Author's Note: Hello friends! I am so sorry for how long I left this story untouched. I never meant to abandon it, but after my last update there was a death in the family and I lost my muse. I'm finally starting to write again, so I'm hoping to finally finish this and will do my best to update more regularly.

Sookie's POV

At home I was used to waking up to sunshine pouring through the curtains. It was strange waking up in a house that was altered for the protection of the undead. I'd stayed at Bill's house a few times when we were dating, but as he slept in a hiding spot under the house he hadn't done anything to the windows upstairs.

Godric's house had light tight shutters over the windows of all the rooms, so I had no idea what time it was when I woke up. I rolled over and saw a small alarm clock on a nightstand. It was almost three in the afternoon. Even when I worked nights I almost never slept past noon, but I think all the extreme emotions of the past few weeks had finally caught up to me.

I took a shower and dressed, then called Gran to check in with her. Jason was coming over for dinner and she was excited at the prospect of having his company more often. I told her that Eric and I had come to an agreement for a contract and that I had really enjoyed visiting with Godric. I was actually calling on my new cell phone-Eric had gotten it for me because he hated the idea of me driving around in my terrible car without a way of getting help if something happened. I had refused until he told me to consider it a part of my contract; it made me more available to him or potential jobs and allowed me to keep in contact with Gran if I was travelling. I kept the conversation with her light so she didn't worry about anything.

After hanging up, I wandered out of the room to see if I could find something to eat or make. Thankfully the nest was used to having human guests and had a decent kitchen set up. There wasn't really anyone else around (I used my mind to check) which I was thankful for. I didn't want to make awkward small talk or have to try and explain to anyone who I was or why I was there. I made myself a cup of coffee and some toast and went out to the back porch to enjoy the sunshine while I ate.

I couldn't imagine living in a house like this all the time. For one thing the lack of yard space made even outside feel cramped and stressful. More importantly, the constant in and out of people would leave me on edge, never able to properly relax. That was probably made worse by what I knew could happen to exactly this place. I had brought up the explosion/attack to Godric last night and he said he would consider looking into a different home for his nest. There was no proof yet that the Fellowship knew where they lived, or had any plans to attack them at this point, but it was definitely better to stay a step ahead and be safe.

While I drank my coffee I thought about how best to protect Godric and his nestmates. Hugo was surely already known by the Fellowship as he had been the lawyer that represented the nest in the lawsuit that gave them the right to live in the neighborhood that they did. It had been a fairly publicized situation and Hugo's picture was in the newspaper along with the story. The question was if he was already in contact with them or not. If he wasn't, the nest was probably safe- afterall, I think the involvement of the vampires and I had been the breaking point that led to the attack. I don't think the Fellowship would have done something so drastically violent and public without the damage we had done to their image already.

I thought through the best options of handling the situation with Hugo. I wasn't sure if I wanted to out myself as a telepath to all the vampires yet, plus there was my contract, I wasn't sure how that would come into play in this situation. It appeared that the best thing to do would be having Godric interview all of the humans that had access to the house. Eric would be in the room as his child and closest ally, and I could be in there as Eric's "pet" or something. After interviewing all the humans, either Godric or Eric could glamour them to alter their memory to not remember my involvement if they thought that would be a good idea.

I continued to sit outside until the sun started to dip in the sky. The house was getting busier with humans who kept vampire hours, and Eric and Godric would be up soon, not to mention the other nest mates. I didn't feel comfortable just wandering around and hanging out with strangers, so I took care of the dishes I'd dirtied and then went back up to my room to wait for "my" vampires.

OoOoOo

Eric's POV

Rising next to Godric after so many years apart gave me such a sense of peace. I didn't even realize how much I had missed him until we were together again and our blood recognized each other and it led to a feeling of being complete. We showered, dressed, and left the room to find Sookie.

After we found her she told us about an idea she had to scan the humans of the nest to ensure the safety of the home. Godric and I agreed that it was a very wise plan. This way we would know for sure if Hugo had already contacted the Fellowship of the Sun, or if he had plans to. We would also know if there were any other traitors hiding in plain sight.

