Bonus – The Verdict

 The Verdict

SPOV

I rolled over to look at the clock and saw it was only 4:30 in the morning. I’d been tossing and turning every night all week long. I rolled back over and looked at Eric fast asleep. I was surprised he hadn’t woken up at all and I was more than a little jealous that he was able to sleep and I wasn’t.

A year had passed since he rescued me from Felipe DeCastro’s dungeon and his trial ended a week ago. The jury had been sequestered throughout the trial and was still out in deliberations. I had to be taken off of the case since I became one of his victims and had to testify at his trial. Pam called me to the stand early on so I would be able to sit in the courtroom and watch with everyone else. Both Eric and Alcide testified as well, but it was Quinn’s and my testimony that should be the final nails in his coffin. If DeCastro was found guilty he could very well be sentenced to death row because of Chow’s murder. As it was, in exchange for his testimony, Quinn was currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. I was still a little bitter over his whole betrayal that caused Chow’s death knowing he would’ve killed Eric if he’d had the opportunity. I didn’t feel any guilt hoping he was somebody’s “babe” in prison.

We learned a lot in the days and weeks following my rescue. The biggest thing was how much Bill had been able to do for DeCastro as his secret spy/saboteur. It turned out Bill had been the one to hack into the court’s computer network and change the address on the original search warrant that ended up getting the case dismissed the first time. He had also uploaded some sort of spy software on practically all of the computers in the Prosecutor’s office including Pam’s. Every time I sent a message to her blackberry Bill was able to read it as well which, we assumed, is how whoever had been working at EEE got tipped off prior to the raid. We had to assume because both Victor Madden and Frannie Quinn were still out there on the loose, and with Bill dead and DeCastro not talking there was no way to be positive.

I rolled over again and saw that only five minutes had passed from the last time I’d checked so I begrudgingly got out of bed. After I set the coffee pot to brew and gave Bubba and his new girlfriend Priscilla, who we’d gotten from an animal rescue group, a good morning scratch behind their ears I went into the bathroom to start getting ready.

I’d been living at Eric’s house pretty much since my rescue, but I’d officially moved in six months ago. I had been having nightmares on and off about everything that had happened so I hadn’t been getting much sleep back then. I was cranky and my period was due to start so I had a bad case of PMS on top of it all. We’d gotten into the silliest fight and I stormed out and drove back to my condo. I immediately ran a hot bath and as I was soaking in the tub I realized how unreasonable I had been with Eric. The thought of spending even one night without him made my chest hurt and hormonal tears spring to my eyes. I quickly dried off and went to my closet to get dressed.

I stood there looking at the contents inside and didn’t know whether I should laugh or cry. There weren’t any clothes left hanging up and the only thing left in my dresser was a ratty pair of Bon Temps High School red and black sweatpants and a giant pink sleep shirt with Tweety Bird on the front. The only shoes, other than the heels I had worn here, were a pair of flip flips. Over the previous few weeks I had stopped by here to get some clothes but I didn’t realize virtually every stitch of it I owned was now at Eric’s house.

I had no plans to stop anywhere so I pulled them on and grabbed my things to head back to Eric’s. I had a horrible moment of déjà vu when I opened the door of my condo and screamed as I jumped back because someone was standing there. I immediately calmed down once I realized it was Eric. He was wearing that damn dress uniform of his (he knows I can’t think straight when I see him in it and he can get me to agree to anything while he’s wearing it!) and he was holding a bouquet of flowers. We must have been a sight because I stood there crying over how sweet he was being, even though the fight was all my fault, and he was laughing at what I was wearing. Even so, it still didn’t take long for both of us to be naked. I ended the lease on the condo at the end of that month and brought everything I owned to “our” house.

I stepped under the spray of the showerhead and while the hot water ran over my body I thought about everything Eric and I had been through from the moment we’d met. I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt for him was instant, especially since we’d had nameless stranger sex in a bar storeroom just moments after laying eyes on one another which is something I never thought I’d be able to do until I saw him. From that day forward everything seemed to click into place with us and I’d never been happier.

I closed my eyes as I leaned my head back under the water to rinse the shampoo from my hair when I felt his hands wrap around my waist and his tongue glide around my nipple. Keeping my eyes closed I said, “We’ll have to be quiet. My boyfriend’s asleep in the next room.” I chuckled when he growled against my breast and pulled my body flush against his. “I can be quiet. The question is can YOU?” he asked as his lips travelled across my chest while his hands travelled from my waist down to cup my ass.

