A/N: And that's alll folks! I kept it in my promised four chapter range even if this one is long enough to be two chapters. I hope you enjoy the conclusion of my story and thanks for reading! I'll be back with more new Sookie/Eric stories soon enough!

Most of the car ride home was quiet, Eric wasn't sure what to say, Sookie seemed fine and her emotions were calm and even but knowing Sookie like he did, he had a hard time believing she was really okay with all that just happened. Sookie on the other hand wasn't thinking of much at all. Well, that wasn't exactly true, she was relaxing, her window was rolled down, it was a warm spring night that held a nice breeze, and she let her hand out of the window to feel the wind as Eric drove them back to the farmhouse. She was surprised she was so okay with everything that happened back at that warehouse but she was.

Over the years that she'd been trying to live that normal life she worked so hard to get, she had a lot of time to think, and during all that thinking she discovered a few things about herself. She finally accepted she wasn't normal, more than that, she didn't want to be. Being involved in the supernatural world might not be the safest place to be but she knew it was worth it because the people she loved were involved with it. She also knew she was as safe as she could be when she had someone like Eric Northman on her side and all the people who were loyal to him. She knew that when she accepted him that meant accepting his life and all that that involved. She knew he was ruthless when he needed to be and she knew that he was feared for a reason. She was positive sooner or later she'd have to see him do something she wouldn't normally condone and after a lot of thought, she decided she was okay with that. Granted, she didn't expect to see him murder someone the first night he came back into her life but then again she didn't expect the reason he'd come back into her life was because someone was planning to hurt her because of how much Eric loved her.

After all was said and done, she figured this was the best that she could have hoped for. From what she could tell, life had been pretty quiet for Eric too over the last few years, he'd just been living his life and making money. She'd seen him on TV too many times to count, he was the face of his new business, New Blood, and it was everywhere. It seemed that his popularity and money drew in some greedy witch who tried to take it away from him for herself. From what Sookie could tell, he wasn't dealing with witches every day, he wasn't in the vampire hierarchy, and he wasn't causing trouble and making enemies.

So she figured they wouldn't be in danger every day of their lives like they were when they parted ways last time, there were no crazy kings that were trying to synthesize her blood so that they could walk in the sun, there weren't any other kings that were drinking the blood of vampire gods and sharing there bodies with them, and there weren't any huge crazy churches with a bunch of funding looking to end the vampire race. She knew it wouldn't stay quiet forever but she figured they could use the time to get to know each other again, build a life with each other, grow stronger together and by the time the next big evil tried to take them down they'd be stronger together.

She smiled at the thought and for the first time she thought this could be it, this could be the guy she spent the rest of her life with, no matter how short or long it might be. She loved him and saw things much more clearly this time around, she wasn't afraid to think about turning and spending eternity with him if that's what they wanted. Look at Lafayette, he and his boyfriend were trying to have a baby and after that baby grew up Lafayette promised to let himself be turned so they could stay together forever, they're already blood-bonded. It wasn't as crazy or as scary as she believed it was all those years ago. She was excited about the possibilities…

"Sookie…"

"Hmm? She asked, still looking at her hand out of the window.

"Are you well?" The worry in his voice was what caused Sookie to turn her full attention over to him.

Sookie smiled "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I was expecting some sort of anger, maybe some yelling, maybe demanding I hand her over to the police, at the very least, one of your famous 'telling offs'. I've just never known you to be so… agreeable with me, especially when it comes to violence."

She laughed, "Eric, I was the one that suggested what we had to do. I knew what had to happen, why would I get mad about it."

"I figured there'd at least be some regret or anger after the fact."

"I told you, I spent a lot of time over the last few years thinking about how I handled things wrong, how I'd do things differently if I could. I've changed, and grown. I know what it means to get back into this world, and I accept it. I know you don't just do stuff like that for fun, you do it when you have to, to keep the people you care about safe, to keep me safe. I'm not going to get mad at you anymore for doing what you have to to keep me safe."

He quirked his lips almost high enough for Sookie to consider a smile but not quite. She made a promise to herself right then and there that she'd get him to smile more often. He reached over and rested his hand on her thigh content to spend the rest of the drive in comfortable silence.

