A/N: Hello everyone! I am back with chapter two. The story will start to veer off from Season 3 a little in this chapter, but either way I hope you enjoy it. R&R!

Abnormal

I was still lying on the pavement, panting, heart pounding and covered in vampire blood and gore. The wooden stake clutched firmly in my hand I gazed up at the moon, unable to believe that I had managed to survive. I couldn't stop the sense of dread that washed over me. I seemed to come down from the high of killing a vampire and reality hit me.

I had just killed a vampire.

No not just a vampire. A vampire Queen. She couldn't have come to Bon Temps alone. And surely if she had, she must have told someone that she was coming. She wasn't stupid enough to come without telling someone, was she? She would have alerted the head King or Queen, whoever she answered to, that Dominic was missing and I was a suspect. She hadn't seen Eric, Pam, or Connor, so she didn't know about their involvement. There was just Charlotte and I, and Charlotte was dead so that left me and me only.

How was I going to explain this to Cassandra's parents? I didn't have the money to pay to have it fixed, hell I barely had money to pay the rent. And there was the matter of my neighbors. None of them lived very close, but if they had heard the screaming and commotion and called the cops things were going to get even worse. The vampires would find out about me killing Annabelle for sure and I would be in jail. I had to clean this mess up, quickly before anyone saw.

I jumped to my feet, nearly slipping in the mess beneath me, and ran for my porch. I paused in the doorway, pulling off my bloody shoes so that I didn't leave tracks on the carpet. I didn't want to have to clean inside the house as well. I looked down at my bloodied clothes and stripped them off too, carrying them inside the house and locking the door behind me. I discarded my clothes into the trash can and went for the shower next, turning on the water as hot as I could take it. I scrubbed myself and hair furiously until I was clean. I dried quickly and changed into jeans and a tank top, slipping on my old pair of sneakers.

My hands shook as I retrieved rubber gloves, a bucket, scrub brush, and some cleaning supplies from beneath the kitchen sink. I slipped on the gloves and ignored the sick wave of nausea I got at the smell of dead flesh and grabbed vampire gore by the handful, dumping it into the bucket. Once I was sure I got everything I could by hand I carried the bucket into the house, turned on the garbage disposal and poured in the contents. I poured bleach down afterwards to rid the disposal of the smell and rinsed out the bucket, filled it hot water and headed for the porch. I mixed cleanser and beach with the water and scrubbed away the blood on the porch, hoping that no stains would be left. I turned on my hose to rinse the water and soap from the porch and then wash away the blood on the walk way.

I was almost finished when I heard the sounds of an old engine pulling up to my house. I turned quickly in a panic and froze when I saw that it was Sookie's yellow car. I felt a little relieved that it wasn't the cops or anymore vampires, but I still hadn't wanted anyone to see the mess. I had planned to keep the whole thing a secret until I knew for sure that no vampires would come looking for me because of Annabelle. But that plan had just been tossed out the window.

Sookie climbed out of her car quickly, her eyes locking with mine, shock washed over her face. She walked around the car slowly, her eyes moving from me, to my porch, then to Cassandra's car and back to me. I stood frozen, staring at her as I waited for her to say something. She had impeccable timing. She would pick that moment to show up at my house. I had completely forgotten about her needing my help, and that she had been waiting for me, but I didn't expect her to just show up. She was wearing a beautiful lavender dress with matching heels and her hair was pulled up into an elegant up do. Her face was flushed as she walked towards me, her eyes taking in the site of my porch again.

"My god, Chase," she said looking at me. "What the hell happened?"

I sighed and shut the hose off. I wanted to lie. But I couldn't think of anything to say. I was just going to have to trust Sookie. The truth came out of my mouth bitterly.

"I killed a vampire," I answered with an exasperated sigh.

Sookie's face fell. "Oh my-," she breaks off looking around, before her eyes widen. "Chase, tell me you didn't kill Eric."

I gape at her stupidity and frown. "What? No, Sookie! It was not Eric."

"Well then who? I mean, what happened? It looks like a tornado ripped through here!"

My teeth clench as irritation welled up in me. I suddenly wished I hadn't told her. I was in no mood to deal with questions or details. I just wanted to crawl into bed, forget the night ever happened, and hope there was no retaliation from any vampires.

