Long Distance

by cembria

Sookie meets Eric when there is no way for them to physically be together. They embark on a long distance relationship, and try to find a way to make work and get to their end game. AH/AU oneshot

2004

"Eric, clean man, clean!" Jason hissed as he tried desperately to make their dorm room look decent.

"Jace, chicks don't care if its a little disorderly in here. We all live in tight spaces. It's cluttered, chill. Your date wont care." Eric said, shaking his head from his bed, thumbing through his men's health magazine on his far too small bed, his feet hanging over the edge.

"It's not a date, my sister is coming to visit me this weekend." Jason said nervously. He didn't really talk to Eric about his family because he figured out on day 1 that Eric was from money, and he didn't want him to look at him different.

"You have a sister? We have lived together for 5 months, and this is the first I'm hearing of your sister? You know about my sister. How old is she? Like 12? I don't think theres porn in here." Eric said, sitting up and looking around trying to think.

"We're ummm…. Twins." Jason said sheepishly, making Eric look up.

"Are you estranged?" Eric asked confused.

"No, we're real close." Jason said looking down at his feet.

"I have a lot of questions." Eric said sitting on his bed and crossing his legs and resting his arms on them, chin in his palms waiting for Jason to start talking.

"Listen, I didn't say a lot of things because, I didn't want to make it weird for us when I realized we come from different places." Jason said with a sigh.

"I'm from Michigan, it's not the Moon, Jason." Eric said confused.

"No, it's just… ughhhhh. I know you aren't like that NOW, but when we met, and the first few weeks it was about our financial backgrounds." Eric looked stunned and sat up straight motioning for Jason to continue. "Listen, Sookie and I are twins, our parents died in a car accident when we were 5. Our Gran took us in, but she was old even then. She had our daddy later in life. Things were always tight, but I got a football scholarship, so I get to go to college. Sookie stayed behind in Bon Temps, and she works as a waitress covering the bills for our Gran and her house, then after she buys their groceries she sends whatever is left each week up to me so I don't have to work, because I HAVE to finish in 4 years. This is my only shot to to better myself, maybe get Sookie and I out of Bon Temps. Other than the saw mill, and road crew their ain't shit there for jobs. Sookie works at the truck stop. It's the only restaurant in town. She's really lucky to have that job. For most girls the only option for them is to get pregnant, and hope the guy who knocks them up is decent. Sookie is only getting to visit because our Gran, and the church ladies pooled money to get her a bus ticket here for the long weekend. It's really important to me that she has a good time. I feel so guilty about leaving her behind, and her sending me money to live off of her." Jason said in one giant run on sentence.

"Okay, yeah…. Ummm okay. Well, we need to move all this shit it looks like a dump in here." Eric said standing up. Pulling out the plastic totes he moved with, and started shoving anything non essential to the weekend into them.

"I know! Shit. I don't even know what to do with her to show her a good time." Jason said starting to panic again.

"What does she like to eat?" Eric asked. Shoving more things into the totes. Not differentiating between his or Jasons stuff.

"Food?" Jason said confused. Eric stood to his full height of 6'5", and just stared at him.

"No fucking, shit. I'm asking what kind of food she likes, like a favorite food." Eric said looking at Jason like he was a moron.

"Ummm she don't eat carrots, I don't think she's picky other than that." Jason said trying to think.

"You don't know your TWIN sisters favorite food?" Eric asked astonished. He could list his sister Pam's top 5 foods, and her favorite places to get them. She was 18 months older than him, and very very particular.

"I think I have already made it clear I'm a shitty brother." Jason said. exasperated, tossing more stuff to Eric to stash away.

"Maybe she will want to try something she's never had before." Eric suggested.

"Like sushi?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, I mean… yeah. Try new things. Can I pay for shit while she's here? We can really make it worth her while if we aren't on a budget." Eric said thoughtfully.

"In any other conditions I would say no, but it's Sookie. I'll pay you back, it might take a while, but I will." Jason said looking around the much less cluttered room, as Eric shoved the boxes and totes in the closet and forced the door shut.

"We can take her to the French quarter, and there is a dorm party Saturday night. Give her some of that college experience." Eric said wagging his eyebrows.

"Eww… stop. Still my sister." Jason said, sufficiently weirded out.

"Sorry." Eric snickered. He wasn't sorry, it would never not be funny to him to make Jason squirm.

"I have a class tomorrow morning at 10. Can you keep an eye on her for me?" Jason asked Eric.

"Yeah, sure. Did you change your sheets, or are you making her sleep on the floor?" Eric asked.

"Shit…." Jason gasped, and started frantically stripping the bed he had just made. "Good looking out." Jason said.

"When is she going to be here?"Eric asked.

"She's here." Sookie said from the door. Eric turned, and looked in the doorway. his Jaw dropped. Jason's sister was beautiful. She was wearing cut off shorts and a tight white t-shirt. Her waist length blonde hair was loose down her back, she had big blue eyes and long lashes that swept her cheeks when she blinked. He was not expecting Jason Stackhouses sister to be a soft, curvy, sexy woman.

"Sook! I missed ya!" Jason yelled and ran to her sweeping her up in a big hug while Eric tried to figure out how he could have never entertained that Jasons sister was a hottie.

"I missed you too." She said and Eric noticed she had one of those soft, calm, girl voices.

"How was the trip?" Jason asked

"It was a bus." She said with a shrug. "Who is this?" She asked pointing to Eric who was still staring at her trying to weigh how bad it would be for his living situation if he tried to seduce her.

"Oh, Sorry. This is my Roommate Eric Northman, he's pre med." Jason said making introductions.

"Hi, I'm Sookie. It's nice to meet you." She said, and held out her hand to him. He took it and shook it giving her an excited smile.

"It's nice to meet you too." He said, deciding he definitely couldn't seduce her. He and Jason had planned to live together again next year already because they got along pretty well. He could still enjoy the hot girl environment she gave off.

"Pre med, so you're gonna be a Doctor?" Sookie asked, genuinely interested in him.

"Yeah, my parents are doctors, my grandfather was a doctor, my sister is going to be a doctor too. She wants to do plastic surgery." Eric said, reaching forward and taking her bags from her. Putting her duffel on Jasons stripped bed, and her purse on top of the mini fridge.

"Eric, I'm gonna go put these in the laundry I'll be right back." Jason said, as he scooped up all the bedding. Sookie went and sat on Jasons bed kicking her feet a little. Eric went and sat on his bed facing her and they just looked at each other for a moment.

"What kind of doctor do you want to be?" Sookie asked.

"I want to be a family practitioner like my Mom is. My Dad is an Orthopedic surgeon, but I always thought what my Mom does is cooler. She gets to know her patients long term, and treat them on a whole. She recently just had a patient she took on as a baby bring her own baby in. Thats cool to me, treating multiple generations of the same family." Eric said speaking with passion that made Sookie smile too.

"Thats amazing, you'll make a really good doctor. I can tell by the way you talk about it." Sookie said sincerely.

"I really hope so. So what do you like to do?" Eric asked.

"Ummm I like laying in the sun, and reading…" Eric interrupted her.

"Favorite book?"

"gullivers travels." She said her face lighting up. "Whats yours?" She asked back.

"I'm trying to decide if I was to seem smart and cool, or be honest…" Eric chuckled and looked at his feet.

"Honesty, always." Sookie said crossing her ankles and leaning back on her arms.

"The wheel of time series. I really like fantasy." He said with an uncharacteristic blush.

"I've never read that. Is it like lord of the rings?" Sookie asked.

"Its even better." Eric said and reached to the book shelf behind his bed and pulled out the first book in the series. "Here, just mail it back when you're done, and I'll send you the next one. Trust me, you'll want it." He grinned.

"Really?" He nodded. "Thank you. I'll take good care of it. I promise." She smiled and slipped the book in her purse.

"I believe you. Also, I know where your brother lives." He smirked and she laughed. He liked her laugh.

"Okay, I'm back. I saw Crystal down there and she's gonna switch it for me when it's done. Want to go to dinner Sook? We were thinking you'd want to maybe try something new, like Sushi or something." Jason said. Eric rolled his eyes at the mention of Crystal. She was Jasons number one fan, and a massive clinger. Eric also thought she was a stupid bitch, but he didn't say that one out loud.

"Who's crystal?" Sookie asked.

"Just a girl who lives down the hall." Jason said dismissively. "So sushi?" Jason asked again.

"Umm, yeah. Should I change?" She asked.

"No, you're good its casual." Eric said standing up grabbing his Nokia phone off the charger and his wallet. Sookie grabbed her purse, and they all walked out of the dorms.

"I'll drive, we'll go to that sushi train place so she can try a bunch of things." Eric said. Jason just shrugged and they walked to Erics car which was a Nissan sedan. Jason got in the front passenger seat walking ahead of them. Eric opened the door for Sookie like a gentleman. Eric was getting the idea that Jason didn't know his sister very well at all, at this point.

"So how is football?" Sookie asked Jason.

"It's good, theres a big focus on conditioning. I'm feeling really good." Jason said and went on a bend about football and the program there the whole way to the restaurant. When they got there Eric opened Sookies door again, and offered her his hand. Making her blush. Eric was being more polite, and gentlemanly than any date she had ever been on. They walked in and found a table. Sookie and Eric sat on the same side, Jason across from them. Sookie had never used chopsticks before. she and Eric were laughing as she tried to learn how to use them. She had tried a few pieces of sushi so far on Eric's recommendations. Jason was trying to get his monies worth out of the phrase all you can eat.

"Well well well." A tall, well groomed blonde woman said standing across from their table. Eric smiled widely and said.

"Sookie, this is my older sister Pam. We haven't been here long, do you want to join us?" He asked her.

"Sure, why not." Pam said shoving Jason over, and sitting across from Sookie.

