CHAPTER FIFTY ONE

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          ERIC NORTHMAN LOOKED UTTERLY MISERABLE WHEN DAKOTA FORCED HIM INTO HIS CUBBY. The woman tightened the blanket around his bare shoulders as he hovered over her in height, brows pulled together in a frown as he scanned her face for any sign of anger toward him.          

Alcide and Dakota had found him in the corner of the living room, trying to avoid as much sunlight as he could when they arrived at her home. Her heart ached for him as she tried to get him to the cubby doors, skin burning from the strong rays the sun offered Bon Temps today.

"I don't want to go to sleep." he uttered, dropping his shoulders in defeat. 

"I know," she muttered, pressing the tips of her fingers against his shoulders to make him sit down on the edge of the bed. "but you need to rest. You got all burned up today and it probably took a lot of your energy."

Dakota checked to see if there were any burns left on his pale skin as it had began to slowly heal itself. Eric was now peering up at her through his lashes as she stood before him, and he took in a long breath to drink in her scent as she leaned down to get a better look at the skin on his neck.

"You're all healed." she smiled, standing back to her full height. "Now, lay down and close your eyes. Sleep will do you some good."

"No," he avoided her gaze and said it again. "no."

Dakota heaved a sigh at his stubbornness and said, "If you stay awake, you're going to start bleeding all over the place."

"I know what the bleeds are."

"Fine," she shrugged. "then you can clean it up. I am not your maid."

Dakota stared at him for another second before she turned around and took the tree steps toward the ladder. The metal was cold beneath her hands and soothed her burning skin. The blonde had been awake for over twenty four hours and she could barely keep her eyes open from the lack of sleep.

"Stay with me." he uttered, softly. "Please."

God, she really wanted to, but Alcide was still in her living room and was most likely going to give her a scolding if she did. "I can't." she apologised. "I have some things to do, I will check on you later."

"Oh," he frowned as he watched her go up the ladder and disappear.

"This is nuts." stated Alcide, when Dakota closed the doors of the cubby and turned to face him. She shook her head at him and motioned for him to follow her outside and onto the porch, even though Eric could still probably hear them. "He can't stay here. What are you thinkin'?"

"You saw yourself," she began, crossing her arms over her chest. "he isn't the same. It is not for long anyway."

"He's still a killer." Alcide expressed. "Eric Northman at your house, you ... you must have a death wish."

"I can handle Eric." she said, trying to give him a smile. "Look, Alcide. I cannot thank you enough for your help. I am truly grateful for this, but I can handle it from here. He's not going to hurt me."

"You don't know that." his brows slowly turned into a glare, but she had none of it.

"I don't want to fight with you." she sighed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Alcide looked for a moment and gave up, giving her a smile as he said, "Come here."

Dakota wrapped her arms around his waist as he squeezed her tightly. Alcide was a good man, and she hoped she could have him as her friend for a long time. He rubbed her back in comfort. "I am on your side, Kota. Whatever happens."

"Same for me." she nodded against his chest. "Friends?"

He let out a small laugh when she looked up at him, and if she hadn't been so tired she would have seen the sadness in his eyes as he confirmed. "Friends."

"Keep in touch." he grumbled with a smile, making his way toward his truck.

"You know I will."

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DAKOTA HAD FALLEN ASLEEP THE MOMENT HER HEAD HAD HIT THE PILLOW. The woman had gone straight to bed after Alcide left, and she didn't wake up until sundown. Dakota planned to go back to sleep around two am, to try and salvage her sleep schedule somewhat. Her hair was still damp from her long shower when she descended the ladder to check up on her maker.

"You've been very quiet." she muttered, seeing him lay on his side, wearing only Jason's old baseball shorts. "This isn't like you. I thought you'd be upstairs by now."

"Yes, it is." he said, not meeting her eyes as she sat down on the mattress beside him.

"No, it's not." she denied. "The real Eric Northman-"

"I am real." he interrupted her, meeting her eyes.

"That is not what I meant." she sighed, taking in his pale features. "You are very real. I meant the Eric with his memories. Not much gets him down. Sure, he's a rascal and a trouble maker, and sometimes I want to slap the smile off his face. But he's a happy vampire, and kind and protective."

