My life isn't exactly glamorous. I work as a barmaid at Merlotte's Bar in Bon Temps, Louisiana. Of course, my boss is a shape- shifter, I'm sort of married to a vampire and I just happen to be a telepath. It's not at all glamorous, but it is very interesting. It's interesting to everyone but me, of course.

Since the vampires came out of the coffin, nearly seven years ago, life hasn't been dull for Miss Sookie Stackhouse. Now the were's and shifter's had made themselves known to the world and life had gotten more complicated for me. Not only was I known to be a bit off due to my completely unwanted "gift" of telepathy, but I was also a known friend (sometimes more than a friend) of vampires and I worked for a shifter. Somebody may as well have taped a target to my back for all the bigots and nuts of the world. As if that wasn't complicated enough, I'd recently found out that I was part fairy. Who'd have thought?

Tonight started off rather tamely so it was no surprise that trouble walked in around three hours into my shift. Some Fellowship of the Sun jerks strolled into Merlotte's.

The FotS had started out as a church that preached hatred toward vampires but since the second Great Revelation, the were's and shifter's revealing themselves, they'd branched out to preaching against all supernatural creatures. Of course the two men, both sporting FotS T-shirts, sat in my section.

Sam, my boss and a rare pureblood shifter, looked up at me and sighed in annoyance. This wasn't likely to end well and we both knew it. I put on my best tip-rendering smile and asked the two men what they'd like to drink. The man to my left was semi-attractive with broad shoulders and a baby face. His partner was the opposite, his sallow skin reminded me of parchment and his nose was hooked in an unpleasant fashion. They both ordered shots of whiskey which was pretty unoriginal.

I took a peek into their minds while I waited for Terry Bellefluer, our sometimes bartender, to put up the shots. Sam and I had a silent agreement that I'd look out for trouble when suspicious folks, especially members of the Fellowship, came into the bar. The attractive fellow was a clear and loud broadcaster.

"I wonder why Lee brought me here. This place is pretty far into the middle of nowhere. The menu isn't offering too much, we should've gone to Denny's in Shreveport like I'd suggested. Waitress is kind of cute though, maybe she'll give me her number if I tip her well…"

Well he could tip all he liked but there wasn't a chance in hell he was getting my number. His friend, Lee, was a little harder to read. There was a lot going on inside his head. Though he looked calm on the outside there was chaos in his mind. Anger and disgust seemed to flow out of him like nothing I'd ever seen before. I caught one clear sentence, "She's the fang-banger and he's the shifter…"

That was enough for me. I nodded to Sam. He was around the bar and by my side in an instant.

"What'd you get off of them? They looking for trouble?"

I grimaced. "The one on the left hasn't got a clue why he's here but the other one, the creepy looking one, he's up to something. He knows who we are."

Sam looked up at Terry and the two of them nodded to each other and walked over to the table. That was another silent agreement in Merlotte's. If someone needed to be thrown out the men would handle it. Sam, while not too imposing, struck a chord because most people knew he was a shifter. Terry Bellefluer was strong and burly and didn't much like confrontation but he made a good deterrent for anyone looking to cause us trouble.

We'd had a bit of trouble, not too often though, since word got out that Merlotte's was a shifter owned bar. It was mostly curous folks who'd come to see if they'd catch a glimpse of Sam in his animal form. But every so often someone would get too drunk or too stupid and start running off at the mouth about their views on sup's, the common term for supernatural creatures. Only once had it actually come to blows. A man from Monroe who'd had more than his share of beer had hauled off and punched Sam in the nose when he'd refused to shift to entertain the man's date. Aside from the few bad instances, Sam's second nature had been relatively good for business.

"Gentlemen, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Sam said politely when he approached the table. Terry stood beside him with that stern expression he took on when he smelled trouble.

The sallow skinned man made a gesture of contempt while the other man looked taken aback. "Have we done something?" the clueless one asked.

"No, but I own this bar…" Sam started to say before the other man, Lee, interrupted him by jumping to his feet and sending his chair skidding into Bud Dearborn's table. Bud, the sheriff of Bon Temps, stood in anticipation. He was hoping he could finish his dinner without having to arrest anyone.

"You think you're too good to serve us, shifter?" Lee shouted. Understanding dawned in the eyes of Lee's companion who was now getting to his feet.

The other patrons had taken notice now. Some of them had stopped mid-chew to look on as the spectacle unfolded. Some of them were hoping for a fight and others were frightened of the same prospect.

