I do not own any True Blood characters. I just borrow……

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Lisette woke up after a restless night of tossing and turning, her hands immediately pressing into her pounding head. She took a deep breath and took in the way that her body ached and her stomach was slightly turned within her. She took in the quiet of the room and looked next to her to see that she was alone. She sighed in relief and curled back up into a ball. She felt sick. Lisette closed her eyes again and just let the quiet try to soothe her as she hid under the covers. She thought back to the night before and his phone call, and hearing Cindy's name. Lisette remembered the almost desperate way her had made love to her on the couch, like it was their last time ever. He told her so many times that night that he loved her, but what did it all mean? Did Cindy win? Did she get him back?

"Are you awake? I thought I heard you move." Eric's smooth voice broke into her thoughts, and she stayed quiet in her irritation at it. "Lis." She felt him touch the blankets where she was balled up, and she tensed underneath the covers. She didn't want to lose him again, but it seemed as though she was. She craved him physically, and emotionally, despite fighting that part of herself so hard. She had never told anyone that she loved them before, and she meant it with him so much that it scared her. "I made some breakfast. It's in the kitchen." The mention of food suddenly turned her stomach, and she gasped for air. "Lisette? What is it?" Eric asked her in alarm, sitting down and pulling the covers back to look at her.

"Oh god." Lisette struggled out of them and stumbled to the bathroom, leaning over the porcelain toilet as she heaved into it. She closed her eyes as it subsided, and took several deep breaths. She must be getting sick. She felt him and then a hand stroked her hair back gently, and she felt him kiss her hair. "I'm sorry. It must be the flu."

"Don't apologize. You slept poorly last night, Lis." Eric informed her, and she nodded.

"You came back to bed?"

"Yes, I did. You were asleep, but tossing around a lot. I held you and tried to soothe you, but I suspect you were having bad dreams." Eric said tensely, and she frowned. "I am sorry for any roll that I am playing in this."

"I need something to drink." Lisette mumbled, and he helped her up. She asked him for a long tee shirt to wear and he slid it over her head and then pulled her to him in a close embrace. She held onto him weakly and he held her tighter. He let her go enough to help her to the kitchen and get her into a seat, and poured her usual cup of coffee and started to get the milk out of the fridge. "No coffee. Juice, I think." Lisette told him, wrinkling her nose at the thought of drinking the strong liquid right then. He gazed at her in surprise, but got a glass and poured some orange juice into it. She took it from him with a small smile and sipped it gratefully.

"Can you eat anything?" Eric asked her, and she took another breath. "I can make some toast, if that is all you want. I think you need something, Lis. You look so weak."

"Fine. I will try some toast. Fruit sounds decent too, if you have it." Lisette said, knowing how harsh her voice sounded as she said it. "Why did you say her name last night on the phone? I heard you."

Eric busied himself making her food, and she stared at his tense face as she watched him. He brought over a plate and she glanced down at it, deciding to take a moment before eating it.

Eric stared out of the window for several moments, and then finally looked at her. He stood to open a window for some fresh air and then turned towards her. "I tried so hard to tell you this last night, but you fought it and I hardly pushed the issue. You are really good at making me forget my intentions, Lisette." She blushed slightly and glanced down at her food to avoid his scrutinizing gaze. "I have been dealing with a very unhappy Cindy for the last few weeks. She knew that I wanted out, and she was not happy about that. She has it in her head that she is finally ready, and cannot accept that I am done wanting her. Not that I ever really did, especially when I realized what strong feelings are like. I found them when I found you. The calls were relatively infrequent at the beginning, but the more I denied her…..the more they came. She would sob into the phone, scream at me that I could not leave her alone, go into these rages, and threaten all kinds of things. She started calling several times a day, everywhere that she could. I finally changed my cell number due to it. I didn't want to tell you about her, but I was leaving my phone out in the living room when we were in the bedroom and vice versa on silent to hide it. It was exhausting and I could not do it anymore. I thought that if she could not call me anymore that way, she would get the hint." Eric sat across from her at the table, and folded his hands on the table and stared at them. "That was my sister last night. Cindy is now asking her and anyone else we know mutually for my new number, pulling the same shit that she did with me. I don't want to tell her about you, simply because she was hurt to badly by Bill and his cheating. I would never admit that part, but I need to tell her something," His phone beeped on the counter and he looked anxiously in that direction. "Maybe if she knows about you and that I am moving on, she will stop this madness. I don't know what she is going to do." Eric looked up at Lisette, who was forcing down small bites of food as she listened silently. Her mind raced with what he said, trying to imagine the vague blond doing all of that. "I can see her taking her own life over this, and…….it would not be my fault, but I would hate to see what her family would go through. That is only one scenario I have pictured."

