AN: Thanks for the reviews, follows and notes everyone :) So we last saw Eric and Sookie in New Orleans on their honeymoon for all intensive purposes. Things are going to get shaken up in this Chapter. Eric is torn about Sookie having the choice to not be a vampire adding angst to their relationship. Niall is just mad. Sookie doesn't hate being a vampire though, but she's happy to have the choice.

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 15

The restaurant was beautiful as Sookie expected, Eric tended to like the finer things in life, as did most vampires. Sookie knew that Eric was wealthy but she really didn't pay much attention to it over the entirety of their relationship. Now that they were married though, he had made sure to include her in some of that. Deep down inside, he knew she didn't care. His only interest was to make sure that she was protected in case of his final death and to make sure that she knew that.

As Eric, Sookie and Pam sat down at their table, Sookie was feeling a tad peckish. It had been a busy week between the clubs, restaurants and sight-seeing. Her thoughts wistfully turned towards the fact that the day after tomorrow was Saturday. Their blissful honeymoon would end and they would be thrown topsy-turvy back into the world of vampire politics. Tomorrow, Eric had booked her an entire day of spa treatments and shopping. He was definitely using this trip as an excuse to spoil her. It was his estimation that it was his right now.

They ordered some blood for the table and sat there chatting about this and that. Pam was telling Eric about the idiots at Fangtasia and how one guy turned up dressed like Frankenfurter from Rocky Horror because he thought that is how vampires dressed. Eric was so relaxed and roaring with laughter at the stories. If you didn't know Pam and Eric were 'related', you would totally guess it anyway. They had the same kind of humor. Eric was one of the only vampires that she had met that could actually laugh at himself, Pam was the other. Her time with Bill had taught her that wasn't the norm. Bill was super serious about everything usually and very brooding. It was the one thing that always made her uneasy about Bill. There were never any times that were just light and airy. She couldn't see really hanging out with Bill and having drinks and playing games. Eric would totally do that, just to be around her and she loved that. He wouldn't fake it either, he would find a way to make it funny and of course somehow about him, but she enjoyed that about him. In the end, Eric was just the perfect man for her in every single way. It's funny how life does that.

She was lost in thought, when she heard her name. "Sookie?"

"I'm sorry what did you say?"

"Sookie are you okay?" Eric's mood shifted slightly when he noticed sadness in the bond.

"Yes I'm fine. I was just thinking about the ball Saturday. I'm sorry." She said it apologetically and snapped herself out of her thoughts.

"Lover, don't apologize. I know it's looming. It will be fine. Niall said he wouldn't let anyone challenge my claim over you. If we didn't have Niall on our side, I'd be worried."

Pam looked at them both. She never would have believed the Authority would have taken things this far. It was almost unreal that they turned Sookie. "Master should I stay in town until Sunday, in case things go South?"

He hadn't considered that before. "Yes, that would be a good idea. I'll get you a room at the W." Having Pam outside would without a doubt be a smart play on the off chance that Niall decided not to show up or if things turned bad. "Let's not talk about this anymore Lover. There is nothing to do until that night. No amount of worry is going to change the Authority's plans; no matter how delusional they are."

"Yes, you are right Eric." A half-hearted smile crossed her face as she tried to concentrate on more pleasant subjects.

"So Pam, have you ever been to New Orleans?" She knew that was a stupid question, but she was trying to change the topic.

"Yes I lived here for awhile when Eric was living in Europe. It's lovely." She drawled.

The night continued on and they had a very pleasant evening. By the time, they left to go home, it was nearly 2am. She and Eric stayed up for awhile, lying in bed and watching a movie. He could tell that she was a little drained mentally. The next day would be all shopping and preparation for the ball. He wanted her to relax, although he doubted highly that she would actually relax at all.

The next day, Sookie came to life in a better mood. She decided that everything would be okay, because it was always okay. One way or another it just was. She thought back to everything they had been through together. The Fellowship of the Sun, Fairies, Vampires, Witches, and nothing had managed to bring them down so far.

Immediately upon coming to life, Eric felt the change in the bond which relieved him a little. "Good evening Lover. Are you ready for your relaxing evening?" The smile said everything as he pulled her close.

"Yes. I'm not sure about my dress though Eric. Is it going to be dressy enough?"

"Yes it looks beautiful on you."

