My first attempt at a fanfic, and I would tell y'all to be kind, but I'd prefer honesty. My interpretation of what could happen after Dead and Gone.

"Sookie, can we go home now?"

I held Amelia close as Tray Dawson's funeral came to an end. Normally I would have said that she should stay for the reception afterward, but neither of us could bear to be at that church any longer. Tray was a hero, but Amelia needed me. She clung to me sobbing as we left the church, murmuring goodbyes to people on the way out. I briefly caught a glimpse of Sam in the crowd and a couple Were's from Alcide's pack, but not Alcide, which made me wonder.

I was thankful for the recent transfusions of Eric's blood, so that I could keep out of the minds of most of the congregation. I slipped up a couple times though and was bombarded with worry about the current situation in the Supe community (most of the people attending were Weres or Shifters, but the ceremony was kept with human norms, as per his ex-wife) and speculation as to what the connection between all these recent events was. all these recent deaths (Crystal, Mel, Tray, Clancy, etc) were too much too ignore and everyone seemed very on edge.

Amelia sobbed the way home, but held my hand like a child having a nightmare. I squeezed her back reassuringly as I drove back to my home, which didn't feel as safe or welcoming as it always had. The fairies were gone but they had left their mark in more ways than one.

There was a red rose with a note attached to it on the back step.

-Dear One, I hope the funeral was not too much for you and Amelia. Bill is still healing slowly. I will be here shortly after sundown, there is much we must discuss. Love -E.

Bobby must have dropped it off while we were out, it was nice of Eric to include Amelia and to update me on Bill's healing. I hadn't been able to see him yet, but Eric had assured me that I would be able to soon.

"Sookie, if it's okay with you, I'd like to stay here with you a little longer" I looked at Amelia, worse for wear, making tea. There were so many "talks" I needed to have and now that my health was improving, it seemed like a good time to start knocking them all out.

"Are you sure, Amelia? I understand if you don't even want to be around me anymore. it was my fault that Tray..." she stopped me in my tracks with the angriest look on her face.

"It was NOT your fault, Sookie Stackhouse. Do not even START that shit with me! YOU didn't capture him, YOU didn't torture him and YOU didn't kill him!! Those goddamned fairies did and its all THEIR fault!" I had never seen her so worked up before. She was still immaculately dressed in her demure black funeral dress, but her makeup had since been cried away and she looked rather hysterical.

"I know! But if it wasn't for me, the fairies would have never been here in the first place!" I couldn't help the way I felt and yelling seemed to make me feel better.

"SHUT UP! He died a hero trying to save my best friend, that is honorable and I won't let you disgrace that with your selfishness! You are so much better than that Sookie, you know its not your fault and I know you are feeling guilty, I see it every time you look at me, but you have got to stop it right now and start being my best friend he died for and help me!!!" she yelled right back. She was right and I swept her up in my arms, holding her as more tears fell down her face. She didn't want to leave and she still wanted to be my friend, I could only thank the Lord for bringing Amelia Broadway into my life.

"I'm sorry." I sobbed into her hair "I liked Tray and he was so brave and tough. He really was a hero". We held each other in my kitchen, in our funeral best for what seemed like hours, but was probably only minutes. Grief did things like that to you.

As we collected ourselves, changed out of funeral blacks, I couldn't help thinking to myself "One talk down, successful. 2 big ones to go".

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Shortly after nightfall, Eric and Pam showed up on the back door. I knew it was them, because A) I wasn't expecting anyone else this evening and B) I could feel a small wave of comfort and ease, which can only signal the arrival of a particular Viking vampire. Pam gave me a small kiss on my cheek, perhaps lingering a little longer than she should have, but I could only laugh at her naughtiness. Eric skipped naughty and went right for impassioned (Word of the day), claiming my mouth with his and leaving me breathless and more than a little woozy. I must have looked it because both of them chuckled. Vampires.

"Ready to go?" Pam asked Amelia, who had joined us. Both of them were dressed to kill (ha ha) and before I could get my bearings, were heading back out the door.

"Have a good night, roomie, don't do anything I wouldn't do!" called Amelia. Pam winked at Eric and I and they were gone.

"Where are they going?"

"Amelia called Pam and asked her to take her out tonight. What doesn't Amelia do?" Eric asked with a wicked leer (I tried not to think about Amelia going out so close after Trey's funeral, but I guess if that's what she needs, right?).

"Um, good question. She once turned a guy she was sleeping with into a cat, so I'm not sure" I answered shakily. I heated up some blood for him and we made our way to the living room, where he pulled me down in front of the fireplace. I was reminded of the first time we had laid here and it made me smile a little.

"I see you got rid of that hideous quilt" he observed.

"Not at all, it's in the wash" I countered. "I could go get it for you, if you'd like" Hey, I liked that quilt, it had memories.

