A/N: I stayed up 'til 2:30 in the morning writing this! What can I say? I tend to get bad Writer's Blocks so when inspiration strikes, I want to take advantage of it for as long as I can . . . I hope that what I came up with makes you all happy, even though I know it's impossible to please everyone :)

I'm very grateful for the amount of reviews and encouragement I've gotten for my first TB fanfiction, and I will definitely be writing more in the future! Hopefully you'll all be nice enough to check out the stories, as well. Thanks again for reading!

~ Sierra

xxx

The next day . . . for the first time in two weeks, Sookie went to work. She carried trays of food and served thirsty customers, spoke cheerfully to Lafayette and Terry and wondered where Sam and Tara were; the day went on as a typical day would, but it felt like it dragged on forever. Everytime she looked at the clock it seemed like it had only moved a couple minutes, and she could swear that the blazing hot sun in the sky would never go down.

But of course it did. Sunset came and she wiped down all her tables before handing her shift over to Arlene and heading to the back to gather her things; her heart was pounding, her stomach in knots, and she couldn't tell if it was nerves or excitement. Either way, she knew she wanted to get home as soon as possible.

"What're you up to tonight, Sookie?" Lafayette inquired, leaning in the opening to the kitchen.

Sookie jumped, then turned to face the cook, suddenly feeling waves of guilt washing over her as she realized exactly what she was doing. Going home to wait anxiously for a visit from the man who'd brutally tortured one of her best friends. What the hell is wrong with me? she demanded, silently, while another voice in the back of her mind insisted: That was before. He's different now.

"Just goin' home to relax," she lied, surprised how easily one came to her now.

Lafayette raised an eyebrow, grunting doubtfully. "Uh-huh. You still seein' Vampire Bill?"

"No . . . I broke up with him."

"Really?" Lafayette blinked quickly, surprised. "Well . . . sorry if you're hurtin', but I can't say that I'm gonna miss him."

Sookie rolled her eyes, bending over to pick up her purse. "I know," she said, "I don't think anyone will. And that's okay . . . but I'd prefer not to talk about him at all, if you don't mind. I just wanna forget all about him." She smiled tightly. "G'night, Lafayette. I'll see you tomorrow." He watched her as she left but she pretended not to notice, instead focusing on walking to her car and calming the trembling in her hands.

For some reason, she'd been hoping that Eric would already be waiting for her at the house, but it was empty when she arrived; all the lights were off and everything was dark, intimidating, and she found herself on edge as she made her way to the front door. It seemed like werewolves lurked in every dark corner, and even the sound of a bird chirping in the distance made her jump. Shaking off her worries, she opened the door and walked inside, flipping the light switch as soon as she could reach it, instantly comforted by the familiar sight. A sharp pang gnawed at her as she found herself missing Tina's comforting purr, and her Gran's loving gaze.

Letting out a long breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, Sookie slipped out of her shoes and untucked her snug, Merlotte's T-shirt, thinking about the hot bath she would enjoy just as soon as she got upstairs. She walked to the stairs and turned on the radio, setting it to an old country station and listening to the final strands of a Brooks 'n Dunn tune as she went to the bathroom and began to run the water. Steam had filled the tiny room by the time she lowered herself into the tub; she let down her hair and slipped deeper into the water, sighing with relief as her tense muscles were eased and even her scalp seemed to relax.

Sookie didn't have any idea how long she'd been floating peacefully, eyes closed, taking in the soothing smells, when she heard knocking on her front door. In a moment she had slipped into a bathrobe, left behind the comfort of the room and the tub, and went downstairs to answer the door. Somehow, she'd forgotten about who had promised a visit, and so seeing Eric standing there on her porch took her completely by surprise . . . and immediately had her regretting her decision to not get fully dressed.

"Eric."

"Good evening, Sookie," his voice was low and seductive, and Sookie had to suppress the shiver that worked its way through her body.

"C'mon inside," she said, "I'm just gonna . . . go upstairs and get some clothes on." She felt heat rush into her cheeks. "You, uh, caught me just out of the bath."

"I can tell," Eric replied, breathing in slowly, his eyes fixating on her. "Lavendar and vanilla. Intoxicating."

