"Fae," a voice softly calls.

I grumble, flipping over to bury my head into the bedding. There was a faint chuckle before I slipped off back to sleep. After a while, I woke on my own. It was a rare and cherished thing. Groaning, I sat up. Where the hell am I?

The room looked familiar. It was clearly a motel room of sorts. My heels were by the door as I sat up on the bed. I was clear of the dress. My dress was conveniently draped over a chair. The jeans and few shirts on the dresser said it was a man's room. It may also be the masculine scent in the blankets around me.

Silence filled the room. After getting up to use the bathroom, I found out I was alone. I returned to the bed, relaxing against the headboard and pillows to watch TV. I couldn't honestly remember the last time I had watched TV outside of Jason's place.

Light blinded me a moment as the door opened a bit into some random TV drama that was re-running on a local channel. Ben smiled at me as he slipped in, shutting the door and kicking off his shoes by my heels.

"Finally up?"
I blink with a faint frown as I look at him, attempting to remember. "How'd I get here?"

He comes closer, dropping to sit on the bed where he could see the TV and curl a leg up to face me a bit better. A small box was rested in his lap. His smile slipped a bit as he searched my eyes.

"How do you feel?"

"Perfectly fine. Should I not?"

"According to Lafayette and his friend Jesus, you had a rather exciting night."

My head tilts, eyes slipping to the side in thought. I remembered flying to the party after being a bit too tipsy to drive.

"What do you remember?"

I let out a breath. "I remember starting out at the college district in some frat party. Then a number of us left for a bigger party in the woods. They had a stronger selection of alcohol than beer there, lots more space and people. I remember getting drunk, accepting food from some stoners. And I remember meeting…."

I run off, eyes flicking down to flit over the bedspread in racing thoughts. It was images and snippets of sound. Ben frowned. The small pressure came and I shot a hand up, eyes squeezed shut.

"Stop. It hurts when people try to read my mind. Just… Sorting it out. I think I had some sort of psychedelic in that sandwich."

The pressure did stop, allowing me to focus on the thoughts. My chin lifts, lightly frowning as I looked toward Ben but not at him.

"It was the oddest thing ever. One moment I'm dancing and the next I get the strangest feeling. A man with white hair was just standing in the middle of the crowd. He seemed concerned with me eating? And he said how…"

My eyes snapped wipe, hand rising to cover my mouth as I replayed the moment.

"He said?"

My head shook, looking to him again. "He said I was lucky. I didn't get to ask more. He slipped off in a sort of rush. And I went out for more of those sandwiches since he reminded me of food. That's about where it gets out of sorts and mostly blank."

He frowns, eyes searching my own. "What did the man look like? Can you show me?"

I frown. "You mean show you?" Two fingers tap at my temple to clarify.

He moves closer, placing the box to the side on the nightstand. "It will be quick and as painless as I can make it."

I stiffen, ready to push from the bed. But his hand touched my brow. My eyes rolled up, that moment of when I saw the man practically relived. A cry left me in the same breath, hands latching up to grasp at the hair on my head as if to pull what ever caused my pain out.

It snapped, the connection to that illogically clear memory. I dropped back, panting for air through my mouth as I felt the liquid from my nose. I tasted the blood down the back of my throat.

"Fae? Fae!"

Ben was quick to grab hold of my hands, stopping me from hurting myself. He seemed to try not to touch the blood from my nose. Ben let out a low curse, grabbing a towel to pinch my nose and help stem it. It was another moment before my wits returned, eyes flashing wide a few times as if to clear what ever it was. My hand was trembling as it rested over his hand.

He seemed to relax, jaw a bit tense still.

"Are you alright?"

I nod, pain quickly receding. The blood was mostly clotted up. Thankfully it wasn't a long one, like others of late. Calmed, I shifted a little up, pulling the towel away and giving a few good wipes with clean sections to help get up any that was still wet. I knew it was a mess. But I didn't meet his eyes, hand clenching tight on the towel. That too vibrant red was impossible to hide. Ben's eyes were on it as well.

I knew he heard my thoughts of the man. Knew he heard the realization of who the man was. Knew he felt that odd change of pain turned to powerful perfection with a motion of the man. And, I knew that he had trusted me and Sook with what he was.

My hand loosened, letting the bloody clothe show clear.

"I told you, I'm the weird one, not Sook," I whisper. There was a hint of shame that I hadn't felt in such a long time.

"That's hardly as weird as you think," he lightly speaks, drawing my eyes to him.

I met them, a sort of hope burning.

"The way you spoke with Sookie made it seem like so much more."

My head shook slowly, brows pinching down. "No. That's not what we spoke of. That's part of what's been making me sick."

He frowned, listening. I let out a breath, searching his eyes.

I utter at nearly a whisper, "You promise you wont tell anyone? You wont even talk to Sook about it?"

He leaned in, grasping my bloody hand with his. My blood was thick in our joined hands, not nearly as sticky as clotting blood should have been. I didn't look from his eyes.

