I own none of the characters in this fan fiction. They are based on the Sookie Stackhouse series. This story is located somewhere between "Dead as a Doornail" and "All Together Dead". It takes parts from the whole series, but there is a twist I promise. I was devastated when the author did away with the blood bond and ultimately ended the relationship which I think defined the series. This is very Team Eric / Sookie.

Chapter 6

I woke up the next day relieved to be back in Shreveport, back with Eric. He had gotten up during the night to retire to his chamber. I rolled around in the big bed, just really not wanting to leave. I felt safer with him than anywhere in the world.

I wasn't clear on all the details yet. Eric didn't like to talk when he was having Blood Lust. He just liked to fuck and feed. It was kind of his thing…in a romantic kind of 1000 year old vampire way of course. I forced myself out of bed and down to the kitchen to get breakfast. Looking through the refrigerator, I decided on a yogurt and an apple. I contemplated Bertrand for a minute. He was power hungry and vicious, with an outwardly appearance of nobility. Most vampires were like that though. Very cultured and refined and most of them thought they were better than everyone else, which I found highly annoying. My gran didn't raise me to look down on others.

I wasted the day wandering through the house, watching TV here and there. Not really doing anything. My phone rang, I looked down. Sam. Darn it. "Hi Sam" I said in a cheerful voice just happy to talk to someone. Usually I talked to the maid, Jessica, however today was not one of her days to be here.

"Hi Sookie. Glad to know you are alive." He said with an air of passive aggressiveness. "You've missed two days this week."

"Hi Sam. I know, I'm sorry. Things have been complicated and I was kind of out of it for a couple of days." Well it wasn't a lie.

"Alright look. You can work when you want, but I need to have someone here every day. I'm sorry." He said sullenly. I got the feeling that it was more personal than anything. Merlotte's was not typically busy during the week.

"Okay Sam. I understand. There are just things going on and it's not safe for me to be there right now."

"Okay Sookie. Well take care of yourself."

"You too Sam. I'll call soon. I promise."

The day was dragging along. It was only 2pm. I decided to grab a book out of the library and read. I liked to read every now and then. I settled on 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde. I've read it before. The novel is intriguing to me. The struggle between beauty and youth that Dorian suffered was tragic. I've often felt that way myself when I look at Eric. Wondering how long it will take. We are blood bonded so he doesn't really have a choice, but I have often wondered if there will come a day when he wishes he wasn't blood bonded to me once I'm older. He has said before that he wants to turn me. It's just not who I am though. And honestly I'm not sure what would happen to my gift and I'm not sure I want to live without it. I considered my last thought. I don't think I've ever thought that; that I don't want to lose my gift. I know since the vampires have come into my life, I feel like I have more of a purpose than just getting up and going to work at Merlotte's. It's strange to me that I sometimes crave the danger that goes along with vampires even though while it's happening I'm usually wishing it away. However, I fit in this world. I never really fit in the regular world. One day I know I will have to make a choice, either live or die, but for today I'm happy sitting on the sofa reading a book.

I was lost in Dorian's world when I felt Eric stirring. Finally! I thought. I put the book down on the sofa and got up to get him a blood, although he'd probably want to drink from me. Suddenly he was behind me with his large arms wrapping around me, nuzzling my neck with this head. "Lover."

I turned around to greet my warrior. God he was beautiful; his long blonde hair falling over his shoulders as he leaned into me. I quickly apologized for the "God" thing in my head, but he was beautiful. I tilted my head up and stood on my tippy toes to kiss his lips. "Hi" I smiled through my words. He started to kiss me hard and I could feel his desire raging, quite literally, as he pushed me back into the counter. Lowering his hands, he picked me up onto the counter, never breaking with my lips. I could get lost in his kiss. It was like pure passion. I felt his hands searching beneath my robe and with one motion, he ripped my underwear from my body. I could feel him between my legs, poised at my opening, just ready to MAKE ME HIS. As his cock found its way inside, I arched back. He was bigger than most, from what I understood from my friends and he was definitely the biggest man I was ever with. As he was sliding in and out of me, I was somewhere lost between desire and ecstasy. I could feel my insides tighten and that feeling starting to build. He was holding on to me pretty tightly as he was fucking me. Maybe more tightly than I've felt in awhile. He raised his head back, and looked at me to see if I was watching him. He extended his fangs and then sank them into my neck. I could feel him drawing on the wound and with every draw, my body being sucked further into passion. I really couldn't hold myself back; my body just kind of took over in this cataclysmic release. He raised his eyes to look at me, reached up grabbed the back of my head and started suckling on my neck the entire way down to my chest. I could feel his body tense as he grunted and then relax into me. He stood there for a few minutes. I realized that my legs were aching against the counter. Well that was amazing.

He withdrew from me and smiled. "Lover. Good evening." I just smiled back like a Cheshire cat and jumped off the counter. I kissed him on my way off the counter and headed to the bathroom to clean up from our activities and grab some new underwear. That is one thing about Eric Northman. He sure does destroy a lot of underwear.

As I headed back to the kitchen, he was sitting there with a blood waiting for me. "Eric, we need to talk."

"I know Sookie. I'm just not sure what to tell you. Things are tense. With Bertrand dead and Filipe assuming control of North Carolina, I'm not sure where things stand right now. One thing is for sure, playing defense is getting us nowhere." He was in deep contemplation about the entire thing. His blue eyes suddenly cold and cloudy.

"Eric I think you should call the council. You said that you tried to reach them. Did you?"

