a/n: This will be the last chapter for these two. I'll miss them but it just feels like their story is coming to end since Eric is back to his vampire state and Sookie has had her eyes opened to the supernatural world some. Thank you all for reading, I know this story took a long time to complete.

Chapter 22

SPOV

6 months later…

"Can you hurry up already? Shouldn't vamp speed make you never late?" I yelled to Eric who was hopping out of the shower. He had just risen for the night and we had somewhere to be.

It had been six months since I first found out there was a lot more to this world than vampires. It had been just about a year since Eric strolled into my life as a shy and adorkable human being. When I thought about how much my life had changed in one year it was rather insane. However that was nothing compared to how much the world had changed.

Vampires officially came out of the coffin five months ago, shortly after Eric predicted it. At first it was chaos and people were panicking and developing hate groups to burn the vampires or force them into the sun. Those groups still existed but the vampire PR was good, almost too good. They made themselves seem harmless and told of how they just wanted to live peacefully. Slowly more and more folks were buying into it and settling down.

A few businesses openly run by vampires had popped up and were seeing success. In fact we were heading to one tonight, Eric's bar was opening for the first time this evening. It was named Fangtasia, something Pam had picked since she was the marketing guru out of the two of them. I found it a bit tacky but at the same time knew it would standout and draw in customers. Pam was right, I could admit that.

My relationship with Pam was slowly improving with time. She was realizing I was loyal to Eric and because of that I was also loyal to her. I volunteered to help out by using my telepathy with a few other supernatural spats that had popped up lately. They were all very minor but my telepathy made the process much faster. Pam liked that I gave her more time to shop and she seemed to respect that I was trying to learn about their world.

"Lover you look absolutely stunning." Eric purred as he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me.

I turned in his arms and smiled up at him. "As do you "

My dress for Fangtasia's grand opening was a deep red that fell just above my knees and hugged my hips. There was a light spattering of sequins that added the extra flare I desired for a night out. Eric was wearing a black suit that was perfectly tailored with a crimson red tie. The theme for the night was black and red, much like the interior design of the new bar.

"I took the shower at vampire speed, so we have five minutes to spare." He grinned and his lips descended on mine.

I could waste hours kissing this man and never have enough. He was perfect for me and I truly believed now that we were destined to meet. I not only found comfort in Eric's mental silence but I loved his personality. He really was an even blend of the human I knew and the vampire I had come to know over these past months. From what Pam and the few other supernaturals I'd met said…. Eric had changed some since being turned human. However I never found out anything that made him outright evil in the past.

"Okay that's enough, we are getting there on time." I giggled and pushed him back since he had started to unzip my dress.

"I can be quick." He smirked and started stalking towards me again.

"We both know sex with you is never quick." I discovered sex with Eric as a vampire was even better than human Eric. His cold skin never bothered me or his lack of breathing, plus his stamina was absolutely insane…. And knowledge of 1,000+ years on ways to make a woman scream was pretty awesome too.

"You got me there." He chuckled and made one last attempt at kissing me into submission.

Eventually we made it out the door to his car and headed for Fangtasia in Shreveport.

When we arrived at the bar there was already a short line forming and the place did not open for another hour.

"Wow, there's already people in line!" I said with excitement. I wanted Eric's business to do well.

"Hopefully they have plenty of cash to waste on drinks this evening. Pam and I are hoping this will be our main source of income now." He said as he parked around back near the employee entrance.

Eric had investments in TrueBlood factories but he kept his head down with that industry, it was very political right now and I learned he hated politics. Being able to focus on the bar as a successful business would be good for him.

"It could be yours too Sookie, the job offer is always there if you wish to take it." He turned the car off and peered over at me. I could tell he was worried about me. He had a habit of being overprotective since the wolf incident and never wanted me out of his sight.

"I know Eric" I reached over and rested my hand on his thigh. "I appreciate it, but I love being a nurse, I don't want to give that up."

We headed inside and immediately Pam came over to inspect our outfits.

"This will do… I still think you should have let me buy your dress Sookie. The one I picked was mouth watering." She grinned in that sinister way she always had.

"Thanks but no thanks, that dress covered less than my bikini." I rolled my eyes and walked past her to the main area of the bar.

"She's a little uptight Eric, but she certainly has an amazing ass."

"I heard that!" I yelled back at Pam with no fear now. I knew she would actually grin a little because I didn't take her shit.

