"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Sookie glanced up from her book when she heard Eric's voice. She focused her eyes directly to the left of his head so she didn't have to look at him. "Nothing," she said. He raised one eyebrow.

"I do not have to be a mind reader to see that you're upset about something. You've been avoiding me all morning."

"Entertaining you wasn't part of our deal," she snapped.

"No, but this is not like you. If you tell me, perhaps I can help," his tone was playful and she seriously considered throwing her book at his head.

"You don't even know me. This is what I'm like." She went back to reading her book.

"What are you reading?" She sighed loudly and held the text up so he could see the title. He sat down next to her on the porch swing. "Is that one of those romance novels? Where the two people meet and fall in love and overcome insurmountable obstacles to be together?" The laughter was still in his voice.

"Yep."

"Is that what you want, Sookie? To live in a romance novel brought to life?" When she didn't answer he reached out his hand and tugged on her earlobe gently. "Hey," when she looked up he tilted his head. "Tell me what's wrong."

Sookie snapped her book shut. "Please don't do that, Eric."

"What?"

"Don't act like you care and be nice okay? This is a business deal. I do you a favor and in return you do me a favor. We don't have to pretend to enjoy it."

The screen door slammed shut behind her and Eric stretched his legs out in front of him and rocked slowly on the swing.

"Do you know where we're going?"

"Yes."

"You should slow down, you don't have vampire reflexes anymore; you're going to kill us."

"This is slower."

"Are you sure you know where we're going?"

"I kind of know where we're going."

Sookie sighed and leaned back against her seat. They had driven past Hotshot and were searching for the small town in which they were supposed to meet the man with information.

"You should have let me drive."

"Then we never would have gotten there." She smacked his arm and he smirked at her. "Well, at least when you start hitting me I know you're getting back to your normal, charming self."

She couldn't help but smile a little. "Don't," she warned.

"Don't what?" Eric turned the car onto a dirt road that looked exactly to Sookie like the last ten dirt roads they had passed. "Don't try to make me laugh. Just let me be mad at you."

He glanced over at her. "It would help if I knew why you were mad at me."

"Does it matter?"

"It certainly seems to, yes."

Eric had slowed the car down to an almost normal pace and Sookie began to get nervous as she sensed they were getting close to their destination.

"How much is this guy supposed to know?"

"I am not sure," his eyes were scanning the area around them carefully. "But he has information about the last place in which Jason was seen and the people that lived there, so it will be a start."

As they rounded a corner, a man came into view. He stood in the middle of a clearing, smoking a cigarette. His hairline was receding badly and his grey cotton t-shirt stuck to him in the heat of the sun.

Eric parked the car and looked over at Sookie. "Are you ready?" She studied her hands folded tightly in her lap and nodded. "I can go talk to him alone if you prefer," he offered.

"No," she took a deep breath and looked at Eric for the first time that day. "Let's do this together."

When the man noticed them walking toward him, he hurriedly threw his cigarette into the dirt and ground it with the tip of his boot.

"Hey ya'll," he called out and his voice sounded high, like a child's, though he looked to be in his late thirties. "You must be Eric," he shook Eric's hand emphatically and then turned to Sookie. "And you are…"

"Sookie Stackhouse," she told him, holding out her hand. "Jason's sister." She was disgusted to feel that his palm was as sweaty as his shirt looked, and when he released his grip she had to resist the urge to wipe her hand on her pants.

"Ah, that's the fella who's gone missing, huh? I'm real sorry miss."

Eric took a step closer. "I was told you could give us information about Hotshot and what might have happened to the man," he said and Sookie noticed that the sharp bite to his tone that had been absent was back.

"Mmhm," the man hummed, pursing his lips together. "That place sure has gone downhill since I left. Not that I was the one keeping it going, mind you, but still. Mmhm."

Eric and Sookie both stared blankly at him. When it became clear he wasn't going to elaborate, Eric tried again, "Right, well we need to know what was going on in the town. Who could have done something to Sookie's brother?"

"Oh, right, right." The man took out another cigarette and began sucking on it. "Well word is that old Felton went a little crazy. His ladyfriend left him for some outsider and he up and killed Calvin, he ran the town, a nice man that Calvin," he paused for a long moment. "Anyway, so he done shot Calvin dead and then took off with his lady. She didn't want to go neither, she wanted to stay with that boy but Felton made her."

"Do you know who the other man was? What he looked like? Anything?" Sookie wanted to shake the man to make him stop rambling.

"Sure don't." He held the cigarette between his teeth and swung it back and forth. "Not too many outsiders head into Hotshot though. I'm guessing it might have been your man."

