I was floored with the response with this story. Thank you for all your kind reviews and encouragement. People who left me anonymous reviews, if you log in or leave an E-mail address, I'll respond back.

I think I made a big Oops picking my Ghost for Christmas Present. I was just informed by three different people through PM's that the person is supposed to be alive, well I chose a dead person. Ghosts to me means a person who has passed on. Sorry I got it wrong, now on with the show.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of CH's world and don't sue me for plagiarism seeing that I borrowed some dialogue from the books. Many of the situations belong to CH, but the words (for the most part) are mine.

Ghost of Christmas Present

A familiar voice chanted to rouse the sleeping Viking from his rest,

"the vampires were nestled all snug in their beds,

while visions of Royalty danced in their heads;

and the Queen in her furs, and you under her thumb,

had just made a decision that left you feeling numb."

Eric shot out of bed as the feeling of unrest tortured him in his quest for a peaceful daytime slumber. His heightened senses were searching for danger as his eyes fell upon a very familiar redhead dressed in silk robes and fur; Sophie-Anne LeClerq. His natural instinct was defensive as he bared his fangs for her to see before he pounced. Instead of knocking her to the ground as his intended desire, he flew through the air, gliding right through her invisible body, and hit the wall on the other side of the room. Shaking himself slightly he stood to face his intruder again with his fists clenched and fangs elongated.

"Contrary to your belief, I have been sent here to help," Sophie-Anne stated while sauntering forward. A long bone quellazaire with attached cigarette appeared out of nowhere and was gripped lightly by her fingertips. Drawing a drag off of her cigarette, she dramatically exhaled the smoke into the air. "I am the ghost of Christmas Present."

Eric just stared at her gapping because she looked nothing like his human wife Aude, who had visited him earlier, dressed in white robes with a lit candle in her palm. No, Sophie-Anne was dressed regally in silk and furs, stiletto glass heels, a fancy-smancy cigarette holder, and her fire red hair done in an elegant up-do. She looked more like the belle of the ball rather than a ghost.

Eric's eyes drifted to the table where Aude had left her flickering candle. The light still shone brightly and none of the wax had left behind residue upon melting.

Eric still remained without his wits as he had once again been awoken from his daytime slumber. He asked, "If you are a ghost, where is your candle?"

"Humans, they love their theatrics. Since you already seemed to know the drill, I decided to dress in more appropriate attire, not those drab white robes that wash out my complexion. That horrid material isn't good for my skin; it's scratchy you know," Sophie-Anne complained as she dramatically pressed the back of her hand to her forehead.

"The candle?" Eric inquired again.

"Oh, have it your way," she mumbled clearly aggravated. As she irritably flicked her hand the candle magically appeared in her palm. "Happy now?"

"So are we going to waste time or are you going to show me what you plan to; I want to go back to my rest," Eric countered, wanting the hell that this night had become over and done with as soon as possible.

"You were never any fun Eric. Very well then, follow me," she stated as her hips pornographically swayed from side to side. She opened his bathroom door and stepped inside.

"The bathroom?" Eric asked with a raised eyebrow. He had not taken a step towards her because he knew many things about her; one being that Sophie-Anne was a very sexual creature, and another thing was that the very last place he wanted to be was in an enclosed space with only a hot tub between them.

"What are you afraid of? I don't bite…much." She tapped the end of her cigarette as a magical ashtray appeared out of thin air and just as quickly disappeared.

Eric shrugged his shoulders; she was a ghost, right? He had already passed right through her on one occasion, maybe ghosts couldn't have sex? He cringed, thinking that a world without sex- even if he was a ghost- was no world he wanted to be apart of. At that moment he knew that he would never met his final death because the bleak promise of a sexless life would surely keep him alive.

Hesitantly he followed Sophie-Anne through the bathroom door and once inside, the room transformed and they were at his club Fangtasia.

He turned to Sohpie-Anne and asked, "What happened to drifting through Limbo and landing on the ground in a cloud of bubbles?"

