By the time Sookie arrived home she was sweating profusely from panic. It was practically pitch black out as she pulled up into the driveway. The car crept forward smoothly and she put it into park, sitting in the dark for a few precious moments to collect herself. Bill may very well be inside already, waiting for her and also for an explanation. Shakily she pulled out the keys and let the engines smooth vibrations give way to the unsettling hush of her quiet front yard. She stepped out of Erics Corvette, the hard gravel of the driveway crunched beneath her feet and reminded her that she was not wearing any shoes. This was the closest thing to the "walk of shame" that Sookie had ever experienced, but cheating on a vampire had more risk of drastic consequences than a drunken one night stand with some random man.

All the noises of the woods surrounding her home echoed in her head and seemed amplified. Each crickets call, every crinkle of a leaf being moved sounded like it was directly next to her. She realized Erics blood had made her senses almost too keen and even the most miniscule of sounds were constantly distracting her.

Shut up! Shut up!...ok...just ignore it all...

She could also see her house with distinct clarity even though her eyesight was normally terrible in the dark. She began to wonder what other things the blood had done to her that she had yet to notice. Huffing out once with nervous frustration, she stopped to regain whatever calmness she could before moving on.

Looking back at the car she was almost knocked to her knees with the reality that even if Bill bought whatever sloppy story she could come up with for wearing her current ridiculous outfit, the fact that she drove that car here was another thing entirely. It was doubtful that a fire-engine red corvette with a custom metal "Fangtasia" decal on the back bumper could belong to anyone but Eric Northman.

After a long and regretful stare, she stepped forward, a twig snapping between her toes. She gasped at the sudden sound and stopped.

She twisted her head to quickly check the areas to both of her sides. No one. She clasped both her hands over her mouth and looked down to her feet, her heart was racing like she had just run a marathon.

OK...control yourself, you have to get in there and do things fast...

A few more nervy moves forward led her onto the dewy grass before her front steps, but even the cool moisture now covering her soles and between her toes could give her no respite from the horrible heat of anxiety that was clinging to her. She peered up and noticed that the light in her bedroom was the only thing brightening up the secluded countryside. The window was open, and the breeze blew her white cotton drapes around so that she could faintly see her soft pink floral wallpaper.

Did I leave that on?...I don't remember...

Ignoring the barrage of heightened sounds and smells that fought for her attention, she made her way onto the porch quietly, stopping as to her right she watched the two-seat swing hanging from the awning slowly sway to and fro as if someone had just stopped swinging on it. Its rusty chains made soft rattling noises and she was sure it wasn't just the wind that had animated it. Had Eric been here already? Without his car she was sure he would have to fly to Bon Temps, and even though he was incredibly fast, he could not have been this fast. No, it wasn't Eric.

Peering into her own door like an unwelcome intruder, she pushed it open and slowly she snuck in. She locked it behind her and glanced into the living room, after which she spied into the dining area.

Nobody...Thank you God!...

She began the ascent up the stairs towards her room. Every creak of the old and worn down wood made her wince as she was sure Bill was going to appear at any moment and see her in this compromising position. Finally at the top she could see into her bedroom, the bed was still a mess as it had been before Pam had yanked her out the window last night, and there were no other signs that anyone had disturbed her personal space.

She had just stepped past the doorwall when the startling sound of her phone ringing burst out.

Who would be calling me?...Bill?

She stared at the phone as it rang a few times...if she didn't pick up, he would definitely be over here in seconds, searching for her. After giving herself a short and ultimately uninspiring pep-talk she lifted the phone off the hook and brought it to her ear. Her voice was soft and tentative...

"Hello?"

"What are you wearing?... Oh that's right...my shirt." she could hear the noise of a bustling crowd of people in the background, and the booming of loud bass and guitar.

Eric!...Thank you Lord that it's Eric and not Bill!...hmm...never thought I would think that...

"Yeah, yeah I know. Hooray for you. Can you please come over here? Bill is going to freak when he sees your car...we need to come up with a story."

"...and no panties..."

"Eric, I'm serious, he's coming home tonight and I don't know what to tell him."

"Tonight?" she could picture his eyebrows lifting with interest. "Oh, I can hardly wait to see the look on his face...please don't spoil the fun before I get there lover."

"Just please, hurry!"

"Someone is anxious for more hmm? I'll hurry over, but I'm taking my time when I get there.."

She rolled her eyes, "...please, its not about that right now. I'm by myself and I'm freaking out ok?"

He could tell she was concerned, but Compton posed no threat to him, and thus no threat to her either so he could enjoy himself and remain playful. "Don't worry min älskling, you'll be in ecstasy again in no time at all..."

"...just get over here!"

"On my way .*click*"

She hung the phone up with urgency and closed her bedroom door, after which she closed her window, which finally gave her peace from the sounds of the Louisiana wilderness. The smell of her collection of perfumes and soaps filled her nostrils and gave her a tiny hint of relaxation. Still no signs of company, she let out a sigh and went to step towards her adjoining bathroom to wash herself up as quickly as possible.

Where am I going to hide these clothes?...

She stepped in and ran the faucet, holding her wrist under the stream of water until it was warm enough to her liking. Slowly gave herself a once over in the wide rectangular mirror.

The fang marks...they were gone! She groped her own neck in astonishment and let out one still-careful giggle of relief. Her hair was a mess, but that was easy enough to fix. She decided brushing her teeth would be her first step in the "Wash-Eric-Off-Me" process and though she felt more confident now in the safety of her home she was still nervous enough that she lost grip of her toothbrush, and it toppled to the floor landing with a quiet clink on the peach tile.

She bent to retrieve it when suddenly and without warning, the air around her felt colder. She froze in place.

"I can smell him on you...and it's making me sick."

She could hear the anger in Bills voice, breaking his normally smooth southern drawl.

Still bent down, her body trembled. With all of her being she wanted to just disappear, but the longer she stayed with her eyes clamped shut the heavier and heavier the dead silence weighed upon her and she knew she would have to rise up and face him.

As steadily as a woman who was violently shaking with fear could, she stood up straight and looked ahead into the mirror, the rushing sound of her faucet still running was as loud as a thunderstorm. His reflection was directly behind hers, his dark eyes shifted to meet her quickly then stayed stagnant, looking like two black holes burrowing through her. His glare was unlike any she had seen from him before, it spoke a thousand words of hate, and demanded she reply.