Chapter 10

We Can Runaway

Thank y'all so much for the reviews, favorites, and alerts. Here is Monday's chapter. I will post again on Thursday. If anything comes up, I will post the chapter earlier than expected. To the reviewer who thinks that she's figured out the story, nice try but you'll have to keep reading to figure out how it all comes to an end. Anyway, enjoy y'all. And let me know what you think!

"You're leaving in a week?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied as he placed a tender kiss to my lips.

I swallowed my heart and asked, "Why so soon?"

"I have to go to Sweden to speak with some lawyers," he replied. His voice held no emotion. It matched his face. "I also have to meet with my mother's father and get a few things straight. Appius also thinks that this trip to Sweden will be good for me. He believes you and I need a break. We're getting a little too serious for his liking," he added. "As we both knew it would happen, Victor has told him of our plans and he's not happy. He says that we are too young to be married. He has said several times that we will ruin our lives if we don't slow things down."

I squeezed my eyes closed and inhaled deeply. When I reopened them, he looked sad and broken. With my hands folded underneath my head, I asked, "What is going on in Sweden that you have to leave so soon?"

He only stared at me. Whenever he gets that look, I know that Eric's not going to say what's really going on. He's going to keep it all inside and try to figure a way out on his own. That's what he's always done but not this time. I won't let him do it this time. He's going to tell me what's going on.

"Please, talk to me. Don't shut me out. You don't have to go through this on your own. I'm here for you, baby. I'm always here for you." I begged him to tell me what was going on with him and his family.

He closed his eyes and sighed. He remained quiet for a few moments. It was as if he was searching for the right words. When he finally looked at me, he said, "My mom didn't die because she was sick. She committed suicide. She had some mental problems and she couldn't handle them. And because she's gone and I'm of age now, I am responsible for her obligations. Her father has made promises that I am now expected to fulfill. My mother made a life altering mistake and now the obligations fall upon me." He looked angry when he said obligations.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Are you telling me that you have to pay for what your mom has done?"

"I do."

"What do you have to do?" I asked him.

When I asked him that question, he looked like the little boy from the second grade. He looked so small and so helpless. I'd never seen him look like that. "Something that I don't want to do," he whispered. "I don't want to go. I don't want to do it but for her, for my mom, I have to. She was my mom. She was all that I had," he said.

"What about your father?" I asked.

"She was all that I had," he repeated.

"Okay," I whispered. I didn't say anything else because I didn't know what to say.

"All I can say is that she messed up. She had some problems and she wasn't capable of taking care of them. It's all up to me now. I have to make things right," he said. "She made some mistakes that she couldn't fix on her own. Afterwards, her mind was never really the same. At first, she was fine. She was on her medications but then something happened." He sighed as closed his eyes for a brief moment. "I don't know what happened but whatever it was ... but that doesn't matter. Now, it's up to me."

I wanted to understand. I really did but I didn't. I couldn't. "They were her mistakes, Eric. Why do you have to pay for them? Why do they fall to you?"

A slight whimper escaped him. "She's my mom."

I frowned as I scooted in closer to him. I wrapped him in the comfort of my arms and held him. I was afraid for him. What does he have to do? What does he have to make right? Why should he have to be responsible for his mom's burdens? He's eighteen for Pete's sake. "Whatever you need from me, I'll give you," I said as I kissed his cheek. "You've got me. You'll always have me. You don't have to go through this alone. Maybe I can come with you. It's only for the summer. We can do this together."

"And we will," he answered. I could tell that his will to be strong for me was breaking. "I never knew love until you, Sookie."

I buried my face into his neck and cried.

"Yours," he whispered in my ear.

"Yours," I exclaimed as I sobbed.

We held each other until Eric had fallen asleep. When he was finally resting, I slid out of bed and went to the other side of his room and called Pam. She answered on the first ring. Her voice was filled with amusement and admiration. "You are a slut puppy! I call you at home and Gran tells me that you are spending the night with Eric! What the fuck, Sookie?"

She was practically screaming in the phone. I could hear her knocking things around as she piddled through the house. She was slamming door to the fridge and laughed as loudly as she could. "You actually told Gran that you were staying with Eric and she approved?" I could actually see her shaking her head and smiling. "When I grow up, I want to be just like you. You're fucking awesome."

"Pam, chill out okay? It's not that big of a deal. Do you have a spare key to your car?"

"You know I do. Why?" she asked. The loud laughing and banging stopped as quickly as it began. "What's wrong?"

"Get a cab to take you back to the club," I ordered her. "You need to get here as soon as you can. Eric's dad is sending him away. I think that it's because he believes that Eric and I are too serious. Eric said that he's sending him to Sweden for the summer because he has to handle some of his mom's obligations; whatever they are and because Eric and I are getting a little too serious for his liking."

Pam fell silent.

I continued talking. "He's in bed sleeping now, Pam. I wanted to call you to let you know so that maybe we can plan something big for him before he leaves." I silently added, "We don't have very much time left with him. He's leaving in a week. We have to make the best of this week."

