I own nothing to do with True Blood.

Thank you all so so much again, you all inspire me in amazing ways to write! Hoping you will enjoy this one hehe! Feel free to let me know your thoughts! xxx

Chapter Twenty-Eight

When I got home from Fangtasia, it was just after nine thirty at night.

I felt fractionally in a better mood over all that had happened tonight, when I saw a bunch of flowers set by the bristly 'WELCOME' mat at the front door of the porch. It was lucky Hoyt had switched on the porch lights earlier soon as he got here, or I might have treaded all over them in my blindness to get through the front door.

They were a beautiful arrangement of red trimmed roses, in a nice light blue vase. Definitely something worth taking inside and placing as an added decoration to the house. I hadn't any idea who they were from, but I was presuming Hoyt had brought them for me, and if so, that was awfully thoughtful of him, especially after the horrid day I'd just been plunged into. I found I needed that reassuring gesture to know even Hoyt cared about me enough to do something so sweet for me.

There was a card that came along with them, too, so I bent down and plucked it up. I read it with a mixture of both daunting intimidation and wariness. It was clearly not from Hoyt, my boyfriend, just as I had initially thought, because the writing was not one I recognized and there bore no signature of whoever the sender was underneath it:

I have feelings closely resembling love for you, and I utterly despise that.

I had a humorous thought that just maybe it was Eric who had sent such a thing. But then, after a few seconds of careful consideration, I realized Eric was hardly a flower-sending, romantic kinda guy. Who had it been then, if it were not basically the only two men who featured prominently in my life that had sent them? Who the hell feels like they love me and kind of despises it? It was news to me, unless I had myself a secret admirer from afar? Seemed super unlikely, though. Maybe someone was just playing a silly little prank on me, and I was thinking too much into it?

I picked up the blue vase and touched the glossy green leaves. The flowers were fake, which I sort of appreciated even more than if they had been real ones. At least these wouldn't have the chance of wilting so quickly. I could use them as a house decoration with the pretty vase, and it would make good for at least years.

In all my keyed-up suspicion I turned and looked past the side of the yard into the direction of Mr. Compton's front porch. Though he had fled from the fight early and unharmed, mainly thanks to me giving cursed Eric a big distraction in inflicting him with silver, I hadn't heard from him nor seen him ever since.

I had no doubts whatsoever, that he was still very much alive and roaming out there in the world somewhere. What if the flowers were from Bill Compton? The card seemed so much more foreboding, then. I sort of hated the way my mind was working in that moment of time. Why couldn't I just take everything as it flows, and appreciate the flowers regardless of whoever the mysterious sender was and their unclear intentions?

Maybe I had dithered around too loudly and for too long, because the front door burst open, and a very sleepy Hoyt stared out at me. His welcoming home smile for me was inviting and brilliant, until he took in the card and vase of flowers I was holding in my hands, then all the dry streaks of blood showing through my blonde hair- brightly, no doubt- and the stickiness of red coating my chest and probably other places I hadn't gotten 'round to cleaning off yet.

He was so close to welcoming me home, and it would have just been perfect for me to hear it from him to break me out of my bleak mood, yet he paused immediately. "Sook, you got blood all over you." He stated, in a panic. "What the hell happened tonight? Why'd you take so long from whatever it is you had to go do after work?"

I hadn't prepared myself in advance for all the questions. I worked on it for a moment, while I pushed past him impatiently through the front door and stepped my way inside onto Gran's old square rug. I decided it was smartest to tell Hoyt the truth- certain important parts of it, anyhow.

"Before you ask, I'm perfectly fine. The blood's not mine, I just had to go to Fangtasia."

He eyed me with some confusion. "Fangtasia?" he repeated vehemently. "You mean that vampire bar from wherever a few miles from here? Why were you there? You been letting vamps feed off you? Is that why you're all covered in blood like that?"

I puffed out a breath in exasperation. Somehow, I hadn't believed Hoyt would act the way he did to the news, in firing me all these incessant questions I couldn't figure out how to deal with right now. I was just too darn tired, all I wanted to do was lounge around on the sofa with him, snuggling, while we watched some mindless T.V together. Maybe even have myself an indulgent sobbing session, too, after he had safely left.