She tore herself from the bed. Her appointments were starting in a half hour. She needed to shower really fast before leaving. Eric had some business to attend to in New Orleans. He was going to meet with the head of Area 1, he had met him before, but not in an official capacity. Starting next month, he was going to make sure to travel to each of the areas and meet with the vampire's in charge of that territory, unless of course by some miracle, he didn't have to be regent anymore.

He stepped into the shower and she felt his hands coursing down the sides of her body. "Eric, mmmm…you have to stop doing that or I am definitely going to be late." He chuckled in response.

Thirty-five minutes later, she ran down the hallway. She hated being late, but somehow it never took much convincing to make her stay. She laughed to herself as she plastered a huge smile on her face and headed in the general direction of the spa. She was happy to be getting her hair trimmed. It had been awhile and its always one of those things that gets de-prioritized around vampires as they don't have to worry about it.

The spa was a short distance away so she decided to jump in a taxi. It was really beautiful. It kind of reminded her of those pictures of vineyards that she had seen in magazines. They had called in a hairdresser for her and that was the first stop on her spa train. The girl, Mindy, recommended some highlights and a trim. After discussing it in way too much detail for Sookie's taste, they finally started. She had never had someone spend that much time talking about what to do to her hair. It was just a haircut afterall.

Once that was finished, it was time for foot and hand treatments, then onward to body treatments. They finished the day with a massage, which she had to admit felt amazing. The appointment took seven hours! She was shocked when she looked at her phone. Eric had texted that he was leaving to go meet with Marcel. Deciding that she had a lot of time to kill, she had a blood, which was served free of charge.

"Where would I go to get a really nice dress?" She asked the girl Cami that had just finished giving her a massage.

"Well if I were you, I would go to the Shops at Canal Place. There are tons of stores there. Michael Kors is my favorite but there is a lot to choose from." She answered cheerfully.

"Great. Thank you." That would be her next stop. She still wasn't convinced that her dress was dressy enough. Eric would tell her she looked great in a paper bag so she decided to head there next.

She tried to use the credit card that Eric gave her. "Oh Mrs. Northman, your husband already paid and added gratuity. He didn't want you to have to worry about it."

"Oh-oh okay. Thank you for such a nice day." Sookie always tried to be polite to people who worked in any service industry. It felt weird though just leaving without leaving a tip or anything. The girl at the desk called her a taxi with instruction on where to take her next. She had texted Eric that she was going to the mall.

When she arrived at the shopping mall, it was huge. There were so many shops that she felt overwhelmed by the choices. She decided to go to the place that Cami had suggested, Michael Kors, but it really wasn't her style, so she ended up at Saks 5th Avenue where they had everything you could imagine. She found a black and white Carolina Herrera silk jersey gown that she loved. She took it to the cash register and nearly had a stroke when they rang it up. It was almost $4500. The sales girl smiles. "Is this for a formal event?"

Sookie nodded still undecided. "Yes, it is for a state dinner."

"Well, if I may, it is perfect that kind of event. There are people that would spend three times that. This is actually a steal." The girl could tell how uncomfortable she was.

"I need to text my boy—I mean husband." Sookie sent him a text asking if that was too much. He texted back immediately. Of course not. Buy the dress. She could have seen that coming.

Nervously she handed the credit card to the sales girl, who put the dress in a garment bag and offered to have it steamed and delivered the next morning. Expressing her gratitude, Sookie left the mall. It was traumatic enough for one day.

On her way back, she noticed the guards behind her for the first time. She had gone almost five days without seeing them. Perhaps it was because it was someone she recognized this time. "Alcide. How are you?"

Eric's POV

Eric left the hotel after checking some messages and dealing with some email from other area sherriff's. Marcel was the Sherriff of Area 1. He operated out of the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone. It had long been a vampire owned enterprise since it first opened in 1950. It was much more commercial these days, but it was a one of a kind drinking establishment and vampires loved owning one of a kind anything.

Stepping into the black Lincoln Towncar, he arrived at the renowned New Orleans attraction. Marcel was waiting at the door for him. "Marcel. Nice to see you." Eric had met Marcel back in the 1800's and of course, had been in touch in a casual capacity since he took over as regent.

"Eric. Good to see you man." He leaned forward and gave the Viking a hug. "Please come in. We can go to my office." They spent about an hour going over the accounts for Area 1. Marcel also wanted to show him the Reconstruction plans that were on-going since Katrina.

"You've done an excellent job Marcel. Area 1 seems to be in very capable hands. I don't foresee any changes ahead for you or this area; although, I'd like you to reach out to Sheila in Area 2. Offer her your assistance and/or help. She took over for Franco and she is going to be named the permanent Sheriff of Area 2. She's very new though and I just want to make sure she isn't in over her head."

