We lay entwined in my bed, the covers pulled up to our waists. Eric stroked the back of my arm idly, as he told me about the bar. He was having particular trouble managing the necessary licensing paperwork and permits required by the city.

Many bureaucratic hoops were required to open an establishment in the easy city and triple that when you dared to serve alcohol. It wasn't nearly so difficult for me when I opened the bar in Minden, the one I'd lost in the fire, The Dogwood. I supposed the parish there was more focused on encouraging business amid an economic downturn before they got to regulating it.

"How are you going to handle your duties with the palace and the bar?" I asked.

"Easily, I imagine."

"You're already busy just trying to get it up and running." In my experience, things only got busier once you actually started operating.

"I managed to juggle my official duties with my work at Fangtasia… and you."

"Oh, I was something you had to juggle, was I?"

"You forget you were quite a handful back then." He said it cheerfully and punctuated his comment with a squeeze of my buttock.

"Speak for yourself," I grumbled. It was all jokes and pillow talk now, but I knew there was a big conversation hovering under the surface waiting to be had. I was sure he could feel it too. We had a lot of topics, a lot of history, to untangle. However, I pushed all that to the furthest-most corner of my mind. Not tonight. We were floating in our own post-coital bubble. I wasn't going to be the one to pop it.

"Mm, you're right. I know I'm much, much bigger than a handful," he said.

"In ego, maybe," I retorted. "Really, though, you should consider hiring a bar manager." His bar was two stories high. A busy night in the French Quarter? A bar like that wouldn't run itself. "Split the division of labor similar to the setup you and Pam had."

He hummed but said nothing.

"What?"

"I'd prefer not to," he said. When he saw my questioning expression he went on, though I could sense some reluctance to explain. "I want it to be my own endeavor. My own creation."

I frowned. "It still would be. You'd just have someone to delegate the more time-consuming tasks to."

"I enjoyed sharing a business with my child. But I gave up everything to leave Louisiana." He'd signed over his riches and businesses to his vampire progeny. A good thing too, given Freyda's poor financial management skills. "Nothing was my own once I left the state. And once in Oklahoma, I had no opportunity or ability to strike out on my own, even if I wanted to."

I stroked his chest. "I'd never really thought about it." I assumed he'd been pleased (to some extent) to move onto the next chapter of his long life. To try a new challenge in a different state, even in spite of the sacrifices it required. "I knew you gave up a lot, but I never considered the cost to your independence. Is that why…" I wasn't sure how to elegantly frame the bloody takeover by Freyda's vampire siblings. "…Why you assisted Sigrid and Christof?"

"There were multiple reasons, but that was a big one. Freyda was a poor ruler. She wasn't fit for the throne. Oklahoma was hemorrhaging vampires. If she wasn't stringing them up in the gallery for perceived slights, she was bankrupting them and inadvertently forcing them out of state."

"I can't imagine someone who relied on selling V to prop up her monarchy would be a good decision maker in the first instance."

"Precisely."

"What are you going to tell Thalia?" I asked. I shifted under the covers so we could face each other, laying on our sides.

"I will tell her what has transpired with the former queen."

"Won't she be angry you left her out of the decision?" Or angry we didn't just kill Sophie-Anne outright?

"I don't care."

"That's a bold stance against Thalia."

He shrugged. "She still needs me to help form control of her territory. It might come to blows, but I can handle myself against her."

"So, if Sophie-Anne tries to get her throne back… you'll side with Thalia?"

He fell quiet and I lifted my head to see his gaze become unfocused with thought. "The time for that decision hasn't come yet," was all he said.

"No question for me, I'm with Thalia."

"Because you're hers." I detected an air of mulishness.

"I'm really not." I bristled. It annoyed me that he hadn't thought that far ahead with regard to me. I had a very real stake in all this. I would put my lot in with who I thought was the safest bet. With who could assure me the safest future. Never mind the fact I felt a personal allegiance to the new Queen. "I'd be a fool not to side with her."