"Look Sookie, I don't really want to go into detail right now," I snapped irritably crossing my arms over my chest. "I am kinda dealing with a lot here so what do you want?"

Sookie looked utterly taken aback by my outburst, hurt washed over her face next, before her jaw set. "Wow Chase, you are in quite a mood," she replied, a bite to her tone.

"You would be too if you killed a vampire Queen and had to clean blood and vampire guts off your walkway," I retorted angrily.

"A vampire Queen?" Sookie asked, gaping at me. Concern replaced the hurt and anger on her face. "Chase, this sounds real serious. Does Eric know? Is he helping you?"

I huffed. "Eric Northman is the last vampire that I want to see right now. I can deal with this on my own. I just need to finish cleaning and go to bed."

"I don't know, Chase-," Sookie started frowning.

"Sookie, I don't need Eric's help okay? I am trying to stay away from him and believe it or not vampires in general. So if you don't mind I am going to finish cleaning up this mess and attempt to go to bed and forget it ever happened," I cut in, stopping her before she can finish voicing her opinion. "You should also forget what you saw here and go home."

Hurt washed over Sookie's face again and she looked uneasy as she stared at me. I felt bad instantly as I remembered she was having a rough night as well and she was probably only trying to help. I sighed heavily, running a hand through my hair.

"Look Sookie, I am sorry," I breathed, my shoulders dropping. "It's…It's been a rough night for me and I don't mean to be so…rude."

"No, no it's alright," Sookie said shaking her head and waving her hands. "I was just expectin' you at Bill's and when you didn't come I got worried and came to check on you."

Right, Bill is missing. "Are the police helping you look for him?"

She looked up at me with tear filled brown eyes, shaking her head. "No, they won't do anything. They don't even care. He proposed to me, Chase. And I didn't even get to tell him yes, I was cooling off in the bathroom and when I came out he was gone."

I felt my stomach sink, beginning to feel even worse. I knew she wanted my help, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do, I had no idea where Bill was and I had my own big mess to clean up, I didn't want to get involved in her drama when I had my own to deal with.

"Sookie, I…" I trailed off. "I don't know what I can do to help you and I want to help, but…I have problems of my own."

She wiped her cheeks catching escaped tears as she nodded. "Yes, Chase, you are right. I'm sorry for just assuming…" she shook her head at a loss for words. "I am sorry."

She turned on her heel walking carefully back to her car. She paused after opening the door, looking at me. "Chase, I hope you know that if you need me I am here," she offered with a soft shrug. "Even if I am dealing with my own stuff…You can talk to me about anything.. You can trust me."

I hesitated, staring at her for a long moment. I didn't feel like I could trust anyone these days. I nodded though. "I know Sookie, thanks," I said softly. "Call me and let me know if you find Bill?"

"I will," she replied. "And you call me if you need anything. I mean it."

There was an awkward moment of silence between us before she climbed into her car and started the engine. I watched her drive off and ignored the mild feeling of guilt I felt in my stomach. Sookie was an adult and she could take care of herself despite what everyone else in her life believed. She would be fine and so would I.

I continued cleaning up the mess that Annabelle had caused and left behind which took more than an hour. I gathered all the wood pieces from my front lawn and hid them in the backyard, swept up all the glass and metal debris from Cassandra's car, and made sure there were no remnants of blood anywhere. I couldn't figure out anything to do with Cassandra's car beside cover it with her fabric car cover to hide the damage for now. I would need to find some way to fix the damage before anyone started asking questions, specifically Cassandra's parents.

I trudged back into the house when I was finally done, sore, exhausted, and dreading work in the morning. I considered calling in, but knew that Sookie had the day off and I was supposed to cover her shift. And with her busy searching for Bill, which could continue indefinitely, that would leave Arlene alone to handle all the tables since Daphne was dead now thanks to Eggs, or Maryann. Sam really needed to hire another waitress.

I could feel a headache coming on while I checked to make sure the house was secured and everything was locked. I went to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water and take a Tylenol when a knock on the door made me hesitate. I immediately began looking for a weapon, my eyes settling on a large carving knife in the dish strainer. It was in my hand a second later making me pause. Calm down Chase, you can't turn into some paranoid schizo. Not every knock on the door means it's someone to kill you; I told myself as I put the knife back and headed for the door. I turned the locks and pulled it open.

"Good evening lover."

