The Sun

Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza, Happy Hanukah, and Happy, Happy Holidays to you all! If I've missed anything, I hope that's happy too!

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I thought of my dad as I looked up at my soon-to-be vacant apartment. He was gone. No more Merlotte lunches. No more laughing at dad jokes. No more daddy smiles. No more daddy hugs. And no more daddy love. My daddy is gone, and he's gone because he was protecting me. Guinevere is gone, and she was protecting me. Will my grandparents be next because they're protecting me? Will they die because of my mom's betrayal? Or will it be because of me? Tonight, we've all lost so much.

Pam is gone … to a certain degree. Until we can break the spell, the Pam that we know and love is gone. The Russian guy from the tattoo shop was gone because he knew something. The innocent kids that were in there getting tattoos are gone. I know that we don't know them and they have nothing to do with what's going on, but they're gone just the same. They're gone and they're never coming back. We'd all chalked up our losses tonight. More losses than we deserve or should ever have to face.

I knelt down beside Thalia and prayed for her and Guinevere. My heart was breaking for the ancient vampire as she covered her child's bloody remains in the flower bed at the apartment. Though she wasn't crying, I knew what she was feeling. I placed my hand on her arm and said, "We'll get him. I promise," I said. "We'll make him pay for what he's done to you and your family. We'll take his life but not before we make him suffer." I then shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe we'll kill him quickly because he's been in the world longer than necessary." I shrugged my shoulders. "Personally, I'd like to see him die really quick; you know? I want him to not see his death coming. I want him to look all bug eyed and surprised. Like this," I said as I demonstrated the look that Appius should have when we kill him. "We have enough time to decide."

"Yes, we do," she said as she laughed at the face I'd made. "I needed that laugh, my friend." She then shook her head. "You are one of a kind, Ms. Stackhouse." She shook her head at me. "Why do you care what happened to Guinevere? She's not your kind, and your kind has never been friendly to my kind." She cocked an eyebrow and said, "You didn't know her. She wasn't your friend. You'd never so much as said hello to her, but you want revenge for what happened. Why?"

I frowned at her. "I don't understand the question. I'm not sure why you would expect me to not care about what you've lost. First of all, I don't have a kind. I'm not like all faeries." My frowned deepened as I said, "I don't think I'm like any faery I've ever met. Well, expect for my grandpa but only a little. I love my family and friends. I'm protective of those I love." I shrugged my shoulders. "That's how I'm like my grandpa. I've met Niall and Claudine and I'm nothing like them." I noticed the look of surprise on Thalia's face but kept talking. "I'm definitely not like the humans. I've never been like the humans. I'm more accepting of the differences of others and I'm not a vampire. I eat food and drink water. Maybe a little wine every now and again." I shook my head no. "No. I'm not like anyone else. I'm just me, and I just know that she didn't deserve to die as she did because someone has a petty grudge against Eric. Don't you agree?"

Thalia gently squeezed my hand. "I do and thank you."

"You're my friend," I answered. "No thanks are necessary. How's Kendra taking it?"

Thalia laughed. "She's taking it out on Maxwell Lee, so I'd say she's taking it fairly well."

Eric was soon with us. "Salome has gone to let the king know what has transpired this night. We should hear from them no later than tomorrow evening." He looked at the night sky and then Thalia. He said to her, "You can stay the night with me and Sookie. The dawn will be upon soon. I have an extra bed chamber that you can use tonight. Come, my friend. We must go."

Thalia shook her head no. "I think I'll go to ground here. I want to spend this last night with Guinevere." She lightly brushed her hands over the fresh grave. She gave a slight nod to the grave and smiled. "That's exactly what I'm going to do." She looked up at me and Eric. "You two go. I'll be fine here."

"Are you sure?" I asked her. "I don't feel comfortable leaving you here after all that's happened tonight. My bedroom is light tight and has a secured lock on it."

Eric looked curiously at me.

"It was Pam's idea," I advised. "She said that you'd probably be spending the night and the room should be secure." I shrugged my shoulders as my embarrassment shown prominently on my face.

Eric held my hand.