"Sookie is Jasons twin sister." Eric said finishing the introductions. Pam smirked. Her brother obviously had a little crush on his roommates sister. Eric is very handsome, and he knows it. He tends to be unimpressed by the attention he gets. Pam had to see what his interest was in this girl he was giggling with at sushi train.

"It's nice to meet you." Sookie said extending her hand to pam. which pam took, and softly kissed the back of and gave back. Eric's face fell at that. He didn't like his sister hitting on Sookie, usually he didn't care because he didn't tend to want whatever hanger on was in his orbit at the time and she could have them, but for some reason the idea of Pam poaching Sookie off of him pissed him off.

"And you too." Pam said suppressing a laugh looking at her brothers face after she did a little shit disturbing.

"Eric says you want to be a plastic surgeon." Sookie said with a smile, before she turned to thank Eric who had picked another piece of sushi for her to try. She popped it in her mouth and nodded. "Yum" She smiled after she finished, and turned back to Pam. Eric stretched his arm out across the seat behind Sookie. Almost dropping his fingers to her shoulder, but then pulled back and stayed on the back of the booth. A nervous move that wasn't missed by Pam.

"I do, we come from a long line of doctors. You don't need anything done though. You are exquisite." Pam said with a wink, in a sultry tone that made Sookie giggle and blush.

"You still only munching carpets, Pam?" Jason asked and Sookie gasped.

"Jesus Christ, Jason. Did college make you go brain dead? My God…. Rude." Sookie chastised him and Eric couldn't suppress his laugh at her reaction.

"It's fine, Yes I'm still a lesbian. Its a static state of being for me." Pam said with a wide grin.

"So if you start getting better reception, you'll be into guys again?" Jason asked. Pam squinted her eyes and quirked her head confused.

"Jason, static in this context isn't like on the TV. It means it doesn't change." Sookie said sounding embarrassed. Eric licked his lips and looked at her. She was pretty and smart. He really really liked her. Pam needed to step off.

"Oh yeah, I knew that." Jason said and went back to eating. Sookie turned her head to Eric and mouthed 'no he didn't.'. And bit her lip. Eric laughed quietly and picked a piece of sashimi for her to try. He picked it up with his chopsticks and fed it to her.

"Oh, I liked that." Sookie said making little appreciative moaning noises. Eric nearly lost it when she exaggeratedly crossed her eyes. She was too cute.

"Do you go to Tulane also, or are you at the University of New Orleans?" Pam asked.

"I don't go to college, I'm just visiting Jason." Sookie said, a hint of sadness in her voice. And it was pretty sad. Eric could see she was the smarter one between her and Jason.

"Oh what a shame, you're smart." Pam said sincerely.

"Our Gran is older. She cant work, and social security doesn't cover her bills. Jason got a scholarship, so it wasn't even a discussion." Sookie said with a shrug.

"Well, you can go later after he graduates." Pam said.

"Probably not. The average cost of a year in a public university is 27k. I would have to take out student loans which have 6-9% interest rates. Compound interest at that. So I would have 108k minimum in student loans when I was finished. So post graduation my monthly minimum loan payment would be almost $1,200. The average yearly wage WITH a college degree in Louisiana is just shy of 67k. So after I pay my federal, state, and my student loans before we even discuss health insurance or anything like that I would actually bring home about $3,700. I make $3,000 a month as a waitress at a truck stop. It's not glamorous work, but a hypothetical $700 a month raise isn't enough for me to take on high interest loans like that. Too much risk, too little guarantee on a return on my investment. Thats all just making minimum payments, not really paying it down." Sookie said in a very no nonsense way. Eric just looked turned on and dropped his hand to her shoulder. Pam's mouth was hanging open, and she sputtered a little before she said.

"It really is a shame your intellect is being pay walled."

"I have access to the library. I can learn anything I want to learn on my own. I'm just not gonna get a fancy certificate for my efforts." Sookie said with a shrug and leaned back a little into Eric who wasn't even being shy about putting his arm around her now. He really really liked her, and he wanted her to know it. He could find a new roommate. Jason seemed to be completely oblivious to the entire conversation now that it wasn't about lesbians or football.

"Jason, what are you going to major in?" Pam asked him

"Sociology or maybe History." He said. Eric, Pam and Sookie all cringed at the same time.

"What are you going to do with that?" Pam asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but once you have the degrees the jobs just come." Jason said and kept eating. Sookie looked up at Eric with a pained face to match his, and put on a strained smile.

"Yup, well…. You just need to keep that 3.5gpa and keep your scholarship. Keep emailing me your papers and other assignments to review so you can keep up the grades." Sookie said sternly.

"Yeah, that rework you did on that English lit paper saved my ass. You practically rewrote it" Jason said, before turning to Pam and saying. "Can I get out? I gotta take a leak." Pam stood and let him out, then sat back down. Eric pinched Sookies thigh, and pulled her closer to him by her shoulder and quietly asked.

"Are you doing his work to get him to keep his scholarship?"

"You can't tell anyone!" Sookie whisper yelled. "He got the scholarship, not me. If we have to work together to get him that degree so be it. It's important, Eric. We're from a town of 750 people. Our Gran is in her 80's, she isn't going to live forever. When she's gone I want to at least have a chance of getting out and getting something better for myself."

"And you're letting him pick sociology or history?" Pam said disgusted.

"No, I'm not letting him pick. He picks on his own. I cant overtly be like oh hey, you're about as sharp as a marble, so let me back end your college degree. He still has to get a job after this. He cant be getting an engineering degree or something. Do you want to drive on a bridge he worked on?" Sookie, said to Pam with a snap. Eric just chuckled and started rubbing her shoulder with his hand. Not a move she didn't notice. She looked at his hand, then at him. He just raised an eyebrow. she smiled and didn't say anything to fight it.

"As sharp as a marble. She's funny Eric." Pam snickered.

"I noticed." He smiled at her. "How did you not get an academic scholarship?" Eric asked.

"I've been working full time to make ends meet since I was 15. Football ain't cheap, and our Gran had a heart attack when we were freshmen in high school. I had a hard time staying awake in school so my grades weren't very good." Sookie admitted.

"You are a testament to the principal that education, and intelligence don't always correlate." Pam said shaking her head.

"If Jason can get his degree my chances getting out of Bon Temps are way higher. I'm not saying I don't want to get married and have kids eventually. I just don't want that to be all I'm good for, and be stuck with a guy like Bill Compton." Sookie said seriously.

"Who is Bill Compton?" Eric asked feeling a little surge of jealousy.

"I know you don't know him, but trust me. He is a prison sentence to whoever gets stuck with him. Unfortunately, he currently has eyes for me, and I would rather sit bare assed on a wasps nest than go on a date with him." Sookie said.

"Bare assed on a wasps nest…." Pam said roaring with laughter. "Oh my, marry me." Pam said wistfully. Eric giving her the dirtiest of dirty looks.

"I'm sorry, I'm straight. Not even mildly curious." Sookie said with a smile, and Eric hugged her to him again.

"I'm back." Jason said, not even registering that Eric had practically pulled Sookie into his lap at this point.

"I gotta get back. I have to do some reading for my class tomorrow. Eric here, said he'd keep you company until I get back." Jason said.

"Well ain't that nice." Sookie said laying on her Southern accent thick.

"I thought so, Eric is a real nice guy." Jason said. Taking a sip of his drink.

"I aim to please." Eric said his hand now trailing up and down her thigh. Moving far higher than nice guy territory.

"I can see that." Sookie smiled.

"Well, I can take the bus back. You can keep hanging out with Pam and Eric if you want. Eric can get you back in the dorms after they lock the doors." Jason said nudging Pam to get out again and waving to them before he headed out to do his work.

"See, he at least tries to do the work. He's trying. It's just if brains were dynamite, he couldn't blow his nose." Sookie said and Pam started dying laughing again.

"You are awesome." Eric said as he leaned down and nuzzled into her neck making her giggle.

"Come back to my apartment. We will 'keep hanging out'." Pam said using air quotes. Eric paid and they went to their cars, Eric following Sookie.

"Listen, I really like you. I know we don't live anywhere near each other, so we cant date. which fucking sucks, but I really really like you and I'm going to want to stay in touch after this weekend." Eric said just laying it all out there.

"I really like you too. I want to stay in touch for sure. I don't have a cell phone, but we can work something out. I check my email at the library almost every day. my Gran takes her hearing aids out and goes to bed around 9 every night. I have to mail your book back." She said with a wide smiled. Eric took her hand and held it while he drove.

"That makes me happier than a pig in shit." Eric said trying his best southern accent making Sookie laugh.

"Well would you look at this Yankee…" Sookie teased making him smile. He parked in the guest parking and walked up to Pams apartment. She had left the door ajar for them. Pam's apartment was neat and neutral. Everything was tope.

"Your home is lovely." Sookie said politely.

"Her home looks like and asylum." Eric snickered, and pointed for her to remove her shoes and take a pair of disposable slippers.

"Come, I have libations." Pam said waving them into her living room and wheeling over a bar cart.

"What would you like?" Pam asked.

"I'm 19. I have no idea." Sookie said with a smile.

"You will get….. a gin and tonic. For you Eric?" Pam asked.

"I am also 19, do you have beer?" Eric asked leaning back, putting his arm back around Sookie and lounging back while pam made Sookies drink.

"No I do not have beer, you animal. You get scotch on the rocks." Pam said tartly. Handing Sookie her drink.

"Is this all a Michigan thing?" Sookie asked.

"No, Pam just turned 21 two weeks ago, and she lives in the most over the top way possible, at all times." Eric said with a smile and Pam tutted at him.

"Oh, this tastes like Christmas." Sookie said. Offering Eric a sip.

"Mmm festive." Eric said nodding. Pam handed him his glass. he took a drink that was probably a tad too big for a sipping drink, and Eric cringed.

"Can you taste the oak?" Pam asked enthusiastically.

"Not really." Eric said handing his glass to sookie. she also gave a little guahh noise when she tasted it.