Godric made the announcement to the entire nest that he would be meeting with everyone that evening as a safety protocol- both the humans and the vampires. He would ensure that the humans were being treated well by any vampires they associated with, and that they had no ill intent toward the vampires of the nest. If anyone had objections, they kept them to themselves, as Godric's word was law in his area and especially this nest.

I told Sookie that this would be considered a job since she would have to work very hard and wade through what was sure to be many unpleasant thoughts as the night went on. She argued that since it had been her idea that she needn't be paid, but Godric and I were firm in our insistence that she be paid for her time and efforts. We set up Godric's office for the interviews with the three of us on one side of the desk, Sookie in between Godric and I, and a chair on the opposite side for the interviewee.

The unattached humans were first to be interviewed. The first that came in reminded me of Ginger. She was making a desperate attempt at getting either Godric or I to pay more attention to her than what was necessary (or desired by either of us). All of her answers were accompanied by stroking her neck, playing with her hair, or batting of her eyelashes. Truly, she was so pathetic that I had a hard time believing any vampire over a few years old would have shown her any interest.

After the woman left, Sookie confirmed that the woman was just there for "a good time" and hoping to bed and be bitten by any vampire that would have her. The rest of this group of humans was essentially more of the same- fangbangers that knew visiting this house would provide access to many vampires much in the same way Fangtasia drew them in at home. I was horrified when I realized how lax the general security was here, that humans who had been invited here once felt comfortable to return whenever they pleased. I would definitely be having a talk with Godric, hoping that a stop was put to that. Even if their daytime resting places were secure, it would have been far too easy for something to happen if this was treated like a frat house instead of a home.

Once we were done with that group of vermin, we began having vampires bring in the humans they had a personal connection with. Joseph, Farrell, and Judith respected Godric enough to say nothing in regard to Sookie being in the room. We asked their humans the same set of questions we'd asked the others; how they had learned of the house/nest, their thoughts on the general atmosphere, how they were treated when here, how they felt about being so close to the headquarters of The Fellowship of the Sun, etc. These humans were safe and posed no danger to their companions. As hoped, when asked about the Fellowship, they voiced disgust and annoyance and Sookie confirmed that their thoughts matched their words. One of Farrell's humans was just barely 18, but they both insisted (and it was apparently true) that they had not been intimate in any form before he was of age. It is imperative that we follow human laws with regards to things like legal ages and public feeding, lest we give them reason for more of them to hate us the way Steve Newlin and his drones do.

Stan was next, and he brought in a girl who seemed terrified. As usual, Stan's presence irked me. His over the top cowboy getup made him look like a child who wouldn't remove his Halloween costume. But more than that was his blatant disrespect for Godric and his authority. Stan was very few steps behind trying to usurp Godric's territory. I neither trusted nor liked him.

"Northman, what is your pet doing here?" were the first words out of his mouth as he roughly shoved the girl into the chair in front of us.

Those words just added to my distaste for him. Sookie was no one's pet and if she ever decided to be Mine, she would not be treated with so little respect. She had known the other vampires would view her as such though and had even said herself that we could pretend that was why she was there.

Before I had a chance to respond, Godric did. "Sookie is Eric's companion and a friend of mine. As I do not expect you to be divulging and vampire secrets in front of your friend, I see no reason why she should not be allowed to remain in the company of whom she feels safe. Now, introduce your human and do not question me again."

"Yes, Sheriff," Stan grumbled.

As we went through the questions with the girl I noticed Sookie occasionally changing the angle of her head. I recognized this from when she'd screened patrons at the bar- she was searching for something in the girl's mind. I casually offered my hand to her, knowing it would help her focus, and to Stan it would simply look like I enjoyed contact with my "pet."

I hadn't expected to Sookie to speak during the meeting, so I was surprised when she spoke in between questions.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, y'all," she said, thickening her accent. "But Savannah, you look so familiar to me. You been on TV or somethin'?"

The girl shook her head no, Stan glared at all of us, and Sookie's grip on my hand tightened. I had no idea what she'd discovered, but it couldn't be good.

"Sorry, I thought maybe you were an actress or somethin'."

After we finished the questioning, Stan grabbed the girl roughly and led her from the room. Once the door was shut, Godric and I looked at Sookie expectantly.

