Sookie stomped out of the hotel room and slammed the door closed, leaving a still smirking Eric behind. Now that she was standing alone in the hallway with only the clothes on her back and her purse, Sookie realized she had no idea what she was going to do. She didn't have anywhere else to go; Jason was sure to have found some skank for the night and after what Eric had found out about Bill…well, she could at least be proud of the fact that she hadn't given into the temptation to sleep with that lying jerk. Thank heavens for small favors.

But that still didn't change the fact that she was now room-less for the night, unless she went back in with Eric, the smug a-hole. But since Sookie couldn't bear to give him the satisfaction of seeing her come back with her tail between her legs, so to speak, she wandered down the hall until Eric's door was out of sight before leaning her back against the wall and sliding all the way down until her butt hit the floor.

She had just closed her eyes for a moment when she heard the door to her left opening.

"Miss Stackhouse," a quiet voice lilted down to her from the doorway, "what are you doing out here in the hallway? It is quite late."

"Godric," Sookie answered, quickly moving to stand. "I didn't realize this was your room. I'm so sorry if I disturbed you."

"Not at all, Miss Stackhouse. It is just that I could smell you and when it was clear you intended to remain I simply wondered why you were out here at all."

"Call me Sookie, please," she replied, before mumbling more quietly, "and I wouldn't be out here if it weren't for your obnoxious excuse for a child."

"Excuse me?" Godric said, although he heard her perfectly.

"I said –, " Sookie started to repeat herself but Godric cut her off.

"I am aware of what you said…Sookie," Godric said calmly.

Sookie opened her mouth as if to reply but before she could Godric spoke again. "Sookie, would you care to come inside? I'm afraid it is poor manners to carry on a conversation in the hallway where other guests might be disturbed."

"Oh…yes," Sookie said, a little hesitantly, "of course. Thank you."

Godric held the door open and allowed Sookie to pass through before closing it behind them both. "Please have a seat on the couch," Godric said as he walked in the other direction toward the mini bar. "Would you care for a drink, Sookie?"

"Uh, water is fine, if it's no trouble." Godric returned and handed the glass to Sookie before taking a seat in a chair across from her.

"Thank you," she said, raising the glass slightly to indicate her drink before taking a sip. She leaned forward, then, placing the glass on a coaster on the coffee table before returning to her position on the couch. Minutes seemed to pass and nothing was said. Godric seemed to be content to stare at her, but Sookie felt as if he could see…everything. It made her uncomfortable and she shifted in her seat, crossing and recrossing her ankles. Sookie tried to remain quiet, staring right back at the vampire in front of her, but eventually, after what was actually a very short amount of time, Sookie could no longer take Godric's silent appraisal.

The corner of Godric's mouth quirked up just slightly as Sookie let out a loud sigh and parted her lips to speak. Sookie took notice of his apparent amusement. "What?" she asked, grumpily.

"You find it very difficult to control yourself." It was not a question.

"Excuse me?" Sookie said indignantly. Godric's quirked lip became a full smile.

"Well, at least now I know where Eric gets it from," Sookie said more to herself than to Godric. She reached down to retrieve her purse which she had put on the floor before standing and heading toward the door. "Thank you so much for the water, Godric. I will be leaving now. Have a wonderful evening."

As her fingers curled around the doorknob Godric spoke to her, never moving from his chair, still using his same soft-spoken tone. "And where will you go? Back to sleep away the day on the hallway floor? I think not, little one. You are here as my guest and as such your actions are a reflection of me. I will not have you behaving in an unsuitable manner for all the hotel staff and its guests to see. Now I apologize for any inconvenience but as you have nowhere else to go it appears you will have to remain with me."

"Like he -," Sookie began as she started to turn the knob on the door anyway, but Godric was in front of her in an instant, one hand removing hers from the door and the other holding firmly onto her shoulder.

