Chapter 3

"So lemme get this straight… she's dating that vampire dude, who was captured, and then she pretended to date the werewolf to find the vampire?" Monroe asked with uncertainty and took another bite of vegetable pad thai from the take out box.

"Yeah, but then Sookie broke up with Bill after she found him and now she isn't dating anyone," I explained as we watched True Blood. I could relate to Sookie Stackhouse. My supernatural relationship aside, I was constantly being asked what I was by Wesen. Fortunately for me, I was getting closer to the answers for those questions.

"So, does the blonde vampire guy wanna date her, too?" Monroe shook his head and I laughed.

"Pretty much everyone wants her."

"Must be nice," said Monroe. "But that werewolf… I mean, the pure mechanics of a man turning completely into in a normal wolf are, like, preposterous at best."

"And that's why it's fiction." I nudged him as I smiled. "The real version is much better." I popped a dumpling into my mouth. Not that I was really watching for when Alcide turned into a wolf. His shirtless and pantsless scenes were much more interesting. I had to admit he was pretty hot, and I was a sucker for a guy with a little salt in his beard.

"So, is this show always so confusing?"

"There's a lot you've missed," I shrugged. "Let's see what else is on." I flipped the channels and spotted The Spy Who Loved Me, so I changed it over. "You can't go wrong with James Bond."

"You're a Bond fan?" Monroe's eyes lit up.

"Absolutely. But I'm more of a Sean Connery fan than Roger Moore."

"Well, yeah. That's because he's, like, the epitome of Bond," said Monroe with a grin.

We spent the rest of dinner talking 007 while we watched Bond save the world. It was turning out to be a wonderful, normal night.

"Ya see, now even Bond knows how to rock a bowtie," Monroe gestured.

"Yes, but it's not plaid. Only you can rock a plaid bowtie."

"Not everyone can be as fashion savvy as I am." He worked a noodle into his mouth. "Besides, I can wear solid color bowties, too."

"Right." I stifled a laugh. Monroe elbowed me. We went back to discussing the movie, and Monroe showed off with his Bond trivia here and there.

"We're like bonding over James Bond here. That's kinda awesome." Monroe pointed his chopsticks at the TV as the movie ended. "But I have to say that Dr. No has gotta be my favorite Bond movie. Honey Ryder. Man, oh, man." Monroe gave me a sideways glance. "Uh, I mean, she's not the reason why I like that movie, but, umm…" he mumbled, blushing slightly under his beard.

I laughed at him. "Jill Masterson was pretty hot in Goldfinger."

"Oh, yeah. She was smokin' hot. Well, until they, you know, paint her gold and she dies. Tragic, man." Monroe shook his head. He turned to me, furrowing his brow. "Umm, you know, I really can't talk hot Bond babes with you. That's kinda… yeah."

I grinned. "But we haven't even discussed Tiffany Case yet."

He slid a hand up my thigh. "Let's talk about how hot you are and how totally sexy it is that you'll watch Bond with me."

"We could discuss that," I coyly replied as Carly Simon sang through the credits.

"Nobody does it better.
Makes me feel sad for the rest.
Nobody does it half as good as you.
Baby, you're the best…"

I sang along as Monroe ran his hands further up my thigh, massaging with his fingers. Shifting my body toward him, I leaned in and kissed him gently. He held my face in his hands, kissing me back more deeply. We didn't discuss much of anything else shortly after. Staying here tonight wasn't such a bad idea after all. Crap, but what about his routine?

"Oh!" I stopped mid-kiss "How are you going to get your Pilates in tomorrow morning?"

Monroe gave me a knowing smile. "I came prepared." He kissed down my face, inching toward my neck. "The reformer machine is in the VW," he said between kisses. "The perks of portable equipment, you know?" He paused and let out a short sigh. "I mean, it was a pain in the rear to get that machine in my back seat, but I wasn't gonna leave it behind."

"That's good," I said with a grin. "I wouldn't want your staying here to interfere with your workouts."

"It was my idea to come over tonight, remember? You didn't think I'd slack off so soon, did ya?"

"No, I didn't think you'd slack off." Monroe saw right though my response.