I heard her breath hitch. "I'll be there in fifteen."

I dressed in a pair of Eric's sweats and went outside and waited on the porch for her to come over. I knew that Jerry would let her in. He's known us just as long as we've known each other.

While I sat on the porch and waited for Pam, I heard the door open behind me. I thought that it was Eric. I smiled as I stood up to greet him. My smile faded into nothing.

"I see that you're still here," Appius said as he stood next to me.

"Yes, I'm still here, Mr. Northman," I said as I returned to my seat. "It won't be too much longer and you won't see me anymore. Eric will be leaving for Sweden and you won't have to see me at all. You won't have to worry about me sullying your son's reputation any more than I already have. You won't have to worry about me trapping him or doing any of things that girls like me do. It'll be over before you know it. I guess us Stackhouses are nothing but poor, white trash as far as you're concerned."

He almost looked hurt at my words … almost. "Forgive me for being short with you. You didn't deserve that."

If that was true then maybe he could answer a question for me. "Then why? Is it because of who I'm not? Is it because you see me as poor, white trash?"

Appius frowned at my words. "Sookie, don't think that," he said. "I've never thought that of you. I never will. I think that you're a wonderful young lady. You come from a great family. I admire what your grandparents have done for you and your brother. You two are wonderful children; especially you. You have so much going for you. You're smart and beautiful and you love my son." He smiled at me and said, "Your parents would be very proud of the young woman that you've become but I'm sorry to say that is not enough. You need more if you want to be with a Northman and you don't have it."

He sighed before spoke again. "I am not an elitist but you will not fit into our world. He needs a woman that has been bred into this. I see wonderful things happening for you in your lifetime. While he's away, you will find someone that's more suited for you. Someone that will love absolutely everything there is about you. Don't wait for him because he will not wait for you." He then patted my shoulder as he looked at me.

"You're wrong," I said. "There is no one else in this world that's better for Eric than I am. You know that just as well as I do. He'll never replace me because he loves me. He would never hurt me like that. Why does my bank account matter? Why do I have to live in a mansion just to be good enough? Why can't I just love him?" I asked. "And I do I love him, Mr. Northman. I've always loved him. I wouldn't do anything to embarrass you or your family. Please, don't send him away." I began to beg for Appius to see and to listen to reason. "I need him. My entire life's plan is wrapped up in your son. Every plan in my life involves him. I know no one else. I don't want to know anyone else."

His eyes were filled with pity. I could tell that he didn't want to purposely hurt me. I could see that he's always believed me to be a very sweet and respectable girl but none of that mattered to him. I'm just not the right girl for his son. He shook his head no. "I'm sorry, Sookie. This has to done and it will be done."

I looked up at him and asked, "Are you sending him away because of me?"

"Not entirely, no," he said. "It's not only because of you. In our world, there are obligations that must be fulfilled and there are obligations that Eric must fulfill. You are not a part of those obligations."

"Then what is it?"

He dropped his eyes to the porch. He wasn't going to tell me. Well, that's fine. He wasn't going to stop me from loving Eric.

"You can't keep him away from me forever," I said. "It's only for the summer."

Again, he said nothing.

"It's not for the summer?" I asked.

He looked at me and sighed. "It's not."

I wiped the tears from eyes before they could fall and stared out into the night. "I should've known. Mr. Madden taunted me tonight about you sending Eric away," I said as I stared out into the night. "I'd assumed that it was because he needed to learn the family business. I thought that was his only obligation but I guess there's more to it."

"Sookie," he said. "Don't do this and it's not all because of you. Yes, I believe that you kids have been spending too much time together but it's not all you. This needs to be done."

"Does Eric know that he's going to be gone a lot longer than the summer?" I asked as I turned to look at the elder Northman.

He inhaled deeply as he looked out into the night.

"He knows," I whispered. And he didn't tell me.

"I'm sorry but sometimes things aren't as they seem," he said. "This is best. You two are too young to be tied down to one another. You and Eric shouldn't have your entire lives wrapped up in each other. You need to live. You need to explore what's out there." He looked in the direction of the house before he spoke again. He bent down in front of me with his hands resting on his legs. "I'm doing this for both of you. I think that this is what's best. I'm saving you and Eric from a life time of heartache. You will thank me later on."

"No, you're not," I said. "You're doing this for you. I don't need to explore. I've found who I want. Don't do this to us, Mr. Northman. Please," I begged again. "Do you realize what this is doing to us? Don't you care? It hurts here," I said as I touched my hand to my heart. "Don't do this. I'm his and he's mine."

When he looked at me, I could see the tears pooling in his eyes but I could also see that he wasn't going to change his mind. Just then, Pam's car pulled around the cobblestone driveway just as Mr. Northman stood up. He stood up and turned in the direction of the driveway.