Sookie on the other hand had more to say. "So that's it? The danger is over? The witch was working by herself and we don't have to worry about an angry sister, brother, or friend coming to get her revenge? You know as well as I do that they don't normally work alone."

"As far as I can tell. I don't know much about her, she came out of nowhere, I'd never even heard of her before she came to me demanding my money and business. At least with Marney I heard whisperings of her beforehand and knew what to expect, knew she had a coven. I've sent Pam to gather information but that will take some time. For now, we're safe but it'd be best to stay careful until we know for sure. I'm going to have some guards around your land when I'm not around."

Shyly Sookie said, "Okay, that shouldn't be much of a problem though, you're planning on coming around more often, right?"

She was a little worried, yeah, they both said they loved each other but they didn't talk any further than that. In her head that meant they were going to be together, start a relationship, a life together but for all she knew Eric wasn't planning on any of that. He had to know what she needed from him if they were going to be together, she'd made it clear in the past. She guessed now was the time for him to decide if he could handle it, handle fidelity, trust, having a partner, and not just someone who takes orders.

She smiled when he squeezed her thigh comfortingly. "That was my intention, yes." He paused speaking as he parked the car in front of her house. He turned it off before sighing and turning his body to look at her, "Sookie, I'm here, I'm all in. I've been all in for years now, you're the one that turned me away. I've never wanted a real relationship before but with you I want everything. Commitment, trust, communication, a relationship, waking up with you every evening and being with you when the sun rises."

Eric was not used to saying such things out loud and not just because this was the first time he's ever wanted this with someone. He'd never been the type to explain himself before but Sandra made it clear that communication and speaking your needs clearly was key if he wanted to have a real relationship with someone, and he really did so he'd do what he had to even if it was uncomfortable for him.

She had been smiling since he started talking so when she leaned in to kiss him it wasn't easy because her smile wouldn't go away, she ended up laughing against his lips which caused him to chuckle, and she pulled away just enough to be able to look him in the eyes when she said, "I want that too, Eric."

Eric growled in that way he did that always sent sensual shivers down her spine as wrapped his arm around her back pulling her closer and kissing her, it only took a moment for him to distract her enough for the smile to fall away and for her to join into the kiss eagerly. She wasn't sure how it happened, partly because she was too lost in the kiss and partly because Eric moved at vampire speed but somehow he got them both out of the car and against her front door without ever breaking their lips from the other without ever unwrapping his arm from around her. She knew it didn't make sense but she didn't care enough to stop and figure out the logistics of it right at that moment.

She dug around in her purse for her keys which took much longer than it needed to because she was preoccupied. She was surprised when the door opened behind her before she found the keys, she would have fallen in the house and onto the ground if it weren't for Eric and his speed because he caught her before she hit the ground. She heard Eric's fangs come down and a snarl of anger come out of his mouth, she knew he was ready to protect her from whoever was in the house. Though she doubted that'd be an issue, if someone were breaking in she doubted they'd open the door to the owners, more than likely they'd have taken her distraction as a time to run out the back door.

Once she righted herself she turned to see who was there and felt a blush come over her face when she saw it was Rich. She didn't know what he was doing back at the house, last she heard he was going to come back in a few days to get the rest of his things. Eric's offensive stance lessened but he still looked at Rich angrily with his fangs down, he was not happy about the interruption and even less happy and who it was that was interrupting them.

Sookie cleared her throat and tried to straighten out her dress, though that was difficult considering Eric's arm was still tightly wrapped around her waist pulling her close against his chest. She wanted to roll her eyes at the possessiveness and in the past she would have gotten angry at it but now she just let him do what he wanted to, she didn't want him to feel like she was pushing him away and she understood better what it meant to be with a vampire now.

"Uh Rich, what are you doing here? I wasn't planning on seeing you for a few days."

"Yeah, it just didn't feel right. I couldn't just leave like that, leaving you alone with someone I don't know, I had to make sure you were safe. It's not like I've heard good things about him in the past."He pauced to sneer at Eric, " Seems like it was a waste of a trip, it's clear you're exactly where you want to be."

"Yes, and as you can see, she's perfectly safe. You can go now." Eric said, making Sookie suppress another eye roll. She didn't want to hurt Rich, he wasn't a bad guy, he was just someone that was hurt because of her denial and indecisiveness.

