I had this job for two weeks and I was already overwhelmed. It was a far cry from most of the other jobs I'd had before. Basic retail cashier, drive-through order taker, even a stint in a nursing home kitchen hadn't prepared me for this. In this job, there was no recipe book you follow or service supervisor to report to. I had to wing it.

That is all I had done with my life since I was seventeen so I should have been used to it. It should have come naturally. I was just so tired of having to keep up with life in general by way of winging it. It's almost all I could remember now.

The past eight years of my life were full of a variety of things. One of which I had chosen to leave behind. My family, the one I grew up with anyway, were tucked safely away in their California home. Unaware of what I had been up to and unsure of where I had moved (it had been often) they gave me a sweet mercy by staying in the same home, keeping the same phone number. I only ever checked in when my heart was close to breaking and it seemed I was due to check in soon as my mood plummeted with my thoughts.

Lafayette pulled me out of my internal downward spiral waving his hands in front of me like he sometimes would.

"Hey Kat-wo-man," he sang at me looking into my eyes for more than the first time that night. "Is we or isn't we gon be cooking with each other's tonight?"

"Mmm, sorry Laf, guess I was zoned out for a bit," I replied. "Sure we're gonna cook. What are we making?" And with that, we were on to my lesson for the night, how to make gumbo.

I didn't really pay as close attention as I should have but Lafayette had a way to pull me back every time.

I would have to look up the recipe online to see what really went into it because the way Lafayette made it, almost everything but the kitchen sink went into it. I didn't mind, it just meant more focus for me when it came time to make it, that was for damn sure.

I went to grab my things from the office before I left I quite literally, ran into Sookie.

"Oops!"

"Sorry!"

"Excuse me," she remarked, to which I stated

"No problem." Our awkward exchange took mere seconds but her next words were sweet and too prying and just too much all at the same time.

"You heading back to the Motel?" She had inquired. I made a non-committal remark and made another excuse as to why I was still in a temporary living situation. I knew this woman's heart bled for just about everyone, that much was clear when her "not boyfriend" had caused a commotion in the parking lot a few nights ago and she instead went to the other person's side to help.

Like I said, bleeding heart. What was more, she was always helping everyone outside of work if and when they needed it. Always prepared with a kind word or something to help ease your worries, she was someone I hoped to befriend and get to know better.

"You know Sam has some apartments for rent right now, why don't you ask on your next shift?" I hadn't known that our boss was into so many businesses in town but at the mention of something more permanent than the dingy motel room I was calling "home" I brightened.

"I had no idea he owned apartments. Would he really let me rent from him, Sookie?" I queried.

"Oh, sure!" Came brightly from her lips. "He used to rent to another girl that used to work here, Dawn, but after what happened to her…well anyways. He was also renting to Holly, last I checked," she finished rather quickly choosing to skip over the details of what had happened with the former waitress. I knew not to ask and working with Lafayette in the kitchen, I almost never had to.

"Well thanks for the lead," I managed before we were both out the door and to our respective vehicles. Although my car wasn't "new" I could say that I was doing better in that department than Sookie was, since I had already started my car up and was ready to head out of the parking lot.

I stopped next to her and heard the engine squeal something awful and rolled down my automatic window. "Hey Sook," I started. "Do you need a ride?"

She got out of her car and made a face. Because I hadn't known her that long I don't know what it meant but I guessed it was something like a defeat because she hollered a yes and went around the car to get in beside me.

"Tell me where I'm heading," I offered driving out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

The drive wasn't a long one and we were at her home in fifteen minutes. We talked about insignificant things on the way and the conversation flowed freely. I couldn't help but notice the few times she seemed far away and had to be brought back to the conversation we were having. Some of the customers at Merlotte's had told me she was a little off at times but I had thought nothing of it until we talked in my car.

In the short drive to her house, where I learned about her family and how important the house was to her, I also discovered that I was not alone in my own head anymore. I just wouldn't realize it until I was back on my own and running the conversation through my head to make sure I didn't add details no one should know while we talked. Details about my past, my possible future, and all of the horrible things that had kept me on the run for the last eight years of my life since my high school graduation.

Pulling into her drive on Humming Bird Lane, I noticed a sporty red corvette that I knew wasn't hers or her brother Jason's. Out of the tiny car came one if the tallest men I had ever laid eyes upon who was also Sookie's "not boyfriend", Eric Northman. As stunning as he looked I knew whatever was about to take place didn't concern me and I didn't need more fuel for my lonely heart to start dreaming things that were impossible. I wasn't someone to ever try to steal a boyfriend or overstep my boundaries but I could appreciate still, right?

