A/N: This story is written for VampLover1, who won me at the Support Stacie Auction (and was also nice enough to beta this story). Her challenge was to write a story about what would happen if Bubba hadn't interrupted Sookie and Eric at Russell's house during Club Dead. Therefore, Sookie's POV begins at the point where Bubba made his appearance, only this time, he doesn't.

Disclaimer: I do not own SVM, I just have an active imagination that has somehow accrued fans willing to read its craziness.

Enjoy and please review!!!

POV: BUBBA

It was so quiet. I was used to quiet, they usually sent me somewhere quiet, like the woods. But this was different. I knew there were people inside the house, I could smell them real well. I was good at smelling. I could even tell that Eric was here, he smelled nice. But it was quiet.

Not many of us vamps needed to make noise to be happy, it was something I knew humans did though. They played music and watched TV to not feel so alone. That just made me sad though, the music especially. So I just sat out on the grass to listen to the quiet. Oh sure, I could hear some things, I just wasn't as good at listenin' as other vamps. But there were lots of humans in the house, a few cats too. Most of them were quiet now though.

It had been real loud when they first brought Miss Sookie here; people talking and asking about her. I could smell that she was hurt real bad, but I knew Mr. Eric would be mad at me if I went in there with all those others. I almost did though, when she screamed. He told me to watch her and I didn't want nothin' bad to happen to Miss Sookie while I was watching. What if they were hurting her more? I was close to goin' in there when she screamed, but then I heard Eric, heard him talkin' to her. I knew he'd keep her safe. I sure hoped he wouldn't be mad at me for letting her get hurt in the first place. When I couldn't hear her anymore, I came away from the window to take a better look at the house.

It was big. Bigger than most houses I had seen…well…almost, but that was a long time ago. This house had real pretty plants all around and some fountains too. I thought I'd just walk around, being real quiet like Mr. Eric would want me to be. I had been real sneaky getting over the wall and onto the property, I knew he'd be proud of me for that. In the backyard, there was a real nice pool that was all covered up. I didn't know why they did that, I never felt too cold to swim. I walked a little closer to get a good look when I smelled something familiar. Bill was here.

I followed the smell to the building by the pool, making sure no one saw me. I'd been taught real well to be sneaky, it's what I did best. I listened real close and finally found him in the little room on the side of the building. I ducked down by the wall on the dark side of the building to listen. I closed my eyes to see if I could hear or smell anything else important. As soon as I did, I knew Bill wasn't in too good a shape. I could smell the silver burns all the way out here. Some lady was in there with him, I could hear her laughing as he moaned. I knew she must have been hurtin' Bill and I was about to go in there and teach her a lesson when two other vamps came up to the building and opened the door to the room. I listened real close to what they were sayin'.

"Lorena, we're going up to the main house for a snack before dawn. There's still a few donors left if you want to join us," the first man said. The woman took a few moments to respond, but I couldn't see what she was doing.

"Fuck. I haven't eaten yet tonight, he has been particularly uncooperative. It is getting quite irritating. I was really hoping to make some progress before dawn." I heard a thud and knew she must have kicked him.

"Lory, just come get some blood in your system. You've been pissed off for two nights now. Take a fucking break." He turned and left with the other man without waiting for the lady. A few seconds after they left, I heard her switch a light off and saw her follow after the two men.

"Better be some B-positive in there. And if you ever call me 'Lory' again, I'll skin you alive!" she shouted after him.

I listened real close for a few seconds but couldn't hear no one around. Eric had told me not to be seen or talk to anyone, but Bill was hurt. And he was all alone, no one else would see me. I nodded my head and went around the front of the building to the door. It was locked, but I was real strong and opened it anyways.

I could smell Bill's blood real strong in that little room, I could tell he had lost a lot…that wasn't good. He'd be real weak. He was wrapped up in silver chains and he had been burned and cut up, too. When I stood in front of him, his head snapped up and looked me right in the eyes, he looked angry for a minute and I was scared I'd done something wrong.

