Dating in the Dark

Disclaimer: Most characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

Big love and many many thanks to treewitch703, as always, xx.

Many many thanks for all your messages. I will try to find some time to get back to people as soon as possible, but in the mean time much love to you all xx

Chapter 21: Dances with Vampires

Dating Do: Do ask for help if you do not understand the menu – it is always best to know what's for dinner – especially if it might be you.

Eric sat on my couch, stretched his legs out in front and his arms along the back looking completely at home. Oddly it felt right seeing him like that. When he spoke it was like the call from Bill hadn't happened.

"Well, if you want to do something nice for me, and you won't let me do something nice to you, perhaps you will let me take you to dinner," he said offhandedly.

I decided to ignore the sexual innuendo. That was just Eric, he seemed unable to speak without it.

"How is you taking me to dinner something nice for you?" He didn't even eat. Unless I was the dinner? The thought made me pucker my face slightly and Eric must have followed it because he let his eyes stroke appreciatively over what I knew was a favourite bite point before answering.

"Several ways actually; There is a new restaurant targeting vampire clientèle that I want to try and this gives me an excuse. It also gives me an excuse not to go back to Fangtasia and fill out tax forms, Pam will have to do it. Plus if I am not there, she cannot nag me about … well, it serves many purposes." He was looking round the room casually as he spoke but then suddenly his gaze pounced onto me, a glint lighting his eye. "As a bonus it will almost certainly irritate Bill." He flashed me his wicked grin and I huffed at him.

"Why do you like to do that? It makes it very hard for me to be friends with both of you." I chided gently. I was genuinely curious as to why he liked teasing Bill.

"Will you come to dinner?" Eric wasn't one to change subjects until he was ready.

"I can hardly say no under the circumstances." I smiled to show I wouldn't have said no anyway. "Is the restaurant fancy? Should I change?" I looked down at my jeans and LSU Tigers sweatshirt thinking if I was going to be seen with Eric I'd change even if we were going to Burger King.

"Yes. I will pick something for you." Before I could protest Eric was already in my closet. I followed at human speed planning to explain I could pick my own clothes and throw him back out to the living room but he was already holding out a dress when I got there.

It was black and I didn't recognise it.

"What's that?" I asked suspiciously.

"It's a dress," replied Eric smoothly.

"I know it's a dress smart-ass, but it's not one of mine." Eric peeked over his shoulder at his own butt as if he didn't know what the phrase I'd used meant. I ignored him (and my own reaction at any reference to Eric's best ass-et – har har). I grabbed the dress out of his hand and looked at it properly.

"It was in your closet," he shrugged looking back at me.

"But where did it come from?" Pulling the neck out, I looked down the inside of the dress as if the answer would be hiding in there.

"I thought we'd just covered that." Eric raised his eyebrow. It was clear to me that he didn't really care where the dress had come from, he expected me to wear it just the same. I looked at the label. It was my size. I felt my forehead wrinkle. Maybe I had bought it ages ago and just forgotten. Eric was standing expectantly before me.

"Fine, but you'll have to leave the bedroom if you want me to change." He left after throwing me an annoyingly adorable pout.

As I was changing I heard him opening drawers and cupboards. As soon as I had the dress on I went out to see what he was up to.

"What are you doing?" I said as I walked into the kitchen to find him crouched with his nose in the cupboard under the sink.

"Snooping," he said simply, standing up. "It looks perfect." He smiled and nodded at the dress. I smoothed my hands down it with self-conscious gratification.

The dress was, as I said, black. It was sexy, without being overly revealing. The skirt came almost to the knee and even though the girls were safely tucked away the cut accentuated all the right parts of my figure making me feel seductive. I probably wouldn't have picked it for myself, it wasn't the most comfortable thing I'd ever worn, but there was no denying it looked good on me. The material was beautiful and I'd coveted enough of them through shop windows to know it was designer even if I didn't know the label. Which still begged the question of where it had come from. I looked suspiciously at Eric. He looked innocently back.

"I just need to put some make-up on and fix my hair. Try to behave yourself for a few minutes would you?" I said. For all my suspicions I had no proof and why would Eric be buying me clothes anyway? Especially designer dresses. It's not like with the coat, not really.

"I can try," he agreed with a smirk that suggested he planned to fail in his attempt.

A few minutes later he appeared, lounging on my bed, as I stood before the mirror, rolling my hair into a French twist. One second I was alone in my room, the next he had his head on my pillow and was playing with his phone in an obvious way, clearly expecting me to ask what he was doing. I was curious but I ignored him and said nothing.

