Disclaimer: Alan Ball's. I'm not him.

Note: Written in slang because that's the way Lafayette sounds in my head and because he owns himself, right down to the way he talks. Usually I find slang distracting but play Nelsan Ellis in your head and give it a shot. Un-beta'd because how the hell would you beta this?

The Whatlef

There's not a lot of night left when it smacks us upside our heads that we need to sleep. Sookie's lookin' 'round her grand-mama's house like she think she gonna sleep here any time soon. "Come on Sook, this ain't a fit place for anybody right now."

"This is my home Lafayette," she says even though she keeps twichin' like she about to fall over. Sometimes girlfriend's a goddess right down to the toe nails. Other times she show big ol' gaps in her education. Like now. Somebody need to teach that girl that strong and hard is two different words for a reason.

"Not right now Sook. Right now it ain't even a house, it's just the whatlef."

She looks at the busted up walls and burnt bones. The skin of somethin' or t'other's in the kitchen sink. There's a full on petting zoo rottin' all to hell on Adele Stackhouse's lawn. "That's fucked up is what that is," I say under my breath.

She look like she about to cry and we could bofe sure use a good one but if either of us start cryin' right now, ain't bofe of us never gonna stop. "It all gonna look better in the morning," I tell her and she jus' nods 'cause it's something we bofe been tellin' ourselves too often.

I bring Sook and Tara and that fool BeneDick - emphasis on the- back to my place for the night. Eggs don't even look at me, an' that's just fine, 'fore he lie down right on the floor and knock the fuck out. He didn't wait for my cousin to get herself situated for the night 'fore he went to sleep hisself but he left the couch for her and maybe that's somethin'.

I got plenty a extra pillows and things for guests. Tara takes the blanket I'm holdin' for her like she need ta wrestle it out my hands. Like always, couz aint' sure who she the most angry wif. Not knowing's gonna make her angrier f'sure but right now she too tired for all that and she knocks out almost as fast as her boy done.

So now it's just me and Sook. "I guess it's all really over," she says and tries out a big sigh o'relief. Good plan, bad execution. She smiles, all crooked and perfect. Fake it till you make it girlfriend. "The end!" She try a laugh this time.

We're bofe holdin' pillows like we tryin' to pick the best place ta sleep. Really we tryin' to find reasons not to. Not wit the other one here. Not wit the other one knowin' our shit.

I sleep in my bed 'cause I don't give that up for nobody. I let Sookie share 'cause that look ain't even cross her face like she wonderin' who been here and what they been doin'. It ain't 'cause she better than that, it's cause she too tired and 'cause I'll be there with her. And mostly 'cause we bofe been better and worse places in our own fucked up heads.

This sposed to be the end, like she said. But I ain't never been given no happy ending and I got a feelin' she right here with me. She snuggles back against me and I wrap her up in my arms like that gonna help. "We got some loose ends, babygirl," I say ta that yellow hair a hers. "Loose fuckin' ends."

I don't know when I started sayin' prayers again or who I'm ever prayin' too but often as not I fall asleep sayin' 'em and end up getting' the Devil on the line.

The yellow hair turns round. Eric starts talkin' and usually that enough to make me forget bout all those parts of me that hate him. That's the worst part- dreamin' bout him means forgettin' most of myself. "You can shut ya mouf you yappy bitch."

He smiles so perfect I don't know if I wanna be him or be with him. And ain't that the fuckin' rub? Those my only two options.

"I haven't said anything Lafayette."

That tongue a his rolls right over my name and I can already feel it rollin' on me. "Hell you ain't. You always talkin' like we already in the middle of a conversation. But Ima tell you now, I've had enough with all this shit. So Ima start talking tonight and them Ima stop and that's where we end. You gonna get out my head and my life."

Eric chuckles in that chest and I try not ta look. But I never been good at not lookin'. "You want me out of your life?"

"Damn straight."

He reaches out and runs his fingertips along the side a my face. I forget to flinch. "That's just fine, Lafayette. You want out of your life too."

"I don't," I say but he's laughin' because the bastard's in my head and he know me.

"You have a choice," he says. "You can stay here in your small life and rot or you can come with me and we can fuck on every flat surface from here to California."

It go where it always does and I wake up how I always do. This time there's Sook sittin' up next to me. Lookin' like a mirror a heat and horror. "Loose fucking ends," she says and bofe of us is cryin'.

We ain't, neither of us, fit for sleepin'. Sleepin' is for people who finished somethin' and said what for. Don't matter. Sleepin' is for people. And we ain't even people right now, we jus' the whatlef.