When Pam got out of the car, he went to her and hugged her. "Eric is going to be happy to see you," he said.

"And I him, Mr. Northman," Pam said. She released herself from his hug and came over to me. "It's going to be fine, Sookie. We'll go and visit him and it'll be just like nothing has changed."

I said nothing because I knew otherwise.

Mr. Northman came over and caressed my head. "She'll be fine. She just needs a little time." He kissed the top of my head. "And Eric is going to be fine. He has family in Sweden. She won't have to worry about him. Come on, ladies," he said. "Let's get you both inside. It's too late for you to be out here. You both can sleep in the room across from Eric's if you'd like." He looked at me when he said that.

Pam spoke up and said, "You don't have to worry about us, Mr. Northman. We are going to be fine. We're adults now. Plus, we need to spend as much time together as we can before he leaves. We only have a week." I squeezed her hand.

Appius led us into the house and up the stairs. We offered our goodnights and watched as he went further down the hall to his room. When he went into his room, Pam and I went into Eric's room.

Once we were secured inside, Pam whispered, "It's going to be fine. You'll have me here with you. You'll always have me. Peas and carrots, remember?" She nodded as she quickly swiped at a few tears that managed to escape.

I shook my head as I laughed. "Please, Pam," I said. "Don't make matters worse."

"Bitch," she said as she pinched my arm.

Pam then looked in the direction of Eric's bed and she watched him as he slept. She placed the tip of her thumb in her mouth before pulling me into the bathroom with her. "What is wrong with you? He's coming back. He won't be gone forever," she said as she closed the door behind us.

I let the tears roll down my cheeks as I stared at her.

"He's not coming back?" she whispered.

"I don't think so," I answered as I shook my head no. "Mr. Northman said that Eric will be in Sweden longer than planned."

"Does Eric know this?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said. "And he didn't tell me. He didn't tell me that he may not be coming back."

She didn't believe me. She began shaking her head no. "I don't believe that. He won't be gone long. He wouldn't do that to us. Not to me and definitely not to you. Nothing can keep you two apart. Nothing can keep the three of us apart. We belong together; especially you and Eric." She sat back and looked at me and said, "You and Eric will be together forever." Pam started to cry when she turned and looked at the closed bathroom door. She put her hand to her mouth and shook her head. Her cold, dead, and loving heart was breaking.

When she looked at me, her blue eyes were as red as my own. "I can't believe he's leaving. We've never been away from each other for this long … a month at the most. What am I supposed to do without him?" she asked me.

"The same thing that you do when I'm here," Eric said as he stood in doorway of the bathroom. We didn't even hear him approach us.

Before I knew it, I jumped up and threw my arms around him. I didn't want to let him go. What if I never get to see him again? Tonight could be the very last time that I ever see him. What am I supposed to do without him?

"I missed you," he said to me as he nuzzled my neck.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked him. "Why didn't you say that you were going to be gone for a long while? Longer than the summer?"

His sigh told me that he knew what I was speaking of. "I couldn't," he whispered.

"Please, don't go," I whispered. "Please don't leave me. We can come up with something that can keep us together. All we have to do is to put our minds to it. You and me, together, we can do anything." My eyes suddenly lit up. "We could runaway together. Pam's going to be with us for the week and with that time, we can devise a plan; a plan that no one will ever figure out. No one will ever find us. We can do somewhere where no one even knows who we are."

Pam agreed. "I used to be a whiz at treasure maps when we were kids. Remember the adventures that we used to have in the woods out back at Gran's house?"

I looked at her and nodded enthusiastically. "She's right. She's great at it."

"And if that doesn't work, I'm sure that daddy will help you two vanish," Pam said. "I can call him now. He'll do anything for us." She even went so far as to pull her cell phone out of the front pocket of Hello Kitty pajamas.

I smiled at her and then looked up at Eric. "It can work," I said. I was full of optimism.

Eric put me down and stood back as he looked at me. He smiled.

"No?" I asked.

He shook his head.

He then looked at Pam. He smiled when he saw her. He'd never seen her look so small and so vulnerable in all of the years that he's known her. She's always been a cold, hard bitch. Neither of us have ever seen Pam look so vulnerable. It scared me because the truth has hit me like a ton of bricks.

She'd dropped her phone onto the floor as tears trailed over her cheeks. While he stared at her, she looked at him and asked, "Why in the hell are you staring at me?"

"Because you're a big, old cry-baby," he said to her. To me, he said, "I wish that I could run away with you. We'd leave and never look back. I swear to you. I don't want to go but I have to go. This is for my mom … and for me," he silently added. I saw something in his eyes that I'd never seen before and it scared me.

"Eric," I said.

He shook his head as he stared at me.

I put my hands over my mouth and nodded. I went into his room and sat on the bed. I could feel him watching me as I walked away. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what I needed to do, what I could do. I could think of nothing. I curled up in a ball in the fetal position and cried until I fell asleep.

A week.

We only have a week left in our love story.