Chapter 27 – Paint

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“I want to,” Sookie replied. “For you,” she clarified before chastely kissing his lips. 

 

“What else do you want to do for me?” he asked as he pulled her body over on to his to intensify the kiss before being interrupted by Adonia and a giant tray of food. Having resigned to the fact that Sookie was indeed leaving had made her all the more determined to fatten Sookie up before she did.

 

“Better get out of here soon,” Pam said as she joined them picking up a bunch of dark grapes. “My brother is going to turn blue all over without some relief,” she teased as she dangled the grapes back and forth, picking away at them with her teeth like an ancient Roman. 

 

“You test my control, Pam,” Eric grumbled.

 

“I thought Sookie was the cause of that,” she said innocently before throwing a grape at him with perfect aim.

 

“You’re not helping, Raven,” Sookie sighed as she removed herself off of Eric to pick at the offered food. He moved his body behind hers so she could rest against his chest, not willing to lose an inch of contact.

 

“Sookie doesn’t know where she wants to stay yet,” Eric explained, before clarifying, “In Paris.”

 

“What does it matter?” Pam said. “It’s not like Eric is going to let you out of the hotel room.” 

 

Sookie blushed a little as Eric admonished his sister.  In an offering of respite, Pam decided to help Sookie along by describing the pros and cons of possible hotels in the City of Light. It was of little use since Pam’s pros and cons were related to how attractive and willing the female staff were as well as the general annoyance of their male counterparts. In the middle of her sharing of expertise Eric moved to answer his phone. 

 

“What’s wrong?” Sookie asked when she observed Eric’s troubled face when he joined them again.

 

“I’m afraid your procrastination has turned against you,” he sighed. “We’ll be heading back to Stockholm. My apartment has been broken into.”

 

“Eric, I’m so sorry,” Sookie said while she caressed his cheek. “When can we leave?”

 

“I’ll have to figure it out, either tonight or tomorrow morning.”

 

“Well, at the least the women in Stockholm are very willing,” Pam offered as consolation.

 

“Not helping, Raven,” Sookie returned through clenched teeth.

 

 

Adonia was predictably more upset over the definitive news of their sudden departure rather than their reason for it. She forcedly made Sookie sit and watch her pack her things as Adonia was convinced her pregnant state would not allow for this. Sookie didn’t fail to notice she had packed the little baby socks and other pieces of knitwear as well. She had to draw the line when Adonia started packing giant wheels of sheep milk’s cheeses.

 

Upon their arrival in Stockholm the next day in the early afternoon, Sookie was surprised to see the city fresh and clean of the snow and there was even a little bit of sunshine peeking through the billowy, white clouds.

 

When they got to the front door, the building manager was already waiting for them with the new keys for the replaced lock. Eric had already spoken extensively over the phone and had been warned of the state of the apartment. The smell that emanated through the door was potent, but could only be smelled in their end of the hallway. It had been a maintenance man who had come to check the fire extinguishers that noted the smell and found the lock broken; when the break-in had occurred was unknown to all.

 

The police had already been by and the report had been filed to the insurance company. The building manager apologised profusely again, but Eric was too anxious to get inside to really listen to him properly.

 

When the door opened, the smell was jarring. Everything was vandalised and lay in shreds or pieces. Tears were streaming down Sookie’s face at the sight of it. Their home was desecrated so cruelly it almost reeked of malicious intent.

 

After a few failed attempts at conversation the building manager bid them goodbye and told them to contact him if they needed anything. Eric took to his cave to further assess the damage. He had stored all the original files in Halina’s safe deposit box before they left, but all the copies and his careful assembly of them on the wall lay in shreds on the floor.

 

He was pulled from his state of detachment by a strangled cry. He found Sookie sobbing on the floor with the remnants of her wolf in sheep’s clothing puppet he had given her for Christmas. The stench was most foul in this room as the bed had been urinated and defecated on repeatedly.

 

Eric had suspicions of who had done this, but the word ‘WHORE’ in giant letters on the previously virginal white walls confirmed it. He hoped against better judgement that he was wrong and that it wasn’t spelled out in faeces, but the swirling flies that inhabited the room indicated otherwise.

 

He picked Sookie up off the floor. They needed to get out of there. The stench alone was unbearable.