"Get the hell out of here, you're kind isn't wanted!" I heard my brother Jason yell from the other side of the bar.

Lee turned to look at him and an odd silence sort of came over the whole bar. "Oh look at this, Jason Stackhouse, sticking up for his whore of a sister!" he said as he pointed in Jason's direction. His face was contorted with disgust as he looked from my brother to me.

Jason was on his feet, Sam was lunging toward the man and Terry seemed to have been pushed over the edge. I gasped. Who in the world was this man and how in tarnation did he know that Jason was kin to me?

The fight didn't last long. Sam had managed to land a punch to Lee's hooked nose before Sherriff Dearborn was able to make it around the table. He slapped his handcuffs on Lee, who looked surprised by the turn of events. He was being charged with disturbing the peace and trespassing, the sheriff read him his rights before he'd even been able to recover from the jab. Terry finally let go of Jason, who was snarling with rage, when Bud escorted both men out of the bar.

The bar was buzzing with recounts of the fight and loud whoops at Sam for his well-aimed fist long after the FotS members were gone. I'd gotten back to work immediately but my mind was still working over the mystery of how Lee knew anything at all about me and Jason. I wondered why he'd come here if it wasn't just to start trouble. What was he planning to do? Was he doing recon for the FotS? I was sure that weren't too pleased with me since I'd had a run in with their Dallas organization a couple of years ago. Still, if that was the cause they'd certainly taken their sweet time in coming for revenge.

About twenty minutes before last call, when the bar was almost empty and I was cleaning tables to keep myself busy, another form of trouble walked into Merlotte's. I felt him coming like a cool breeze on a hot day. My stomach clenched and a feeling of elation came over me. I suddenly knew that even if the whole of the FotS organization came waltzing in with torches and pitchforks I'd be perfectly fine. When Eric Northman walked into the bar I felt completely safe.

Eric, the vampire sheriff of Area Five and my sort-of husband, was looking as gorgeous as he always did. Six feet and five inches of muscle with a blond mane and a butt to die for was enough to catch the eye of every woman in the bar. Jane Bodehouse, our resident drunk, even made a keening sound in her throat when he walked in. He was wearing jeans that were a little too tight and a T-Shirt with Fangtasia, the name of the bar he owned in Shreveport, embroidered over the breast.

Sam caught my eye and looked none to pleased at the expression of joy on my face. Sam knew about the blood-bond that caused my reaction to Eric and it he was plain about disliking it. Eric and I had shared blood on more than three occasions and the repercussions of that were currently washing over me. We were tied-together, so to speak, and both felt comforted and at ease in the other's presence. There was more to the long-history between Eric and I, like the fact that I'd unknowingly married myself to him not long ago. At least, I thought that's what I'd done but I still wasn't too sure on the matter and Eric hadn't been very forthcoming with details on the subject.

At the time it had been a necessary step to ensure my safety, or so I'd been told. With Eric it was hard to tell if you were being worked over. He always seemed to have a plot being masterminded somewhere in that beautiful head of his. I hadn't seen him in almost a month and the sight of him alone put all the questions out of my mind completely.

"A bottle of O-negative?" I asked as I approached the table he'd sat at. He smiled up at me and nodded.

Sam gave me a pained expression as I popped the bottle of Trueblood into the microwave.

"Don't you think we've had enough trouble tonight?" he asked under his breath. I didn't think he wanted an answer so I ignored him while I waited for the microwave to beep.

Eric smiled up at me when I placed the drink on a napkin in front of him. He took a sip and motioned for me to sit with him. Seeing as how Jane Bodehouse was the only one in the bar and I'd managed to clear most of my tables and refill the saltshakers, I figured Sam wouldn't have too much of a problem with me taking a short break. Of course, he certainly had a problem with my company but he could just go ahead and get over himself. No one, and certainly not Sam Merlotte, decided what company Miss Sookie Stackhouse could keep.

"The shifter seems to be rather upset about my appearance," Eric said with an impish grin that he managed to make sexy. "How have you been, my lover?"

I rolled my eyes. Though I loved it when he called me that, I wasn't going to let him on that little secret. Eric had enough power over me already and he knew it all too well. I couldn't let him think I'd been dying to see him and that I'd thought about calling Fangtasia at least a dozen times since I'd last seen him, just to hear his voice.