"Bubba?" He didn't sound like how Bill was supposed to sound. He voice was all hoarse and dry. I nodded my head yes and took off my jacket to cover my hands before reaching for the chains. He winced as I started to untie them from around his wrists and body.

When all the chains were off, I tried to help him stand, but he batted away my hands.

"No. Go in there first," he pointed to the adjoining room, "there's Trublood. Get me some before we go."

I did as Bill told me and shoved 'em into my jacket pockets before going back and helping Bill up. He couldn't walk so good, so I picked him up and carried him outside. I took him over behind some bushes and leaned him against the big wall that went around the compound. I didn't want to leave without telling Mr. Eric that I had found Bill. I hoped he'd be real proud of me for finding him all by myself.

He sat for a few minutes and drank the first blood real quick. I hated the taste of those bottled bloods, but I knew he wouldn't mind it so much right now, he probably hadn't eaten in a while. He paused when he finished before reaching for the second.

"Is Sookie here? I thought I felt her earlier. I thought she might have been in pain, though I could have easily mistaken it." He looked past me at nothing in particular for a second before turning back to me for an answer.

"Yes, sir. Ms. Sookie's here with Mr. Eric. They were looking for you and I was supposed to watch out for Ms. Sookie. But she got hurt." I looked down at the ground. I knew Bill would be real sore about me letting Sookie get hurt, even more than Mr. Eric.

"Is she alright? I can't feel her in pain right now."

"I think so, but I haven't seen her since they took her inside. Mr. Eric is with her, though." I smiled, happy to let him know that Ms. Sookie wasn't left alone, I knew he wouldn't have liked that. I thought I heard him growl a little, but it must have been my imagination.

We sat quietly for a few more minutes and I watched as his cheek finally closed up real good, then his wrists and some other cuts on his arms. He reached for the other Trublood, but before he could get it open, his head snapped up and his eyes got real wide. Faster than even I could see, he was up and running across the yard in the direction of Ms. Sookie's room. I was surprised, but followed after him as fast as I could…


POV: SOOKIE

Gosh, Eric was a good kisser. My body had been through the ringer tonight, but he could make me forget all about it. Apparently, he was the cure for any ailment. I knew that it was wrong to be doing this with Eric when Bill was so close and probably scared, but my mind seemed so detached from my body.

I couldn't find the will to force Eric to stop his kisses or the motion of his finger. I had used all my strength when I had been staked, it seemed like a reasonable enough excuse to let this moment continue. My hands moved up his arms and explored his shoulders, feeling the muscles move under his smooth skin. His hand continued its work down south and my hips bucked up in appreciation. Unfortunately, they were the only part of my body that was now happy.

A shot of pain ran up my whole side at the sudden movement and I let out a whimper that was anything but appropriate for the scene. Eric released my lips and looked down at my side. His cool hand covered the heated skin, soothing it, as my body relaxed again.

"It's still not completely healed." He spoke softly as he gently stroked the tender flesh of my side.

"It's much better than it was with a piece of wood sticking out of it." I reached up and touched his face, hoping that he could understand how thankful I really was…since it seemed I couldn't show it after all. He looked down at me and met my eyes.

"Sookie, you need to take my blood." My good mood was suddenly ruined. I opened my mouth to protest before Eric continued. "I know. I know everything you would say to argue my point, but the fact is that you are weak. You are vulnerable, and we are not yet out of danger. You need to be as completely healed as possible. I want you to trust me."

I've never been formally educated, but when a one thousand year-old individual asks you trust him in a life-threatening situation, I doubt anyone could come up with a reasonable argument not to. All I could do was look at him, searching for any signs of deceit. But then again, he'd had practice schooling his features. Seeing no other option, I nodded.

He gently pulled me to a sitting position, slipping himself behind me and scooting us both back so he rested against the headboard, with me against his chest. He wrapped one arm around my waist as the other disappeared behind me. There was a crunching sound before his arm reappeared with two small wounds oozing blood. He pressed his bleeding wrist against my lips, and I tentatively closed my mouth around the wounds and tasted the salty-sweet gift that he was giving me. I knew he wouldn't have offered his blood to many people; it was a great risk that he was taking, giving this to me. I knew this, and I reminded myself of his kindness and trust to distract from the evidence of his excitement that now pressed against my back.