"Go back to your seat now, Sookie." His voice was still soft but she could hear something else behind his tone. Irritation maybe? Then why did he want her to stay? She huffed a little to herself and flounced back over to the couch, slumping back down into the seat and turning her head to send a glare in Godric's direction. Godric was looking at her steadily from across the room and it seemed as if he wanted to start up their staring contest again. Not trying to compete this time, Sookie lowered her eyes to her lap, watching her fingers as they folded gracefully together. After what seemed, to Sookie, to be a painfully long amount of time she chanced a glance up at him through her lashes; he was still standing by the door, just watching her. She dropped her eyes back down and reached toward the coffee table, taking another small drink of water for something to do. When she sat back into her seat one again, she startled just slightly. Godric was once again sitting across from her.

"You have had quite a long night," Godric mused. "First getting attacked at the church, then the confrontation with Ms. Krasiki, and the explosion…you must be exhausted."

Sookie cocked her head to the side, brow furrowed. "It couldn't have been any more trying than your night. I mean you're the one who saved me from…that man in the basement, and Bill's maker, for that matter. And Godric, it was your home that got destroyed. I just can't even imagine. I'm so sorry, Godric," Sookie said quietly.

Silence descended over the pair of them once again for several minutes so Sookie was surprised when Godric spoke. "You are quite the puzzle, Sookie Stackhouse," Godric said. Sookie jumped in her seat just a little at the sound of his voice.

"I'm sorry," she said, meeting his gaze for the first time since he had sent her back over from the door. "I'm not sure what you mean by that. I'm about as simple as they come. I'm just Sookie, a waitress from Bon Temps."

"I am not referring to what you are, little one, however you are quite wrong about yourself in that regard as well."

"I'm not sure I follow," Sookie said, ignoring the second half of Godric's statement and tilting her head to the side in question.

Godric leaned forward, sitting on the edge of the chair. "You interest me tremendously, Sookie," Godric said, his eyes still studying her intently. "You showed a great amount of bravery, both at the church as well as back at my nest. And apparently this is nothing new. My child has informed me that facing down danger is somewhat of a bad habit of yours, at least since he has made your acquaintance." Godric paused, smiling just slightly at this.

"I'm not brave," Sookie argued, taking advantage of the brief pause in Godric's speech. "All I do is try to handle the situations put in front of me as best I can."

"Ah yes, which is why you agreed to assist my child, a vampire who I believe you are well aware is over a thousand years old and as such is quite capable of handling things on his own, with an undercover mission to 'rescue' another vampire who was taken from his maker's area, from a group of human religious radicals who could not possibly have posed a real threat to either him or me."

"Eric told me where he was going and that it was to help his maker. I thought I could help," Sookie said a little defensively.

"Yes, I know. As I said, you are very brave." Before Sookie could interrupt again, Godric continued. "However, it is difficult for me to reconcile the brave woman who takes it upon herself to help anyone and everyone she can with the petulant little girl that seems to so often stand in her place."

Sookie's head reeled back in shock. "What did you just say to me?"

"Ah, here she is now."

"What do you expect my reaction to be when you say something like that to me?"

"My dear Sookie, let us be honest. It requires much less than a comment such as the one I just made to set you off, does it not? I have only known you for a handful of days and I have seen you throw several temper tantrums of varying degrees and at various people, though admittedly my child is most frequently the target." Godric kept his voice as gentle as possible while saying all this but a smile crept back onto his face at the mention of Eric.

"I don't throw temper tantrums! And if I get angry, that's probably because your child did something to deserve it! He's a mean, nasty vampire," Sookie didn't continue. She looked down instead, trying to get control over the tears that had suddenly flooded her eyes.

Godric waited patiently for Sookie to calm herself, and when she had her tears in check she looked back up to see him still watching her, a look of understanding in his eyes. "Please explain what caused this reaction, Sookie."

Sookie sighed heavily. She opened her mouth to speak only to close it without saying a word several times before she found the words, but Godric sat in front of her silently waiting, not pushing her before she was ready.