He looked at Sookie and the way he was staring at her made him feel a lot less bad about hurting him. He was looking at her like she was disgusting like she was scum, or more accurately, like she was sleeping with scum and Eric was that scum. She thought back to earlier in the night and remembered some of the things he was saying to and about Eric, it was starting to draw a picture she couldn't believe she hadn't noticed before. She had a feeling Rich was racist against vampires, and he was disgusted that Sookie would choose one over him, a living breathing human. Her suspicions were solidified when she thought back to how he reacted to James. She always thought his problem with Lafayette and his boyfriend was because they were asking her to have their baby for them but now she had a feeling that was only partly the reason.

She looked at him seriously, she wasn't going to take any backtalk from him right now. "I think it's time you leave now, Rich. Don't bother coming back, I'll have Jason drop off your things as soon as I pack them up."

He looked like he wanted to argue but decided against it when he saw the anger on Eric's face. With one last scathing look at Sookie he pushed past them and made his way back to the car which was parked off to the side which explained why she didn't notice it. They watched as he drove away, Eric staring much longer than Sookie, perhaps listening to make sure he was really leaving since his hearing picked up much more than hers.

She heard Eric's phone ringing as she was walking into the house so Sookie went over to the sink and got herself a glass of water. She decided to take the opportunity to take care of her human needs while he was preoccupied. By the time she left the bathroom, she noticed Eric was sitting comfortably on the couch, she looked when she noticed his fingers fidgeting with something because he wasn't normally one to make unnecessary movements, let alone fidget. That's when she saw he was touching the throw blanket her Gran made, the blanket he made his own when he was staying here with her during his time with amnesia. A small smile came over her face as she walked over and sat down next to him.

"I used to look at that and only think of my Gran when she was making it, now I only think of you."

His lips quirked up slightly, his eyes still watching his fingers rub over it. "Yes, I do have quite a few fond memories attached to this hideous thing."

She slapped his arm playfully, "Didn't I just get done sayin' my Gran made that? Don't insult her!"

"No insult on the woman intended, she did raise you after all, her color choices on the other hand…"

Sookie tried to act offended on her Gran's behalf but memory after memory of her psychedelic house coats, and bright dresses made it impossible. She was the greatest woman Sookie ever known but a fashionista she was not. "Okay, point taken."

Sookie leaned in closer to rest her head on his shoulder, Rich really cooled her jets and as of now, she was just enjoying Eric being there with her, in her house. It seemed Eric felt the same way because he wrapped his arm around her back. They stayed there that way for a while, just sitting in comfortable silence with each other, Eric never thought something so mundane would bring him pleasure and contentedness but it did, he knew what it meant to be in a realationship with Sookie, he wouldn't be going out every night finding someone new to waist time with, there would be a lot of nights staying in just like they were now and he was fine with that, looking forward to it even.

"How are your friends and family going to take the news that I'm back in your life?" Eric asked even though he was sure he already knew the answer. He didn't want Sookie to ignore these questions like she's done in the past then when she finally had no choice but to face them, decided it was more trouble than it was worth and chose that as another reason to run from him again.

"I don't care what they think." Eric looked at her dubiously, "No, really. Don't get me wrong, I love them, of course, I do but they all have their own lives and they damn sure don't ask my opinion when they make their decisions, they never have. I don't know why it took me so long to see that, why I cared so much but I'm going to do what makes me happy. Life is too short, We've lost so many people over the last few years," she paused to sniffle, she still got teary-eyed whenever she thought about Tara, "I'm not going to waste it worrying about what choices of mine will make everyone else the most happy or comfortable. I'm done with that."

He looked at her, he was very good at being able to tell when someone was being truthful. He had to learn that skill long ago, he wouldn't have survived if he hadn't. Plus, with his blood in her system, it would almost be impossible for her to lie to him. So he knew she was telling him the truth, or at least, she believed she was. Only time would tell if she changed her mind or lost her nerve. He understood that he was probably being a little cynical, that was his normal setting but also, he'd been hurt by her before so he was weary of it happening again.

It wasn't often he opened his heart up to someone, truthfully, Sookie was the first. He thought he loved Sylvie but after meeting Sookie he realized he was merely infatuated with her. In love with the idea of being loved by someone who knew the real him. Sookie was different, she always had been. So even though he knew he wanted this, there was still a part of him that was weary about opening himself up to her on the off chance that she wasn't as serious as she seemed.

