I wasn't quite sure what happened at first. Or how. But it did. The sound exploded in my ears. Reverberated inside my head. I fell to my knees at the sheer force. People stared, but I paid no mind to them. It felt as though my brain were going to explode. A wail escaped my lips and I clamped my hands over my ears, desperate to shut out the sound, and the feelings. The want. The lust. The hate. The anger. Pain and hurt, love.

Stupid bitch.

I know he's cheating on me, with that whore.

How could she think I'd-

Just one more beer. Then I'll go.

Maybe I should check out that Vamp bar-

I scrambled to my feet and rushed for the back door. I used all my strength to shove it open, though none was needed. It began to open before my fingers even grazed the cool wood. I went careening forward and landed on my hands and knees on the gravel parking lot.

"Sookie?" Sam Merlotte's voice cut through everything else for a split second.

"I can't... I can't block it out. Any of it. It's all there." I wondered if the wall I'd been steadily building up all these years to try and block out others thoughts had finally crumbled into nothing but dust. There was no bubble to keep me safe. Everyone's thoughts and emotions were coming in loud and clear like all those fuzzy radio stations in my head finally clicked into place, the right frequency and the volume went full blast.

I turned my face towards Sam, and in the blink of an eye I knew more about him than I had ever wanted, or needed to know. "Sookie, can I help?" His hands were extended towards me and I flinched away. Touching always made it worse, and right now, I couldn't handle anything worse.

"No, Sam." I yelped. "I have to go home. I'm sorry, I can't be here right now." I just hoped that my distance from people would calm the madness in my head. Quiet the voices, and the emotions.

"No, no, that is fine, go home, Sookie." Sam reassured me, he had taken a step back, towards the back door of the bar, and away from me. I was thankful for that. I was also thankful I had my keys in my apron, as I ran straight for my beat up old car.

I lived out, darn near in the middle of nowhere. My closest neighbor a vampire, my ex-lover, was out of town, again. Thank the Lord, though I could not hear a vampire's thoughts. With this new unwelcome development I feared that I might.

I would be safe in my home. I only hoped. As I drove down Hummingbird lane, the noise quieted some. But not completely. It was still there, a murmur. This was not good. I pulled my car around the back of the house, and kept my keys in my hand as I ran up the stairs and to the backdoor. I let myself in and slammed the door, locking it securely behind me. I stood there, unsure of what to do. What could I do? I decided a hot bath might help relax me. Maybe it was stress that caused my mental bubble to burst. I could hope. I headed down the hallway to my bedroom, formerly my Gran's bedroom, and stripped off my barmaid uniform. First the tight T-shirt, and then my bra. I toed off my black Nikes and yanked off my socks before turning on the water in the tub. I shimmied out of my black shorts and pale pink lacy panties.

As the bathtub filled up I pulled the elastic band from my hair and tossed it onto the counter by the sink. I was past caring if my hair got wet. Maybe if I was completely submersed in the water I wouldn't hear anything. The voices that were there, nagging away at my subconscious, would just wash away. I shut off the water before climbing into the tub. I slowly leaned back, my head rested against the back of the tub before I let my body slide ever so slowly towards the front of the tub. My toes skimmed over the porcelain and my upper body sunk into the warm water. Up to my neck, my hair was soaked. I inhaled a quick breath, filling my lungs before I was completely immersed.

I had my eyes clenched tight. Willing away the noise of the minds of people in Bon Temps. Pushing them all out of my head. And suddenly, there was silence. Relief filled my body and I felt the tension melt away completely in a matter of moments. I was at peace. No one was inside of my head except for me.

Or so I thought.

What on earth is she doing?

This thought had a distinct voice to it. My eyes flew open, and I screamed, which was not the smartest thing to do while under water. I flailed, unable to find any footing on the slick porcelain. Cool, strong hands grasped my shoulders and righted me. "My lover, what seems to be troubling you?" Eric's cool hands smoothed my hair back from my face, while I coughed the water from my lungs.

"What are you-" I coughed, my lungs burned, "doing here, Eric?" I had imagined it. That must have been it. Through the blood bond. I knew that he was here, without really knowing that he was here. That was my only explanation, because I knew I was not reading his mind. I could feel his attraction, his lust at seeing me naked. But there were no thoughts. I let out a small sigh of relief.

"I could feel your distress." He placed one hand on the back of my neck, while the other continued to smooth back my hair in a calming, almost relaxing way. "You did not answer your phone, the shifter did." A frown crossed his beautiful face. "What is he doing with your phone, my dear one?"

I took a deep breath, and shook my head to clear my thoughts. "My bubble popped." His eyebrow rose in that sexy way that it always did. "I was at work, and suddenly, everything that I had been blocking out, every ones thoughts and feelings came barreling into my brain. I thought it would explode." I tried to explain to him as I shifted away from his grasp. I pulled the plug off the drain in the tub and the water began to flow out. I sat there for a moment. It was still there. The thoughts and everything. "They are still there." I pointed to my temple. "I can hear them." I whispered, almost as though I were afraid they could hear me as well.

I watched as Eric stood and walked to the tall wooden cabinet against the wall where I kept my towels. He extracted my favorite one, large, soft and very white, and then crossed the distance back to me. He held his hand out for me and I stared for a moment at it. I was afraid to take it. Afraid of what I would hear. "Lover?" Tentatively I reached out and grasped his firm hand, and he lifted me out of the tub and pulled me to his chest, the towel around my back. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his chest, holding him tightly, and not caring in the least that I was getting his T-shirt wet.

"Eric." I breathed out, surrounded by silence. I heard nothing but the sound of the clock ticking on the wall down the hall in the kitchen. I tipped my head back and looked up at him. I could feel his lust, in more ways than just one. Mr. Happy was happily trapped between us. It had been several weeks since I had seen him, with the expansion of Fangtasia. "Take me to bed." I asked, and in an instant he had dried my body with the towel. He ran it through my hair, wringing out the excess water, before he swept me up into his arms. I was cradled against his chest for the short time it took to walk through the bathroom, and to my bed. He deposited me on top of the blankets, but in a quick flurry of movement he had yanked them down to the foot of the bed.

"Impressive." I smiled at him, beckoning him towards me. His shoes were gone as he climbed onto the bed beside me, stretched out at my side, he held my face in one strong hand and kissed me firmly on the mouth. He kissed me in a way that made my insides flutter with excitement, and there was an instant river between my legs. I felt his teeth fully extended against my tongue when he smelled me. He shuddered and I couldn't help but me proud that I made him feel like that.