"Tell me what happened to you tonight at that vampire bar," he commanded desperately. "If you got bitten or harmed in any way, I'm callin' the damn manager and making a complaint, Sook. And I'll sue them all for what its worth!"

I almost laughed at the imagery that came along in my head with Hoyt's heated words; Hoyt, calling up the manager to make a complaint. And yet, Eric was most likely the manager, and all Hoyt would have said to him in his heat of anger would be just whizzing past Eric's head, because he already knew firsthand what had happened to me tonight. After all, he was right there.

"Hoyt, darling, please," I whispered desperately. "Let's just head into the lounge room and watch some T.V on Gran's sofa. I'm too tired for this, all right?"

I could tell he was debating on whether he ought to just go ahead without my consent and make a complaint or not, but then he seemed to sway against it when he peered down at me. Maybe there was something in my expression that made him crack so easily, because he gave out a resigned sigh and, instead, wrapped his arms around me, holding me close.

"Glad you got home safely anyhow," he muttered underneath his breath.

I gave him the biggest smile I could muster.

"Don't be going to vampire bars, all right?" he said, very seriously, looking down at me solemnly. "It's not safe, and you might get killed or even get diseases from different vampires drinking your blood."

"I know, I won't be goin' there ever again." And I felt I had truly meant it, then.

He tore the card I was holding out my grip, and read it curiously. "Somebody's got himself a little bit of healthy competition, huh?" Mostly, he sounded amused by it all, and that made me mighty relieved. I was sort of frightened it would worry him in some way, or make him feel threatened by some unknown person trying to make moves on me.

Suddenly, I remembered - not that I had ever forgotten what had broken out in the ladies bathroom with Eric and I, really- and I started to panic and feel nauseous. My mind instantly flashed and went there.

Eric randomly kissing around my collarbone.

Eric kissing me on the lips.

And then, despite all my well-meant warnings, I had just crazily decided to forgo the fact I had a boyfriend and was in a relationship, and literally pounced on him without any rationality whatsoever, and tried to kiss him back just as passionately. In my defense, I had been crazy about him ever since he first came into my life as a much younger girl. But really, that still wasn't any excuse enough for how foolish I had acted tonight. And Hoyt.

Poor Hoyt had been so good for me. The best boyfriend a girl could ever have.

Thoughtful, understanding... patient. He never pressured me for anything. He was never mean or spiteful to me in any way. In all things considered, he was way too good for me. I royally fudged up tonight, and if he ever found out, I didn't think I deserved any of Hoyt's kind-hearted forgiveness one bit.

My heart started beating like a mad thing in my chest. I tried to sound casual and not guilty, when I asked, deflated, "So these flowers aren't from you?"

Hoyt looked a bit guilty, which made me feel intolerably guilty in return. I had things to feel guilty about here, not Hoyt. Never Hoyt. "Sorry, I never. But had I known you were a flower liking girl, I might have."

I smiled again. Hoyt was exactly what I needed. Considerate, sweet, polite. And yet, why did I feel somehow that there was something lacking here? It was maddening.

I got ready for bed, but found myself too drained to even tug off the shirt Pam had given me at Fangtasia tonight. I decided to just wear it anyhow, even though it didn't feel all that good to wear something that had 'Eric's fangbanging Bitch' on the front of it. It was just too incriminating somehow, so... accusing, even though Hoyt never put much attention into the shirt I was wearing thankfully.

I changed into a clean pair of track pants, and joined Hoyt on the sofa. We cuddled a bit, and fell into a nice and peaceful silence, watching the television. I loved these moments shared between us, where everything was so comfortable. Neither one of us ever had to talk to break the silence, because we felt at peace enough around one another with not having to break it, and just let everything merely... be.

I felt like I wanted to burst into tears when Godric's face came up on the the Bon Temps breaking news segment. It was only a short screen cap, but it was just the best thing in the entire world to see him again. I felt like I knew him and, in a sense, I really did.

