You guys are going to hate me for this one, but I promise the angst will be over quickly. I just couldn't write a story without some drama.

No beta or proofing. As is.

Chapter 7

Sookie arrived at Eric's compound just a little after sunset. She was well known by his security and staff by this point, so no one bothered her as she headed straight for Eric's private elevator and used the key he'd given her to take her up to his exclusive levels. She and Eric had been seeing each other for three months now, and they still had two left before her husband was to return. While she and Eric had come far since they'd begun their unconventional arrangement, there were still many issues and obstacles they would need to overcome. Not only had they not discussed her marriage to Marcus at all, but they had also not discussed exactly what it was Eric wanted from her. She knew he wanted them to be lovers again, but he was a king and she'd done her very best to keep herself and her family out of supe politics. She didn't see how things could work between them. She refused to have the kind of relationship she had with him before. Needless to say they still had a lot to talk about.

Making her way into Eric's private quarters she quickly spotted him in front of the fireplace, but he was talking on his phone so she headed into the kitchen to get herself a drink so he could finish his conversation. When she returned to the living area Eric was just finishing up his business. When he turned to face her she could easily tell there was something amiss, and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, but something inconvenient has arisen."

"Oh?"

"Yes. A Council representative has arrived to inspect my kingdom."

While Sookie was much better educated about supe politics than she had been 200 years ago, she didn't understand why Eric was under investigation and asked, "Is this bad?"

Shaking his head, Eric answered, "No. It is procedure. Every time a new monarch rises to power they must meet the approval of the Council. It is routine. They allowed me time to get everything settled, and now they will ensure my rule is stable."

"Well that doesn't sound too bad."

Reaching out to take Sookie's hand and pull her closer Eric brushed a strand of hair away from her face, and explained, "It is not dangerous, but it is time consuming and tedious. It will take the better part of a week to walk the investigator through everything, and unfortunately it is not a task I can delegate to anyone else."

Understanding what Eric was saying, Sookie speculated, "So I guess this means I can't see you this week, huh?"

"I wish it were not so, Sookie, but this is not something I can put off. While I am king, I cannot afford to anger the Council."

"I understand. One week isn't that long. It's ok."

Kissing Sookie's forehead, Eric lamented, "It is a very long time if it means being away from you. I had hoped to keep the Council at bay until after things were settled between us."

Sookie was going to tell Eric it wasn't that big of a deal, that she was fine waiting to see him for another week, but instead she offered, "How about I come with you?"

"Pardon?"

"Would it be alright for me to come with you?"

Eric was all astonishment as he asked, "You wish to do this?" Sookie had always done her best to stay out of the politics of his world, and the few times she had insinuated herself had not gone well for her. He was surprised by her request to say the least.

Nodding her head Sookie explained, "Eric, you're a king now, and if we should decide to make a go at a relationship again this is a part of you I cannot ignore. When you were sheriff I had little to no knowledge or involvement in your dealings. It can't be like that again. It is all or nothing."

"So you would consent to be my queen? To rule beside me?"

"Is that even possible? I'm not a vampire."

"It has never been done before, but I doubt that anyone would attempt to stop us if I were to name you my queen."

"I'm not sure I want to take it that far, but I don't want to be completely clueless about you or your actions as I was before. I do my best to keep my family and my town out of supe politics, but if I am with you I will have to at least be a part of your kingdom."

Eric was infinitely pleased. Sookie had always wanted to avoid the tangled web of supernatural dealings, and over the past 200 years she had done her best to keep clear of them. In his mind this was a positive step in the right direction. Taking her hand and kissing it, Eric said, "I would be honored if you were to accompany me tonight. I wish to show you my kingdom and see the changes I have made. I think you will be particularly impressed by my Integration Program."

"Well than lead the way tall, blonde, and handsome!"

A few minutes later Eric escorted Sookie into his office where the Council representative and his bodyguards were waiting. Nodding his head, Eric greeted, "Mr. Claudius, it is very good to see you. I hope you weren't kept waiting long. My assistant provided refreshments I hope?"

