SPOV

I stretch widely as the sun in my eyes wakes me up. I feel Eric sitting up next to me in the bed so I cuddle around him after my stretch. My eyes are still closed, and I'm contemplating trying to go back to sleep, but after a few moments, I realize that's not going to happen. I've been awake for mere moments, and my brain is already off and going with the things I have to do today and over the next few days.

I feel Eric's arm snake around me and pull me a little closer before he idly runs his fingers up and down my spine, I let out a hum of appreciation. I'm kind of a little jealous that he was wide awake when I went to sleep, and he's wide awake now in the bright daylight. Obviously, I'm happy that he's able to be in the sun with me now, that I was able to give him that, but does he ever have to sleep? I feel like he can get so much more done than I can like I'm holding him back.

My mind can't help but think about the future, about the possibility of one day letting him turn me. Will I have sun invulnerability because of my fairy blood? If not, I'll be stuck in the dark forever while Eric can live a full life in the sun. Hell, he doesn't even die for the day anymore, it's as if he just takes naps whenever the mood strikes him. As far as I know, he hasn't actually felt tired yet, he's only slept a few hours every two or so days preventatively, so he isn't worn down should someone come after us or there's an emergency.

"Someone is thinking very serious thoughts so soon after waking."

I open my eyes and look up to him, then smile softly. "Just thinking about the future."

"Do you mean the next few days or the next few decades?"

"Both. Neither. I'm not sure."

"Do you wish to speak about it?"

"Not right now. I will later, though. It's a busy day today; I have to pack."

"Hm, yes, we both do. Not just our attire for the trip and council meeting, but we have to pack our belongings for our new home. It is ready, and I've hired a moving company."

My eyes widen, and I sit up bolt-straight. "What? Eric, how am I just hearing of this?!"

"You were sleeping." He says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

I roll my eyes; sometimes, he's such a guy. "I have to go to my house. I already packed all of the important things I can't lose, but we don't have any furniture for the new house, we'll have to take some from mine."

He doesn't roll his eyes, but I feel from a bond, I'm not sure which, that he wants to. "No, Sookie, all that must stay at the farmhouse, it needs to be furnished, too."

He pushes over the laptop he was typing away on, and I see he's already on a website that sells furniture I could never hope to afford. Oooh, some of it's really pretty, though. No, Sookie, you're not taking handouts. "Eric, I can't afford that."

"Yes, you can."

"Uh, no, I think I'd know if I had that much disposable income in my meager bank account."

"Sookie, we're wed in the ways of my kind and yours; all that's left is to make it legal in the human's eyes. What's mine is yours. I thought you understood that now."

"Eric, we're not pledged anymore, remember?"

His eyes darken, and I feel his anger, but I'm pretty sure it's not directed at me, at least most of it isn't directed at me, anyway. "Yes, I remember that well, and I hope to soon rectify that mistake too. But we are blood-bonded, Sookie. That means something to me."

I put my hands on his chest and look at him, trying to convey my seriousness when I reply, "Me too, Eric. And after this stupid council vote, I'll pledge with you again in a second, this time with me actually knowing what I'm walking into, and we can do it somewhere nice, not your seedy back office of Fangtasia. I want to get married too. Just because I've accepted the fairy in me doesn't change the fact that I was raised as a human, and those ceremonies mean a lot to me."

I worry for a second that I might be saying too much too fast; he never indicated that he wanted to tie himself to me any deeper, hell, he still hasn't even told me he loves me yet. I'm pretty sure he does, I think I feel it in the bond, but it's covered and mixed up with so many other emotions it's hard to know. My worry stops when he replies, "Good then, we're on the same page. Now, choose which style of furniture you like best, we'll worry about decorations and appliances later. The house is completely empty so we need everything. There are five bedrooms, so we need furniture and linens for all of them as well."

Huh, well, I kinda walked right into that one, didn't I? "Okay, but I don't want to just mooch off you, I'll give you whatever money I get from Sam today when he buys me out of the bar."

"I still do not want you going to that meeting by yourself; I do not trust him. And again, Sookie, dear one, you're not mooching off me as you say. In my day, a wedded couple was a team, they shared everything and worked together to make their lives and those of their offspring better. Has it changed that much?"

"Well, no. It just feels wrong. My gran raised me to pay my own way, to not rely on anyone, to not let myself become dependent on a man."

