I couldn't help but feel odd as I got out of the car. I was familiar with the building, even if it had been a while since I'd been here, but the last time I was with Alcide and well... it was under very different circumstances.

Pam popped the trunk and I lifted my bag out. Eric offered to carry my bag for me and I politely declined. So he took it anyway. I tried to take it back from him but he said, "I'll carry you too if you want." That shut me up. I took the keys and lead the way.

We rode the elevator in comfortable silence. Once on the right floor, I didn't have to look at the door numbers to be confident in getting the right one. There was nothing wrong with my memory. Nothing at all. Nothing...

I swayed and caught myself on the door. Eric's hand was already there to catch me, a firm grip on my elbow. Of course he was there. Carrying both of our bags wouldn't stop that. In fact, he still held them both in one hand. He'd been the one to buy me that bag. "Lover, what has come over you?"

I waited until the grey clouding my vision cleared before I answered. That translated into about ten seconds. "I'm okay, just a dizzy spell. I just need a glass of water once I'm inside."

I don't think he believed me but he didn't push me either. He simply maintained his steady hold on my arm as I unlocked the door and entered. I wasn't going to tell him to get off me but I didn't like that he was now looking at me like I was something very fragile in that moment.

He steered me towards the master bedroom. I assumed Pam was going to the other room. I sat down on the bed and only then did he let go. He put the bags down on the floor beside the bed and looked down at me. "Stay right here," he said and he was gone. I considered unpacking but he was back before I could put that thought into action. He had a glass of water with him. "Drink."

I took the glass and skulled half of it. "Thanks."

He kneeled between my legs, his hands resting on my knees. "Pam tells me that our travel coffins Brian ordered are in the other bedroom so we won't have to leave at dawn."

I hadn't known they were going to do this but I said, "That's good," anyway before taking another swig of water.

Eric watched me and then sighed and sat back on his heels. He didn't need to sigh because he didn't need to breathe. There was often a reason for it. A bit of theatrics. He didn't disappoint. "Are you going to tell me what that was?"

"I told you."

He shook his head. "Not truthfully, or at least not all of the truth."

I set the glass on the bedside table. I proceeded by flinging myself back on the bed so I was staring up at the ceiling with my legs dangling over the edge. "Can't you just leave it be?"

His face crawled into view. "No. Someone has to look out for your health and safety because you don't. That's what I'm doing. Don't tell me it was nothing because the Sookie Stackhouse I know doesn't behave like that normally. You're made of tougher stuff than that."

Truth was I had had a moment of weakness. My memory had run a little wild and dredged up too much. I thought I had moved on but this building had been the setting to some major events in my life that weren't good moments. But it wasn't like me to get light headed over something of the past like this. What was wrong with me? This was uncharacteristic of me.

"Sookie, talk to me," Eric said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I realised I had gone too long without saying anything. "If you want to talk about this later, fine, but only if it won't jeopardise your safety when we have to meet Russel. Otherwise I'd rather do this now. We will talk though, this I swear."

"Later would be better. We don't have time for this anyway, we need to get ready." Frankly, I didn't know how to explain what happened to myself let alone Eric. It could wait.

Eric accepted my answer but as we got ready I could feel him keeping an eye on me. With my earlier activities back in the bathroom of his house combined with my brief dizzy spell then, I had concerned him. What he said was right, I was stronger than this. Why was I behaving like this now? I needed to snap out of it. I told myself I'd be fine tomorrow after a solid eight hours sleep. Everyone has their off days, right?

I hung up all of my clothes, save for my suit. Eric had already changed into a black dress shirt and pants. He sat on the bed and watched me take my singlet off, followed by my skirt. He growled, "It is with deepest regret that Russel keeps cock blocking me or we would not leave this room." I simply winked and turned my back on him while I pulled on the white pants. I heard the bed move and then he was behind me. He pressed so closely to me that I could feel that he was definitely happy to be there. "If you keep teasing me like that we will be late."

I pulled my pants all the way up, did the button and turned around. He was so close that I had to crane my neck to look up at him. I taped him on the nose with my index finger. "Well we can't have that Mr. Erikson, can we?" I think the tap surprised him. I moved away and reached for the sheer pink camisole to go under the suit jacket.

"You play a wicked game Miss Shorebird. Please excuse me while I get another bag from the car."

There had been another bag in the trunk but when we were back in the garage he said he didn't need to bring it up yet. This turn of events made me say what I said next. "Can't handle the heat?"

He was in front of me again. "Oh I can handle the heat. I just don't have enough time to follow up on it."

"You have about ten minutes," I challenged him.

"That's not even a fraction of the amount of time I need to do what I want to do to you."

With that as a parting statement I was suddenly in the bedroom by myself. Despite what Eric said, I think he needed a moment to cool off. I suspected I was right when I had time to comb my hair, put in some gold hoop earrings the size of my index finger and thumb touching, touch up my mascara and lip gloss and put on my heels and jacket before he came back. It didn't take a vampire that long to fetch something only a few floors down. I could hear Pam laughing to herself in the other room. Oh yes, I'd been right.