed my chin. "You sure know how to make a woman feel special."

"I do my best," I said with a grin. Five minutes later, I had made my lover, my mate, and the mother of my child my wife.