"I was supposed to be staying here in a room with Bill…Compton." Sookie looked up at Godric and he nodded to indicate he knew who she meant. "We had been…seeing each other, I suppose. For a month or so now. That's what I thought, anyway. I thought I was happy, and so even after that whole…thing with Bill's maker back at your place I was gonna…you know. With him, finally. But I didn't, thank the Lord."

Sookie paused a moment and Godric spoke. "So you are happy that you and this Mr. Compton did not," here Godric paused, the corner of his lip upturning just slightly, "consummate your relationship?"

"Yes," Sookie said a little irritated at Godric's expression.

"And therefore you are upset with my child? I'm sorry. I fail to see the connection."

"No. I mean, yes, I'm almost always upset with Eric, but I'm not mad at him because Bill and me didn't…do that. I'm glad about that, like I said."

"And why didn't you…do that? Aside from the obvious fact that you are unable to even say what that is, of course."

"Excuse you! I will not be made fun of. I just don't speak nasty like that."

"My apologies, then. Please continue." Godric's faint smile was still in place.

Sookie was annoyed by the still-amused look on Godric's face but after a moment began to speak again. "The fact is, I'm no longer going to be seeing Bill, which is why I obviously won't be becoming any further acquainted with him. Eric discovered that Bill…he was only with me because the vampire Queen of Louisiana sent him to…acquire me." A tear escaped from the corner of Sookie's eye and streamed down her cheek. "She wants me because of my disability," Sookie added, pointing at her head to indicate what she meant.

"I am very sorry Mr. Compton attempted to deceive you in this way, Sookie," Godric said seriously. "And I am sorry that the Queen of Louisiana has developed an interest in you. That is troubling to say the least. But surely you are happy that Eric found out what he did before Mr. Compton could hurt you, or worse deliver you to the Queen?"

"Of course I am happy that Eric found out…and grateful as well. It is Eric himself that infuriates me."

Godric simply raised his eyebrows, indicating that Sookie should continue.

"Well, just this evening when Eric told me what he found out. Of course he asks me to come into his room because what he has to tell me is private, which is all well and good. But what didn't occur to me – Lord only knows why, because it is just like Eric – is that while he was being kind enough to inform me of how Bill intended to betray me, he was well aware I had nowhere else to stay. I was sharing a room with Bill. So Eric says to me, that I can either share a bed with him, or sleep on the floor, but that either way he sleeps in the nude. And further, he finds it perfectly acceptable to imply that there are…ways that I might consider showing my gratitude. Ugh!"

Godric let Sookie ramble on, however the grin on his face had widened at hearing his child's flirtatious antics.

"And you know, he's always like that. He can never just give it a rest. Especially tonight I could have really used a break from him trying to get into my pants."

"I hope you are aware, Sookie, that however…persistent Eric may be, he would never force himself on someone. Eric has honor. My child does like to enjoy himself though, and does not feel it necessary to take life too seriously. Flirting is just his way."

"But he knows I don't want to hear his nasty talk! I've told him more times than I'd care to count that I'm not like the loose girls that hang around his bar, and I don't like the way it feels when he speaks to me that way."

"Sookie, I can say with confidence that Eric is genuinely concerned for your wellbeing. He would not have gone through the trouble of finding out about Mr. Compton's dealings with the Queen otherwise. As for the way he treats you, you do not have to believe me, but I am of the opinion that you are taking his comments and behavior much more seriously than he is intending. Eric is lighthearted."

"Godric, I may not be able to read vampires' minds, but I've been able to read the minds of men since I was a little girl. I know how many think nasty, filthy thoughts, and I know how many actually act on those thoughts. Eric isn't someone that strikes me as a thoughts only kind of guy."

"No, you are correct about that. And it is true that no matter what species we may be, be it human, vampire, or any other, we are always men first. That, my dear, will never change."

Sookie's eyes wandered away from Godric, studying one of the walls intently and trying desperately to escape the awkward conversation.

"You are uncomfortable with the topic of sex," Godric stated. Sookie's head snapped back around to look at Godric and her cheeks flushed a bright pink.