Thalia laughed. "I don't need a mother, Sookie. I'm too old for that. You and Eric can go home. I don't want you worrying about me," she said. "I will be fine. I'll be here when the clean-up crew gets here tomorrow to clear out your things, fix the burns on the wall, and apply a fresh coat of paint. I've given explicit instructions on where to put your belongings. We'll put your things in storage facility that Eric owns and go from there. After that's done, I'll meet you at the bar." She placed her hand on my arm. "I'm okay."

"If you say so," I answered.

"I say so," she assured me.

I looked up at Eric and asked, "Do I really have to move? I haven't even lived her a full month, and I have to go."

"Sookie," was all he said.

I pouted. "Okay." I gave Thalia a hug. "Goodnight, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight," she replied.

That was over thirty minutes ago, and I still feel bad for leaving her there. I think that she needed to have someone with her while she grieved. I have Eric, but Thalia's alone when she doesn't have to be. I looked up at Eric from the bed and said, "Maybe we should've stayed at my place, Eric." My worry and concern deepened as I removed my dress. "I don't like that Thalia will be there all alone. What if something happens to her while she's out there. What if …?"

He shook his head no. "You don't have to worry about her. Thalia is more than capable of taking care of herself. She's a very old vampire. She'll know how to protect herself." He chuckled. "You are a different breed, Sookie Stackhouse. What makes you care so much for those with whom you have no connection, no personal relationship?"

"I don't understand the question," I said as I unclasped my bra. "That's what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to care about each other. We have to. What would be the point of it all? The world does not revolve around just me or you or one particular person. We have to care about each other in this life. I have to believe that's why we are here." That's what I've always believed. That's what my Gran has always taught me but not everyone believes as I do, so I rephrased the comment. "That's the point of it all for me. I can't sit by and watch others suffer unnecessarily. I have to do something. That's the way it's always been for me. Is that hard for you to believe because you're a vampire?" I threw my bra over the back of the chair that sat by Eric's bed.

He had a far off look in eyes. It was almost as if he didn't understand the question. He finally answered me and said, "Yes. If others suffer, it's usually because of something they've done. I've found that, normally, I find it hard to care about others and how they feel. I will always love and cherish Pam. She is my sister. My child. My family." He shook his head lightly. "Others have never mattered too much to me. Until meeting you," he silently added.

"Really?" I asked, trying to hide the surprise in my voice.

"Really." And there it was once again … that far off look.

"Does it scare you?" I asked.

Looking in my eyes, he answered, "Yes."

I stood from the bed and stepped close to him. "You're not alone. It scares me too. I have never felt what I feel when I'm with you."

And just like that, I could see the lust and passion in his eyes. With that look, I knew that if he'd asked, I would bond with him all over again. I would give him all the love and support he'd ever want and need. My mouth opened willingly as he claimed it. I didn't fight it. I loved it. I rested my hands against his muscular chest as I gave myself to him. His lips were so soft and giving. He sipped at my lips as if they were a fine and rare wine; nibbling at them gingerly at first. When I pressed my body closer to his, he reached between us and ripped off my panties. I expected that he would take me right then, but he didn't do that. He stood back and admired me.

Being emboldened by his stare, I held my head high and stood proudly as he devoured me with his eyes. The look that he was giving to me made my nipples tighten. My hootchie was moist with sheer anticipation of what was to come. I loved it.

"By the Gods, you are beautiful," he whispered just loud enough for me to hear. "You're unlike any woman I have ever seen." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "You want me."

I nodded. "I do want you."

"Why me?" he asked. "Why do I deserve you?"

"I can't believe you asked me that," I replied. "Why not you? You're amazing. You're a vampire of honor. You're so strong and so brave. You have a beautiful smile and those gorgeous eyes." I began to smile. "And you're so funny. I think that's what I like most about you. You're so funny." I briefly looked at the floor before continuing. "And you accept me for who and what I am. You make me feel wanted. I've never had that before you. That's all I've ever wanted, and you give that to me."

I noticed that his manhood twitched at my words. I could swear that I felt his need for me overpowering every other emotion inside of me. Inside of us. "I'm going to ruin you for any other man, vampire, or faery," he warned me. "You will forever belong me, Sookie Stackhouse."

