A/N: First of all, thank you SO much for the wonderful response to the first chapter! I am completely in shock, definitely never expected that. I had planned on this story being just a oneshot, but since you all enjoyed it and wanted to see more, I changed my mind :) I worked hard and hope you like this chapter just as much as the first!

I apologize in advance for the severe lack of Eric though. I promise he will be front and center for the whole of Chapter 3!

xxx

The sun was beginning to rise . . . Sookie's eyes filled with tears but Godric only smiled, his face lit up and his eyes dancing joyfully; he looked like the young boy he had been 2,000 years ago, innocent and happy. He tilted his head and looked at her, his gaze so intense she could not look away. "You'll take care of him?" he requested. "Eric?"

Sookie got the sense Godric was entrusting her with his most precious possession, the only thing in the world that he cared about; she was honored, but also hesitant. "I'm not sure," she said, "you know how he is."

Godric smiled again, this time a little sadly. "I can take the blame for that, too."

"Maybe not," Sookie said, feeling the irrational urge to comfort the ancient vampire. "Eric's pretty much himself."

Godric was silent for a moment, his face serious as he chose his next words carefully. "Don't let him fool you," he said, finally. "There is much more to him than you know." After another hesitation, he added: "And Bill, as well." He let out a little sigh, then turned away, facing the rising sun as he walked toward the edge of the roof; wordlessly, he removed his shirt and lifted his face to the sky, just as the world around them began to twist and morph and suddenly . . .

. . . Sookie was awake, sitting upright in her bed, dazed and confused; she blinked a couple times, trying to clear the morning fog from her eyes, before glancing toward the window across her room. Streams of light were flooding in, filling the room with a cheerful glow, and Sookie couldn't think of a better way to be greeted upon awakening; she stretched lazily, no longer stiff and sore from spending so long on a bar stool the day before, her wounds on her neck and wrist completely healed.

Still, she looked down at her wrist and touched it gingerly, remembering all-too-well the pain of Russell's fangs embedded in her flesh, the feeling of her blood, her life, being drained from her body; she shuddered despite the warm air, and wrapped herself tighter in her blanket. Even knowing what the plan was all along, it still chilled her to the bone that Bill was willing to let her go through all of that; she was terrified, Russell might have killed her, and yet Bill went along with it just as easily as Eric and Pam. She wouldn't expect anything different from Pam, the vampire had never cared much for her anyway; and Eric at least was willing to die himself, to sacrifice for the bigger picture. But all Bill had to do was sit in a chair and try to convince Russell to drink from the woman he loved.

The more Sookie thought about it, the angrier she became. She got out of bed quickly and threw on a pair of old jeans and a baggy T-shirt ("comfort clothes", her Gran would've called them), determined to have a good talk with Bill once the sun set. But as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror and pulled her hair into a ponytail, a knocking on the door startled her out of her angry thoughts; instantly her stomach clenched, and visions of werewolves outside flashed before her eyes.

Idiot, she scolded herself. Why would a werewolf be knocking on your front door?

Laughing at her own foolishness, she made her way down the stairs without a worry on her mind, answering the door with a curious "Hello?" as she opened it. A sharp intake of breath was all she could manage when she saw the tall, dark man standing on her front porch, his hands deep in his pockets, his expression just a little sheepish.

" . . . knockin' on my front door," Sookie muttered, under her breath.

Alcide cleared his throat. "Umm . . . I see you're okay," he stammered, awkwardly.

"Yeah," Sookie said, "why wouldn't I be?" Then she realized. "Did Eric send you to check on me?"

"He did." Alcide nodded. "Didn't say much, 'course . . . just that there was some trouble yesterday, and you might still be in danger." He looked around, surveying the yard, and what he could see inside the house. "Seems like you're doin' all right though."

"Alcide . . . " Sookie shook her head, still holding onto the door. "You live in Jackson . . . are you tellin' me you drove over four hours just 'cuz Eric told you to?"

"No," Alcide responded, "I drove over four hours 'cuz . . . well, what if there had been trouble, and I didn't come? For one thing, Eric would've drained me dry." He smirked. "And I probably would've let him."

Sookie smiled, finally opening the door the rest of the way. "Well, I was just about to fix some breakfast," she said, "you wanna come in, or are you in a big hurry to drive another four hours?"

"On an empty stomach? No way." Alcide stepped inside as Sookie made her way into the kitchen and began rummaging through the fridge; she hadn't spent much time in the house for the past couple weeks, so to say that it was slim pickins' was an understatement. Sighing, she got out a carton of eggs and turned back to Alcide, shrugging as she said: "I hope you like scrambled eggs. That's about all I got to offer right now."

