My breath caught in my throat when Quinn walked into the kitchen.

He was wearing dark blue jeans with a very dark purple shirt that set off his purple eyes perfectly and made his olive skin look deliciously brown, the color of French toast. The outfit was finished off with black shoes and a black belt with a large buckle that highlighted the size of the bulge directly beneath it. The whole outfit hugged his body perfectly, and I was reminded how spectacular he looked without clothes.

I scolded myself for even thinking about Quinn naked and reminded myself that even if Eric and I were over, I wasn't over him yet.

Then I thought about how I spent my afternoon, helping rescue crews find the survivors of the Fellowship's latest bombing. I saw some truly awful things, and it was worth it to help save so many lives, but I knew that images from today would haunt my dreams for months. Did I deserve to relax at the end of a day like that with a man who loves me? I really liked to think I had earned at least a little happiness, and a 'date' with Quinn would definitely make me happy.

I was really going out to dinner with Quinn to give myself an alibi of sorts. If the FBI came to recruit me again, half the town would know I had been on a date at Merlotte's the night of the bombing, so it was impossible that I had been in Seattle that afternoon. If he wanted to think of it as a real date... Well, it's not like anyone else wants to take me on a date, I thought.

I looked him up and down again, smiling broadly. "You look great," I told him honestly.

"I'm glad you like it," he said, doing a little twirl for me. He was surprisingly graceful for such a mountain of muscle.

I laughed and copied his twirl, showing off my dress.

"You look incredible," he purred. "You're by far the tastiest thing in this kitchen."

I laughed again and picked up my purse. "C'mon, let's go find something you're allowed to eat."

He laughed with me as he took my arm and guided me through the house, out the front door and towards his truck. He paused in my Gran's flower garden to pick a single perfect stem of white freesias. The delicate flowers looked tiny in his huge hand.

"For you," he said as he leaned down and threaded the stem through two buttonholes on my cardigan. They looked perfect.

I dipped my head to smell their lovely fragrance, then stared up at him with a huge smile on my face. "Thank you."

I felt like a woman on a date. With a very handsome man. A man who loves her, wants to be with her and tells her so, often.

He took my arm again as we walked to his truck, then held the door for me while I got in. The coffee I just drank was taking effect and I felt energetic and lively again. I knew I'd feel even more exhausted later, but for now, I felt good. As we drove to Merlotte's to have a late dinner, we chatted about our day.

"So, you teleported all the way to Seattle?" he asked, tactfully bringing up the least traumatic part of the day's events.

"I teleported between here and Los Angeles three times, then from LA to Seattle, then from Seattle back here."

"That's really impressive. It's the furthest you've ever gone, right?"

"Yes. The furthest I'd teleported before today was to Red Ditch and back." Then I realized what else I had to do tonight. "Speaking of Red Ditch, I should pop over to check on Hunter after dinner. I really hope I have the energy to get over to see him."

"Don't get too worried about it. If you can't get to him, he knows exactly why, and he'll call you if he needs you."

"True. I never thought of it like that before. I guess if anyone would understand, he would. He's an incredible kid."

"He is. I don't think it's occurred to him that he could use his talents for personal gain, to get toys or whatever else he wants."

I shook my head. "I don't think he gets much time to think about toys. He likes to practice moving them around telekinetically, but he only does that while his Dad's asleep, now. Mostly, he has to think about things like how the changes people make because he sees their future will actually effect the future. Whether we can screw up the future, that kind of thing. It's heavy enough for us to think about, but he's not yet five years old."

"Man, that's a lot for a pre-schooler to deal with. Was it as bad for you, growing up telepathic?"

"I didn't have to think about anything quite that big, but I can't say it was fun. I always knew more about adult things than any kid would want. I was lucky that my Gran raised me, so at least I didn't have to deal with mental images of my parents having sex."

We had just parked in Merlotte's parking lot. Quinn was out of his seat and around opening the door for me before I could reach for it myself. He moved very fast when he knew that only Amelia and I were watching - almost as fast as a vampire.

"Babe, you're the only person I know who could find something positive about being orphaned as a kid," he chuckled.

"Is that a bad thing?" I was taken aback by his comment; I didn't think being orphaned was good at all, I just tried not to wallow in self-pity.

"Not at all, it's adorable. I love that you always find something to be happy and grateful for, it's a great way to be."