Vampires finally had been legalized to marry human's after a long world-wide debate that lasted almost three years, and now it had finally, at true last, happened.

They also showed a short rolling footage of the first-ever vampire-human official wedding ceremony yesterday night, taking place outside a church garden. I would have expected the male to be the vamp, and the girl the human, but I was caught officially both surprised and delighted by the short footage, when I realized it was in reverse.

The woman was the vampire, the fangs glinting as she smiled excitedly down at her husband, like the two eager newlyweds they were. The human man was a foot shorter than her, but that height difference obviously did not faze the pair. I found myself truly touched, when Godric came on as representation for the vampire kind, stating that it was a very "promising start for vampires everywhere" and that humans were "kindred and equal spirits" to the vampire community.

I learned then just how much of a sentimental and romantic person I could truly be at times, because I started crying for the two mixed-race newlyweds, and I could not seem to stop once I'd gotten started, embarrassingly. I hadn't ever really sobbed so much in front of Hoyt in my entire life and, to my horror, I felt him kiss the top of my head and cuddle me even tighter on the couch.

"Damn, you're such a softie," he said, like he wasn't really bothered by my crying at all, surprisingly.

"Sorry," I whispered, majorly disgraced in my water works. "But did you see that? Did you see the way that vampire and human looked at each other, so affectionately and so in-love? It was so freakin' beautiful!" Not to mention a massive eye-opener. And then, for some reason, I began feeling a little irritated for no particular reasons. It's just, why couldn't Eric be like that, in seeing humans as his "kindred spirit"? Why'd he have to be such a bastard half the time? And, really... why did I even care? Get over it already, Sookie. Geeze.

"That's shit. Vampires ain't like humans," Hoyt said carelessly, making a completely horizontal commentary from my own. "So, why should they be allowed to have the same rights as us? Vampires marrying humans? Yeah, right. More like vampires slaughtering humans. Bet when that guy asks her for a divorce, first thing she'll do is go psycho on him and bite the shit out of him, 'till he's truly dead!"

"Oh, geeze, Hoyt," I remarked, elbowing him gently in the ribs. I felt way too defensive all of a sudden. It was startling. "You're just as bad as Jason when it comes to all that vampire prejudice!"

"Like you'd know. You ain't been in contact with Jason in over two months now."

That hurt dreadfully, even though I knew Hoyt was right and he hadn't meant anything deliberately cruel over the statement at all. He was just being his plain old self. It hadn't truly been his aim to hurt me. "I know I haven't, Hoyt, and I miss him awfully," I simply said, brushing it off, though it wasn't without some trouble.

I was counting down the days, in fact, since I'd last had a proper conversation with Jason. Still, Hoyt's words threw salt into the wound something terrible. I knew he hadn't truly meant it to hurt me though, so he was instantly forgiven.

0

I found I was real pleased I had a place to go to work daily.

It took my mind off most things, at least for several hours. And several hours was all I needed.

"Hey, Sook. Hon, can I ask you a favour?" Arlene asked near the till tentatively, like she was worried whatever she was asking may have come as an inconvenience to me.

"Sure." I smiled at her brightly. "What's up?"

"I know it's incredibly short notice, but Terry and I wanted to head out tonight. I was wondering if you would mind looking after little Coby for a few hours?" She sounded so shy with asking, it was silly. I found myself so happy she'd asked. I understood perfectly how difficult it was for Arlene and Terry to get a good night alone to themselves without their little boy hampering around them. It was hard for two teenage parent's, and I could sympathize with that easily.

"Oh, I'd love to Arlene," I whispered, truly flattered that she'd thought of asking me. "I'd love to see little Coby!"

"Great," she smiled at me, relieved. "Oh, that's so nice of you, Sook! It's just Terry and I haven't gotten as much time to ourselves, like we used to. Which is to be expected really, but Coby is such a handful for such a small little thing!"

I nodded my understanding. "When did you want to bring him over?"

"Well, he's in daycare right now as we speak. So, I'd say... maybe a little past six tonight. That okay with you? I wouldn't want to be bothersome with loadin' him onto you like this!"