"Would she hurt you?" Lisette whispered, fear setting in. She imagined him suddenly missing from her life, and she felt dizzy.

"She is bound to come here sooner or later. I don't want her anywhere near you, baby. Nor do I want to stop seeing you. It is a terrible position to put you in, but I want to be with you. I will leave this condo until I get the brownstone, if I have to. She can find me at work, but I want you and my home kept out of it. I'll rent a hotel room for the time being, if that is what it takes." Eric stared at her, and she saw the scared look in his eyes. "I love you, Lis. I wish this was easier."

"I thought you were going to leave me." Lisette told him, and he nodded. "It seemed like you were doing everything last night for the final time, and there was this raw desperation."

"I thought you may choose to leave me. That is what you felt." Eric told her, and she stared at him. "I would understand if you did. You deserve so much more."

Lisette closed her eyes and her mind flashed over their time together quickly. She craved him at that moment despite her illness and everything else, and she knew that she wanted to be with him. She had never felt like this with anybody, and the depth of that frightened her. It had been that way from the moment that he touched her. She sucked in her breath, and she felt him move behind her and slide his arms around her. She leaned forward and let the tears slide down her cheeks as she took his hands tightly. "I want nothing else but you." Her voice was a ragged whisper, and he pulled her closer to him. "I don't want to lose you."

"I am sorry that I fucked this up so much." Eric told her, and she nodded. "I owed you much more from the beginning than you ever got from me. From the moment I kissed you, I knew that you should have known. You drew me in so quickly. I was overwhelmed by it all. It has never been like that before." He lifted one hand to slide her hair to the side, and his lips brushed her neck. She whimpered softly, and arched her back towards him. "You're sick, baby. I should stop, but you're so beautiful." He kissed her neck harder, and one hand slid over her breast gently. She moaned and he pinched her hardening nipple lightly as she pressed back into him. "Finish eating, Lis. You'll need your strength if you want this."

"I'm done. I want to brush my teeth." Lisette moaned, and his touches grew more aggressive. "I am so gross right now."

"Let's go." Eric told her, lifting her and carrying her to the bedroom. She grabbed the toothbrush that she kept there and brushed them well, smiling as he joined her to do the same. She crawled back under the covers, and he joined her as he gazed hesitantly at her. "So you're still mine?"

"I want to be." Lisette told him, and he moved closer to her as he smiled wanly, "I want to try. Can you promise me that you do not want her still? If you feel remotely like she does, then go. Try it." Her voice trembled as she spoke those words, and she felt tears in her eyes. He wiped at one that slid down her cheek, and leaned down to kiss her gently.