Sophie-Ann quirked her eye like he had finally lost his mind. "Bubbles?" she queried huskily, laughing a bit as she looked through her lashes at him, "Humans and their theatrics. Now where were we? Oh yes, I'm not rightly dressed for this occasion." With a wave of her hand her white silk dressed turned into a deep blood red ball gown that closely fitted every one of her sensual curves. Her quellazaire was replaced with opera glasses that she held between her pointer finger and thumb as if she wanted an up-close and personal seat for the entertainment.

Eric shook his head and thought, Vampires and their theatrics!

The club was in full swing and Eric spotted himself immediately in his rounded booth in the center of the room. He was not alone and Sookie was definitely not a participant in his shenanigans. He had one woman straddling him as she leaned back, spreading herself out like a buffet for him to devour as the girls on each side begged and pouted for his exclusive attention.

It was only a minute later that 'Booth' Eric stood up and crooked his fingers towards the fangbangers. They scrambled to get up, knocking each other out of the way to be the first in line. They looked like nothing more attractive than three hussies having a cat fight over a piece of meat. 'Booth' Eric looked utterly bored as he watched the squabble before him as one fangbanger pulled the hair of the other so she'd fall backwards and trip. When the girl fell she grabbed the ankle of her nemesis, toppling her over; all they needed was a giant pit of mud.

The third fangbanger stayed clear of the 'fight to the death', walking with a wide berth around the other girls. Once she reached 'Booth' Eric's side she threw her hands up in triumph jumping up and down screaming, 'yes' like she was the latest model for the Herbal Essence commercial. But her Dollar General heels couldn't take the pressure of all the excitement and they cracked, tumbling her to the floor screaming in pain over her twisted ankle.

Even though she was obviously in some pain, little miss hussy had the audacity to get up on her knees and offer him a blow job; a offer he didn't refuse.

Sophie-Anne observed, "Looks like you had quite the feast every night, having one fangbanger after another throw themselves at you."

Eric groaned as the scene shimmered away. "I remember that horrible night. That was the first night I instructed Pam to bring me some 'takeout'. I was done choosing my own meals."

"That's until Sookie walked in; I believe that you chose her, correct?"

His chest rumbled as he stared at his former Queen. "She was never a meal," he stated clearly.

The scene changed to a backroom poker game that sat several individuals, one including Jackson Herveaux.

Herveaux had just lost his last several hands and was down thirty grand. He flipped out his phone and against a nagging feeling in his chest, he called a person that he knew would lend him the money.

The other side of the room blurred into an image of Eric sitting at his desk at Fangtasia as the call came through.

"Northman," Eric answered on the first ring, for he already knew from an informant that Herveaux was going to call about money. It had been his plan all along to get the Were indebted to him, and Herveaux made it so easy.

"I need to be spotted for some cash, you know I'm good for it," Herveaux answered with near perfect confidence, but Eric could still hear the twinge of worried inflection held in his voice.

Eric smiled to himself as he quickly scanned Herveaux's assets on his computer. Loan shark indeed! His bite and it's lasting sting had nothing on a shark.

"How much do you need?" Eric asked coolly, though already knowing the answer.

"Fifty."

"Done. I will send a wire transfer now."

He hung up the phone and sat back in his chair with a ghost of a smile upon his face.

"Loan sharking is yet another thing we can add to your many talents," Sophie-Anne replied.

"Do not act innocent with me, oh procurer of telepaths," Eric snarked back.

"Bill was the procurer, I was merely the investor." Eric rolled his eyes at her trivial analysis of the situation. "On with the light spectacle, shall we?" she asked rhetorically.

The scene shimmered into yet another dark, dank space and Eric knew immediately that he was in one of his warehouses that was situated right on the bayou for its 'waste disposable' convenience. He had a feeling that he knew precisely who they were going to see.

Jackson Herveaux huddled against the back wall, visible signs of torture evident on his body, and his legs and arms shackled. It was all for show really so Eric could easily demand for Alcide to do his bidding. Eric had roughed him up enough so that Alcide would think the worst.

The area on the right shimmered as Eric calmly sat at his desk with his feet propped up as he waited for Alcide to arrive.

