A sequel to 'After Dallas' and 'the Ex-Factor', this story is set in the True Blood/SVM universe, and takes the characters created by Charlaine Harris and Alan Ball, but spins off in a different trajectory. I have posted on the True Blood section as the themes are closer to those of the show. There are some characters from the books, and some original characters.

The story was conceived and mainly written before Season 3 aired so it doesn't take account of any of the new developments.

If you've read this story before, I have made some changes to expand the plot, so there are more chapters. The original chapters 1 – 8 posted between 1st May and 2nd June 2010 are now chapters 1 – 14. The new chapters 15 to 21 are all written and will be posted over the next week or so.

Charhamblin helped me out with plot checking on some chapters, and Gajinvamp gave her invaluable advice on American culture, but all mistakes are mine.

The Wedding Planner

I could hear the voices as I came down the stairs. They weren't speaking loudly, but my hearing was a lot more acute nowadays. I was still in that befuddled state you get when you go back to sleep for longer than you mean to, so it took me a few moments to process who was speaking, and what they were saying.

"You don't have to do it you know. A Vampire bonding is quite sufficient. I just don't understand why you need to expose yourself in this way. I am sure the Magister will not approve."

"I've told you, Pam, the decision is made. Besides, the National Council wish it. They believe it will be helpful to our cause. The Magister wants to keep Sookie happy, so he is hardly likely to object."

"So does Sookie know it is just a marriage of convenience after all?"

I had stopped still on the stairs. I realized that I was holding my breath, waiting for his answer. I let out a slow stream of air, as quietly as I could, so as to avoid alerting them to my presence.

"That is not true," Eric was practically hissing at her. "I forbid you to stir up trouble between Sookie and I. You will help her and support her as I command you."

I decided it was time to make my presence known. They both looked guilty as I walked into the room.

"Pam has come over to help with your wedding plans. Now if you two ladies," he shot Pam a fierce glare at that point before continuing "would like to attend to the details I have work to do."

I expected him to turn on his heel and stalk out of the room, but instead he came over to me. Slipping his hands inside my robe he lowered his face to mine. I was conscious of Pam's presence for all of three seconds before I abandoned myself to one of those kisses that could still make my stomach do flip-flops.

"I will see you later." Eric's voice was dark and sexy, making me tingle all over.

The magic of the moment was interrupted by Pam, who was at her most sarcastic. "If you two have quite finished making out, we have rather a lot to be getting on with."

I hurriedly retied my robe and went over to join her on the couch. She had a slew of magazines laid out on the table. "So, Sookie," her tone was now cool and professional, "what do you want from your wedding?"

I couldn't help a wry smile as I explained. It was good to have someone to talk to about it. Eric seemed to think he had done his bit just by asking me to marry him. He made it clear that he had no intention of getting involved in the planning.

"Well obviously my dream wedding would have taken place in daylight. All my Bon Temps friends and neighbors would have been there. My best friend Tara would have been my chief bridesmaid and my Gran would have been watching, fighting back a few tears. My dress would have been white with a billowing skirt and a long train, and an extravagant bouquet of flowers."

Pam was watching me, carefully, with that look she has bordering just on the wrong side of sarcastic. She motioned to me to carry on.

I realized I was practically babbling as I told her how my dream began to fade once I reached my teens. The other girls I had expected to be my bridesmaids began to distance themselves from me, nervous of my 'disability'. It disappeared forever when I realized that the disability would prevent me from ever having a normal sexual relationship with a man.

"So, is it a disappointment to have to settle for a wedding chapel in Las Vegas?"

"I don't think so. I've helped out at enough weddings to know that it's a mistake to put all your energy into one day, when you really need to invest in making the relationship work."

I was thinking of tears and tantrums that accompanied my friend Arlene's serial nuptials at that point. The memories of how they had turned out made me shudder.

"It's just that there's no rule book for human-vampire relations. Everything is so new. Where is 'Dear Abby' when you need her?"

