AUTHORS NOTE: So this was something I came up with in my mind when there was a massive thunderstorm in the night a couple of days ago (if you live in Britain, you will understand how bad it was). I hope you enjoy- I didn't expect it to be this long! Reviews welcome! :D

Sookie ran from her car to the front door of her house; purse over her head to protect her from the rain that had been pouring from the sky for the last 4 hours. It had been a hard shift at Merlotte's and when she pulled up outside her house at 1am she couldn't help cursing under her breath that the rain hadn't stopped. There were rolls of thunder through the sky and every now and then a flash of lightning. Sookie loved storms, but not when she was tired and wet. Fiddling with her keys, she found the right one and opened her door, scrambling inside and shutting and locking it behind her. She had come home last month to find a new dead bolt and five different chain locks down her front and back doors- followed by a letter from Eric telling her she was to use them every night. Part of her was thankful, another part of her thought it was slightly stalkerish. Either way, it meant she hadn't had to pay for them- and by looking at them now, Sookie estimated the locks were probably the most expensive items in her house. Sighing, she used each lock and turned towards the kitchen, dropping her purse on the table and climbing the stairs for bed. She was tired. She was cold. It was stormy.

Eric had been flying when the storm started. In his thousand years of undead life he still hadn't gotten over his….caution of storms. He wasn't scared. No. Definitely not. Why would someone like him be scared of thunder and lightning? No. Never. He was a Viking- he had sailed through storms worse than this. That was why he was…cautious. Eric Northman wasn't scared of anything- just cautious. Actually. That was a complete lie- there was one thing he was scared of more than anything. Loosing Sookie Stackhouse? Well that was absurd. She wasn't his to lose. Sookie Stackhouse not existing anymore? Yes. His mind sighed in defeat. Not being able to see Sookie Stackhouse, even from a distance, was a scary thought. Living in a world where she didn't exist- that was fucking frightening. The world would lose its spark. The spark that kept him going over a 1000 years. Part of him hoped one day she would want to be immortal- because the day she died would be the day he would also die- his heart, his soul, his very being- would all turn to dust. It was stupid, irrational and inappropriate- but he was completely in love with Sookie Stackhouse. Not that he would admit it though. Eric jumped at the lightning bolt that had landed a mile away and crashed onto a weather meter, losing his balance in the sky and falling about 50ft to the ground.

"Shit" he gasped.

He couldn't fly in this, and he wasn't too fond of walking in it either. Peering through the window of the house he had landed by, he saw a blond woman- a curvy blond woman- with her back to the window, taking off her work uniform and walking- completely naked- away.

That wasn't any blond woman.

That wasn't any work uniform.

That was Sookie Stackhouse getting changed from her wet Merlotte's uniform and heading towards her bathroom.

Sookie continued to hear the thunder rolls and the lightening crashes as she washed her hair under the hot water streaming from the shower head. She had been freezing when she came into her room, and this was exactly what she needed. Rubbing out the knots in her shoulders, she turned off the shower and wrapped herself in a white fluffy towel and went into her room to collect her nightie. It wasn't where she had left it. She scanned her room, but she couldn't see it. A roll of dread turned through her stomach as she felt the mental void in her doorway. Vampire.

"You know Sookie, when I installed the locks on your front and back doors I kinda assumed you would have the sense to lock your windows at night. The fact I'm standing in your doorway shows I expected too much."

She sighed. Eric.

Then she remembered she was in a towel and tensed again. Turning around, she saw Eric casually leaning against her bedroom door- despite his enormous height; he always seemed to look at ease and relaxed. In his hand was her nightie.

He smirked, looking at the nightie "I wasn't aware you were a Winnie The Pooh fan Sookie". She'd chosen one of her old nighties that she'd had since she was a teenager. There were honey pots and characters from Winnie the Pooh covering it. Sexy.

"Give that here" she stormed up to him, snatching it from his hand. With that she turned on her heel and stormed into the bathroom. Locking the door behind her as she heard a low chuckle.