I put the car in park so Sookie could get out and deal with him as she saw fit. Instead, she sighed deeply and looked between me and Eric. While she was still sitting in the car Eric sauntered over to her side and opened the door. I continued to sit on my side of the car waiting to get myself in gear and get back to the motel room I was occupying until further notice.

"I called you at work," Eric mentioned to Sookie as she clambered out of the vehicle and began to close the car door. The last thing I caught was "I know, Eric! Five times and I didn't answer because, hello, I was at work," from Sookie.

I started to drive back to town but before I got to the end of the drive Eric appeared in front of my car. I screeched to a halt, slamming on the brake pedal and causing my car to sway and shake before completely stopping. He walked to my window and tapped lightly while staring at the car like it was from hell and should be quarantined.

The look on his face both confused and frightened me. He looked angry and hurt, slightly confused and as though he was trying not to let it show. How I could tell all that just by looking at him I wasn't sure but it lasted for only a few seconds. I rolled down my window so he could talk to me without raising his voice and because he scared me when he talked louder than was appropriate when two people were standing fairly close together.

"Sookie would like to apologize for not thanking you properly and also wishes for you to come inside for refreshment," Eric stated in a droll manner. He seemed thrilled to be delivering her messages.

"She would also like to apologize for my frightening you," Eric said off-handedly before taking off back to the house. Well, color me shocked. I didn't feel she needed to apologize for anything and for Sookie to feel responsible for Eric's actions told me more about how she felt towards him than words ever would.

Sighing quietly to myself and choosing not to offend her because she was so nice to me while we were working, I turned my car around and parked in front of her porch. Sookie was standing by the front door waiting patiently for me to come inside with her and Eric was nowhere in sight. Climbing out of my car I was first hit by the overwhelming smell of jasmine and earth.

I was caught off guard by the sheer force at which the memories assaulted me. I thought I held it together well but I must have overestimated myself judging by the look on Sookie's face. I let out a small groan and stretched as though I were only feeling the strain of work to cover myself. Sookie looked as though she wanted to say something but held her tongue.

I climbed up the steps and followed her inside the house taking in the foyer, staircase, living room and kitchen situated in the front. As she led me into the kitchen on the left I registered the sound of a microwave beeping. I didn't recall seeing Sookie go into the house before me and was surprised to find Eric pulling a bottle of True Blood out, shaking to distribute the warmth throughout and popping the top off.

"Would you like anything to drink, Katrina?" Sookie offered heading over to a cabinet and pulling two glasses out. As she placed them on the table at the center of the kitchen I noticed how strained and tired she appeared, probably as a result of keeping odd hours for more than just work.

"Just water, thank you," I supplied. She put out her hand in a gesture meant as a 'please sit down' and I obliged by pulling out a chair as she filled my glass with water from the tap and went to the refrigerator to pour herself some sweet tea.

Eric loomed by the microwave while Sookie took a seat across from me and began to sip her tea. The longer we sat and Eric stood, the more awkward and pregnant the silence became. Just as I was about to tell Sookie she didn't have to go to all the trouble of thanking me, she spat out "I'm sorry I was so rude earlier."

At a loss of what to say, I simply stated "No. It's fine. You weren't rude at all, really," before sucking in a deep breath and letting it back out.

"I know you aren't from the South, but to me, it's bad manners to leave without saying thank you. Even for a simple ride," Sookie told me more firmly. "I would also like to apologize for Eric's behavior since he is frequently my guest," she added, almost as an afterthought.

I nodded in assent because words escaped me. Eric made no effort to apologize on his behalf or to attest or deny the need for an apology. A smirk graced his lips as the exchange passed but he generally kept his gaze locked on the back of Sookie's head. As if she could feel his eyes she would turn and glare at him over her shoulder before bringing her attention back to me. I finished my water and was about to get up to put my glass in the sink when Sookie said, "no, no! Let me get that for you," and quickly grabbed my glass to fill it with more water.

"It's alright, I don't need anymore," I said as plainly as possible. It was getting really late and I was going to need some sleep before I came in on my day off to talk to Sam tomorrow.

"Oh come on, you can stay a little while longer," Sookie pestered.

"I would love to, but I feel like I'm intruding and I don't want to take up too much of your time," I countered. "I was planning on coming in tomorrow to talk to Sam about renting from him, so I do need my rest."

Sookie pouted a little but seemed to accept that and appeared genuinely glad I would be moving to something more permanent. Eric was the one who surprised me by asking, "Where are you currently staying?"