"Don't be silly, Arlene! I'm still his Aunty Sookie, right?" It was joke between us, because I wasn't really Coby's Aunty in any sense of the word. But we liked to keep it that way.

"Yes, 'course you are! This is so great! Thank you!"

I got home after my shift ended just after five thirty. Luckily, I had enough spare time to make myself a sandwich to curb my rumbling stomach before Arlene and Terry dropped in with Coby. I was delighted when they pulled up into the cracked driveway, and I slipped out onto the porch to greet them.

I was surprised by how quickly little Coby had grown. His hair was a light dirty blonde like his fathers, and it was cut short with a fringe. He ran up to me with a big gap-toothed smile, and flung his arms around my knee. I lifted him up off the porch and waved to Terry and Arlene from in their car. They both mouthed their sincerest felt thanks, and then they were off for the night.

I had no proper experience with kids, but it wasn't all that hard to know what to do, and what to say in order to keep things fun. Coby had brought along his school backpack, with some crayons and colouring books inside, so that kept him busy for a few hours at the kitchen table, scribbling. I could hear him humming absent-mindedly to himself, while I changed out of my work uniform and carried the laundry hamper out with me to the washing machine at the back of the house.

Everything was peaceful and normal for while there, which I appreciated.

But when Coby let loose a panicked squeal and came scampering over to me while I looked over the washing machine, to say I was less than a little wary, was ever the understatement.

"Aunty Sookie." Coby ran to me, scared and excited, all at once. "There's a man in yeh house! I ain't never seen him before! You got yourself a boyfriend?"

"What?" I gasped, nervous.

I pushed Coby behind me protectively, holding his hand, as we edged our way closer towards the kitchen. I wanted to be strong for Coby, but I couldn't say I felt it. I was shivering all over, just as afraid as Coby was. I couldn't figure out, for the life of me, just who it was doing things in my kitchen. And besides, surely it couldn't have been a vampire, I had revoked the invitation years back, hadn't I?

"Who's there?" I called loudly, trying to sound menacing. Behind me, Coby gulped loudly and clung to the back of my shirt.

I listened carefully, strung-out and on-edge. There came no answer. Just the sound of someone clinking something heavy into the refrigerator. Glass bottles clang together loudly.

"I said, who's there?" I croaked out bravely. "I've got my Gran's shotgun out, so if you jump out on me, be prepared to be in a whole lot of pain when I take a shot at you!" I didn't really have Gran's shotgun on me, but whoever it was who had broken inside the house wouldn't know so.

"I would like to see you make the attempt," a very familiar, deep voice said. "A bullet can't keep me down, you know that, lover."

I let out a little squeak of relief.

"Eric, what're you doing in here? I rescinded my invitation, remember? You can't be in my house!"

"Technically, it's my house now. I own everything in it, inanimate and breathing. Including yourself, Sookie."

He emerged into the center of the doorway, and I almost jumped at the sight of him. Clearly, he had made himself comfortable in my Gran's house. Too comfortable. He was wearing no more than blue jeans and my Gran's striped pink night robe, which was crazy. It stung me a bit to see someone else wearing her robe so freely, but that instantly got lost on me, when I took in that he hadn't bothered tying it up. It hung loosely off his skin and, my Lord, there was just a bunch of delightfully toned chest and abdominal muscles on show for me. I swallowed anxiously, feeling all lustful, forced my eyes away.

Sookie, you have a boyfriend. Stop ogling!

"Eric, you son of a mother," I screeched, in a more appropriate way. "You scared the life out of me and Coby, do you realize that? I thought someone had broken into the house! I thought Mr. Compton had come back to hurt me!"

"Oh, what is this tiny thing?" He said, wickedly interested. I knew he was hinting at Coby, and Coby did too. He was frightening him, and probably going out of his way to do so. Coby wrapped his arms 'round my legs and buried his head into the side of my thigh, peeking out shyly.

"His name is Coby," I said flatly. "And he is my friend's little boy. Don't you dare go scaring him, Eric!"

My warning had gone to deaf ears. Before I knew it, Eric's fangs had clicked out and he was acting very hungry at the sight of little Coby.