"First of all," she began, he accent back to normal "even if I hadn't just figured out what I had, it's obvious that he's not treating her well, right?" We nodded. "That girl was on the news as a missing person. Stan took a liking to her and just took her. He glamours her so she won't attack him or anything, but he is really rough with her and won't let her contact her friends or family to let them know that she's still alive."

Fucking Stan. Even in the days before the Great Revelation you didn't kidnap an unwilling person. Sure, you glamoured them to not know what you were or to not tell anyone if they knew, but you didn't just take them and keep them locked up like a prisoner. And especially now with all the technology- security cameras and cell phones, it was far more likely to be caught if you were dumb enough to do something like that.

"Stan will be dealt with, worry not." Godric assured her. "May I ask why you changed your voice when speaking to the girl?"

Sookie rolled her eyes and smirked. "The heavier my accent, the dumber I sound to most people. Obviously a person's accent has absolutely no bearing on their intelligence, but the stereotype is still there. Sometimes I use that to my advantage- if people think I'm just a dumb blonde I don't seem at all threatening. In this case, I was hoping to just look like someone excited to potentially be meeting a celebrity instead of asking a question that guaranteed she would think of what I wanted her to."

I wanted to spend more time with just Sookie and Godric, but unfortunately we had one last human to interview- Hugo. Isabel brought him in and the two seemed very relaxed with one another. Hugo sat in the chair and Isabel stood behind him with her hands resting comfortably on his shoulders.

Hugo and Isabel met when Godric and his nest were looking to buy this house. The local humans didn't want a house full of vampires moving in to the residential area and tried to prevent the sale from going through. Hugo was a lawyer and represented them in court, arguing that as citizens, the vampires had every right to purchase a home and live where they wanted. He won the case as well as Isabel's affections.

I decided to ask Hugo a question we hadn't asked the others. "What are your plans as you continue to age and Isabel does not? Do you have plans to be turned?"

Hugo's face darkened, but he kept his answer neutral. "That is up to Isabel. I understand being a maker is a very big responsibility."

"How do you feel about the Fellowship's headquarters being so nearby?"

Subtle changes crossed his face that another human would not have noticed, but I did. "They are a nuisance, but they do not pose an actual threat."

I didn't like his answers, they seemed too planned out- he needed to be caught off guard.

Godric appeared to be feeling the same way and asked, "If they approached you and wanted information about us what would you tell them?"

Hugo's eyebrows furrowed. "I wouldn't tell them anything they don't already know."

Godric pressed, "Even if you were frustrated because Isabel wouldn't turn you?"

Isabel seemed to suspect something was amiss, and her grip on Hugo's shoulders tightened. "Sherriff, I give you consent to glamour him if you think he is hiding something."

Brilliant. We may not need to expose Sookie's talent to any of the nestmates yet.

Godric nodded and caught Hugo's eyes. "Hugo, how do you really feel about Isabel?"

It was like a dam broke. Hugo started talking and kept going on and on. He was addicted to sex with Isabel and was furious that she wouldn't change him. He had slowly begun changing the hours he worked so that he could be available to her at any time and even took on menial jobs around the house such as washing dishes and cleaning. He was disgusted at himself and yet he could not bear to be away from her. Like a petulant child, he considered going to the Fellowship with the thought that if he couldn't have her for eternity that no one should be allowed to. He hadn't made contact with them yet, thankfully, but the thought had absolutely crossed his mind.

Isabel hadn't moved a muscle, but red tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. "Thank you for revealing the truth, Sherrif," she said with a bow.

"I am sorry that doing so has caused you pain," he replied, releasing Hugo from his glamour.

Isabel moved so that she now stood in front of Hugo. She caught his eyes and he was then under her influence. "Hugo, you are going to move away from Dallas tomorrow night. You will forget that you ever had a relationship with anyone of the area apart from representing us in court. And you will not become complicit in the Fellowship of the Sun's terrorist activities."

Hugo nodded dreamily and left the room. A single bloody tear fell down Isabel's cheek. "I apologize for bringing potential danger to our home. I understand if you want me to leave."