"Wasn't she a stay-at-home mother for most of her life?"

"Well, yeah, but she was married… Oh."

He smirks at me. "Yes, as are we. So stop this, I don't want to hear any more of this nonsense, we have more money than Pam could spend in a thousand human lifetimes, we're fine. Buy what we'll need for our house to be livable and comfortable, and we'll deal with the amenities after we return from our trip."

"Aren't you planning on being king by the time we get home? Won't you be a little busy?"

He shrugs, "Yes, but all monarchs redecorate when they move into the king's compound. I just happen to be moving the compound to a new location. You'll be able to handle it if I get too busy."

I feel my hackles rise, and it seems he does too because I feel his body tense under me, "Eric Northman! You better not be saying what I think you're saying!"

"And what is that?" He asks with genuine confusion in his tone and on his face.

"That you'll leave me, the telepathic fairy with amazing abilities to stay home and handle the woman's work!"

"You enjoy decorating, do you not?"

"Well, yeah, but that's not the point! I am and will be more than the woman you leave at home waiting for you to return every day. I'm more than just some lady that keeps your house clean and someone you get to fuck every night." I think I might be taking this too far. I can feel through the bond that he really didn't mean anything wrong by his words, and he genuinely thought the decorating would be something I'd enjoy (and I would), but something about him expecting to leave me at home while he goes out to rule the state more than rubs me the wrong way.

I see and feel anger flash in his eyes, "What the fuck are you talking about, Sookie?"

"I—I don't know, I might have been being just a tad overdramatic. It's just I'm more than that, Eric. You can't expect me to be okay with waiting for you at home all night every night while you go out and be the king."

He looks at me as if I'm an idiot, which gets me upset all over again. "What are you talking about, Sookie? That was not my intention at all. I am simply playing to our strengths as a team. Ask Pam, I cannot design a room if my life depended on it, while you are good at it. Plus, you won't be waiting for me every night, you'll be out with me as my queen."

"Q-queen?"

"Yes," He answers simply.

"But Eric, I'm human, I thought only vampires could be monarchs of other vampires."

"Normally, yes. But you'll be queen alongside me, the king. And as you've just said, you're a fairy. You'll be treated as more than just my pet; I won't allow for anything less than the utmost respect, just as I do now."

"I don't know, Eric. What exactly would be my responsibilities."

"Just as they are now, helping me work through problems and situations as they arise, just on a larger scale, along with lending your telepathic services when needed."

"Won't me being queen cause problems?"

"Perhaps, but nothing we can't handle."

"Oh, okay." I eventually reply, not sure what else to say.

"So please, pick out what we need for our new home, it will not be any less busy when we get home from the council, it'll be best to get done what we can now. Plus, the movers are with us for the next four days, they're taking from my storage units today, here tomorrow, the farmhouse the next day, and whatever we order the day after that."

"Okay," I reply, still in shock.

I start looking through the website, only partly paying attention, adding things to the cart at random, most of my mind is filled with the conversation I just had with Eric and the revelations that came from it. However, I have to admit, about ten minutes in, I find a couch I fall in love with that will fit perfectly in our new living room. And after that, I become excited, and all my attention goes to shopping. I'm surprised after I put in Eric's credit card information, I look at the time to see that three hours have passed. I decide to put my attention to packing for our trip for the rest of the day, we are leaving tomorrow, after all. It's both exciting and terrifying, this trip and the meeting could mean our freedom, or it could mean Eric being sent back to Oklahoma and Freyda. That's not even taking into account the battle that's to happen almost immediately after.

Eric told me he has to attack DeCastro before DeCastro has a chance to hand Eric the formal paper partitioning to bring us both back under his rule. That's because if he attacks after, it could be seen as treason, which is illegal enough to get Eric beheaded. I feel like I should be more worried than I am, I feel confident, which might make me stupid, but with the plan that Eric has, the plan that he's repeated to me so often that I can say it in my sleep, hell I have dreams about it, that plan feels solid and good enough to work.

Most of the day is spent packing for the trip. Packing is both more anti-climatic and easier than I expected, especially after the knock on the door came, and Pam's personal shopper came in rolling a rack of clothes with a label on each telling me when and where I have to wear each. She's just lucky she knows my style enough to choose things I'm actually excited to wear.