"Yeah, right," he smirked then kissed me again. "You worry too much." As his mouth met my neck, I didn't care what he did at that moment as long as he kept doing that. I slipped my hands under his gray t-shirt, pressing my fingers into his back.

"I only worry because…" I trailed off. His lips feathered down my neck and I softly moaned instead of finishing my sentence. He lifted my hair and stopped again.

"Your neck… The bite mark. It's… gone."

"Yeah, it took a few days, but it healed."

He examined my neck more closely, running his fingers across the nape. "But there's not even a scar." He actually sounded disappointed.

"I heal quickly. I always have."

"Hmm…"

I moved to look at him. "Everything okay?"

Monroe shook his head. "Yeah, it's just that kinda bite oughta leave something." He looked at my expression. "I mean, I'm glad you've healed, that's just really fast, is all."

"Well, maybe if it happens again you won't have to feel all guilty about it." I gave him a smirk.

"Yeah, I suppose." Monroe seemed lost in thought.

I leaned back into him, kissing down his face to his neck. "Where were we?"

I'd found that if I traced my tongue along his cheek it sparked something crazy in him. I used my find to snap him out of his thoughts. He was back to my mouth in an instant. Monroe angled me back on the couch.

"So, tomorrow night…" he said while he lifted my shirt off me. "We've gotta figure something out." He went back to my lips, kissing longer this time. "I kinda do the solo thing on full moon nights." He stopped to look up at me with his brown eyes wide. "But I don't want you to be, you know, on your own right now."

"I can handle being on my own." I forced a smile while holding on to his arms. He didn't need to know I was paranoid. "I ought to be safe for one night."

"Whoa, that reminds me…" Monroe sat up and stood up from the couch. "I'll be right back."

I tried not to pout. "Where are you going?"

"Just something I need to take care of. Just stay put. It won't take long." He grinned as he grabbed his green plaid shirt off the chair and went outside, closing the front door behind him. I sat up and adjusted my bra, idly humming the Bond song.

"But like heaven above me,
The Blutbad who loved me,
Is keepin' all my secrets safe tonight…"

And boy, did I have plenty of secrets. I picked up the remote from the coffee table and turned off the TV.

A few minutes passed and I stood, peeking out the window. Monroe was hovering by my fence. He moved to the left and then moved left some more. He was walking the perimeter of my fence facing away from the window. What was he doing out there? He kept walking and I lost sight of him as he turned the corner. Was he…? No that couldn't possibly be what he was doing. I sat back down on the couch shaking my head. Another few minutes passed and Monroe returned seeming satisfied.

"I'm going to wash up," he said, heading toward my bathroom. When he came back I gave him a deadpan stare.

"What?" he asked while tilting his head at my expression.

"I'm sorry, but did you just urinate on my fence?" I blinked a few times before he responded.

"Uhh…" he scratched the back of his head. "I was kinda… Well, okay, yes. It's not a secret that Blutbaden mark their territory."

I nodded slowly, processing the info. So yes, my boyfriend went out and pissed on my fence. Our normal night just went back to anything but.

"So, is this your territory now?" I asked half teasing, half curious.

"Yeah, well, umm… I'm staying here tonight, and I'm sure I'll be staying here other nights, too." Monroe sat back on the couch, his hands lodged between his knees. "But it wards off predators and, well, maybe Reapers, too." He turned to face me. "At least, you know, that's what I'm hoping it'll do."

I nodded again leaning into his arm. "Okay, so I'm protected now."

"Yeah, in a way." Monroe curled the rest of his arm around me.

"Most people just get a burglar alarm," I said and he chuckled, kissing the top of my head.

"But this will keep things worse than burglars away. Plus, it doubles as a fertilizer, so it has a dual purpose."

"The alarm companies sure don't have that as an option," I laughed. "Does it get rid of Jehovah's Witnesses, too?"

"Dude, nothing is that powerful." He curled his other arm around me holding me tightly. "So, you wanna pick up where we left off?"

"Sure, let's go to the bedroom..." I nodded toward the bedroom door. "And I like to be shaken, not stirred."

A/N: Aww, so it's never quite normal when Monroe and Renée are together, huh? But at least they still have fun.

Your author is clueless when it comes to James Bond, so research was done and the movie was watched for this chapter. Yeah, I suffer for my art. LOL! (Okay, it wasn't that bad.)