"Hmm… its aged in oak." Pam said holding the bottle up to read it again. She made herself a dirty martini.

"Soooooo, I will assume you have no boyfriend back home since you are all over my brother." Pam said with a raised eyebrow.

"I do not, I have never had a boyfriend. My options are slim pickings. I also didn't want to get stuck there by entertaining the local population." Sookie said and Eric smiled.

"Wise, Eric is also unattached. I was actually quite baffled to see him flirting. Thats why I came to meet you, and try to steal you from out from under him." Pam said with a smirk Eric rolled his eyes at Pam and said.

"I have goals. Becoming a doctor takes 11 years. I don't want to mess up my timeline for people who aren't going to be worth my time long term." Eric explained.

"Ambitious, nice." Sookie said.

"How are you two going to play this?" Pam asked taking a sip of her drink.

"We're going to stay in touch. We can't date, we don't live near each other, but we agreed we like one another, and we're going to see how it goes." Sookie said, not folding under Pam's weirdness at all. That alone impressed Eric.

"Well, in that case." Pam threw back the rest of her drink, and pushed her bar cart back to the wall. "I'm going out to go see Claudine. I will be kicking you out in three hours. Enjoy." With that, she grabbed her purse, put her shoes on and walked out of the apartment.

"Want to make out?" Eric asked.

"Oh I really do." Sookie said with a smile. he leaned down to kiss her. After about an hour of kissing, Eric was on top of her, his hands up her shirt, one wandered down to rub her through her shorts.

"Wait." Sookie said and Eric shot his hand up away from her.

"Sorry." He whispered and kissed at her neck

"No, I just umm. I haven't had sex, and I'm not going to with you. not tonight at least." She said feeling embarrassed.

"I have had sex twice before, but I wasn't looking to do that with you, not tonight at least." He said winking at her.

"Okay, as long as we both know the lines." She said happily.

"Can I go down on you? I really like doing that." Eric asked looking her in the eyes which unnerved her a little.

"No one has done that to me before. I was fingered once, but it just kind of hurt." Sookie said, really enjoying their frank communication.

"It shouldn't hurt." Eric said looking slightly concerned.

"I know, but I don't think he knew what he was supposed to be doing." She said bashfully.

"Can I try?" Eric asked, looking absolutely adorable.

"Does that make me a slut? I just met you a few hours ago."

"I don't think so personally, but you can say no and we will just go back to kissing. I will be just as happy." Eric said truthfully.

"Okay, but if you ever meet my friend Tara don't tell her I did this. Her Daddy is the Pastor." Sookie said while Eric started pulling her shorts down.

"Of course, I only planned on telling your Grandmother." Eric teased as she playfully swatted him, but froze and gasped when his face went down to her slit.

A few hours, Sookies first orgasm and a hand job later. They were both naked on the floor of Pams living room giggling.

"That was something." She laughed.

"Good use of your grandmothers, and church ladies gift." Eric snickered. She covered her face and laughed too.

"We should get dressed." Sookie said.

"We should, but just one more…." Eric rubbed his face between her boobs making her laugh, and arch as he motor boated her. "Okay perfect, now we can get dressed." He said and handed her her panties, shorts and shirt. They had to do some hunting for her bra and Eric's shirt. Pam walked in just as Eric was pulling his shirt on.

"I see you made use of your time." Pam smirked.

"We have to go." Eric said, pulling Sookie out of Pams apartment, and down to his car as fast as he could. They were laughing the entire time

"We're a couple of nasty sluts." Sookie said shaking her head with a smile as he drove making him laugh again.

"I'm going to miss you so much when you leave." Eric sighed looking over at her.

2005 hurricane Katrina evacuation

"Welcome to our Home, Pam… Eric. I'm so glad Jason brought you here to evacuate. I worry this storm will take a turn." Gran said as she welcomed Jason, Pam and Eric in. They had evacuated a day before the official deadline. Pam and Eric's parents wanted to fly them home, but they were worried they wouldn't be able to get back in for when the campus opens back up on September first. They calmed down when Eric told them Jason is from the northern part of the state and would stay with his grandmother.

Eric left out that said grandmothers house also held his not girlfriend, who is also sort of his girlfriend, that he's positive he's in love with, and he brought a necklace with their initials engraved on it that he hopes she doesn't reject when he gives it to her. He hadn't seen her since the end of last year when he dropped Jason off on his way back to Michigan for the summer. They emailed almost daily, Talked on the phone any day that Sookie didn't work overnights, they were mailing books back and forth to each other to read. Was he missing the insane blow job she had given him when he dropped of Jason? Absolutely. He mostly just missed her, because she had slowly become his best friend.

"Where is Sookie?" Jason asked tossing his stuff down. He still had no idea anything was going on between Eric and Sookie. As sookie would say, he's so dumb he couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.

"She drove to Monroe to get supplies. Sam gave her over a week off because he knows unsavories will be driving through on account of the storm. That man is so in love with her." Gran said shaking her head. Eric went tense, and looked hurt. Pam touched his back and asked.

"Sam is her boss?"

"He's 34, Gran he ain't got no business sniffing round Sookie. Especially when she's been working for him since she was 15. He's nasty." Jason said tossing his bag into a room at the end of the hall, Eric relaxed.

"He could take good care of her, Jason!" Gran chided and rolled her eyes.

"Pam, you will be upstairs with Sookie. Her room is just off the stairs. Eric you will be sharing with Jason." Gran instructed. They went to go and get settled. Sookie came back about two hours later.

"I'm back!" Sookie called.

"What took so long?" Gran asked.

"Bill Compton saw me and insisted on following me through the entire store, and home." Grans Mouth dropped and she barely had time to school her face before Bill walked in with a bunch of bags.

"Hello William." Gran said, she didn't care for Bill.

"Hello Mrs. Stackhouse." Bill said with a bow.

"Eric! Come here darling, your girlfriend is back."Gran called and Sookie just decided to lean in and ran to Eric jumping into his arms. playing along and whispered 'go with it'. In his ear.

"I missed you so much." Eric said honestly.

"I missed you too, so so much." Sookie said back holding him tightly. Eric walked over with Sookie latched to his front and said.

"She arrived, Gran."

"Finally, she ran into Bill Compton while she was out." Gran said.

"Thanks for seeing her home safe." Eric said, and extended his hand to Bill who looked disgusted, but shook it.

"Yes, well….. where are you from?" Bill asked.

"Michigan, but I go to Tulane with Jason." Eric said. Sookie laying her head on his shoulder.

"I didn't know Sookie was courting anyone." Bill sputtered.

"Well, I don't know who she's courting, but she's my girlfriend." Eric said wanting to laugh at his use of the term courting. What year is he from with his mutton chops.

"Well, I must be going. Susannah, I will call upon you later." Bill said with an annoyed wave and left.

"Susannah?" Eric asked, still holding her.

"Sookie is usually a nick name for Susannah." Sookie explained.

"But it's not for Sookie, thats just her name. I hate that boy." Gran seethed, walking over, and disengaged Sookie from Eric to put some space between them.

"What did Bill do to make you hate him?" Eric asked, just wanting to know so he doesn't do the same thing.

"He forced himself on Jessica Hamby while they dated. He denied is wasn't consensual, but we all know Jessica. She's not that kind of girl. He's two faced with his fake southern charm. Disgusting." Gran seethed. "Thank you for helping, maybe thinking she has a beau will get him to pick someone else to follow around."

"Want Jason, and I to kick his ass while we're here?" Eric asked, not a hint of joking.

"Just don't get caught." Gran said and walked away.

"Eric, help me get the rest of the stuff out of the car." Sookie said and Eric followed her out. She dragged him into the tree line and kissed him deeply.

"I really did miss you." She said when he pulled away.

"I do want you to be my girlfriend, Sookie. I know we are long distance, and we only see each other like twice a year, but I want the title. I want you. We can figure the rest out." He said and reached into his pocket and pulled out the little gold heart necklace with E and S engraved on it along with the nordic rune for love on the back.

"Oh Eric…." Sookie said looking at the necklace.

"Is that a yes?" He asked with a smile.

"Yeah, lets just be together and figure it out later." She was floating on air while he clasped the necklace on her, flipping the rune facing out.

"SOOKIE… ERIC WHERE ARE YOU?" Gran hollered. They walked out of the woods and sookie said.

"I though I saw Bill skulking in there. Sorry Gran."

"Well lets get a move on, I need to cook whats in the ice box before we lose power." Gran said. Eric and Sookie carried in the cases of water and groceries sneaking meaningful looks. Pam spotted the necklace she helped Eric get made on Sookie and she smiled.

"Sookie….. I see a development has been made." Pam coo'ed when Sookie went upstairs to bring up fresh towels for Pam, and help her make up the trundle bed in her room.

"Yeah, we're developing." Sookie giggled.

"Come home with us for Christmas, well not on Christmas. I really like you Gran I wouldn't want to ruin her holiday, but maybe after Christmas over the break. You should meet out parents. My father would find you fascinating." Pam said a little too excited.

"I cant just go to Michigan, first I cant afford to get there. Second, I cant explain that to my Gran and Jason." Sookie said almost defeated. She did want to go see Eric and meet his family over the holiday.

"Well, fess up now. Why sneak around when you are official?" Pam asked.

"What if Jason freaks out?" Sookie asked.

"What if Jason drowns taking a drink of water?" Pam said looking unimpressed. "5'9" vs. 6'5", I think Eric is safe." Pam said rolling her eyes.

"It's Eric's living situation. I don't want to mess that up for him. Jason is an ideal roommate. Keeps his stuff in his areas, pays for his half of the food, doesn't touch Erics stuff, doesn't snore, doesn't come in drunk in the middle of the night, they generally tend to get along. Good roommates are hard to find!" Sookie whisper yelled.

"Lets just run it past Eric. Call him up here." Pam said casually.

"I'm not allowed to have boys in my room." Sookie said.

"You are 20." Pam said looking weirded out.