"You are not going to leave the nest, but you are excused for the evening."

She bowed again and left the office.

I looked at Sookie and she was looking drained. Her stomach rumbled and I realized she had been helping us for hours and we hadn't even had the decency to make sure she was fed.

"As we are done for the evening, I was hoping the two of you would accompany me for dinner?" Godric asked. He was observant enough to know that Sookie would hate to feel she'd put us out and this put it on him, as though it was a favor to him to feed her.

Sookie asked for a moment to change into nicer attire and assured us she would only be a few moments. While she was taking care of that, we went out to handle Stan. Stan was laughing with the other vampires but kept a firm grasp on the arm of the girl Savannah. When he saw us walking over, the smile fell from his face.

"Stan, you are a danger to our kind. You disrespect your elders, those in authority, and you participate in barbaric means of forcing human relationships." As Godric was verbally disciplining Stan, I had slipped on a pair of leather gloves and opened a bag that I had retrieved from his office. Stan must have heard the unmistakable sounds of chains and his fangs shot out and he prepared to launch himself at me. I was older and faster and he never stood a chance. I had the silver chains wrapped around him in an instant. He fell to the floor screaming, smoke rising from the places the silver touched his skin. The humans nearby scattered to the edges of the room- they would need to be glamoured after this debacle- and I dragged Stan back to Godric's office.

Godric spoke to Joseph before following me. "Return the girl to her home. If she does not want to remember her time with Stan, give her a happy memory."

Joseph bowed and assured him it would be taken care of.

We brought Stan into the office and closed the door. Stan was screaming obscenities at us, arguing that we couldn't do this. He claimed he was just behaving as is natural for our kind and that humans exist to serve us.

Godric sighed and responded sadly. "This is the kind of attitude that makes them fear and hate us. We cannot allow this kind of behavior to continue. You will bring harm to us all. You show no signs of wanting to change, so sign of remorse. That will not be allowed in my area." For a moment, Stan looked a bit relieved, presumably thinking this meant he was just going to be kicked out of Dallas, but Godric continued. "And I cannot allow you to bring your poison to any other area. For that, I sentence you to the True Death."

Godric grabbed a stake from a drawer in his desk and plunged it into Stan's chest. Blood poured from Stan's mouth and eyes and then he crumpled to the floor and began to flake away. I raced up to one of the rooms and grabbed a sheet, gathered Stan's remains into it, tied it off and threw it in the dumpster. Good riddance.

Sookie reappeared at the office door a moment after we had disposed of Stan and cleaned ourselves up. She was a vision. She wore a knee length dress with pastel watercolor like designs on it. The material was layers of a lightweight, gauzy material I had heard Pam refer to as "chiffon." She had also pinned half of her hair up in a twist at the back of her head. She smiled at me as she watched me take in her appearance. Godric and I had utilized our vampiric speed to change into nicer pants and button down shirts while she was freshening up.

I offered her my elbow and she looped her arm through it and we headed to the front door, following Godric. He drove us to a restaurant that he had given financial backing to, so that he had a vampire friendly place he could take guests.

The hostess was extremely friendly toward Godric and I, but was merely cordial to Sookie. This displeased me. We sat in a booth, Sookie and I on one side, Godric across us at the other. Sookie's face was absent the smile that she'd worn when we first arrived and I found it strange how much her happiness (or lack thereof) affected me. I'd never really cared how a human was feeling before- it made no difference to me what their emotions were. But with Sookie, she had some kind of pull on me and it mattered very much to me what she was feeling and why.

Godric had noticed the change in her demeanor as well. "What troubles you? If the restaurant displeases you, we can take you somewhere else."

She shook her head with a sad smile. "No, it's lovely. It's…you'll think I'm silly."

"Nonsense. Please feel comfortable speaking your mind with us," he argued.

"The hostess was just thinking nasty thoughts about me, it's really no big deal, I'm used to it." Her eyes were cast down at the table.

It infuriated me that others had nasty thoughts about her and that she was subjected to it so often that she felt embarrassed at being bothered by it. I reached across the side of the table and took her hand in mine and she met my gaze.