There were other parts of this that worried him too, her human lifespan for one. She'd made it abundantly clear that she wanted no part of becoming a vampire so that meant he had decades with her, maybe a century if she stayed as willing as she currently seemed to drink his blood. It didn't change anything, he was still there, still loved her, still willing to stay with her as she aged, going through the pain of watching her human body start to give up and decay until there would be no part of the woman he loved left.

He mentally shook off those thoughts, he'd worked through them over the years, tried to use them as incentives to move past Sookie, to get over her and they never worked. So he accepted it and the inevitable pain he'd have to experience when the time came, there was no need to dwell on that right now. No, now he'd focus on the good, focus on the fact that he finally had Sookie in his arms again.

He found seeing Sandra helped him a lot, made him see things more clearly, and helped him understand who he was and why he felt the way he felt. But sometimes he fucking hated her and how she made him get in touch with his feelings. Just thinking about it made him hate himself a little bit. Though Godric changed a lot in the last few years of his unlife, he raised Eric to know that emotions were the enemy, that they could easily be the death of you and your family. That staying closed off from the rest of the world was the best way to live, you couldn't be brutal to your enemies if you allowed yourself to feel bad for their plights. So unlearning those rules that Godric drilled into him wasn't easy, even after Godric himself told Eric he was wrong for teaching him such things.

"Eric?" Eric jumped slightly being brought out of his thoughts, if Sookie wasn't touching him she wouldn't have been able to tell. She could see that whatever he was thinking about was deep and not necessarily happy and she wanted to get that look off his face, they were supposed to be happy tonight of all nights.

He looked at her giving her his attention, instead of talking she decided she knew the best way to get Eric out of his thoughts. She leaned over and kissed him, it started off slow, soft but it wasn't long before Eric pulled her closer pushing his lips harder against hers, pushing his tongue into her mouth. Sookie moved so that she was straddling Eric, squeezing her thighs tightly around him causing him to groan. Eric moved his hands to her ass, squeezing, pulling her closer, moving his lips from hers, kissing her jaw, her neck, taking her earlobe into his mouth, and sucking.

Sookie moaned, surprised that he remembered that was one of her spots, she instinctively thrust her hips forward wishing there were fewer clothes between them, she reached her hand down under his shirt and pushed it up, shivering when she heard the telltale click of his fangs coming down before feeling him trail them down her neck. She ran her hands up and down his chest before grabbing the bottom of his shirt and lifting it up to take it off of him, bemoaning the seconds that he had to take his lips away from her body.

Eric returned the favor making quick work of her dress before flipping them over so that she was laying down flat on the couch with one leg hanging off and Eric on top of her spending special attention to her breasts, his fangs down so every lick, kiss, and suck held a little bite with it. Sookie threw her head back with her eyes closed, moaning, enjoying the attention. It reminded her of when they were last together, Eric was an amazing lover but there was something more now. She realized that she'd never been with him when he had his memories and was wondering if it was possible to be better at sex than his amnesiac self already was.

Eric trailed kisses down her body before stopping at her bikini line, using one thumb to slip under her underwear, teasing her by being so close to where she needed him but not actually touching. Eric chuckled when she pushed her hips forward making it clear what she wanted, he continued moving down with his fangs out, making two little red lines down the center of her body, her underwear hooking on his fangs and moving down with him. Once her center was exposed he used his hands to get her panties all the way down, licking back up her skin at the small red droplets of blood his fangs made on her body, groaning at finally tasting her blood again.

He trailed his hands down from her ankles up her legs to her thighs, making sure to spread her legs wide before moving inwards. The first touch of his cool finger against her clit made her moan, her head now up so she could watch everything he did. He used his two thumbs to spread her open wide and give him room to work, he looked down at her like he was a lion and she was a big juicy steak waiting to be devoured, she felt like prey, and she had a moment to think that her thoughts weren't that far from the truth before Eric growled deeply, bent forward, and used his tongue, lips, fingers, and breath to make her cum harder than she ever had before.