"I've been fine. Just working and keeping to myself mostly. It's been an uneventful summer and seeing as how you've come in, I doubt it'll be uneventful for long." I sighed heavily but he saw through my façade and grinned.

"I love it when you pretend that you're not seething with joy at the sight of me," he chided. I rolled my eyes again before I could help myself. "I have come tonight because we have unfinished business. Now that the restructuring has settled I have some leisure time."

Restructuring sure was a nice way to describe what had been an obvious coup. The vampire king of Nevada, Felipe De Castro, had seen an opportunity in Louisiana when its queen, Sophie-Anne, had been near to final death. He'd staged a take-over and had killed every sheriff with the exception of the one sitting in front of me. Eric's cleverness, or ruthlessness, had saved him. He'd been brought into the fold of the Nevada vamps but had been under strict guard since the time of the takeover. It seemed that he'd finally been given a smidge of trust if he was able to leave Shreveport without anyone from the Nevada contingency on his tail.

He sipped his Trueblood and eyed me longingly. I had a good idea about what Eric would like to do with his leisure time and it didn't involve our unfinished business. Though my body was more than willing to get right up close and personal with Eric Northman my mind was cringing at the thought of discussing our "unfinished business." I had a lot of questions but I wasn't sure I wanted to have that long talk just now and I certainly didn't want to have it in Merlotte's with Sam eyeing me from behind the bar.

"Can it wait, Eric?" I asked. "It's been a long night and I'm tired." I put on my best drowsy look. I wasn't lying, I was tired and it had certainly been a long night. No matter how much I wanted Eric to come home with me and snuggle up close to me in my bed, I was willing to do almost anything to avoid the talk.

I wasn't sure what I feared but I knew it was anguish to even think about discussing with Eric the ins and outs of our "relationship". I wasn't even sure what to call what we had. Maybe I feared what he'd say or what I'd come to realize through the conversation. Maybe it was the fact that saying certain things out loud made them more real than when you're just thinking them in your head. I was sure our little heart-to-heart wouldn't be very sappy considering my company but I was willing to bet we'd venture into territory that I wasn't comfortable with. Any talk of that nature would involve the divulging of feelings and emotions that were otherwise left to their own devices. I didn't like the idea at all.

He felt my fear through the blood-bond. I saw it in his face when his brows came together to form a line of confusion. I silently cursed the damn bond. I suddenly knew how annoying it was to have other people feel your emotions and thoughts. I was usually on the other side of that fence.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked me with a bit of concern in his voice.

I sighed heavily in resignation. I wasn't going to get out of this and I might as well just get it over and done with. "I'll be off soon, let me get my stuff together and cash out. I'll be home in thirty minutes or so." He nodded.

With that I got up from the table and went about my closing procedures. Eric finished his Trueblood and left me a fifty dollar tip before he strolled out. Sam gave me a sharp look when I went into his office to retrieve my purse from his desk drawer.

"Be careful," he said without looking up from his papers. He hated doing the books and I had a feeling that he was taking his anger out there rather than lashing out at me. I was thankful for that much. I didn't think I could handle two irritating conversations tonight.

"I always am," I said as I left the bar.

The drive home was uneventful until I turned onto Hummingbird Road and neared my house. The effect of the blood-bond hit me for a second time tonight. I had been over-joyed at the thought of Eric being at my house before the bond took hold. The closer I got to him the more I felt it latch onto me. I was determined to ignore it as much as I could but it was near impossible to resist its pull when Eric was in close proximity to me.

The bond itself had been one source of my fear. I couldn't tell if my feelings for Eric were a real part of my own emotions or if they were a side-effect of the blood-bond we shared. I could never be certain that I truly felt anything when I was around him because the bond had such hold over my emotions. I knew that during the past month I had missed him intensely and I'd told myself that it was the bond's fault though I hadn't been truly convinced. I just wasn't sure where I stood and it was irritating and scary to be lost somewhere in the middle.

I would remember fondly the time when Eric had stayed with me while he was cursed with amnesia. He'd been a different person then and I'd thought that maybe it was that Eric that I loved and I was just hoping to see that Eric in this version of my vampire. It added to my confusion. I know, pretty deep thinking for a simple barmaid.

He was leaning against his red corvette when I pulled into the driveway. He threw his arm around my shoulders as we silently walked up to the back porch of my old house. The contact made my stomach tie up in knots and brought an embarrassing blush to my cheeks. I was about to give thanks to the darkness around us before I remembered that Eric could see perfectly, even under the cover of night. He, thankfully, didn't turn to look at me so my blush had gone unnoticed.