"It's my Grans house, her rules." Sookie said.

"Don't you pay all the bills for this house?" Pam shot back.

"Pam, now is not the time to grandstand with my Gran if I'm about to expose Eric as my boyfriend." Sookie said crossing her arms annoyed.

"Well, lets go find him." Pam said.

"Wait, I have an idea." Sookie said and went and hung down the stairs. "Gran, I'm trying to get in the attic to try to get out the old box of candles and hurricane lamps, but I cant get it open." Sookie waited, and She soon saw Eric heading up the stairs. She grinned and went back to Pam.

"Why did she send Eric and not Jason." Pam asked.

"Jason cant reach the pull on the attic door either. I usually get on his shoulders to get in there." Sookie smiled feeling proud of herself.

"You needed my height?" Eric said looking smug as he stretched, and mock grabbed at high things.

"You nerd." She teased.

"Sookie, get to the point." Pam rolled her eyes.

"Come open the attic we need to discuss something… alone. Pam, please go judge my decor or something." Sookie said looking at Pam.

"I already did, but I guess I can do it again." Pam said sounding put upon, but she was smiling. Sookie looked to Eric and showed him the door to the attic ,and he opened it, pulling down the ladder and followed her up. Happy for another burst of alone time. He instantly started kissing her, and she responded for a minute before she remembered why they were there.

"Wait wait." She said breathlessly.

"My hands were nowhere near your pussy." He said with a laugh, and she swatted him.

"You dirty slut." She teased. "Pam said I should come see you in Michigan after Christmas, and meet your family. I cant do that unless, first you pay for me to come…." Eric interrupted her.

"Done, I'll buy the ticket right now. Point me to a computer." He said looking excited.

"Second, I can't go unless Gran and Jason know where I'm going and why. Pam says since we are official, we should just say we're together. I don't want to mess up your living situation though. I know you and Jason want to get an apartment together next year." Sookie said. Eric scooted away from her and down the ladder.

"Eric, wait! Where are you going?" Sookie whisper yelled as he headed to the stairs. Pam flew out of Sookies room following with giddy excitement, making tiny claps with her hands. Eric went down the stairs taking them two at a time, before half running after he hit the landing into the kitchen where Gran and Jason were standing. Sookie moving as fast as possible to keep up.

"Jay?" Eric said getting his attention.

"Sup?" Jason asked not looking up from the green beans Gran had him cleaning.

"I'm dating Sookie, we were calling and writing emails for the last year. I stayed in town 3 days at a hotel when I dropped you off at the end of last year just to have some time with her. We're 100% official now, and we will just live with the distance. I love her." Eric said just laying it all out for him.

"Yeah, I mean… that makes sense. You're a nice guy it's not like you're running through girls. I see you coming and going. If you two have been working on this for a year already, and I haven't seen you with anyone else other than… oh gross!" Jason yelled and looked at Sookie with his face contorted in disgust. "You were the phone sex chick!" Jason yelled and pointed at her. Sookie gasped and covered her face. Eric just bit his lip, closed his eyes and turned his face. Gran was standing RIGHT THERE. Pam was cackling in the door way loving the drama of it all.

"I have not been with anyone but sookie in any way since I met her." Eric said tightly trying to salvage this.

"How do you have sex on the phone?" Gran finally asked, just confused. She wasn't angry or bothered. Sookie was an adult and it wasn't like anyone around there was going to be enough for her. She always knew Sookie was bigger than Bon Temps.

"What?" Sookie gasped.

"How do you have phone sex? I don't understand how that works." Gran said again, Eric turned and faced Sookie looking horrified, but then Pam started talking and made everything a million times worse.

"It's when you discuss the sex acts you want to do together, then mutually masturbate while on the phone." Pams said. Sookie screamed, and collapsed on the floor hiding her face.

"PAMELA NO!" Eric yelled

"Ewwwww, thats my sister." Jason groaned.

"Oh well, whatever gets your rocks off. You're all adults. I got brought home by the police when I was 16 after I got caught having sex with Fintan Brignat between two cars in the parking lot of the piggly wiggly." Gran said and Sookie screamed again. Jason made a heaving noise. Eric whipped around, and stared his mouth hanging open. Pam was grinning and asked.

"What position were you using?"

"Pam no!" Eric said again.

"Hands and knees, him behind. He laid down his coat for me to kneel on first though because he was a gentleman." Gran said. Jason just walked out of the door and the house. Sookie started trying to army drag herself out of the room groaning. Eric strode over, picked her up and held her limp body under his arm and went to walk out of the front door.

"That one is called doggy style these days." Pam said walking over to Gran to take over doing what Jason was before.

"Interesting." Gran nodded.

"Do you have more stories?" Pam asked.

"Oh do I! I was the town bicycle back in those days. My husband proposed after the first time I gave him a blow job." Gran said with a wistful smile.

"Wonderful, tell me more." Pam grinned and listened eagerly.

"Okay, So I had a friend named Sophie and her twin cousins came to visit for the summer from Germany. Sigbert and Wybert. Anyway, I went to call on her one day, but she had gone to the city with her mother for the day. Well, We were there all alone and I didn't have anything else to do that day and I figured, why not…" Gran started and Pam listened entranced while Gran described having a 3some and anal with a set of German twins because she had a free afternoon when she was 19.

That night after everyone had gone to bed, and a very very tense dinner for everyone other than Pam and Gran who it turned out had a mutual love of awkward situations everyone gave up for the night. Sookie waited until Pam's breathing evened out then snuck out of bed. She was sliding down the banister because the steps creek when She almost yelped when Eric caught her at the bottom and lifted her off the banister like it was nothing and kissed her.

"I see we had the same thought." Sookie whispered.

"Where can we go?" Eric asked her and she took his hand and quietly led him to a door on the other side of the house in the living room. Sookie unlocked it using an old skeleton key and pulled him in, locking the door again behind her.

"This was my Grandpas study. That couch pulls out to a day bed." Sookie said still whispering.

"Really, a bed." Eric said walking over and looking at it, finding the mechanism to make it pull out. He looked at her with a smug smile and held his arms out to her to summon her to him.

"Mmmhmmm, a bed. For us to have sex on." Sookie said and started to pull on his shirt.

"I don't have condoms." Eric whispered excitedly.

"I got on the pill after you dropped off Jason, and I stashed condoms in here when you guys agreed to weather the hurricane here. We have plans so I thought two fold protection was best." She breathed pulling off his shirt, him doing the same with her.

"Quite the little planner, aren't you?" He said teasingly.

"I am, does it turn you on?" Sookie asked and slid his pants off. Eric clearly already ready to go.

"More than it should. You know what else makes me hard?" He whispered, pushing down her sleep shorts and pulling her to him running his nose on her neck.

"What?" She asked her breath hitching when he bit a little.

"When you send my books back with passages highlighted and little notes in the margins." He said and kissed her laying her on the bed before he continued. "I knew I was in love with you when I read your note in the back of the great Gatsby that you didn't think was about the follies of recapturing a time already past, but rather that it was all an illusion to begin with and never really existed at all."

"I hated that book." She breathed and kissed him as his hands rubbed over her.

"I noticed." He chuckled.

"It was cliche when it was written and it's a cliche now." She whispered as she wrapped her hand around him sliding it up and down making him hiss.

"I love you so fucking much." He growled.

"I love you too… So much." She breathed and they didn't speak again, not really. They just gave into their first time and committing to the start of everything they wanted with each other. Obstacles be damned.

The actual hurricane started the next day, the winds and rain hit them in the evening. They lost power pretty early, but they figured that would happen. They stayed up pretty late downstairs together playing board games with flashlights after Gran retired. Sookie and Pam went upstairs to go to bed and the boys were putting everything away when it happened.

The winds were whipping and a huge tree gave way and fell into the house. Crushing the upstairs and going through, hanging over the stairs. Eric and Jason both jumped into action. The winds were howling, and the rain beating in through the hole in the roof. Gran ran out screaming asking where Pam and Sookie were.

"They're up there!" Eric yelled over the wind. Jason was shorter so Eric gave him a boost to reach the railing on the landing to pull himself up to the second floor. Eric just jumped a little and pulled himself up. They found Pam screaming from behind the tree in the doorway of the bathroom but unhurt.

"We need a saw!" Eric yelled. Jason nodded and went back over the railing and ran outside to the shed, danger of running through a hurricane be damned.

"Where is Sookie?" Eric yelled to Pam who was now just hysterical.

"She was laying in her bed!" Pam yelled back. Eric looked at where her room was crushed by the worst of it. The rain beating on his face and he just stared in horror for a few seconds before he started climbing over the limbs of the tree to get to Sookie. He saw her bed, and finally a splay of wet blonde hair.

"Sookie!" He called. He saw her weakly lift a hand and breathed a sigh of relief. She was alive. He climbed his way to her and took in how bad it was. There was a branch piercing through her body. Her shoulder was pinned to the bed by it. It had gone through her and all the way through the mattress.

"You're going to be okay! Jason is getting a saw to cut you out!" Eric yelled over the storm and grabbed a plastic school folder that was next to them to try to keep the rain off her face.

"Pam?" She croaked.

"She's fine, just stuck in the bathroom. Gran and Jason are okay too." He said trying to keep her from going into shock.

"Can you feel your legs?" He asked trying to gauge if she had spinal injuries. They had to move her either way.

"I can move them." She said weakly wiggling her legs. He assessed everything else. It looked like the branch going through her and a cut on her head were the primary injuries.

"Pam is out! Is Sookie okay?" Jason yelled from behind the tree.

"She's pinned! We have to cut her out and carry her! Did you call 911?" Eric yelled as Jason started climbing to them with the saw. Cutting a path as he went.

"They said to sit tight! No one can get here." Jason yelled.

"She needs a hospital, as fast as possible. She's losing blood!." Eric yelled back.