"I don't know. Pam was trying to reach the council last night. I need to call her." He closed his eyes. Two seconds later, the doorbell rang.

Ohhh call her. Right. He walked towards the door and Pam was standing there. "Master" she greeted him as she did every other time.

He talked as they made their way back to the kitchen. I absentmindedly started wiping down the counters. Pam looked at me sideways. I just kind of giggled to myself. "Where are we Pam?"

"Well Master, I got word from the council. They are coming tonight to discuss the situation. I didn't get the feeling that they were aware of what transpired though. Felipe has placed people at Bertrand's home in the meantime to maintain order. They want to meet you alone at Fangtasia."

He nodded and glanced at me. "Pam you will stay here with Sookie. I will go assess the situation with the council and try to figure out what our play is." We all nodded in unison as if listening to war plans. I excused myself to take a shower and let them discuss strategy and all that. Not that I wasn't interested, I was, however, I knew Eric needed a few moments without me distracting him. As much I love him, I know he gets distracted when I'm with him and he needs to have a clear head right now.

When I returned, Pam was sitting at the counter with a concerned look on her face and she suddenly looked away from Eric and smiled. Okay something was up. "What's going on?" I glanced back and forth from Pam to Eric.

"Oh nothing, my Master, thinks it is a good idea to retire." She threw her head to the side and rolled her eyes. Her voice seething with disagreement.

"What?!" I looked at Eric. "Eric the council is never going to let that happen." Thoughts around him spending all his time protecting me swirled in my head. "We can't let them change us. If we give into the fear, they win."

"Sookie, I can't let anything else happen to you. This is the only way I can protect you 24 hours a day."

"Eric, you can't protect me 24 hours a day. You have to rest and I am not going to live in a prison. We need to have a life somewhere amidst all the vampire drama." I looked at him, pleading my case with strong determination in my voice.

"Well we'll see. I can't really decide on a plan of action until I talk to the council." With that he stood. "I'm going to Fangtasia after I shower", suddenly remembering the events that took place just an hour and a half earlier. He didn't waste time. He must have showered at vamp speed because he was out of the house within ten minutes. He did linger long enough to kiss me goodbye and tell me he loved me. I glanced at Pam. Pam is hard to read. She is very sarcastic and her facial expressions range from annoyed to super annoyed, still as far as vamps go, I really like her. She has this air of honesty about her. This time she kind of smiled. Kind of.

"Pam what do you think?" I searched her face for a reaction. Nope. Nothing.

"I think Eric will do whatever it takes to protect you."

"But I don't want him to do that." As her face twisted into a lopsided smile, I considered my statement. If there was one thing about my beloved, he really didn't do what anyone wanted him to do. We waited there for hours and hours, chatting, planning, plotting; trying to come up with scenarios about how to get through the current tense situation in Louisiana. It was just a way to pass the time until Eric returned home.

Finally, around 2:30am, Eric walked through the door. Holy cow that was a long meeting. I practically ran to the front door and met him in the hallway. Pam did not get up. I kissed him and tried to read his face. I could feel that he was relieved and very resonant on whatever he was thinking. He pulled me close to him for a hug.

As he walked into the kitchen, he glanced at Pam. I just waited for him to start. "Well the council was not aware of Bertrand's actions, as we previously thought. After everything that has happened, they really don't want one King in charge of multiple kingdoms and they are passing it into law so it can't be contested. Felipe is being removed from Louisiana and is taking over Bertrand's kingdom in North Carolina." He paused. "The council has asked me to take over Louisiana as King. They want me to recommend someone for Sherriff in Area 5. Of course I recommended Pam."

My jaw dropped. Wow. From retirement to King all in one night, I certainly didn't expect that.

He glanced over at her. He, unlike me, could read Pam very well. I looked at her. Nothing. No expression change, no raised eyebrow.

"I haven't made a decision yet. I asked them for a couple of days. They agreed but cautioned me that it could not be more than two days at the most. If the general consensus is that I shouldn't retire, then the next best way to protect us all is for me to become King. It would afford me a lot of protection. Not that I need it, but Sookie does." He continued. "It would also solve the power struggle in this area as it will be law as of tomorrow that a King can only manage one kingdom at a time. A law, that I'm sure Felipe, would rather not happen. Unless he wants to fight the council, which would be insane, he has no choice. So I am inclined to take this offer." He looked back and forth from Pam to me.

"Eric. What would that mean for my life?" I questioned hesitantly. I, in no way wanted to make this about me, but I did like my life and the idea of being locked up in a castle made me queasy.

"Well," he considered, "it would mean I could assign protection to you. You could go to work, you could go home, minus any radical situations, and you could go on living life the way you have been. However, you would always have a body guard or two. That is just the reality of the situation. I refuse to let you get hurt in any way."

I nodded. Well that wasn't too bad. I mean at least I could see my friends, work and go home when I wanted. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely doable.

"Master, I don't know if I want to be sheriff." She spoke with no fluctuation in her voice whatsoever. It really was more of a definitive statement. She definitely did not want to be Sheriff.

"Pam. I need you. I know being Sherriff isn't your dream occupation, but I am asking this of you as your maker. I need someone I can trust." He looked at her somewhat sternly and somewhat pleading.

"Okay Master. Whatever you need, I'm here." She sighed and got up. "I'm going to head home. "

As she walked out the door, he gathered me up and carried me up the stairs to his room. We fell asleep that night without saying a word. The air was thick with indecision.