Eric hadn't expected to be able to enter the house so easily, but after trying the doors and feeling relieved Sookie was using the locks, he flew up to her bedroom window to find that it was unlocked. Part of him was disappointed. Part of him was elated. He pushed it open and climbed through- hearing the sound of the shower in the background and Sookie lightly singing to herself. Humans. He caught sight of a bright pink nightgown on her dresser, and picking it up to see the design, laughed before hearing the shower turn off. Before she could come into the bedroom, he hid just outside her doorway- appreciating the view of Sookie only in a towel. Yes. This was much better than being out in the storm.

Sookie sighed as she paced her bathroom. She had brushed her hair, changed into her nightie- it fell about mid-thigh so it wasn't as bad as previously thought- and brushed her teeth. She'd even moisturised. Yet she could still feel him in her room. He wasn't going to leave. Taking a deep breath, she opened her bathroom door to see Eric lying on her bed, arms behind his head, shoes on the floor and shirt unbuttoned, smirking back at her. If this had been one of her dreams she would have taken full advantage of this situation. But it wasn't a dream- so she couldn't even wake up.

"Sookie, so nice of you to join me, take a seat" he patted the space next to him, trying to charm her into her own bed.

"Eric what are you doing here?" she stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed. She was trying to look serious- but she realised quite quickly that in her pink nightie it wasn't working. The added fact that she wasn't wearing a bra just made Eric stare at her with an either bigger smirk.

"I thought I would come and check up on you. The storm outside is bad and I thought you might like some company- humans get scared in storms" he replied casually.

"Eric I like storms, I'm perfectly fine- I just want to sleep" she sighed. She was struggling to even stand up she was so tired. She just wanted to read a chapter of her novel and go to sleep.

"I'm not stopping you" again he patted the space behind him

It was then that a flash of lightening lit up her room, before everything went black.

"Sookie what's happened" Eric asked in the darkness. She could hear him get off the bed.

"The power has gone out Eric. Now I have no heating and no light." She sighed. She liked storms. She hated the dark. Eric could not know this.

"Well now you need someone to warm you up as you sleep" he wrapped his arms around her waist- she yelped in surprise, she hadn't realised he had gotten so close and as her eyes adjusted she realised how close his face was to hers.

"Eric I just want to sleep- please let me sleep." She sounded exasperated and whiney. She knew this.

"That's fine. But I'm keeping you company." He whispered into her ear- sending a chill down her spine.

"Why?" she complained

"Because your power has gone off and you don't lock your windows. You are a sitting target to anyone and everyone- not just Supes." He replied.

She couldn't argue with that.

"Come to bed lover" he pulled her hand and led her to her own bed. He had always wanted to say that.

"I am not your lover" she replied.

"Not yet." He chuckled.

She knew he was right about the sitting target thing, and although she was resisting his company she couldn't help but think it would be better for him to stay. Also the fact she was secretly enjoying him flirting with her made her make up her mind.

"Fine. You can stay. But I'm going to sleep and I don't want any touchy-feely from you. I'm trusting you tonight Eric" she was stern. She had to make this clear with him.

"I know. I promise I won't lover." He replied. "Unless of course you beg me" he added, as she climbed under the covers and he climbed in beside her. She kicked him and he leant close to her "Lover. If you start kicking me like that I might bite back" he kissed her forehead and moved away. "Now Sleep"

She turned over so her back was to him, and he wrapped his arm around her middle. At first she was still, but she soon relaxed when she realised his arm wasn't going to move anywhere else. He was surprisingly warm and she was cold from the lack of central heating. Noticing this, Eric pulled her nearer to him so her back was up against his chest. She noticed that somehow he had lost his shirt. She should be moving away- but he was warm and comfy and she admitted to herself it was nice to be this intimate.

"Why did you really come here tonight Eric?" she whispered

"I told you" he spoke into her hair, blowing warm air over her head and stroking her stomach with his thumb.