Around three in the afternoon, I remember I'm supposed to meet Sam at Merlott's to sign the bar back over to him. I quickly jump in the shower, or at least I plan for it to be quick, but I'm not surprised when a few minutes after I get in, I hear the bathroom door open and feel Eric join me. Even though I'm in a rush, I don't have the willpower to turn down shower sex with Eric. Heck, I never have the willpower to turn down any sex with Eric, so I enjoy our quicky and decide I'll just have to apologize for my tardiness when I get there.

"I still do not like that you're planning on going alone, I don't trust him, he's up to something." He says as we're drying off and getting dressed after our shower.

"Well, I'm not going alone, am I? I'll have my shadows with me, right?"

"Your shadows?"

"Yeah, that's what I've nicknamed the Weres you hired to keep me safe."

"Oh, yes, they'll be there, but he's seen them before, correct? The dog will be accounting for them"

"Eric, I mean, yeah, he's seen them before, but I don't know what you're so worried about. Sam and I might not be in the best place right now, but it's not like he's going to hurt me, he wouldn't do that."

"I agree, he doesn't want you harmed, but as of now, he thinks you're harming yourself by being with me. I wouldn't put it past him to take you and lock you up, thinking he's doing it for your own good."

"Lock me up? What? No! What would he be getting out of that, and how on earth could he possibly think that would be for my own good?"

"Perhaps he thinks it's my blood that's causing you to stay with me, if that's the case, he'll assume you'll leave me once you've dried out and my blood is out of your system. I could see him 'quarantining you for your own good' until he deems you no longer under my control."

"But I'm not under your control."

"I know that, and you know that, but he can't comprehend that you'd rather be with me than stay in that small town with those small-minded people."

I hate to say it, but I know Eric has a point. Still, I don't think Sam would do anything that drastic. "Okay, I see your point, but what can I do? I have to go. He has the papers for me to sign, and the sooner I do, the sooner I'm done with all that."

"Yes, that is why I'm coming with you."

I turn from the mirror I'm brushing my hair in to face him, "What? I thought we were keeping your day walking a secret."

"We are, or at least that is the plan, I'll only show myself if it becomes necessary. If all goes as well as you suspect, he won't even know I'm there, no one will."

"Eric, come on, he's been my friend for years now, he's not going to hurt me. The wolves are enough, I'm sure. Heck, they're overkill."

He stays quiet for a long time, thinking it over, probably debating if it's worth the fight or figuring out how he can come without me knowing. Eventually, he nods, "Fine, but keep in touch with me the whole time, and if you see a sign of something strange happening or get a bad feeling, just use our mental connection, and I'll come straight to you, I can fly from here to Bon Temps in a little under 14 minutes if I fly at my top speed."

"Wow, that's a precise number."

"Yes, well, I know from experience."

Oh yeah, when Lucky Sookie broke the bond. I cringe, I hate bringing up those memories for him. Although it feels wrong to call her Lucky Sookie now, things have been going pretty good for me. I mean, sure, she got a few years of her life back that I lost, but my lifespan grew enough to make up for that and more. Plus, I'm happy with where Eric and I are, yeah, I think I'll think of her as Other Sookie from now on.

I clear my throat, "Yeah, well, that won't be necessary today, I'll be fine. Even though Sam and I aren't exactly seeing eye to eye right now, we're still friends."

"Just be careful."

"Aren't I always?"

"Don't make me change my mind, Sookie. There is a lot that comes to my mind when I think of you, but careful isn't one of them."

I roll my eyes, "Yeah, well, you knew what you were signing up for when I shared my light with you, you're stuck with me now."

He smirks and pulls me into his arms, "That I am."

He leans down and kisses me; I can tell he's ramping up to getting me undressed again, even though I just got my clothes back on. I bet he thinks he can distract me and make me forget about my meeting, the high-handed jerk. I plant my hand on his chest, get distracted for a moment when I feel how hard and toned it is under my hand, but come back to myself and push him away.

"Nice try, buddy, but you're not making me late."

"You know how I feel about 'buddy'."

I smile and stand on my toes to kiss him again, this time chastely, "Again, you knew what you were signing up for."