Pam led Alcide into the room and Eric pretended to dabble with something important on his computer making the newly arrived Were sweat with anticipation. After about ten minutes, Eric lifted his head to finally acknowledge Alcide.

"Herveaux, take a seat; we have much business to discuss."

The Were impatiently spewed, "Where is my father?"

"Tisk, tisk, I do not take kindly to demands. Your father is safe as of right now, but I cannot guarantee what tomorrow may bring. I have a job that I need completed."

"I ain't doing shit for you. How do I even know that you have my father or that he is alive?" Alcide crossed his arms defiantly as he resentfully slid back down into his chair.

With a deep sigh of annoyance Eric hit play on the video feed and turned his laptop towards Alcide.

The video showed Herveaux laying on the ground, naked with his arms and legs shackled and open sores all over his body.

"Oh God!" Herveaux exclaimed.

Eric turned the computer back towards himself and asked, "Are we now ready to negotiate?"

A whimpering Alcide merely nodded his head in full compliance.

"Good. You are to meet a woman at her house, a Miss Stackhouse, and take her to Jackson, Mississippi to infiltrate the local Supe hangouts. She is looking for information and you will help her in any way to retrieve that information."

"That's it? Take a woman to Jackson and you'll give me my father back? What about my father's debt to you?"

"As long as she comes back in one piece, uninjured and has retrieved the necessary information, then your father will be free and I will exonerate all his debt." That was a big 'if'.

"And if something happens to her?"

"I would not allow that to happen if I were you," Eric stated sternly, glaring at him menacingly.

"I see kidnapping and blackmail was also a part of your daily regiment," Sophie-Anne added with a snort. "Did you do what you promised? Did you exonerate the debt?"

"No."

"And why not?" Sophie asked in an indignant tone. Had she grown a conscience as a ghost?

"Sookie did not come back uninjured; she was staked while in his care."

"Uh, huh," Sophie-Anne commented. The scene shimmered again to something much more favorable to Eric.

Sookie was sound asleep in her bed as Eric crawled in behind her, snuggling up against her side. He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling the delectable scent emanating from her pulse point. Inhaling deeply he cursed under his breath to himself because her delicious Fae scent was ruined by the stench of her body odor; his usually hygienic Sookie had not bathed in several days.

"Mmm," Sookie moaned as Eric rocked his body into hers, stench be damned. This was a moment that he wasn't about to waste.

She rolled over on her side, her eyes still closed, with an angelic smile upon her sweet face as her arms encircled his neck to nuzzle him closer. Eric's arms tightened around her shapely body as his hands found purchase under her nylon nightgown. His fingers ghosted firmly up her thigh and hitched her leg over his, grinding his swollen shaft right into her sex.

Sookie hands reached for his pants and he cursed himself that he had to ruin the moment. As much as he wanted to have sex with Sookie, he wanted her to want it, with him, as well.

"It's me," Eric replied.

Sookie's hands stopped and asked, "Eric, what are you doing here?"

"Snuggling."

"You son of a bitch! I thought you were Bill! I thought he was back!"

Eric masked well the hurt he felt and diverted her attention. "Sookie, you need a shower."

"What?'

"Your hair is dirty, and your breath could knock down a horse."

"Not that I care what you think."

"Go get cleaned up."

"Why?"

"Because we need to talk, and I'm pretty sure that you don't want to have a long conversation in bed. Not that I have any objection to being in bed with you, but I'd enjoy it more if I were with the hygienic Sookie I've come to know."

The scene fast forwarded a few minutes to where Pam, Chow, Sookie and Eric were sitting at her kitchen table talking about retrieving Bill from Mississippi.

"Here's what I'm going to do," Eric said. "I can't tell if you're lying or not, which is remarkable. For your sake, I hope you are telling the truth. I could torture you until you told me the truth, or until I was sure you had been telling me the truth from the beginning. But, that might damage you too badly for the other part of my plan."

The rest of the scene played out, but it was the end that really caught Eric's attention.

"I'll agree to your proposal, Eric, on one condition."