"I can't even begin to imagine what negative thoughts someone would have about you, especially having nothing but your appearance to go by."

She laughed, but it was a bitter laugh, rather than one of joy. "People have been judging me for years just based on my looks and that was before I ever got involved in the world of supes. I'm blonde so I must be dumb, my boobs are big so I must be a slut, I'm too fat or my butt is too big. And if I'm in the presence of one of you, I'm always dressed incorrectly or just overall unworthy."

I felt a growl deep in my chest and sensed the same kind of displeasure in Godric. "None of that is true," I said firmly.

"I know that," she said, "But it doesn't make it any more pleasant to hear it."

"I'm going to have a word with the hiring manager here," Godric said and moved to stand.

Sookie caught him by the wrist and gave a gentle tug so he returned to his seat. "I wish you wouldn't," she replied.

"I don't want to support a restaurant that hires people like that."

"You can't have someone fired just because of their thoughts. To any other person, she seemed perfectly fine and friendly. I just have the misfortune of knowing that she wants to bed the both of you, preferably at the same time. And that she thinks I neither deserve to nor have the ability to ah…satisfy you."

Her cheeks flushed red when she realized she was talking about the concept of having sex with not just one of, but both of us. I had to work to suppress a smile. Her blush was lovely and it would be an absolute lie to say I hadn't thought about sleeping with her.

"I would never have even looked at her twice, especially with you around," I told her in absolute earnest.

"I have no interest in her, or any other human that may approach me." Godric assured her. The more time he spent with Sookie, the more he seemed like himself again, like the life was seeping back into him just being in her presence. I wanted her desperately, but if they had a connection I would stay out of their way. Godric and I had shared humans a few times in the past, but it was more out of necessity for blood or just physical pleasure than emotions. In addition, Sookie didn't seem like the type to take two lovers at the same time. While she had surprised me many times in our brief acquaintanceship, she radiated a type of purity that was very rare these days.

Suddenly, her blush deepened and she started laughing.

"What is it?" Godric asked.

For some reason, that made it worse.

"I'm sorry," she managed between giggles. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Sorry," she said again. "It's just, here I am talking about theoretically having sex with either or both of you and I just realized that I'm technically a virgin again."

We were both so stunned that we were silent for a moment before we too started laughing. It was at the moment that the waitress appeared to take our orders and I realized Sookie hadn't even had a chance to look at the menu. She ordered a glass of wine and apologized that she hadn't looked yet, the waitress was very polite and told her to take her time while Godric and I each ordered a glass of Royalty Blended. It was still mostly synthetic blood, but the combination of real blood made it better than most brands. Sookie quickly looked over the menu while we ordered and requested a steak.

"Was this worker better behaved in her thoughts than the other?" Godric asked her.

Sookie smiled, "I think she and Pam would get along well."

"She wasn't thinking lusty thoughts about me?" I asked with mock surprise.

"No, she was disappointed that among the three of us, I was the non vamp," she said with a laugh.

"For the record," I began, "since I know Pam is dying to know…do you swing that way?"

She shook her head with a smile. Then she covered her face with her hands and groaned.

"I'm supposed to be a good southern lady and here I am talking about an awful lot about sex on the first date."

Godric and I exchanged a look, which she must have caught.

"Not that I'm implying this is a real date!" she said hurriedly. "I was just kidding. Obviously I know it isn't." Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. "Why can't the ground just swallow me up before I put my foot any farther down my throat?" she moaned.

"It could be a real date…if you wanted it to be." I said quietly.

Her eyes glistened, but I couldn't tell if she was sad or happy at that idea. I really needed to find a way to get a bit of my blood into her.

"With which one of you?" she asked, seemingly bewildered.

"Could it be both?" Godric asked, and I felt my heart swell.

OoOoOoOoOo

Sookie's POV

To say I was stunned at the offer I'd just received would be an understatement. More than just about anything, I wanted to be with Eric again. I never even dreamed about a relationship with Godric, though I found him extremely attractive. He was physically younger than me, probably around 18 so it felt a bit odd to be attracted to him, but since his actual age was so many lifetimes and you could see that age in his eyes, it lessened that strangeness.