He chuckles and vamps over to the nightstand before coming back to me and handing me his keys. Normally, I wouldn't like to take his car and, in fact, insist on taking my own, but I don't have it right now. So I reluctantly nod and take them, gathering up the rest of my things and preparing to go. As I go to leave the suite, he stops me by grabbing me by the waist, spinning me, and kissing me.

"Be careful," He reminds me when he pulls away.

"I will, I promise."

He stares at me as if he's trying to gauge my sincerity before nodding, "Okay, I'll be here when you return."

I nod and turn out of his arms, as I'm leaving the room, I call over my shoulder, "Okay, I love you!"

As the door shuts behind me, my whole body freezes, shit. I've never said that to him before, he's made it clear that he doesn't know if he'll ever love me. Why did I say that? I mean, sure, he has to know I do, he can probably feel it clearly in the bond, but saying it is just shoving it in his face when I promised myself I wouldn't push him. Fuck. I'm an idiot. For all I know, this will only push him away; I know when Eric gets pushed too far emotionally, he backs away, usually by saying or doing something mean, so the other person runs in the opposite direction. Other Sookie fell for it every time. God, what do I do now?

I shake my head; maybe he didn't hear me. Okay, I know that's not true, he's got the hearing of, well, a vampire, he'd have still heard me if I said it at the other side of the hall by the elevators. Okay, maybe I'm reading too much into this; maybe he'll just forget I said it, and then I can too, and we can pretend this never happened. Yeah, that's probably what he'll do. At least, that's what I'm choosing to believe because right now, I have to focus on driving and getting this all settled with Sam.

I sigh before climbing into the car, adjusting the seat and mirror so that I can see, making sure to focus really hard so my mind doesn't stray back to my slip-up of a few moments ago. I put the car in drive to make the ride over to Merlott's that's almost muscle memory at this point. When I pull in, it's still strange for me when I park in the front, but I don't really feel like I have a right to park in the back with Sam and the employees anymore, especially in Eric's super nice car.

I look in the mirror, adjust my hair, and put on another layer of lip gloss before sighing and leaving the car, making my way inside. I put on my happy customer service face as I open the front door and walk into the bar. It's such a small town that I know every single person currently in the bar, and they all know me, that's why it's not surprising when the bar gets quiet once people start noticing me. I quickly put up my shields, but a few thoughts sneak in anyway.

'What is she doing here? I thought we finally got rid of that fang-banging trash for good.'

'Sookie's back, she's probably come crawling back to Sam to beg for a job. Serves her right, she thought she was better than all of us and thought she could make it in the big city. Ha.'

'Oh, Sookie's here. I wonder if she'll be able to cover my shift next week. I really don't want to miss the next coven meeting.'

I smile at the few friendly faces and hug Hoytt when he makes himself known. We make small talk while I wait for Sam, but after a few minutes, I decide it's better to go back to the office to find him, I don't want to be here all day, we have a big day tomorrow with traveling to California, which is where this council meeting will take place. Apparently the location changes for every meeting, I'm not sure why though, seems like alotta extra work to me. I hug Hoytt again before excusing myself and making my way behind the bar, past the kitchen, and down the hall to our or, I mean Sam's office. I knock twice and wait for a response since the door is shut.

"I'm busy right now, come back later!" I hear Sam say from the other side, sounding distracted.

"Sam, it's me, am I early? We're supposed to meet today, remember?"

I hear a sound that I assume is the wheels on his rolling back, then his quick footsteps to the door, a second later, it swings open. "Sookie, good, you're here. Come in, come in."

I smile and take a step inside, "Uh, hey, Sam," I say, and then after a few seconds, I add, "Long time no see."

"Too long. I missed you, Cher. How are things going? Is everything okay? Have you finally realized that Eric's left you before so he will again, and that you can't trust him, so you've decided to leave him and come back to me?"

"What? No, you know why I'm here, to sign the papers you've had drawn up buying me out of my portion of the bar."

"Oh yeah, that. I didn't do that."

"What? What do you mean? You told me you had the paperwork; it's the whole reason I drove all this way."

"Yeah, I lied. I needed a chance to talk to you in person. To make you see things clearly, to snap you out of this, break whatever control that monster still has over you."

"Don't call him that! Sure, he can be mean and vicious when he needs to, but that's not all he is. You can be the same way if you don't remember. I've seen you do some pretty vicious and violent stuff, you know."

