Day One

I spent the remainder of the day in bed in my own apartment. I slept much better in my own bed than in Pam's. At least I was on my own ground. But as much as I thought about what Eric could give me, what I could give Eric, what kind of life we could possibly have, how exactly he would eventually kill me, I didn't know what the hell to do.

It was just past four in the afternoon, and after eating something light because it's all my stomach could handle, I sat in front of my computer, the computer Eric bought for me. I logged onto AIM to talk to Theresa, my cousin. She was always logged on. But today she wasn't.

Instead, there was an instant message from a 'Viking God' that read, 'IM me.' Was he going to stalk me for the rest of my life? My stomach gurgled, and I knew I was going to lose my dinner. Sure enough, a second later I ran to the bathroom and lost it. And it hurt like hell. I had gotten some of my strength back, but after I vomited again, it all but drained me.

Going back to the computer, I immediately shut it off and went back to bed. But I couldn't sleep. I kept seeing Eric in his costume the night before, that's the only way I could describe it. I didn't like the smile that crept onto my face.

I checked the windows to make sure they were locked. They were. I then proceeded to check the rest of the windows and the front door. Those, too, were locked solid. But Eric had the key, and he needed no invitation from me to enter. So I did the only thing I could do. I pushed the couch, with much difficulty in my condition, in front of the door. I could only pray he wouldn't break the windows to get in.

I went back to bed, feeling somewhat secure he wouldn't get in, and eventually fell asleep.

Day Two

I slept on and off that night, waking up occasionally feeling as if someone was in the room. When I woke up in the morning around ten, I took a quick shower, and although I needed no food—Eric had it stocked pretty well, and I had gone grocery shopping last week—there were a few things I did need to get.

When I returned, Sookie was leaning against her car and seemed pretty relaxed. "Hi. I wanted to check on you. Bill and I have to head on back to Bon Temps tonight."

I was happy to see her. "Hi, Sookie. Have you eaten?" I asked as we approached my door, switching the bag to the other hand so I could dig the key out of my purse.

"No, I haven't."

"Good," I replied as I opened the door and we went directly to the kitchen. I put the bag on the table. "I'm hungry for French toast. How does that sound?"

"Aren't you still drain—I mean, tired?"

I caught the slip and smiled. "No. I'm fine. Besides, I need to return the favor."

"Well," she said as she sat down, "that sounds great, actually."

I emptied the contents of the bag on the table. Bulbs and bulbs of Garlic and five wooden crosses to place in front of the windows. I didn't like the grin on Sookie's face. "What?"

"Oh, dear, Bill told me garlic only irritates vampires and the crosses ... Bill was even in a church. I don't think—"

Tears built up in my eyes, and I sat down heavily, putting my forehead in my hand. "Sookie, how do I keep him away? He found my screen name and IM'd me yesterday afternoon."

She shook her head. "That damned Bill! Connee, I'm sorry, but Bill is becoming an expert on the computer and he must have—I'll talk to him."

Regardless of what Sookie told me about vampire's weaknesses, I still put the garlic and the crosses in front of the windows and door anyway, and even a line of garlic across the threshold of the bedroom door.

I was not very comforted.

Day Three

I was itching to get back to work—I know, I know. Was I crazy or what? By that time, I was. But I had to do something. The one thing I had to do was to get a hold of Theresa, who I contacted once a week to get caught up on our lives. Again, she wasn't online, but Viking God was. And he'd IM'd me three times, all within five minutes. It was noon. I wondered what was he doing up.

The first one read, "I'm sory." The second one read, "I realy sorry." The third had, "I'm really, rely sorry. Pleaz talk to me."

Wow, did he ever need spell check! I thought to myself, chuckling. I checked out his profile; there was none. Why did that surprise me? I sighed heavily.

I had to do something. I typed, "Go away."

It was a good ten seconds before there was a reply.