"That'll be fine," Alcide assured her, lowering himself down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

"My gran had the most amazing scambled eggs recipe," Sookie recalled, getting a skillet out from the top cupboard and lighting the stove. "I'm tryin' to remember it all . . . green peppers, onions, sausage. Gran was a great cook. And anythin' Cajun was her specialty."

"She must've been one hell of a woman," Alcide commented.

Pain stabbed Sookie's heart, but she smiled tightly in spite of it. "She really was."

"So are you."

Now that brought a chuckle to Sookie's lips, she rolled her eyes as she pushed the eggs around the pan, adding a little salt. "One hell of an idiot," she said, quietly. Before Alcide could respond to that, she spoke again: "Did you see Eric at all? Or did he just call?" She left the stove for a second to go back to the refrigerator and get out the orange juice, without another word she poured a glass and handed it to Alcide, then returned to the stove.

Alcide took a sip, smacking his lips in satisfaction as the tangy liquid made its way down his throat. "I haven't seen him," he said. Sookie only grunted slightly in reply, and the werewolf's brows pulled together in confusion. "What happened anyway? Eric only said there was trouble . . . was it Debbie?" His dark eyes flashed, full of anger, and hurt. "I swear to God . . . "

"It wasn't," Sookie said, quickly. "Well, she was here. But that wasn't . . . that's nothin' for you to worry about."

"She was here?"

"The night are you left," Sookie said, "she stopped by. With Russell." Even the sound of the vampire's name could make her shiver she realized as she scooped the eggs onto a plate, then brought it over to the table and sat down across from him. "I'm okay. She didn't hurt anyone that night . . . did make a hell of a mess out of my bedroom though."

Alcide stopped with his fork midway to his mouth, his eyes wide.

"We were fighting!" Sooke laughed. "Broke my mirror, my dollhouse, my door. My wall is all tore up from where I blasted it with that damn shotgun."

"You fought Debbie . . . " Alcide tasted the eggs, chewing thoughtfully. "And you're okay?"

"I'm not just a pretty face, Alcide," Sookie said.

"I'm startin' to realize that more 'n more."

"Oh please." Sookie took a sip of her own glass, then set it down with a thud. "'Cept for that night I'm pretty damn helpless without some vampire coming to my aid. Hell, even that night! Bill and Jessica were there to handle Russell and the other werewolves. Without them, I'd be toast."

"There's nothin' wrong with needin' a little help."

"There is when you need it on every day ending with a 'Y'," Sookie grumbled. "I guess I bring it all on myself . . . maybe Tara's right, vampires are bad news, I should just walk away and never look back. Live a normal life."

"You could never live that life," Alcide said, "you're not a normal woman."

"Gee, thanks."

"I didn't mean it like that." Alcide dipped his head, trying to meet her gaze as she continued to stare at her plate. "You're extraordinary, Sookie. No ordinary man is gonna do it for you." He shrugged one shoulder, sitting back on the chair. "Not that I'm recommending vampires . . . " his eyes shot to the sparkling ring on Sookie's finger. "You took him back, didn't you?"

Sookie looked at the diamond, studying the way the light of the room and the sun hit the rock and made it sparkle even brighter. "Yes," she said, softly. "I'm afraid I didn't hold out for very long."

"Hey, I'm not one to judge." Alcide held up both his hands before rising and taking both his and Sookie's empty plates over to the sink. "Does he make you happy?" He turned on the water and began to scrape the remaining eggs from the plates into a trashcan.

Sookie automatically went to reply with a certain 'yes', but stopped at the last second as she realized that wasn't the truth. When was the last time they were happy together anyway? The last time she felt like she could fully trust him? "I . . . I don't know anymore," she admitted, at last. "I thought so. I thought he was the only man I'd ever love . . . 'the one', you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Alcide dropped the sinks into the sink full of soapy water, then turned around and leaned back on the counter, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Eric keeps tellin' me not to trust him," Sookie said.

"Do you trust Eric?"

That sounded absurd, so much that Sookie almost laughed again. "I don't," she insisted, "he's manipulative, and evil, and . . . " she bit her lip, her cheeks flushing a bright pink as she recalled the passionate kiss in Eric's office. A really good kisser, she mentally added to the list.

"You ever gonna tell me what happened?" Alcide asked, again. "'Cuz I'm startin' to get the impression it left you with all these doubts . . . and I can't help you figure it out 'til I know what brought it on."