"I'm not even sure if I count as human any more. And that's what scares me."

His hand gave a firm squeeze of steady pressure to assure me he was listening, that he was there. My hand squeezed back, taking a shuddering breath.

"Yesterday I received a call when I was leaving here. A man who seemed to know too much about something I'd only mentioned in passing with Sook in privacy." His brow was furled, lips thinning a bit as he listened. "That was the man at the party. Instinctively, I knew it was him. And I know who he is to me."

"Your father."

I frown darkly, hand giving a harsher clench for a moment to hold back the stab of emotion it brought.

"Sperm donor at best. My father was Antony. Antony raised me, not that man."
My eyes opened, searching his. I was dragging it out. I didn't want to say it. It still sounded stupid. Even now. Spit it the fuck out, Fae!

"You don't have to tell me," he offers. Honest.

It was an easy out that I was willing to take. He knew the differences of it, but had no name for it. Either way he knew. My eyes looked to my bloody hand, gently pulling it away to move the towel and clear a bit more from my hand.

"Apparently that's why my step father was so set on teaching me about not getting too close with vampires." I give him a wry smile, glancing up. The towel and hand offered out for pointed view. "Almost looks fake really. Hard to explain why you're too warm and your blood is different."

His hand reached out, firmly taking mine.

"Smart man," he attempts to chuckle to lighten the mood.

I meet his eyes, not flinching away as I saw the easy smile that I'd started to look forward to over the time of knowing him. It brought my own easy smile, eyes locked to him.

"But."

He lifts my hand, the blood so stark on my pale flesh. It looked odd to see my strange blood on his hand with that more lifelike tone. Our hands were in the air, splayed wide toward each other.

I jerked, alarmed. Light emitted from his hand. I calmed as his eyes didn't look from mine, smiling warmly still. His eyes pointedly looked to my bloody hand. The blood on my hand seemed to glow and shine too as his light touched it. It was reacting to his, glittering with bits of darkness.

"You're still at least a bit like Sookie and I. There is Fairy in your blood."

I pulled my hand away, amazed as I looked at it. Out of his light, it looked as vibrant as ever.

"Can I do that?" I suddenly question, looking to him with searching eyes. "The light?"

He gives a low chuckle, shifting closer so our hips touched and I could close the gap and press against him. His hand held out in a way that clearly meant to mimic.

"Focus on all your happiest thoughts, memories. All of your brightest burning emotions and thoughts. And focus it to your hand with the thought of the light of the sun."

My eyes turned to my hand. Nothing. Frowning, I let out a breath and closed my eyes to better focus.

Memories of laughing in the sun as I ran with Jason. Laughing as Sook and I swam when we were supposed to be doing chores. Earl Stackhouse showing me how to paint while mom was out some place. Antony. Sook's smile as we shared a meal upon my return. Jason and I snuggled on the couch with a beer and horror movie.

I focused on that.

"There it is," Ben proudly states.

My hand felt warm, like it was sitting out in the blazing sun. My eyes opened. It wasn't nearly as bright or as encompassing as his had been. It seemed to sputter a bit before dying. The blood still on my hand lit up again, slowly fading to usual.

I laugh, happily leaning forward to tap my shoulder on his. "I'll just have to jot that down on the list of awesome."

"Along with that secret power?" He was teasing back.

"Oh." I let out a laugh, bloody hand waving as if to apologize. "I almost forgot you still didn't know. I can show you later." The still bloody hand raises to tap two fingers on my temple. "Don't want another nose bleed just yet."

"And if I trusted you with a secret?"

"Then it would still be your secret, not mine to share."

He looks to me, seeming contemplative. There looked like a deal of hesitance was there. After a moment, he found his decision. Eyes locked to mine, face rather clear of his smile and any hint of frown, he lifted his hand with my blood on it. I watched in curiosity as he opened his mouth.

I sat a little stunned as he gave a long lick up his hand, clearing blood from the palm. Those pearly white fangs almost as mesmerizing as him licking his palm. There was a long slow moment were my mind was so focused on that tongue. Fangs. Blood. Vampire…

I frown, leaning forwards. My hands rested on his thigh and knee, holding up most of my weight as I looked closely at those now faintly bloody fangs. Vampire. Ben was a vampire.

But he was…a fairy.

Ben is a vampire.

I hadn't realized one hand had lifted, his own stilled and clear of my way.

But Ben was out in the light with me. On multiple occasions. He was warm. He wasn't really cold.

I stilled, hand cupping his cheek and jaw. My thumb rested at his lower lip, shy of a fang. I looked up, meeting his eyes. There was an unspoken acceptance on my part. And he seemed fine with it. I smiled, hair falling over my shoulder as I leaned in.

I pushed my lips against his, shifting forward to sit in his lap with my legs around and behind him. He let out a growling moan, holding me to him as we parted lips to deepen the kiss. I felt those fangs with my tongue, not minding when they knicked my lip or tongue. It seemed to please him. He was hungrily kissing back and taking dominance of the kiss.