Nodding his head, the Council investigator replied, "I was provided with an excellent donor upon arrival. My party and I are ready to proceed." Turning to look at Sookie he added, "Unless, of course, you have not yet fed yourself?"

Both Eric and Sookie stiffened at the implication she was a donor before Eric set his hand atop hers where it was tucked in his arm, and explained, "Sookie is not a donor, Mr. Claudius. She is an old friend of mine, and greatly admired by me. I must insist you treat her with the respect she deserves."

Mr. Claudius remained silent for a moment before asking, "You are not the Sookie, are you? The one King Northman lost so long ago?"

Glancing up at Eric before focusing on the Council representative again, Sookie replied, "Eric and I were married once if that answers your question."

"My word! I have heard tales of you. I mean I doubt there is anyone in the supernatural world that has not heard of you, but I never expected to actually meet you!"

"Well here I am, Mr. Claudius," Sookie replied dryly.

Mr. Claudius stood from his seat and inclined his head as he insisted, "You must call me Roman. I have long wished to make your acquaintance, but you are not an easy woman to get access too."

"By design, Roman." Sookie wasn't sure if she liked this vampire or not, and continued, "I find the politics of the supernatural world, the Council in particular, to be trying, unfair, hypocritical, and outdated. I choose not to take part in supe politics unless absolutely necessary."

Eric couldn't help but grin at Sookie's candidness. If anyone was going to insult a high ranking Council member to their face it would be his spirited Sookie. Still, her words could have repercussions and he readied himself should Roman and his guards attempt to punish her for them. If he had to take on the Council to stand at Sookie's side so be it.

Roman studied Sookie and Eric intensely. He had been surprised greatly by Sookie's comment. While it was true, he was not used to such honesty. Strangely he found himself impressed with her, and laughed, "You are certainly as outspoken as the stories of you told. Every organization or ruling body has its flaws, Mrs. Stackhouse, but the Council is changing. In fact there are many of us in the Council who are actively promoting even further change. Perhaps it is something we could discuss during my visit here?"

"Perhaps," Sookie replied noncommittally before adding, "and it is Mrs. Radke. I married some years back."

Roman looked back and forth between Eric and Sookie for a moment before replying, "Of course. I have heard of your demon husband as well. We attempted negotiations with him a few years ago, but he was not interested."

Sookie knew what Roman was referring to. The Council had angered a large portion of the ruling body of the fire demon realm and had approached Marcus about representing them in peace negotiations. Marcus, while not deeply involved in demon affairs, had wisely chosen not to accept the offer. Sookie remembered that things had been tense for nearly two years, with quite a few assassinations, before the Council had been able to appease the demons.

"Marcus, much like myself, has little tolerance for power plays," Sookie replied before looking up at Eric and asking, "So what are we going to see first?"

Roman's brow rose as he questioned, "Are you accompanying us tonight, Mrs. Radke?"

Nodding his head, Eric answered for the both of them, "She is. Sookie has not yet had a chance to see my kingdom and I thought to kill two birds with one stone."

Roman once again looked between Eric and Northman, observing their joined arms, and finally declared, "Well then let us begin the tour. I am most anxious to speak more with Mrs. Radke, and to see your kingdom. Many of us believed you would make a wonderful monarch Eric. We are eager to see the approach you are taking as a king."

"Well then shall we begin with the surveillance and security department?"

"Very well."

…

…

…

Much later that evening Roman kissed Sookie's outstretched hand and said, "It was a pleasure, Mrs. Radke, and I do hope to see more of you during my stay here."

"Oh I'm sure I'll be around," Sookie replied. She wasn't quite sure what to make of Roman Claudius, but as far as vampires went he certainly wasn't the worst she'd encountered.

Eric bid Roman a good night and nodded at one of his attendants to see the Council entourage to their suite of rooms for the evening. When they were gone he looked down at Sookie and asked, "What did you think?"