His arm around my waist loosened and his fingers traveled down, taking a similar path to the one from earlier and finding the same destination. His motions only excited me, reminding me so much of the time I had taken Bill's blood in bed. My heart raced at the memories, and I sucked hard at the wound at my lips. Eric growled behind me and before I knew it, his hand had slipped my lacy excuse for panties down my thighs and used his toes to finish their removal.

I panicked, this was a line I wasn't sure I could cross. My whole body tensed in response to his actions, but he would be having none of that. His lips descended on my neck and I instantly relaxed back into him. I could only imagine how he became so talented.

I continued to drink, each pull of his blood soothing every pain my body was feeling. His blood was so much stronger than Bill's. I could practically feel the power of it absorbing into my muscles. I was feeling everything, and it all felt good. If there was ever a time that I would be able to understand v-addicts, it was today. I was floating high on the delirium of Eric's blood and touch. I couldn't be bothered with trivial worries of accidental turnings or forming an addiction. I wasn't even fully conscious of my body, or the fact that it was being moved.

I felt as if I was watching from above as Eric lifted me and slowly lowered me onto him. In all the haze I was feeling, I was still able to wonder how he had managed to remove his boxers without my seeing. He should be a magician.

I moaned at the new sensations that pulsed though my body as Eric pulled his wrist away from my mouth. I watched as the partially healed wounds closed completely and he wrapped his arm around my chest, holding me tight to his as he moved beneath me. My arms, which had both been holding him to my lips, searched for a new hold. I reached behind me and wound my fingers into his hair, marveling and how soft it was. He released my neck and, instead, opted to plant a tender kiss on my forearm. I wanted to cry at the sweetness of it, but my attention could not stay put as the rest of my body surged with the pleasure he was creating. My head fell back against his shoulder as all of the sensations I was feeling crescendoed into a single moment of euphoria. I felt his body stiffen against me as he finished with a deep groan and we both stilled.

As I refocused on the room, I noticed how eerily quiet it was, only my panting breaking the silence. Eric leaned his head against mine and chuckled lightly.

"In the future, remind me to do more good deeds that will earn such gratitude from you." As obnoxious as he was, I couldn't find the will to chastise him, instead I rolled my eyes and half-heartedly slapped for his arm. His hand caught my attack before it could make contact and I was about to make a comeback when I was unceremoniously thrown forward, landing with a huff on my stomach.

I growled in anger and was about to make a scene when a loud crashing noise burst through the previously quiet room. I pushed my hair out of my face and looked for the source of the disturbance. Eric was on the floor, surrounded by the shattered pieces of what used to be a chair. His fangs were out and he was glaring and growling at his attacker who stood over him: Bill.

There was a moment where no one moved. My eyes darted back and forth between Bill and Eric, unsure of what would happen. Suddenly, Bill dove for Eric, but the Viking was faster. He jumped up, grabbing a fragment of broken chair on his way, and caught Bill in the stomach with his shoulder, pushing him against the wall. He held him there, by the throat and slowly placed the point of his make-shift stake against Bill's chest. I wasn't sure if it was just a threat, or if he was savoring the moment, but I couldn't sit idle and potentially let Bill be staked, despite the recent events of the night.

"Eric, stop!" I said firmly as I grabbed for my discarded panties, pulled them on, and wrapped the sheet around my scantily clad self.

"It's a shame you couldn't have found those words earlier this evening, Sookie!" Bill spat back at me. I felt as if I'd been slapped and I stood a little straighter, ready for the defense.

"How dare you, Bill Compton! You left me in Bon Temps with no plan to return! Then you try and pension me off! Like I'm some whore you can screw and leave a few dollars on the nightstand! You gave up the right to judge me or my decisions!" I had made my way over to stand next to Eric, poking my finger at Bill's chest, next to the stake.

"You are mine!" he growled between clenched teeth.