Eric's lips formed into a thin line. I knew our thoughts had both arrived upon the same point: We could potentially be on opposite sides of this battle.

"I'm thinking of meeting with a lawyer," I said. "I want to know what to expect moving forward. How best to protect myself."

It occurred to me then that Mr. C had most likely assumed I would be supporting Sophie-Anne in all this and that was why he told me to seek counsel elsewhere. What a mess. And I'd have to wait to get back to New Orleans to begin sorting it out. I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. I'd need to go home tomorrow. Not to mention, I'd heard hide-nor-hair of Agent Ray too.

Pop. There goes my bubble of loved-up bliss. It was nice for the two whole hours it lasted.

"We don't need to solve the world's problems tonight, lover." Eric slung his arm around my waist and tugged me back to him. He kissed me in that way of his; the way that made all coherent thought fly from my head.

His hand slid under my t-shirt and traced along my spine sending tingles in its wake, while his mouth found its way to my neck. I hummed with pleasure as he lavished me with kisses, and he continued to my collarbone, shoulder and eventually my shirt was tugged up and his mouth found my breasts. His fingers meanwhile stroked my side, my arms, across my belly. It was enjoyable in its simple pleasure. It just felt nice to be touched, to be loved. The brush of his fingers lingered across my abdomen and his hand stilled.

He'd stopped on my scar. The faint shadow of a scar left by the blade of the strange demi-god shifter earlier in the year. It was a fatal injury yet somehow, I'd lived. The skin in that area had retained the silvery sheen of scar tissue, though you could only find it if you looked for it. It was my only physical reminder of what had happened. I shivered at his light touch.

"One of the worst nights of my life," he murmured.

I'd bled out. Stopped breathing. Eric sat vigil beside me, beside my body until, inexplicably, life returned to me. I knew in a disaffected logical way what had happened, but I had no recollection after falling unconscious. I couldn't begin to explain my healing, nor allow the emotional toll of that to seep through.

I drew Eric's attention away by rolling on top of him and throwing off my t-shirt completely. We kissed and touched one another for a long time until I was ready for him, and then I lifted myself into position. Our eyes locked, I slowly sank myself down onto his considerable length. He hissed and my eyes fluttered closed. He filled me completely.

It was a lot. It was all a lot .

"Sookie?"

My throat constricted with emotion. A tear leaked from the corner of my eye. So much had happened. I'd longed for this for so long. Now it was here, it was really happening. I was with him. And yet the world and its problems were closing in around us. We were the calm center in the eye of a storm. I feared the joy and quietude would be fleeting and that I was grasping smoke. Here for now but gone the moment I looked away. Eric would be out of reach, another insurmountable distance between us again. It was overwhelming.

Eric sat up, his arms encircled me, and he placed his broad palm in the center of my upper back, holding me in place. He'd had my blood. He felt my inner turmoil.

"No second guessing," he said. "No more doubts."

"No doubts," I echoed. I didn't doubt us, it was the everything else that was the problem.

I rocked gently against him, and it drew an involuntary gasp from me. That movement in our current position had him pressing just the right spot inside me. He mimicked the movements with his hips, and I dropped my head to his shoulder, letting out a soft groan.

Unlike our previous gymnastic attempt, we made love just how we were, sitting entwined. His skillful fingers moved between us, rubbing my slickness, while I rocked and lifted my hips against him. It was unhurried, tender. I could feel Eric on the edge of his release long before I reached mine, and my sweet vampire waited, waited until my orgasm rolled through me to then sink his fangs in my neck like a hot knife in butter and enjoy his own release. My orgasm seemed to keep going, on and on, I clung onto him until the aftershocks faded.

We sprawled out on the bed together afterward, my leg and arm flung over him. I felt boneless. Maybe I actually was, I was too blissed out to check.

"What's the time?" I mumbled.

I felt the bed shift as he leaned to check the bedside clock.

"After one."

I made a sound indicating my pleasure. There were still many hours ahead to enjoy his company.