She thought he was going to stop after her first orgasm, expecting him to move up her body and fuck her so he could get his pleasure too but he didn't. He waited for her to come down from her high, still amazingly sensitive, to wrap his mouth around her clit and suck hard, rolling his tongue over it, making her see stars. She felt her orgasm move through her body, and it became more intense when she felt his fangs enter her thigh, feeding off of her. It'd been a long time since she had fangs involved in her sex life, she forgot how much she enjoyed a little pain with her pleasure.

Eric made sure to cut his tongue with his fang so that he could heal her wounds, Sookie had never been a fang banger and didn't deserve to have the marks left on her skin. Slowly, making sure to take in every inch of her body, Eric trailed his way back up, kissing and caressing every part of her he passed, ending with her lips. She wrapped her arms around him along with her legs when she felt his hardness pressing against her entrance. She moaned into his ear when he entered her, he made her feel so full. Eric took a second after he fully entered her, savoring the moment, he'd been with many women, thousands, for someone who was alive for over a thousand years and took his pleasures wherever he pleased, he thought he had tried every type of woman there was but there was something different about Sookie. Being with her always just felt so right. He wasn't sure he could explain it more than that.

He pulled out slowly, as far as he could before thrusting back into her strong and hard, pulling a yelp of surprise out of her and her legs tightening around him. His pace started to quicken as he used his mouth to explore her more, making sure to pay the proper attention to her perfect breasts, and spending a lot of time on her neck, not forgetting to move to that secret spot of hers behind her ear. Their moans filled the living room along with the sound of their bodies slapping and thrusting against each other.

"Oh God, Eric, yes! Harder."

He growled but obliged her request, soon going so fast as to be bordering vampire speed, Sookie loving every second of it. Sookie felt herself climbing again, her moans gaining intensity, begging for more in his ear, biting his neck, scratching his back, grabbing his perfect ass, and holding on tightly. She felt his thrusts lose rhythm, signaling he was close to cumming too and as she fell over the edge for the last time, instead of screaming, she bit him as hard as she could. She tasted his blood on her tongue and instead of pulling away, she decided to pull on the wound.

"Fuck Sookie, ja, du är jävla perfekt" She heard him growl before biting her again and feeling him finish inside her.

Sookie opened her eyes and they were no longer in her living room, they were lying down, completely naked on the beach, the ocean calmly lapping up the sand and wetting their toes.

"Okay, what is this and why does it keep happening?" Sookie asked, sounding breathy and amazed.

"I don't know."

"Why are we on the beach now?" She asked, standing up.

"I don't know," Eric repeated, following suit. Sookie noticed he was already hard and ready to go again.

"How are you in the daylight? You're not in pain, are you?"

"I don't know," Eric said with a laugh. He turned to her and took her in his arms. "I am well Sookie, not burning. I suspect this is because of your fairy blood, I've never heard of this happening in others when they blood bond."

"Do you usually feel like this when you exchange blood?" Sookie asked, feeling airy, almost high.

"I could not tell you."

"Why?"

"I've never bonded with anyone before."

"Never?" She sounded disbelieving but hopeful.

"No, never, I've given my blood to a few others over the years but made sure to get my sustenance elsewhere. Truthfully, before you, I hadn't given my blood to another since I turned Pam. After I met you I gave my blood to quite a few people to help keep you safe."

Sookie wanted to ask for details about that but decided she wasn't really in the right mindset to take the information in. Instead, she leaned in to kiss him. They spent the next hours making love all over the beach, in many different positions. Sookie screamed, enjoying her most recent climax, and lay flat on the ground with Eric on top of her, her eyes closed.

She panted, coming down from her natural high while trying to catch her breath. She groaned when she felt Eric's fangs leave her neck and his tongue soothe the pain. Eric wrapped his arms around her and rolled them so that she was the one laying on him, she wasn't quite sure how he managed to maneuver them so smoothly while staying intimately connected on the small couch but he managed. They stayed that way for, well, Sookie wasn't sure how long but she knew the feeling of contentment and Eric running his hand through her hair almost lulled her to sleep by the time Eric finally spoke waking her back up. When she opened her eyes she realized they were back in her living room.

"Sookie, that was a blood exchange."

"Mhmm," She lazily replied before comprehending the worry in his voice. She adjusted herself so she was wrestling her arms on his chest with her head resting on top of them and staring at him, "That was the deal, right? We said we'd wait till we got back, right?."

