Fly Me to the Moon, Part 1

(Unbeta’d, just literally hot off the press)

Eric withdrew his fangs from Sookie’s neck, and took a half-step back. It had been so long since he had held her close, so long since he had held anyone close…

He pricked his fingertip, healed her small wounds, then retracted his fangs. Already he could feel her healing fae-enhanced blood quickly spreading through his system, soothing the burn of the Hep V virus, repairing and mending blood vessels, capillaries, muscles, ligaments, cartilage…even his cells were quickly mending.

Sookie had given him his life back, had saved him from the rampant idiocy of his faults and failures; she had saved him from himself.

Yes, Godric and Nora were gone.

Yes, he would mourn their passing into eternity.

No, he would not follow.

He had thought the light was gone from his world, that his world was now comprised only of darkest never-ending night, but his Sookie had shown him otherwise.

When Pam had come barging back into his hideaway here in France with a struggling, cursing Sookie in tow, he couldn’t decide if he wanted to laugh at the scene, knock his Child’s head off, or fall back into the half-life that was currently his norm.

Instead, he watched with disbelief as Sookie, who had finally stopped yelling and cursing, took a good look at him in his current condition. When her eyes had filled with shocked tears, he felt something odd loosen a bit inside his chest, but shoved that unnecessary event to the side.

“What is this,” he had softly, too softly, asked his Daughter.

“The cure,” she had replied drolly as she lightly shoved the now silently staring Sookie closer to him. The bond gave the only evidence of Pam’s almost overwhelming concern for her Maker.

“I’m the cure?” Sookie’s broken voice, still hoarse from screaming at Pam all during the flight, asked. “But, he’s got…”

“Yes,” Pam replied with an eye roll. “He does. Now cure him.”

“How?” Sookie was still pissed at Pam, but was surprised by how much she was concerned over Eric. She had never seen him look so…vulnerable, even while he had lost his memory. Eric was supposed to be strong and vital, filled with undead life and energy and that innate power that she both feared and loved.

Loved?

She shook her head and repeated her question. “How? How do I save him?”

Eric raised a brow when Pam replied, “Hell if I know. Your blood? Your light? Your fairy vagina? I don’t care – just save him.”

In the end it was a combination of Sookie’s blood and fairy light which saved Eric – no one discussed the vagina part at that point. After she had ‘burned’ as much of the virus out of his system as her hands would let her, she had freely offered him her neck.

The “freely” part had stunned them both.

“Ok, how do you feel?” She scanned his face anxiously, and was rewarded by the receding pallor and slightly brighter spark to his blue eyes.

After a moment’s consideration, he answered, “I am improving. Thank you, Sookie. I sense you did not come willingly, but I appreciate your offer nonetheless.”

Wanting to clarify any misconceptions, Sookie snorted then replied, “No, I didn’t, but that was because I didn’t know what was wrong. Pam never told me that you were infected with Hep V. She just grabbed me up and vamped me to a waiting plane. If I’d known…,” she paused for a moment as she watched the horrible lines disappearing on his chest, then cleared her throat before continuing. “If I’d known, I’d have been here before now. Why didn’t you tell me, Eric? Why?”

“Because I didn’t think you cared,” he answered offhandedly as he turned and gestured for Pam to leave.

“Eric,” she said, her voice rising uncomfortably. “Of course I care, you know I do!”

Eric flitted back to her instantly, his fangs showing, his face angry. “Oh, really? So, you care while you’re fucking Alcide? Is that when you care? Or is it that you care while you’re pining over Bill yet again?! When exactly is it that you care for me?!”

Taken aback by his demanding anger, Sookie instinctively raised her hands up to his chest to hold him off…or…not.

“Eric! I’ve always cared for you, you know that!”

“No I do not,” he enunciated very clearly, taking a step forward with every word until Sookie’s back was against the wall.

Caught between a hard unforgiving vampire and a hard unforgiving wall, Sookie gaped up at Eric, and caught herself marveling at how glorious he was in his anger.

She swallowed, hard, and closed her eyes. It was time for the truth.

“I was scared,” she whispered so quietly that he wouldn’t have heard her except for his vampire hearing.

“What?” She was…scared? Of what, him? “What,” he demanded again, this time a bit louder.

“What I feel for you goes deeper, far deeper, than anything I have ever felt for anyone else, even Bill. What if…what if we got together, truly got together, and…and you left me? What if I wasn’t enough for you, and you left me?”

Eric drove his fist through the stone wall beside her head, then leaned down to growl angrily into her ear, “Sookie, Sookie…” He took a moment to calm himself, then continued “Sookie Stackhouse, you are mine. When I declare something, or someone, mine,” he pronounced, his voice strong, deep, and low, “that declaration is without end. Do you understand me? Without. End.”

She felt the intensity of his statement flow from his body into hers where he pressed against her from chest through groin. She was caged between him and the wall with his long, muscular arms on each side of her head.

“Sookie,” he almost shouted, “tell me you understand. Once I claim you again, it will be for all times. And I will claim you,” he promised, his voice and eyes suddenly smoldering with intention and fervor.

As she gazed up into his eyes and took in his countenance, she realized just how much she had missed him, just how much she genuinely, truly liked the Viking Vampire. Yes, he could be scary, and yes, he could be oh so very frustrating, but – he could be…hers.

He could be her scary, frustrating, fun, infuriating, sweet, gentle, amazing…lover.

Eric barely kept himself from gaping as he saw the startling transformation that came over her face. Gone were the tiny trademarks of former heartbreak and loss…gone were the small masks she had worn since childhood…gone were all the pretences.

They were all replaced by the sweetest, most blissful mirroring of wonder, of relief and joy and acceptance, of love…for him.

“Yes,” she asked, “You really do mean that, don’t you.”

He nodded in reply to her statement, afraid to trust his voice, his luck.

“Well, then, Lover,” she said softly, seductively, with a widening grin teasing her lips, “I think it’s time we try the fairy vagina part of the cure.”

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**A/N:  I hope this helped soothe some of this episode’s….everything.**

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