"Do you know where they went?" Eric sounded as impatient as she felt.

"Now that I do not know. But you know what?"

He let his question hang in the air until Eric rolled his eyes and asked dryly, "What?"

"I bet old Carl knows about Felton! Now Carl, he never lived in Hotshot, on account of he's not a werepanther, but he and Felton have been friends since they was about five. They stayed in contact too. I just about bet that he knows where everyone is."

He scribbled down the address of the auto repair center Carl worked at and handed it to Eric.

"Thank you," Sookie said actually meaning it. "You've been a huge help to us."

She and Eric began walking to the car until the man called out, "I should probably warn ya'll though," they both turned back to look at him. "I heard Felton, he got mixed up in doing that vampire blood and that's what set him off. If he's still on it, ya'll better be real careful."

When they got back in the car Sookie was full of anxious energy.

"A werepanther on vampire blood? This just keeps getting more and more dangerous. Can we go find that other guy now?"

Eric's hands were gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. "I'd like to get some information about him first," he said. "I don't like to be impetuous about these things. Knowing who we're dealing with would be beneficial."

"But Eric," Sookie paused and considered her line of reasoning. She realized within seconds that Eric's argument was the most logic sequence of action. She also knew, however, that there was no logic that could contain her desperate need to find her brother. "Please?" She said, and her voice warbled.

Eric's eyes darted to her and then back to the road. He said nothing and she held her breath as he slowed the car and then deliberately turned it around.

"This may be dangerous," he warned.

"I'm not worried. We'll protect each other," she felt suddenly full of cheer at his concession.

Eric looked at her again and there was a flicker in his eyes she couldn't read, as if there were something on the tip of his tongue to say, yet he held back.

The rest of their drive was silent. Sookie tried to fumble with the radio, but as they drove deeper into the thickness of the trees all that the speakers produced was garbled static. The road they traveled on was shadowed by the overhanging limbs of foliage and the effect was sinister. Sookie unconsciously shrunk closer to Eric. Just when she thought the ominous combination of quiet and darkness would overwhelm her, Sookie let out a breath as the car entered a patch of road unobscured by trees. The radio, long since forgotten, let out a screech as a minister's voice came pouring through.

"These vampires are from hell and they will drag us to hell as the hounds of Satan unless we destroy them imed-"

Sookie's hand shot out and clicked off the sound. She looked at Eric from behind her lashes, feeling sheepishly ashamed of humans, but he was studying their surroundings and ignored the interruption. He pulled into a parking lot and set the emergency brake.

"I think," he said, his voice low and serious. "We are here."

Sookie looked at the deteriorating building in front of them. The bricks looked like they had once been painted a bright blue, but now they were faded and crumbling and the gray paint on the rest of the building was peeling away in giant strips. There were no other cars or signs of life in the lot.

"Do you think it's still open? I mean it looks pretty…" as she was speaking a man walked out of the building, wiping his hands on a rag smudged with grease. "Oh," Sookie breathed. The man was massive: not as tall as Eric but with a wider chest, vein-injected arms, and a neck as thick as a tree trunk.

"Is that Carl?" Sookie's voice had a slight twinge of hysteria in it. "I thought he was just supposed to be human?"

Eric's eyes never left the man. "I would prefer if you would stay in the car, is that a possibility?"

"No," Sookie said firmly and Eric exhaled.

"I suspected as much. Tread very carefully here, Sookie."

Their car doors clicked open at the same time. Instead of feeling comforted by the beams of the sun, Sookie found sweat began to immediately trickle down her back and pool under her breasts. They began to approach the man.

"Carl?" Eric called out and Sookie was proud to hear how steady and assured his voice sounded.

"Who's asking?" They stood in front of the stranger and Sookie studied up close the ropey map of his bulging veins and the way his stump of a neck seemed to meld into his torso. She glanced down at the way his jeans clung to his muscular thighs and blushed as she wondered if what she had heard about steroids was true. She reached out with her mind and was reassured to realize that he was, indeed, human.

"I am Eric and this is Sookie."

The man squinted at them. "Ya'll need me to look at the piece of junk you're driving?" He motioned toward Sookie's car and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'd suggest you just give up and get a new one. That thing looks like it's had it."

Sookie took a moment to feel grateful that Eric was too focused to gloat at the man's comments about her car, but she suspected he'd bring it up later.

"No, we're looking for my brother," she said sharply and Eric slanted a look at her. She wondered if it was difficult for him to adjust to negotiating as a human rather than a thousand year old vampire who could get whatever he wanted.