"Not anymore." I had meant for it to come out strong, but it was only a whisper. Bill opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a knock at the door. All three of us froze. Eric made a motion for Bill to be silent and pointed toward the corner that would be hidden from the door. He obediently hid as Eric directed me to lie down, which I did, feigning weakness and fragility. Eric answered the door…still naked. I would never understand how supes could be so comfortable with public nudity.

"Yes." His voice was relaxed and curious, a contrast to what his stance had been mere moments ago.

"Mmm…Hello. I thought our little patient might need some clothes after we cut that beautiful dress off of her. We're about the same size, I hope these fit. How's she doing?" I couldn't see the speaker, but he sounded completely disinterested in the clothes topic.

"Thank you, I'm sure they'll be fine. She's doing much better, thanks to your king."

"He was happy to do it, and he would be all the more pleased if she could see herself out in the morning. I hope you understand."

"Of course, I'll make sure she understands."

"Good. Although…if you need a place to rest, I'd be happy to share my coffin." Happy seemed to be an understatement from the tone of his voice.

"We'll see. I'll need to find transportation for Sookie. I'm not sure if I'll return before daybreak; but if I do, you can be sure I'll find you." I could only imagine the leer that accompanied this line; it was a look I had seen several times.

"Why don't I come with you, you'll need a resident if you want to get back in the gates. Meet you downstairs in two minutes?" Oh no, this happened to be one of those rare times I wanted Eric to stay. It seemed as if he had reached the same conclusion and took several moments to respond

"Of course, but make it five minutes." Eric was laying the charm on thick to cover up his pause; I could hear his smile in his voice. The vampire must have left and as soon as I heard the door close, I felt a hand on my arm and looked up to see Eric sitting beside me. Immediately, Bill grabbed onto Eric's wrist to remove it from me.

"Do not touch her!" Seeing Bill this closely truly showed the shape he was in. His clothes were dirty and torn, he was covered in blood, and he looked tired and especially pale. This all paled in comparison to the fact that he had wounds, wounds that were not healing. That alone meant that he was incredibly weak. I could only imagine how he had been treated.

"Do not order me! I am your superior…in every way." Bill snarled in response, but Eric continued. "I need to go get a car so that Sookie can leave after sunrise, you are not to leave this room or touch her while I am gone. Do you understand?"

"You are outside of your area, Sheriff. You have no authority here, particularly in regards to me or my human!" Ok, that's enough.

"Will the two of you just shut the fuck up!" I silently apologized to Gran for using such language, but the situation called for it. "This is not the time for your pissing match, and I don't feel so much like being claimed at this particular moment!" I sensed a sudden burst of humor and looked over at Eric to see him smirking. Had I just….no…I don't read vampire thoughts.

"This is what's going to happen: Eric is going to go get a car for me. Bill is going to wait here… since he ruined the chair, he's going to stand in the corner. When the car gets here, Eric and Bill are hopping the fence and getting out of here before anyone notices that Bill is gone."

"For the most part, I agree. We'll discuss finer points when I return," Eric conceded as he pulled on his clothes from earlier in the evening. He was about to leave before turning back to Bill.

"If you lay one finger on her, I will stake you." Without waiting for a response, he was out the door. Bill stood quietly for a few moments, thoughtfully staring at the ground, while I examined and put on the clothes that the strange vampire had brought.

"Sookie, come with me. We can go to a different state, one where Eric doesn't have any power and can't follow us." Bill made to reach for my arm but I snatched it away before he could get a strong grasp. Eric's blood was already benefiting my speed.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Bill Compton," I spat at him. "I just want to go home."

"I just don't see that happening for you at all." I whipped my head around at the strange, heavily accented, voice. A petit brunette was sitting on the open window sill looking completely bored, yet somehow vindictive all at the same time.

"Honestly, Bill, did you really think you could escape without me knowing?" In the blink of an eye, she was across the room, standing inches from Bill and stroking his cheek. "Your blood is my blood. I will always feel what you feel; you really should learn to control your anger."

