Since my first and only boyfriend is a vampire, I'm not sure what other, normal, couples do, but Bill and I take a week off every so often. Our regularly scheduled interruption, as I think of it. You know. Every one of my female coworkers has thought about the logistics of it, but not one has ever had the nerve to ask me. Sam figured out the pattern, but that was pretty inevitable since he has to track his own time of the month.

But of course, I really miss Bill that week. And it's really unfortunate for him, since it means he's on the bottled stuff (for the most part), and can't even come get some LifeFlow at Merlotte's when I'm on duty. Still, we all have to make sacrifices, and this way one of those sacrifices isn't me. Usually I try to make it up to him when we get back together.

Not to mention, since I found out I'd missed his birthday, I've been trying to come up with a way to celebrate; of course, vampires don't do anything so mundane (this morning's Word of the Day) as birthday parties, so I'd have to come up with something special.

…and oh, did I.

My voicemail light was blinking when I walked in the door from work Monday night. I hit play, leaning against the counter to pull off my tennis shoes. My favorite voice, cool and smooth, came on: "Sookie, I came across your scent in the woods. I… don't want to discourage your walks, but if there's something you're looking for, let me know and I'd be delighted to help." A pause, and his voice dropped to a tone that made me shiver. "I miss you. I'll see you soon."

I smiled as I picked up my sneakers and drifted to the bedroom, tucking them in my closet. I put my hands on my hips and scanned my exposed wardrobe, planning ahead. I wanted something to wear that was… desirable yet disposable. Something not too terribly impractical for what I had in mind, either. That added a whole new layer of difficulty to choosing an outfit.

I finally selected one of those tank tops with the support bra supposedly built in. It technically did leave something to the imagination: when exactly I was going to spill out of it. On the rare occasions I used the top, it had a bra under it, a shirt over it, and did nothing remotely athletic. With a little more rummaging I found my old favorite pair of jeans; they had left the realm of denim, and were now cotton thin and soft. After the hems had given up, so I had turned them into high-waters. Even in their new incarnation, they were getting a little ragged.

At least this way they would go out for a good cause.

I returned Bill's call around midnight, but he didn't answer. He was probably out prowling the woods, but it was just as well that I wouldn't have to speak with him directly. I get excited when I give presents, what can I say? I ended up leaving him a message back: "Thanks, Bill, but I'm looking for something specific. I'll have to tell you the details later. Miss you too, baby. I have tomorrow night and that following day off, so we'll have all night to catch up. Love you."

Feeling smug-yet-virtuous, I popped my vitamins and went out the back porch for another stroll in the woods, this time to wander down the cemetery side of my property line. I had promised Bill after our three week long fight that I would try to meet him halfway on accepting his nature… especially the part that needs to hunt. All of my related experience was from second hand stories of coon hunting, but I knew that the first trick of dragging out the hunt was laying false scent trails to confuse the hounds. It rarely worked, of course; usually the false track was done too hastily, or was too old. But with my scent being so much stronger than normal these few days, hopefully it would at least make things more interesting.

Alright, maybe I was just smug.

I had worked like crazy earlier this week, so I just had the lunch shift to deal with. It flew by, and I was grateful for the years of practice in looking pleasant; the cat-in-cream look does not go over well when worn by a telepath… even if no one admits to me having that disability. I moved smartly, smiled brightly, made a little bit more in tips than usual, and shot back to the office to pick up my stuff as soon as Arlene came in to relieve me.

Sam gave me a speculative look from the bar, but let it go. His mind seemed a little wistful, but mostly he was happy for me, if a little frustrated for himself. He'd really been missing Callisto. I could sympathize with that, even if I hated his choice of… of whatever. I drove home as quickly as my old car and the gravel roads would allow. It was late in the fall, though northern Louisiana wasn't ready to admit it yet. The cold snaps were more and more frequent, but the weather was still generally warm until late into the night.

But that didn't stop dusk from falling early, so I had to get busy.

I bolted lunch and went for a quick but thorough shower, minus the standard body wash and shampoo. No need to make it easier to find me than it already was. I'd had to tone down some of the washes since they were overwhelming floral to vampires before. Deodorant was non-negotiable, though; after all, I didn't want him finding me quickly through unpleasant scents either. I threw on the temporary ensemble with an apology to my grandmother and mental promise that only one man would see me in it.

I slipped my oldest pair of sneakers on, picked up my prepped overnight bag, and drove over to Bill's house. I let myself in quietly – just from mischievous reflex, I guess, since my boyfriend was dead asleep. I dropped off my bag in the master bathroom and headed to the kitchen, pen and paper in hand. I wrote:

You need a good meal and I need good ravishing. Come and get it. – Sookie

Short, sweet and effective. I congratulated myself as I left the note on his fridge. Leaving my car in his driveway, I trotted out to the graveyard, and from there made my way back to Stackhouse land. I owned twenty acres in total, and had left my scent over most of it. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I'd been careful to pass it, but not to hover too long, earlier in the week.

Fifteen minutes later, I was shimmying up a water oak that leaned across a creek on the western side of my property. I tucked myself into the split, legs lightly braced, hidden from casual view. Moss hung low around, but not touching, so I could peek through to watch for any movement from the direction of the Compton land.

Dusk moved swiftly, and I stayed still as darkness closed in.

Minutes after night had fallen – Five? Ten? I hadn't bothered to wear a watch - I caught a glimpse of movement, a pale torso, moving too fast for me to track. He doubled back much closer, and I could see that he was wearing his PJ bottoms and nothing else. He ran barefoot, gracefully, on the balls of his feet. He sprang to a tree I had climbed earlier today, and the movement was agilely feline.

A combination of sexual and nervous tension was rising in my stomach. I knew Bill was a predator first, of course, that was the point, but seeing him in that mode brought home the reality. Love nips were one thing, but that was the height of restraint – stopping at the appetizer if a feast. My heart started beating faster, and that was my undoing.

From fifty yards away, Bill froze. A moment later, he whirled, sure of his prey, and launched. I hopped sideways and dropped out of the tree into a crouch, one ankle landing in the water of the creek. I had time to backpedal onto dry land, and then he was on me, pinning me against the ground. He gave a deep snarl, and I shrieked, my struggling against him only partly feigned.

The tank top lasted as long as I thought, and Bill struck and sucked – not his usual neck love bite, but much more personal. Struggles quickly became writhing, shrieks moans, and tension to satiation.

Bill carried me back to his house curled up in his arms, nuzzling his shoulder. Back to being a gentleman, he had offered to gather the scraps of my clothing and my shoes, which had survived the experience. I murmured, "Let 'em lie. We'll worry about it later" and bit him affectionately on the shoulder. He sped his pace to a trot.

Back in his hot tub, my back against his chest, Bill leaned forward and murmured in my ear. "That was… amazing, Sookie. I always think about you when we're apart, but these last few days… I usually roam the woods to clear my head, but your scent, the smell of your blood, was everywhere. It near drove my crazy. When I woke up tonight, knowing I'd spend it with you, and then found your note… you are absolutely irresistible." His hands trailed up my arms and across the momento he'd given me. We both shivered in the warm water.

"Happy Birthday, honey," I whispered back, to his astonishment.

Back at the creek, sniffing at a discarded scrap of denim, a collie yipped disconsolately.