I immediately regretted opening the door when deep blue eyes met grey and my heart skipped a beat in my chest. An unwelcome wave of heat rushed through me at the mere sight of him and Eric Northman's full lips curved into a smile the moment I felt it. My frown deepened as I remembered that he and I were bonded again and he could feel everything he did to me. I slammed the door in his face. I was in no mood for this.

I turned to go to bed, not wanting to face Eric now or anytime soon, when his voice stopped me. "I may be unable to come in, but that does not mean that I will not break the door down, Chase. I am only here to talk," he warned.

I sighed and put my head in my hands. A broken down door would go great with my destroyed porch. I opened the door and crossed my arms. Eric's smile remained. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"No."

"You are still in a foul mood, lover."

"Stop calling me lover."

"I will when you cease to be."

"I have ceased to be."

"That's what you may believe, Chase, but it is not true."

I groaned in frustration. I didn't want to play games; I didn't want to talk either. I wanted to go to bed. "Look Eric I am not your lover okay? I have had a rough night and I have to work early in the morning, so will you please tell me what the hell you want or get off my porch."

Eric paused thoughtfully, before his face became dreadfully serious. "Sookie tells me you got into some trouble tonight."

I felt my face fall in surprise.

She what? Damn you and your big mouth Sookie Stackhouse!

"And by the looks of your porch, the emotions I felt in you earlier, and the cut and bruise on your face I have reason to believe what she says is true," Eric continued turning his head to look around my porch before looking back at me curiously.

I pursed my lips as I glared at Eric, unsure of what to say. I didn't want to tell him what had happened. I didn't want his help. And I didn't want Sookie going around blabbing my business to vampires who I didn't want to be involved with anymore. She was officially on my shit-list and I would have a bone to pick with her tomorrow. So much for trust.

"What happened, Chase?" Eric inquired further with an arched eyebrow.

"Nothing, Eric."

Eric scowled. "Do not lie to me, Chase. Your safety is important to me and if you are in any danger I would like to remedy the situation before any harm comes to you. I told you I would protect you and I intend to do just that regardless of whether you want my help or not."

"I don't need your help, Eric. I can take care of myself," I answered crossing my arms. "Now if you will excuse me-."

I attempted to close the door, but Eric's large hand reached out to stop it as he gazed at me furiously. "Don't be stupid, Chase. Tell me what is going on now," he ordered.

I jumped at the seriousness of his tone and growled in frustration. I stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind me. I was not going to invite him into my house. And as much as I hated to admit it to him and myself I did need his advice on the situation. He could tell me what I should do and if I had done the right thing and if Annabelle had told someone, what I should expect. Eric didn't move when I stepped out and I found myself standing so close to him that we were almost touching. I swallowed hard and resisted the urge to beg him to take me into his strong arms, averting my eyes from his penetrating gaze and moving around him. I put as much distance as I could between us.

"I killed Annabelle," I admitted finally, hugging myself tightly.

Eric's face changed instantly, his eyes widening in surprise. "You did what?" he breathed incredulously through clenched teeth.

I suddenly felt like I had done something wrong, like a child that had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I launched into an explanation. "She came here looking for answers to where Dominic was, like I said she would, and she attacked me when I told her I didn't know. She was going to kill me. I had no choice."

"Where did this happen?"

"On the walk way," I pointed to the very spot. The water had begun to dry from the warm night air of Louisiana and from what I could see there were no traces of Annabelle left.

Eric's eyes followed my finger. "You cleaned it up?"

I nodded.

"What did you do with her?"

"I put her in the garbage disposal."

Eric looked upset. "Chase, do you understand what you have done? Why did you not call me?"

I hesitated, feeling defensive. "Well…why didn't you come when you felt my panic? Or pain?" I countered angrily. "If you were so concerned you could have come then! Tonight was not the only night I almost died, Eric. That maenad almost killed me and Sookie. Where were you then? Don't get all noble on me now. I didn't call because I didn't want your help."

"Well you need it," he retorted stepping toward me, stopping once he was an inch away from my face. I could practically feel the anger rolling off him in waves. "If she told anyone that she was coming here; if she alerted the authority, they will come after you and kill you without a second thought, Chase. Or worse find out what you are and what your blood can do and keep you alive to drain you whenever they feel the need!"