This was Lorena. As soon as my mind made the connection, I wanted to destroy her. It didn't matter that I couldn't trust Bill anymore. I had, at one point, loved him; and I protected what I loved.

"Lorena, you have not right to keep Bill here, let him go." I was determined not to sound desperate; I wasn't sure if I pulled it off or not. Lorena turned her head to regard me with a curious look.

"You must be William's little whore. Why do you even care what happens to him? He was fucking me the whole time, you know. As soon as he saw me, he forgot all about his little pet. Well, except for pity. Besides, I have every right to keep him here. I am Bill's maker. You are nothing compared to me. You have no say in what happens to him. You should not even be here. So sorry you made the trip for nothing." The smirk she sported gave away the victory she was feeling at this point. I wanted to slap it off her cold, pale face.

"Damn it, Lorena! You cannot keep me here!" Bill pushed Lorena away from him, sending her flying across the room and into the wall. At this point, I was pretty certain that things would not end well. From the look on Bill's face, it seemed he had reached the same conclusion.

Without another second's warning, Lorena launched herself at Bill, pinning him against the wall. I felt terrible that Bill was getting so abused lately, but then I reminded myself just how we had both ended up in this position.

I watched in horror as Lorena pushed his head back and sank her fangs into his neck. I wasn't exactly sure if it was possible for a vampire to be killed in this manner, but by the ferocity with which she was drinking, it looked like a real possibility.

It was likely that I was watching my boyfriend…ex-boyfriend…be murdered in front of me. No matter what he had done to me, or planned for me, he didn't deserve that. He was innocent in all of this, well, most of it. I just couldn't let that happen. I scanned the area around me, looking for something to distract Lorena with, when I spotted the makeshift stake that Eric had grabbed earlier and tossed on the bed. I knew that the chance of my inflicting any damage was minimal, but from recent experience, I knew that the threat of being staked made most vampires very angry; hopefully enough for Lorena to release Bill. However, that could cause her to come after me…I couldn't think about that now. I picked it up and lunged for her.

Bill's eyes had been focused on me, and they widened at my advance. Lorena turned (oh, great) and grabbed me by the neck, simultaneously knocking my weapon away from me. I knew I had finally met my end when I saw the look in her eyes. I looked past her and saw that Bill was still alive, collapsed on the floor and tentatively feeling at his neck; I felt slightly proud of myself for saving him…at least for now.

Out of nowhere, a hand grabbed at Lorena's that was holding me and forcefully ripped it away, dropping me to the floor. I looked up from my new position to see Bubba as he pushed Lorena down and away from me with a great deal of force, effectively knocking her out. He stopped and turned to me with a big smile on his face, that trademark lock of hair falling into his eye.

"Hey there Miss Sookie!" He nodded his head at me.

"Uh, hey there Bubba." What was he doing here?

"I promised Mr. Eric that I wouldn't let no one hurt you. I'm sorry I messed up earlier." He looked down at his feet as he said this.

"That's alright Bubba, it's better now anyway." This seemed like an awkward conversation to be having at this particular moment, but then again, it was an improvement from having my throat ripped out and for that I was thankful.

"You did good Bubba. But how long have you been following me?" I asked casually as I picked my stake up off the floor next to me.

"Oh, since about…" He was cut off by Lorena jumping on his back. I lay there, helpless, as her hands came up to circle his skull and twist, an awful crunching sound accompanying the motion. I gasped as Bubba fell to the floor in a heap. I didn't have long to mourn before Lorena had leapt in my direction. Apparently, some part of my brain was still functioning and focused on survival, because I lifted the stake and angled it just in time for Lorena to impale herself as she landed on top of me.

In the last few seconds of her life, she sank her fangs painfully into my neck. I held back a scream, knowing it would only give her satisfaction, and it wasn't until I felt the full weight of her body on me that I knew that I had hit the target after all, and relief surged through me.

Her body started to flake away and I rolled her off of me, sitting up. I reached up and felt the two fangs still lodged in my skin, detached from the dissipating body. I pulled them out and dropped them on the floor, with the rest of the ash that had been Lorena.