Eric continued, "He had ties to Hotshot, to a man named Felton. We were told to come see you. We just want any information you can provide to help us find Felton so we may talk to him."

"What are you, cops?" The man growled and Sookie almost smiled at the image of she and Eric as partners in the law.

"No, and I do not care what the man is involved in. We are only interested in finding her brother."

"You dumbshits got no idea what you're getting yourselves into."

"Werepanthers?" Sookie challenged and she felt a thrill of satisfaction at the look of astonishment on Carl's face. It drained from her quickly when she saw the man's expression harden.

"You get the fuck off my property. I ain't telling you shit." She saw him reflect on a gun he had stashed away inside.

"Let's be reasonable," she said taking a step forward and holding her hands up in a peaceful gesture. "We just want to talk. I understand Felton might be in some trouble, but maybe we can help. We don't want any problems. Why don't you just calm down and talk to us?"

"I have a better idea: why doesn't pretty boy over here take a fucking hike, and you and me can get busy not talking."

He grabbed her wrist and yanked her to him and she instinctively struck out blindly against him, grazing his jaw. In his shock he released her and she scrambled away from him.

"You bitch!" He thundered and snatched at her again. Her shirt tore as he pulled on it and she squeezed her eyes shut as his closed fist descended upon her.

Eric's hand clamped the man's forearm in a vice grip. Sookie could see his muscles rippling and clenching with the effort of holding the man back and she realized the last time her vampire had fought as a human had been over a thousand years ago, and he had probably used swords and ships and armor back then.

Carl dropped her and she staggered, falling onto her back in the dirt. Eric's eyes swept over her to access her damage and she wailed as Carl's fist collided with his face. Eric was more prepared for the second blow and he dodged and managed to land his own strike. The men circled each other, jabbing and weaving while Sookie wondered desperately what she should do.

Carl took a running leap at Eric and collided with his stomach, wrapping his bulging arms around him and tackling him to the ground. They wrestled and rolled around and the air filled with grunts and the sounds of flesh connecting with flesh and Sookie could barely perceive who was who. Finally, Eric crouched over Carl, punching him relentlessly. Carl's legs kicked desperately and one of them came into contact with Eric's knee. Eric grunted and dropped and Carl took the opportunity to leap on top of him. He grabbed Eric by the collar of his shirt and violently slammed his head onto the earth. Eric struck at his opponent's face and blood gushed out of Carl's nose. Sensing his hesitation, Eric shoved the heavy man with all his might and Carl flew back, landing with a crunch.

He rolled over, coughed, and began to crawl away. 'Goddamn Felton! Getting me mixed up in his shit! I'm going to kill him on Monday!'

Eric stood and began to chase after the retreating figure, but Sookie ran in front of him and put her hand on his chest.

"Stop, stop!" She yelled. "You beat him and we got what we need, let's go!" Eric's body practically vibrated with adrenaline from the altercation and she knew he wanted to go after Carl, to finish the fight. He snarled and she recognized that his instincts worried about her and Carl warning Felton and the animal inside of him told him to finish the other man so they could be safe.

"Eric," she said, then she sensed what Carl was doing inside the building, felt the cool steel of the gun as it warmed in his hand. "Eric!" Her voice was a shriek as she pushed at his solid form. "Go, go! Run to the car. He has a GUN!"

Eric's eyes met hers and although she was the one yelping for him to hurry, it was he who grabbed her hand and practically carried her to the car. He opened the door and she dove in and climbed to the passenger seat. She was still half crouched when Eric gunned the engine and the tires squealed as the car took off. Sookie flew backward and knocked against the dashboard and she got the perfect view of Carl running out of the building, bloodied and aiming his gun at them. She ducked and heard shots ring out, but the car continued its trajectory down the road.

Sookie settled back into her seat and took a few deep breaths. She glanced over at Eric and gasped.

"Oh my God, Eric!" His shirt looked almost black from the saturation of blood and his face and hands looked sticky and swollen. "Eric, pull over."

"No."

"Eric, pull over I have to drive! You need to get to a hospital or-"

"Sookie," for the first time she realized his voice was trembling with repressed rage. "Sit down."

She sat.

When Eric walked up her porch stairs, he was noticeably stiffer and slower than usual. He walked inside and sat gingerly on a kitchen chair. He had not said a word the entire ride home. Sookie had never seen him look like this; she felt like crying.

"My God, Sookie," he began and she interrupted.

"I know, I know I'm sorry!" She fluttered around the kitchen pulling out bandages and antiseptics. "This is all my fault!"