Viking God: Kitty lover? How uneak

I knew what he meant, considering Susie, but it meant exactly what it said: cat lover.

Kitty Lover: You need a dictionary.

Viking God: For what

Kitty Lover: Your spelling sux.

Viking God: I had you for that. sux? You need one to, my dear

Kitty Lover: It's a ... never mind. And I am NOT your dear. What do you want?

Fifteen seconds fluttered by, and so did my heart.

Viking God: You

Yep. I had opened up myself to that one. My heart just flew out the window.

Kitty Lover: You can't have me.

Viking God: I've already had you

Kitty Lover: Don't bother me again.

Viking God: Why won't you talk to me

Kitty Lover: Wow! I'm impressed. Your spell check does work. No typos, but you need a period after a sentence.

Viking God: Meet me for drinks

Yes! I'll meet you. You'll have a TruBlood and I'll have Tequila. We'll talk. We'll laugh. I'll get drunk. You'll fuck me till I'm sore and can't walk for a week and all is well with the world. I don't think so.

Kitty Lover: No.

Viking God: Why not

Kitty Lover: I told you I needed time, Eric.

Viking God: It's been three days

I actually laughed. Three days to a vampire is nothing compared to a human.

Kitty Lover: I need more time.

Viking God: I'm stil ekspecting you at work

Kitty Lover: Oh, yeah, about that. I need an extension. The doctor said so.

Viking God: The doctor said you are fine

Kitty Lover: I need more time to think, you moron.

Viking God has signed off.

Hmm, maybe I finally got my point across.

The next night ...

"Bill, you still shouldn't have gotten Connee's IM and shown Eric how to use it." Sookie was furious, and I sure didn't mean to get him in trouble, but I wasn't going to stop her.

They had popped in to see how I was doing, although they got me out of bed. I couldn't just not have them in. They'd done a lot for me. Besides, I was hoping they had some dirt on Eric.

"I didn't have—"

"Wait," I interrupted Bill, "it was noon when he IM'd me. How did he get online?" Did I mention I'm a little slow on the uptake?

"He is a thousand years old, Connee. He doesn't need as much sleep as myself, for example. I don't know where his lair is, as we keep our day holds very, very secretive."

"Really?" I asked, very interested. I couldn't help but notice how much I wished Eric could be like Bill. He seemed so good to Sookie, and he really loved her. And lucky, lucky Sookie. He was built like—while I was thinking to myself, I noticed her giving me a nasty, 'Get away from my man, bitch!'

I blushed then mouthed, 'sorry.'

I was relieved when she smiled. "Connee," she said devilishly, "If you want to gain his trust, have him take you—"

"No, no!" Bill interjected. "You cannot find out where—"

"Bill, calm down. I'm not. I have no intention of seeing him again."

That was my resolution until the next night.

Eric sent me the prior week's paycheck and a 'bonus' check to cover expenses while I was off work. I had gone clothes shopping then treated myself to dinner, and it was almost nine o'clock by the time I got home. With my hands full, I went straight to the bedroom and threw my clothes on the bed. I heard something odd on the bed, but it wasn't threatening. I quickly turned on the light to see a box, wrapped up in purple gift wrap with a bow the size of the box itself. That damned Eric! I was about to grab it and throw it away when it suddenly moved. Tiny scratches came from inside the box. No, no, he didn't!

I sat on the bed, pulled the box towards me and lifted the lid, actually expecting a snake or something to jump out at me and eat me. But this perfect little furry, calico kitten meowed at me. "Well, hello there." Trying to get out of the box, I grabbed him—her, as it turned out—under the belly and cradled her in my arms. "Did that big ole nasty vampire decide he didn't want you for dinner last night?"

Something caught my attention right outside the window. I knew it had to be Eric, but I've never been ungracious to never thank someone for a gift. I sighed. "Don't get too used to this place, sweetie. We're moving."