"Cut it out, Eric," I warned, very seriously. "It's my responsibility to take care of him tonight, all right? Don't you dare hurt him, otherwise I will never forgive you!" Like he'd really care anyway.

He got down on his knees, and started patting his knee loudly, like poor little Coby was an animal fit for his own amusement. God, he made me so angry.

"Eric," I warned, gritting my teeth. "Don't! Stop it!"

The fangs retracted at least, so that made me calm down a bit.

"Don't you smell delicious and fresh?"

I had expected Coby to break down crying at Eric's nasty taunting, but to my utmost surprise, all he did was giggle quietly. Well, that threw me off, and I felt my mouth pop open. What was with children? Don't they ever get scared, like they rightly should be, in a situation like this?

"You a... a vampire?" He spoke up between my legs, his voice quiet and uncertain.

"Indeed, I am."

"Oh wow," Coby said, in wonder. "I ain't never seen a vampire before!"

Oh my Lord. Could the whole thing get any worse? Arlene would never in her right mind forgive me now.

Curiosity well and truly killed the cat, when Coby pushed between my legs daringly and toddled his way closer to where Eric was crouched on the floor.

"My Mama don't like fangers, she warns me against them," Coby said, a little too brightly considering. "She said they're from hell, and that they oughta go back where they come from."

I closed my eyes for a second, and held my breath. Damn Coby. Then again, he was only four. Still, he should have known better than to say such a thing to a vampire's face. I was frightened then; Frightened Eric might do something terrible to scare Coby off. But, luckily for me, all he did was take Coby's statement in with some wide-eyed curiosity. It was quite decent of him, and nice.

"Now, is that right?"

"Uh-huh." Coby nodded shyly, then charmingly picked his nose. Had Gran been present in the room, she might have went out of her way to scold Coby in doing such an impolite thing, but I was rendered so speechless by how well Eric was taking the whole thing, I couldn't seem to get my bearings straight into doing so.

Both Coby and Eric were eyeing each other with the same mirrored amount of curious, keen attention. I didn't know whether to laugh, or whether to find it unbearably cute.

"Look at what Aunty Sookie has," Coby went on excitedly, jabbing a stubby pointer finger into the direction of where I'd put my mysteriously sent flowers on the floor, like a nice and cosy decorative plant. "Aunty has herself a boyfriend!" Eric followed where he was pointing, and looked dauntingly thoughtful.

"Oh, is that so?" He looked sideways up at me pointedly from where he was crouching level to little Coby.

There was something meaningful in that look, and for the life of me, I hadn't the slightest idea what it was, or what he meant by it in looking at me in such a way. Still, I felt my face flush over the whole thing.

"I... I don't know who sent them." I shrugged. "I was thinking, just my luck, it was Mr. Compton tryin' to scare me!"

"It was not Compton who sent them, Sookie," he said, sounding disgusted at the mere assumption I'd quickly come to the conclusion of. "It was I, who sent them for you. And I will be first to freely admit, it was difficult to subject myself to such a sappy thing, as sending a human woman flowers." I felt completely breathless by his confession, because not once had I wondered if it had been him who had sent them or not. I just had believed it was so beyond him, because Eric wasn't like... that at all. How wrong I was. And that card, and how someone had written they felt something closely resembling love for me? Was that all him, too? Oh my Lord. I almost wanted to cry, I felt so joyful inside. Seemed he mistook my gaping for something else, because he said quickly, as if in defense for himself, "It won't be happening again, believe me, and I apologize for any discomfort I have caused, in doing so."

"You think it's discomfort I feel in knowing that it was you?" I whispered down at him, feeling very emotional. "No, knowing that just makes it all the more better, Eric. Thank you, that was real..." I shook my head, completely at loss of what term I was grasping for, without getting him offended by it, "...Nice of you, and I appreciate it, really."

"You can express your gratitude later." He tilted his head to look at me, and I swear, there was something naughty in that look. Something was coming, and I could just feel it. Turned out, I was right. "Preferably in your bed. Preferably with no clothes on, and preferably with some intense and primal fuc-"

"- Eric!" I hissed sharply through his words, lunging down to cover Coby's ears with my hands. "You can't be talking in front of children like that, all right? That is incredibly rude, and I don't want him picking up bad words! His Mama would kill me, all right? So don't. Cool it!"