"It's different; I did what I had to to make sure all my loved ones were safe. I don't just go around attacking or fucking everyone who strikes my fancy. He uses violence because he likes it and wants more of it. I only use violence in the worst-case scenario, in emergencies. Sookie, you have to see by now that I'm the better man for you, that I can make you happy, that you should be with me. If not for me, then for the people who love you, who you love. The people who miss you since that asshole stole you away from your house and locked you up in his gilded cage."

"What the fuck are you talking about Sam? He's not locking me up or keeping me hostage, believe me, I'd know, it's happened to me enough over the last few years to know when I'm being held against my will." I hate to admit it, but I'm starting to get that feeling about this situation. No, I have to be wrong, Sam is only saying this bullshit because he genuinely believes he's right, he believes that I'm in danger with and from Eric, and Sam just wants to keep me safe. I repeat that to myself over and over again, trying to calm myself down and not snap on Sam, that wouldn't do anyone any good. I sigh, and when I speak again, my voice is much softer, more calm. "Sam, I appreciate you worrying about me. I really do, but Eric isn't anything like you think he is. I know you think you know him better than I do, that I'm just blinded by the money, the blood, and the sex, but you're wrong. I know him better than anyone, and I also know that he portrays things to the world that purposely make him feared. It keeps his people safe, you only know what you've heard about him, and everything you've heard is things he wanted people to say about him so people would leave him alone, and so he and his people, including me, would be safe. So, like I said, thanks for worrying, but it's unnecessary. Now, if you could please get those papers for me, I'd very much like to sign them and be on my way. It's already been a long day and nowhere near over yet."

There, I was calm, rational, and nice. There's no reason for him to continue with any of this nonsense. I can feel Eric is losing his patience, too. I don't know if he can hear our conversation word for word but I know I'm not trying to block him out. At the very least I know he can feel that Sam's upset me. I also realize I'm feeling some sort of tugging on my brain, not the tugging I feel when a vampire is trying to glamour me, but almost as if someone is trying to get my attention. I let my shields down when I realize that I can't hear if Eric is trying to talk to me while I'm busy keeping everyone out.

"Sookie, you're wrong about him. And like I said, there are no papers, I didn't get them written up, I just needed you to come down here so I could knock some sense into you."

"Cheese and rice, Sam! When are you going to learn that I'm a grown woman who makes her own choices, a woman who's smart enough to know who to trust and who to let in? I don't need you dragging me down here to try to 'talk some sense' into poor, dumb little Sookie Stackhouse. I know what I'm getting into, I know who Eric is, and it's my choice. I'm getting really fucking tired of having this conversation with you over and over again. Whatever, Sam, I didn't want to do this, but it seems I'm going to have to go the lawyer route. I'm getting out of this business, but not without getting what's mine, and you're not going to stop me. So I guess I'll see you, but for now, I think the rest of our communications will have to go through lawyers. Bye, Sam"

I feel good because I'm being strong and standing up for myself. I start walking back to the door, but when I reach to open it, I can't. It's like I can't touch the doorknob no matter how hard I try. What the fuck? I turn to Sam, "What the fuck Sam, what did you do?!"

"I knew you'd react like this, so I had to do something drastic to keep you here to get you to listen."

"So what, you decided to be the next in my long list of kidnappers?"

"What? No, you came to me willingly, I'm just… keeping you here longer than expected."

"No, you're holding me hostage."

"No, I'm not!"

"I want to leave, and I can't because of you. Explain to me how that fuck that's not keeping me hostage!"

"Like I said, we're just talking; you'll be free as soon as you realize the truth."

"Oh yeah? And whose truth is that because it sounds to me that you're keeping me here against my will until I do exactly what you want."

"No, you're making it sound so bad and wrong, it's not like that."

"And how exactly am I explaining this wrong? Really, go on, I want to hear how you can spin magically locking me in a room with you until I do as you say as anything other than kidnapping."

"Well, sometimes friends have to take desperate actions to help other friends. Have you ever heard of interventions? When loved ones notice someone is drinking or drugging too much, they lock them in a room and try to get them to see the error of their ways, hopefully, by the end, seeing things clearly and getting their life together. Yeah, that's what this is. Think of it as an intervention to your addiction to the supernatural world, one vampire in particular."

"Jesus Lord Almighty, please calm me down because I'm about to hurt this man real bad…"

"Sookie, come on, just listen to me."