"I think you are a very fair and capable ruler. You will be a great king."

"I am glad you think so. I hope you continue to be impressed with everything as the tour continues … you will be coming back tomorrow night, yes?"

Nodding her head, Sookie affirmed, "Yes, I think I would like to see everything. I should also give Roman a chance to talk to me. He obviously was waiting for an opportunity tonight, but you were good not to give him one."

"Noticed that did you?"

"I did. What do you think he wants?"

"I am not sure. I do not think he expected to see you here. The Council has been trying to recruit you for years, and he might simply want to speak with you about that. Being the one to bring you in to their fold could be a major boost to his career."

Looking down the hallway Roman and his men had disappeared, Sookie commented, "Let's hope that's all it is. He didn't know me by sight so that says he wasn't expecting me to be here."

"I will look into it. Are you leaving now? Or can you stay a bit longer?"

Checking her watch, Sookie said, "I can stay another hour or so."

"Then I would very much like us to talk."

"I kind of thought you would be all talked out by this point. Roman did have a lot of questions."

Taking Sookie's hand and leading her towards his elevator, Eric replied, "He did at that, but I will always have the desire to talk to you, and I believe there are some things we need to discuss."

"There are."

A few minutes later Sookie and Eric were seated in his living area. They were sitting on opposite couches facing each other and Eric saw no point in beating around the bush. "We need to talk about what is going to happen in the next two months, Sookie … and we need to discuss Marcus."

Sookie knew this was a conversation she could no longer avoid, and she knew it was one that would determine the course of her relationship with Eric. He might very well hate her after she told him what he needed to know. "You're right. We need to talk about it."

"Tell me about Marcus."

Eric knew only the bare minimum about Marcus and Sookie's relationship. By the time she'd met him she had grown in power immensely and had already begun fortifying Bon Temps against outsiders. Because of that he had only known when she got married, and that she had continued having children with her new husband. He had background information on Marcus, but only what small pieces his spies were able to uncover. Demons were very secretive. He knew hearing about Sookie's husband, how they came to be married, was not going to be pleasant, but it had to be done. If he didn't know why Sookie had married Marcus, how it was they came together, it would make it that much harder to break them apart and get her to leave him.

Kicking off her heels Sookie tucked her legs under her to get more comfortable on the couch and began, "I met Marcus about ten years after Sam died. The night I met him he tried to kill me."

Eric's fangs dropped down and he hissed, "What the fuck! And he is still breathing why?"

"Because even as we fought I could tell he wanted to lose. Marcus—well—he wasn't in a good place back then. He might have been hired to kill me, but he came after me so I would kill him."

"I don't understand. Who hired him to kill you?"

"Your wife."

Eric froze. He had heard the words Sookie said, but for some reason they wouldn't process. Finally he demanded, "Explain."

"Freyda hired Marcus to kill me. Off the books. No one was supposed to know."

"Freyda tried to have you killed?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You know why. Everyone in the supe world knew how much she wanted you to care for her, to be loyal to her. She was practically obsessed with you."

"And why am I just learning of this now?"

Sookie could see the emotions roiling around inside Eric's head through his eyes, and she cautioned, "Eric, what I am about to tell you is not good. It could have you walking away from me forever. Knowing this, do you wish to continue?"

Eric couldn't imagine what Sookie could have to say that would have him abandoning his love for her, his pursuit of her, but he was willing to bet his undead existence he'd be pissed at her and would do a great deal of yelling. She looked guilty. Very guilty.

"Tell me everything."

"I am going to start at the beginning. I ask that you not interrupt."

"Very well."

Letting her mind cast back to that time in her life, Sookie explained, "Marcus ambushed me on my way home from a girls night with a few were friends of mine. I had gone into Shreveport to go dancing with them. Marcus threw a fireball at my car."

"I will kill him!"

"Eric! You promised! Sit down and hear what I have to say!"