"What would that be?" Eric asked warily.

"If something happens to me, I want you to take Lorena out."

Eric's eyebrow lifted in surprise, for he never thought Sookie would make such a request of him. "You might make a decent vampire, Sookie," Eric said finally. "All right. Done. If anything happens to you, she'll never fuck Bill again."

"Oh, it's not just that," Sookie replied. "It's because she betrayed him."

Eric's curious blue eyes met hers. "Tell me Sookie: would you ask this of me if she were human?"

"If she were human, I'd take her out myself."

"She is a feisty thing, isn't she?" Sophie-Anne remarked.

"That was the moment I knew," Eric mused to himself.

"What did you know?"

"I knew that my feelings for Sookie ran deeper than mere intrigue. She had depth and integrity that I had never seen in any human. I knew at that moment that I wanted her for more than just a fuck."

"Is that why you followed her to Jackson?"

"Yes, I wanted to discover the mystery behind Sookie Stackhouse."

"Have you figured it out?" Sophie asked curiously.

"Every time that I think I have, she surprises me yet again. I have watched the human race for a thousand years and thought I knew everything about the predictability of their selfish actions. One human girl was able to prove a millennium worth of theories wrong."

"Let me see here," Sophie-Anne said as she brought her opera glasses to her eyes and a scroll magically appeared in the other hand. "It says here that you had her driveway fixed, what was that about?" Sophie-Anne peered at the checklist that she held in her hands. He imagined it was a ghost's version of 'topics for conversation' when you find yourself in a conversational lull. He wondered if ghosts had their own self-help books?

Eric sighed, "After I brought her home one evening, I noticed that her driveway was all torn up and I was livid that Bill had not fixed it for her."

"So what did you do?" Sophie-Anne as quizzically as if she were a therapist and actually interested in the response.

"I fixed it for her. The last thing I wanted was the gravel ruining my car if I happened to drive her home another time," Eric stated as the words quickly flew from his mouth.

Sophie-Anne quirked an eyebrow, and asked, "Was that the real reason Eric, because it was an inconvenience to your car?"

Eric sighed and thought for a moment over the truths of his actions. Finally he answered, "No, I wanted to do something nice for her. I hoped that the gesture would at least entitle me a 'thank you' phone call from her. I saw the situation as an excuse to speak with her again."

"That's what I thought," Sophie-Anne stated as the opera glasses and the rolled scroll disappeared into thin air.

The scene shifted into another familiar memory. It was the night that he lost everything; he lost his identity, his home, his friends, and his way. The only guiding light came in the form of headlights that stopped as he ran down the road barefoot and shirtless. Sookie, his savior, had come to rescue him.

"Oh, Eric," Sookie said sadly as she got a pan from the kitchen cabinet and filled it with hot water from the sink. His blue jeans, the only thing that he wore, were caked in dirt like he had been out digging for some unknown treasure. "Pull 'em off," she commanded as she pointed to a chair for him to sit. Once he had done as she said, she carefully wrapped his white body in a hideous afghan which didn't do much for his temperature, but relieved some of his fearfulness.

From this vantage point Eric could see everything and as 'amnesia' Eric maneuvered out of his jeans. He even saw Sookie's lustful expression and the slight lick of her lips as his jewels were about to breach the barely there red bikini underwear.

His chest warmed seeing Sookie's evident attraction for him, but as she schooled her features into a clinical nursemaid, he realized that he cherished her even more. She was able to put her personal feelings aside and do what she thought was right without taking advantage of the situation. At that moment she could have conned him out of anything; money, his houses, or even his property, but because she was who she was, he had been in no danger of that happening.

She got a clean rag from a cabinet and some liquid soap and began to methodically wash his feet, taking her time to cover each area of skin thoroughly.

Eric watched her as she performed the menial task without complaint. She only thought of his wellbeing and did not even consider her own selfish needs after a long night at work.

The scene flashed to another memory where Sookie stood in the shower all alone. He felt a tingle of longing in his loins because he clearly remembered this memory well. It was one of his top three favorite Sookie moments.