Despite getting me to dress up, Eric was still in his jeans and a t-shirt he'd obviously had made after the witch war. On the front, spoofing the writing from the posters the witches had put up, was: 'HAVE YOU SEEN THIS VAMPIRE?' written across his chest. On the back it said: 'GORGEOUS ISN'T HE!' Modest and Eric were not two words ever likely to meet. I wondered if he were planning to stop at Fangtasia to change on the way to wherever we were going. On the other hand, Eric would probably show up for a meeting at the White House in his jeans if it was what he felt like wearing. I couldn't imagine a restaurant manager brave enough to refuse him service for being under-dressed.

I finished putting my hair up and reached for a perfume, automatically grabbing the Obsession though I didn't wear it often. I had already put it on when I realised it was the one Eric had told me to wear once before. I glanced in the mirror to see if he'd noticed. He was smiling in a self-satisfied way but apparently focused on his phone.

As we stepped out of the house Pam pulled up in Eric's car. He must have flown to my house earlier. Walking towards Eric, she handed him a shirt and tie with a frown on her face. She didn't stop to chat but blew me a kiss before giving Eric another unhappy look and disappearing into the trees.

Eric stripped off his t-shirt, flinging it onto my porch swing, and handed me his tie to hold as he put on the shirt. His smooth pale skin glowed softly in the moon light, complementing the distant orb. I must have given something away because he was grinning smugly as he took the tie from me and slung it round his neck. I forced myself to look away from the easy confident movement of his hands knotting the silk and moved towards the car.

As I ungracefully tumbled into Eric's Corvette, I started to suspect why he had chosen this dress. The soft satin material slid right up my thigh as I sat and the bodice had a corset-like cut that pushed my breasts almost out of the dress. I shifted trying to cover up more and glanced at Eric whose obliviousness was more overacted than a Jim Carrey character. He managed to 'unintentionally' brush my thigh with his fingers as he released the hand-brake. I didn't move my leg away, pretending not to notice.

"Is Pam upset about something?" I asked to fill the silence.

"It seems none of her shoes fit at the moment, every single pair she owns is half a size too small," he said a smirk teasing his lips.

"Huh?" It's not like Pam's feet could change size and she had a lot of shoes.

"I know it is most odd. I offered to trim her feet for her but it seems she is willing to manage until the problem resolves itself." OK so maybe Pam's feet could change size, temporarily at least. Eric was looking very pleased with himself as he presented this information with the air of someone who is 'accidentally' flashing their engagement ring. He must have gone to some effort to replace every single pair. I nearly asked, then decided I didn't want to know what Pam had done to earn this punishment. It was almost certainly shoe related, his punishments always fit the crime.

When we got to the restaurant, the Maître d' shouldered past two waiting couples to greet Eric and offer 'one of their finest tables for him and his lovely companion.' As we walked he looked me over carefully. He wasn't judging, he just wanted to be sure if I was human or vampire in order to offer the right kind of service. It still amazed me that most people couldn't tell right off. My tan must have faded more than I thought.

The décor was all rich Tuscan hues making the room feel warm even through the gentle movement of the air conditioning, though I thought, come summer, it would feel stifling when busy. Soft lighting gave the place ambience, dim enough to feel intimate but bright enough for human customers to see what they were eating. As we walked I caught a drift of appetising odours that was tempting without being overwhelming.

An undercurrent of classical music flowed around the diners at a level that encouraged muted conversations. The tables were also spaced far enough apart to allow the feeling of privacy, leaving a space in the middle of the room which told you they were not trying to crowd in as many as possible. They had done a good job of creating an opulent atmosphere but the newness of the place made it all seem contrived. To my mind, genuine character came with time.

Eric ordered for both of us after I realised that, despite being in English – sort of – I couldn't understand the menu. Then, as I sipped my way though the smoothest wine I'd ever tasted and marvelled that plain old soup could taste so good, Eric asked me all about what the lawyer had said. He brushed off my thanks and simply pushed for the details of our conversation, asking lots of questions that hadn't even occurred to me. I quickly started to wish Eric had been at the meeting.

"I think perhaps, we should arrange for the three of us to get together at some point. I want to be sure we are all on the same page," he said when I was done.

"He did say that if anything happened regarding the case, I was to say nothing to anyone and just call him." I looked at Eric questioningly. I didn't want to keep calling him when he was likely to be busy with his other responsibilities but I could hardly refuse to keep him informed when he'd arranged everything.

"During the day that is probably best," he said lightly. He wasn't going to insist I called him, but clearly he'd rather I did.

"I really am very grateful for everything you've done Eric." Eric looked bored for a moment but then suddenly leaned forward over the table towards me.