Sookie blushed even more, turning away and self-consciously wrapping her robe tighter around her body. "There's some True Blood in the fridge if you want some," she said, "I'll be right back . . . just, um, make yourself comfortable."

"Is there really any need for you to get dressed?" Eric questioned, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes," Sookie insisted, looking back down at him from the top of the stairs. "Just because we . . . we kissed last night, doesn't mean I'm gonna jump into bed with you right away."

Eric shrugged. "I'm over a thousand years old," he said, "I can wait."

Sookie started to head toward her bedroom, stopping short when Eric suddenly appeared in front of her; her body started to ache so much she wanted to moan aloud, but she bit down on her lip, trying to hide it. Eric smiled. "You are beautiful," he whispered, placing his lips to her ear. "And I don't think you realize that."

"It's . . . not somethin' you hear everyday."

"That's a shame." Eric frowned. "Didn't Bill tell you?"

"Don't talk about Bill," Sookie said, sharply. "I don't wanna think about him . . . " she brushed by Eric and went into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her before shedding her robe. She stepped into a loose pair of sweatpants and a tank top, took a deep breath, then headed back out into the hallway, not surprised at all when Eric was standing in the same spot she'd left him.

"How 'bout that True Blood?" she said, attempting a smile and surprising herself by managing it so easily.

"No thanks," Eric answered, dryly. "I'm not hungry."

"You look better," Sookie said, stepping closer to him; she looked him up and down, relieved to see that he really did look healed. His skin was pale, but that was typical. "How's your stomach?"

"Completely healed." Smiling slowly, Eric raised his the bottom of his shirt 'til Sookie could see where the wound had once been. "See?"

All Sookie could see was chiseled abs and smooth skin, and she swallowed hard, hoping that he hadn't noticed her open-mouthed amazement. "Let's go downstairs . . . " she cleared her throat. "I could use a drink, and there's no point standin' up here starin' at each other all night."

"I could keep it up for awhile."

So could I . . . Sookie shook her head. She began walking down the stairs, feeling Eric following her; she led the way into the living room and sat down on the couch, tucking her legs under her as Eric came to stand by the armrest. His hands were buried deep in his pockets, and he actually looked just a little awkward there, uncertain what his next move should be.

"How old are you?" Sookie blurted out.

"You know how old I am."

"'Over a thousand' is sort of vague . . . I'm 'over fifteen', but that doesn't tell you much, does it?"

Eric sat down across from her, one corner of his mouth tugging upward in a crooked smile. "I suppose it doesn't," he admitted, "very well . . . I am one thousand, one hundred and . . . " he paused, his eyes flicking up as he thought about his answer. "Seventy-eight. Yes, that's it."

"You were born in . . . the year 830?"

"It was a very different world back then."

"I'll bet." Sookie shook her head, her curiousity brimming. "What was it like? I mean, how did y'all live?"

"Why does this matter to you?"

Sookie shrugged. "I'm curious. Can you blame me?"

"I told you before my father was a King," Eric said, "but he wasn't a King like you may believe . . . not of a country like England. Just a small tribe, really. It seemed like there was always another war to fight." His eyes traveled away from Sookie and gazed out the window. "Whether we were fighting against another tribe or battling with them side-by-side varied by day."

"Did you have any brothers or sisters?"

Eric nodded slightly, turning his head to look back at Sookie, as always, his blue eyes were unreadable. "I had two brothers, and a sister . . . Olaf was my older brother, was killed in battle. He was exploring the lands in Russia, trying to further our kingdom, but he never came home. My younger brother died as a child. Rørik." He licked his lips, his face scrunching up as if he'd just tasted something sour. "It's strange . . . I haven't spoken their names in a millenia."

"But you still remember," Sookie said, softly.

"Do you think you'd forget your brother?" Eric asked.

"No . . . " Sookie laughed to herself. "I don't think anyone could forget Jason . . . what about your sister?"

Eric grimaced, bringing his hands together as he spoke: "She was an infant when Russell had his wolves murder her. Ten months old."