"I'll do that for you," Eric said as he pulled the curtain back, stepped into the shower, and took the soap from Sookie. He lathered up his hands, set the soap back down, and began washing Sookie's arms. He raised each in turn, following them down to her sides, but never once touching her breasts, which were practically quivering like a weeping willow over the slight breeze of the wind.

Have we ever made love?" Eric asked.

She shook her head as no words were found for her reply.

"Then I was a fool. Turn around, lover," he commanded as his hands oscillated over her belly in a circular motion, avoiding the intimate areas where she craved his touch.

She turned around obediently, letting him massage her back, lathering it up with soap. His took his time preparing her, allowing her to draw her own conclusion that she desired this as much as he.

"Are you trembling because you are frightened of me?" he asked, feeling her out with not just his hands, but her thoughts as well.

She did not answer as she seemed to war, in her own mind, over his words. It wasn't until she picked up the soap herself, lathered up her own hands and took a step towards him that he knew that she had made her decision.

She molded herself to his frame and Mr. Happy did the Irish jig as she folded him between them so she could reach around and thoroughly massage his butt. She washed every inch of his derrière meticulously and he spread his legs to accommodate her hands as he rocked forward.

She started working on his chest, lathering the soap and rubbing her hands up and down. Her hot, wet mouth encircled his right nipple as she suckled it.

"Bite a little," he whispered as she coaxed him into a state.

There was a flurry of movement as the water shut off. Between kissing her, Eric dried each inch of her off as he carried her to the bed. They tumbled forward as Sookie tried to throw the sheets back.

The tempo escalated as Eric explored every inch of her topography and pressed himself heavily against her quivering thigh. The fire stoked hotter between them as Eric hovered above her and a very ready Sookie reached to pull him to just the right spot, rubbing the tip of him over her aching nub.

"My lover," he whispered hoarsely and pushed. As he began to thrust he said, "Don't close your eyes. Look at me, lover." The word 'lover' was said as if it were a caress, a name that would never be used by any other.

His fangs were completely elongated as Sookie looked up into his eyes and she stretched up and ran her tongue over them in curious eroticism.

"Watch me," he said again into Sookie's ear as he pulled out of her. He began kissing down her body, making strategic stops as she hovered on a plain just shy of the golden edge. His talented mouth and hands took the place of his cock, and then he looked up the length of Sookie's body to verify that she was indeed watching before he nuzzled her inner thigh and bit, moving his fingers in and out of her vigorously.

In the next second she screamed out her orgasm as it rippled through her body. Eric climbed his way back up her body and kissed her mouth as he thrust himself back inside of her. Sookie lost herself in the feeling and another orgasm quaked throughout her body as Eric came right after shouting in a beautiful language that she didn't understand.

He held her in his arms as she casually stroked his hair. "I wish I could save orgasms in a jar for when I need them because I think I had a few extra."

They stayed in each other's arms all night making love as only two lovers who were much more to each other than passing ships in the night.

Eric sighed deeply as he remembered each moment, each touch, and each word spoken. He remembered offering her everything, but when it came down to it, he couldn't make good on that promise. Things were simpler when he was cursed; he could love Sookie forever and not have to worry about anything.

Now, at this moment, standing at the crossroad, he was about to give her up completely and though he had it set in his mind that he was going to do it, he now had lingering doubts.

"And I thought her only talent was telepathy," Sophie-Anne commented, showing at bit of fang as she finished watching the scene.

"Sookie is so much more than her telepathy," Eric admitted more to himself than to his former Queen.

"That she is," the Queen replied.

The scene changed into another moment in time, one that Eric would surely never forget. It was the day that Sookie Stackhouse saved not only his life, but Pam's as well.

"Eric, Pam!" Sookie yelled as she scrambled into their shared hotel room in Rhodes. "Wake up!" Sookie screamed at Pam, shaking her with all her might as Pam did not even stir. "Eric!" she screamed right into his ear.

His eyes fluttered opened and he mumbled, "What?"

"You have to get up! You have to! You have to go out!"