"Are you really? How grateful?" His tone change shifted the whole mood. My mouth popped open in surprise and Eric's gaze caressed my lips.

"Eric," I shushed leaning towards him also so I could speak quietly, though of course he could hear me anyway. "I have told you before, that is not a reason to …" I gave him a look that clearly completed my sentence with a 'you know.'

"So what was the reason we …" Eric's non-completion of the sentence was much more pointed than mine. He was teasing me. I blushed.

What had made me give in? My lust? His vulnerability? The fact that Eric Northman was standing naked in my shower covered in soap-suds? His butt! Well I wasn't about to tell him that. To avoid answering, I moved back a bit and glanced round the room. I saw several pairs of eyes flick back to their own tables. Eric was watching me through all this in fascination. "Hmm," he speculated as he too moved back. After another moment he pulled his eyes from me to flick over the room too. "I would love to tell you no one is listening, but that is not true. It is not often I've spent time with a woman so that she could eat. I'm afraid it has caused quite a bit of interest."

I looked at him. He seemed relaxed. He was leaning back in his seat, his legs sprawled under the table, one hand came up and ran through his hair as he contemplated the fact people were looking at him. I suppressed a smile at his primping and his eyes refocused on me. I guess he'd felt my amusement.

"You don't date?" I asked, part still laughing at him and part genuinely curious.

"Not usually." His answer left me wondering. Was this a date? It certainly had many date-like qualities but I hadn't been thinking of it in those terms. I became even more self-conscious. Eric lifted one hand and signalled the waiter to pour me more wine. The main course arrived just then too. There had been a whole bunch of blood-based fancy dishes that vampires could order but Eric had simply ordered some specially mixed blood that came in a golden carafe mounted over a small heat source to maintain the temperature. It was served with an opaque goblet instead of a glass to hide the viscous nature of the drink.

He poured a little more from the carafe while I took a deep whiff of my plate and tried to figure out what smelled so good. I had no idea what he'd ordered for me.

"What about you? Any more dates planned?" He asked. The ambiance had shifted again and it now felt like we were just two friends catching up.

"You mean because I'm so good at it?" I offered with a smirk. He laughed.

"I take it that wasn't your first."

"Bad date? No, they all pretty much end up like that. Though I think you might have witnessed one of the more spectacular endings." As embarrassed as I'd been at the time, the whole thing seemed funny at this moment, sitting in a restaurant with Eric. After all, David had had a worse night than me in the end and I hadn't come to any real harm.

Throughout the main course and dessert (an amazing chocolate edifice that looked like it had been created by an artist) I regaled Eric with stories about the dates I'd been on and he told me tales of some of the women he'd known (two of whom were historical figures I'd heard of, though he dropped their names casually into the conversation as if they were old high-school teachers or some other mutual friend). We laughed easily, it was amazing how comfortable I felt with him. We continued to attract the attention of some of the other couples but I was used to being stared at (as was Eric). At least in a ritzy place like this they tried to be subtle about it.

As I sipped my coffee, though I felt I couldn't have eaten another bite, I almost wished there was another course so that the evening wouldn't have to end just yet. At almost the same moment I had that thought, a curtain at the front of the room was drawn open and a sequin-clad singer stepped up to a microphone. She stood alone on a small round stage that was set only a foot or so from the floor but the regnant strains of the music that started up, attested to a live band hidden somewhere behind her. Her rich contralto belied her youthful face as she soared into an upbeat ballad. I saw several people stand from their tables. I was the only person who had been surprised by the start of the performance.

"Dance?" asked Eric who was suddenly beside me with his hand out. I nodded and let him help me to my feet.

Eric waltzed very smoothly, something I didn't think he had learned as a Viking. I didn't know much about the ancient Nordic warriors, but I couldn't picture them ball-room dancing somehow.

"Did you ever have dance lessons?" I asked as we glided along.

"No. Do you think I need them?" He asked with humour in his voice.

"No, you dance well," I assured him. He gripped me a little tighter. "I just wondered how you learned." I was too curious to play with him.

"How did you?" He countered. I thought for a moment. How did I learn to dance? I'd never had a lesson.

"Well, I've always liked music, though I can't sing at all. I just picked it up as I went along I guess." As I said this I realised Eric had been 'going along' a long time. He'd probably picked up all sorts of things. I blushed and put my face against his shirt. He laughed. It wasn't loud but I could feel his chest shake.

"Before we came out of the coffin, we had to be masters of fitting in to many different societies." Eric's voice reverberated through his shirt, against my ear. It felt nice so I continued to listen to him that way, feeling the rise and fall of his chest. "In many places, even today, strangers are viewed with suspicion. As a vampire you never wanted to draw too much attention."

