Melanie: 

“Naiomi? A girlfriend?” I scooped some ice cream from the bowl, eating it as I looked at Tara. 

“I didn’t plan on it.” She said, doing the same. I just kind of fell for her. 

“And, all those years we’ve been friends you’ve never-”

“It ain’t like that with you.” She laughed. “Or Sookie.” 

“I was gonna say you never knew you liked girls.” I shoved her playfully. 

“Never did before.” She smiled, finishing the bowl. 

“So when do we get to meet her?” I put my bowl down, grabbing a pull from my beer. 

Tara lowered her eyes, staring at the empty bowl. “She doesn’t exactly know about you. Hell, she doesn’t even know about me. I’ve been lying to her, Mel. She thinks I’m at my grandmother’s funeral in Atlanta. She even thinks my name is Tony.”

“Tony? Why?” 

“Because I hate this place. I hate what it did to me and I wanna fucking burry it. Now Naomi found a bunch of stuff with my real name on it. She’s going to break up with me and I don’t blame her. 

I scooted closer, wrapping my arm around her. “Do you love her?”

“I think so.” She nodded. 

“Then you gotta fight. You gotta make her forgive you.”

She looked at me, hanging her head down. “That’s like asking Sookie if she’d forgive Bill.”

“Sookie would forgive Bill in a heartbeat.” I stopped her, my tone getting colder. 

“Anyway, I came here to talk to you about something else.” She turned to look at me after noticing the sun going down. 

Noticing her demeanor change, I sat straighter. “What?”

“I need you to talk to Eric for me. For Lafayette and I.” 

I cocked my eyebrows, looking at her. “Why? What happened?”

“I’m in town 20 minutes and now I got him trying to kill me.”

I stood. “Tara. I need you to tell me what happened. Why is this the first I’m hearing about this.” 

She took a deep breath, running her palms down the front of her jeans. “ I was scared he’d be here when I tried to talk to you. We were at a wiccan meeting. Lafayette and his man, they practice that shit. Anyway, I step outside to make a call and when I get back, he’s about to attack Marnie, their leader. I’m sorry Mel, I tried to stake him but he had me by the throat. He woulda killed me then and there if Marnie didn’t cast some sort of spell on him.”

My jaw dropped, as I looked down at her. There was way too much to process. 

“Melanie! I found the place. It’s called MoonGoddess emporium. She channeled Gran and Gran warned me she was dangerous. Whoever this Marnie lady is – ” Sookie ran in through the front door. Tara stood, looking just as confused as me. “Oh, Tara. Hey!” 

“Okay, what the fuck is going on here.” Tara asked looking between us. 

“Something happened to Eric. His different. He can’t remember a thing. Like not even me.” I crossed my arms. “And you tried to kill him?”

“He was going to attack all of us!” She defended. Her eyes peeked over my shoulder and she let out a high pitch scream, running to the fireplace grabbing one of the pokers. 

I turned to see Eric behind me. He instantly got aggressive noticing her stance and started walking towards her. 

“You told me he was missing!” She yelled at Sookie.

“Eric! Back off!” I grabbed his arm as he smacked the fireplace poker from her hands. He listened, still standing in front of me protectively.
“He won’t hurt you!” Sookie promised Tara but she was to frantic to listen. 

“You must have a short fucking memory! He’s a psychopathic murderer! Fuck all of you!” She lashed out before making a run for it out the door. 

Sookie sighed, looking between me and a defeated looking Eric. “Should I go after her?”

“Yes, make sure she tells nobody.” I nodded. 

She ran out the door and I turned to look at Eric who had sank down into the couch. 

“Did I really do all those bad things people keep saying?” He looked at me. 

“Yes.” I nodded my head as I kneeled in front of him.

“Then why did you marry me? Why are you letting me stay with you?”

I sighed, cupping his cheeks to keep his eye contact. “Because there’s more to you than you’re worse self. I always knew there was good in you even when you were a smug sarcastic asshole. I still knew it.”

He turned his face away. “Whether there’s good in me is irrelevant. Clearly I’m capable of extreme cruelty.”

“You were.” I nodded. “But I wouldn’t have made a commitment to you if I didn’t know in my heart that you were better than that. I’ve seen you change. You had become a better man, if not yourself, than for me. I love that man.” My lips curved into a smile. “I love you.”

“There’s a light in you.” He leaned closer. “It’s beautiful and innocent and pure. I couldn’t bare it if I snuffed it out.”

I tilted my head, seeing the sadness behind his eyes before he stood and walked out the front door.

I realized then that I was presented with a choice. I could leave all of this behind, listen to the warnings that everyone had been throwing my way since I had first met him. Or I could stay. Stay and fight what was surely the most difficult hurdle our relationship would face. I knew in my heart then just as I knew now that there was only one choice for me.

“Eric!” I ran out onto the front porch. He stopped walking and turned his head towards me. “Please don’t go.” 

He walked back my way and into my arms. His arms wrapping around my body, he provided the comfort I didn’t know I’d ever feel again. My lips brushed down his jaw to his lips, kissing him hungrily to make up for all the time I’d gone without. Memories or no memories, this man was mine. In sickness and in health. For better or worse. 

Laying me back onto the couch, he kissed me again, his hands roaming my body, taking off my shirt. I ran my fingers through his hair, arching into him as he trailed his lips down, nipping at the skin. I moaned, letting the feeling take over, he always did know how to make me feel good.  