He didn’t give me a chance to respond claiming my mouth with his own. His hands ran up and down my back before coming up my front to knead my breasts while I grabbed onto my favorite part of him, pulling his body closer to mine. When I wrapped my hand around my second favorite part of him and stroked his entire length I was rewarded with a moan into my mouth as his hips bucked in response. He released my mouth and spun my body around so my back was against his chest and he placed each of my hands on the wall in front of me. He lathered the soap in his hands as he started at my left wrist and worked his way up to my shoulder before repeating the process on my right arm.

He lathered his hands again and worked his way across my back expertly massaging away any tension my muscles held before moving down to my ass. I moaned when he gripped my hips and rubbed his erection against me but he held me firmly in place when I attempted to turn back around.

“No, no naughty girl” he purred. “You have to hold still when you’re being frisked.” I peered over my shoulder at him and played along saying, “But Officer Northman, it seems you’re the only one here with a lethal weapon.” I wiggled my ass against the dagger in between his legs to make my point because if he didn’t quit teasing me I would surely die of frustration. “I’m merely doing my job ma’am” he said as he lathered his hands once more and trailed them across my abdomen before making sure each of my breasts were thoroughly checked. He was so thorough that over the last year I no longer had to examine my breasts each month because he knew them better than I did anymore.

When his fingertips lingered over my nipples alternating between rubbing, flicking and gently pulling at them I pushed back against his body again rubbing my backside up and down his front desperate for him to move lower and I said as much. I should have been more specific because he pulled away and dropped down to his knees running his hands up and down my legs from my ankles to my upper thighs, but never coming close enough to where I needed him most. When I groaned in frustration he chuckled and then nipped at my ass with his teeth before standing back up.

He leaned down and licked the outer edge of my earlobe before kissing the spot just beneath my ear that always made me shudder. I felt him smile against my skin when he got the reaction he was looking for and he whispered in my ear, “Is there a problem ma’am? It’s my duty to serve the people so if there’s some service you require of me you only need to say so.” His fingers finally made their way to my slick folds that were wet with more than just water. He ran them along the length of my slit before plunging one inside testing my readiness and I gasped in response. He added a second finger and rubbed his thumb over my clit as my back arched involuntarily, pushing my chest against the cold tile wall. The sensation of the cold mixed with the warmth of Eric’s ministrations and the hot water beating down on us got to be too much and I leaned against his chest holding onto the back of his head and screamed out his name as I came on his fingers.

I heard Eric growl again as he turned me to face him while lifting me up at the same time. My legs wrapped around his waist and we both moaned when he lowered me onto him. I could feel him pulsating inside of me as he stilled himself trying to reign in his need to climax while he tenderly kissed me. I however wanted him to let loose so I licked my way across his chest and up to his ear. Knowing he liked it when I talked dirty I whispered, “We can make love later. Right now I need you to fuck me Eric.”

My back was thrown against the tile wall as he thrust into me with primal need. His kiss went from tender to brutal as his mouth crashed over mine and I held on for dear life loving every minute of it. I felt him swelling even larger inside of me when he lifted me higher slightly changing his angle and hit my g-spot. He’d memorized its location knowing the magical power it held and I screamed out in ecstasy as my inner walls clamped down on him pulling a scream from him as well as he spilled deep inside of me.

He turned to lean his back against the wall and slid us down to the floor where we stayed tangled up together until we could finally breathe normally again. He leaned his forehead against mine and looked into my eyes saying, “You make me very happy.” I felt my insides melt from the sincerity in his voice and I had to kiss him in response because I was unable to form any words.

Once Eric made sure every inch of my body was clean I dried off and went into the bedroom to get dressed only to see he had placed one of my business outfits on top of the bed. It was my charcoal gray 2 piece suit with a pencil skirt and my cream colored camisole. My black peep toe pumps were on the floor next to the bed. Eric came out of the bathroom a moment later and I was temporarily stunned into silence because he was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist and his wet hair was slicked back with drops of water rolling down his chest. I swear, it never got old. We’d been together for more than a year yet just the sight of him still took my breath away. The smirk on his face told me he knew it too.

Once my brain was able to form words again I pointed at the clothing on the bed and said, “Are you dressing me now?” I smiled before continuing, “Normally it’s the other way around and you’re trying to undress me.”

He just shrugged his shoulders replying, “I just like that outfit on you.” He walked over wrapping his arms around my waist and I could feel how much he liked it. It was all the convincing I would need and even though we had both been up extra early, thanks to the longer shower and romp in the bed afterwards, we just barely left for work on time.

I was sitting at my desk going over a new case file when Amelia poked her head into my office saying, “The jury’s back! They’re going to read the verdict in an hour!” I had done my best to push my nerves aside once the trial ended but they were back in full force now. We grabbed our things and decided to walk to the courthouse so I could try to work off some of the nervousness I was now plagued with. I texted Eric telling him what was going on and I wasn’t surprised in the least when he walked into the courtroom a few minutes after we arrived with Alcide in tow and took a seat next to me in the front row directly behind Pam.