Eric studied her from behind a swollen eyelid. "I was going to say," he said slowly, stretching his sore muscles. "My God, Sookie, is this how you always feel when you get hurt?"

She laughed in surprise. "Well, yes after a night out with you or Bill definitely."

He was serious. "Well for that I apologize." He looked down at his damaged body in astonishment. "This is awful! I can hardly stand it! I don't know how you manage everyday!"

She laughed again and began to dab at his wounds. "Well I don't get beat up by a giant everyday like you did, so it's usually not so bad." She paused as she worked on a cut at his eyebrow. "I'm so sorry, Eric."

"For what?"

"This," she motioned to his predicament. "It's all my fault. You wanted to wait until we had backup but I insisted we go and then I couldn't shut my mouth." She set to work scrubbing at an abrasion near his hairline.

"Sookie," his hand on hers stilled her motions. "This is not your fault. You did not force me into anything. Do not be so hard on yourself."

"But you were so angry in the car."

"Yes," he chuckled bitterly. "At that idiot for trying to hurt you, at myself for being unable to stop him," he looked down again. "At my body for betraying me in this way. I never would have let him touch you before, but today I was not fast enough, I was not strong enough."

"Eric, you won the fight," she put her hand on her hip to try and make him smile. "You don't have to kill someone to be the winner."

Eric shook his head. "I'm sorry I failed you," he said deliberately. "I was not enough today."

She brushed a lock of blond hair away from his cut and her fingers lingered on the silky strands. "You were enough for me," she said. She began to put the cream on his cuts. "That's the biggest human fight I've ever seen."

"It did not go completely badly," he admitted. "But perhaps I should spend some time at a gym or a class to reintroduce my body to human fighting skills."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "I thought you were only spending a few days as a human," she teased. "Doesn't that seem a bit excessive for a few measly days as a weakling?"

"Around you a few days can spell a lifetime of trouble," his eyes grinned at her. "And I mean that as a compliment."

She couldn't help but smile as she tended to his wounds. "Only you would think getting into fights and being shot at is fun."

"There is nothing like a good fight and besides," he smiled broadly at her. "Life would be boring without some action now and then."

"Oh I don't know," she said moving to clean out his bruised knuckles. "Boring might be nice."

He looked at her intently. "Is that what you want, Sookie? A boring life?"

She rubbed a deep gash on his hand and he automatically hissed in pain. Without thinking, she bent and pressed her lips to the spot. At the first contact they both froze. Without removing her lips, she raised her eyes to meet his. He sat rigidly in the chair and there was no sign of the smirk she had expected to find. She straightened but found she could not tear herself away from the pull of his gaze.

"Sookie," he said hoarsely and that one word held a lifetime of the world's mysteries.

He reached up to stroke her cheek, but as soon as he touched her she reeled back as if she had been burned. She hurriedly gathered the first aid equipment in her arms, not bothering to pick up the pieces she dropped, and mumbled something about cleaning up.

She rushed to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Panting as though she had run a race, she collapsed onto the floor and put her head in her hands.

'This is Eric we're talking about for God's sake.' She did not fantasize about kissing Eric. Eric did not have this effect on her. 'Except when I do. And except when he does.' She sighed and tried to comfort herself with the excuse of the blood exchange. 'Does that still count now that he's been cursed?' She thought the answer was probably not and the pit in her stomach grew as she considered that she might actually have serious feelings for Eric.

She reminded herself of how miserable she had been with Bill; how she had been lied to and felt looked down upon and never had the chance of a normal life. She didn't want that again. But maybe with Eric it would be different. He was so sweet sometimes and even though he could be a jackass, she never questioned that he cared for her. Still, she thought, caring does not equal love and she was uncertain that the Viking could love anyone or if he would ever let himself try. Could he ever be a boyfriend in the true sense of the word? Could any vampire?

But Eric was human now, she reasoned. And the past few days with him had been more fun than she had experienced in a long time; Good fun, fun that consisted of jokes and secret glances and nudges and real conversations. Who else did she have that with?

She looked at the closed bathroom door as if she expected Eric to materialize in front of her. She sat in numb silence for a while without thinking any coherent thoughts. Eric may not be a vampire right now, but he would be again and that's what he wanted. Could she be with another lover in whose world she would never truly belong? Maybe she did want that boring life that Eric had scoffed at. Was it so crazy to long for marriage and children and a life that didn't involve her fearing for her safety?

She stood up and walked over to the sink, running some cold water over her face. She knew that her head and her heart were running in two completely different directions and she'd have to pick a side soon.

When she looked up in the mirror she took in her tousled hair and bright eyes and she realized with a pang that she barely recognized herself.