"Only if you're spread out naked on it for me" he smiled wickedly, showing some fang. Oh my. "Seeing your luscious form on it may counter it's esthetic indecency"

HE was one to talk about indecent right now. He looked positively enticing laid out on my floor in his dark jeans and Fangtasia t-shirt, the firelight flickering across his striking features. I swallowed heavily and shook the lewd thoughts from my head.

"I thought we were going to talk tonight" I had so many questions and I was finally feeling strong enough physically and mentally to ask. I didn't want to go any further until I knew. Eric sighed deeply and resigned himself.

"Your right, lover, we are going to talk. I assume you would like to know why I was not with Bill when he rescued you from the Fairies?" That was one of the bigger questions I'd had and my chest got tight with anxiety and panic, but he sent me feelings of comfort and reassurance through our bond. It didn't lessen my fears, but it was nice knowing he wanted to comfort me. I braced myself mentally.

"Yes, I do want to know that, among other things" My voice came out sharper than I wanted, but I was nervous and I knew this was going to be a big talk.

"I am going to tell you, lover, because you were going to find out eventually and I would rather you hear it from me, to get the facts straight" he was looking at me intently and I couldn't look away, even though his words made me want to. He was laying down casually but I was sitting cross legged, too stressed to move. Oh Lord, please do not let him tell me he was with a fangbanger, or his Maker or something like that, please!

"The night you were taken, Bill saw you and called me immediately at Fangtasia. I called Niall to alert him and was beginning to make arrangements to depart when Felicia walked in" Wow, he was really going into detail, it kind of felt like he had rehearsed this, which made my chest constrict even more and my breathing sped up to get more air in my lungs.

"She said she found the box among the deliveries of True Blood that had arrived earlier that day and wanted to bring it to my attention. As I passed her to leave, the bomb inside the box went off" I felt the air whoosh out of me.

"a bomb?" Okay, not articulate, I know, but I was definitely caught off guard.

"I taught all my staff to identify mail bombs, but Felicia..." his eyes were blazed with anger and his face a mask of disappointment. Felicia had done VERY bad. "It was small, crudely made, but wrapped in silver and thoroughly effective in it's timing, it could not have been worse"

"Do you think the faeries planted it?" I didn't seem like their MO, but I thought I'd ask, I mean, Eric had a point that the time was way too perfect to ignore.

"As I healed, I considered that, but bombs are not their choice in attack, usually. They prefer hand to hand combat. Also, the bomb was not very big and did not cause very much damage to anyone other than Felicia or myself. They would want to inflict as much damage as possible" His eyes glittered and I remembered how Eric fought hand to hand, he loved the thrill of a fight, especially when he got to fight with his hands... or a sword. "No, this was not the work of faeries. I had Pam send an alert out to others, but I was too late for Packmaster Herveaux. He received one as well and sustained 3rd degree burns and is healing in hospital. The one delivered to his office was in a strategic location where he did not sense it and would cause damage only to him personally or staff closest to him".

"That's why he wasn't at the funeral.. I'll have to go see him in the hospital...." my words died out and my chest seized up. I fought the tears back down again, I had to know the rest. "You said, as you healed. How badly were you hurt? What about Felicia?" If the bomb was wrapped in silver pieces, they would have gone flying out all over, I shuddered to think of the damage that might have caused. Don't cry, Sookie!

"Felicia... lost her forearms. They will regrow, but it will take time" he seemed to have taken into account of my inner battle, I know it must have showed on my face in the firelight. He reached out and starting stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. It was a sweet gesture and again, I fought back the tears. I would hear this, I was strong enough.

"As for myself... my eyes were mostly affected, they took the longest to heal. My injuries were nothing compared to Felicia's though" That was the straw that broke the camels back and a traitorous tear slid down my face. His eyes were beautiful blue and I couldn't imagine what the damage would have looked like. He watched the tear fall down my face.

"If the faeries didn't plant the bomb, who did?" my voice came out ragged and harsh and I was losing my fight against my own tears.

"We believe it was a warning from the Fellowship of the Son, our sources have confirmed this for us. We got the message out on time to others so they could avoid the same fate, there was even one sent to Sam and we intercepted one that was sent to you as well" he said this softly, still holding my hand and sending calming feelings to me. I couldn't control the tears coming down my face now. What have I ever done to them? I've never hurt any of them. Okay, I'm friends with vampires and shifters, but is that a crime? Jesus believed in love and spreading as much of it as possible, didn't he? I could never understand hatred like that. Eric, Felicia and Alcide did not deserve what happened and I said as much.

"There are rumors from our spies that they are planning something much more grand in this area, we must stay vigilant. The King has been alerted and we are doubly our efforts to ensure it does not happen" His hand was still rubbing mine and I admit, it was relaxing, but I couldn't stop the tears or the anger that started to build up inside of me. I knew how the FOTS knew about me and where I lived. Eric and Alcide were leaders and therefore in the public eye, but only one person could have sold me and Sam out like that and my thoughts turned dark when I thought of how I used to care for her so much. I babysat her kids for gods sake!