"No really. You couldn't honestly be here because you thought I might be afraid of a storm. I've lived on my own for years- It would be silly if I got scared every time we had a bit of thunder and lightning." She replied

"I know you're afraid of the dark- I felt you panic when the lights went off" he smiled into her hair

"Don't change the subject" even she couldn't fight the smile forming on her face

Before Eric could reply, another bout of thunder rolled through the sky and the windows lit up from the lightning. He tensed and pulled her near.

"Eric…Are you afraid of the storm?" Sookie turned around in his embrace to look up at him. His eyes were closed as the thunder continued to roll.

"No. Why would you say that" he eyes were still closed and his voice was strained.

"Because if you grip me any tighter you're going to kill me, and your eyes are clenched shut and your fangs are out- unless I said something to seriously offend you- the only thing that has happened in the last minute is a bit more thunder and lightning" she smirked slightly.

Eric's eyes flew open and he released his grip on her, retracting his fangs and breathing out air- Eric didn't breathe, but he had gasped when the thunder had struck.

"I..er..I'm not afraid. Just cautious" he stuttered. He had made a fool of himself. Great.

"Eric you can tell me. I'm not going to judge you- everyone has something they are scared of" Sookie brought her hand to cup his cheek and lost the smirk.

What Sookie didn't know was he already had one fear and it involved her, Eric thought to himself. He sighed. She knew he was afraid- he might as well tell her.

"Before I was turned, we used to sail in storms like this- I remember feeling scared. I was meant to be this powerful leader- and I was scared. One night I thought I would die on a ship." He murmured, eyes focussed above Sookie at a spot somewhere at the back wall, his hand lightly rubbing her thigh. "I've always disliked them. When you're a vampire you survive mainly because of your hearing- expert hearing- but when a storm strikes, it plays with sounds, you can't tell what sound is coming from where. It makes you weak. I don't like being weak." He sighed and looked down at her. "So yes. I'm scared of storms. I was flying when some lightning struck near me and I fell to the ground. I saw that I had landed near your house, and part of me thought that if I could get inside everything would be better. You help me relax Sookie- I can joke with you and be myself. You make me feel safe- which is stupid because I'm meant to make you feel safe." He stared into her eyes, sighed and went to move out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked, grabbing his arm.

"Well I've thoroughly embarrassed myself now, you're probably laughing at me inside- Eric Northman afraid of storms. I should go home and let you sleep. Please don't tell anyone" he went to pull away from her until he heard the one word he never thought he would hear out of her mouth.

"Stay."

"What?" he replied, turning back to her.

She sat up in bed, the covers pooling around her crossed legs "Stay with me. I'm not laughing at you Eric. Hey, so what if you're afraid of storms? I'm afraid of the dark! Everyone is afraid of something- some people are scared of spiders or death or even ice cream! It doesn't matter- and if anything I respect you more for telling me. I won't tell anyone. As long as you stay with me tonight. I'm afraid of the dark, remember?" she spoke slowly to him, she didn't like acting the frightened female in need of saving- but she could tell he was lost. Eric always tries to have the hard man image and he was scared she no longer felt protected. Reinforcing how much she needed him was the only way to stop him falling apart.

"Really Sookie? You really want me to stay?" he whispered. She could almost see his eyes turn pink- he was trying not to lose his composure.

"Yes. Yes I do" she breathed.

He climbed back in, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her to him on the bed. "Thank you Sookie" he murmured, before lightly kissing her lips. Sookie responded by kissing him back. Her mind was crying out to stop but her heart was louder, causing her to wrap her arms around his neck as he moved on top of her.

"Sookie we need to stop" Eric whispered against her lips

Confused, Sookie gazed up at him "why?" she asked.

"Because if we don't I might feel the need to make love with you" he replied, voice strained. It wasn't the only part of him that was strained, Sookie thought, as she felt his erection through his trousers.

"Maybe I want that" she spoke completely from her heart, shocked at her own confidence. Shocked at the fact she did want that- she wanted him. She leant up to kiss him again, running her hands down his chest, his muscles hard against her soft hands. He started to kiss back and growl before he broke away.

"No. We can't" he was breathing heavily.