"Never. It's only you." His lips claimed hers again, and she pushed away the feeling of her stomach turning again. Her shirt was removed, as were his lounge pants as their lips and hands roamed each other freely. Eric asked her several times if she was up to this, and finally slid down between her legs as she insisted she was. He fingered her wetness, changing his mind and sliding further to lick her gently. She cried out as he teased her with his tongue and took her into his mouth, and arched her back as he slid a finger inside of her. He moved it faster as he licked her, and she felt her body shaking as she climaxed hard against him. He watched her closely as she moved on the bed, and she cried out his name loudly . He took advantage of her parted legs and slid between them, entering her as she was still finishing. She grunted as he entered her and he placed his body lightly over hers as he thrust deeply inside of her. Lisette slid her hands down over his ass and pulled him deeper inside, and his grunts filled her ears as he obliged her. He started to moan louder and she felt another peak coming, and they came at the same time as they matched noise for noise. He slowed down and moved out of her as he slid down and rested lightly on her stomach. "Are you OK?"

"Yes. Eating helped." Lisette replied, and sighed. "I might call in to Caroline's tonight anyway though. I need to rest a little more and that will not help. I should bed better by tomorrow."

"I hope so. But I am willing to stay in bed with you and nurse you back to health if that is what you need." Eric told her, and she smiled at him. They both heard his phone beep and he cursed under his breath as he sat up. He pulled on his lounge pants and strode out of the room, and Lisette lay quietly in the bed. It seemed to be his sister again, and she heard him speaking angrily into the phone. "Tell her to leave me the fuck alone, Karen. She is making this so hard on everybody, when I do not even want her. I have moved on and I love somebody else now. Maybe if I tell her that, she will accept this." Lisette heard him pause, and then he seemed to be quieter. "I know I leaped in without thinking with Cindy, Karen. I know that more than anything now. It is different now. I want my life here and I want her to move on, but she barely had a chance to get over Bill when I did what I did. I was stupid to do that." He talked for a little while longer and then hung up, and came back to Lisette. "Sorry, baby. This is a real mess. She won't leave Karen alone."

"You did not mention me on her trip?"

"No. I worked as much as I could to avoid her, but she was there since she knows a lot of my co workers. It was awkward and I knew I was not pulling off the loving boyfriend act at all well. I just kept us out as much as possible and found things to do. She had to fucking know that my heart was not into it. Why could she not see it?"

"She loves you." Lisette told him, seeing how it was to be in Cindy's shoes for a moment. She loved him too, and hated the idea of not being with him. "She sounds like she attaches herself easily."

"Yes, she does." Eric agreed, closing his eyes as he sat on the bed. "I knew this when Bill hurt her, but I didn't see the severity of it as I probably should have. I figured she had every reason to be hurt and upset. I was angry with him, as a matter of fact."

"Did you want to be with her when you ended up in bed? Is that why you did it?"

"It was nothing like when you and I even touched for the first time. I was drunk and freshly broken up with a year long relationship, and she was drunk and mourning Bill. I guess we were just lonely, and it happened. But it was strange and uncomfortable for me at first, since we had known each other for awhile. I took it as normal, until I touched you and realized what want is supposed to feel like. I was into you just by seeing you across the room, and actually make love to you was one of the best feelings I have ever had. It's only gotten better." He gave her a quick look of concern as he opened his eyes, and she propped herself against the pillows. She frowned and he looked away and at the wall.

"Where is Bill now?" Lisette asked, and he ran a hand through his hair.

"He died in a car accident a few months ago. It was bad, since I had not really spoken to him. Cindy was completely distraught. I felt the loss of a friend pretty hard that day. I think it had something to do with my leaving and starting over, though I would have preferred to do that unattached."

Lisette stared at him, and he met her gaze. "Car accident? Do they know what happened?"

"Yeah, he hit a tree back home." Eric replied, taking a deep breath.

"Were there any other cars involved?" Lisette asked him, and he shook his head. "Eric….."

"I know what you're thinking, Lis. She was so upset and seemed surprised by it, so I cannot imagine." Eric told her, and she felt fear again. What was she involved in? "But I have been thinking about that lately. I am hesitant to mention you for that reason, but I do not ever want her to know your face. I can handle anything from her, but I can't have you involved." His blue eyes shone with determination, and he moved to her and pulled her into his arms as he pressed against her side. "I need to keep you safe, love. I should just break up with you and guarantee that."

