Disclaimer: I own nothing of True Blood.

. . . . .

Öland, 2002

The sky BANGS again, BANGBANGbangBANG!, loud enough to hurt my ears, hard enough to make the whole porch, the whole house, the whole world shake, and I squirm in Eric's lap and hold tighter to his neck and press my face against his chest. "It's too close now," I tell him. "We need to go inside."

He pets my head. "No, dear," he says into my ear in his nicest voice. "We still have time." He pushes my head around with one finger so I have to look out at the world again, at the long field in front of the house with its waving grass, at the black, twisting sky hiding all its stars. "Look. The lightning shows the whole world for a moment. It's the closest thing to day I ever see anymore."

And as soon as he finishes speaking the lightning comes like it's answering him, a giant white tear in the sky that does light up the whole world, but it's not like day, no, maybe Eric doesn't remember what day looks like anymore, because day is warmer, yellow, alive – not like this at all. My heart is beating too fast, and too hard, I feel it, and it's five heartbeats after that lightning flash when the thunder comes, and I hate the thunder, I hate it most of all, and this time, it starts with a CRACK, like a giant dead tree snapping in two. Then the BANGBANGBANG, and I have to turn into Eric's chest again, and the thunder is so loud that I don't even hear myself whimper, but I feel it in my throat. "Please, Eric . . ."

"Shh . . ." He pets my head some more. "Relax. I'm here. Relax."

"Please."

"I appreciate your good manners, Annie, but please is not a magic word that gets you whatever you want."

I cover my face with my hands. "Why are you doing this to me?"

He breathes long into my hair, and it's colder even than the wind the storm is blowing at us. "Because it is in your best interests, my tiny drama queen."

Light comes through a crack in my fingers, then vanishes. More lightning. I squeeze my eyes tight.

BANGbangBANGbangBANGBANG!

"I disagree," I say when the ground stops shaking. I didn't mean to do it, but my legs have gotten underneath me, I'm in a ball.

Eric has both arms around me now. "You are allowed to," he says. "Nonetheless, you are going to have to trust me." His hand is on my wrists then, and he pulls until I'm not covering my eyes anymore. His look extra light in the darkness. "It is important to face your fears, Annika. That is what brave people do. And you want to be brave." He pushes hair out of my eyes. "And honestly, Annie. Do you truly think I would ever put you in any sort of danger?"

I shake my head, because I know he wouldn't, I know it . . . but the storm is right there and it's so loud . . .

"No," Eric says. "I never would."

He turns me in his lap, and I do my best not to fight him, and he holds his hands together on my stomach. "So." He rests his head on top of mine. "Look at the storm."