Without thinking, Sookie reached across the space separating them and placed her hand atop Eric's . . . he looked at her sharply, surprise bringing a certain amount of vulnerability to his usually stoic features. "What was her name?" Sookie asked, quietly.

"Her name was Ása."

"That's beautiful."

"Yes . . . " Eric brushed his thumb over the top of Sookie's hand. "So was she."

"You must've loved them very much," Sookie said, "after a thousand years, you still wanted revenge so badly . . . I know it's silly, but I didn't know families were like that so long ago. Kind of thought things were harder back then, you know? Like you didn't have time to love anyone, you were too busy tryin' to stay alive."

"Is that what they're teaching in schools nowadays?"

"How did you wind up becomin' a vampire?"

"You sure are asking a lot of questions tonight." Eric let the silence hang in the air for a moment, then sighed before replying: "It was ten years after my family was killed . . . I was twenty-nine. I'd been wounded in battle and was going to die, but Godric found me in time, and he turned me."

"He saved your life."

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Eric let go of Sookie's hand, running his fingers through his hair as he continued to relive ancient memories. "I spent the next eight hundred years with him . . . we parted at times, briefly. Maybe five years at a time. Never for long 'til I got the chance and took a ship, sailed to the New World, leaving Godric behind in Europe."

"You were a Pilgrim?" Sookie smiled as she spoke, scooting closer to Eric without even realizing.

"Well, I didn't come over on the Mayflower," Eric replied, "but they were other vampires, and we went together. We prepared the ship and stay below deck during the day . . . it didn't take very long 'til I was on my way back though, to find Godric."

"He loved you, too." Sookie leaned over to catch Eric's eyes with hers. "You know that, right? I don't think Godric cared about anythin' as much as you. He asked me to take care of you for him."

"I don't understand . . . " Eric gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching. "I don't think I will ever understand why he did that to himself." He relaxed a little then, and the hand he had squeezed into a fist uncurled. "But I guess spending a millenia with someone is nothing to be angry about . . . most people only get a lifetime, after all."

"That's true," Sookie said, "but I can't even imagine spendin' so much time with someone and then losing 'em."

Eric rolled his eyes, his exasperation finally showing. "Is this trip down 'memory lane' coming to an end yet?"

"I'm sorry," Sookie said, "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. I just wanted to get to know you a little better . . . not the Eric Northman, owner of Fangtasia, and big scary vampire. Just, y'know, Eric."

"You've never shown this much interest before," Eric commented.

"I didn't want to know before."

Eric abruptly changed his position so he was facing Sookie, leaning in close to her face in that way that always left her helpless . . . good thing I'm already sitting down, she thought to herself as her breath caught in her throat and her mouth went dry.

"Why not?" Eric wondered aloud, his whisper a cool breeze on her face. "Afraid you wouldn't like what you'd see?"

"No," Sookie murmured, bringing her lips so close they were nearly touching his. "I was afraid I would." She kissed him forcefully, not giving him the chance to take her off-guard again; this time he was the one in shock, and for just a second he didn't respond. But only for a second. Eric recovered quickly, and Sookie gasped when she felt his cool hands rest on her hips and his tongue dart into her mouth, deepening the kiss as they sank onto the couch. It lasted forever, and yet somehow not long enough, before Sookie panted for air and broke away, her face red and her body trembling with anticipation.

"I don't love you," she said, breathlessly.

Eric chuckled, his face looming inches above hers. "That's okay," he said, placing a kiss on her throat.

"And I don't trust you, either."

"That's okay, too. I will earn that . . . in time." Eric kissed her collarbone, dragging his hand up her arm. "Now. Relax. Stop worrying about everything else and just focus on what is happening right now." His smile was easy, free of any threat, and Sookie found herself melting beneath it. "This is only the beginning, Sookie."

He covered her mouth with his again, his kiss demanding and hungry. One of his hands rested on her leg, the other snaked up to her hair and grabbed it, twisting and pulling just enough that Sookie gasped from both the pain and the pleasure. She moaned into his mouth, twisting and pushing, trying to be closer to him. His hands felt like ice against her hot skin as he finally gripped her shirt and pulled it over her head, his eyes widening and his mouth opening as his fangs popped out and he took in the sight of her naked form. No words needed to be said, instead he bent over and kissed her tenderly, smiling against her skin as she gasped again.

