A/N: The response for this story was just tremendous to say the least! I am so glad that you all enjoyed the direction I was going in. Keep the reviews coming because they make me get the chapter out faster!

I quickly ran over to the kitchen table and searched for a phone.

"Sookie what are you doing?" Eric asked me as he hurried over to me.

"Eric I need your phone now." I told him as I jumped to the worse conclusion in my head.

What if Sam was back there? I knew Eric would never let me go back there for him, but this was Sam. He stuck with me through thick and thin. I couldn't let him die like that.

"What's wrong?" He asked but then Tara jumped up.

"Sam," she said as I nodded.

"Eric, please."

He handed me over his phone and I quickly dialed the number I knew by heart.

It went straight to voicemail and the panic grew in my heart.

"Tara do you know Luna's number at all?" I asked her and she shook her head.

"I didn't know her that well, fuck Sook do you think he is still back there?"

"I don't know." Everything seemed to be crumbling faster and faster with each breath I took.

I knew Eric could sense my panic as he took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"The shifter must have left; he's not the smartest person I have met but he is not the dumbest. The security alarm must have been going off for almost an hour before we left," Eric told me softly.

"Plus where we shoot the public announcement videos is usually on the exit level," Nora said as she was taking a cloth and wiping some of the blood off of her hair from the night.

It was only then that I still had some of Bill's blood on my face and in my hair.

I slowly reached up to my hair and saw the red stain that intertwined within my hair.

"Oh God." My hands became shaky and I wasn't sure if this was the beginning of the breakdown that I knew I was going to have.

"I'll make some calls around and see if anyone is willing to keep an eye out for Sam and Luna." Tara took Eric's phone and looked to him for approval.

He nodded and she walked out of the room.

"Sookie, look at me. Everything is going to be okay." He wanted to be strong for the both of us, but his eyes still held the small amount of doubt that I knew he was feeling.

"No it's not. Everything is falling to pieces around us and we can't stop it Eric." The tears streamed down my face as I walked away into the bathroom.

I needed a shower. I needed something to wash away everything from tonight.

As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, I could see the blood that remained on me. Bill's blood still stained part of my cheek and my hair. My clothes also held traces of the blood as well.

I cried harder as I fell to the ground not willing to get up and face my reflection again.

I heard a subtle knock at the door and I wasn't sure if it was Eric or my brother.

"Sookie, it's me." Shock filled me as I realized the voice at the other end of the door was Tara.

I got up slowly and patted myself off as I opened the door for my undead friend.

The friend that I had caused this kind of pain to, the friend I changed into something that she never wanted to become.

Well at least she had Pam. Which I still wasn't sure was a good thing or not.

When I saw her, her eyes no longer held the anger that was so firmly planted there.

"Did you find Sam?" I asked as I wiped away the tears from my eyes.

"Lafayette will be looking out for him."

The silence filled the air as she looked me over.

"I'm sorry for everything I put you through," I told her.

As the days seemed to go on, Lafayette's words became truer and truer. I was the angel of death.

"It's not so bad, not anymore. Pam's been…helpful." The words seemed reluctant when they came out of her mouth and I smiled softly.

"I'm happy to hear that." I said as she got closer to me.

"I'm still angry though."

"You have every right, I mean you died." The edges of Tara's mouth started to twitch and I knew she was fighting back a smile.

The tears that I had held back started to break through and she surprised me by wrapping her arms around me.

"I'm so sorry," I mumbled against her shoulder.

"I know, I know." She continued to hold me as my sobs came out of me harder and more frequent.

"We will stop him." I knew she was referring to Bill, but I just didn't want to think about that now.

She let go of me and I decided it was finally time to take that shower.

Tara left the room quickly and I began to get undressed, facing my reflection once again.

My skin seemed to be a deathly shade of pale, and the dark circles under my eyes were more prominent. My face was red as well as my eyes from the tears that I had shed all night.

No more tears.

I tried to chant this through my head but I knew eventually the tears would find me.

I turned on the water and waited for the steam to appear in the room.

I stepped into the shower and welcomed the hot water as it stung my back. As each water droplet fell on to my face, I could feel it slowly start to wash away the feelings from tonight.

I couldn't help but think back to the comfort Eric had provided me tonight.

He was truly being the man I knew he was all along. He was being my hero and the best thing I could offer him was just plain old me.

I knew my mind was foggy with the pressure of the night but, was I really that close to kissing Eric right there and then right after I saw Bill die. I didn't want to rush into anything and do something that I might regret. But with Eric it just seemed so…natural. The feelings I felt for him were like fire. The lust, love, and passion that was between us wasn't like anything I ever had with Bill.

But then why was it so hard for me to choose between them. I couldn't think about this now, my relationship with any man should be the farthest thing from my mind. Bill was gone, I had no clue where Alcide was, and Eric was just as panicked as I was about this whole situation.

Once I was done showering up and the blood was gone from my body, I grabbed a towel and wrapped it tightly around me.

When I looked around I realized I was in such a hurry to take a shower I forgot to bring an extra pair of clothing in with me.

"Shit." Well there was no way I was leaving this room until sunrise.

"Sookie." Eric's voice was soft as he knocked at the door.

"Yeah?" I asked as I wrapped the towel tighter around me.

"Are you almost done in there?"

"I'm done, I just don't have….I forgot to bring in some clothes," I stuttered and I could practically feel the smirk coming from the other end of the door.