 

“This all my fault,” Sookie sobbed. “I’m so sorry, Eric.”

 

“Shh,” he pleaded, hating to see her cry. “It’s just stuff. Bill’s a vindictive ass, but that’s not your fault.”

 

“You’re right,” she said, pulling herself together in the fresh air of the hallway. “Do you know someone who can clean this?”

 

He nodded in the affirmative.

 

“Good, call them,” she said. “I’m paying for it.”

 

Before he could protest, she repeated her intent more forcefully and he decided it wasn’t a battle worth fighting at that time. Sookie pulled out his laptop and booked the first hotel with a pool with her Swiss credit card that Eric had procured for her with her recovered funds from Bill. She then called a taxi as she closed up the apartment.

 

“What are you up to?” He asked when he found her hauling the luggage to the elevators.

 

“I’m sick and tired of everything and everyone interrupting us,” she fumed before continuing in a commanding tone, “We’re going to a hotel, swim in the pool, and eat something. Then I’m going to listen to Raven and lock us in the hotel room, and we’re not coming out till this place is put back right.”

 

“Fuck, you’re hot when you’re mad,” he growled out before he hungrily kissed her.

 

The call indicating that the taxi had arrived interrupted them and they loaded up the boot with their entire luggage again. Eric regretfully had to stay behind for the cleaners and handymen. He planted another hot kiss on her before she got in the car. When she informed him of the hotel they’d be staying at he smirked a little, one he refused to explain to her, only telling her to make sure they didn’t get room 528.

 

 

Eric had texted her that he would be a couple of hours so Sookie took her time leisurely making use of the sumptuous bathroom determined to expel all the tears over Bill.  She walked around the rooms in her fluffy white bathrobe sorting out the luggage.

 

Their sudden departure had left Sookie little time to do laundry. Try as hard as she did, Sookie didn’t want Adonia going through her intimates, so the amount of clean clothes were limited. She gathered the small pile, bringing it to the front door before calling housekeeping to pick it up. She tried not to get upset at the sight of it, knowing that this small assortment of clothes was pretty much all the clothing in the world she owned now. Under no circumstances was she going to let Bill Compton ruin their little vacation like he had every item in their wardrobes.

 

There was a bit of clothing left in storage in Monroe, but they were mostly clothes she had hardly worn over the past years. With her careful unpacking, she suddenly caught sight of the letter Russell left her behind, still unopened. She wondered whether to read it now, but decided to leave it all till after their vacation. They deserved a break and nothing would disturb that, even her curiosity.

 

The ring of the doorbell had her sprinting to the door. She pulled it open expecting housekeeping when she was met with familiar blues gazing at her.

 

“Eric!” she squealed throwing her arms around him. “Why do you look so shocked?”

 

“I thought they sent me to the wrong room,” he said, pointing at gold engraved plaque indicating the royal suite name. “How did this happen?”

 

“Please enter, my Prince,” Sookie said with a little curtsy.

 

“Does that make you my princess?” he asked against her lips after he kissed her hello properly.

 

“Sure,” she smiled before leading him by the hand through all the different rooms. Eric was impressed by the vastness of it all. Despite their horrible arrival, this made up for it while the apartment was being set to rights again.

 

“You realise the insurance won’t cover the expenses of such a luxurious room,” Eric said carefully knowing that finances were always a sore subject with her. He’d happily cover the cost, but didn’t want Sookie on insisting to pay half on such a high bill.

 

“We’re paying a normal room rate,” Sookie said. “The reception lady took pity on us when she saw my face, not that the normal rate was very cheap, but right now I don’t care. This is our vacation. We have a pool, the sauna’s warm, and I’m sure you’ve never been in this room before.”

 

“It sounds perfect,” he said while kissing her softly. His hands were itching to get into her bathrobe, but he needed to ask her something before he lost himself. “You know this hotel is Halina’s old stomping ground. She used to take me out to high tea here when I was a kid.”

 

Sookie softened a little at the thought of Eric as a small boy with Halina roaming the ornately decorated salons downstairs. “Hey, what was up with room 528?” she asked. “Even the receptionist gave me a knowing look.”

 

He pondered if they automatically put all the assholes in that room. “I’ll tell you when we leave,” he said despite her persistently questioning look.