Eric had jumped to his feet when Sookie told her of Marcus's attack, and reluctantly retook his seat as he growled, "What the fuck could have happened to have you marrying the man that tried to kill you!"

Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, Sookie continued, "Obviously his attack didn't work out and soon enough we were fighting. By that point I had mastered much of my fairy powers and was more than holding my own, but if Marcus had really wanted to kill me he could have. I knew that even as we were trading blows. He left so many openings, and made so many mistakes I knew he either had to be incredibly stupid or—"

"He wasn't trying that hard to kill you."

"Exactly. Eventually I got him pinned down and was going to end it."

"What stopped you?"

"His eyes."

"His eyes?"

"Yes."

Shaking with anger, Eric demanded, "And what was so fucking great about his eyes that you spared the life of a man that had attacked you!"

Refusing to let her emotions get the best of her as Eric was doing, Sookie replied calmly, "I saw myself in them."

Before Eric could say anything, Sookie continued, "In his eyes, Eric, I saw the same pain and devastation that I felt when you were taken from me. I saw a heart and soul broken and ready to be free of pain. I saw a man who no longer had a will to live, and I remembered what it was like to feel that way."

Eric didn't have a response to that. He could only watch as Sookie's eyes filled with tears, tears for the pain her husband had been in, and he hated it. He hated that she could feel so much for a man that wasn't him. Her children were different. He loved his own children, and he would not begrudge Sookie the love of a mother, but the love she had as a woman was supposed to be his!

"Eric, at that point Marcus felt he had nothing left to live for. His entire human family was dead. His lover, who had been pregnant with his unborn child, had been killed in a car accident, and his demon family couldn't help him."

"And why couldn't they help him?"

"Because his demon family did not know how to console a half human relation on the loss of the humans he had loved. Death goes hand in hand with life in the demon realm. You know they are more bloodthirsty than even vampires, and they did not understand his desire to have a life of love and peace. He felt completely and utterly alone in the world, and he felt like he had nothing left to live or fight for."

Needing Eric to understand why both she and Marcus had made the decisions they had, Sookie explained, "Natalie had been dead for a little over a year. She had been his whole world for nearly a decade, and she is the one that helped him get over the loss of his human family when the last one succumbed to time. When she died it killed something inside of him, just as your loss killed something inside of me. He lost all sense of self and when Freyda approached him with the job he decided to take it."

"Why? Why take up a job as a killer if he was so lost and broken?"

"Honestly? I don't know. To this day Marcus can't tell me why he took the job. When I ask he said that for some reason he just wanted to do it when Freyda offered it to him. He figured he'd either kill me and make a lot of money, enough to support the alcohol and drug addiction he'd formed since Natalie's death for awhile, and if he failed he'd be dead. Either way he would benefit."

"And this is the man you call husband?"

Shaking her head, Sookie replied, "No. My Marcus, the man I call husband, is nothing like the man I faced that night. Marcus has come a long way, and I like to think that I helped him the same way Adele and Sam helped me."

"I still don't understand."

"You will." Taking a sip of water from her glass on the coffee table, Sookie continued, "I didn't kill him that night. I just asked who sent him. He refused to answer so I let him go."

"You let him go?"

"Yes."

"Why? Why release a man that had just tried to kill you! Sookie, none of these actions make sense."

Sookie gave Eric a soft smile and said, "I hate to break it to you, Viking, but sometimes people do senseless things for no damn good reason. Just like Marcus can't explain why he decided to take a job as a killer when he'd never killed outside of self defense before, I can't explain why I let him go that night … or any of the nights after that."

"Any of the other—fuck! Did he go after you again?!"

"Yes. For nearly a year Marcus looked for any opportunity to attack me. He only did it when I was alone, and never once came near my family, though he obviously could have. Every time we would fight, I would win, and I would let him go. Then he'd come back and we'd do our dance all over again."

"That is the stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard."