"Eric is going to be up soon, and if he feels that I'm still in Bon Temps along with my worry, he'll come here, and I'm not sure I'll be able to calm him enough to keep you alive. This is going just too far, Sam."

"That's not a problem; we'll be outta his reach by the time the sun sets."

"And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I got plans to keep you safe from him for a long time; this room is just a stopgap till I make a call and get us picked up."

What the fuck. Okay, I guess I don't know this guy nearly as well as I thought I did. And I guess, I think with an internal roll of my eyes, that Eric was right again, it really was a good thing that he came with me. I'm feeling both pissed and sad in equal measures right now. With an internal sigh, I reach out to Eric, 'Hey, can you hear me? Please say you can hear me from this far away.'

'Yes.' Somehow even through thoughts, his words sound like a growl, uh-oh, he's pissed, has he been listening to our interaction? Maybe since I put my shields down a few minutes ago, I know I haven't been trying to keep him out, so maybe.

'I guess you heard all that?'

'I heard enough. I'm coming.'

I'm brought out of the conversation with Eric when Sam goes for the phone. I stomp over and try to take it from him, not wanting to let him have a chance to call whoever else is in on this insane plan, but he's able to keep me away and the phone in his hand. Okay, now I'm really getting pissed off, who the hell does this guy think he is? Okay, so we went on a few dates, not even that many, like five in six months, and we've been friends for a long time, but that doesn't give him permission to make decisions like this for me, it doesn't give him the right to make any decisions for me, much less force me into them. Is he sick? He's never done something like this before; I didn't think Sam would ever do something like this. It makes me worried, like maybe someone is messing with his head, but it also makes me mad, like really mad, like more mad than I think I've ever been before. I've gotten used to people pulling stuff like this, trying to take me under their control, in one way or another since I entered the supernatural world, but I've never had someone I've considered a friend, one of my best friends try it, I feel betrayed, hell, he is betraying me right now.

My anger is growing, I feel the blood rushing to my skin, making my face red and hot with my anger. I reach for the phone again, this time more forcefully, willing to push him out of the way to get to my goal, but he manages to keep it yet again. I let out a yell of frustration and anger, the heat building up more in me. I go to shove him as hard as I can, not even really trying to get the phone at this point, more because he's pissed me the fuck off, and when I do without consciously thinking about it, I let go of the control I have over my fairy light. My hands light up as I shove him, and instead of barely moving him like I did before, he flies across the room, hitting the wall hard and hitting his head on a shelf in the process.

I see his head lolled to the side and his eyes closed; the hit must have knocked him out. I listen to his brain, and yeah, he's definitely unconscious. I feel a pang of regret for a moment before getting mad at myself for feeling it. What the fuck, Sookie? His goal was to hold you captive, so what if you thought he was your friend? He's not; he's made that real clear today. I go to the door to leave and let out another yell when I still can't.

'What was that, Sookie, are you alright?'

Oh yeah, Eric's coming here, I hope he gets here soon, I don't still wanna be stuck in here when Sam wakes back up. 'Yeah, I'm fine, I just introduced Sam to Fairy Sookie. Are you close? I still can't leave this freakin' room.'

I hear a tap tap tap on the window, quickly run over there, and try to open it. I breathe a sigh of relief when I'm at least able to do that. Thankfully, it's Eric. He looks a little frantic and worried, and his eyes are quickly looking me over, probably checking for damage. He starts to climb in the window, but I step in his way to stop him, "Eric, no, what if you get stuck in here too?"

"Right, fuck." He looks away for a moment and runs his hand through his hair. If he was human, I'd tell him to take a few deep breaths.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm fine, he didn't touch me. I just need to figure out a way outta here, then we can forget this stupid thing ever happened."

He turns to look at me incredulously. His eyes look behind me to where Sam is still knocked out, and his face turns into a mask of fury. His fangs click down, and he growls. "Sookie, if you think I'm letting that mutt get away with this…"

"I know, I know, okay?" I cut him off, not mentally prepared to think about what Eric would want to do to Sam now. Heck, I'm not even sure if I want to stop him. "Listen, can we focus on getting me out? Do you have any idea what type of magic this is? I mean, I've heard of barrier spells, obviously, but I thought they were only meant to keep people out."