Pam laughed out loud at that; she did love her 'Dear Abby' columns. She consulted them regularly in order to give Eric her, mostly unwelcome, advice.

We were flipping through the magazines commenting on the various dress designs, when I realized that Eric had come back into the room. We needed to get to the Mall and check out some essentials, like wedding night underwear from Victoria's Secret. That was a special treat for Pam, as thanks for her helping me out.

I walked over to give Eric a goodbye kiss. Pam had already gone out to the car, tactfully guessing that we would want another little tender moment before I left.

"Sookie, before you go I need to ask you a favour." He sounded strained and I waited with concern for what was to follow.

"I would like Bill Compton to be my best man. Could you call on him when you get back to Bon Temps to let him know the details."

I stared at him. I'm not sure my mouth didn't hang open a little, I was so surprised at his request. Surprised and disgusted.

"I am not going to ask him. If you want him as your best man, you ask him."

"He'll say no to me."

"Great, so you expect me to guilt trip him into saying yes. I don't understand why you're so keen to have him anyway."

"It will be better for our cause. He is respectable, an American hero, a mainstreamer. People will be less quick to criticize. Besides, he will look good in the photographs."

"Eric this is meant to be a wedding, not a political convention." I could feel the anger rising in me. It had its own energy as it flowed through my body. If our argument carried on much longer I knew I would not be able to control it.

"Sookie, I expect you to do this for me." Eric's voice was as hard as his expression. "Well you can expect all you like, because I'm not going to." He stepped towards me and I thought he was going to grab my arm.

Even now I can't quite explain what happened next. I'm not sure that I even know, it was so fast and so unexpected. I remember turning to pull away from Eric. I might have flung out my arm in anger or to escape his grip or just to steady myself. All I can remember is that all the anger in my body seemed to take physical form and channel down my arm escaping as a shaft of silver-blue light.

It hit a large piece of glassware from Eric's very expensive collection of modern sculpture. As it crashed to the ground, I found myself collapsing as well. I was shocked both physically and emotionally. He was by my side in an instant, holding my shaking body.

"What happened to me, Eric?" I asked eventually, "Where did that come from?"

"I'm not sure. Has anything like that ever happened before?"

"Once when I was a teenager. Jason had taken a photo of me getting out of the shower to sell to his friends."

Eric smirked.

"It's not funny. I was really embarrassed when I found out. Anyway I was yelling at him and I went to slap his face, but before I made contact this blue light just appeared in front of my hand and pushed him back. He said it felt like getting an electric shock."

"Can you do it again? Think of something that makes you really angry."

I tried real hard. I thought of how Bill had betrayed me, I remembered the rescue and how I had staked Lorena, but it was all too far in the past. I had moved on and it had lost the power to hurt me.

"It is a shame you cannot channel this to order," Eric continued. "It could be a very useful skill. Could I just ask you one thing?"

I looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Next time you lose your temper with me, could you just count to ten first." He laughed and gave me a hug.

"Listen I'm real sorry about your vase," I said with feeling very embarrassed about the whole incident. "I could replace it if you like."

He smiled kindly, "I don't think so, it was a William Morris original. I paid $50,000 for it but it's worth double that now. It doesn't matter though."

I realized I was shaking as I walked out to Pam's car. I was still driving my old yellow Hyundai, which she refused to be seen dead in, or so she had informed me, clearly finding the joke very amusing.

Naturally she wanted some kind of explanation, but I didn't respond to her questioning. I needed time to think through what had happened back then.

I tried to talk to Eric about what had happened several times over the next few days, but he shut down on me in the way that only a Vampire can. He knew I was part-Fairy of course, but neither of us had given much thought about what that might mean.

To be honest, the discoveries I had made about my ancestry had depressed me. They made me feel even more different and isolated than I already did. Sometimes, when I was feeling particularly low, I wondered if it was the real reason why Eric cared for me at all. It was going to take me a little time to work out if this new facet to my identity was a positive one.