"We'll have to drive her ourselves. We don't have a hospital in town. Closest one is 40 minutes away in Shreveport!" Jason yelled as he finally got to them and his eyes went wide with horror when he saw the condition Sookie was in. He quickly schooled his face and said.

"Oh, that ain't that bad. Stop being dramatic, Sook." Eric saw her give a little smile, which gave him hope.

"I'll hold the branch still and you cut. We have to leave it in her of she will bleed out before we can get to the hospital!." Eric yelled and grabbed the branch to hold it steady, and Jason started sawing through it. When she was finally free, Eric lifted the other branches as much as he could so Jason could pull her out. She cried out in pain when they did, but finally she was free. Eric looked at the blood pool on the mattress that had been below her and knew they didn't have much time. Eric and Jason carried her out, Eric went down the landing first so Jason could hand Sookie down as gently as possible, but it wasn't pretty. Gran was sobbing when She saw Sookie, Pam holding her up.

"I'll drive my granddaddies truck in front, I can plow things out of the way. You and Pam follow behind me!" Jason yelled as they carried Sookie out together, and got her in the back seat of Pams car which was bigger than his because she drove a Nissan Xtera."

"Gran , get in the truck! We're punching a route to the hospital!" Jason yelled and helped her into the large diesel truck.

"Pam, Drive. Follow them close." Eric said and got in the back seat with Sookie. Not sure what to do. He took his phone out called his Dad and put it on speaker phone.

"Eric, are you okay?" His father answered concerned because the time of night it was.

"Pam and I are fine, I need you to listen and only answer my questions. A tree hit the house. Sookie was ran through with a branch. We just got her out and are 40 minutes from the hospital. She is losing a lot of blood, tell me what to do." Eric said sounding far calmer than he should have been.

"You're driving in a hurricane!" His mother yelled.

"MY GIRLFRIEND IS BLEEDING OUT, FUCKING FOCUS!" He yelled into the phone.

"Where is the branch?" His father asked.

"Right shoulder, above her pectoral, through the clavicle." Eric said.

"All the way through?" His father asked.

"Yes." Eric replied.

"Find the subclavian artery, tell me when you have it." His father said, also completely calm.

"I… I have it." Eric replied.

"Take 3 fingers and push down on it, hard. It might hurt her, but you need to clamp off the artery." His father said. Eric did as he was told and Sookie cried out in pain.

"I did it." Eric said.

"Okay, do not move your hand. Even when you get to the hospital. Not until they are ready to clamp it. Has the bleeding slowed?" His father asked. Eric looked and it had stopped pooling.

"Yes."

"How far from the hospital are you?" His father asked.

"20 minutes probably." Eric said as he saw Jason absolutely plow through a downed tree.

"Is she in shock?" His father asked.

"She's shaking, we're all wet." Eric explained.

"Do you have anything you can put over her? Keep her warm." His dad asked.

"Here." Pam said reaching next to her in the passenger seat and handing him her white leather jacket. He grabbed it with his free hand and placed it over Sookie as best he could.

"Is she awake?" His Dad asked.

"Sookie, hey… look at me." Eric said shaking her a little.

"Ughhhhh." She moaned, but looked at him.

"You need to stay awake." Eric told her

"Am I dying?" Sookie said her voice trembling with her body.

"No honey, you aren't dying." Erics Dad said through the phone. "It's so nice to meet you, Sookie. Aude and I have heard so much from Eric and Pam."

"How… do do do…. You do." Sookie sputtered, Eric shook his head. Always the southern belle.

"A bit better than you right now, I think." Eric's father joked.

"I know you like literature, tell me your most controversial literary opinion." His father said trying to help keep her awake.

"Shakespeare is overrated, and obviously written by more than one person." She said shakily. And Eric laughed, he disagreed and thought writing styles varying over time could just be from progress, it didn't mean different people wrote it. They had argued this before.

"That is a controversial opinion." His father laughed

"Dad, we're here." Eric said as he saw Jason lead them to the ambulance bay and jump out of the truck to get help.

"Okay, call me back." His father said and hung up. A team with a gurney ran out and Eric explained her was pinching her artery and she had lost a ton of blood.

"She's B positive!" Jason called out to them as they ran past with her. Eric kneeling on the gurney with her still holding her artery shut.

"Oh Jesus hold her." Gran sobbed, leaning on Pam and Jason.

"I don't want to be a doctor anymore." Pam said still crying. She did not have the calm in a storm demeanor for it, and frankly she didn't want to hold lives in her hands like that.

Eric was barking out the facts about the extraction, and his other assessment of injuries and noted concerns about internal trauma because of where the tree hit her, as they got ready to clamp her artery so he could move. This was it for him, this was his 'I NEED to be a doctor' moment his father had once told him about. Any doubts he was following his parents dreams and not his own flew out the window in that moment when he watched the ER doctor adeptly find the artery and put a clamp on it as soon as he moved his hand.

They sat together in the waiting room for several hours. Eric had called his father back and told him everything that happened in the ER. To anyone but his father his enthusiasm would have been seen as crazy, but his father got it. He had his HELL YEAH moment when he was just a bit younger than Eric. He was in his first year on college and hadn't declared a major yet, but he witnessed a car accident and helped. He was doing CPR on the passenger when it had hit him that HE wanted to be a doctor, it wasn't because his father had been one. It's why he insisted his kids do their undergrads at Tulane. It had been where his inspiration had struck him, as well as where he had met their mother.

"Are you the family of Sookie Stackhouse?" A small older doctor asked. She had a taller dark haired doctor with her who was pretty young. Probably fresh out of residency.

"We are." Gran said jumping up.

"Well, I'll start with, she's going to be fine. She lost a lot of blood, but whoever pinched her artery saved her life. She had a lot of damage to her upper chest and shoulder, and will require further surgeries, her rehab will be extensive, but I think she will make a full recovery. Who is Eric?" The tall young doctor asked. Eric raised his hand.

"Before we put her under she made me promise to tell you that she loves you, and she knows you didn't really read little women because Beth dies in chapter 40."

"That book was lame as hell." Eric said defensively pointing, making both doctors laugh.

"I'm just the messenger." The tall doctor said putting his hands up in surrender.

"You can see her as soon as she is out of recovery, and back in her room." The little doctor said, and turned to go back through the door. The younger taller doctor strode to Eric and extended his hand before he said.

"Nice work with the artery, you saved her life. She wouldn't have survived the drive if you hadn't." He shook Erics hand heartily.

"I called my Dad, he's a surgeon, and told me what to do." Eric said trying to brush it off.

"Yeah, but you took that information and applied it in real life. Thats what matters." The young doctor smiled and clapped him on the shoulder before he walked to where the other doctor had gone.

Eric and Pam's parents arrived 2 days later. They had flown, rented a car and really had to fight their way into Louisiana. Especially with the levies breaking, and New Orleans flooding. The whole thing had just gone tits up. It was a disaster on a scale no one had really seen before. Tulane had gone from we'll be back September 7th at the latest to telling students not to return until further notice.

"How is Sookie?" Erics father asked him after the whole, hugs, greetings and introduction stuff was over.

"Okay, she needs more surgery on her shoulder." Eric said.

"Can I see her chart?" His Dad asked.

"You can ask her Gran, thats not my call." Eric said confused as to why his father was asking him. Gran agreed though and Eric took his Mom into see Sookie while his father looked at her charts and the imaging she had had done already.

"Hey, Lover. My parents are here. I didn't know they were coming before you yell at me." Eric said peeking in her room. His mother snickered at him calling her Lover, but kept it to herself.

"Oh dear…. Is my hair wild?" Sookie said using her left hadn't to try to smooth her truly fucked up looking hair, but Eric waved his hand and said.

"It looks good like that. I like it."

"Oh, okay. Bring them in." Sookie said and pulled her blanket up because she wasn't wearing a bra.

"Hello, Sookie. Its so nice to meet you." His mother said walking in. taking in the tiny blonde who really looked like she had been hit by a tree in a hurricane.

"It's nice to meet you Dr. Northman." Sookie said politely.

"Call me Aude, and Eric's father Ragnar. The Dr. Northman thing can get confusing. It will be even worse when Eric graduates." She laughed

"You spoke to Pam?" Eric asked with a raised eyebrow after she only mentioned him graduating Med school.

"We have, she's going to finish her pre med under grad, and just not proceed to medical school. She's going to take some time to see if she wants to go back for something else. It's not that big a deal." Erics mother shrugged.

"That's so lovely you don't pressure them." Sookie said.

"Oh, we do. She just had very valid points, and shouldn't be a doctor. Lives depend on her finding something else to do with her life." Aude giggled. Pam, was yellow bellied. They made a bit of small talk before Ragnar and Gran walked in.

"We're moving her to my hospital." Ragnar said with authority.

"What?" Eric and Sookie said in unison.

"We decided that since everything is so chaotic here, it would be best to move Sookie to the hospital in Michigan where Ragnar practices to better increase her odds of a full recovery." Gran said diplomatically.

"What about you and Jason?" Sookie asked.

"I am staying with Maxine until we can do something with the house. It wont be livable for a long time. Jason is going with you because Tulane wont be letting students go back any time soon, and he needs a place to stay and you will need help. You need another surgery and soon, but they have so many emergencies here its not happening fast enough. I already started arranging the medical flight with Ragnar." Gran said leaving no room for discussion.

"Are you sure?" Sookie asked looking at Eric's father.

"Absolutely, I'm going to do the surgery myself as soon as we get you landed and admitted. You should be on a plane by tonight. Aude is driving back with Jason and Pam. She'll drive Eric's car. He's flying with us." Ragnar said.

"Are you allowed to do the surgery one her?" Eric asked.

"She's not my girlfriend." His father said with a shrug.

"Gran, are you sure?" Sookie asked.

"I'm positive. This is an answered prayer." Gran said reaching and squeezing Ragnars hand.

"Eric, they stopped her birth control to prevent clots, so please wrap it while she's up there with you." Gran said making Eric flinch, and close his eyes looking horrified. Sookie said.

