Disclaimer: Everything in the Southern Vampire Mysteries universe belongs to Charlaine Harris.

A/N: I'm not sure what I think of this one. There are parts I like and parts I don't. I tried to make it a little longer than normal to make up for not being able to update last week while I was on vacation.

Theme 10: Breathe Again

POV: Sookie

Rating: T

What Did You Do?

Amelia called to tell me she was coming to visit me. I had asked her to meet me for lunch in Shreveport, since that was where I was spending most of my time these days. She told me that that would work well for her, too since she was planning of visiting Tray's grave anyway. What she failed to mention was that she was bringing someone along with her.

The man, I assumed it was a male, you could never be too sure with some types of supes, was one of the stranger beings I had encountered in some time. His skin was the color of café au lait but was covered by an intricate pattern in blue that even crept across his face and over the top of his bald head. I couldn't help staring, rude as it may be until Amelia was amused enough to introduce her guest, "Sookie, I'd like you to meet Amani, I believe he's probably the first of his kind you've ever met. He's the first of his kind I've ever met."

"If you don't mind me asking, Amani, what exactly are you?" I couldn't think of a more polite way to phrase such a question.

Amelia answered for him, "Amani is a djinn."

"A djinn? You mean like a genie?"

Amelia smiled while Amani gave the impression that he would like to roll his eyes but both nodded. I couldn't help the string of questions that came out of my mouth, "So do you grant people's wishes? How does it work? You don't actually live in a lamp do you?"

Amelia laughed out loud, "I asked that last question, too."

"It doesn't work quite the way it does in current pop culture," Amani spoke for the first time, "I do not live in a lamp and I do not grant my master three wishes. As a matter of fact, I have no master. I may choose to bless or curse anyone I please."

That sounded fairly ominous, "Bless or curse?"

Amani nodded again, "It depends on the person's personality. What I do is look into a person's soul and see their greatest desire. I can choose to make it come true or not. For some, having their greatest wish come true is a blessing. For others, those who are selfish or cruel, however, it usually ends up as a curse. Many people do not realize what their greatest desire actually is."

"Have you seen mine?" I couldn't say that I knew what my greatest wish was. It would be interesting to find out.

"I have," Amani informed me, "and I have chosen to grant it, for it intrigues me. Most people wish for something a little more permanent."

With that cryptic answer he refused to say more about what he had seen in me until we were parting ways. He then spoke, "You will find your desire shortly. You have until midnight tomorrow night. I hope you use it well."

I puzzled over what that could mean on my way back to Eric's house. It didn't take me long to figure it out once I got there. Though it was still mid-afternoon, Eric was sitting on his sofa, looking closer to panicked than I have ever seen him before. He also looked human. His skin was still pale, but not as pale as it normally was. He was taking deep breaths as if after so many years of breathing being unnecessary to him, he had forgotten how to do it. I stared dumbfounded for a moment before saying, "Oh. So that's what he meant?"

"What who meant?" asked Eric, the panic on his face being replaced with a reproving look, "What do you mean? Did something happen while you were out? What did you do?"

Now Eric wasn't usually one to ask a series of questions without waiting for answers so I knew just how great a shock this was to him, "I met a djinn."

"And you wished me human?!"

"Not exactly," I replied, "besides, it's only temporary."

He narrowed his eyes briefly, "What do you mean, 'not exactly'?"

"He said he looked into my soul and saw my greatest desire. He chose to grant it because he was amused that a human would want something so temporary. I didn't actually have a clue what he meant until I got here."

"And you do now?"

I nodded, "I've always wondered what you would be like if you were human. My wish must have been to have the chance to spend one day with you as normal humans. I wonder if that means I've lost my telepathy, too."

Eric appeared to be less concerned by this than by finding out how long he would remain human, "So, it's going to last for one day?"

"And change," I answered, "Amani, that's the djinn, said it would end at midnight tomorrow night."

Eric gave a discontented sigh, "Fine. I will call Pam and inform her that I will not be at Fangtasia tonight or tomorrow."