"I can't imagine you being a very good wall-flower." I smiled against him. Eric wasn't one to linger in the shadows – though I suppose he must have done so at times. His chest shook again.

"No it was never something I was very good at. But you can get away with a great deal if you know and understand the social customs."

"Speaking of those," I pulled my head away and looked up at him. Eric's smile became expansive and angelic. I had the feeling he knew exactly what I was going to say. I pressed on anyway. "You know it is not considered appropriate to just climb into a person's bed whenever you feel like it."

"I said it was important to understand social customs, not that you had to stick to them," Eric said, his smile if anything growing wider. He slipped his hand up from its position in the small of my back to push my head back against his chest. I had to laugh. I knew he would continue to climb into my bed whenever the mood took him but he'd never done anything I didn't let him and I was kind of getting used to it. Though I wasn't certain what that meant.

As we continued to glide along we spoke occasionally if we thought of something to say but also spent time in comfortable silence. Eric led so strongly that it took no effort at all to follow along, meaning I could enjoy the movement without worrying about getting tired. A couple of times I felt Eric's phone vibrate in his pocket but he ignored it so I did as well.

He told me that Pam had shown an interest in private investigation so he had arranged for her to work with Bill who was looking into some disappearing vamps. Apparently several had vanished from Kentucky a few months ago and more recently some had gone missing in Arkansas. Eric was concerned that a pattern might be forming.

I thought that Pam wouldn't much like working with Bill and said so. Eric remained silent after that but his chest shook again making me wonder if this was another punishment he had devised for his progeny. I speculated for a while on just how much time the two of them spent baiting and punishing each other.

Some time later, as I was leaning into the soft steady vibration rising through Eric's shirt as he hummed along to the music, (it felt like he was purring), I finally asked the question that had been nagging at me since Thursday night.

"How did you know I was innocent when you came to get me from jail?" I'd been thinking it over. It couldn't have been from my feelings as I had definitely been feeling guilty and like I belonged in jail because of Debbie.

"If you had killed another human you would have confessed." Eric replied without missing a beat. He was right, of course, but how was it he knew me so well?

When the last song ended we headed back to our table. As subtly as I could, I glanced at my watch. Eric missed nothing.

"You have to work tomorrow?"

"Yes. I promised Sam I'd go in early and help with the deliveries. But it's fine. I mean, it wasn't that I wanted to leave or anything." I felt bad that he'd caught me, I really was having a good time. In fact considering it wasn't really a 'date' it was the best non-date I think I'd ever had.

"Is he paying you? For your extra time?" Eric seemed far more interested in the matter of my wages than I thought was warranted, but then he knew I taken on the cleaning jobs because I was short on cash.

"Sure." I didn't actually know. I hadn't asked and Sam hadn't mentioned it, but he usually gave me some extra when I helped him out.

"Well, perhaps I should get you home." Once again the mood had shifted.

I wasn't sure how he did that. Maybe it was just that he was such a strong presence, his mood permeated the whole room. For the moment he was in the role of father or perhaps more a guardian. "You've had a long week."

"Ain't that the truth. But I really did have fun tonight, thank you. Though I was supposed to be repaying you. Now I just feel like I owe you even more," I fake grumbled.

"This is a good thing," he leered down at me briefly but then signalled the waiter to bring my coat over to us. Definitely guardian rather than father.

"Just stop it," I smacked his arm. "I won't tell you again." To show he had no intention of doing what I told him, Eric took my hand and kissed it, on the palm like he had before at my house, flicking the skin lightly with his tongue which tickled. I shook my head in affectionate exasperation as he took my coat from the waiter and helped me into it. Taking my hand in his again, he lead me towards the door.

As we threaded our way through the other tables I spotted several Vampires inclining their heads in Eric's direction which he acknowledged with small nods of his own. It took me a moment to recall that this was Eric the sheriff, which made him head vamp. We'd been laughing together and I'd been so comfortable, it had felt more like spending time with the other Eric. It was incredible how much I'd been missing someone who was in my life for such a short time. Could part of him still be there, inside this Eric? Or did I just want him to be?

When we got to the car we both reached for the passenger handle at the same time and I stumbled. Eric caught me. I looked up into his face. His blue eyes were reading mine. He lowered his head down and some hair that had blown loose slid down around his face. I kept perfectly still as he moved in, letting my eyes close softly when I felt his hair brush my cheek. I had a vivid moment of recall: Eric kissing me as we lay on the hood of his car, Eric kissing me as we lay on my kitchen table, and now Eric was kissing me again – it wasn't the same. He just planted a quick peck on my forehead and opened the car door.

A/N: I know, I'm an evil tease ;) xx