When you came in the air went out

Spinning plates

"So it is settled, Alexandra and Sookie will attend the Fellowship of the Sun church tomorrow and search for anything that would indicate Godric is there." Even Bill sounded tired after the arguing and bickering. There was almost a fight between Stan and Isabel but he had intervened. I was so on edge I thought I was going to break a bone. Bill had held Sookie's hand throughout, even now when our plan had finally been decided upon.

Before I could turn to him, Eric let his arm drift slowly round my waist and pulled me against his side. I looked up but he was still intent on Isabel - so what, his actions were supposed to be instinctual? I had to look away - it was too much that Eric was too good at the show, but I did allow my hand to cover his.

"I expect answers by sundown. You should not linger" Isabel said quietly. Well, I sure as hell didn't want to hang around there too long. This was going to be a challenge as it was without 'lingering'.

Eric's fingers moved lazily over my hip "If he is there she will find him."

Isabel smiled tightly and nodded at Eric's promise, while I resisted the urge to frown at his threat. 

"May I have a word" Bill said to Eric and strode to the other side of the room without a backward glance. With a squeeze of his hand he followed Bill without a word. Sookie and I looked at each other but we both appeared to have the same perplexed look on our faces; neither knew what theat discussion was about.

When I looked back to Isabel she was moving towards the two of us and, once between us asked with an almost sweet smile "So, how goes your human-vampire relationships?"

Sookie smiled sweetly, her embarrassment apparent to me, but somehow lost on Isabel who waited for her answer

"It's good. Great actually" she elaborated nervously.

Isabel smiled in response, "I have a human companion, Hugo" she divulged, it was strange to watch a vampire share so quickly, it made me think she wanted to find out about the other side of things; how it felt for a human. I guess I could understand that. "We have been together for almost a year." She smiled thinking of him, it made her look alive, for want of a better word.

"That's great."

"There have been difficulties but we care for each other. I can see that Bill cares greatly for you" This made Sookie all but beam up at the vampire. "And you, Alexandra?"

I laughed nervously, then remembered Eric and I were supposed to be honey bunnies, but I could not honestly bring myself to lie outright to her. It would be absolutely useless for me to say everything was great thank you very much because it was obvious it wasn't. Our interaction wasn't as natural as Sookie's and Bills. "Its" I started and then paused, still thinking "challenging". Heaven knows it was.

Isabel laughed graciously in response. "I have not heard of Eric being so taken with a human before. You must be very special"

"Unique" Sookie pitched in, breaking the growing unease within me at the intense way Isabel was looking at me. It was more unnerving than scary but kept my heart rate at a higher pace than was normal.

"Of course" Isabel said, breaking eye contact and smiling in an easier way at the both of us.

I had the overwhelming urge to get back to the hotel, into my pjs and into bed to get as to close to a semblance of sleep as I could manage. My maddening sex dreams were at least a foregone conclusion, here I didn't know if I was going to be torn apart or not.

"A drink? Coffee or perhaps tea, Alexandra?"

"I would love a cup of tea" I said, completely honestly and without hesitation, making Isabel smile in earnest.

The drive back to the hotel was in silence. I was glad we were out of the nest, I could only fight the urge to back up against a solid wall for so long and was almost relieved that my only worry in the car was Eric and wandering hands. Not that they were wandering.

I risked a glance to look at him and almost jolted at the sight of his much more appealing side, the one that I had seen when he was asleep, when he didn't know he was being watched. It didn't last though. My movement and semi shock pulled his awareness back from wherever it had gone and he looked over at me, giving less than nothing of himself away. We stared at each other for longer than we should, maybe both of us were wondering what the person looking back was thinking, rather than why they were staring in the first place.

Once back at the hotel, I excused myself immediately to go back up to my room. I let Sookie know that we would meet up early tomorrow to go over everything before we headed over to the church by thinking at her loudly – if you know what I mean. Well, she got the message anyway and I made my way back to the hotel room.

It was a fine plan except for one nagging detail.

The leak.

Precautions were taken during the meeting; only Stan and Isabel were present, everyone else being ordered out. We had to trust that was enough - I thought that Vampire's had superhuman hearing but Eric and Bill seemed satisfied so what was I supposed to think?

But if the leak did somehow know about us then they would be expecting us, and if it was anything like it was at the airport then they would want to kidnap us again. An assumption though it was, it was an educated one.

It sent a panicked tickling ripple down my spine. I was risking my life rescuing a vampire, on a business trip with an employer I didn't want to have, had a serious sleeping disorder and it all circled back round to Eric.

Eric Eric Eric. Ugh! The frustrated noise escaped me without me wanting it to. Luckily I was alone in the room.

What kind of person was I that I was working for a guy like him? He was actually evil. The things he had said and done certainly put him on the list of 'evil' people I knew. It wasn't a long list; just him and maybe Pam. OK, definitely Pam.

God I needed a drink.