Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Layla and some of the plot twists. Lyrics from 'Between Breaths (An XX Perspective)' by Blaqk Audio.

Layla was not a happy camper as she stormed into her room. She kicked her heels off angrily and stripped off her shirt, walking around in only her jeans and her black bra. There was a knock on the door only moment later. She opened it not caring about her lack of shirt. as far as she was concerned a bra was the same as a bikini top, and it didn't matter if people saw her in it. Lucky for Layla it wasn't Eric at the door, but a hotel worker. He had a small cart with cans of soda and a rather large bottle of rum.

"This was ordered to the room by a Mr. Northman." he said, wheeling it in and leaving quickly, before Layla could even give him a tip. Hopefully Eric had taken care of that too. Layla made herself a drink with a small smirk on her face.

"This doesn't make up for sharing a room with me, Mr. Northman. But it's a start." she said to herself as she dropped a piece of lime into her drink. Layla grabbed the remote and flipped through music channels until she came across something she actually wanted to listen to. She was trying to enjoy herself despite Eric's inconvenient arrival. Truth was, she was beginning to feel those drinks. After an hour or so a song she loved came on and she sang along to it, dancing a bit around the room, smiling,

"Please, please please don't take it...

Take it, take it, take it easy on me. Just make it.

Make it, make it, make it harder to breathe."

So I'll climb on top and I'll never stop

Till I make you forget who you are

And just feel.

Eric watched from the doorway as Layla danced, half naked around the room. Her eyes were shut as she swayed to the pulsing, electronic beat. His eyes studied every inch of her, the flat stomach, the slight curve of her spine, her breasts barely covered by the black bra she wore. When his eyes finally reached her face he saw that she was staring back at him, drink still in hand.

"You could have made your presence known, instead of creeping." she said, snapping the music off with the quick press of a button.

"I was not creeping. I was watching you dance. You do it quite well." he said. Layla rolled her eyes and took her drink into the bedroom, intent on ignoring him. It was late...or rather early and she wanted to be well rested for when they went and did whatever it was they had to do tomorrow. she lifted the phone and then put it back in it's cradle.

"Are you not capable of working a phone in your present condition?" he mocked her, eyeing the half-empty glass in her hand. Layla rolled her eyes.

"Please. I'm buzzed, not drunk, Mr. Northman." she said.

"I would prefer it if you would call me Eric." he said, sitting on the bed and pulling off his own boots.

"Well then, Eric. What time should I set my wake up call for?" she asked, setting her drink down on the bedside table and picking up the receiver for the second time.

"Will you really sleep late enough to need one?" he asked. Layla shrugged.

"You're right." she said, putting the phone down and unbuttoning her pants. As she pulled her fly down she paused and looked up to see Eric watching her intently. "Do you mind? I'm going to bed here."

"As am I." he replied, stretching out on the opposite side of the bed. Layla scoffed lightly.

"You are not sleeping here. I am." she told him, placing her hands on her hips and staring him down.

"Do you honestly presume to tell me what I will and will not do?" he asked, with a raised eyebrow. Layla got the definite feeling that he was not playing around. Either they were sharing the bed or she was taking the couch. Damn it.

"Fucking Vampires making my life so god damn difficult cause they're too lazy to book their own room." she mumbled and she pulled off her jeans and climbed into bed beside him, trying to scoot as far away from him as possible. Layla shivered lightly as she relaxed her muscles.

"These sheets are freezing." she complained softly. She had just closed her eyes when she felt a strong arm wrap around her middle and draw her closer to the middle of the bed so her back was pressed against Eric's bare chest. When had he even taken his shirt off? Layla just hoped he was still wearing pants.

"What the hell are you doing? Get off me!" she said, struggling to get out of his arms, but his grip was like a vice. During her struggles she realized he wasn't wearing pants. Wonderful.

"You said you were cold. I'm simply trying to conserve body heat. It's an age old method that many people still use." he said, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"I said the sheets were cold and the body heat thing only works when BOTH bodies are creating heat, you jackass." she said, still struggling to free herself.

"Stop fidgeting. I'm trying to sleep." he said, tightening his grip on her. Layla lost all semblance of patience. She gripped his hands tight and in half a second was straddling his waist pinning his arms to either side of him by the wrists. Eric's eyes were open and he was staring daggers at her for a moment.

"Finally giving into your desires?" he teased. Layla was running on a bit of a high. She had just pinned a thousand year old vampire! (Sookie had filled her in on his age during the flight).

"You know, you don't look so tough from up here." she teased back. Eric didn't like that one little bit. In an instant she was beneath him, her arms pinned in the exact position his had been.

"How about now?" he purred. Layla waited for the anger to take over her body but it didn't come. She tilted her neck to the side, studying him as his eyes seemed to soften as he stared down at her. Layla arched her back, trying to sit up but only succeeded in pushing herself against him. He lowered himself on top of her and she didn't object. His mouth hovered above hers.

"You scare the hell out of me." she whispered. Eric smiled smugly and pressed his lips to hers. She could feel his fangs, and knew he was being mindful of them. Her eyes closed in bliss as his mouth moved against hers. His hands still pinned her wrists to the bed and she could feel him growing hard against her leg. Eric pulled back and put his lips against her ear.

"You belong to me."

"I belong to myself." she whispered back.

"You are mine." he told her, squeezing her wrists for emphasis.

"Go to hell." she hissed. Anger and desire were dancing wickedly in her veins with every word he spoke. Eric chuckled lightly and kissed her throat.

"Oh, I am, and I'm taking you with me." he told her. In one smooth movement his fangs pierced the skin on her neck. Layla cried out and struggled to get free, but Eric was impossible to move. After a minute the pain was gone, leaving only desire in it's wake. She writhed beneath him and his hands slid down her arms to hold her waist, freeing her. Her fingers ran through his hair and down his back. Eric licked her neck free of blood and then kissed each tiny puncture wound as her eyelids began to flutter closed.

-------

Layla's eyes snapped open. She was lying on the couch in her bra and jeans with a glass of leftover rum and melted ice on the coffee table. Sitting up she peeked into the bedroom to see Eric, fast asleep in bed. He looked completely dead, what with his chest neither rising nor falling. She stumbled into the bathroom to check her neck for bite marks. There were none. It had all been a crazy dream. She wiped a hand across her face.

"I'm never drinking again." she told herself as she turned on the shower. "No more sex dreams about Eric Northman, okay brain?" she said as she stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the shower.

In the bedroom, Eric heard her words and smiled to himself.