"Christ on a cracker, Gran!" While covering her face.

"You didn't think I heard you two in the den? And I had my hearing aid out." Gran said, and looked at Eric giving him a wink, and a thumbs up that made him look away uncomfortable. Erics parents were snickering in the corner at the whole exchange. They didn't care if their adult children had sex. Especially not if they were doing it with a steady monogamous partner they loved. They only had one guest room and intended on just skipping the middle man, and putting Sookie in with Eric. assuming she would end up there most of the time anyway.

Sookie said goodbye to Gran who had Maxine with her because she had come to pick her up. Gran had sent her with the few hundred dollars she had stashed away because everything Sookie owned was basically destroyed. She didn't have a stitch of clothing. Sookie didn't want to take it, but Gran assured her her social security would be enough for now while she was with Maxine. Gran was going to salvage what she could and let the house go. It was half destroyed and knew insurance wouldn't cover repairs. Sookie had been killing herself to hold onto it for Gran for years, and Gran just wanted to let her grandchildren move on. Maxine had a two bedroom apartment and had actually been looking for a roommate since Shirley had died, so it was the best for everyone.

They Got Sookie on the small private plane. all of her lines and wires secured. Ragnar and Eric were belted in and Sookie started to panic.

"I have never been on a plane…. Or left Louisiana. Going to New Orleans was my first time leaving Bon temps." Sookie said looking at Eric fear in her eyes. He reached over and took her hand and said.

"It's okay, I'll take care of you." They took off and she screamed a little, but calmed once they leveled out. They chit chatted a little, but she eventually fell asleep.

"She's so smart Eric." Ragnar whispered.

"I told you it was a waste for her to not be able to go to college. She's just had a lot of circumstances beyond her control mess with her education." Eric said and smiled looking at her. Ragnar looked at his son and the girl he clearly loved and accessed the situation and tried to figure out a way to help her get an education.

January 2006

Tulane didn't open back up until January. It took almost 6 months to get the campus semi back to rights and restart classes. Sookie and Eric had gotten very spoiled having 6 months living together. They had become almost inseparable. After Sookie had mostly recovered she and Eric started working at his mothers practice. Sookie doing phones and filing, Eric as a medical assistant. When they got the date classes were starting again things got weird.

Sookie was staying in Michigan with Eric's family. she was going to keep working at his Mom's practice. Gran had let the house go and had sold the land off. She had decided to stay with Maxine. She encouraged Sookie to stay up there with more opportunities for her. She wanted to use some of the money from the sale of the land to help Sookie go to college with. Eric, of course was distraught and didn't want to go back to being long distance.

"It's just until summer." Sookie said with her head rested on his chest, as they lay on his bed.

"It's going to suck knowing you're here, laying in my bed when I'm not with you." He ghosted his fingers over the scar on her back where the branch had gone through her.

"Gran wants to use some of the money from selling the house to help me go to school. I'm thinking about going for nursing. I really like working at the doctors office. I think I'm going to start at the community college." Sookie said. Erics face lit up.

"I think thats a great idea! You'll be done before me through. I still have 4 more semesters of my under grad, then 4 years of medical school." He chuckled.

"Don't forget your residency." Sookie said.

"I hope I get matched up here. 6 more years long distance…." He whined the last part a little.

"It'll be worth it, plus me working when you get out of med school will be for the best. You know thats when your parents are cutting you off and making you 'fly'." She said the last part with air quotes and a giggle.

"You'll be my sugar mama." Eric laughed. It was true though. As a nurse she would far far out earn him until after his residency was done.

"Its called nurturing my investment." She joked and he tickled her, running his hand the length of her naked body.

"I'm gonna marry you some day." He said with a smile looking in her eyes.

"You better! After all the sex, sometimes weird sex we have had together." She giggled

"Some of that weird sex was your idea." Eric said defensively.

"I'm just saying. I think I earned my ring." She said nonchalantly with a shrug.

"You did, you absolutely did." Eric laughed.

"I'll wait for you. It's going to be worth it." She said knowing that was absolutely the truth.

"I'm going to make sure it's worth it." Eric promised.

2009

"I can't believe she's gone." Jason said as they were cleaning out Grans apartment. Maxine had died 6 months prior, so she had been living alone. Jason worked for the city of Shreveport, but still drove to see her every other day. He oddly enough, had a knack for civil service.

"She was 90, it's still sad. I hate I was so far away." Sookie lamented.

"Eric was with her." Jason said with a shrug.

"Yeah, why was he here? He didn't even tell me he was driving up to see her." Sookie said.

"I don't know, but he'll be back up tomorrow for the funeral." Jason said.

"He couldn't miss some of his classes or labs. Med school is considerably harder than his undergrad." Sookie said supportively.

"It's sad she wont get to see you graduate too." Jason lamented.

"She's the whole reason I even get to go to college. The Northman's letting me live with them, and work part time at Aude's practice too, but it was Gran selling the land and letting go of the house that paid for it." Sookie said trying not to cry. She kept trying to tell herself she was 90 years old and that was a long long life, but it still hurt and she didn't want her to be gone.

"She always wanted the best for us, Sook. Nothin has made her happier these last few years than seeing you get out of this shit hole town and do something with yourself. I might start lookin for jobs up north now too since she's gone now. It was my turn to take care of her, but my heart ain't in staying. It hasn't felt like home in a long time." Jason admitted, folding some clothes into bags to donate.

"I know exactly what you mean. You and I may not always be on the same wave length, but I know the exact feeling you are describing. It would thrill me if you moved to Michigan to be closer. Pam opened her bar up there by the hospital. It's so cool, you'd love it. It caters to the hospital staff after work, everything inside is a pun." Sookie said with a smile. Pam had been very serious about not going into the medical field. Sookie found she loved it and couldn't wait to graduate the next year. Pam on the other hand couldn't stand hospitals and avoided entering them at all costs.

"If I get up there before Eric he's gonna shit a kitten." Jason laughed.

"Only 3 more years… I pray every day he gets matched at a hospital up there. I'll move to him if he doesn't though. I'm not doing long distance past when he graduates med school." Sookie said.

The next day Aude and Ragnar arrived for the funeral. Pam was already at the church making sure everything was perfect. Her relationship with Gran had been weird, but they were kindred spirits of sorts. Eric arrived just before the service started looking apologetic. Sookie understood though. He had to do a lab that morning that couldn't have been missed. She scheduled the service in the evening for a reason.

"I'm so sorry." He said breathlessly. Sookie just smiled at him and adjusted his tie.

"It's fine, you couldn't miss that lab. Gran wouldn't want you missing labs and possibly prolonging your stay at Tulane."

"I love you, and you're right she wouldn't." Eric smiled thinking about the day he spent with her before she passed.

"Hey, why were you up here with her? Not that I'm upset she wasn't alone when she went." Sookie asked.

"I'll tell you later when we're alone." Eric said. she looked at him confused, but let it go.

The funeral was hard. It was attended by just about everyone in town. Including Bill Compton and the 16 year old he had gotten pregnant and married, yuck. It wasn't until 11pm that Sookie and Eric were heading back to her hotel room together. They didn't speak much, but stripped down and took a PG for them shower and climbed into bed. Sookie was just holding him with her eyes closed when Eric spoke.

"I was asking her permission to marry you, and get her wedding ring to use. Thats why I was there."

"What? You have 3 more years of medical school." Sookie said. She was sort of shocked.

"I know, but I want to be married to you. 3 years is unavoidable. Hell, you have another year in school. I was just missing you, and I didn't see a valid reason to not just spend that time married, instead of waiting for some mythical right time. Gran agreed, for the record." Eric chuckled.

"Yes." Sookie said.

"Yes, you'll marry me this summer while we are off school?" Eric asked.

"Yes." Sookie said again giggling a little this time.

"Sweet, I brought the ring." Eric said and got up, pulling the antique ring box out of his suit jacket pocket. He walked to the side of the bed and got down on one knee and held it up to her. She smiled and plucked the ring out and slipped it on her finger.

"It'll have to be a cheap wedding, we're poor." Sookie laughed.

"Court house, followed by chilis works for me." Eric said.

"I love chili's." Sookie said wistfully.

"I know, it's why I suggested it." He laughed and got back into bed.

"What time do you leave in the morning?" Sookie asked.

"8, I have a class at 3."

"Well, we better get to the sex, we're low on time." Sookie said and he laughed, but wasn't saying no.

May 2010

"Sookie Northman." The Dean said, Her family and some of her co workers standing and cheering at her graduation. Eric was screaming the loudest. She could hear his screams of "thats my wife!" Over everyone else. It made her smile huge.

She was so excited. She was married, She had a month off to go on her honey moon, Eric only had two more years of medical school, they were going to look for an apartment that was going to be 'theirs' after their honey moon. She had a job lined up working as an OR nurse at Ragnars hospital. She would eventually go work with Aude at her practice, but her current nurse wasn't going to be retiring for 3 more years, and Sookie could make better money working in an operating room. she wanted to pack money away for the next two years while Eric was still in medical school. They didn't know if he would get his residency match up there like they wanted, and she wanted to be prepared if they had to move. Ideally he will get matched into the Henry Ford program.

She went back to her seat and sat looking at her diploma. Thinking about how she thought this was never going to happen for her. She thought she was going to follow Jason wherever he moved to, but it was him that had followed her. Jason had great success working with the Detroit outreach initiatives. He is probably the one person with a sociology degree actually using it outside of politics.

The ceremony ended and Sookie walked out and unzipped her robe. Her Summa Cum Laude stole billowing a bit in the wind.

"Theres my wife!" She heard Eric yell. she looked up and saw him running to her. He picked her up and swung her around. He put her down and kissed her while dipping her making her laugh.

"you're more excited than me." She giggled.

"Yeah, because I get to have sex with a hot nurse later." He said like she was crazy to not know that.