Sookie swallowed, downing the rest of her orange juice and wishing she had mixed it with some vodka before she went over the nightmare that was the past two days. "All right," she said, "sit down. I guess it pretty much all started when Eric said this thing about not bein' around for much longer . . . "

xxx

Sookie followed Alcide onto her porch, breathing in the cooling air as dusk settled over Bon Temps and the rest of the town prepared to sleep; she folded her arms, her mind racing, knowing she still had a long night ahead. Alcide stopped before he got to the steps and turned, smiling as he spoke: "So it's goodbye again."

"No," Sookie said, firmly, "just a 'see you later'." She placed a hand on his chest, finding the warmth beneath his clothes comforting and oddly familiar; his breath caught in his throat as he looked down at her, and their eyes met. "Thank you for comin'," Sookie murmured, "it means a lot . . . knowin' that I can count on you."

"Take care of yourself," Alcide said, brushing an unruly strand of hair from her forehead. "I know there's nothin' that'll keep you from gettin' mixed up with the wrong people . . . I just want you to look out. And call me if you ever need help."

"I will." She leaned into his hand, closing her eyes for a moment as chills traveled up her spine and an ache began to form in her lower belly; she opened her eyes again, and was surprised to see the deep emotion held in Alcide's dark brown. "You're a good man, Alcide." Standing on tiptoe, she placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm glad I met you."

"Sookie . . . "

He cupped her face with his hands and leaned in quickly, kissing her deeply while at the same time tenderly; Sookie couldn't help but give into it, gripping his bulging arms with her hands as she enjoyed every moment of his lips caressing hers. She moaned slightly as they parted, and suddenly her heat-flushed cheeks and lips felt very cold.

"Maybe someday," Alcide said, breathlessly, "when we've both gotten a little smarter . . . we'll do that again."

"If I ever straighten up," Sookie answered, "I promise . . . I'll be comin' straight to you. And if I was smart, that's what I'd be doin' right now." She touched his cheek and stroked it gently. "Goodnight, Alcide."

"G'night, Sookie."

Abruptly, he turned and strode over to his truck, climbing in and driving off without another word or glance her way; Sookie shook off the aftereffects of his kiss as the truck disappeared, then made her way down to her own car. Bill's house was in walking distance, but she didn't want to force herself to move that slowly, she wanted to be there as soon as possible . . . before she lost her nerve.

The lights were on when she pulled up to the porch, and she could hear voices immediately after getting out of the car; she recognized Bill's gravelly, Southern accent right away, but the other was a woman, one she'd never heard before. It was high-pitched, like a teenager's might be, but was also firm; Sookie knew right away she must be a vampire . . . and older than Bill, for him to be putting up with her attitude. Sookie crept up to the front door as quietly as possible, hoping that they wouldn't hear her over the sound of their own voices, which were growing louder and louder.

"I told you," Bill was saying, "I don't want anymore of this! Leave Sookie alone."

"I don't give a damn what you want!" the woman spat. "We had a deal . . . you don't get to go back on a deal you made with a Queen, Compton."

Queen? Sookie frowned. Who the hell does this bitch think she is? And what kind of deal . . . ?

"That was before," Bill continued, "I . . . I love Sookie. I didn't know it would come to this!"

"Not really my concern. I don't care about your pathetic, human feelings for this girl . . . I care about getting what I want. I've waited centuries for a true Fae! And you promised me you would deliver her."

Sookie couldn't suppress a gasp, her hands flew up to cover her mouth and muffle the sound; it was no use though, in an instant the door had been flung open and standing in front of her on the porch was a beautiful young woman, fiery red hair, dressed in a black ballgown. The woman glowered at Sookie as she would a misbehaving animal, when she spoke, her voice was like ice: "Who the hell are you?"

"Who . . . " Sookie's voice trailed off as Bill appeared behind the woman, apparently horrified by her arrival. "Who the hell are you?" she finished, glaring right back at the unfamiliar woman.

"Sookie, no," Bill whispered.

The woman blinked once, glancing at Bill, then looking back at Sookie as a smile crept onto her lips; the act held no happiness though, in fact, the smile only served to make her face even more threatening. "So you're Sookie," she said, her voice low. "Well, my dear . . . my name is Sophie-Anne. The Queen of Louisiana, surely Bill has mentioned me?" She pouted slightly when Sookie only shook her head. "I'm also the Queen of Mississippi . . . now that my husband, Russell, is dead. You wouldn't happen to know anythin' about that would you, Sookie?"

"What did you mean . . . " Sookie licked her lips, trying to work up the courage to speak to this intimidating woman and not cower in a dark corner. "When you said you and Bill had a deal?"