"I didn't know this could actually happen," I replied, for I could tell he was angry; he wasn't using contractions, "I didn't even know that djinn actually existed until today. And you can't fault me for wanting to know what a normal human relationship is like. I've never had one."

"Just try to stay out of trouble until I'm back to normal."

"Who, me?" I asked as sweetly as I could.

He couldn't help the grin that came over his face. At that moment I knew he was no longer mad; still worried but not mad. The look on his face reminded me of the look he gets when he's about to go into battle. He was actually a little bit excited about the idea of spending a day as a normal human with me. He got a mischievous grin on his face, "So, what should we do first?"

"Oh, I have an idea," I replied, returning his grin before I jumped up and ran to the kitchen. Eric followed at a much slower pace. When he entered he had such a bewildered look on his face it was almost comical. I answered the question that he hadn't asked, "You're going to try some of my favorite foods and drinks. Is there anything you want to try?"

He thought for a moment, "I don't know. It's been so long since I've eaten human food and there are so many foods that didn't exist when I was human. I can't say that I would know where to begin."

"Well, with only a day, we should go with all the best junk foods. We've gotta get McDonald's take-out; I love the fries there. And we should get chocolate and coffee. Oh, we should see if we can find cotton candy anywhere."

Eric grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him, "That all sounds just fine. We'll try to work it all in…tomorrow. Right now, my appetite leans in quite another direction. As long as it's been since I've eaten human food, it's been just as long since I've done other things as a human as well."

I gave him my best impersonation of his own smirk, "Well, far be it from me to leave you hungry."

We retired upstairs and spent the rest of our waking time satiating his appetite. When I woke the next morning, it was to the still strange sensation of a warm body next to me and a warm arm around my waist. It was, after all, only the second time I had had sex with someone who wasn't a vampire. It was such a strange experience to sleep with Eric while he was human. It was at once familiar and entirely new. Luckily, his stamina was not much affected by his being human for a time. I rolled over to face him, and stared wonderingly at the rise and fall of his chest. So intent was I in my observations that I failed to recognize the change in his consciousness until I felt his arm tighten. I glanced up and met his gaze. His eyes sparkled differently in the sunlight than I had ever seen before.

He smiled down at me and tightened his grip before rolling over onto his back and bringing me along to end up stretched out on top of him, "I'm beginning to believe there are some good points to this whole being human for a day."

Devilishly, I raised myself up and asked, "So, you ready to try some food?"

The growling noise that was my reply actually made me giggle, "Don't tell me you still haven't satisfied your other appetite?" Again I was answered with a growl, "Okay we'll take care of that first but I do want to see your face as you try these new foods."

Several hours later, and after a repeat performance of the night before her, we were on our way out to find as many new foods for Eric as we possibly could. I was not disappointed by his reactions, both good and bad. I was delighted that we were able to find cotton candy at a small corner store. His expression at the taste of spun sugar was to die for. He did not seem to have a taste for coffee and he sneezed when he tried a soda. There were several tense moments when I thought he was going to kill himself due to trying to eat and breathe at the same time.

After filling ourselves to nearly bursting, we spent the afternoon sitting out in the sun, watching clouds. He lay stretched out with his hands behind his head while I lay my head on his stomach, bobbing around as he continued to his normal, human breathing. Despite, or perhaps partially because of, this lack of true activity, it was one of the most pleasant days I could recall.

That evening, we watched a movie, Eric trying his first popcorn, before returning to the bedroom. As midnight approached, Eric turned to me and asked, in the oddly uncertain voice I had last heard when he had lost his memory, "Are you sad that our day as normal humans is almost at an end?"

I thought long and hard about the answer to that, "No. It was a very nice day and I'm glad to have been able to spend it with you, but as nice as it was to see you breathe again for a day, I like the life I live with my Viking vampire. Despite everything, I wouldn't trade my life with you for the life of any normal human."

"And you are the only woman I have ever met that would willingly become human again for, for a day at least."

I reached up to kiss his lips, which were slowly cooling to their, normal familiar vampire temperature, "I love you, Eric,"

"And I you, Dear One."

A/N: The next theme is "Memory."