Eric held my hand and as we took our seat after the judge walked in he gave me a little squeeze of support. I held my breath when the jury foreman stood up and began to speak.

“We the people find Felipe DeCastro, guilty, of all charges.”

My feeling of utter relief was short-lived when DeCastro started yelling, “I’m going to kill you bitch!” and lunged at me over the railing that separated the audience from the lawyers’ tables. He didn’t get anywhere near me though as Eric blocked DeCastro’s body with his own using DeCastro’s forward momentum to throw him down onto the aisle floor separating the rows of benches. DeCastro was frothing at the mouth like a rabid animal spewing out a hate-filled tirade and when he attempted to bite Eric he got his face smashed into the floor. In the span of no more than a few seconds DeCastro had lost not only his freedom but a tooth as well and had one of his shoulders dislocated when he tried to free his arms after Eric had them pinned behind his back.

Once they dragged DeCastro from the courtroom Eric wrapped his arms around my trembling body and whispered soothing words into my ear. I held onto him tighter knowing that as long as I had Eric by my side nothing else mattered. He pulled back to give me a kiss before saying, “I think we could all use a drink. This calls for a celebration.” Everyone in our little group agreed and Pam, Amelia and I headed to the bar around the corner, our bar, while Eric and Alcide ran back to the station to take care of a few things before meeting us there.

I smiled walking into the bar remembering when Eric and I had first met here. Well, if you could call what happened between us ‘meeting’ since technically there weren’t any verbal introductions that night. At any rate, I always smiled big whenever I’d come here after that night. We didn’t go out drinking often, but Eric and I had come here a few times since then and he always tried to talk me into going back into that storeroom again. Much to his dismay I always refused. I was just thankful that he didn’t bring me here in his dress uniform because I wouldn’t have been able to say no.

After the three of us each got a drink from the bar we claimed a booth before the after-work crowd started showing up. We sat there talking about the spectacle DeCastro made of himself after the verdict was read and watched the breaking news updates on the televisions located throughout the bar showing DeCastro and his bloody face being taken away from the courthouse in an ambulance. I was on my second drink when Amelia dragged me to the dance floor while Pam stayed at the booth to keep an eye on our things and return some messages on her blackberry. It felt good to work off all of the tension of the day shaking my ass to the music. I had just spun away from Amelia when I saw him leaning against the bar watching me.

He had changed out of the slacks and button-down shirt he’d been wearing earlier into a tight black t-shirt over his low slung dark wash jeans and his black motorcycle boots. The sight of him gave me déjà vu because he was wearing the exact outfit he’d been wearing the night we met and it was then that I realized, so was I.

He gave me his patented smoldering look as he stalked forward and I was once again frozen on the spot I was standing on. Everyone around us faded away until it was only him and I standing there. He stood before me and raised his hand, running the tips of his fingers from my temple to my jaw. I found myself leaning into his hand, always comforted by his touch. He grabbed one of my hands in his and wrapped the other arm around me with his hand resting on the small of my back. We started moving in time with the music, although I couldn’t tell you what was playing. Our bodies molded together seamlessly once more as we’d done this probably hundreds of times before, our eyes never leaving each other. The longer we danced the more my girly bits were begging for him and I had no doubt that we would end up in that storeroom again tonight for an encore performance.

When the song ended he leaned down brushing his lips across mine but when I tried to deepen it he pulled back from me. Confused, I looked up at him for an explanation and saw raw emotion on his face with unshed tears in his eyes. I cupped his cheek with my left hand but before I could ask him what was wrong he took my hand, kissing my palm, and held onto it as he knelt down in front of me. I suddenly felt lightheaded and my body flushed with adrenaline at what I suspected he was up to. All I could see were those beautiful blue eyes looking back at me as he said, “For thirty years I walked through life but I didn’t start living until I met you. I never knew I could love someone or feel loved by someone as much as I do with you.” He pulled a beautiful diamond ring from his pocket and held it in front of me asking, “Sookie Stackhouse, will you marry me?”

Tears were streaming down my face and my breath was caught in my throat making it impossible for me to utter a word. I rapidly blinked them away, clearing my eyes, so I wouldn’t miss a moment of what was happening. I knew I loved him with all of my heart and I’d imagined what it would be like if he proposed, but I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of emotion I felt when the moment finally came. A couple of tears had made their way down his face and when I didn’t answer right away he tugged on my hand asking with a small smile, “Well counselor, what’s the verdict?”

“Yes.” As soon as he slipped the ring onto my finger I dragged him towards the storeroom not hearing the crowd in the bar cheering us on.