"I've already been in contact with a witch. She'll be here soon to get you out. There's probably an object in there that's holding the barrier in place, but I don't know what it would be. She should be able to sense the magic and get you out quickly."

I hear another car pull into the parking lot, and my eyes widen, "Eric, you're outside in daylight! You know the people that live in this town are nosey as all get out. How are we going to keep you being a day walker a secret?"

"I'll glamour everyone." He says as if I should have already known that, and I guess I should have, but I hate when he glamours my friends. Then again, I think it's become pretty clear today that I don't have too many of them left in this town.

"Oh."

"Are you sure you are well? He didn't hurt you?"

I smile softly, "Yeah, I'm sure."

There's a knock on the office door, and my eyes open wide, how the hell am I going to explain this? Especially to someone who doesn't know about fairies or magic. "Who is it?"

"Ms. Stackhouse? Open up, it's your bodyguards."

I roll my eyes, "A little late," I mumble, and then louder, I say, "I can't there's some sort of magic stopping me. Can you open it?"

I see the doorknob twist a little back and forth, but it doesn't open, and then I hear loud thuds against the door, I think they're trying to break it down. I turn to Eric, "How did you get here before they did? They were in the parking lot before I went inside."

He growls, "I do not know, but it's something I'll be sure to figure out. I can't trust anyone to keep you safe other than myself and my progeny."

"Hey, I handled him just fine on my own, thank you very much. And I'm sure I could have done a lot worse if I was actually trying to hurt him."

"You weren't trying to hurt him?" He growls out.

"I-I mean…"

"Sookie, he was dangerous, clearly. Look at you right now; if I was dead for the day and wasn't able to contact the witch, you would have still been stuck here when he woke up, then what would have happened? I know you thought he was a friend, but he isn't, and when someone, anyone, tries to hurt you, you must attack and attack with all you can."

"I-I know you're right, okay? It was just hard."

He looks down at me, his eyes softer now, the anger gone from them. He lifts his hand and reaches for me as if to cup my face, but he remembers the barrier at the last moment and drops his hand back to his side, "I know that, Sookie. You're compassion, your loyalty to those you consider yours, and your ability to see the good in people are what drew me to you in the first place. But you're too important to let those qualities be the death of you."

I sigh and nod. I am going to reply, but his phone rings and he answers it without looking at the caller ID. It's the witch, and thankfully, she's calling to let him know she's pulling in right now. My guards must have finally gotten the idea to try another entrance to the office because I see them through the window when they turn the corner and see Eric there. I'm not sure if their eyes widen so much because he's out in the daylight or because they've been caught not doing their job well enough.

Thankfully, it only takes five minutes to get me out once the witch, whose name is Theadora, takes note of the situation, and Sam stays asleep through the whole thing. She's able to see magical auras, so it only takes her looking through the window, pointing at a small paperweight shaped like a dog, and telling me to smash it before Eric's inside the room, scooping me up bridal style and carrying me through the window to freedom. He does it so fast I'm not sure how he's able to get us both out of the window so smoothly, but I don't question it too hard. He doesn't have to glamour anyone inside Merlott's because he' never went in, but he does do it to the Weres and Theadora, too, but only after she gives her permission.

I'm thankful when we're on our way home, or at least back to the hotel, only minutes later. I'm especially thankful that Eric was in such a rush to get me out of there that he didn't remember to do anything with Sam, who was still unconscious when we left. He makes me wonder if he's the mind reader when, only a second after those thoughts, he speaks.

"The only reason your shifter is living through the night is because too many people saw you go into that office with him. If he were to be found dead in there, you'd be the top suspect. He will pay for what he's done to you, Sookie, and you won't be able to talk me out of it."

I sigh for what feels like the hundredth time today, but in my heart, I know he's right. I have a feeling even this won't be enough to stop Sam from trying. It's like something snapped inside him, and he's gone a little crazy. Plus, if I've learned anything about the supernaturals and their rules, Eric can't just let this go, it'd make him look weak and like he can't protect what's his. I eventually nod, "I know."

The rest of the ride is made in a comfortable silence, and I smile when Eric reaches his hand across the center console to hold onto mine. It's only then that I remember my slip of the tongue from earlier and start to panic all over again. Thankfully, I'm able to calm myself down quickly when I realize that I was right, he chose to ignore it, he's acting like I never said it, and is treating me exactly the same. I squeeze his hand once in silent thanks.

