Annie's worst nightmare had come true. She had suspected as much. Eric Northman had done nothing but cause her trouble ever since she met him, but now he had caused her far too much trouble. She cursed him inwardly before storming out of the diner. Jack had fired her after hearing about what happened the previous night. He had accused her of trifling with vampires. She had laughed and Jack had simply sat there and stared sadly at her.

That was how she found herself settled down on her sofa with a bottle of vodka and a shot glass. She had downed four shots in a row before coughing loudly and running her hand over the back of her mouth. She knew that getting drunk would solve nothing. If anything it would make everything worse. She mumbled to herself before putting the bottle away, hiding it on the top shelf and placing the shot glass in the sink.

Her hands clasped the sides of the sink and she lowered her head. She contemplated calling her father, but soon shot that idea out of her mind. Her father would help her. She knew that. He would send a plane all the way down to Louisiana to collect her and demand for her to return home. She would spend the rest of her days acting the dutiful daughter he had always wanted her to be.

Annie laughed at the thought before picking her blanket up from the back of the sofa and settling down on the plush material and draping it over her body. She closed her eyes and rested a hand on her forehead, knowing full well that she should spend her time looking for another job. She just didn't feel like it at that moment in time, but she would look after her first job in the morning. She had no other option.

...

There had been no Annie Walters the next night Eric went to find her. He had gone with the intention of...well...he didn't know what his intention was anymore. He was so confused by Annie that he didn't know what to think. He wanted to know more about Annie, especially after her reaction the previous night. He was well aware that it was pointless for him to look for her. She was a human.

She was nothing to him.

She was just some girl.

But that did not explain how he found himself outside of her apartment window. His hands held onto the ledge of the sill as he peered inside. She had left the curtains open and he could see her figure. She was curled on the sofa, her legs tucked underneath her and her mouth slightly agape. She had her head on the arm of the sofa, a remote dangling in her hands. She was flicking television stations slowly, nothing seeming to pique her interest.

It was then when Eric knocked on her window. The sound snapped her from her thoughts and Eric smirked at the sight of her about to scream. She glowered at him before pushing the blanket from her body and wandering over to him. She was dressed in nothing but her nightshirt, her hair hanging in wet curls down her back as she pulled the window up.

"How the hell did you find me?" she demanded of him.

"Anything is possible when you're me," Eric simply responded. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Annie cocked a brow. "I have no intention of letting you in here."

"So you're going to leave me to dangle here?" Eric wondered. "That is not very nice of you, Annie. Besides, I heard how you lost your job."

"With thanks to you," Annie scoffed. "If anything you should be here to apologise for that."

"It is not my fault how people feel about vampires. I did nothing wrong...I didn't bite anyone, did I?" Eric asked of her and Annie shook her head at him. "There is always a job at Fangtasia if you need it."

She jumped up to sit on the windowsill inside of her apartment as Eric remained outside, his hand holding the window as Annie leant against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment as she did so. She pulled her legs up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her kneecaps. She turned her gaze over to Eric as he continued to watch her.

"Not everyone feels the same way about vampires as others," Annie informed Eric and he shrugged his shoulders at her, wondering what it was she wanted from him.

"And I have no idea how you feel about them after last night," Eric responded. "You clearly have something to tell me, Annie."

"I have nothing to tell you," she replied. "You know that, Eric. Why do you keep on pushing me? You should just leave me alone. It would be for the best."

"And if I don't want to?" Eric wondered of her, looking into her eyes and searching her stare. "What if I persist until you finally crack?"

Annie looked contemplatively on for another minute before resting her chin on her folded arms, her cheek lying on it as she cocked a brow to Eric.

"I think I have a wooden stake somewhere here," she told him and he chuckled at that.

"You wouldn't," Eric said.

"No, I wouldn't," she replied in a soft whisper. "I don't have that in me, even after all these years."

"Why do you say that? Should you have staked a vampire before?" Eric wondered and he watched Annie shrug her shoulders and he knew that it would be a difficult to get anything from her. "How old are you anyway?"

"Twenty seven," she finally answered one of his questions. "Twenty seven years old and a screw up waitress: what would people think?"

"Peoples' opinions aren't important," Eric told her. "And I thought that you had another job?"

"I'm a receptionist for an accountant in the morning," Annie nodded to him. "And then I go and waitress in the afternoon and evening. You can imagine that it doesn't pay well."

"I can only imagine," Eric whispered. "So you know how to work with numbers?"

Annie laughed at that and stretched her legs out in front of her again. She pulled her hands above her head and Eric noted how her nightshirt rode up her pale thighs.

"I answer phones and do some basic math, but nothing too complicated. I'm not a math genius, but I know enough to help get me by. I know enough to know that if I don't find another basic paying job in the next four weeks then I'll lose my apartment."

Eric glanced around her apartment with interest, noting how it was smaller than he had expected. There was nothing extravagant that he could see, but it seemed homely with vases and blankets draped everywhere. She had no photos anywhere that he could see and there was no one else with her. She looked like a loner.

"Then you're not really in a position to turn down a job, are you?"

"I'd rather search for a job than strip."

"You wouldn't strip," Eric informed her. "You'd work out of sight dealing with any paperwork...calls...the menial things. If you wanted to strip then I wouldn't stop you."

Annie gave him an annoyed stare and Eric smirked at the sight of her.

"I'll make you a deal-"

"-I don't negotiate-"

"-Well learn how to," Annie concluded and Eric looked off put for a second. "If I don't have a job in four weeks then I will work for your seedy bar, but I want good pay and I don't want to be harassed by any vampire."

"Done," Eric said. "I'll see you in four weeks."

"Only if I don't find a job elsewhere." Annie reiterated and Eric grinned at her for another moment. "And that will be my main aim. No offence, but working in a bar filled with vampires doesn't appeal, no matter how safe you say I will be."

Eric kept quiet as Annie jumped down from her windowsill and he leant his head back against the wall behind him. He watched her pick her blanket up from the sofa and drape it over her shoulders. She hugged it tightly around her body before standing next to the window again, yawning quietly and pressing a hand over her mouth.

"As you say," Eric spoke.

"Look, I should get to sleep. I need to be up early in the morning."

"Are you kicking me out?" Eric wondered. "You technically can't do that because you never invited me in."

"And I never will," Annie smiled to him.

"You're cocky." Eric observed and Annie let out a shrill laugh before moving her arms above her head to grab hold of the window.

Eric watched the way the blanket slipped down her shoulders as she held the top of the window.

"Have you ever thought of cutting your hair?" she suddenly asked of him. "Long hair on guys is a very grunge like look...and not very attractive..."

Eric's brow arched then. "Would I be attractive if I had it cut?" he wondered from her and she laughed lowly before slowly closing the window.

"I'm afraid the fangs can be very off putting," she concluded and finally closed the window. "Goodnight, Eric."

Eric slipped down the windowsill whilst Annie closed the curtains. He slipped into the darkness and wandered around the streets. He didn't bother to notice the other lurking figure around the corner from her apartment.

...

A/N: Sorry that it may seem a bit slow at the minute, but it will pick up! Thanks to everyone reading and I do hope that you will review and let me know about your theories with Annie!