Laughing, Sookie replied, "I know! Hearing it out loud it is so stupid, but that is what happened. He could never bring himself to put his all into killing me, and I could never bring myself to finish him when he gave me an opening to do so."

Eric was completely baffled by all of this, and asked, "So what changed?"

"One day I was driving down the road to meet Adele for lunch and he just stepped out onto the road in front of my car. I got out, ready to fight, and he told me he wasn't there to fight."

"What was he there to do?"

"He said he needed to ask me a question."

"What was it?"

Grinning, Sookie answered, "The same one you have—why wouldn't I kill him?"

Eric's fangs were begging to bury themselves into Marcus by this point, and he grumbled, "It is a damn good question."

"And I'll tell you the same thing I told Marcus."

"Which is?"

"I don't believe in suicide."

Eric was silent as he looked at Sookie and she continued, "He just stood there, and I told him that I didn't commit suicide when I lost everything, and I wouldn't be the tool someone else used to kill himself. I told him I didn't know what it was he had lost, but I know how it felt to feel like there was no reason to keep going."

"What did he say?"

Sookie's smile was sad as she replied, "He asked what I had lost. I said I'd lost everything once. My family, my friends, my innocence, my love."

"Sookie," Eric whispered softly, aching for the pain he could see in her eyes as she remembered all the people she'd lost over the years, the parts of herself that had been torn out of her by the cruelty of his world and hers.

Holding up her hand, Sookie admonished, "Don't, Eric. We both know what my past entailed, and I have made peace with it. We are talking about Marcus now."

"Very well. Go on."

"At that point Marcus asked me how I went on if I'd lost everything. He asked me if I truly knew how he felt how I could come back from such darkness."

"And what did you say?"

"I told him I found a reason to live, and he needed to do the same. Then I got back in my car and left. He didn't follow and I didn't see him again for a month."

Amazed by the story he was hearing, as he had imagined a very different scenario of Sookie's meeting her husband, Eric asked, "What happened when he came back?"

"He came up to me one day while I was working in the garden. I was living at home alone back then as mine and Sam's youngest, Max, had already graduated college at that point. He came up while I was pulling weeds and asked if I could show him how to live again. I said yes and handed him a pair of garden gloves. He dropped to his knees next to me and we spent the rest of the day pulling weeds and planting my new tomato seedlings."

"You're joking."

"I shit you not. I know it sounds like something out of the Twilight Zone, but that is exactly what happened. When we were finished in the garden I showed him where the guest bedroom was and gave him some of Sam's old clothes. We got cleaned up and had diner, and then we both went to bed."

Running a hand through his hair, Eric admonished, "Sookie! Do you know how fucking crazy that sounds? A demon tries to kill you repeatedly and you invite him to diner!"

"I know, but it is how it happened." Before Eric could start yelling, Sookie clarified, "I couldn't abandon him, Eric. I've been where he was, and I couldn't leave him like that. I don't know where I would have been if I hadn't gotten pregnant with Adele. Marcus had no one and nothing."

He couldn't fault her for wanting to help someone in pain. It was one of the things he admired most about her. He still wanted to know about Freyda though, and how Sookie got from trying to help Marcus not commit suicide to marrying him.

"So what happened next?"

"Well the next day after breakfast I asked why he had tried to kill me. It was then that he explained how Freyda had approached him in an alley one night after he'd just scored his next hit from some dealer outside of Tulsa. She promised him enough money and drugs to last him the next hundred years as long as he killed me."

"Did he ask why she wanted you dead?"

Shaking her head, Sookie said, "No. He just took the money and headed for Louisiana, but we were pretty much able to put the pieces together."

Eric was silent a moment and deduced, "Freyda thought if you died I would want to stay with her. I would no longer have a reason to leave her."

"Pretty much. I filled Marcus in on you, me, Freyda and what had happened between us. He apologized, and I forgave him."

Sookie waited. She waited to see the understanding come into Eric's eyes, and she just hoped it wasn't accompanied by hate.