"The days are getting longer too," I said. In winter there would be nearly twelve hours of darkness for the vampires.

"This isn't a one night stand?" he asked, affecting an air of innocence, and wouldn't you know it, my bones hadn't actually dissolved. I gave him a thump on the arm.

The sounds of a car coming up the driveway interrupted our aimless conversation sometime later, and we were both instantly on high alert. I held my breath waiting to catch a read on their mind to see who they were… or what they were.

"Who is it?" Eric asked.

"Did you order more blood?" I asked. It was someone on delivery.

"No." He propped himself up on his elbow, now starting to look concerned.

"Oh, for goodness' sake,'' I muttered, after listening to the guy's thoughts. I got out of bed and threw on the Fangtasia t-shirt and my ratty robe since they were the closest clothing options available.

"What is it?"

"The delivery guy is in a real stink. I need to rustle up a tip." I turned and pointed a finger at him warningly. Eric had his mouth open, ready to offer. "Don't think about it."

I was always a woman of my own means and now my means had expanded to a comfortable amount. No question I'd pay. I opened the front door only a few moments after the delivery guy knocked.

"Delivery for an Eric Northman and a…" the man looked down at the package to check and back up at me, "Sookie Stackhouse."

"Yeah, yeah, pass it over."

The man, a handsome 40-something guy with an intriguing scar above his eye, passed over the gift basket to me. I handed him a twenty in return. It was the smallest note I could find in my purse. Oh, well.

"Tell your boss I say hi. Sorry about the car in the driveway," I said and shut the door. Eric wandered down, still naked.

"What is it?" he asked. I sat the basket on the coffee table in the living room.

"Pam sent us a gift basket." I plucked up the card and opened it. "That was her day guy at the door." I'd gathered that much from his thoughts. That and the fact he hadn't been happy to be tasked out of hours to pick up the items and drive the basket all the way out here.

'About time. Happy fucking', the card read. I rolled my eyes and handed the card to Eric.

"How does she know?" I asked grumpily as Eric laughed.

I picked through the contents of the basket. It all seemed to track a particular theme. Kama sutra massage oil. KY jelly. Skimpy lingerie. A variety of chocolates. Fluffy handcuffs (no thanks). A CD titled 'Sensual Lounge Playlist'. Iron tablets. Bath oils and a loofah. A do not disturb sign for the door. Okay, that one made me chuckle. There was also a bottle of fancy pink wine.

The wine was still cold, so I poured myself a glass.

"I suspect she noticed my change in mood," Eric said when I returned from the kitchen. He was opening the massage oil and sniffed it cautiously. "I'd been to see her before I came to visit you last night."

"That's right. Why did you even come to Shreveport?" The question hadn't even occurred to me until now. I'd been so wrapped up in my own problems and then, after that, wrapped up in Eric.

"Pamela called me Saturday night, told me she'd had an interesting conversation with Amelia."

"She what?" I choked down my mouthful of wine.

Eric smirked. "Apparently Amelia phoned to inform her of, I quote, two knuckle heads that only needed the slightest nudge to see sense and reunite."

"Oh, that little witch," I hissed. My cell still sat where I'd left it on the kitchen table. I marched over, grabbed it and plopped back down on the couch, ready to fire off an angry text.

"I went to visit you at your apartment. Diantha told me you'd come home," Eric continued. I lifted my head. So, he'd traveled across the state immediately to see me. We smiled at each other. My ire faded.

"I guess I assumed you'd felt my emotional state after I found Sophie-Anne… and came here," I said.

He grimaced slightly and shrugged, his gaze drifting over my shoulder. "I wanted to give you privacy."

"Sorry?"

"I haven't been keeping tabs on you, Sookie."

I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean?"

"After the night of the coronation, and even before then, I closed off my sense of you in our blood tie, at least my sense of your emotions."

I blinked, trying to grasp his meaning. "Why?"