 

“It’s not haunted, is it?” she asked a little nervously. In a sense it was, but not in the way she assumed. He just assured her it wasn’t the case regardless.

 

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of housekeeping in sync with a hungry growl emanating from Sookie’s stomach. He regrettably told her to get dressed to go out to eat while he dealt with their laundry.

 

Eric took her to an unassuming restaurant nearby where Sookie attempted to reignite her forgotten Swedish lessons.

 

“I have something to ask you,” he said, betraying the slight nerves in his voice while he pulled out a fan chart with paint colours from the interior pocket of his jacket. She blushed at the sight of it.

 

“Eric, it really isn’t appropriate to ask this in a restaurant,” she all but hissed out, thinking he finally found the paint chart to match and compare the colours of her lips to nipples.

 

He chuckled and shook his head a little. “As much as I’d like to find that out,” he said before continuing huskily, “Soon.” Her insides oscillated momentarily between nerves and excitement at his accompanying touch of his hand over hers. She hitched a breath while trying to focus on what he was attempting to tell her.

 

“I want you to move in with me,” he said almost inaudibly.

 

“I already live with you,” she said confused at his request.

 

He ran his hand through his hair taking in a deep breath. He loved her deeply, but laying it out and the possibility for his heart to be trampled on made him excessively apprehensive. “I want my home to be yours as much as it is mine.”

 

Sookie looked down at the paint chart as she realised his meaning. “You want me to move in with you permanently?” It was a statement of fact rather than a question.

 

“Yes,” he said with a pensive smile.

 

“In Sweden?” She didn’t really know how to feel about that. Sookie enjoyed their life here together, but saying goodbye to Louisiana and her homeland permanently was also frightening to her, especially considering how she had cut her ties to her friends and family there so callously.

 

“Anywhere,” he answered. “This is one of my homes. Now that we have the chance I would like it to be one of our homes.” She remained silent for a while thinking it over.

 

“Ok,” she whispered before continuing in her normal tone of voice at the sight of his bright smile, “No vulva pink though.”

 

He laughed at their inside joke. ”How about a dusty pink?” he leered suggestively.

 

“You’re just going to have to find out for yourself,” she smiled before placing the fan chart back in his hand.

 

 

 

She looked at him in worry. Had she her inexperience shown? Faltered at the starting line?

 

“That was perfect,” he said as if reading the worry in her mind.

 

“Really?” she said in a meek voice in complete contrast to her earlier bravado.

 

“Yes,” he replied simply. “That was the best I ever had.”

 

“Don’t lie to make me feel better.”

 

“Check your gage,” he said.

 

“My wha-” she said before understanding he meant her ability and realised it was on at full force. “How did you know?”

 

“Gotland,” he said between exasperated breaths. “I was a little more truthful than intended.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she said as shame overtook her at the broken nature of her promise to him.

 

“Don’t,” he said before kissing her forehead tasting the salty sweet sweat he proudly pulled from her. “You’re amazing.”

 

“Thank you,” she said shyly. He kissed her hungrily as he pulled her body upon his. He pulled himself from her swallowing her protesting noises in their kiss. He’d happily stay stuck in there all night, but he didn’t know how comfortable she’d be with that.

 

“Now, according to our agreement of splitting everything in half, I believe the next round will be on me,” he said with a dangerous smirk.

 

Feelings of anticipation and nerves flooded her system except this time the anticipation drowned out any fear left behind.

 

“You’re on, buster,” she winked at him before sleep overtook them both as they lay with not an inch between them.

 

 

Sookie woke to the incessant buzzing of her cell phone. She scrambled to her side of the bed where she had left it plugged in. A sleepy Eric tried to hold her body in his vice-like grip before she successfully wiggled out.

 

“Let it ring,” he murmured while rubbing at his eyes. “They’ll call back.”

 

She wasn’t having it, knowing only two other people had this phone number. She wasn’t going to let either of them reach her voicemail.

 

“Hello?” she spoke almost out of breath while being met with the hum of a long distance line.

 

 

 

A/N: If you don’t know already: msbuffy best editor ever!

Yes, cruel place to leave you I am well aware… any guesses who stayed in room 528?

Interior porn below for those of you who enjoy that…

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