Thanks so much for all the reviews! Every time I read one, it inspires me to write more so please keep them coming! - R

The sun slanting through her blinds created a blocked pattern of light across her face, waking Sookie the next morning. Expecting it to still be night, she blinked in surprise at her natural alarm clock and gingerly stretched her sore muscles. She had stayed up for hours waiting for Eric to return, sitting on the couch anxiously replaying their stormy encounter on loop in her mind. She must have eventually fallen asleep, curled in a ball on her worn-in sofa, a position for which her cramped body was now thanking her.

The house was silent around her and she wondered if Eric was still sleeping, assuming he had snuck in while she was passed out in the living room. She tiptoed over to his room and felt her stomach drop at the sight of the empty and untouched bed. He had never come home. He stayed out all night. Her mind began to race. There were a million things that could have happened to him; a myriad of horrific possibilities clawed at her.

She sank onto the bed and covered her face with her hands. 'This is all my fault.' If only she hadn't pushed him, hadn't let her frustration snap her composure. 'If only he wasn't so damn stubborn.' She only wanted what was best for him. Sure, for some reason the idea of him leaving her to return to his undead existence resulted in an ache in her chest that constricted her breathing, but she wasn't trying to force him into anything. She honestly believed that as much as she had enjoyed having him around, he had loved it even more. The happiness, humor, and energy he had shown lately spoke volumes to her. Never in her wildest dreams, and some of her nighttime fantasies had been pretty wild, had she imagined that the vampire sheriff could be so fun and sensitive. He had spent over a thousand years as a heartless killer and in a matter of days he had acclimated to human life beautifully. She wasn't asking him to remain human; she was simply requesting that he take the time to think about his options before just assuming he had to resume his position at Fangtasia. And if she hoped that he chose life, well no one could blame her for that, but she would support any decision he made. Besides, she told herself, it didn't really matter to her what he ultimately did, she was purely thinking in his interest and if he became a vampire again, that would just mean her life would go back to normal.

Her eyes rose slowly as she heard the front door open. "Eric?" She stood and walked toward the sound. "Eric, is that you?"

She stopped when she saw him, waiting silently for her. "You're home," she said and he nodded curtly. "Where were you all night?"

"Out," his voice had that telltale lack of emotion to it and she sighed.

"Out where?" When he didn't answer she frowned at him. "Going back to Shreveport is dangerous, Eric. That witch and Yvetta and God knows who else is probably looking for you there."

"I didn't go to Shreveport. I was just out." His eyes never settled on her. Her mind wandered to the possibility that he had spent the evening with another woman, and jealously flamed up within her. Annoyed with herself and confused by the onslaught of emotions, she tried unsuccessfully to ignore them.

"Wandering around at night was a stupid idea. Anyone could have seen you, Bill or another vampire or even another supernatural thing that wants you dead. You risked your life, you know, so I hope it was worth it."

"No one saw me."

"How do you know that," she growled in frustration. "Where did you go? Did you stay up the whole night?" He was still looking past her into the backyard. "Eric, I was worried! I mean, I'm sorry about last night, I wish we hadn't argued that way, but that's no excuse to just run off. Anything could have happened to you and I'd have no way of knowing or helping you. I mean," she broke off and followed his gaze to the backyard. "What is that?"

"A punching bag. I asked Pam to bring one over."

"You set up a punching bag in my backyard to exercise?"

"Yes."

She opened her mouth to speak, but at the look on his face, she shut it.

"Okay."

Eric's hands burned from the impact of the tough exterior of the bag. He had wrapped his knuckles, but still they ached, and he embraced the pain. As a vampire he had experienced pain, of course, but to a lesser extent and the quickness of his healing made him hardly notice little injuries. This human hurt, the blood swelling and rushing to his extremities, felt exhilarating and real. The sting in his hands, the stitch in his lungs, the bite in his arms, all communicated that he was alive.

He ducked to avoid an imaginary assailant and jabbed at the bag. It swayed under the impact and he let it knock back into him, pushing him off balance so he had to work to recover his stance to land the next hit. He knew Sookie thought this was unnecessary and bizarre, and she was probably right, but he enjoyed the exercise.

Sleep tugged at his brain, but he brushed it away. He didn't want to waste the daylight being dead to the world; there would be time for that soon. He felt badly for worrying Sookie, but his guilt annoyed him. What right did she have to know his whereabouts at all times? She wasn't his, he wasn't hers, they were…He didn't really know what they were. It was clear that the woman cared for him, but he had known that as a vampire. Now, however, he felt it was something more. He wished ruefully that he had the connection with her to sense her emotions. She could slingshot from one feeling to the next so quickly he found it impossible to keep up.

She wanted him to stay human, that much was certain. And she thought he wanted that as well. He struck the bag violently. As if she knew him; as if anyone did. Pam was the closest one to ever understanding him and even she never fully grasped what went on in his head. To be honest, even he was having trouble recognizing what he wanted. He felt torn and uncertain, emotions that he was unused to withstanding. He was always the one who knew what he was doing, who had a plan and remained logical above all else. He didn't know if it was being human or being around Sookie or a combination of the two, but he felt so unlike himself he itched to jump out of his skin.

He had little use for emotions at Fangtasia, but here he found that he interacted easily with them. It was almost enough to make him wonder what remaining human would be like. But he would fail at that, he knew it in his bones. He couldn't be like Sookie and let his feelings rule him and consume him completely, then where would his logic be? His order? No, humanity was a dangerous thing for him and a state of being that eluded him.