"Understood and no problem. Are you going to be at the State dinner tomorrow?"

"Yes, my wife and I will be attending."

"Your wife? You got married?"

"I'm sorry, you should have received an invitation from Pam."

Smiling, he laughed. "Yes I did, however, I didn't open it yet. I will as soon as you leave. Congrats man, that is great. I wish you happiness. I can't wait to meet the woman who managed to make Eric Northman settle down."

Eric chuckled out loud. "Yes, well she is special."

They shook hands and parted company. Eric wanted to get back as quickly as possible. It was already approaching 4am. Sookie was watching television when he returned to the suite.

"How was your night lover?"

"It was fun. I'm sorry I spent so much money." Chewing her bottom lip, "I just didn't think the other dress was dressy enough."

"Sookie, you don't have to apologize. The other dress was beautiful but you keep it for another time. I'm sure the new dress is beautiful as well. I'm just happy to see you and be back."

"How was your meeting?"

"It was fine. Marcel is very capable. I've known him for a long time, so I expected nothing less. You'll meet him tomorrow. From what I understand women find him very attractive."

"Will he back you up in a fight?" That was a very good question.

"Yes I think he would."

They spent what little time they had left, just talking about the next day. Sookie would have to start getting ready immediately upon waking up. The dress would be here shortly after sunset, but given that was the last thing she had to put on, it didn't matter as long as it arrived before they left. They died that morning both apprehensive about the next day's events.

Eric came back to life first as usual and started with arranging for transportation to and from the ball. He also checked in with the other area Sheriff's. In Area 3, there was a scuffle going on with a local survivalist group that had decided that Vampire's should be dead. They had killed three people. If the Sherriff couldn't handle it, he would have to go handle it himself. He wrote Sherriff Gilbert and told him to try to make peace at all costs with the humans and if he could not succeed to let him know and he would be there to deal with it in the beginning of the week.

Sookie began to slowly come back to life. It was funny to him that she stretched. It had to be out of habit. He smiled as he watched her. This was the night, he was just hoping it wasn't a complete blood bath.

"Good evening." She smiled brightly in much better spirits than he anticipated. Realizing it was Saturday, she sat straight up and noticed the time. Proceeding to jump out of bed and start her frenzied pace to get ready. First she showered and did her hair. By the time she had pinned the last hair in place, the doorbell to the suite rang. Assuming it was her dress, she headed to the door and opened it. The delivery guy smiled at her robe. "Thank you." She handed him a tip, even though he'd obviously been ogling her. As she walked back into the bedroom, she unzipped the garment bag and removed the dress. She held it towards Eric for approval.

"It's beautiful Sookie. It will be hard not to tear it off after I see you in."

Playfully huffing she walked towards the bathroom. "Eric Northman, if you shred a five thousand dollar dress, we will have to have a serious discussion." He roared with laughter at her. Pam arrived at the suite a few minutes later. She was dressed very casually as she wanted to be comfortable in case things went South.

She looked around the suite. It was nice. There were other hotels she preferred over this one though. She went more for the southern charm of some of the more traditional French Quarter hotels. The W Hotel was very modern.

Sookie walked out and Eric nearly forgot himself. She was a vision in the dress. It was perfect on her. Even Pam liked it and Pam had a very discerning eye for fashion. At eight o'clock sharp, Eric and Sookie went downstairs to the car. Pam opted to get there on her own as she didn't want to be obvious. When they arrived at The Federal Ballroom which was decorated to the hilt with crystal and fresh flowers, it looked very formal and Sookie was glad that she decided on another dress for the affair. Everyone was in formal gowns.

She and Eric walked through the door and were greeted by assistants who checked them in quickly and ushered them towards the main ballroom. It was so grand. There were tables set up everywhere. There was a band and a dance floor surrounded by huge white pillars. Nobody was dancing yet, everyone was filing in and sitting at their assigned seats. She and Eric were assigned to a table with Marcel and the other Sheriff's from Louisiana. Eric scanned the floor for Roman and Rose, catching them on the opposite side of the room talking to a distinguished looking man dressed in a nice suit.

As they stood at the table, "This is my wife, Sookie Northman. Sookie this is Marcel, Sheila, Gilbert and Alfonso. They are the other four Sherriff's in Louisiana."

"Very nice to meet you." Sookie put on a bright smile as she shook all their hands.