I jumped as he snapped the last word in my face, attempting to step backward only to be stopped by my railing. I felt flustered. "She was going to kill me, Eric," I repeated again, finding no other explanation. "I had no choice."

Eric growled, turning away from me, beginning to pace back and forth on my porch. I couldn't move. I watched him pace back and forth, while my insides matched his movements. The sense of dread I felt earlier was back full force and I realized that I was in way over my head. Eric stopped his pacing.

"You need to leave here now."

"What?"

"You are coming with me."

"Why? I can't-."

"You cannot stay here, Chase. If the authority knows about your involvement and comes here to take you there is nothing that I can do about it. I cannot protect you from them. You need to reside somewhere else until I can sort this situation out," he commanded.

"And just where the hell do you expect me to go, Eric?" I asked.

"You will stay with me in Shreveport," he replied.

I shook my head. This isn't what I wanted. I wanted to stay in my own home. There was no guarantee that Annabelle had even told anyone. I was not going to Eric's to hide out. I had a job, friends, and a life that I wanted to get back too. "No, Eric," I said holding up my hands. "I am safe here. Vampires need to be invited in and as long as I am in the house they can't get to me. We don't even know if Annabelle told anyone-."

"They will rip this house apart until nothing is left if they find out you are responsible for this and how valuable you are," Eric snapped through clenched teeth, cutting me off. "And vampires aren't the only thing you need to worry about. They are humans who work for them, Chase, they could take you during the day and I would be of no help with the sun up."

I blanched, staring up at him taken aback. I was in danger, real danger, again. I had thought this was going to be all over, but apparently fate had something else in store for me. I missed the days where my biggest worry was passing an exam in one of my classes. I wished I had a time machine that could send me back to that night when Cassandra and I went to Fangtasia and stopped myself before I ever got involved with Eric Northman; maybe I wouldn't be in this situation now. But it didn't change the fact that I didn't want to run and hide with Eric. I would go on about my life until the situation came back to bite me in the ass, which I hoped never happened.

"I want to stay here."

"You are not safe here," he breathed through clenched teeth, enunciating each word as he said it. If I didn't know him any better I would almost say his tone was pleading.

"Look I am not going anywhere, Eric," I said planting my feet firmly on the ground and trying to keep my voice from breaking. "This is my house dammit and I refuse to be chased away because of this stupid vampire mess that I warned you about! I don't want this okay? I just want to be normal!"

Eric said nothing for a long moment, only stared at me as I stood there panting after my rant. His face remained full of anger. "You are not normal, Chase," he snapped heatedly. "Get over it already!"

The words were so simple, but it brought a harsh reality upon me, sending a cold shiver down my back as if he had just dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. He was right. I wasn't normal. I was never going to be normal. I wasn't even human. I found no more words to fight him with. All I could do was stand there, hugging myself, gazing up into his icy eyes, my mouth hanging open slightly.

"Stay here," Eric growled. "And hope your stupidity doesn't get you killed."

He turned on his heel without another word and stalked off my porch. I stood there watching him walk off feeling for some reason like the earth had just shattered around me.

My alarm went off at 6:45 a.m. and I was not prepared to face the world. I sat up bleary eyed and still exhausted. I had tossed and turned for most of the night unable to get Eric and his words out of my mind. I showered and applied make up to hide the bruises on my face and neck. I threw on my uniform, drank a cup of coffee, and took some Tylenol to fight the soreness raging through my body. I headed out the door, hoping my day went by fast. I was looking forward to work distracting me from everything going on in my personal life.

Arlene rushed me the moment I walked through the door of Merlotte's. "Oh thank god, Chase. I was afraid you wasn't going to show up either," she breathed after a hefty sigh of relief.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Sookie has the day off, Sam's gone, and Tara definitely aint comin' in either. Lafayette called and said he is coming in later. It's just me, you, and poor Terry back there in the kitchen," Arlene answered with an exasperated sigh.

Great, I thought with an eye roll. "Well what the hell is going on? Where is everyone?"

Arlene's face fell. "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what? About Bill? Yeah Sookie told me he was missing," I answered absently moving past her to put my things in Sam's office. She followed behind me. "But where is Sam? And Tara?"

"Egg's was shot, Chase," Arlene explained, making me pause in the doorway of Sam's office.

I turned back to her slowly. "What?"