"No." Lisette said, willing to be with him and risk it. She turned her face to his and their lips met hungrily for a long moment. She could not live without that hunger. She moved over him and he held her face in his hands as they kissed, his hands eventually sliding down her bare skin as she shivered. He held her close as they pressed closely together, and she clung to him tightly.

Lisette was at one of his events a couple of nights later, at a bar opening. Her illness had subsided a bit, and she felt like going out. Her and Sophie were at the bar and ordering drinks, and Lisette sipped her martini eagerly. She had chosen a shimmering silver dress and high heels of the deepest black that night, and her hair was in loose curls all around her face. Her deep red lipstick brought out her pale skin and the thick line of silver eye shadow with heavy black mascara added the glimmer that she needed. She smiled at Sophie as they looked around the crowded bar, and saw Eric near the back. It had been relatively quiet as far as Cindy went, and though they were both concerned, they also felt comfortable enough to stay at his place. He was hoping that she had gotten the point, and had been making every effort to show Lisette how much he wanted her. She met his blue gaze, and saw a look of lust pass across his face as he gazed at her face. He finished his conversation and walked over to her and Sophie, eyeing the short silver dress with a raised eyebrow. "I have a break, if you would like to get some fresh air." Eric suggested to her, his lips practically touching hers.

"Sure." Lisette agreed, her body tingling. She smiled at Sophie, and grabbed her hand. "Be right back, sweetie." She followed Eric through the crowd, and he walked down a hallway rather than outside. It was long and dark, and she giggled a little drunkenly as he reached back and took her hand. They kept their relationship under wraps at his events out in the open, since it was a professional thing for him. He turned around, and pulled her against him as he slid his hand down to her ass.

"You look so good tonight, my shimmering lady." Eric told her, his hand sliding further to touch her bare leg. "If it weren't for that lipstick on your luscious lips, I would show you that way."

"I think I have some other lips." Lisette suggested, and he pressed her back into the wall at the end of the hallway. He leaned down to brush his lips over her neck and slid his hand under her skirt and up her thigh slowly. Lisette moaned and he hit the dampness of her underwear with the tip of a finger.

"I loved this the first time I did it. I think I knew how much you really wanted me that night for the first time." Eric murmured against her skin, and she took a deep breath. She leaned back as he made his way past her clothes and stroked her wetness eagerly, and pulled his face closer to her neck with one hand. He kissed her neck hard and stroked faster, and she felt the feeling coming on as she cried out. He knew her and knew her well, and he brought her to a hard orgasm, as he held her still with one hand on her hips. "There is much more of that later tonight, when I can make all of that red come off of your mouth." Eric promised her, and she moaned as she breathed deeply.

"How long do you have?" Lisette asked him breathlessly, and he chuckled.

"Why?"

"I want to return the favor." Lisette said, sliding to her knees and unbuttoning his pants. They returned to the bar a few moments later, and Lisette took a long sip of her drink. Sophie gazed at them with a wide smile and a shake of her head, and Lisette glanced at her. The girls laughed together, and Eric looked them over. He gazed across the room with a frown, and touched Lisette's shoulder as he walked away.

"You always have such a flush to your cheeks when you return from those breaks. You naughty girl!" Sophie playfully chided her, and Lisette giggled. "I am glad to see you having a good time with him."

"Yeah, me too." Lisette agreed, looking down for a moment. Sophie had no idea about Cindy yet, and what was going on. Lisette had barely been home, having returned to work despite her slight illness. She was with Eric otherwise. Lisette ordered another drink and took a seat, feeling slightly dizzy as she took a deep breath. They chatted lightly as the night wore on, and Sophie went to dance with a girl as Lisette remained at the bar. She was having a bit of a relapse and didn't feel up to it. Eric approached her a little while later, and looked down at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Just feeling a little tired." Lisette admitted, and he glanced around and at the clock.