I put her on the bed then went to the window, a double-slider with the screen at the bottom, lifted it up a little and looked through the glass. "Eric, I know you're—" Before I could finish, he was standing in front of me. "—out there." He could have least had some manners to allow me to finish my sentence. "Hi."

"Hello," he said in his deep, throaty, sexy as hell growl. He was wearing an outfit that made him look like a geek from the 80's. And his teeth were hidden. He looked almost—normal. "Did you find my little gift?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you."

"I had her mother for dinner," he said seriously.

My eyes flew open, and I was about to close the window when he said, "Connee, I was joking. I heard your comment."

"You need to work on your sense of humor."

"Right. I've already started improving my spelling. All those damned keys, and I never knew where any of them—"

"I'm an idiot for talking to you," I gurgled.

"But you are talking to me." His right eyebrow rose, like he was triumphant in winning an Olympic medal or something.

The kitten had been making a fuss on the bed, and I was afraid she'd fall off and hurt herself. I sighed, picked her up and sat on the floor right by the window screen; Eric did the same. "Yes, I'm talking to you because I'm an idiot. I can't talk long because I have to run and get her some—"

"Its' litter box is in the hall bathroom, and the food is in a cupboard in the kitchen. I am so relieved you removed that damned garlic."

Ah, so he couldn't enter? I had removed the bulbs of garlic the night before, but at least I knew they did work. I'd have to remember that.

"I couldn't get the smell out of my clothes. I had to throw them away. And that was my favorite shirt."

Oh.

The tunic I was wearing had a string at the top, and the kitten was batting it around, trying to get its teeth into it. "What do you want, Eric?"

"I want us to talk."

"So, talk."

"Um, I don't know what to say. I thought maybe you'd—"

"You almost killed me, Eric. You shouldn't know what to say. I should never have agreed to be your sub."

"Connee, what happened had nothing to do with me being your Dom."

"Really? What did it have to do with?"

He looked out into the woods. "I'm a vampire, in case you haven't noticed. We feed off humans. I made a mistake. I admit that."

Well, he was man enough to admit he was wrong. I started to laugh at the human part.

"What is so funny?" he asked, glaring at me then.

The kitten was able to get her claws stuck in the string and pulled the string into her mouth, along with the 'v' of my top opening with it. Eric's eyes grew wide. I quickly removed the string from the kitten and closed the blouse. "Nothing, nothing." I blushed and hated myself for it.

Okay, so we'd been talking for ten minutes, and my heart was pounding inside my chest. I was having a normal conversation with Eric, something we'd never really had before. Well, it wasn't too bad.

"Heather," I heard myself say as I was petting the kitten as I was lost in thought.

"Pardon me?"

"I'm naming her Heather."

He just nodded. "I like it." His voice was soft, yet I barely heard him.

"Yeah. I've always liked that name."

"No, no. I mean I like us talking like this." I could feel the wall I'd put between us begin to crack. "I would still like to see you, Connee."

"Eric, I'm not planning on staying."

His head turned to me in the blink of an eye. "Where are you going?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Woman, do you always run away from all your troubles? I never took—"

Those words stung. He knew about my father. If the screen weren't between us I would have hit the shit out of me, in the meantime probably broken my hand. "You son of a bitch," I spat.

"Yeah, I am."

Heather crawled up and over my chest then bapped me on the chin. I had stopped petting her and apparently she didn't like it. I started to massage her shoulders and she quickly flattened against me, yawning.

"Connee, I don't know how to love someone." That comment floored me. His voice actually ached.

"Eric," I sighed, "I don't expect you to change for me. And I don't expect you to fall in love with me—"

"I already have." And with that, Eric was up and gone.

I threw myself up to the screen and looked out, hoping I'd find him against a tree, hitting his head on it a few times for what he said. But he was long gone. Why did he have to say that? Did he mean he'd already changed for me, or fallen in love with me? Why me? Why couldn't things be easier for me? Where was a normal guy that knew how to treat me the way I need to be treated?