Arlene shook her head looking teary eyed. "Andy Bellefleur shot him in the head."

"But why?" I asked walking into the office and placing my bag on the shelf.

"He admitted to killing those girls and attacked Andy," Arlene answered with a soft shrug. "Tara was real beat up over it and Sam, he took off and I have no idea where he went honestly. I am just glad I am not the only one here. We better get to work before the morning crowd gets in."

I watched her walk off looking stressed and frantic, leaving me standing there to process the news. I wrapped my apron around my waist and prepared myself to face a long 12 hour shift. I wondered where Sam had run off too and how Tara was. I felt a little sad about Egg's. I hadn't known him very well or at all for that matter, but I knew Tara cared for him a lot. Bon Temps just couldn't catch a break from the weird and murder. I pulled my hair up into a pony tail and let out a deep breath.

Here we go, I thought exiting the office.

By the time 8 p.m. rolled around I was ready to drop. Arlene had barely managed to stay on top of things even with the bus boys helping to take and give out orders. My head, back, and feet were aching as I shed my apron and retrieved my purse from Sam's office. I couldn't wait to get home and crawl into bed. I had welcomed the distraction that work was, it kept my mind off the possible danger I was in and Eric's harsh words. I hadn't thought about it all day. My bed was calling to me loud and clear and it was all I could think about as I walked out of Sam's office and through Merlotte's front entrance offering a half-hearted wave to Arlene.

It wasn't until I felt the warm air of Bon Temps and took in the dark night sky that all the thoughts of Annabelle and the vampire authority returned. The possible danger I was in came to the forefront of my brain and I began to dig into my purse for my keys. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the tinge of panic I felt deep in my gut, rounding Merlotte's toward my mustang which was parked near Sam's trailer. No one is coming after you, Chase. Just walk to your car, get in, go home, and go to bed, I ordered myself. The tension in me eased once I reached my car, slipping my keys in the lock.

"Chase Morgan?"

I froze immediately at the sound of the deep voice calling my name. I turned slowly to see who it was, hoping and praying that it would be a familiar face, but found that I couldn't see the face at all. A large figure stood not too far from me, unreachable by the lights surrounding Sam's trailer. Whoever it was, they were massive and wide, taller than Eric and much more muscular. If it came down to a fight I would stand no chance. My heart rate picked up and the energy swelled within me. The figure took a step toward me and I screamed as loud as I could tossing my purse at the figure before attempting to pull my car door open.

"Hey wait a minute!" I heard them shout before a large warm hand gripped my arm, yanking me backward, slamming my body right into a hard chest that felt like a brick wall. I screamed again attempting to fight, but was stopped by a hand coming over my mouth and an arm wrapping around my waist.

"Hold on I ain't trying to hurt you!" the deep voice yelled. "There's no need to fight!"

I didn't believe them, but stilled even though my heart was still pounding and the energy was rolling through me in waves. I felt the muscular arm around me loosen and I made my move, turning and swinging my arm as hard as I could at my attackers face. The energy burst out of me, channeled through my hand as it collided with their face. They flew away from me, falling hard onto the ground. The energy drained from me and I hit the ground too, the world spinning and shaking around me. I had already been exhausted from the lack of sleep and a long shift, and too use all the power in me had left me with nothing. I struggled to stay conscious, my eyes fluttering.

"Jesus Christ," I heard the deep voice grumble and the sounds of them rising to their feet.

I forced my eyes open and blinked up in surprise at the shockingly handsome face leaning over me. Dark stubble lined a firm jaw and ear length dark hair was a swept in a wave away from his face. Concern etched his ruggedly gorgeous features and deep brown eyes hypnotized me as they gazed down at me. I continued to blink wondering if I was dreaming when his warm hands found me again, pulling me to my feet. My knees wobbled under my weight and I felt myself leaning to the side, almost falling over until my attacker- wait was he the bad guy? - caught me again.

"Northman wasn't lying when he said you could pack a punch," he said incredulously, still holding my hips to keep me on my feet. "Felt like someone hit me with a damn sledgehammer. I didn't mean to scare ya'. You alright?"

Northman? I tilted my head back to meet his eyes, still surprised by his sheer height and trying to stop the world from spinning around us. "Who…are you?" I questioned.

"My names Alcide Herveaux," he answered. "Eric Northman sent me."