The mess was a dead giveaway (stupid vampire puns) of what had occurred. I hastily tried to scoop the ashes into a pile to be cleaned up.

"Did I miss something?" Eric had let himself in and was watching with an amused smirk from the doorway, a set of keys flipping around his finger. I rolled my eyes and lay back on the floor, exhausted. It had been a really long day.

"Lorena saw that I escaped and came looking for me." Bill had gotten up and came to stand over the pile of ash, a slightly sad look on his face. It was a sentiment that I could not possibly comprehend.

"I assume this is her?" Eric came to stand near him and toed the edge of the pile.

"Yes, Sookie killed her." Again, the lack of enthusiasm in his voice was bewildering.

"My, my Sookie, you are full of surprises; almost all of them pleasant. Tell me, did you seek her out to kill?" I lifted my head to glare at Eric.

"For your information, she was trying to kill me. She would have killed me if it hadn't been for…" Oh, no! I scurried over to the lump on the floor that had once been a king.

"He'll be fine, I see no signs of flaking." Eric stood over me and offered me a hand to stand, which I ignored and stood up by myself.

"Less than an hour until dawn." Bill still stood over Lorena, with his back to us, not even bothering to face us as he spoke.

"I have a car, Bill can carry Bubba out tonight and you can drive the car out in the day. I'll stay here for the day and leave as soon as sundown." Eric tossed the keys on the nightstand.

"Wait, won't it be difficult for Bill to carry Bubba out with him being so injured? And won't you be in danger, waking up as a stranger in a house with a missing vampire? I doubt Lorena's absence will be overlooked for long." Bill didn't respond to the question concerning him, I would allow him a few more moments to mourn. "Eric, can you go to rest in the trunk? I'll drive you out in the daytime."

Eric looked me over a moment, skepticism written all over his face.

"Sookie, the trunk of a car is less than ideal in both security and light-tightness," he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Eric, I don't want to risk you waking up and being targeted for Lorena's disappearance. I'll take care of you, I promise. Please, trust me." It seemed so wrong for me to want to protect a 1000 year-old vampire, but it's exactly what I was trying to do. I couldn't live with myself if he was hurt because of something that was my fault. Lorena was dead because of me. I killed her. The thought was unnatural in my mind and I pushed it away, not ready to deal with being a killer.

"I'll take Lorena's car. If it's gone, and I'm gone, people might think that she took me somewhere. It might buy us enough time to get out of the state before they know something is amiss." Bill had finally turned away from the flakes-o-bitch and had come to stand over Bubba, but was looking at me. "I'll put Bubba in the trunk, it should be big enough, and will do for the day."

"Thank you, Bill." I nodded to him before standing and walking over to the bed. It looked too appealing to not go to it. I curled up by the pillows and watched as Eric and Bill rolled up Bubba in the thick comforter, and Eric jumped out the window holding him, followed shortly by Bill. The room was quiet for a few moments, in which time I started to doze, the adrenaline of the evening finally wearing off. Before too long, Eric was back and sat down next to me.

"They have left the compound safely. I should go find Bernard, I told him I would share his coffin. There should be little threat of me being detained, now that we've created a plausible explanation for Lorena's disappearance." I nodded, part of me disappointed that after earlier, he couldn't trust me to take care of him during his daytime rest. The other part of me completely understood his concerns; you don't live so long by taking unnecessary risks.

"So I'll just drive out in the morning. I'm so tired; I won't be able to go far. Can we all meet at Alcide's apartment tomorrow night?" The thought of spending a few hours with Alcide was very appealing; in comparison with the other men in my life, he was very drama-free.

"That sounds reasonable. I will see you then." He rose off the edge of the bed and made his way towards the door, stopping just within reach of the handle to turn back. "Be safe, we will talk, soon…lover."

TBC???

I don't know if I want to continue this or not. I have some ideas but my main conflict is that I don't want to re-write the whole story with just a little twist. But we'll see. I might do one or two more chapters and finish off Club Dead. Maybe not. I'd love some opinions. Are you interested if these developments will change anything? Let me know.

REVIEW PLEASE!!!!