"I'll never swim in the sun again." His piercing blue eyes left hers as he stared at the wall behind her, not registering the words she had just spoken to him. "Never feel the heat on my skin. Never see the daylight in your hair."

"Well," she began carefully, picking at the skin around her thumb. "nighttime isn't so bad. You still have the stars and the sky."

"Don't." he said, glare on his face but it wasn't directed at her. He pushed himself up with one hand and faced away from her, bare feet touching the cold stone beneath them. "I am not a child."

Dakota furrowed her eyebrows, feeling absolutely horrible about the way he was feeling. The blonde moved across the mattress to sit beside him, giving him a sideway glance as their knees touched.

"I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better."

"You think i'm weak?" he asked, suddenly.

"Absolutely not," she voiced, and he had to believe her by the way her eyes held truth.

"You want the Eric who doesn't feel." he stated, as if he knew what she wanted.

"It's not that." she shook her head, heart shattering at the broken look on his face. "Eric with his memories does feel. He feels everything, he's just very good at hiding it. You know, you're a thousand years old. I guess all those years really shaped you to be the way you are. And those witches took that from you, so it is only natural that you're different. There's nothing bad about that, Eric."

He peered down at her, sly smile slowly appearing on his lips. "If you kiss me, I promise to be happy."

It had been awhile since Dakota had kissed Eric Northman, and she could still feel his lips on hers from their last kiss. Dakota had been so angry at the fact she had been turned into a vampire that she didn't want to be near him. 

Maybe she had been overreacting, being a vampire hadn't been so bad apart from the blood drinking. Dakota could easily live like a human, as she had done before by some sort of miracle, perhaps it was the faerie blood in her. And maybe she had forgiven Eric the moment he had made that decision, but her senses were heightened and it seemed her mind just stuck with resentment for all those months. 

"I can't," she let out a breath.

"Why?" he frowned, leaning in slowly as his hair fanned over his forehead. "It's only a kiss."

Eric wasn't himself and she didn't want to take advantage of him, even if she really wanted to press her lips against his own. He smelled like the sun, which was odd since he aways smelled like fresh night air to her. 

"It wouldn't be fair." she muttered, eyes on his lips.

"Why?" he said again. 

"You don't remember." The words tumbled from her lips.

"You are mine." his eyes lit up. "Kiss me."

Dakota let out a chuckle and shook her head before planting a kiss on his cheek. "I will find a way to get your memories back, I promise."

"You're leaving?" he asked, wide eyed as she got up and his fingers on the cheek where her lips had been moments ago. 

"You know you can come up with me, it's dark." she smiled, making her way up the ladder. "Want some Tru Blood?"

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ERIC HAD TRIED TO SIP FROM THE WARM BOTTLE OF TRU BLOOD BEFORE SPITTING IT ALL OVER THE KITCHEN TABLE. Dakota made him clean it up himself, saying how she wasn't his maid like she had done before. He had done so quickly, grimace on his face from the remnants of taste on his tongue. 

He had joined her in the living room after he was finished, and sat down next to her timidly as she watched a movie he had never seen before. Not thirty minutes later when he looked down at her, she had passed out with her head resting against the back of the couch, lips parted. 

Eric peered at the tv one more time before his gaze fell on her again, like he didn't know what to do and turned the screen off, cascading them into full darkness. He sat there for another second before he scooted her in his arms and slowly walked up the steps toward her bedroom. Not once did she stir as he laid her down.

The viking watched her sleep for a moment, feeling the breeze from her open window as he stood at the foot of the bed. He shouldn't watch her, it was creepy, but she looked so calm that he couldn't tear his gaze away from her. Her scent was all over the room and it was intoxicating. If he had a heart, it would skip a beat out of fear when a hand laid itself on his shoulder.

"Hello, Eric." 

It was Godric, and he brushed a finger over his cheek before his eyes went to the woman asleep before them. Eric didn't know if he was dreaming or not, he had never seen the vampire before.  He watched as Godric prowled toward Dakota, dragging a finger slowly up her bare leg. It made him angry. Especially when his maker leaned down, squeezing her thigh and breathing in the scent of her blood.

Eric glared at him, vampire speeding toward them on the other side of the bed and pushing him off. "Do not touch her."