It didn't take long for Eric to demand, "Sookie, why did you not make this known? At that point you had enough of a reputation to get the Council to hear a complaint from you! If Freyda was found guilty of trying to kill you it would have been in violation of my marriage contract and I would have been free! We would have been free to be together!"

Looking into Eric's heated gaze, Sookie hoped he wouldn't hate her for what she was about to say, and answered, "I decided the risk was too great to go after her."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Eric, I had no proof that Freyda had hired Marcus. No one saw their meeting, no evidence of it existed, and the money and drugs she'd given him were untraceable. All we had was Marcus's word."

"There is still the chance the Council would have sided with you! Especially with your new powers and shifter connections!"

Feeling her age at the moment, Sookie sighed, "And that was exactly the problem. Eric, I had a family at that point. I had children and grandchildren. I had a life and people who depended on me to keep Bon Temps safe."

Her heart hurt to be telling Eric this, it hurt when she made this decision, and she could only hope that he would understand her reasoning. Back then she had been angry with him, especially after he came to ask her to be his mistress when Sam had died, but she had never stopped loving him. She was certain a part of her heart would always belong to Eric.

"I knew that the Council would side with me. Freyda was a nobody, and as you yourself proved easily replaced, but me? The Council had been panting after having control over me for decades at that point. I knew if I took the charges before them that some back room meeting would have taken place and they would make it clear to me they'd only charge and execute Freyda, they'd only free you, if I would work for them. That would mean immersing myself and my family in the Council."

The truth hit Eric like a ton of bricks. 'She had a chance to save me over a century ago. She had a chance to save us again, and she didn't take it!' At first the agony in his heart threatened to overwhelm him and Eric found he couldn't look at her anymore. He shot from the couch to go stand at the massive wall of windows his apartment had. He looked over the city, the kingdom he had claimed to have the woman behind him, and wondered if his Maker had been right. Was love truly the downfall of all vampires? It certainly felt like his love for Sookie was killing him now.

Sookie gave Eric a moment to process what she had just told him before offering quietly, "I chose my family over you, Eric, and I hated myself for it. I still do. Especially now that I know how much you suffered while in Oklahoma, but at that point I couldn't do anything else. I was strong, yes, but not strong enough to keep my children and grandchildren from being used as pawns in supe politics if I aligned myself with the Council.

"Eric, I don't want you to think I didn't come for you out of anger. Yes, I was angry at the way you left me, and I was angry you could ask me to be your mistress not once, but twice, but it was fear for my children that kept me from getting you out of your marriage to Freyda."

When Eric said nothing, merely continued to gaze out at the city below them, she continued, "Marcus and I decided the best thing to do was alert Freyda to the failed assassination attempt. I called her and told her if she ever tried to come after me or anyone in my family again I would approach the Council. She was smart enough to know they'd want me over her, and she never bothered me again. To my knowledge at least."

Standing from the couch and approaching Eric slowly, Sookie begged, "Eric, please, you have to understand I was afraid. I missed you. I was still angry, but I missed you. You have to know I missed you. I still loved you and I did want you back, but my past experiences taught me that no one close to me would be safe if I immersed myself in the supe world again. I—I couldn't let that happen. I had to make a choice."

"And it was not me … again."

"Eric, I—"

"Sookie, I need you to go."

"Eric, please! You have to let me explain!"

Eric's voice was dead calm, devoid of all emotion, as he replied, "I do understand. My mind knows you made the wisest choice. You were not as strong or as well connected back then as you are now, and you had children to think of. I understand this. My brain can acknowledge the rightness of your choice, but my heart—I—Sookie, I need you to go. I must think about this. I must think about what this means for us. Please, go. I will contact you."

Sookie stared at Eric's back for a moment, silently willing him to turn around and look at her, before her head fell and she whispered, "I'm sorry."

She turned and gathered her belongings and left the apartment without a word. She couldn't help but wonder if that was truly the last time she would ever see Eric Northman.