I flipped on the light-switch in the kitchen and pulled the tie out of my hair. Though I knew I was on edge about the coming conversation, I felt completely relaxed with Eric sitting quietly at my kitchen table. I went over to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of Trueblood for my guest. I was thankful I'd still had some on hand. I hadn't had many vampire visitors lately.

My roommate, Amelia, had stopped me from throwing them out. She was in New Orleans for the week with her mentor, Octavia, as part of her witch training. I was grateful that Eric had shown up while I had the house to myself. I didn't want anyone else hearing what either of us might say, I wasn't even sure I wanted to hear it myself.

He thanked me for the blood when I delivered it and sat down across from him. He looked at ease sitting there. I thought how funny it was that once again I had a thousand year old Viking sitting at the table my Grandmother had served supper on. My life had been odd, verging on insane, for quite a while now and I couldn't help but think that it was just about to topple over the edge once again.

"I apologize for not keeping in touch," he commented. Eric leaned over the table to look into my eyes. It wasn't as unnerving as I might have thought, in fact; I had the urge to smile. "I know that I should have come by but I have barely had a moment alone since we last saw each other."

"You could have called," I said lamely before I could stop myself. I had been trying to act casual and completely cool with the fact that we hadn't been in contact for a month. What was the use in acting, anyway? I wasn't any good at it.

He smiled roguishly. "Yes, I have heard tell that women quite like their men to call them frequently these days. You'll have to excuse my ignorance. I've been without long-term female companionship for some time. I'm woefully unaware of what's expected of me."

Well, that threw me for a loop.

"Pam told me, more than once, that I should make time to call you or come by your home but the King had his cronies in my shadow and I didn't like the idea of them getting any more information than they already had in regards to our arrangement." He finished his bottle of Trueblood and got up to wash it out and toss it into the garbage can.

I let out a breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding. I steeled myself mentally. This was the start of the conversation that I'd been avoiding for months and there was no way out of it now. "And what arrangement is that, exactly?" I asked.

He came toward me with a broad smile on his face. He took my hands and pulled me to my feet, pressing his lean body against mine. My body reacted immediately and I had to resist the urge to melt into his embrace.

"You are mine, of course," He whispered in my ear.

My back straightened. I knew where this was heading and I'd already put up the effort to get this talk done and over with. I wasn't about to fall into bed with him and have to wind myself up all over again for the inevitable conversation. "What exactly does that entail, Eric?" I asked as icily as I could with his arms wrapped around me.

He let go then and sat back down in his chair. "You're right, we need to clear this up," He grinned again. "Then I can take what's mine."

I had a hard time restraining myself from rolling my eyes at him. He had gall; that was for certain.

"In the eyes of the Vampires we are promised to one another, that's the significance of the knife. Victor Madden informed you of that," he said in a businesslike fashion. I nodded in agreement. "It means that no one else can touch you, drink from you or be in your presence without my express permission. No one, not even the King, can lay claim on you. Of course, it only applies to vampires."

I had worked that much out for myself. Though I wasn't exactly pleased about the terms, I understood. It was for my own protection. Still, it was rather medieval to lay claim on a woman like that but the vampires were stuck in their traditions and it'd do no good to argue.

He looked at me long enough to be sure that I was following him before he continued. "In your terms, we are affianced. Engaged to be married is as good as being married in vampire terms..."

This wasn't news to me either. I had had plenty of time to work out the mechanics of the agreement. Still, I was happy to stay on the technical side of the fence rather than getting into the emotional realm. I wasn't lucky for long.

"I remember, now, every minute of my time here when I was cursed." I looked up then and saw a pained expression on his face. "I do not like having feelings," he stated plainly. I steeled myself for the worst. "They make me feel vulnerable and that isn't a state of mind I particularly enjoy." I could hear the frustration in his voice but couldn't bring myself to look into his eyes. "Still, I cannot avoid what I felt then and what I feel now." He stopped for a moment, as though he was trying to find the right words for what to say next. "My feelings for you make you a liability," he started. He stopped for a few more seconds that felt like an eternity to me. I was cringing inwardly, afraid of what he might say. "But I find that it's a liability I am more than happy to accept."