Since we're leaving bright and early the next morning, I decide to hit the hay almost as soon as we walk through the doors to the suite, and Eric chooses to follow. Again, he's not feeling tired but deciding to play it safe and not giving himself a chance to get worn down. Eric is still traveling in a coffin even though he can be in sunlight; he's doing it for optics because there are enemies' eyes everywhere, that's what he tells me anyway. At least, he's traveling with a coffin, he'll be in it to the airport, he'll be in it as it's loading in the plane, and he'll be in it as it's offloaded and brought to our hotel. But while on the private plane with employees he's personally hired, he'll get out of the coffin and sit with me. He's somehow managed to work this all out without Pam knowing. It makes me feel bad that she still doesn't know, but he promises me it's for the best. I think he's going to tell her soon, at least, but he swears the fewer people that know, the less danger I'm in. I just don't see how I could be in any danger with Pam knowing, this dimension's Pam, anyway. She's my friend, and I've never met anyone as loyal anyone as she's loyal to Eric. But when it comes down to it, I trust Eric, so if he says this is for the best, I believe him.

I get the most delicious wake-up of my life the next morning when I come to consciousness on the edge of an orgasm and Eric's head between my legs with his hand pinching and twisting my nipple in just the way that drives me wild. I let my hands run through his hair while pressing him closer, needing more. Feeling his fingers enter me does it, I throw my head back and moan my orgasm. I'm not even down from my natural high when I feel him pull his fingers from inside me and replace them with something much larger, moaning again at the feeling of being so filled.

I know his fangs had come down when I feel him scrape them down my chest hard enough to leave little welts in their wake with tiny droplets of blood pulling, I moan at the sensation, and the sounds only become louder when he uses his tongue to lick the blood up, leaving a tingly feeling on my skin. I wrap my legs around him and use the heels of my feet to pull him closer, deeper inside me, moving my mouth to his neck and sucking as hard as I can, wishing to leave a mark even if I know it's impossible.

Instead of screaming as I feel another orgasm building then overtaking me, I bite into his neck where I was just kissing as hard as I can, drawing blood, my orgasm prolongs when I feel his fangs enter me, strengthening our bond, loving every second of it, every sensation it gives me.

"Fuck, Eric," I half moan, half whimper when I finally let go of his neck, when I take every last drop of blood I can before the wound closes.

His husky chuckle is enough to make me ready for round two. "I concur, lover." He pulls back to look at me after feeling my rush of arousal, "Nuh-uh-uh, no time for round two, unfortunately. We have a plane to catch. Though I can't wait to show you the pleasures that can come from joining the mile-high club."

"No way, mister!" I say as I reach around and slap his back. "I'm not doing that, and don't you try to tempt me."

"We'll see," He says with a shrug, clearly not believing me.

I pull my hand back and plant them on his chest, pushing him away, "Speaking of which, get up, our car will be here in…" I turn my head to look at the clock on the side table, "Two hours! Get up, Eric; I have a lot to do!"

He listens, pulling out of me, pulling a groan from both of us, before rolling over and laying on his back, "Take a look for yourself, lover, all that is left is to get dressed."

I look around and realize he's right. He must have handled the last few things on my list before waking me up, I turn my head and smile at him, love clear in my eyes. Since we're in no rush, I roll over, rest my head on his chest, and snuggle in when I feel his arm wrap around me. We lay there; I'm not thinking about anything important, just enjoying the moment. I'm not sure how long we stay like that before Eric breaks the silence.

"I love you too."

His words stop my thoughts in their tracks, and I look at him, probably gaping like an idiot, but I can't make my face do anything different at the moment. Scratch that, definitely gaping like an idiot if Eric's face and the humor in the bond are anything to go by. I open my mouth to say something, but only a weird croaking sound comes out, I shake my head and mentally smack myself, what am I doing? Eventually, I manage to get out, "You do?"

"I do."

"What? Since when?" I can't help but ask.

"Since always, maybe. I'm unsure, but I wasn't ready to speak about it until now."

"Oh. Okay. Good then." I say, my brain still trying to catch up.

He chuckles before leaning in and kissing me; I'm the one that turns it from soft, chaste to hard and passionate. We spend the next two hours in bed before we have no choice but to rush to get dressed and leave for the airport.