If the question didn't catch me off guard then his eyes smoldering in a delightful and wicked way certainly did. But those couldn't have been meant for me, he'd been trained on Sookie the entire time I had been here. Though the daggers she shot his way also threw me.

"I've been at the little motel off the highway about halfway between here and Shreveport," I stated calmly. It was small and dingy but it was out of the way and not someplace most people would generally stay unless they were in a desperate state. Just the way I liked it considering how my life seemed to go when I thought I was doing well.

"That's hardly a motel. Not even habitable in my opinion," Eric added as Sookie harrumphed and looked at the grain in the wood of her kitchen table.

"Well, it's is the lowest price," I countered defensively. I wasn't sure where he was going with this but I was quickly getting uncomfortable and by the look of it so was Sookie. She was twirling her hair trying to look nonchalant but kept glancing my way and in the general direction of Eric, albeit as far around as her eyes would go because he was still behind her.

"I don't suppose you have found anywhere more suitable to your needs?" Eric questioned me.

"I've found it suitable enough for my needs. I don't plan on staying there much longer anyway. I plan on asking Sam Merlotte to rent one of his units to me if it's available," I retorted. I didn't like the way he had sneered and the manner in which he said the word 'needs' to me.

If he was insinuating anything I wouldn't have any of it. Even if I appeared to be available, my heart was all the way across the country and that wouldn't change anytime soon, I hoped. No doubt Eric was very easy on the eyes and he had a lilt to his voice that spoke many secret and unmentionable things you never even knew you wanted, but for me, my heart belonged to Derek.

Everything that he and I had been through and the fact Derek still wanted me after all the running I had done was proof that if anyone could do this with me, it was him. He had been the one who helped me discover who I truly was, what I truly was. Without him, I would be an entirely different person and I may not have even been alive.

Leaving my family was hard for me, but leaving the person who was my other half was even more difficult. It was like tearing apart my soul for the sake of my body to live. I knew leaving was what was best, though because it was safer for him this way. Safer for everyone that I cared about. I wonder if Eric cared about anyone else but himself.

While I was contemplating my situation and how to make it better Eric seemed lost in his thoughts and Sookie had begun washing the dishes in the sink. There weren't many but I got up to help her dry them and put them in the dish drainer before I left. As I put the last dish in the drainer and turned to dry my hands Eric decided to speak again.

"If your boss, Sam Merlotte has nothing available I may have a property that is more hospitable than that wretched motel you are staying at," he started out. "Or if that is not to your liking, perhaps Sookie could rent you a room for the time being?" As the words left his mouth a smile slid across his face.

Sookie seemed to stop for a moment while she glared at Eric before stating with clenched teeth, "I can offer up my own home Eric, I don't need you inviting people into my house for me."

She turned facing me and then said lighter, "I'm sorry to put you in the middle of this argument, and I don't mean to say I wouldn't want you around, just that I would like it more on my own terms and not Eric's or anybody else's."

I nodded my assent and went to leave but before I reached the door Sookie stopped me. With a light tap on my shoulder and a pensive look on her face, Sookie asked me, "Would you like your spend the night tonight?" I stood in the doorway, my hand just grasping the doorknob when she spoke again.

"I know it's a long drive and it's near three o'clock in the morning. I wouldn't want to send you out on the road at this time of night without knowing it was a short drive."

I really didn't want to put her out and despite her words earlier I felt like she would rather not have me around. Because this was newer territory for me I wasn't quite sure what to do. Before I could venture anything I had to say, Eric piped up.

"If it is the length of the drive that concerns you both, I can be of assistance," he quipped.

As intriguing as that offer was I had errands to run in the morning and would need my car. My best bet was to just stay here with Sookie and crash on the couch.

"That's very kind of you, Eric, but I will need my car in the morning because-"

"It will be taken care of," he said matter of factly.

"That's good to know, but I really would like to keep my eyes on the only major possession I have at the moment," I shot back. If this was an intimidation thing I knew I would lose but I wouldn't go down without trying.

"Besides," I started again, "I think the more sleep I can get the better. If I'm going to be talking to Sam in the morning I want to be more coherent than I would be heading back to the Motel and getting very little sleep. So Sookie, thank you, and yes, I believe I will stay the night here. I really appreciate you going out of your way to help me out tonight."

"It's no problem at all. I'm just glad you won't be driving all that way tonight," Sookie chirped.

Eric loomed next to us in the doorway but said nothing more. He seemed slightly peeved if that's even the correct word to describe his attitude. He was staring at both Sookie and me so intently that I began to grow uncomfortable again.