"Oh, you dirty slut." She laughed and hugged him.

"I'm your dirty slut." He said holding her tightly. She got on her tippy toes to kiss him again.

"You two are disgusting. It's been 6 years, can you guys cool it down already?" They heard Pam whine from behind them. Just to prove how one the same page they were Eric and Sookie started exaggeratedly rubbing their tongues together making ahhhh noises and roughly groping one another, not missing a beat.

"She's still my sister, Eric." Jason said sternly. That made them stop. Pam was one thing, Jason was another.

"If I was a better man I would apologize." Eric said with a shrug. He wasn't sorry. She was his wife to be disgusting with.

"At least you took a break from defiling her to make an honest woman out of her." Jason said shaking his head with a smile.

"Where are Mom and dad?" Eric asked.

"Beating the traffic. They are meeting us at the restaurant." Pam said.

"Our plane leaves at 9pm, so everyone eat fast." Eric said warning them. It was honeymoon time. Eric had spent the last two semesters as a medical research assistant working his ass off to pay for this trip and it was not getting messed up. Dr. Claude Crane was sexually aggressive, rude, demanding and frankly a terrible person. It was all worth is though to take Sookie on the two week honeymoon of her dreams. They were going to Hawaii, and they were leaving for the airport at 6:30 hell or high water. The bags were in his car. He had entered vacation mode pretty much the moment he left Tulane the Monday before.

"You wont miss your precious honeymoon. Settle down." Pam said rolling her eyes. "I have to leave for Overtime at 6 anyway." Pam said.

"I have work early too. We should get going before your parents start to wonder if Eric just ran off with Sookie." Jason said as they started walking to the parking garage.

"Am I allowed to do that? How mad do you think they will be?" Eric asked.

"I'm getting my crab legs, take me to the restaurant." Sookie said with a laugh. Eric mock sighed and pretended to sulk before he smiled and put his arm around her.

"I love you Nurse Northman." Eric said as they got into the car after dinner to head to the airport.

"I love you too, almost Dr. Northman." She said back. For some reason, despite Eric having two more years of medical school, it finally felt like they were close to the long distance situation finally being over.

March 2012

"What if I don't get a residency placement in Detroit!" Eric yelled pacing around his tiny apartment in New Orleans. Sookie had flown in for match day. This would determine the next three years of their lives.

"Then we move. I have been packing money away for two years, living cheap. You barely spend anything, we can make just about anything work. You and I will be living together full time come June no matter what." Sookie said walking across the room and wrapping her arms around him.

"Thank you for supporting me, not just all the overtime for money. Just in general. You have been supporting my dreams since I was 19. I couldn't have picked a better wife. I'm glad I never entertained any of the brain dead advice from morons that told me I shouldn't tie myself down with you and experiment more. You have always been the one." He said flop sitting on the couch and pulling her to stand between his legs. Him resting his head on her stomach.

"People told you that?" She asked, with a laugh.

"All the time, Lover. My dated only the woman he asked to marry him at 24, then hastily married her 3 months later lifestyle has always been controversial. They don't have a Sookie though, so they cant, and wont understand. I have a sookie." He said smugly.

"And I have an Eric." Sookie smiled and stepped out of his legs and climbed on his lap straddling him. "Want to have sex while we wait for 12 o'clock to come around?" Sookie asked.

"I really do." He said as he lifted her little house dress up and off of her. They finished, and were laying on each other on the couch when Sookie said.

"Whoops, its 12:30." She reached out and grabbed Eric lap top and handed it to him. He logged in and checked where is matched.

"Henry Ford family medicine!" He yelled excitedly.

"HENRY FORD IS THE HOSPITAL I WORK AT!" Sookie said with a squeal.

"I KNOW!" Eric yelled back. They jumped up and were jumping around the apartment naked. He got his ideal placement. they were finally going to be together.

2014

"Dr. Northman." Sookie said to Ragnar.

"Nurse Northman." Ragnar said to her.

"Dr. Northman." Ragnar said to Eric

"Dr. Northman." Eric said to his Dad.

"Nurse Northman." Eric said to Sookie

"Dr. Northman." Sookie said to Eric and the three of them all started laughing.

"Too damn many Northman's." Sookies friend and fellow nurse Amelia playfully hissed from the other side of the nurses station.

"Eric, are you sure you don't care if I'm in your OR? I can move." Sookie said. He was on his 4 week surgical rotation, and after a week she had finally landed in his OR.

"You're my favorite scrub nurse, switch to my OR." Ragnar said almost begging.

"No no… I want to see what all the fuss is about. I'll keep Nurse Northman for myself, thank you." Eric said smugly.

"You are my favorite scrub nurse. I trade for you all the time." Ragnar said sincerely.

"I know, I see nothing but bone cracking these days." Sookie said with a laugh.

"Stick with me and you get to see an appendectomy." Eric said like he was offering her candy.

"Ohhhhh an appendectomy, I have never see one of those." She sarcastically snickered.

"I know what my woman likes." Eric said with a purr.

"Well, go find your attending. I need to go prep your OR. I'm happy for your appy, I've been tired." Sookie said, standing on her toes to give him a sweet kiss before she walked away.

"I am irritated she's not my scrub nurse today. I cant wait until you get off my floor." Ragnar said only half kidding.

"Next year she's going to work for Mom, we're going to start trying for a baby as soon as my residency is done, and I join Mom's practice." Eric said.

"Grandchildren would be the only acceptable reason for me to lose my best scrub nurse." Ragnar said looking less cranky.

"Well, I gotta go." Eric laughed and walked away. Eric scrubbed in with his attending and they went over the procedure. Sookie stepped up on her step stool next to Eric so she could reach to hand him instruments. The surgery was going well, Eric was being allowed to do almost everything himself despite the fact that the appendix had ruptured and they had had to switch from laparoscopic to and open appendectomy.

"Bovie." Eric said holding his hand out. Nothing was placed in his hand so he looked over at Sookie who was swaying.

"Sookie?" He asked, but as he said it she collapsed and fell backwards on the floor.

"Eric!" His attending barked getting his attention. "Do not break the sterile field. There is a child on this table. She will be okay." His attending was understanding, that Eric's wife just passed out, but the surgery needed to be finished. Eric glanced back at Sookie who was being tended to by a few other people. Amelia took her spot and asked.

"Dr. Northman what do you need?"

"Ummm uhhhh Bovie." He said and did his best to focus on what he was doing. He finished the surgery, his attending was impressed. He couldn't scrub out of that OR fast enough. He was running down the hall when he stopped and saw Sookie with and IV in her arm sitting at the nurses station typing on a computer charting.

"What happened?" He asked walking around and crouching next to her. She looked at him with her lip quivering. Everyone already knew. Bunch of gossiping hens on the surgical floor. It had been less than an hour and anyone who wasn't in a surgery had heard.

"I'm pregnant, I got dehydrated." She said and started crying. This wasn't the plan. They weren't going to start trying until he was done with his residency.

"Oh Lover, don't cry… its okay." He said hugging her.

"It's not time yet, you still have another year of residency." She sobbed.

"You'll be pregnant for 9 months, the baby wont even be crisp yet by the time I'm done." He said, but she just cried harder.

"We have always stuck to the plan before. 10 years sticking to the plan!" She cried.

"I'm honestly a little impressed I never got your pregnant before this. Especially with your 3 years off birth control after the hurricane injury, then the last 4 or 5 years we basically gave up on condoms due to laziness. It was bound to happen." Eric said now starting to freak out a little but trying to hold it together.

"You're a dirty slut." She cried into his scrubs.

"I know, this is really my fault if you think about it." Eric said hoping taking the blame would help calm her down. She snickered into his chest which made him smile. It helped.

"What are we going to do? we aren't ready." Sookie said looking in his eyes.

"Well, we need to get ready and make a new plan." Eric said taking in a deep shaky breath.

"You guys are so stinking cute." Amelia said standing behind Eric eating peanut M 's.

"Amelia, go get your own life, scat!" Sookie hissed, swatting at her leaning over Eric.

"But yours is better." Amelia whined stepping back to dodge Sookies hands.

"You better git…. Or so help me." Sookie growled. Amelia made a W with her hands and mouthed 'whatever' and walked away.

"Is she always like that?" Eric asked.

"Yes." Sookie replied.

"Is she gay? I think Pam would like her." Eric said seriously.

"She swings both ways, but now thinking about it, yeah… I should introduce them. They both love making things weird and awkward for their entertainment." Sookie said now starting to calm down.

"We're going to have a baby." Eric said sounding sort of far away, but finally looking up at her and smiling.

"Yup, we're having a baby." Sookie said a little shaky but a smile now crossing her face.

2015

"Sookie, you're 9 months pregnant, go home." Ragnar said as he watched Sookie standing next to him in the OR as they closed.

"Home is boring." Sookie said, watching him supervise the med student suture the incision site."

"Where is your husband?" Ragnar asked.

"I don't know, around. Seeing patients probably." Sookie said with a shrug.

"Well, doctors tend to do that." Ragnar chuckled.

"Oh son of a…." Sookie groaned.

"What? What?" Ragnar asked.

"My damn water just broke. I thought I was having contractions, but I wasn't sure." Sookie said looking down at the trickle going down her scrubs.

"You have been having contractions through the whole 5 hour surgery?" Ragnar asked shocked.

"I guess? Its my first kid! How should I know?" Sookie yelled at him sharply starting to panic. He due date wasn't for two weeks, but she had become rather huge because of Erics giant DNA.

"I don't know, I have just never seen a scrub nurse do a 5 hour reconstruction while in labor! I've never seen anyone do medical procedures while in labor!" Ragnar yelled back.

"Settle down, Ragnar." Sookie scolded.

"HOW! THE BABY IS COMING." He yelled. "Finish closing, Sookie scrub out." Ragnar said with authority and walked out of the OR, sookie behind him.