The door swung open and Sookie barged in. She gasped and we quickly pulled away from each other. 

“Jesus, Sook!” I shuffled to pull my shirt down. 

Seconds later, Bill followed, fangs out and ready, charging at Eric. The two fought while Sookie and I tried to intervene. 

“Bill stop!” She shouted, distracting him enough for Eric to get ontop, grabbing a poker ready to stab him in the chest. 

“Eric!” I yelled, grabbing his arm to stop him. “He’s your king.” 

He stopped immediately, dropping the poker and dropping down to one knee. “My liege, forgive me.”

Bill looked at the broken man confused at the change in him before looking at us for answers. 

“He has no memory.” I said, standing in between them after Sookie helped him up. “Those witches – they erased it all. He didn’t remember the house. Me. His past -”

“It’s true.” Sookie backed me. “He still doesn’t.” 

His face etched in concern but he still called his guards. Within seconds they showed, grabbing Eric by the arms to drag him away. I felt an anger in my chest and my fingers sparked. It wasn’t right. Eric could kill them in a millisecond but he didn’t he bowed down and Bill was taking advantage. I wanted to fucking end him. He’d more than deserve this. 

Sookie noticed and grabbed my hands, calming me down enough to follow them to Bill’s mansion. 

“You have no right to do this!” Sookie called after him. 

Bill shook his head, continuing on. “I have every right. I am his king.” 

“Well you sure as hell aren’t mine.” I snarled. 

“Yes, you’ve made that abundantly clear. When you lied to my face.”

“You’ve got a lot of nerve lecturin’ anyone on lying.” Sookie defended. 

That stopped him in his track and guilt crossed his face, but Eric – my sweet, innocent, defenseless husband – spoke up. 

“Your majesty, whatever I’m guilty of, Melanie had nothing to do with it. She was only protecting me.”

“How touching.” He said without emotion. “Silver him.’

“NO!” I yelled out as they put silver cuffs on him. The pain bringing him down to his knees. “He isn’t resisting you don’t have to hurt him!”

“Where are you taking him?” Sookie demanded, watching the men haul him away. 

“I’m going to kill you Bill Compton, and I’m going to make it slow and take my time. This I fucking swear to you!” I threatened, only being held back by Sookie’s grips on my arms. 

“Melanie stop.” Eric pleaded. “You’ve already done to much for me.”

“Yes. You certainly have.” Bill turned to face us. “You both have.”

“We’re family. It’s what we do. It’s loyalty. Something you know nothing about.” I spewed. 

“I took an oath to protect the vampires of Louisiana.” He returned. “ That is exactly what I’m doing.” 

“By handcuffing them in silver?” 

“Eric is under the control of necromancers. He is a danger to everyone!” 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about! He’s scared. He’s alone. His whole life has been wiped away.” 

“He’s a liar and a master manipulator!” 

“No – the only liar here is you!”

“Enough!” Sookie yelled, stopping the two of us. “Bill, a moment?” 
He looked at me, then at her, nodded as the two of them went into another room. I sank against the lock door they’d taken Eric into, leaning my back against it and covering my face with my hands. Bill Compton wasn’t going to get away with this. I’d burn this place to the ground. 

The two came back out with Sookie looking pissed. He looked between the two of us, nodding his head towards the door. “It’s time for you to go.”

“I’m not leaving without my husband.” I stood. 

He looked at his guards. “If Miss Stackhouse or Mrs. Northman.” He looked at me promptly. “Step foot on my property again, I want them arrested for trespassing. Are we clear?”

Sookie looked hurt, her eyes getting glossy with tears as she stormed out. One of his men grabbed my arm, forcefully throwing me outside. I used my light to throw him back into the house, hearing the sound of glass breaking on his landing. Bill came to the doorway, staring down at me. 

“Karma always comes back around, Bill.” 

                                        OOO

On top of every going on with Eric, Jason let us in on the fact that he’d been bitten by some sort of werepanther and might turn into one on a full moon. 

Tonight was a full moon. 

For fuck’s sake I couldn’t catch a break. The three of us sat outside for a while until I went in for a shower. Sookie had followed behind to grab the two some drinks before busting into the bathroom minutes later claiming Jason was gone. 

In another adrenaline charge rush, I got dressed as fast as a could. The two of us grabbing a shotgun each before separating into the woods behind the house.

“Jason!” I yelled out, shoving past the low hung branches of thousand year old trees. “Jason!”

Was it actually possible that he had changed? I’d never heard of anything like it. Werepanthers. I mean for God’s sake how many more supernatural beings were we going to find out about?

“Jason!” I yelled again before the sound of leaves breaking behind me made me jump. 

Turning quickly, I aimed the shotgun before my eyes landed on Eric. 

“Babe?” I cried out in relief, dropping everything to run into his arms as I’d done many times before. “How?”

“The King set me free.” He stated.

 His large arms holding me up against him. His lips crashing against mine in a heated kiss. I couldn’t hold back anymore as a wave of emotions rushed through me. I has him in my arms again. Out of the reaches of Bill Compton. 

Our lips never parted as our clothes were dropped to the ground. Eric laying me back, slowly thrusting inside of me, filling me in a way only he knew how. It had been so long since he’d been inside of me, I never wanted him to stop. 

Under the moonlit sky, the sound of our moans filled the night. My hips met his, thrust for thrust, we were giving it our all. Our entire relationship had been about us giving our all to each other and though he might not have his memories, the connection was there nonetheless.