"I can finish up around here and take you home. I think Linda can close out the place tonight." Eric said, stroking her cheek lightly with the tip of his finger. "I will be back in a moment." She nodded and watched him leave, looking forward to being alone with him as she took in his retreating body. He kept his promise and she waved to Sophie as she left, clutching his hand as they walked to the car. He opened her door, and smiled at her as she slid inside. Lisette watched him get into the car and leaned over to kiss him gently, taking his face into her hands as she let her lips linger. "I love you." Eric whispered to her, and she slid her hands into his hair.

"I love you." Lisette told him, and he claimed her lips again. He eventually started the car and they drove home, where she nibbled on a sandwich and sipped some water on the couch. Eric emerged down the hallway in some of his lounge pants and she eyed him appreciatively. "You're so beautiful." Lisette murmured to him, and he smiled at her as he sat down.

"You're stunning yourself, Lisette. Tonight, especially. You look different somehow to me, and you have a glow about you. A softness." Eric told her, stroking her hair back. "It's beautiful." He leaned in to kiss her, and she felt the heat before he even touched her lips. She returned the kiss instantly, feeling her body responding as she did. He pulled her over him, and she traced his bare upper body as she felt his tongue meet hers eagerly. He tensed with every touch of her fingers, and she felt him unzip her dress. He was hard underneath her, and she thought of earlier as she pressed herself closer to him in slow movements. Eric moaned and slid her dress down, immediately touching her bare breasts as he teased her with tight squeezes and long pinches. He passed his thumb hard over her nipples, and she whimpered as the sensation flowed through her body. "Bedroom." Eric murmured, and she nodded against his lips. She moved off of him, sliding her dress to the floor before walking back to the bedroom. He followed and she felt his hands grip her hips tightly, then push her forward onto the bed. She knew what was coming, and she felt him part her legs to taste her wet center teasingly, easing his tongue deep inside her as he moved between there and teasing her with slow strokes over her throbbing folds. Lisette was bordering on a hard climax, when he pulled away and touched her ass with one hand. She begged him for the pain, and the feel of the leather against her skin made her cry out with pleasure as she feeling lingered. He hit again lightly,, and she bucked forward as his hands held her. His free hand caressed her and she whimpered as desire flooded her. He leaned in to taste her once again, and she moaned at the contact as she pushed against him. "I want you so bad." Eric spoke against her, and the vibration made her shudder. His phone chimed as she did, and he pulled back and asked her in a hoarse voice to move forward on the bed. She scooted forward, and he moved behind her and entered her as the phone rang again.

"Oh, Eric." Lisette moaned, taking in every inch of him as she pushed against his movements. The phone rang again, and she frowned as she heard Eric curse loudly. His movement grew jerky and short, and she felt her orgasm slipping away. He gave up as the ring sounded again, and pulled out of her and leaned on her. "What is happening?"

"I'm sorry. Its her. I can tell." Eric explained, and she felt him kiss her back gently. He cursed and stood as the phone rang again, and yanked it off of the night stand. Lisette heard him answer it as she fell forward onto the bed and closed her eyes, hearing the rage in his voice as he spoke. He left the room, but not before she heard the desperate pleading in Cindy's voice on the phone. Lisette let the tears flow, angry at her ebbing desire that had not been satiated because of her as well as the entire mess of a situation. She curled up into as ball, listening to him as he tried to reason with the woman on the other end of the line in the living room. His voice was angry and demanding as he spoke to her. Her stomach

churned sharply, and she got out of bed and stumbled into the dark bathroom as she fought nausea again.

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This is not the best chapter I have ever written, but I have stared at it for a few days now and have not a clue what to do with it. For that matter, I have almost no idea where the story itself is going. I am kind of throwing around stuff, but it may be awhile before I update again. Thanks for the alerts, the reads, and for my faithful reviewers! Life is just…….life right now.