"You were contending with a lot then. After that night in Fangtasia where you…" he trailed off. Died? Tried to kiss him in the car? "I thought you might want the space to deal with it, myself too."

I had indeed been dealing with a lot. Confusing, rekindled emotions. An existential crisis. My eyes burned, and I swallowed back the lump in my throat, inexplicably touched.

"So, you never knew how I felt? About … us?"

He half-smiled, but I caught a brief flash of something rueful in his eyes.

"There was always going to be something between us," he said. "It was whether or not we were in a place to make it work. And feeling what you felt back then… It was like a sore tooth."

"I don't follow."

"An ache, impossible to turn my attention from."

I let out a slow breath, a curious ache now present in my chest too.

"That upsets you?" he asked.

"No, not at all." I said, reaching out to touch his hand. He'd extended me more consideration than I'd ever expected. I squeezed firmly. "But I am so glad you're here now."

I went through the handful of texts from Amelia waiting to be read. She asked after me. She'd heard about the family emergency too. Telling me to call her.

Eric's here , I typed in reply. Thank you.

Amelia had promised not to tell Eric. And instead she went to Pam. I suppose she'd kept her word.

"I hope Bubba is okay," I said. I set aside my cell and plucked a foil wrapped chocolate truffle from the basket and unwrapped it. Hazelnut. Yum.

"Diantha said he'd gone to the palace."

"I guess he's Rasul's problem for now."

"How many times has Rasul called you?"

I checked my call log. "Not at all tonight, actually. Has he been trying you?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

"Mr. Northman, I sincerely hope you're not shirking your responsibilities to fraternize with me."

"The palace won't burn down in my absence."

"Touch wood," I huffed.

Eric made a show of looking down to examine his naked form. He picked up the basket, and grabbed my hand, pulling me up from the sofa. "As you wish, lover."

•───── ─────•

I left for New Orleans the next afternoon. I was due back at work the following morning and reluctant as I was to leave Eric to deal with Sophie-Anne, he told me he would make arrangements as soon as she'd revived. She'd need to convalesce somewhere safe as she regained her health. Not only did she have to recover from the toll of her years-long desiccation, but she would still need to allow time for her legs to heal too.

I was in high spirits, regardless. My night with Eric was wonderful. I wasn't sure how things would pan out once we were together in New Orleans and the demands of real life crept back in, but I was optimistic. We still had some big conversations to deal with too.

I dumped my bags at home, dressed in some fresh clothes—a yellow baby-doll top over a pair of denim shorts. I ran a brush through my hair and smiled at my reflection. I looked happy.

I left immediately for Amelia's, we'd arranged via text to meet up as she wanted to discuss Bubba and her next steps. I was hesitant to call the palace. Other than that first night, the night I'd fled the city with Sophie-Anne in my trunk, they hadn't tried to contact me. Bubba wasn't in the apartment next door, which I guessed meant he was back at the palace. I was prepared to deal with any backlash from leaving Bubba unchaperoned, but I had no idea how I was going to explain my reasons.

No, that wasn't true. I knew exactly how I would. I'd tell the truth. Thalia was a friend. I just didn't want to set that ball rolling into motion yet.

Felix greeted me at the door, and I swept my best friend's son into my arms for a tight hug.

"Come see my transformer, Aunt Sookie!"

I carried him to the immaculately landscaped garden at the back where he had a selection of toys strewn about on a wooden deck.

Amelia lay on a banana lounge, laptop on her lap, a glass of wine beside her.

"Hey you," she said. I blocked her thoughts but could see she was restraining a vast quantity of smugness at her little phone-call ploy.

"Hey, yourself."

I sat down next to Felix as he showed me the ins and outs of his transformer. It was the yellow one and he could contort from a car to a robot and back again easily, though when he handed it to me to try, I failed miserably to do the same.

"Well?" Amelia prodded.

"Well, what?"

"Are you going to yell at me?"

"Not tonight."

"Phew!" She closed the laptop and swung her legs over the edge of the lounge chair to face me. "I take it you guys reunited."