Thankfully Coby missed the half of it. He simply stared between Eric and I curiously. Satisfied, I slipped my hands off his ears and sat down on my knees.

"Ooh," Coby sang. "He send you flowers! He ask you to marry him? I think it'd be cool to have a fanger as my Uncle!"

Oh my God. I definitely couldn't look Eric straight in the eye after that, that's for sure. Kids, gotta love them, with all their endless curiosity and lack of verbal filtering. How awkward.

"Sookie, beautiful Faerie Goddess of light. Will thee be my wife?" Eric started playing, much to my shock. Coby giggled boisterously. Whoa, Eric was really good 'round kids. That was a surprise within itself. Who would have ever thought? Definitely not me, that's for sure.

"You gotta answer, Aunt Sookie!" Coby prompted me excitedly. Clearly, he couldn't tell the difference from a real proposal and a silly, little game with a whole lot of pretending involved.

"Hmmm," I pretended to be extra thoughtful on it. I couldn't endure looking Eric in the face, it was too embarrassing for me, so I kept my eyes on Coby every single step of the way. Coby was literally hanging on my every word and holding his breath for the moment I said my answer. "Unfortunately, I can't accept tonight. The fangs are a little creepy to me, so I refuse your proposal, Mister Northman," I kept up, playing.

Coby gasped loudly and fixed his gaze on Eric interestedly. "Can I see your fangs?" Phew. I loved how short-minded children were.

"Of course you can, little human."

Coby laughed and shared an awed glance with me, when Eric got his fangs out. Warning bells went off in my head, when Coby reached up with his tiny fingers and stepped closer to where Eric was kneeling. I knew he wanted to touch Eric's fangs, just to know what they felt like, and though I couldn't blame the kid for getting curious, it still didn't seem too much of a great idea to me. Arlene never would have been able to forgive me, that's for sure. I had to be extra careful tonight, because it was my duty as babysitter for the evening.

"No, little darling," I said quickly, grabbing Coby's outstretched hand. "They're very sharp, and you might get prickled, all right?"

"Oh." Coby frowned sadly, giving me one of his very tempting looks that made me almost want to give in and just let him do as he pleases, because of it.

But luckily, Eric couldn't be swayed easily. "Sookie is right, little human."

I gave him a quick thankful look, still to anxious to look at him directly, then coaxed Coby into going out into the lounge room and sitting on the couch. He was far too excited over Eric being a vampire. He wouldn't sit still, even for a minute. It was like, to him, Eric was some animal that could do very amusing tricks at a circus show.

I still couldn't wrap my head around how great Eric was with little Coby. Though, initially stiff and appalled by him, he became gradually more and more playful with Coby as the night grew on. Coby was sprawled out on Gran's floor in the lounge on his tummy. He had all his colouring books out and pencils, and he was showing Eric with giddy excitement all the pictures he had coloured. Eric praised him to the heavens and acted amazed by Coby, even though as far as I could tell, he was hamming it up. He did a super great job, though. It got me wondering if Eric had children once in his very... long lifetime, before Godric made him into what he was.

I even asked him about it when he came into the kitchen and yanked open my refridgerator. Apparently, he had put a whole casket of True Blood in there and, I wasn't gonna lie, I found it a huge invasion of my privacy and personal space that he had done so without at least politely consulting me first.

"I've never liked children, Sookie, and I've never wanted them much, either," he answered, not bothering to hide his disgust, uncapping the bottle. "I have no patience for them. I would prefer to kill them." He took a big swig, and grunted in further disgust.

I couldn't understand why he forced himself into drinking that stuff, when he clearly didn't enjoy it. Then again, if I were ever vamp- which would always be highly unlikely to happen, in my eyes- I'd prefer True Blood over the real thing.

"You're real good with Coby, though," I pointed out appreciatively. "Better than I am."

"When you willingly submit yourself to their lower level, it becomes easier."