"Well, of course. It's not appropriate talk for a lady anyway," she said by way of explanation.

A curious expression crossed Godric's face. "You believe it to be inappropriate to speak of sex," Godric said. "This would, of course, explain why you harbor such harsh feelings toward my child as sex is one of his favorite topics, however I am afraid I do not understand why you feel the way you do."

"I don't understand what you find so difficult!" Sookie said, her voice raising noticeably.

"Sex is a natural act, Sookie. It is something people are meant to partake in, both as a means of procreation, and also as a means for pleasure. I must also insist that you do not raise your voice again. It is most unbecoming."

Sookie's eyes narrowed at Godric's correction of her behavior but this time she said nothing about it. "Godric, I really don't want to talk about this anymore," she said as calmly as possible.

"Let us not end this conversation just yet, Sookie. I am interested in why you believe the way you do. You are an attractive woman, yet I can smell your innocence, a rarity at your age now. I mean no offense, but I would like to understand."

Sookie sighed heavily. She didn't want to talk about this. "It's simple, really. How would it ever be possible for me to become intimate with someone when I'm able to hear every thought that goes through their head? Going on dates was bad enough. When I met Bill I thought it was fate, which I know now was just me being silly. But I wanted so badly to be able to have a connection with someone…"

"And because you cannot hear vampires and Mr. Compton was the first of our kind you met," Godric looked to Sookie and she nodded in confirmation, "this made it very easy for you to overlook other inadequacies he may have had. I see. And now, because of your under cover activity at the church, you almost became the victim of a rape. This can not have improved your view."

"Oh that was scary, but it turned out fine. I've experienced worse. You saved me and that is what's important. Thank you again, for that. I can't say it enough." Sookie smiled warmly at Godric, unaware of the information she had just shared.

Godric thought about the implications of that comment and decided to hold off on asking about it just yet; it didn't seem as if she knew what she just said.

"What do you want from me?" Sookie asked softly, breaking Godric from his introspection. "Why are you asking so many questions?"

Godric smiled at her once again. "I told you already, Sookie, you interest me. I am interested in the brave part of you, I'm interested in the bratty part of you, and I am interested in the parts that I have not yet come to know. However, since dawn has already come and gone, I think it is best that we prepare for bed."

Sookie glanced down at her watch then. She hadn't realized the time. Despite the fact that Godric had gotten under her skin a few times, he still had a way of making her feel as if it was safe to speak with him. It felt safe to simply be in his presence, really. Before she could think any further on this, Godric was standing beside her with a stack of clothing in his hands.

"I assume you do not want to sleep in your dress," he said, the same hint of a smile indicating his amusement crossing his face. "You may borrow some of my clothes. I hope you will find them adequate for now. I will get Eric to retrieve your belongings from Mr. Compton's room in the evening."

"Thank you. I'll just change in the bathroom. I'll be right back."

When Sookie came back to the main room, she saw that Godric was already reclining on the bed, although he was on top of the comforter. Sookie sat her folded clothes on a chair then stood uncertainly at the foot of the bed.

"Uh…," Sookie looked around the room uncomfortably, hoping the Godric would tell her where she was supposed to be sleeping for the night. When her eyes finally found Godric's again, she noticed he was wearing an amused expression yet again, which…annoyed her? Pleased her? She was too tired to tell at this point.

"You may sleep in the bed," Godric said, lifting a corner of the comforter for her.

"Uh…with you?"

Godric actually chuckled a little when she said this. As Sookie climbed into the bed and looked over at Godric, she saw that he was wearing a very familiar mischievous expression, and he leaned closer to her before whispering, "do not worry, little one, I do not bite, unless of course you ask nicely."

She rolled her eyes then, groaning a little at his horrible joke and turning away from the vampire. "I swear to God. You seem so mature on the surface but you're really just like Eric, huh?"

She was trying to sound indignant, but Godric could hear the amusement in her voice. "As I said, dear Sookie, we are, and always will be men first."