"We sure did."

"And?"

"It was good." I grinned, unable to contain my glee. "Amazing."

Amelia clapped her hands and squealed.

"But no more playing Cupid," I warned.

"Judging by your aura and the smile plastered on your face, I think I can officially retire my bow and arrow."

I bit my lip trying to restrain my smile, though it felt like it would burst right off my face.

"And it's my turn to thank you," she said.

"Why do you say that?"

"That was ingenious. With Bubba? How did you know?"

"How did I know what?"

"That the necklace would work!" Amelia looked like she was the one bursting with excitement.

"What do you mean? It worked how?"

Her mouth opened and closed it in shock. "Are you telling me, while I was raking my brain over coals and losing sleep over his curse, you just stumbled on a way to neutralize it?"

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."

I followed Amelia into the kitchen, and she poured me a glass of seltzer water, after I declined her offer of her wine.

"As soon as he had that necklace on, he was fine," she said.

"Really?" My eyes boggled. I had done it as an emotional reassurance for him at my sudden departure. I never actually believed it would do anything. "Placebo effect? Or maybe it's the good luck charm from Octavia that I gave him?"

"Neither," she said. "I tested it. The reason your presence around Bubba alleviated the effects of the curse is because of the necklace. Not you . It must've always been nearby. I'm an idiot for not looking into what it was about you that affected him! But my god, the new Queen scares the bejesus outta me. I haven't been in my a-game."

"I don't get how it worked."

"C'mon," she said, gesturing with her topped-up glass of wine for us to go back outside. "Go and park your booty."

I dutifully complied, taking a seat outside, and she sat on the patio deck facing me, legs crossed.

"Imagine your telepathic ability as a stream," she began, "a unique flow of magic that behaves in specific ways, like a sound wave moving through air. It allows you to tune into other people's thoughts. The hummingbird necklace acts like a counter-current, intercepting and reversing your magical flow, similar to an echo bouncing back. That's how it works so effectively. It turns your telepathy on itself. And for whatever reason, that is exactly what that little necklace does for Bubba's curse too."

"You're kidding me." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "But I have to wear my necklace for it to make a difference to my telepathy."

She shrugged. "I guess the curse is weaker or more sensitive to it than your telepathy."

"What a fluke," I said. Relief flooded through me. I couldn't imagine how relieved Bubba would be feeling right now.

Amelia made a little noise of annoyance, "Maybe. But I still solved it. I created that necklace. The spell work embedded in that pendant is my own creation."

"But it still doesn't solve the underlying curse. You've just alleviated the symptoms."

Amelia brought the glass to her lips, and took a slow, thoughtful sip. The sun was dipping lower in the sky, and I could hear faint strains of someone practicing jazz piano some houses away.

"I'm wondering if you'd like to take a little weekend trip to Miami with me? See if we can't trace the source of the curse," she said. "I think it's best that Bubba comes. I'd like you to be there since he seems comfortable with you. I don't want to risk getting him agitated, maybe Rasul or Eric could come as the vampire component that can help poke around."

"Sure," I said. "When were you thinking?"

"Maybe one of the upcoming weekends?"

"I have some stuff to deal with first," I hedged, my mind returning to a much larger issue I was currently dealing with.

"Your family emergency?"

"Sort of."

"Everything okay?"

"My family's fine…"

"But something's up." A frown formed on her features, creating a fine pucker between delicate brows.

"It is, but it's none of your business," I said, not unkindly. "I can't discuss it."

"Work related? I hope everything is okay."

"It will be," I said with a confidence I didn't entirely, or at all, feel.

"Either way, there's no urgency with regard to Bubba. I just have to make sure the spell work on the necklace holds up and top it up as needed. You just be sure to tell me if I can help you in any way."

Felix came over to me with another toy to show me and asked me to play a game with me. I smiled gratefully over the top of his head to my best friend.

"I'm going to order in Chinese tonight. Are you staying for dinner?" Amelia asked me.

"I'd love to."