"I think you're just a big, old faker," I said, smiling fondly. "You like children, I bet. I think you'd make a real good Daddy." I said it before I even realized what I had said. It was too late to repair it now, though, and Eric had definitely heard it, clear as anything, with his acute hearing.

His mouth scrunched up in pure disgust, and he almost spit out his mouthful of True Blood. I had to stop myself from laughing, anyhow. He was so in denial, it was comical.

He certainly had the energy around kids, whereas I was all ready worn out, and it hadn't even reached nine for Arlene and Terry to pick him up yet.

Little Coby came into the kitchen shyly, peeking in on us to check and see what we were up to. He gazed up at me, hesitant.

"What is it, darling?" I asked gently.

"I... I need to pee-pee," he whispered sadly.

"Oh." I turned to Eric brightly. "You do the honours, Eric? Go help little Coby pee-pee, since you're both boys and all."

I almost laughed at the expression on his face. Clearly, he felt he was above and beyond that.

"All right," I murmured, catching the hint he was giving off crystal clear. "Come on, Coby." I grabbed his tiny hand and steered him out of the kitchen. "Aunty Sookie will help you pee-pee."

Arlene and Terry came to pick up Coby shortly after. I was real pleased to see them, when they entered the house. They really couldn't have come soon enough, and I was exhausted mentally by the whole thing. I found kids were a hard piece of energetic work. Little Coby had well and truly used up whatever little energy I had, and I was desiring nothing more than submitting myself into a long, deep sleep to recoup over the evening with him.

I introduced Eric to the pair and, much to my delight, he responded in such a polite and absolutely normal way, in shaking their hands and smiling nicely. Maybe he was hoping to score some brownie points?

Arlene shot me a very knowing look from over Eric's shoulder, because no doubt she instantly recognized him from work. Eric was hardly the sight to forget, anyhow.

Keyed-up with excitement, she grabbed my hand and whisked me into the kitchen.

"What's he doing here?" she asked, very interested. "I thought you were going steady with Hoyt?"

"I am, Arlene," I whispered back, frustrated. "Eric just decided to... call in." Like the sneaky vampire he was, and without my consent.

"Look." She showed me her left hand, twiddling her fingers in a very deliberate way. My eyes widened, and I almost shrieked in happiness for her. There was a big diamond ring on her finger, and I think I instantly came to understand just why Arlene had asked me to look after her son tonight. Her and Terry gotten engaged, and that was just lovely. "Ain't it great, Sookie?"

"Yes!" I hugged her real tight, in a congratulatory way. "About time, too!"

"We still don't know how to break it to Coby, though," she admitted, looking worried.

"Oh, Arlene. He's gonna throw a fit! He'll be so happy by the news!"

"You think so?" She whispered doubtfully.

I hugged her again, and laughed happily. "Yes!"

I got a bad feeling when we stepped back out into the loungeroom, because Terry and Eric were chatting.

Terry looked skin-crawlingly uncomfortable being near Eric, but he reacted well to their conversation and did his very best to hide it. It made it more obvious Eric was a vampire, because he still had his half-full bottle of synthetic blood in his hand, and he took a generous swig throughout the conversation from time to time. My stomach churned in uneasiness. I didn't know what Terry would think of that, I didn't even know whether he liked vampires or not, and whether he held the same sentiments for them as Jason and Hoyt did. Still, he ought to have been pleased had he known how great Eric was with his son tonight. No doubt Coby would be gushing about it on the ride home.

"Thank you both for lookin' after our boy tonight," Arlene said happily, and I swear, she melted when Eric nodded and bent down to pat Coby on the head, much like he was a dog. "I will see you very soon, Sookie," she cried over her shoulder at me gleefully. "No doubt, you'll be standing right next to me up at the altar!"

"Oh, I'd love that," I laughed excitedly. Weddings seemed to bring out the best in any girl.

"You two have fun. Don't go doing something I wouldn't do," Arlene said breathlessly, scanning her eyes down the front of Eric's chest, and she threw me a deviant wink for benefit. They left, and neither Eric nor I spoke until I heard their car pull out of Gran's driveway. Well, that was awkward. What did she think we'd do while alone like this? And, besides, I had Hoyt, as my boyfriend, and she well and truly knew so. It was just weirdness all around tonight.