Marcel was the first to speak up. "So Eric, I noticed that Pam is not here."

"No she had other business to attend this evening and since we both did not have to be here, she chose to stay behind and attend to any emergencies that may arise."

"I see."

Dinner was served without incident. There was a line-up of speakers that spoke about the VRA and other vampire politics, including Roman. Sookie had started to get comfortable when Roman approached them.

"Mrs. Northman, may I have this dance?" Momentarily panicking, she turned to Eric who nodded his head.

She smiled and politely accepted his invitation. He started to lead her around the floor, "Are you enjoying your time here Sookie?"

"Yes, its lovely." She tuned in to see what he was thinking and it all revolved around timing. He was thinking about 9:15pm. Sookie had no idea what time it was, so whenever she could, she would look at Eric who was talking to the Sherriff's. Tuning back into Roman, she heard him thinking, things are almost in place now. By the end of the evening, we will have what we need.

There was a loud bang behind them. Sookie turned to find Eric who she could no longer see due to the amount of people gathered. Her heart was stricken. Roman grabbed her hand. But before they could do anything else, everything and everyone in the room froze, as if the entire ballroom was suspended in time. Roman was confused as he looked around. Sookie could hear Eric calling for her and she rushed over to him. There were two guards in mid-fight frozen with guns in their hands. He slipped out from between the guards. "What happened Eric?" She was practically shouting.

"Sookie I don't know. It appears to be some kind of spell." He was searching from side to side. Roman caught his gaze. There was rage in his eyes.

Pam flew into the space looking unbelievably at the scene before her. She looked at a table with a waiter serving water and the water was frozen in a stream going into a glass. "Okay, I've never seen anything like this before."

Roman started to approach Eric. "Eric, it doesn't matter if the guards do it or I do. You will die tonight. And if your Sherriff doesn't stand down, I'll kill you both." Pam started laughing at that to which Eric turned and glared. "I'm older and I am challenging your claim on Sookie." His fangs were lowered as he approached and Eric hunched over and lowered his fangs in response. He shouted at Pam to protect Sookie as he started circling Roman. Sookie sped towards Pam and Pam stepped in front of her with her fangs lowered.

"STOPPPP!" a thunderous voice shook the ballroom. It was so loud that the chandeliers overhead were rattling. Startling Roman; he turned towards the man that was fast approaching him, an army of people behind him. They weren't just people though, they were something more. He was mesmerized by their beauty and quite shocked by their sudden appearance.

"Roman Simojic. I am Niall Brigant, King and Leader of the Fae. Are you familiar with me?"

Roman was speechless. He stammered "Yes. I am. I've heard rumors." He looked at Sookie then back to Eric than back to Niall, who appeared much bigger at the present moment than he actually was.

Niall's face was going from normal to a distorted and enraged expression. "You dare…to turn my granddaughter into a vampire, then try to kill her husband and leave her a widow. Your crimes against my realm are far-reaching Roman Simojic. What you have done is a blood offense and I will have your life for the atrocities you have committed against my blood. AND YOU DARE START A WAR WITH ME?…I will bring the entire fae realm down on the vampire kingdom and wipe you out with swift justice. We will descend upon your kind with a ferociousness that you can only conceive of in your nightmares." Niall's voice was thundering, anger caressing each syllable of his words.

Reeling back in what can only be described as genuine fear, Roman, started looking around for an escape, to which Niall responded with a nod to his army. They immediately covered each of the doors. "You're granddaughter?" Roman looked at Sookie realizing the gravity of the crime that he committed. He started thinking of Rose. She tried to warn him against this plot, saying that it was a fool's errand that he should rethink getting in a fight with Eric Northman. He didn't listen. He was stronger than Eric, but apparently that didn't matter because Sookie was the one with all the cards. She was related to none other than the King of the Fae and he had turned her and tried to use her in a plot to gain access to the white house. He had taken her blood. It was over. Niall would never forgive such an egregious act against his family. Roman looked around trying to think of any escape plan but there was none. Even if there was, he could not possibly hide from Niall Brignant.

Sookie was listening to Roman as the thoughts whirled around in his head. He was definitely scared and caught very off guard. He was desperately trying to find an escape, but after exhausting all possibilities he resigned himself to his fate.

With a flip of his wrist; he teleported the two guards that had approached Eric to somewhere in the Nairobi desert. Niall flew towards Roman with the vengeance of thirty men, grabbing Roman by the neck and forcing him to his knees; he towered over him. "What say you Roman Simojic? There is no escape for you on this night."