"I have some," he said and I wasn't sure if I should believe him.

He wouldn't be trying to take advantage now, not after everything that happened.

"Okay." I opened the door slightly and hid behind the door as he handed me a shirt and shorts.

It was my spare clothing that I left at Jason's for emergencies, how did he know where it was?

"Thanks." I closed the door quickly and got changed.

When I opened the door, Eric was there waiting for me.

The house was silent and I gave him a questioning look.

"They all went down into the basement; the sun will be up in thirty minutes. I was waiting to take a shower." I moved aside so he could get into the room.

"Thank you," he said as he walked into the bathroom.

I sighed loudly as I took a deep breath and walked into the living room.

I plopped down on the couch and decided against turning on the television. All the stress of the world added on to my own stress would be too much right now.

I laid down and shut my eyes as I tried to block out my own thoughts.

I didn't know how much time had passed but I heard the bathroom door open and close quietly.

I got up and saw Eric standing there with the same clothes on that he had on from back at the Authority. His hair was wet and slicked back and the blood that was on his face was washed away.

"I can get you something else to wear," I said as I got up.

"No need, I already sampled your brothers clothes once before, I'm not the biggest fan," he said and I smiled as I remembered our time together when he was under the spell.

"So what is the plan for tomorrow night?" I asked him.

"Well the adjustments are being made at your home, but we will only be staying there until one of my safe houses has been prepared properly." He told me as he slicked his hand over his hair.

"Safe house where is that?"

"Well it wouldn't be very safe if I told you." He smiled as he began to walk over to the basement door.

The joking banter somehow strangely made me feel better made me feel normal.

"Eric, I wanted to thank you for everything that you have done tonight. You were there for me when I needed you so thanks." My voice was full of nervousness as I looked away from him.

"No need to thank me I'll always be there for you." He said with such certainty that it made me look back at him.

His eyes were full of devotion and it broke my heart to know that I just broke his heart just a little over a week ago.

"I know."

I wanted to say something else but I remained silent as he nodded and descended down the stairs.

I shut the door after him and made my way back over to the couch.

My feelings were everywhere.

Everything with Bill was still very fresh in my mind, but my feelings for Eric were resurfacing along with everything else.

My feelings for him didn't ever go away; I just put them on hold with everything else going on around us.

Which was exactly what I needed to do now. I needed to put my feelings for him on pause so we could handle this whole Bill problem clear-headed. I couldn't be distracted because if I was the people I loved would suffer because of it.

I closed my eyes and tried to get some sleep.

When I opened my eyes I was no longer in Jason's house, but I was back at the Authority and on replay was Bill dying over and over.

I saw his body rise from the blood and he would look at me with regret in his eyes and fear before becoming nothing but goo once again.

But finally when he rose from the blood he wasn't the Bill I loved anymore, it was the monster that took control of him.

"There is a war coming and you will lose," he said to me before descending upon me and biting me.

I screamed as I jolted awake.

I looked around and I was back in Jason's house. I took a deep breath as I calmed myself down as I remembered my dream.

And that's all it was, a dream.

I didn't want to be alone right now, so I got up and walked over to my brother's door.

I tried to go in but the door was locked and I sighed as I turned around and saw the entrance to the basement.

Should I?

I walked over to the door slowly and rested my hand against the door knob and turned it slightly.

My breath hitched as I realized what I was doing. I wanted comfort and I was trying to make my way to Eric for it. I was supposed to be suppressing my feelings for him, not giving into them.

Oh, fuck it all.

I was tired, afraid, lonely, and upset. If I wanted comfort from someone who I loved, so be it.

I shut the door after me quietly and made my way down the stairs.

I gasped as I saw Eric watching me coming down the stairs.

I looked at everyone else and they were all asleep.

Pam and Tara were cuddling next to Eric, while Nora was on the other side of him. Jess was in the corner of the room fast asleep as well. They were all dead to the world except Eric, who was still wide awake.

"What are you doing up?" I asked him.

"Why are you up?" He asked me, avoiding my question.

"Nightmares," I answered him honestly and his expression softened.

He got up and moved his mini bed farther away from everyone else and sat back down, patting the spot next to him for me.

I slowly walked over to him and sat beside him.

We both sat there in silence, staring at nothing. We didn't need words right now; we just needed the company of each other. We both saw something tonight that will never be unseen and if I needed to talk to anyone about it, it was him.

Slowly I started to feel Eric's fingers lightly brush my hand. I looked down at our hands as he connected them. I didn't take away my hand, but instead I left it there.

I looked up to his bright vibrate blue eyes as they seemed to stare into my soul.

"What are we going to do?" I asked him.

He answered my question by slowly leaning closer to my face, until he was mere inches away from my lips.

My breath hitched as I could feel myself getting closer to him.

It strangely reminded me of my dream that I had a while ago, the dream where he told me not to trust Bill.

"We are going to rest." His voice was a mere whisper.

My eyes were only looking at his lips and to know if I was to just lean in his lips would be connected to mine.

I looked back up to meet his eyes and by the look of it he had the same thought as me.

He sighed and then slowly laid down.

I couldn't help but feel the disappointment, but I followed shortly after him.

Our hands were still connected as I scooted closer to him and laid my head on his chest.

When I closed my eyes the images of the night didn't come, and I started to feel myself fall asleep.

For the first time in what felt like forever I got some sleep.

A/N: Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!