"Yes, I suppose we did." If he was being honest, he didn't think Sookie would actually go through with the exchange, it made him think, no, hope would be a more accurate word, hope there was a possibility that she meant it when she said she wanted to complete a permanent bond with him.

Sookie was a little shy when she spoke next, "So, you think you'd wanna stay here for the night? The cubby is just the same as when you left it."

Instead of verbally responding, Eric swiftly stood up, taking Sookie with him, bridal-style-carrying her over to the cubby entrance. She giggled when she imagined what someone would think if they were to look in her window. A stark naked over six foot Viking vampire strutting across the room carrying his equally as naked maiden to bed. He opened the door and instead of climbing down he simply jumped to the floor. The lights came on and Eric took a second to look around the room noticing it wasn't exactly how he left it. Firstly, there were plenty of Sookie's bodice rippers laying around the bed and it smelled great of Sookie, plus there was a glass of water on the table. It was clear she was down here often, and recently.

"How much time do you spend down here, Sookie."

She was quiet for a few moments before answering, Eric felt her embarrassment in their new fledgling bond. "Not too much, mostly when I was missing you."

He sighed as he laid her on the bed. Instead of joining her, he stood straight, crossed his arms, and stared down at her. "Sookie, if you truly missed me, why did you not reach out? I would have come."

She sighed too, unsure what to say. She stayed quiet for a few moments, thinking through her words, making sure she knew what she wanted to say. She sat up on the bed and made sure to keep eye contact with him. "I don't know, I didn't think there was a reason to. You left, just disappeared, and moved on with your life. I'd see you in commercials, on interviews on TV, talking about New Blood, and you'd seem fine, happy even, content with your life. When I didn't hear from you and Fangtasia never opened back up I figured you moved on."

"I left because you told me to, Sookie. You said you needed space, to make a life outside of the supernatural world and that the only way to do that was to cut ties with everyone. So I respected your wishes."

"I know, you always did that, I'd tell you what I needed and you'd listen, even if it wasn't what you wanted. Bill never did that for me, he was always so sure he knew what was best he'd ignore my wishes and do what he wanted anyway. But you gotta understand, Eric, I was so messed up with all his blood in me, I thought all those things I was feeling were me but it wasn't it was what Bill wanted me to feel. I kept thinking I couldn't trust you even though there was proof to the contrary. And then Bill died, well, I killed him and I felt guilty, I thought he sacrificed himself so that I could have a chance to have a normal life so I had to give it at least a chance because if not, he died for nothing, you know? It didn't matter if I realized by that point it wasn't the kind of life I wanted anymore, I had to at least try. Plus, even though over the weeks after things became more clear, what I wanted became more clear, you were gone, I figured I lost my chance and you'd have moved on already."

Eric stared at her for what felt like hours to Sookie, though in reality, it was probably less than a minute before sitting down next to her. She was relieved when he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Even if everything you thought was the truth, which it wasn't, I still would have come if you called. I told you that night on your porch that I'd always be there for you, we were… friends, yes? Even if there were to never be anything more to our relationship I still would have been in your life however you wanted me."

I guess it was just hard for me to believe, you're Eric Northman, you're so, I don't know, you're rich, famous now, you could have anyone you wanted, you're so big, and I'm just… well I'm just Sookie. It's hard to believe that you really cared about me that much this whole time. Even though you're sitting here right now in front of me, and we just took down a witch that was going to curse me because I'm what you love the most, it's still hard to believe you care about me that much."

He lifted his shoulders slightly in what could almost be termed a shrug then turned his head enough to kiss the top of hers before replying, "It is what it is, Sookie. Sure, I could have whoever I wanted and there's been talks of turning my life into a movie but none of that matters to me, you're the only one I want, the only one I've wanted since damn near the first time I laid eyes on you. And believe me, it was a real fucking mind fuck the first time I realized that. "

Sookie smiled and laid back, making sure to take Eric with her. She wrapped herself around him and pulled the quilt up to her neck, she couldn't remember being this comfortable in a long time, maybe ever so she closed her eyes and enjoyed it for a few minutes. She knew they had more things to talk about, important things. She had to know where they stood, yeah, they love each other but apparently they've both been loving the other for years already, where did they go from here? They had two completely separate lives, she wasn't even sure what state he lived in now, were they going to be together, or go back to their….