Sookie reached out blindly 'til she found the bottom of Eric's shirt, she wanted to rip it off, the faster the better, but instead it came off the old-fashioned way; Eric sat up, pulling himself away from her to remove the shirt himself. He was like a statue, Sookie mused, staring at him with amazement that she didn't try to hide. Sculpted and perfect. She wanted to kiss every inch of him and set about doing it immediately . . . her lips pressed against his stomach, kissing the spot where he'd been stabbed, then his belly button. Her tongue trailed up the middle of his chest 'til she came to his throat, there she breathed against him softly, enjoying the way he grunted his appreciation while he fiddled with his pants, trying to get them unzipped as quickly as possible. She nibbled at his earlobe, then returned to his mouth, longing to feel his lips on her again.

Finally, the pants fell aside in a heap on the floor. Eric reached up, running his hands through Sookie's hair as he kissed her and she struggled with the amount of clothing she still had on; she jerked awkwardly trying to slide the pants from her hips, and they both tumbled from the couch. They landed on the floor with a thud, both laughing, even as a cup fell from the coffee table and struck Eric's back. He didn't notice, too entranced by the smooth white of her thighs and the perfect roundness of her breasts; Sookie's hands explored him too, grasping at his muscular back, gripping his perfect ass, then settling at the most important part. They both smiled as she touched him.

"Eric . . . " Sooke whispered.

Eric took her in with one thrust, and for a moment Sookie felt only pain. It was gone after just a second though, and at Sookie's nod, Eric began to move within her; their eyes stayed focused on each other as their movements became one, the rhythm they formed like a dance. Sookie gripped Eric's back like a lifeline, while his hands roamed her whole body, stroking her legs, sending chills down her arms, cupping her breasts. She wrapped her legs around him, taking him into her as far as he could go, and Eric growled his approval; he dove for her neck, his fangs scraping her skin lightly but not biting.

"Do it," Sookie sighed.

Eric bit into her and began to suck, nearly sending Sookie over the edge but letting go before she had the chance; he licked his lips as he pulled away, his eyes glistening with contentment. They rolled over so Sookie was on top and she threw her head back, moaning loudly, panting for release as the pace quickened; she cried out his name as it finally came to her, and Eric groaned as he let go as well. Exhausted, Sookie slumped down onto Eric as he lay on his back, a vaguely sleepy smile gracing his face.

"I told you it would not come easily," he whispered.

Sookie laughed into his chest, then sat up, relishing the feeling as she straddled him and his cool skin pressed against her sweaty body. "I guess you were right," she breathed, "'cuz there was nothin' easy about everythin' that led up to this." She smiled, dipping over to kiss his forehead and stroke his hair. "But I gotta say . . . that was just about the easiest thing I've ever done. It felt right. Like it was somethin' I should've been doin' before."

Eric smirked. "Obviously you should have given into me long ago."

"I don't think so . . . " she twirled a strand of his blond hair around her finger, mindlessly playing with it. "Now you be careful, Eric Northman. Don't go fallin' in love with me or anythin'." She winked, standing up and grabbing a blanket from the couch to wrap herself in. "Vampires in love with humans, that never ends well, does it?"

Eric stood up quickly, his wide eyes blazing holes through her. "Does it?"

"Besides," Sookie said, "you don't know what love is, right? Isn't that what you said?" She was still smiling, still playing a game, but Eric's serious expression concerned her; he stroked her face gently, playing with her ear before resting on her neck. There was no mistaking what that look in his eyes meant, and Sookie nearly turned to run away as the thought of the ancient Viking being in love with her began to settle in her mind; it was scarier than she'd imagined it might be, but it was also exciting. Intriguing. Despite her fears, she found that she wanted to know more.

"I know what love is," Eric said, so quietly she almost couldn't hear him.

Sookie brought her hand up to his chest and rested it there . . . "I'm not sure I do," she answered, her voice suddenly unsteady.

"That's okay," Eric repeated his earlier words. "I'm over a thousand years old . . . I can wait."

~ END.