I helped with a few last minute things and watched Pam and Eric speed around to make sure everything was in order. The bar had a rather dark interior but it was fairly formal. All guests were required to wear formal attire in order to gain entrance. Eric described the place as an upscale vampire nightclub. I later found out from Pam the plans had drastically changed after he met me. Originally it was going to be a rather sleezy pick up joint, with female dancers clad in skimpy leather dancing on poles. Pam complained that if Eric no longer wanted to use the business to pick up pussy then at least she ought to be able to.

I said nothing on the matter but was jumping up and down inside that Eric was making it clear he wanted a different lifestyle with me. He knew I felt that way too since I had taken his blood after the wolf attack. He had explained all of that to me and I kept in mind that exchanging blood a certain way with him enough would bind us together eternally. I was pretty sure I would be okay with that but there was no need to rush into it. I knew Eric was mine and I was his.

When the bar opened I realized the short line of people at the front were all my friends and now Eric's friends too. I was very lucky most of them accepted Eric and judged him for his time as a human and how they got to know him then.

"Guess who is getting laid tonight!" Amelia bounded in with a blushing Hoyt right behind her. They were an odd match but it seemed to be working. Ames was also officially a witch and part of our boss' coven now.

"Me?" I grinned as Eric strolled over.

"Amelia, Hoyt, I am glad you could make it." He actually smiled at Hoyt. Eric had very little in common with Hoyt now that they were not on the road crew together, but he still respected him.

"Man this place looks great, ya'll are definitely going to do well." Hoyt nodded and continued taking in the layout of the bar.

"Let's get drinks! I need to be loose enough to get my groove on soon." Ames dragged Hoyt off to the bar.

"Isn't she always loose?" Eric chuckled in my ear and I smacked him on the chest.

"You hush! You're not one to talk." Being 1,000 years old meant Eric had countless sexual partners. In fact he admitted he never would have made jokes like that until he was turned human. When he had no memory and only Bon Temps humans to be around, he learned to understand the human sense of humor more. Therefore now he found it funny to try and piss me off with it.

Jason came in solo, having broken up with Crystal after her insane family tried to drag him into a bunch of werepanther drama. Yes, werepanthers existed too.

The most surprising guests were Tara and Sam. Eric had told me he knew of Sam as a vampire and that he was a shifter. I never told Sam or Tara I knew since it was their business. However I knew the relationship between vampires and other supernatural species was rocky at best. It spoke a lot of how much everyone loved human Eric for them to show up here.

"Tara, I'm so glad you came." I hugged her and greeted Sam.

"Well we heard this place was supposed to be pretty amazing and I'm always up for a fun night out." She smiled, she seemed a bit nervous looking at Eric but I was happy she was trying.

"Hey Eric" Sam nodded since vampires don't shake hands. "Still drinking Heinekens like they're water?"

"Unfortunately no, that barbeque was one of the last times I was able to enjoy one. I think I might miss the soda more though." Eric grinned.

Sam and Tara wandered off to join Jason and I snuggled into Eric's side.

"I'm really glad you stumbled into my life." I whispered.

"As am I…I don't think I could be happier." Eric kissed the top of my head and looked around Fangtasia with pride.

There were plenty of folks streaming in the door, filling the place up quickly. Pam was serving drinks at vamp speed and wowing all of her human customers while also flirting with all of the female ones. A few vampires from the area were in attendance. Eric planned to require them to make appearances at the bar each week to keep the humans interested. Then there was my little bubble of friends and family. They stood out amongst the much wealthier crowd surrounding us but they were the most important ones there to me. I even caught Eric glancing over at them throughout the night with what I could only describe as affection.

By some miracle we had managed to hold on to each other throughout all of this, and even let Eric keep a piece of the new human life he enjoyed for a short while.

" I am sure I have the best of both worlds." He said quietly to me later that night as we slipped into bed for the day.

It was 3 am, so I knew I'd sleep most of the day away with him.

"Me too." I curled up next to him and fell asleep to the sound of him chuckling as he realized I was wearing his cherished 'Just Do It' Nike t-shirt.

a/n: The end! Thank you all for reading this story, it's been a long journey time wise for posting, life just gets in the way. I hope you all liked reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I wanted to explore Sookie and Eric meeting without all the pretense of him being a vampire or being an 'evil vampire' as he is somewhat projected in the books and show due to Bill and vampires already being out of the coffin. Also I thought it would be interesting to explore Eric being integrated into Sookie's life, friends, family as a regular human… that way they might give him more of a chance as a vampire. I think it worked out for Eric in this case, he still gets to be a vampire but he also has a little piece of humanity to hold on to.