He put his arm around me and we walked into the bar together. As soon as we were in the door, a cacophony of thoughts crashed into me; thoughts about Crazy Sookie being out on a date with yet another man; whether this one was human; how good-looking Quinn is; how long it would take me to scare him away with my craziness; what a great rack I have, even if I am insane... I pulled my shields up around me and immediately felt relief that I didn't hear the buzz of everyone's thoughts any more.

I waved to Sam as Quinn and I found a booth and he came to see us right away.

"It's wonderful to see you," Sam said as we hugged hello. "Hey, Quinn."

"Hey Sam," Quinn smiled back.

"I'll come talk to you when rush hour at the bar dies down some," Sam excused himself.

Holly came over to say hi and take our orders. Quinn and I both ordered burger baskets; chicken for me, beef for him. He was drinking beer, and I went for my usual gin and tonic.

We chatted comfortably right through dinner, covering a whole range of topics. We talked for a while about James' progress around the house and what he still had to do. Then we discussed the movies we'd watched together. After that, we somehow ended up talking about our favorite childhood games, and tried to guess which ones Hunter would like. He even asked whether I thought the dark purple of his shirt was a good color on him. I agreed wholeheartedly that it was and he smiled.

I was happy and laughing, although the day's events occupied part of my mind and I still felt numb about them. Quinn was easy company though, and I felt much more relaxed than I thought I could be after finding mangled people in a bomb site all afternoon.

By the time we finished dinner, I'd had three gin and tonics and I was a little drunk.

"Do you think Amelia will get together with James soon?" I asked him.

"I'd say yes, but Tray's only been gone a month or so. Do you think she'd move on so quickly?"

"Amelia?" I asked. "Heck yeah. She doesn't have to be in love with someone to have sex with them. I don't know how that works but she seems to be happy, so good luck to her."

He gave me a funny look. "You know you basically just said you loved everyone you've ever slept with?"

I blushed bright red and tried to think of something else to talk about so I could change the subject. Luckily, Sam came to speak to me then. He slid into the booth beside me and spoke very quietly, as though he didn't want anyone to overhear.

"I saw the funniest thing on TV," Sam practically whispered. "Two people showed up at that bombing in Seattle and led rescuers straight to the survivors. They said these people saved the lives of at least 50 people and they want to give them a reward, maybe even a medal, so they're circulating their pictures. You know, the woman's a dead ringer for you, Sook."

"Well, it can't be me, can it?" I winked. "I'm here in Bon Temps, nowhere near Seattle. A whole bar full of people saw me out on a date tonight, and my roommate and house guest will both tell you I was here all day. Won't you?" I looked at Quinn.

"Of course, you were home all day hanging out with Amelia and I." Quinn winked at Sam too.

"Well, now we've established that," Sam continued, "How are things going for you? Any news to share?"

"I have so much news, Sam, I wouldn't know where to start," I answered him honestly. We hadn't had a long talk for a few weeks, and a lot had happened in that time. "Come over to my place when you've got some time and I'll fill you in. But be prepared for it to take a while."

He got the hint that I wasn't discussing anything in a bar full of people and simply said, "I'll do that."

He slid out of our booth and went back to the bar, still looking curious. Holly brought us the check. I reached for it, but Quinn's hand got there first. Darn Supes and their super-speed, I thought, glaring at him.

"You know, babe," he chuckled, "if you want this to look like a real date, you have to let me get that without arguing."

I tried to be annoyed, but in the end I just laughed. "Fine, you win."

"Good," he said as he put down a credit card.

Holly collected it and brought back a slip to sign almost immediately. The dinner rush was over, so she wasn't as busy now. We chatted briefly while Quinn signed the slip and handed it back to her.

He put his arm around me again as we walked out to the car park, then leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Will you still let me believe this is a date when I try for a goodnight kiss?"

I elbowed him in the ribs and laughed, but the way he said it made me ache for him. I wasn't feeling numb any more. After three gin and tonics and a date with a handsome man, I was feeling just one thing: horny. We drove home in silence, and I tried not to think about what he looked like naked. I mostly failed.

For a few moments, I thought of Eric and wished that he was here to make love to me, to help me forget the traumatic day I just had. I probed our bond, trying to pull him to me so I could feel him on the other end of it again. I felt nothing. He was completely gone, and my drunken mind told me it was time to accept that and enjoy what I did have. Love the one you're with, I thought.

When we got to my front porch, Quinn moved in for a goodnight kiss, and I didn't stop him.

He took my face in his hands and touched his lips to mine tenderly. I leaned into the kiss, pressing against his mouth. He hesitated for a second, as though he was deciding whether to do this, before he parted my lips with his tongue and began kissing me passionately. I felt how much he wanted me and moaned a little. That spurred him on, and moments later our tongues were dueling. I wrapped my arms around him to pull him closer.