"Well, thank God that's all over," I murmured, relieved. "No blood spilled whatsoever. I think that means it was a success, right?"

Eric didn't speak. I had a hopeful thought that just maybe he'd left me in peace, but that idea was thrown out of the window, when I turned and almost ran into him. He was standing more closer to me than I had realized. Being so tall the way he was, my eyes instantly landed on that chest of his. I brought my eyes up like a good girl, and looked at him. He had an intense gleam in his eyes, and he was standing absolutely still and just... watching me, which didn't do too well for my nerves.

Without thinking, I laid my hand on his chest, about the only thing closest to bare skin of him I could find, even though I felt it was inappropriate.

I wasn't doing it to be sexual in any way or to kind of get myself into a sticky situation; it was just because I wanted to see whether my mind-reading extended to vampires or not, and it sure would have been nice to know his thoughts. I wasn't hoping on it, though, because all those times before, I hadn't heard a single thing of Eric's thoughts. I was met with half-hearted disappointment when all I heard, was a distinctive deafening buzzing rise from my touching.

There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. I could not hear a single thing. And then, I was thrown into a sudden stab of guilt, because maybe I liked the way it felt with my hand touching his bare chest the way it was.

"If you want me, Sookie Northman, all you have to do is say so," he said suggestively, in a voice that was all kinds of temptingly seductive to my ears.

"Oh, excuse me," I said, recollecting myself, with a gasp of embarrassment. I quickly snatched my hand away and put it more decently on my stomach. "And besides, that wasn't why I was... doing that," I murmured tartly, feeling the need to explain and rectify the situation and my less than decent actions. "I just wanted to see whether I could read your thoughts, or not. I guess it definitely doesn't work on vampires, then." I shrugged, and looked away. "Only humans." That sucked, though.

I wouldn't have minded being able to hear a vampire's thoughts. I wondered idly how different it would be; Would they only be thinking of pulsating blood and gushing arteries while around a human? Or did they think just like regular humans?

"Pity, because I would not mind fucking you," he said huskily, in a way that shocked me.

"Hey, now. Don't you dare go talking dirty in front of me!" I told him sternly. "And besides, what're you doing in my Gran's house anyhow?" I ran my eyes down Gran's robe for good measure. "Why are you wearing my Gran's bath robe, of all things?" Not that I minded, when it gave me a chance to perve on that... I shook my head to clear that improper chain of thought, and gulped.

"I did not know what to wear."

"Well, Jason still has some of his clothes upstairs! You could have worn any of his clothes to cover yourself up!"

"With a body like this?" he teased, and he sure had a good point.

Hoyt. I threw my palm flat against the side of my forehead. Hoyt is my boyfriend. Remember him, Sookie?

"You like me dressed like this."

"I wouldn't even so much as touch your body with a five-inch pole!" I said, insulted.

"But you just did." Now he was going on with all that suggestive crap again. "With your hand. And you liked it."

"Yeah, uhm. Hoyt's meant to be coming around tonight," I told him meaningfully. "Which means you've got to leave my house. I can't have you here, Eric. Especially not dressed like that, so please... just leave. Now."

"No, I think I'd rather stay."

"I'd rather you not," I said anxiously, peering down at my hands. I couldn't even begin to imagine what Hoyt would think. It was just... wrong, Eric being here.

"I would very much like to see who this human of yours is," he said, morbidly curious infliction in his low voice. "It would make fantasizing about killing him that much easier to envision once I know for certain what he looks like."

My heart stopped for one single second. A cold chill trickled down my spine. "Now you're just being a nasty, sarcastic ass, Eric." I still wouldn't look at him. I was too scared to, because what if he was being completely serious on that? It was... freaky.

"Am I?" He grabbed the side of my chin, forced me to look up at him. "And does it seem like I am?"

It was far worse than I had thought, because it was all there, in his expression and in his eyes. He was being completely serious. That didn't sit well for me so good at all.

"You are mine, Sookie Northman."