"You're thinking very hard over there, Dear One. What is wrong?"

"I thought I was supposed to be the telepath." She joked lightly, she heard him huff a small chuckle but could tell she wasn't going to be able to distract him.

"Sookie…" He cajoled, trying to get her to tell him what was wrong. From his point of view, he couldn't see anything that could be wrong. They were together, he'd no longer have to spend the first and last moments of his night worrying about her, missing her, wondering what she was doing, if she was safe. Finally, they had a chance to be together, he knew they could be great and was just relieved that he finally had a chance to prove it.

"It's just, where do we go from here? What now? I don't even know where you live Eric, and it's not like I can move, I have a life here, friends. Not-not that I'm saying we're going to live together or anything, but this is the first time I've seen you in years, I'm not trying to be pushy or move too fast…"

"Sookie, calm down, take a breath, you humans need them to survive, remember?" He chuckled, she was starting to ramble. "I told you, I'm all in. It doesn't matter to me where we are, I just want to be with you." It wasn't easy for Eric to speak this openly, he hated it, actually. But Sandra told him he had to be clear about his intentions and wants in relationships if he wanted them to be real and healthy, so he was working on it. Still though, it felt like it went against everything Godric raised him to be, so it wasn't easy. At least with Sookie, it was a little easier to handle because he'd been willing to open up to her for a long time, in the past she was the one who didn't want to talk, couldn't believe what he told her was real and the truth.

"So you'd be fine with moving back here? What would you do? What about your life, your businesses? I can't ask you to do that Eric."

"You're not asking, I'm offering. I still have my local holdings, my house, and a few businesses, I'll have to travel for work but I already do that. I'm no longer sheriff here, I don't hold any position of power in the vampire hierarchy but since I was the one that started New Blood and saved my kind from the clusterfuck that was all the bad press, hatred, and fear the humans had, the vampires leave me alone now. It won't be like before, we won't be pulled into the drama and danger."

"So you'll move back into your house?"

"If that's what you want."

"What do you mean?"

"As I've said Sookie, I'm all in. If you want to date, we'll date. But if you want to be together, have a life together, then that's what we'll do. If you're asking what I want, I want to live with you, build a life together, and have you be the last thing I see before I die for the day and the first thing I see when I rise. I love you Sookie and I want it all."

"You don't think we'd be moving too fast?" She asked sounding excited about the idea but worried, probably because of her human social norms.

"Sookie, you're human." He said plainly as if that should explain everything he was feeling but when she still looked confused he sighed and looked away as if he was looking into the future itself. "You may think it's moving fast, that we have time and can take it slow but I don't see it that way. We've already lost years, you're human, and humans are lucky to live until their 100. You were already twenty five when I met you and that was five years ago. That means that I've already lost out on thirty percent of your life, and I don't want to waste anymore. I don't have much time with you and I don't want to lose it." He knew it probably sounded harsh, that he was looking at her life in fractions but he couldn't see it any other way. He'd tried but whenever he looked or thought of her, a small part in the back of his mind was counting down the minutes until he lost her forever. Till she was nothing more than a memory and he'd have to spend the rest of his unlife grieving and missing her. It sounded like hell to Eric, he wasn't someone who was afraid often but the thought of her dying, knowing that it was going to happen, and in the not too distant future terrified him.

Sookie wasn't sure how to respond, she knew he thought about her death in the past, he told her as much but she didn't know he felt that way about it. She hated that she was putting him through that but she wasn't sure how to help. Before she even thought through her words she started speaking, "I'm not as opposed to being turned as I used to be."

Eric pulled away from her so quickly she would have fallen over if he weren't now holding onto her shoulders. She looked at him and thought that she'd never seen him look so serious before, which was saying a lot for a man like Eric Northman, serious and… hopeful? "Sookie?'

"The reasons I had for not wanting it seem pretty silly now, I didn't want to have to watch my friends and family die while I stay the same and well, I've already been through that, it's hard but I survived. And I didn't want my friends and family to judge me, be scared of me, or stay away from me but that won't happen, look at Lafayette, his life partner is a vampire now, it's fine, they're much more open-minded than I gave them credit for. I'm not fond of the thought of never seeing the sun again but I think it's something I could live with considering everything else I'd be gaining."