I looked up then and saw the truth of his words clearly written across his ancient and gorgeous face. My vampire was on the verge of spilling his guts and he looked just as vulnerable as he felt. I ached with the frustration he was feeling, it seeped through the bond and oozed right over me. He had dropped all pretenses and was willing himself to continue.

"I..I just don't know, Eric," I stammered out the sentence. I felt the wave of rejection wash over me through our bond as it washed over him. "I don't know what's real and what is coming from the blood-bond. I don't know if I have feelings for the man you were when you were with me or the man you are right now. I just don't know which way is up, anymore. I'm not sure if what you feel is real or part of the bond either. I don't know myself when you're here. How can you be certain that it's real?"

He looked at me with sad eyes. He was acting very calm but I could feel the chaos in him.

"I don't mean to hurt you. It hurts me too," I said.

"Is it your own pain that you're regretful of or is it mine?"

I stared at him, trying to work out what he meant. He clarified, sounding a little annoyed at my simpleton behavior.

"Are you hurting because you yourself feel pain or are you hurting because I feel pain?"

"Both," I answered immediately.

He stood then and took me into his arms once more. This time I couldn't resist the urge to melt into his grasp. The feeling of security and comfort washed away the uncertainty that had just collapsed on top of me. He kissed the top of my head very gently and I smiled. It was something that he'd done before he regained his memory. It was an act of tenderness rarely given by Eric Northman. I was thankful for it.

"I am not one to pour my heart out, Sookie. You have brought me into long forgotten places and I am unsure of how to tell you the things that I feel." He stroked my hair while he spoke to me, easing away the tension I'd stored up.

My hand stroked his back gently and I leaned further into his embrace. "Just say it the way you feel it," I whispered.

"I feel as though something is missing when I am away from you," he began. Each word was pronounced exactly and I heard the faint accent that Eric took on when he was being sincere. "I dream of you when I sleep and I am bothered by the fact that you're not there when I wake. Whenever I close my eyes I see your face. When I am with you I feel as though the world is complete. I find it hard not to hold you in my arms when I am near you. If my heart could beat, my lover, it would beat for you."

Well, that had done it. If he'd been hoping to get into my bed tonight he'd just secured his place there. It wasn't the words, though I wasn't sure any woman could resist such sweet talk, it was the sincerity behind them. I knew he meant every word because I could feel it through the bond. The sweetness of it was over powering.

"It's not just the bond, lover," he whispered. "I know you feel it too."

"Take what is yours," I whispered back.

He didn't need telling twice. He swung my legs out from under me and held me to him. His blue eyes gazed into mine and I was rewarded with a sweltering kiss. He kissed me for all he was worth then and there in my Grandmother's kitchen.

He carried me back to my bedroom and took his time with me. We made love tenderly, without the lustful urgency of our previous nights together. He moved slowly, looking into my eyes the whole time and reminding me to look at him. He wanted me to know who was giving me such pleasure and he wanted me to see the pleasure on his face. I was so overcome with emotion my eyes filled with tears when I finished. He whispered something in a long dead language before he finished himself.

I lay on my back, covers tucked under my arms, completely sated. I would be happy to bask in the after-glow of amazing sex for the rest of my life. Eric was lying on his side with an arm and leg wrapped around me. He was silently running his fingers through my hair.

When he raised himself up and propped his head on his hand I turned to snuggle in closer to him. He welcomed me and kissed my cheek, causing me to smile. "What did you say?" I asked in a whisper. "When you finished, I mean, you said something in another language."

He hooked a finger under my chin and lifted my face up so that he could look into my eyes. I smiled back at him. "It's hard to say," he said. "People say all manner of things when they're in the clutches of passion." He stroked my cheek with such tenderness that I shivered. "My native language is Norse but I rarely utter it these days. Perhaps it comes out naturally when my mind is otherwise occupied."

"It sounds nice, I think." I told him.

He smiled at me and gave a little laugh. "Norse has been called many things but I've never heard it described as nice."

"Say something in Norse," I urged him. I pulled my head up and mirrored his position, propping myself up on my arm. I was plainly showing my interest.

"Minn elska, yðvarr minn þurfa," he said. I smiled back at him, not a clue what he was saying, and he laid another kiss on my cheek.

I grinned with delight. "What'd you say, then?"

He spoke as he trailed kisses down my body. "I said," he kissed my neck then my collarbone. "That," he said as his lips found my chest and then the top of my stomach. "You are my sunshine." I smiled and let him have his way with me again.

When I woke up the next morning my bed was empty but I was sated and blissful.