"She's beautiful." said Godric.

"Who are you?" demanded Eric.

Godric let out a snarl, fangs appearing from beneath his gums as his gaze fell onto the sleeping woman once more. Eric was worried for her, and he would do everything he can to stop this monster from hurting her.

"You're going to drain her." he stated, his mother tongue rolling from his mouth easily. "You will take every drop until there is nothing more pumping through her veins."

"No," Eric said firmly.

Godric wrapped his hand around his throat and Eric fell to his knees, eyes wide. He suddenly didn't know why he couldn't fight him as the vampire squeezed his airway. Godric glared down at him with a fierceness he had never seen before. "You are incapable of love. You are damned."

"She can redeem me." he whimpered.

He laughed humourlessly. "You cannot be saved. You are a creature of death, and the living are only good for one thing. And it is not love. Drink, now."

The viking tried to fight it as Godric pushed his face towards Dakota's, his eyes blown wide. Eric kept shaking his head, but the vampires grip on him was tight, too tight, and he couldn't shrug him off. His fangs appeared and his eyes were solely focused on the throbbing vein on her neck.

There was a loud gasp in front of him and he pushed himself away from the bed as quick as he could, snapping from his daze when Dakota's wide brown eyes stared at him in fear.

"Eric, what the hell?"

"Sorry," he apologised. "i'm so sorry."

Godric wasn't there anymore and he didn't know wether or not it had been a terrible dream or just his vampire instinct to get a taste of the best smelling blood he had ever smelled. His fangs retracted and he tried to avoid her stare.

"What is it?" there was no anger in her voice.

"Uh," he breathed. "I had a bad dream."

Dakota blinked up at him with a raised brow and patted the spot beside her on the bed. Eric glanced at it before slowly getting back up and sitting on her soft duvet. Dakota scooted to sit against the headboard. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"There was another vampire." he said, sitting rigidly beside her. "He wanted me to hurt you. I didn't want to do it but he made me."

"You didn't hurt me." she shot him a reassuring smile. "You scared me a bit, though."

"I'm sorry." he said sincerely, meeting her eyes for a moment. He really was sorry, he was glad she had awoken or he might have actually hurt her and that would have broken the promise he had made her the day before.

"It's alright." she shrugged. 

"I think I knew him." he added, scratching at the material of his shorts. "The vampire. He was young, barely an adult."

"Dark hair and Swedish?" she guessed.

His head snapped toward her in confusion. "How do you know?"

"That's Godric." she said. "He was your maker."

Eric's brows pulled together and something warm and wet fell onto his cheek, he touched his face and noticed the blood on his fingers. He was crying and Eric never cried. He slid down the headboard and laid on his side, sniffing.

"You loved him." she continued. "You miss him."

"He said I was evil." he muttered, hugging her pillow close to his face.

"It was just a dream." Dakota laid her hand on his back, rubbing his skin comfortably. 

Eric sniffed again and turned his face to glance up at her, eyes brimmed with blood. "Am I evil?"

"No, you're not evil." she shook her head.

The viking turned to face her completely and placed his head in her lap, resting the palm of his hand on her left thigh. Dakota smiled softly, brushing her fingers through his blonde locks to try and comfort the vampire. 

"I like being next to you." he confessed and she let out a small laugh. "Why are you laughing?"

"You don't usually show your feeling so openly." she said. "You're pretty reserved most of the times. You weren't always like this."

He looked up at her, hugging her legs. "Like what?"

"Gentle," she began. "sweet. But it suits you. Godric wanted to see you like this. He was the most human of all vampires i've met. He was really nice, and he would be so proud of you no matter what."

"It is strange to miss someone you don't remember." Eric had laid his head back down. He let out a soft sigh, closing his eyes. "Would it be alright if I stayed her till sunrise?"

"Of course you can." Dakota smiled, hands still in his hair.

Dakota felt him smile and he glanced at her once more. "Can you hold me?"

The blonde scooted down herself, laying her head next to his on the pillow and wrapped her arms around him. His face was squished against her chest and she felt him breath her in before he snuggled closer, entangling their legs together. 

"I would never hurt someone as beautiful as you." 

LOTS OF ERIC THIS CHAPTER, god i love him so so much <3