"Good," I answered. I reached for his hands and placed them on my breasts. "Show me."

Obviously, that's all Eric needed to hear. He picked me up and gently placed me on the bed. As he rested me on the pillow, he leaned over and kissed me. It felt so good that I moaned. When I did that, something happened to him. His need for me seemed to increase even more. As he caressed me, his touch intensified. As he kissed me, his kisses and touches deepened and became even more fevered.

My hands caressed his back as his lips left trails of soft kisses along my neck and shoulders. I pressed my body closer to his because I needed to feel him on me, in me. He smiled against my breast as he suckled a pink bud into his mouth. From that one feel of his mouth on my nipple, my breath was coming in shallow pants, and I couldn't think of anything but Eric. I'd never known such pleasure. That one touch was consuming me. I tangled my hands in his hair when he bit the tip of my nipple and pulled. My breath caught as my eyes rolled in the back of my head. The pleasure of it, of Eric, was too intense for me. "Eric, please," I begged as I opened my legs for him … knowing that I was going to get more than I'd anticipated. I could see it in his eyes.

With no expression on his face, Eric whispered, "You weaken me." He placed his hand in between my legs and began to gently massage and finger me. He kissed me as he made love to me with his fingers. I wrapped him in my arms and ground myself harder against him. "Oh, Sookie," he said into my mouth.

He used his thumb to press my nub as his fingers worked in and out of me. His fingers were buried so deep in me, I could feel him in my soul. He was making me scream and writhe in pleasure. I repeated his name over and over again like a chant. Eric was all I could see. Could feel. "Make love to me," I begged as I bucked against his hand. "Please, make love to me."

Even after making love to Eric earlier tonight at the bar, a slight pain lanced through me as he penetrated me and just like that, it was gone. He slowly moved in and out of me as he whispered in my ear. "I wish that I could make love to you until the dawn." Each time he slowly moved in and out of me, I could feel something so strong flowing through us.

And I loved it.

"I wish it too," I said as I wrapped my arms tightly around him. "Oh, I wish it too!" The closer I pulled him to me the more he rubbed against the sensitive spot in me. Sparks seemed to be spreading through my body, through the room. I wrapped my legs around his waist and gasped as Eric went deeper inside of me. I began to clutch his shoulders as I neared the most amazing moment of my life. I could swear the room began to spin as my orgasm took over. I could feel the air change as I rocked harder against him. As he went deeper inside me.

He buried his face in my neck and I waited for the bite. I rolled my head to the side and expected him to feed from me but there was no bite. Only nibbles. Only kisses as he came in me. The intensity in the room was so thick it could have choked us both. Exhaustion claimed us but only for a moment because the love making didn't stop. We didn't want it to stop. And it didn't until we had no other choice. I needed to rest.

After I rolled off Eric, sweaty and fulfilled, I lay on my back; smiling up at the ceiling. "That was amazing. Three times in a row, and it was amazing." I placed my hand on my chest as I rolled my head to the left and looked at him. "You are amazing."

He looked at me and smiled. "No, my lover," he said. "You are."

"I don't want you to go to sleep," I said.

"Neither do I," he replied.

"I wish that we didn't have to," I said. "I wish that we could spend this entire day talking and laughing and making love." I elbowed him. "I especially love the idea of making love all day. That would be so nice."

He laughed heartily. "It's my second favorite part of being with you."

I giggled. "What's your first favorite part?"

"You," he said.

I moved in closer to his body and wrapped my arms around him. "This is perfect." I tightened my arms around him. "This is right."

He rested his head against mine. Whispering, he agreed. "This is everything." He shifted his body so that he was holding me in his arms. "I meant what I said."

Settling into his arms, I asked, "What?"

"You've weakened me."

"How?" I asked as I kissed his chest.

I could feel his uncertainty. I could feel his fear. If I could, I wanted to read his mind to know what he was thinking and why he was feeling as he was. I wanted to know why he is uncertain about me. I wanted to know why he's fearful of what we could be. His feelings began to terrify me. What if he decides that we are too much for him, as a vampire, to handle? What if he wants to break the bond and end what we have? I couldn't bear it. "Is it really such an awful thing to have me do to you?"

