She was on the couch and he had come in on one of the scenes that made her cringe every time. The abusive hubby send the wife hard into the couch cushion, smothering her, preventing her from breathing and it was only at the last moment he relented and let her up for air. It made her cringe every time, her not being able to think of the past with her own experience with abuse with her now long dead and done buried loser Ryan. It had been a coupe years now but those emotional scars and wounds were still lingering and always would. And yet, this show was so amazingly well done, one you juts had to have a glass to wine too and why now, it seemed the characters on this soapy drama miniseries drank every other scene.

"Why are you watching this?" he said as she settled next to her on the couch.

"This happened to win a ton of awards and there happens to be some eye candy here too." she watched as he took the slipcover of Big Little Lies in hand and furrowed his brows. :don't get jealous, the one guy on this, cute as he is, is a monster." she gestured to the photo of the tall blonde on the cover to which Eric snorted.

"Looks a little Nordic but not as appealing as me. I never thought abusers towards women were very….attractive. I mean, I was never a saint, especially in the beginning when I was made but…I learned quickly what was right and what was wrong."

"Quickly….I doubt that." she said with a wan smile, knowing full well that back in the day, he had been little more than a bloody monster with a taste for women and not just for blood. Thankful he was how he was now, she never let that gratitude she had for his changed ways escape her. "Sometimes I think, when watching shows like these, maybe we aren't a screwed up as we think we are…..I mean, I wouldn't want to hang around with almost any of these women. So catty and petty. Except for Jane. She's down to earth and I wont spoil the ending but karma is a bitch." she grinned wickedly. "If you ever misbehave, I've gotten some ideas from the women on this show if they pull any crap like-" she had an idea and went slightly fast forward to the scene in the show that had shocked and yet entertained her the most. Screwed up as it was, though it was nice seeing some abusive creep getting a taste of his own medicine. As they sat in silence as the scene played out, as the hubby tried to grab his wife-and worse-she had taken a tennis racket and with a mighty whack, hid him in the family jewels, sending him down, down to the ground in something of a fetal position. She waited for him to say something after the violent and cringey scene and he slowly turned to face her.

"You aren't a tennis player are you? Because healing fast may be one thing but its that initial impact that would be hard to take, admittedly. Even for a vampire." he said as they show played on, to less intense scenes and she laughed but then turned stern.

"Lets just hope you never piss me off enough that I would need to play tennis. And I do have a racket actually, my parents did play back in the day. And though I don't have any of those neon colored balls, as you saw on that show, one can make do." Sookie said with a smirk and she laughed as even he cringed, crossing his long legs and looking paler than usual before laughing. "Ha!, even a big bad vamp is afraid of taking shots in the nether regions. Ha ha!" she giggled more as she took in his stunned expression. Not many people would ever get away taunting him like this and yet here she was. It was adorable, he thought and he couldn't help but shake his head. She made motions as if wielding a racket and went to get herself some wine before turning the show back on and as they watched the last episode, she took in his rapt attention, surprised he had been drawn into the drama of the series. "And you didn't even join in until the last couple parts….I guess this demands a rewatch…as least the first few episodes you didn't get to see." she said with a put upon sigh as she went to put the first disc back into the DVD player.

"What, so you can watch that pack of women take out that jackass abuser?" Eric said with a arched brow. "Or to watch from the beginning because you so clearly find said abuser attractive."

"So, he happened to be cute and good with the twins….not that I would want to have a relation ship like that, to have some asshat beating me and manipulating me….." she said, her grin fading. "I guess watching this makes me feel like my life could be worse. Id rather live the supernatural life than have what that character has on the show, having to hide her injuries and her dirty secret from her own friends…everything on that show makes our lives seem…normal. Sane."

"Those women drank too much and I enjoy a drink as much as the next guy….though my tastes have, sadly turned from alcoholic to the thicker, more organic variety. But still….such catty and petty women would make even me to want to retch." he paused. "And as far as that abusive bastard…..the fall down those stairs was too good for him….and messed up his pretty face, may I ad. You really think him attractive?"

"No one compares to you, you're my everything, you're my Nordic god not that guy…should I go on to keep stroking your ego?"

"That scene n episode six certainly features some stroking.." he countered with a devilish grin to which she slapped his shoulder hard and nearly spat out her mouthful of wine. "You have a twisted mind, maybe you would have fit in perfectly with the people on that show…go stroke yourself." she couldn't help but add saucily, making even him give a look of utter astonishment.

"My, to think you were once that innocent girl next door. How time has warped that sweet mind of yours."

"And people. Having around certainly people has certainly brought the inner me out to play from time to time and its been liberating. I mean, I like to think I'm still a good person with a big heart-"

"You are. Your compassion and fierceness to protect those you love…its unlike anything I've seen before. And its probably what I love the most about you." he seemed to be embarrassed by being so truthful, by putting his feelings on display. Even though it was only her he was with, he still struggled with being open with his emotions. Emotions that weren't anger, annoyance and the like. But these times when she saw him vulnerable and willing to show something deeper than anger and the like, she melted all over again, thinking back to what he was like when she had first met him. Time had changed them both, mostly for the better and though they both bore scars from the pain they had ensured over the years, she liked to see that they were better because of those struggles.

"Stroking aside….." she said with a grin. "Maybe if you enjoyed that show, I've got some other flicks you may like. Steel Magnolias…..Beaches…" she had walked over to her cabinet where she kept her small library of movies and as she flashed one by one in his face, she laughed at his expressions before putting all the DVDs rack and with a yawn, settled back on the couch. And silently watched the episodes he had missed and after getting caught up, she turned the DVD off. "Sorry my tastes are so different from yours…..do you even have a favorite movie or show? I don't think I ever have asked you that. Though I am surprised you sat through the entire series of this."

"Not to worry, I find most entertainment today rather inane. And not fun, compared to the lives we lead, the adventures we had had our hands and fangs in. I prefer reality rather than fantasy, though I admit in the past I often had a decent fantasy or two about some waitress I had met. Never met anyone like her. So perky and feisty…..so innocent…..but then she let herself go a little, accepted herself for what she was and it made things so much more interesting….he stopped talking as he sensed he was the only one listening and sure enough, she had fallen asleep on the couch, her body contorted into a little ball on the couch he had seen her settle into but hadn't thought her to be that tired, considering what she was, she so rarely got tired. He shook his head with amusement as he found himself exploring her mostly chick flick movie collection, though he was surprised to find a couple of action comedies. Rush Hour? Nah…he flipped through the stacks and finally decided on one no one would expect him to pick. The 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet. He had, after all lived in the medieval times and something that she didn't know was that he had gone tin plays back in the day at the Globe Theater. And besides, judging by the description of the back cover, there would be bloodshed mixed with the sorrow. He knew the story well enough but…escapism was escapism. He just hoped she wouldn't awaken and catch him watching this. He would never live it down but at least it was a more manly choice than Titanic.

THE END