Our time together before was so brief and frankly traumatic that I'd never even considered him as a potential partner before, especially considering when we'd met before I was under the influence of Bill's blood and deceit. All I wanted with him was to save him and maybe hopefully we could develop a friendship. Never in either of my lives had I even considered having more than one lover, but as it turned out Gran had loved two men and she was one of the best people I'd ever known. But if they were really offering?

Our meals came before I had a chance to reply. Eric and Godric quietly sipped their blood and patiently waited for my response. I took a nervous (and large) drink of my wine and before I could lose my nerve said "Ok." Then started eating, keeping my eyes off of them for fear of them saying they were just kidding too.

"Look at me Lover," Eric said and all of my insides melted. I was barely able to keep my tears at bay hearing him call me that again.

I met his eyes and he smiled. "I know this is very different than what you've experienced before, we don't mean to put any pressure on you. Why don't we finish our meal and then we can talk more about it?"

OoOo

We returned to the house and went into Godric's office for privacy. Eric and Godric sat in chairs behind his desk and I sat across from them. It seemed a bit too formal, but it really was the most logical way so that we could see each other.

Eric began, "I'm not sure you'd ever considered dating either of us, especially considering the strange circumstances of your life, or lives rather. But if you're open to it, I know we both care for you and are attracted to you."

Godric nodded, lest I be concerned that Eric was only speaking for himself. Godric did not seem to be a man of many words.

"If you want to pursue a relationship with both of us, it wouldn't have to be at the same time." Eric continued. "You could date both of us in one on one situations if you prefer."

"Or just one of us, or neither." Godric interjected.

"Just know that whichever you choose, we fully support your decision and there will be no jealousy between Godric and I."

I wasn't really sure how to respond. "It seems like you two have already discussed this." I finally said.

Godric looked thoughtful, but again it was Eric that spoke. "Not in such certain terms. I confessed to him last night how I felt drawn to you and he admitted that he felt the same. It was your joke and subsequent panic at the idea that we would be bothered if you were serious that caused me to speak up, and so soon."

"You should not feel pressured to make any decisions right now," Godric said. "Just know that should you want to be with either of us in any capacity it would be well received."

I felt relieved. I definitely wanted to start something with Eric again, and I was open to the possibility of something with Godric, but then something occurred to me.

"Would you have other…partners?" I asked. "If I was to say yes to being with you, would you also be dating or having sex with other women?"

Godric was calm but Eric looked…angry?

"I have long lost the desire for companionship until now Sookie," Godric replied. "Should you choose to be in a relationship with me I would have absolutely no want to look for others."

"You truly think so low of yourself that you expect we would be so unsatisfied that we could continue seeing others on the side?" Eric asked.

I shrugged.

Eric came around the desk and perched at the edge of it so he could be closer to me.

"Do not doubt your worth. I know vampires are not known for monogamy, but you are no ordinary human. Since you walked into the bar those weeks ago, I've not even looked at another woman. You're like sunshine in a pretty blonde bottle. What more could I possibly want?"

I felt tears prickling the corners of my eyes.

"What about each other?" I asked.

"I'm not sure I understand," he replied.

"If I was with both of you, especially if it was at the same time, would you have ah…relations with each other?"

He looked slightly disappointed, which confirmed to me that they had mostly likely been intimate with each other before. I didn't want him to get the wrong idea, perhaps that I would consider it cheating, so I whispered, "Because I think that would be really hot."

Before I could say anything else, his mouth was crashing to mine, he had pulled me to stand between his legs and his hand grasped my hair. Even knowing Godric was watching I couldn't stop myself from returning the frantic kiss. Our tongues were tangling and suddenly I tasted a sweet but metallic taste in my mouth. I pulled back.

"Eric Northman, did you just bleed into my mouth?"

He looked almost sheepish. "Not intentionally, my tongue got scraped on a fang." His fangs were fully descended so I could see how that could happen. "Although I admit, I'm not sorry. I wanted a closer connection to you and to be able to track you if necessary."

I smiled and put my hands on my hips. "You could have just asked," I said.

"And you would have been receptive to that?"