"I see he's never gotten around to tellin' you," Sophie-Anne said, "I'm not surprised. Probably figured you'd turn and run if you ever found out, which of course, any woman with half a brain would."

"Bill?" Sookie said, her throat tightening, fearful of the words to come.

"Sookie, I swear," Bill said, firmly, suddenly standing directly in front of her with his hands on her shoulders. "I would never hurt you."

"Maybe not now," Sophie-Anne put in, "but you didn't have any qualms about it a few months ago, as I recall. You didn't care one way or the other what happened to her."

"I didn't know her yet!" Bill hissed, "things changed once I got to Bon Temps. I told you that."

"Would one of you just explain to me what the hell is goin' on!" Sookie cried.

Sophie-Anne rolled her eyes. "Might as well," she said, "since Bill doesn't have the balls. You see, Sookie, I sent Bill to Bon Temps. I gave him his old home back. All I asked in return was that he seek out a young waitress by the name of . . . you guessed it, Sookie Stackhouse, and track her for me." A twinkle appeared in her eyes. "Your cousin, Hadley, spoke so well of you, I just had to meet you face-to-face."

"Hadley . . . ?"

"She's been with me for quite some time now," Sophie-Anne explained, quickly. "Oh, don't worry about her, she's fine. Better than you."

"And what . . . " Sookie blinked furiously, refusing to meet Bill's gaze and instead focusing on Sophie-Anne. "What were you plannin' on doing with me, once Bill found me?"

"I hadn't really decided yet!" Sophie-Anne admitted, laughing. "Thought maybe I'd suck you dry, and see what kind of effect that much fairy blood would have on me . . . but then I thought, if I did that, I'd never taste a Fae ever again. So then I thought maybe I'd just keep you. You know, like a pet."

Sookie felt like she couldn't breathe, her throat was so tight it hurt, and she could feel her heart pounding wildly . . . something she found especially disconcerting, because she knew Sophie-Anne could hear it. Tears blinding her vision, she whirled on Bill: "You knew about this!"

"Sookie, I . . . "

"Don't talk to me!" Sookie nearly screamed, her rage suddenly overflowing. "You just stand there and shut up while I talk. You came to Bon Temps . . . lookin' for me, so that night you happened to wander into Merlotte's was no accident, you were there so we could meet." She laughed, a bitter and hysterical sound. "Did you set up that scene with the Rattray's, too? So I would come and save you? How 'bout when they attacked me . . . did you set that up, so you could get some of your blood inside me!"

"It wasn't like that, Sookie," Bill said, "I swear."

Sookie was shaking like a leaf as she raised her hands and tore the engagement ring from her finger, with a cry, she threw it as far as she could over the railing of the porch and into the night. "I never want to see you again, Bill Compton," she said, her voice now calm, devoid of emotion. "If you ever come near me, or anyone I love, ever again . . . I swear to God, I'll kill you myself."

She spun and began walking toward her car, unaware that Sophie-Anne had left Bill's side to follow her 'til the Queen sped up and was suddenly standing at the hood of the car. "You really thought I would just let you go," she said, "now that I have you for myself?"

"Don't touch her!" Bill shouted, hurrying off the porch and placing himself between Sookie and Sophie-Anne.

"Bill, please," Sophie-Anne said, her voice laced with boredom, "I'm older than you by at least a century. I'll tear you to shreds before I satisfy my appetite with your girlfriend here."

"While you're tearin' me to shreds," Bill said, "Sookie just may escape."

"Don't count on it."

Sookie stood perfectly still, too afraid to move, and knowing it would be useless anyway; if Sophie-Anne really was that much older than Bill, she was faster, and stronger, and there was no way he could protect her. All she could do was stand there and wait to die. God, if only I carried a little silver on me! But of course, being in a relationship with a vampire meant none of that, she was so used to having Bill as a protector she neglected to carry any kind of weapon anymore.

Sophie-Anne and Bill lunged at each other, roaring, and Sookie ran back onto the porch, clinging to one of the ancient pillars as if it were a lifeline; she watched in horror as Sophie-Anne grabbed Bill and threw him aside like a ragdoll, not even looking to see where he landed. She moved so fast she actually disappeared for a second, and Sookie cried out in fear and surprise when she felt the Queen's cold hands on her throat and heard her fangs pop out.

"Now let's see what all the fuss is about," Sophie-Anne murmured.

There was only one thing left to do that Sookie could think of, even though once it would've seemed like the most ridiculous thing in the world. Still, it was her only hope, and as Sophie-Anne dove for her neck she took in a deep breath and screamed as loudly as she could:

"ERIC!"