Still, parts of Sookie's berating last night resonated with him. There were parts of him, parts that he had been doing his best to ignore, that questioned, that yearned. The chain that held the bag screeched under his assault. It really wasn't like he had a choice, though; that's what Sookie didn't understand. If he stayed human, Pam and Chow and others would be in grave danger and he would be hunted down by enemies. He would never be safe and he would never fit in. There would always be a part of him that longed for the night. He wondered fleetingly which desire was worse: his craving for the sun or his love of the vampire world. Brushing these thoughts aside, he hit the bag again. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter anyway. Sookie just had to realize that. He didn't have a choice so why bring up the pain of considering?

Sookie heard the shower start when Eric came back inside and she tried not to sigh in contentment at having him in the house. Having lived with Gran and largely with Bill toward the end of their relationship, she had forgotten how lonely the house got when it was just her. It was nice to have someone else around, even if he was itching to die and get away from her. She rolled her eyes at the dark thought and settled onto the couch with a book.

"Another romance novel?" Sookie jumped at the sudden voice and then grinned up at Eric. He was standing at the end of the couch with a glass of water. The clean smell of him wafted over to her and she inhaled greedily. He had thrown on a pair of jeans and a shirt, but droplets continued to fall slowly from his hair, leaving dark spots on the cotton.

"Geez, Eric, you're definitely still a master of that whole silent vampire thing; I didn't even hear you walking around."

"Too engrossed in your literature." There was something underneath his lighthearted tone, a satirical criticism, and she blinked at him uncertainly.

"Yeah, well, it's a good book," she said, a small smile still hopefully gracing her lips.

"World-changing, I assume."

She closed the book and rose, not wanting to fight again. "You can borrow it when I'm through," she meant it as a joke, missing the easy banter that had defined their days together, but he narrowed his eyes at her.

"As if I would be interested in such banal human dribble?"

She leaned against the arm of a chair and realized that although the smile was still on her face, it had morphed into a grimace. "Of course not. You're way above human exploits such as love and romance." She took a breath, tried to steal herself away from this argument he obviously wanted to have. "Do you want to talk about last night," she asked.

"Simply because I think your ideas of partnership are unrealistic and childish does not mean I wish to sit with you and talk about my feelings."

"Yeah, because you're such an expert on relationships," she snapped.

He smirked at her and gave her body a lingering look. She could almost feel the caress and against her better judgment, her body responded. "Tell me something, Sookie," his voice was low and exotic and he sauntered slowly to her, 'Like a lion stalking its prey,' she thought suddenly, until he was towering over her and the scent of him overwhelmed her senses.

"What if I was like the men in your stories?" He leaned close to her, his breath stirring against her cheek. "What if I told you that I love being human and will stay like that, simply for the joy of being with you," her eyes widened as his lips brushed her ear seductively. "Then would you sleep with me?"

Feeling as though she had been punched in the stomach, Sookie reeled back and her palm connected violently with his left cheek. His head fell sideways and at the stinging sound of the blow, Sookie's hands covered her mouth in horror.

Eric looked back at her with gleaming eyes, and although his cheek showcased the red imprint of her palm, the smug grin remained on his face.

"Isn't that what you're waiting for me to say, Sookie?" he sneered. "Wouldn't I be the perfect man for you if I did? Delicate and guileless and spineless?"

"Loving someone does not make you spineless," she said through gritted teeth.

"No, Bill certainly had some spunk to him, didn't he?"

She didn't realize she had raised her hand to strike again, until he grasped her wrist, tightly but not painfully. She glowered up at him.

"I cannot be the man that you dream of," he hissed at her. "I cannot fulfill you and be your everything."

She struggled against his hold, but he held fast. "I only want you to fulfill yourself," she said angrily, pushing at his chest with her free hand.

"I have been this way for over a millennium."

"People can change," she cried out. "You're not the heartless bastard you try to be. There's love in you!"

He released her and they glared at each other. He opened his mouth to speak, but before a sound emerged, his cell phone let out a shrill cry from his pocket. He gave her a look to communicate that their discussion was not over, then clicked his phone open.

"Northman," he barked and she watched as he listened to the caller. His face grew dramatically serious, and she felt her anger replaced by concern. "Excellent," he said into the line. "Tell Pam I am pleased and I await further word." He shut the phone and threw it onto the couch.

At her curious look he said, "That was Bobby. Pam has captured Yvetta. She was the last puzzle piece the witch needed to reverse the spell. A potion will be made to restore me in a few days," his voice was strangely flat and all the frustration and anger had drained from the room. Eric looked drawn and pale. He looked around the room, his eyes never settling on anything. "Soon this will all be over."

Feeling chilled, Sookie wrapped her arms around herself. "So you've made your decision then."

When he looked at her, his face held none of the contempt that had been broadcasted moments ago. "You cannot expect a few days as a human to alter me so greatly."

"You cannot deny that it has." He averted his face sullenly and she sighed. "I don't want to fight with you, Eric. I shouldn't have said things the way I did. I don't have expectations for you, but as someone who cares for you," he looked back at her but said nothing. "I want you to think about what's best for YOU for once, no more sacrificing." The muscles in his jaw flexed. "You've been a vampire for a thousand years. Do you want something different? Do you want to live forever?" Her voice was soft and unthreatening. "Do you even think about what your life could be like if you stayed a human?"

He fixed her with his blue stare, but they looked right past her, as if he was seeing a future or alternate world play out in front of him. Torment skittered across his face as his eyes took in the imaginary scene.

"I think about it," he said finally, his voice husky. "I think about it all the time."

Suddenly, Sookie could not think of a single thing to say.