"Clancy page Eric." Ragnar barked and pushed the button for the elevator with an annoyed Sookie trailing behind him.

"I'm leaving a trail." Sookie said pointing to the trail of amniotic fluid going down the hall.

"Someone will get that. What floor is labor and delivery on?" Ragnar asked her.

"Haven't you worked here for 30 years?" Sookie asked.

"Yes, on the surgical floor. I don't mingle."

"It's on four."Sookie said letting out a big yawn. She didn't know what all the fuss was about. The contractions weren't that bad. Ragnars phone rang and he picked up.

"You paged?" Eric said dryly.

"Sookie's water broke." Ragnar said now full on freaking out.

"Oh cool, I have one more patient to see in the clinic then I can come up. Let me talk to her." Eric said, sounding cool as a cucumber.

"What, what do you mean one more patient? Your wife is in labor!" Ragnar yelled.

"Let me talk to Sookie." Eric said again ignoring his father. Ragnar handed her the phone.

"Hey." She said.

"Sooooo, your water broke." Eric said, charting as he spoke to her.

"Yup, your Dad is giving me the perp walk to L and D." Sookie said.

"I have one more patient to see down here in the clinic, then I'll head up. You doing okay?" Eric said still sounding neutral.

"Pretty good so far, too bad your OB rotation is already over." Sookie giggled.

"My Mom already called dibs on delivering the baby. Do you want to call her or should I?" Eric asked.

"I'll do it, you wrap up in the clinic. See you in a bit." Sookie said and hung up. Then she was hit with a stronger contraction. "Oooooh…. Ughhhhhhh yuck." She said not liking how that had escalated.

"Are you okay?" Ragnar asked nervous.

"I'm fine, I need to call Aude." Sookie said and pulled out her phone. Aude was with a patient so Sookie just left a message with her medical assistant and followed Ragnar to get herself admitted and checked into a room. Sookie was laying in the bed all hooked up when Eric sauntered in in his Blue scrubs, and white coat.

"Mrs. Northman." He said in a very business like tone.

"Dr. Northman." Sookie greeted back. Ragnar was cowering in the corner. Aude had said he was a mess when Pam and Eric were born, so Sookie wasn't shocked. Eric grabbed the rolling stool and sat on it looking at the fetal monitor she was attached to, then he went to the computer and pulled up her chart looking at it. He rolled back across the room and grabbed a pair of gloves off the wall and said.

"I'm just going to check your cervix, Mrs. Northman." He was smiling and obviously suppressing a laugh, sookie moved her blankets and went with it. He was such a nerd.

"Only 5 centimeters. It'll be a while. Your contractions are 9 minuets apart right now." Eric said taking off his gloves and tossed them in the trash before he got up off the stool and gave her a kiss.

"Doctor spouses are almost as bad as doctor patients." They heard from the door and turned to see Sookies nurse Holly in the doorway. "Would you like to update her chart?" Holly laughed.

"I can if you want?" Eric chuckled.

"I need to do a blood draw." Holly said.

"I haven't drawn blood in almost 5 years, you go ahead and do that." Eric said with an apologetic laugh.

"I would never let a doctor draw my blood." Sookie said with a shudder.

"I know, they are like animals blindly stabbing for a vein." Holly said setting her phlebotomy kit on the bed at Sookies feet, and started taking her blood. "I wasn't kidding, update her chart." Holly said looking up at Eric.

"Oh, yeah sure." Eric laughed and went to the computer.

"Ragnar, you can leave if you're uncomfortable." Sookie said to him. He was still standing in the corner.

"I'm fine." He said.

"You don't look fine." Eric commented looking up from the computer at his father.

"I'm fine." Ragnar said tersely and took a seat on the couch by the window. Sookie looked over at Eric and mouthed 'not fine'. Which made Eric snicker.

"My Mom called me, if you were 8 centimeters she was going to come immediately. Since you aren't I texted her to just finish her appointments for the day then come. If she's too slow I can deliver the baby." Eric said with an almost insane look on his face.

"You're hoping she doesn't make it, huh? Can you even deliver your own baby? Are you allowed? You aren't allowed to do surgery on me." Sookie said.

"If you need a c-section I'd call Quinn." Eric said closing the computer and walking back to her.

"Gross, he calls all the nurses Babe." Sookie whined.

"But he's an OBGYN with a very low maternal mortality rate. He's good at what he does." Eric said in an I don't give a shit tone.

"Fair, but he's the reason I fight being put in his OR tooth and nail. 'Babe, forceps. Babe, Bovie.' It makes me want to murder him." Sookie said and grunted through a contraction.

"You're a good scrub nurse. We all fight over you." Ragnar said from the corner.

"I forgot he was here." Eric snickered, pointing a thumb at his father.

"Guess who wiggled her way onto the 4th floor!" Amelia sang as she walked in the room. Eric turned his head and suppressed a groan. Amelia had now been introduced to Pam. They started dating and Amelia is just like Pam. Them together is 'turbo Grans' as he termed it.

"Business or pleasure?" Sookie asked.

"I have to work like a peasant while I'm here until shift change, but I get to pop in here and witness the evidence of you and Eric's raucous fucking. Pam says you two end up fucking any time you are left alone in a room." Amelia said casually walking around the room looking at the fetal monitor.

"I mean… he's my husband." Sookie said holding her hands up not sure what to say. It was sort of true, and she was suspicious the sex they had that morning is what triggered her labor.

"She said she caught you two in the act like twice a year for the last 10 years." Amelia cackled.

"Okay, she does that shit on purpose." Eric said turning around, sounding stern.

"I don't think she caught you fingering Sookie in An elevator on purpose." Amelia laughed harder.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be back." Ragnar said and ran from the room. Hearing about Eric fingering sookie in an elevator was apparently his line.

"Amelia, do you have other patients?" Eric asked.

"Oh, Sookies not my patient. I'm spending my break in here. Soooooo, against the wall in the garage on Christmas….." Amelia said laughing. Eric stood up, spun her around and guided her cackling hyena like body out the door and shut it.

"Turbo Gran's… its just so bad." He groaned. "I bet they get married." He mused.

"Oh for sure, she and Pam are perfect for each other." Sookie agreed.

"I think us having sex this morning set you off." Eric said after he was quiet for a moment.

"I was just thinking that!" Sookie said with a smile, before she grimaced through the next contraction.

"If that was our last hoorah before the baby, at least it was good sex." Eric said looking smug.

"It was, you've been so creative the last month or so." Sookie giggled.

"I'll miss pregnant Sookie body. Your boobs are massive." He said with huge eyes making exaggerated groping motions making her laugh.

"Dirty slut." She snickered.

"Always and forever." Eric smirked.

"So, if it's a boy Thor, and if its a girl…" Sookie said trailing off.

"We just hope it's not a girl because we have no leads on a name, and you're in labor." Eric said looking hopeful.

"Pam keeps suggesting Pamela if its a girl. She's really angry we didn't want to know the sex." Sookie said looking smug.

"It'll be Sookie Jr. before its a Pam." Eric scoffed.

"Sookie Jr. works…. What about Tilly?" Sookie suggested.

"Lets just hope for a boy and we have a 50% shot at not having to have this conversation." Eric suggested hopefully.

"Thor was so easy to agree on." Sookie lamented.

"Thor Eric Northman, it just sounds bad ass. We're keeping Lief in our back pocket if we have a second son later, right?" Eric asked.

"For sure, Lief was such a close sss… ugghhhh fuck these contractions. Lets get through this one and see if I'm willing to do a round two." Sookie said struggling.

"Of course, Lover. Want me to check your cervix and see if we can order you and epidural?" Eric offered.

"Yeah, why not." Sookie said and laid back on the bed.

Eric delivered his Son, Thor Eric Northman just after 9pm that night. His mother was there as his supervising physician since Sookie was his wife. It felt like such a full circle moment reminding him of the story his mother told about a baby she took on at her practice having her own baby. He held his son in awe wondering if he would be the 4th generation of Northman doctors.

2016

"You're a real grown up doctor now." Aude preened at his first day in the practice. He did his last 3 months of residency, then took 5 months off to help Sookie with Thor because she had done the bulk of the new born stage completely alone because he had to pull so many hours to finish his residency. She had been an absolute saint, so he made sure to take some time to take care of her when he finished his residency. Sookie had after all spent the last 11 or 12 years bending over backwards to accommodate and support him while he became a doctor.

"I've been a doctor for a while." Eric reminded him.

"Yes, but now you're ready to be set loose." Aude preened.

"Yay!" He mock cheered. Aude patted his back and left his office.

"I'm about to lay him down, he's in a milk coma." Sookie said walking into Eric's small office. She was working as a nurse in the practice 3 days a week. at this point she was still just bringing Thor with her since he was relatively chill.

"Look at daddy's boy." Eric coo'ed brushing a finger over his sons face, before touching the shock of white blonde hair on the top of his head.

"He looks more like you every day." Sookie said and laid him down in the pack and play in the corner of the office.

"I told you he was all my fault." Eric laughed.

"You know what?" Sookie asked when she stood up and wrapped her arms around Eric.

"What?" He asked looking down in her eyes, they were older, wiser and had tiny crinkles on the edges, but were still the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

"As of today, the plan is over. We met our goals. I made something of myself other than just getting pregnant, and you're working as a doctor in private practice. We made it, 8 years of long distance, a hurricane, gran dying, getting married while living in different states, a surprise baby… but we did it." Sookie said with a huge smile that was met by his.

"What do we do now?" Eric asked and swayed with her.

"Enjoy the fruits of our labors." Sookie said and squealed when Eric lifted her under her arms to kiss him.

"I agree, now lets go see my first patient Nurse Northman." Eric said squeezing her hand before walking out of his office, leaving the door open so they could listen for Thor.

"Yes, Dr. Northman. I'll get them set up in room 2." Sookie said with a wink, Eric shamelessly watching her ass as she walked away. Still insanely hot, he thought as he went to start his day.