It wasn't often that Eric smiled, and it was even less often that he beamed but a beaming smile would be the only way Sookie could describe what was on his face right now. He looked younger too, which she didn't think could happen to a vampire, it was as if the loss of worry took years off his face. She had to clarify, "I'm not saying I'm ready for that, or that it would be anytime soon, I'm just saying I'm not against it in the future."

Eric pulled her in and kissed her deeply, passionately, Sookie moaned into his mouth. Just as she started getting lost in the kiss he pulled back, "That is fine, my Sookie. There is no rush, I can give you my blood, and we can finish the bond, it'll give you more time, age you slower, and give you time until you're ready. There are options, you don't have to rush." He said still smiling and pulled her into another kiss before she had a chance to respond.

She was pleasantly surprised when the next thing she knew she was laying down on the bed with her legs spread wide with Eric thrusting inside her at a speed and rhythm a human couldn't hope to replicate. They spend the next hour making love, in many positions, some Sookie hadn't even heard of before but enjoyed nonetheless.

After Eric cummed for the umpteenth time he had no choice but to rest for a few moments on top of her. It wasn't often that he found himself winded, and even less often that he became winded during sex but Sookie had a way of bringing that out in him, the need to do the best he could, to be the best. Once he caught his breath he again rolled over so that he was the one on the bottom and Sookie was laying on him.

Sookie wasn't sure what it was about after having sex that made her so confident. She once heard something about 'after cum clarity ' She laughed when she heard it while also cringing at the crassness but she thought maybe it might be more true than she originally gave it credit for. Something about laying there in the afterglow made her not scared to say anything she thought she needed to. That clarity didn't last long so she figured she'd get it out as soon as possible. "So, you'll move in here with me, we're now a committed monogamous couple and we'll start building a life together. We'll finish our blood bond and I'll keep drinking your blood to keep me from aging quickly, and maybe when I feel ready I'll let you and only you turn me."

She felt her whole body move when Eric chuckled, his husky chuckle was so sexy she considered ignoring everything that he was preparing to say just so she could ride him again, his cock growing hard under her signaled that'd be okay but she calmed her libido down enough that she could listen to him.

"I like the sound of that very much, my Sookie. Though I have one condition."

She felt indignation at his reply but tamped it down. "And what is that?"

"If I am to live here with you and not have us to move to one of my much bigger dwellings, I demand we vampire-proof your room and make that ours. This room is fine in an emergency but it is barely ten by ten."

She laughed, "I think I can handle that. As long as you promise I'm the only one you'll be spending the night with, no one else, no Karie, no Stacy, and definitely no Sandra. I'm not normally one to be jealous but you've brought her up way too many times tonight for me to feel comfortable."

She was surprised when Eric laughed loudly, "Sandra isn't my lover, she's my therapist."

Sookie's head shot up to look at him surprised. "Okay, well that changes things… a lot of what you said makes much more sense, actually."

"Mhmm." He murmured while rubbing her back.

"Okay. I knew from when I first met you I'd have to share you with Pam, and I think I can manage to share you with Sandra, as long as there's no one else."

"Sookie, my love, don't you know by now, you're the only one I want."

"Yeah, well, you're lucky that's the case. You wouldn't want to see me when I go all super fairy."

He laughed again, making sure to lean in and kiss her deeply. "No, we wouldn't want that. Thankfully, we don't have to worry about that."

With one more kiss, they laid down to rest, Eric didn't care that there were over two hours until the sun rose to take him to bed. If you asked him this was his favorite place in the world, laying down with Sookie in his arms after thoroughly fucking her, bonus points because it was after a blood exchange. Sandra taught him something called 'rose-colored goggles' syndrome and he knew it was a possibility but he didn't think that was what this was. He felt that finally, finally, they were ready. It took some time but they were both in the place to really try, to fight to be together. He knew it wouldn't be all fun and games but that was okay with him, he loved Sookie and that was all that mattered to him, he'd deal with the racist people in her town, the judgment because of that one time he tortured one of her friends, which might he add was completely justified considering the circumstances, and much much more.

This was right, they were ready, and they were both going in with open eyes. He never thought they'd be here and though he despised her for putting Sookie in danger, he couldn't help but think he owed the witch thanks for making him go to Sookie tonight.