I felt suffocated, like my own anger was strangling me and I stood up abruptly. I had to get out of here, I had to get away from Eric and his calm, this was not a time to be calm, I had to scream and yell and hit something. Eric was instantly on his feet as well.

"Sookie, what are you thinking?" he asked cautiously. That he was treating me with kids gloves finally set me off.

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" I screamed at him. "I've done NOTHING to them, NOTHING! What have I done to anyone, really? I'm a good woman, I work for my living and I try my best not to hurt anyone. I never chose to be telepathic, I've tried to block it out and get rid of it anyway I can! You never chose to be a vampire and Sam and Alcide never chose to be shifters! What the hell is wrong with those people?!" I was pacing, its so hard to hold this anger in me. Eric moved faster than I could see and I was crushed to his chest in a death grip hug before I could protest. This was too close, too much for right now. I had to get out, I had to run.

"LET ME GO, ERIC!" I screamed at him, accentuating what I said by kicking him.

"No! You will not run from me, I'm tired of you running" He said just as angrily. I screamed in frustration and really laid it to him. My arms were pinned at my sides by his grip, but I flailed them nonetheless and resumed kicking. Tears flowed freely down my face. I didn't care how immature I looked, this was all too much. I'm just human, I'm just a woman trying to live a good life, what the fuck had I done to deserve getting bombs sent to me or to have faeries kidnap me and do horrible things? I stamped on Eric's foot, kicked his shins, managed to get my arms up to his chest and pound on him there. I was tired of his overbearing attitude and bullying, I had the right to be angry. Eric kept his grip on me and didn't fight back, but remained impassive as I thrashed and hurt him. His lack of emotion finally took all the anger out of me, it deflated like a balloon and I sobbed into his chest. My fists no longer beat his chest, but grabbed his shirt and held on for dear life. I wept for the life I would never to get to have, the children I will most likely never bear, the hurt my friends were going through, sometimes because of me, and I wept for Claudine, I missed her so much.

After a minute or two of crying, it felt like much longer, the sobs died down and Eric's shirt was soaking wet with tears and snot, god I am so bad for his shirts. He looked down at me with a look of greatly strained patience.

"Are you done hitting me?"

"Yes" I answered, ashamed.

"Are you done crying?"

"Probably not"

He paused. "I'd rather you hit me" he confessed uncomfortably. I chuckled softly into his chest. The big bad Viking vampire, always undone by my tears.

I looked up at him and smiled weakly. His grip on my body loosened, probably figuring I wouldn't hit him anymore or run from him. He scanned my face with a concerned look in his eyes and brushed away my tears with his thumbs. His hands stayed on either side of my face and lowered his lips to mine. The kiss was soft, chaste and soothing, but made an impact. I felt my heart skip a beat and kissed back tentatively. He lowered us slowly to the floor, holding me like I was a precious artifact not to be jostled or damaged. It was almost patronizing, but coming from Eric, I knew it wasn't meant to be. I ended up underneath him as we kissed more, still soft and slow in front of my fireplace. I couldn't stop the memories of when he was cursed from running through my head and my hands snaked up his body to run through his hair. He made a growling sound of approval and our kisses sped up. My libido greatly approved of this new development and I will admit that I pulled him closer and pressed myself to him. I had to feel something other than anger or sadness and the way he was kissing me was so sweet, maybe I had MY Eric back finally.

He wedged his long cold body in between my legs and I gasped as his growing excitement pressed hard into my core, causing very pleasurable friction. Our movements sped up and I got lost in his mouth, which was hellbent on pillaging mine. My legs wrapped around him by their own accord and I pulled anxiously at his shirt; he took the hint and it was off lickedy split and he was back to kissing me. His hands went down under my bottom and ground my pelvis into his erection, eliciting a sharp cry I couldn't contain. I dug my nails into his perfect back, urging him on, god he is so good at this!

It was getting hotter by the second and all my thoughts had vanished, replaced by this beautiful man. A small voice in the back of my head had protested that Eric and I still had A LOT to talk about and what were gearing up to do would definitely be a step in the wrong direction, but I told the voice to shut it and enjoy the ride. Eric was clearly of the same thought process and had gotten my shirt off without me noticing (when did he do that?), his mouth leaving mine to start a trail of kisses, licks and nibbles down my neck, collarbone and towards my straining nipples when two voices interrupted us.

"Excellent, we got here just in time for the good part!" said Pam from the doorway.

"Quick, go grab the digital camera, we'd make a fortune on the internet!" added Amelia. Oh my god!

I immediately stopped what I was doing, pushed on Eric's chest. He grumbled something that sounded vaguely like "cockblock" and looked up to give the two women a look that mixed between frustration and smugness.

Well, If anyone likes this, I will keep posting, since I have more written.