"Yes." His arms tightened around me.

He said nothing more.

"Why?"

He didn't answer me.

I nodded. "It's okay. We can talk about it later if that's what you want to do.'

He nodded curtly and remained silent.

And I didn't want to cause him any further issues so I changed the subject. I could wait until later to get him to talk to me. I didn't want to rush him. This is just as new to him as it is to me. I couldn't possibly be angry with him when I'm not sure about what's happening between us. Can you say hypocrite? "How did it go with King Butthole?"

Eric's body relaxed a bit and he'd soon filled the room with laughter. "As he expected." He gave me the low down about their meeting. About how it was a ploy to get Eric to hand me over to him. "He shared his human and vampire life stories with me. I can only think that he believed that it would cause me to take pity on him." He side eyed me. "I felt nothing. His story is just like every other vampire story I've ever heard when it comes to their human and vampire lives." He chuckled. "He claimed to have known where Maxwell Lee was and would only tell him if promised to give you to him. He tried to make me choose between you and Pam. That is something that I cannot and will not do." He shook his head. "I can't do that."

That surprised me. I would have thought that he'd choose Pam over me any day. She's his family. His sister. His child. They've spent hundreds of years together. How can I compare? Would he let her die to save me? I settled into Eric's arms and let his voice soothe my concerns.

"I am not surprised at his audacity."

I wasn't a bit surprised either. "He is the king of the buttholes."

Eric laughed, and his body relaxed even more. "He is."

"Did you learn anything from Maxwell?"

He shook his head no. "Not really." He had a frown on his face for what seemed like a long time.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I took his human to make him talk," he admitted. He looked at me as if he was searching for the right words to say. He was searching for what he wanted to say … how he wanted to say it … from me. The look on his face almost scared me.

My heart began to pound in my chest. I didn't know what to expect from him. I didn't want to know that he'd torture an innocent person to get what he needed from Maxwell Lee. I'd hope that he wouldn't do that, but he is a vampire. I don't exactly know what they're capable of. I've not been in this world that long. I needed to hear what he wanted to say. I needed to know now. "What happened?"

He briefly glanced at me. "Do not fear me."

"I don't," I promised. "Just because I get afraid or nervous, it doesn't mean that I'm afraid of you. I'm new to this. Things are going to surprise me. They may even scare me but that doesn't mean that I'm afraid of you."

He kissed my forehead. "I took her because I wanted to make her suffer. I wanted her to feel afraid. I wanted her to feel everything that Pam was feeling and possibly going through. I did it because Maxwell took someone that belongs to me. He took someone that I love dearly. I wanted her screams and terrors to be the last things he ever heard. I wanted her pain to be the last thing he saw … heard, but I didn't do it."

I could feel a weight lift from my shoulders. "That's good … right?"

He only stared. "I didn't do what I'd planned because he didn't care." He shook his head. "He wanted to me to hurt her … to kill her. He didn't want her to live if he was going to meet the true death. He didn't love her." He almost sounded surprised. "It pained the woman to know that she was nothing to him. That was the torture she felt. Their entire relationship was a lie."

Swallowing, I whispered, "So, you let her go?"

"I did," he assured me. "I had Thalia glamor her. She will not fear vampires. She will not forget that she'd ever known Maxwell. She will not forget that he never loved her. She will remember that he was a liar and a fraud."

"Will she forget what you did to her?" I asked.

He looked at me and nodded.

I traced my finger along a scar on his chest. "What if someone did that to me … to get you to talk … to get back at you?"

His arm tightened around me. "That is not going to happen."

"But it could," I warned him.

"It won't." His voice deepened and his anger filled me.

"But it's possible that it could happen."

He clamped his mouth closed.

"We need to have this talk, Eric," I said.

He remained quiet, but I could see in his eyes that he was planning.

Quietly, I asked, "Did Thalia ask you the same question?"

"She did." With those two words, the conversation was over.