I hadn't planned on telling him about our past, but since he sort of brought it up, I gathered my courage. "We were bonded in my other life." I looked to his eyes to see his reaction, but before he could respond, Godric stood and walked over to us.

"I'm going to give you two a bit of privacy, I will be in my quarters if you need me." He kissed me on the cheek and headed out. His kiss was dry and cool, but the shiver I felt was not related to temperature. Once the door closed, Eric pulled me close to him again. I was standing between his legs and I could feel the strain of his zipper against my stomach. Oh boy, I remembered that gracious plenty.

Eric manage to ignore his predicament, apparently finding the concept of us being bonded far more pressing. "We were lovers before?"

I smiled, "it was complicated. The first time I had your blood you kind of tricked me."

He didn't even look surprised, "Yes, that seems something I would do. How did I manage that?"

"When the Fellowship bombed us, you shielded me with your body. A few bullets were in your neck and chest and you convinced me to suck them out. I didn't know your body would have forced them out on its own." I playfully swatted his chest.

He chuckled. "And the second time?"

"You gave me a great deal of blood to heal after I got staked."

"Where were you staked?" he started looking me over as though I was currently wounded.

I pointed to my side. In doing so, I realized that my virginity was not the only thing that had been undone. All the damage to my body- the scar from the maenad, the stake, the torture of Neave and Lochlan. It was all gone. The trauma now only existed in my mind.

Eric could tell I was getting emotional and asked what was going on. I told him the truth. He gave me a gentle kiss.

"I'm sorry that you have to remember all of those things, but I am glad that you will no longer have the physical reminders. Was the third exchange at least done when we were together?"

I shook my head. "You volunteered yourself after Andre tried to force his blood into me."I had already told him about what happened at Rhodes and the takeover that followed, but left out our personal details, only giving him what pertained to preventing disasters from happening again.

"We did finally start dating a few months later, but I didn't trust the bond and convinced my witch friend to break it."

"And now?" he asked.

"And now I know I was wrong and it was a big mistake…one that led to me losing you. To you…" I couldn't even get the words out, about what Felipe had done to him. I had barely been able to escape Felipe's imprisonment. He'd allowed me to keep my home but I had been expected to move to Nevada a few days after I'd accidentally gone back in time. Now I was safe from that, but I still had the memory of Eric dying at the hands of Felipe's men.

"Did I meet my final death?" he asked.

Tears were flowing freely down my face now. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't been so stubborn, and stupid, Felipe wouldn't have been able to try to take me and you wouldn't have had to fight him off."

Eric wiped my tears and kissed the trails they left behind on my cheeks. "You were obviously worth it to me. The horrible things you've endured, you are unbelievably strong. I know you doubt your worth and I hate that."

I took a moment to compose myself. "I don't want to focus on the past anymore. Not right now. I can tell you more another time if you want, but right now I just want to enjoy a moment with you. You're real and you're here."

He pulled me into a tight embrace and breathed in the smell of my hair.

"I really want to kiss you again," he murmured into my neck.

I turned to face him and our mouths met, slow at first but the intensity quickly increased. He picked me up and pinned me to the office door. I wrapped my legs around him and he pressed his straining zipper against my center.

"Lover, I could take you right here, but you deserve better for your first time."

Dammit, it was going to hurt again, and a lot more. Eric was significantly larger than Bill. He continued thrusting against me as we kissed, but didn't push to go further. Finally, when I needed to pull away to breathe, he sat down in the chair and I sat straddling him, gently rubbing myself against him.

"What about Godric?" he asked, kissing my neck.

"Hmm?" I was so lost in sensation that it took me a minute to process what he was asking.

His lips trailed down my neck, across my chest, and back up to my mouth. He stopped after a few moments and pulled back to look into my eyes. "Do you want Godric too? You mentioned before that you liked the idea of him and I together."

I felt like I should be ashamed at the thoughts I had, but I was going to embrace every opportunity to enjoy my second chance. "I think I would like to date both of you. I don't think I'm ready to take you both on at the same time, at least, not while my body is still…unbroken? But I am open to the possibility. And yes, I think watching the two of you together would be very exciting."

He pushed himself against me one more time and then suddenly we were on our feet. "Let's go talk to him," he said.