His hands moved down from my face, over my shoulders, along the small of my back. He rested them on my hips and his fingers were so long that they covered most of my butt, which he soon began massaging enthusiastically. He pulled me closer to him and I felt him harden against my stomach. Then I ground against him and a long, low growl escaped his throat. Something snapped in me, and I felt overwhelmed by a desperate need to have him, right now.

I moved my arms around his neck and pulled myself up, closer, so I could kiss him harder. We were attacking each other's mouths ferociously, kissing and nipping in equal measure. When I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth and bit down on it, almost drawing blood, he spun us both around and slammed my back against the wall of the porch. I moaned loudly and arched against him. He responded by grinding against my belly even harder. His body pressed me firmly against the wall and it felt wonderful.

He held me there for a few minutes, just kissing and rubbing against me, as though waiting for permission to take things further. When I took one of his hands and moved it from my hip to my breast, he pulled back to stared into my eyes. He was looking for something in my face and I couldn't tell what. I sighed and let my shields down completely for a second, to find out what he was feeling. Lust, of course, and... uncertainty. He didn't know if I wanted this. I leaned forward to kiss him, and moaned "please" into his mouth.

With that, he was moving at a pace I couldn't match. We were inside the house and in my bedroom before I even realized we weren't on the porch any more. I was lying on my back on my bed, and he was pulling my panties off. He hesitated again, waiting for me. "Please," I moaned again, wanting his fingers inside me, right now. Or even better, his tongue. I shivered in anticipation.

I pulled him down towards me and kissed him hard as I unbuttoned his shirt, running my hands all over his beautiful, smooth chest. He sighed, and without warning, he was all the way inside me. A loud groan escaped my lips, but it wasn't entirely a groan of pleasure. I wanted this, but it was too soon. I was suddenly thinking of a comment Eric made: that being relaxed and wet enough was the most important thing in the world. I was neither, and the tightness and friction were too much.

I was about to slow him down, but the look on his face stopped me. He was in heaven. I let my shields down and a wave of intense emotion washed over me: lust was secondary to love, joy and feeling perfectly at home with me. I couldn't take that away from him, so I let him keep going. I could tell he wouldn't last long, and it wasn't intolerably bad, just a bit uncomfortable. I pulled him closer to me, so his face was buried in my shoulder and he couldn't see the expression on my face.

Just then, a paralyzing wave of anger washed over me. Oh great, I thought, Eric would pick this moment to open the bond again. I was hurting, a little ashamed of what I was doing, and now Eric was mad at me, too. What a mess. I felt humiliated to be caught out like this. Pain, shame and humiliation... the last time I felt that particular combination of emotions, I was locked in a car boot in Jackson. My thoughts were moving in some very dark directions, and I struggled to keep the memories from flooding my mind. I was about to panic and that terrified me.

Then he shifted a little, and everything changed. I wave of lust ran through me, so strong it replaced everything else. I moaned again, but this time, it was from desire. I wriggled until I got the angle I wanted, and it started to feel really good. Images began flashing through my mind, recalling every wonderful thing Eric had ever done to my body, and how I reacted each time. I was soon soaking wet, and slamming my hips against his to increase the stimulation.

My pleasure built quickly, and the images flicking through my mind got hotter and hotter. I remembered all the orgasms I had with Eric, the way my body quaked and my face contorted as I reached peak after peak. I'd never really imagined what I looked like when I came before, but I suddenly had a clear mental picture and it seemed like the sexiest thing I had ever seen.

Incoherent noises escaped my throat and as I got closer and closer, the images in my mind were increasingly intense. I could feel that he was close too, just seconds away from coming inside me. My body recalled Eric sliding all the way into my ass for the first and only time, and the memory was so tinged with love that I was overwhelmed. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled through me, and with my orgasm came uncontrollable blood lust. I needed to taste him, to strengthen our bond by taking a little more of him into me. I pushed his shirt off his shoulder. "Eric," I moaned softly as I bit down, tearing his flesh the way he liked.

A second later, I knew what I had done. The blood wasn't sweet and cool, it was gamey and hot. Oh no, I thought. Quinn was already gone, my bathroom door slammed shut behind him.

I had just screwed up everything. Eric had opened our bond back up and felt me with Quinn; and I had moaned Eric's name with Quinn inside me. Now they would both hate me, and I deserved that.

I sat up, pulled my panties back up and my dress back down, put my head in my hands, and cried.