To lighten the mood, I straddled him and began to wiggle against him. I could feel Little Eric shifting underneath me. "I think that someone wants to play." I leaned down and kissed my way down his chest. I kissed his nipples and that caused Eric to grab the back of my head. That emboldened me. I bit each nipple lightly. I began to rub his hardness against my nub as I licked and nibbled at his nipples. I nibbled a little too hard and I got to taste his sweet blood.

He reached between us and began to rub himself through me. "Slick and hot, my lover," he said. "Always so ready for me." He filled me with one single thrust; causing my head to fall back as my back straightened and my hands rested on his chest. He held me in place as my muscles quivered and tightened around him. He began to move in a steady rhythm as his hands gripped my bottom.

Looking down at him as I began to match his movement, I said, "You weaken me." I leaned forward and kissed him. Gliding my tongue into his mouth … savoring every taste of him. And then I did it. I wrapped my tongue around his fang, intentionally letting my blood flow into him.

Before I knew it, I was on my knees and Eric was loving me from behind. That small taste of Sookie blood sent him over the edge. He began to pump harder, burying himself deeper inside me. I cried out in pure ecstasy. I could feel myself tightening around him. That's when my orgasm hit me. He kept making love to me, grinding himself against me with every thrust, until I was screaming his name. He lowered his mouth to my neck and licked. This time I knew it was coming. "Do it!" I screamed. "Please!"

I could feel him coming inside of me as my I felt my blood flowing into his waiting mouth. "Sookie!" he screamed.

Soon, we were both spent and lying in a heap on the bed. My hot sweaty body was resting across his cool one. Every time we make love, it's the same incredible experience. It's like it's the first time all over again. "I think I'm done." I chuckled.

"No," he said. "You can't be tired, my lover."

"Well, I am," I replied. "Come on. Let's get under the covers and go to sleep. I have a big day ahead of me and you and I have long night ahead of us. Jake and I have to meet with Andrew's wife. We have to devise some type of plan to get Pam back and kill Appius. We have a lot to do." I got up from the bed and stared down at Eric. "Don't you agree?"

"I guess," he said as reluctantly stood up from the bed.

Together, we straightened the covers as best we could and were soon under them snuggling. "Thanks."

"For what?" he asked.

"For tonight," I said. "For every night since meeting you. For helping me with my grief," I whispered. "I'm glad that I have you."

"Anything for you, Sookie," he promised. "I would do anything for you."

I leaned over and kissed him. "I would do anything for you."

His arms tightened around me. "Do you feel it?"

"What?" I asked.

He was nervous. His body stiffened, but he said nothing.

"What?" I repeated.

Swallowing unnecessarily, he asked, "What I feel for you?"

I nodded. "I do. Can you?" I whispered.

He nodded. "I can."

I could feel his body suddenly relaxing. "Goodnight, Sookie."

"Goodnight, Eric."

His grip on me suddenly loosened. I could feel his arms as they slid slowly from my waist and onto the bed. His fingers twitched one last time as his arms rested limply at his sides.

I settled into his body and closed my eyes. "This is perfect," I whispered. "I'll see you tonight."

"I love you."

I sat up quickly and looked down at him. "What did you say?" I asked.

He said nothing.

"Eric?" I said as I shook his body. "What did you say?"

He was dead to the world.

I smiled. "He loves me." I placed my hand over my heart and sighed. "He loves me."

I reached for my cell phone that rested on the nightstand by the bed. I needed to set an alarm so that I would get up in time to meet with Andrew's wife. When I looked at the clock, I couldn't believe my eyes. It must have been broken. There was no way that it was this late. Maybe my phone had a glitch or something. I took Eric's phone from the nightstand and compared it to mine. They were both reading the same time. It wasn't possible. There is no way that it was possible.

I jumped up from the bed … not putting on any clothes, and I ran up the stairs and pushed the clasp to release the secret door behind the fridge. I looked out the kitchen window and there it was.

The sun. It was shining brightly on this beautiful Wednesday morning. My phone didn't have a glitch. Eric's phone didn't have a glitch. And I'm pretty sure the sun didn't have a glitch.

It was 9 am.

Eric stayed up past the dawn.

We talked. We laughed. We made love.

Our wish came true.