"Don't you want to?" she replied. Eric saw the hurt cross her face.

"Oh trust me I want to Sookie. I've wanted to since I met you- maybe for different reasons and looser morals back then- but now trust me, I want to because of the way I feel about you. But we can't. I promised you earlier I wouldn't take advantage of you- and you're tired. When we do- and it's not an if, it's a when- I want you to be fully awake and prepared. I don't want you to wake up tomorrow morning full of regret. So I'm going to kiss you, then I'm going to move off you, and then you're going to sleep." He saw her confusion but at least she was no longer worried he didn't have feelings for her. He leant forward and kissed her again; passionately, desperately and hard. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer, but he untangled himself and broke away.

"No" he breathed against her lips, before turning onto his side and wrapping his arms around her. She sighed in defeat but snuggled into his chest. "Vampires" she murmured against him, causing him to chuckle deep in his chest. He started to hum a song into her hair, and before long she was drifting into sleep, but not before she caught him whisper "I love you" into her hair. She smiled against his chest and let sleep engulf her.

She woke up to the sound of light snoring against her hair, and an arm gripped around her like a vice. Last night flooded back into her mind- causing her to smile, frown and then smile again. He could have had sex with me last night. But he refused because he wanted it to be special. He didn't want to take advantage of me. She smiled as she looked up at the snoring creature- she wasn't aware vampires could actually sleep, but obviously they could. It was still dark out due to the storm, but the sun might break through soon. She took her time looking him over, not knowing when she might next get the chance- he had a light smattering of blond hair on his chest, and his muscles showed through his white skin. He wasn't overly muscled, but just enough. His arms were solid and he had slight stubble under his chin. His lips were red and his eyelashes were long and perfect and blond. His hair was a mess- tangled and matted against the pillow- but he still managed to look perfect. She could only imagine how bad she looked as she tried to pull her nightie down from where it had bunched up around her hips and Eric's arm.

Eric stirred in his sleep; he hadn't properly slept in over a hundred years- not proper, dream sleep. He felt Sookie move beneath his arm and he slowly opened his eyes, looking down at the woman he wanted to wake up to every morning.

"Good morning sleepy head" she smiled at him

"Good morning lover" he croaked, moving his arm and tucking some of her hair behind her ear. He stretched out his legs, taking up the length of the bed.

"You should get going" she looked up at him, "the sun will be coming up soon and you need to get to safety". He smiled at her concern, leaning down to kiss her lightly.

"I know" he breathed against her lips, before slowly kissing down her face and neck. It had taken a lot of restraint to move away from her last night, but he was pleased he had- he would enjoy it more on another night. She sighed against him but pushed away. "You need to go Eric" he could see the strain in her eyes- it was probably the look he had last night.

"If you insist lover" he kissed her again and crawled from the bed. He looked back at Sookie lying in her bed; her hair was wild and she looked beautiful without any make-up on- he wanted to see her like that every day and night.

"I'll be back tonight" he leant down to kiss her and he could smell her arousal at the prospect. He chuckled as he turned to climb back out the window but stopped halfway out, turning back to her.

"By the way Sookie, I love your underwear- you should wear it tonight"

She was confused. She wasn't wearing any underwear. She saw his smirk. She blushed. A pillow flew at Eric as he escaped through the window, followed by Sookie shouting that she hated him and next time a storm hit she would leave him outside.

When he hit the ground he turned and ran in the direction of home, chuckling all the way. Who would have thought all it would take was to show weakness to make himself a part of her heart?

Sookie fell back against her pillows, blushing but smiling. If someone had told her Eric Northman would end up in her bed she wouldn't have believed it last night when she had ran from her car to her house. It was almost as unbelievable as Eric being afraid of storms.

She sighed.

Eric Northman.

Big, scary Eric Northman- afraid of storms.

Big, scary Eric Northman- whispered he loved her before she slept.

Maybe Eric was more human that she had originally thought.

AUTHORS NOTE: So, what did you think? Please review! I hope it was easy to follow :)