"Daytime," he whispered as he flopped back over on his side.

Sookie slapped him hard, probably hurting her hand more than his face. "Get up!" she screamed. Eric stirred again, but this time sat up groggily on the bed. "Cover your head!" Sookie demanded as she threw a cloak around his neck and fastened it just as the windows shattered in the above floor.

"You have to help me get Pam out. Eric you just have to!" she pleaded frantically as another roar deep within the building caused the floor to lurch.

Eric's eyes widened in understanding and he weakly helped Sookie push a coffin off its trestle and onto the carpet.

Sookie pushed the coffin open while Eric fumbled towards Pam like someone had tied weights to his feet. The floor shook again, more violently that time. Eric grabbed Pam's shoulders and Sookie took her feet as they shoved her into the coffin and shut the lid.

"We have to break the glass," shrieked Sookie. The two of them worked together, pushing the coffin hard against the glass until it cracked into a thousand pieces. As the glass shattered Eric saw sunlight for the first time in a millennium and screamed a terrible gut-wrenching cry. But then he defiantly pulled the cloak tightly around him, concealing most of himself from the harmful rays.

He grabbed Sookie and hopped astride the coffin as they both pushed off with their feet, tobogganing down the side of the building and hanging onto the coffin for dear life. Just before they were about to crash, Eric staggered through the air, flying in a zigzag formation as he slowly made his descent.

The coffin faired much worse as Pam crash landed and toppled out into the sun. Eric lowered himself directly on top of her so the sun would not burn her with its rays.

Eric watched the scene continue as Sookie moved around in a fury trying to provide cover and to find help for them. She was magnificent and level-headed as she got a couple of EMT's to help them get to a basement.

"She saved my life and that of my child's," Eric mused solemnly, for he truly believed that he was saving hers by leaving for Oklahoma. "That wasn't the last time either," Eric remembered as he flipped through his memories like a rolodex.

Not that he had kept a tally, but they had saved each other equally. She was the only one besides his child, that had truly cared for him and wanted nothing from him in return.

Eric blinked a few times and they had returned to his bedroom where the journey down memory lane had begun.

"So Sophie-Anne, is this the part where you tell me your words of wisdom and explain what exactly this journey was about?"

"The hell if I know! What is it they say? Don't shoot the messenger," she added as her quellazaire popped out of nowhere and into her hands. Her blood red dressed was replaced with her white silk gown and furs once more.

Eye cocked an eyebrow at her. "So I was woken up for what exactly?"

A bright light came down from the sky, almost like a lightning bolt, as it jolted Sophie-Anne, metaphorically 'shooting the messenger'. "Alright, alright!" she declared staring angrily at his ceiling. Clearing her throat she produced a rolled scroll out of thin air.

She deadpanned, "I'm supposed to recite this to you." Her cigarette was replaced by her opera glasses as she examined the fine print. "You were shown these images so you could see how much of a better vampire you were after Sookie entered your life. Before Sookie, you were nothing but a power-hungry arrogant ass. I added that last line myself."

"So what does that mean, Sophie?"

"I am only your guide through your present; that, my friend, will have to be something that you figure out on your own."

The vision of Sophie-Anne slowly faded away, but her words of rhyme rang clear and true:

"Some choices cannot be made with such haste, Because surely love is just what you'll waste. Her frailty will not last forever, Pledging is a promise not to sever."

Eric crawled back into bed hoping that he could finally get some sleep, but knowing the tale, he knew that sleep would be a long time in coming.

A/N: So who do you think is the ghost of Christmas Future? Send me some love and let me know. Hint, I chose another person who has died.

Any suggestions for what Eric might see in his future for either path? What would his future be like with Sookie or as a King?

Thank you to the ladies in the Fangreaders chatroom that brainstormed with me on Christmas Day and helped put this chapter together so quickly.

If you want to meet me in the chatroom or just have a lively discussion, heck you can pretend that I'm not even there. I host Wednesday and Thursday nights at 9pm EST.

Thank you my FF wifey Sassyvampmama who always brings luster to my stories.