Paris was like vampire Mecca. This was where almost every vampire trekked to taste what real vampire life was like. It also contained one of Ema's many international apartments. There were four of them now, Eric, Ema, Sookie, and Bill. All ready to meet the vampire lord. Maybe some more than others.

Eric's kiss appeared on Ema's lips every time she looked at him. Moments of bliss flashed into her mind. Moments that were filled with his body against hers, beautiful moments. She missed those beautiful moments. Maybe Paris would reawaken their relationship. It was a city of love after all. Lovers had been coming here for hundreds of years to find what they were missing and right now Ema was missing Eric.

They sat in the back of a taxi van, crammed in with as much luggage as they could pack. The driver spoke only French and was very excited when Ema told him she lived in the city and was fluent in his native tongue. The French appreciate those who speak their language.

They pulled in front of the apartment complex and the men unloaded the van. Ema owned the entire upper floor. When the building was first erected, Ema paid for the top floor and created the floor plan herself. There were four bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, four full bathrooms, and a rather large patio.

Two of the bedrooms had views of the Eiffel Tower. She had been offered absurd amounts of money for the home, but she never intended to sell it. Having homes in 50 countries definitely had its advantages.

"It looks nicer than I expected," Eric said after they were inside.

"Sookie your room is the first on the right. Do you and Bill want to share a room? Well if you do fine by me. Bill do you want a coffin or bed or what?" Ema through her things on the leather sofa and slipped off her shoes. The others followed.

"I will be fine in either," Bill said, "Sookie, why don't we go get everything unpacked?" He lifted their bags and headed to the designated room.

"A far cry from the home you remember me in," she walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out two TruBloods. She offered Eric one.

"I don't drink it," he said.

"You better start the vampire king is pretty adamant for human protection. Almost impossible to feed. Unless you want to die, of course." She placed both bottles in the microwave.

"Really?" Eric said on the couch and picked up the remote control to her flat screen television, "Everything here is so…"

"Modern? Eric when you left I didn't stay in that time period. I grew up, lived my life or death." The microwave beeped and Ema pulled the now warm bottles out. She handed Eric one and he reluctantly accepted.

"It's just whenever I think of you, I see long dresses, forests, mountains, that lake. Do you remember that lake? The one right outside our home?" he smiled and looked at her.

"Yes, I remember that lake and what we used to do in it," she gave him a sly smirk. He held a finger to his lips to indicate that they should keep things quiet while Bill and Sookie were still awake.

"Do you remember that big fireplace? The fireplace I built one winter in our sitting room when you were tired of being cold?"

"Eric, I remember everything about that time. Everything. I remember living without clocks or calendars. When time didn't matter the only thing that did matter was…"

"Us?" Eric finished her sentence, took a long drink from his TruBlood, grabbed his suitcase, and walked into one of the bedrooms. The closing door jolted a few more memories from their past. Painful memories.

---

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave," Eric said. The year was 1585 and he was leaving Ema.

"Eric, I didn't mean to. It was an accident. It won't happen again. He promised," Ema grabbed his arm and tried to pull him closer.

"He promised? Since when have I been able to trust him. One hundred innocents dead. That was no accident and you know that," he was yelling but now his words were choked as he tried to suppress tears.

"Please don't leave. Please. Eveything is going to be fine. They were just humans. They don't really matter," again she tried to pull him back inside, but he jerked away from her, a look of disgust on his face.

"Just humans? You know as well as I that murder of any kind is frowned upon. You know that. Leave him. You are more powerful than he ever dreamed of being. Leave him," he paused for one moment, "Or I will leave."

"I can't leave him. You don't understand. The things he has planned for our kind are unimaginable. Perfect. We will rule." She grabbed his shirt once more.

"Let me go," his voice was cold, unfeeling.

So, she released him and watched as he walked out of her life.

For days she was expecting him to return. Every whisper in the trees or the slightest sound would force her to run outside and see if he was there. He never was. She could have called him to her. After all she was his maker and she could force him to stay with her, but there was something cruel about that. Something unimaginably cruel.

Weeks later she returned to Vaughn. Angry. His words had insnared her and she became his loyal servant, like so many others.

He sat on a throne covered in furs. He reminded her of Eric some times. The way he spoke or laughed. His laugh was not like Eric's though in every way. Vaughn only laughed when terrible things were happening.

"I'm leaving, Vaughn," she bowed her head once in his presence, out of habit.

"Fine. I knew this day would come and as we both know I can do nothing to stop you," a smile played on his lips, "But, if I should be so bold, why must you leave? We have everything you need right here. You don't need that Viking. He is dead to you."

"Stop it!" she screamed and Vaughn's voice vanished, "Never read my thoughts. You promised that you wouldn't."

"Some habits are hard to break."

"If you ever hurt me again you will regret it, Vaughn. I'm finally standing up to you."

"Just like Kaius did to God? And we all know how well that turned out," he suddenly was standing in front of her.

Furying flooded her thoughts. The only thing she wanted to do was kill him, but he had too many connections. If she killed him, she would also be dead before morning.

"Goodbye, Vaughn," she turned from him and walked away to live on her own. Something she hadn't done in over half a millenia.