A/N: Pretty sure this is my longest chapter yet. If you're appreciating the more frequent updates, let me know. In case anyone is interested, I wrote this while listening to the Dar Williams/Richard Shindell/Lucy Kaplansky album Cry Cry Cry. It's an album of covers and it's beautiful My favorite song on the album is Cold Missouri waters. Go give it a listen. If you like folk music you won't regret it! www. youtube. com/watch?v=KgQNeGPJdcQ&feature=related

By eleven the next morning, I was feeling pretty proud of myself. I'd spoken to Remy, who would be picking up Hunter in ten days. We'd had a long chat about telepathy in general and Hunter in specific. Remy was going to stay with me for a night before he left with Hunter, so we could work out some ways for them to practice together. He seemed happier that we were trying to "fix" the problem. I just shook my head, explaining that we weren't fixing Hunter, we were just helping him practice his control. Remy didn't really see the difference, but we were working at it. I agreed to go to Red Ditch a few times, and for him and Hunter to come see me over the next few months. I told him I'd be there when Hunter needed me. Remy was even fine about the proposed sleepover with Jason.

I talked to Sam and arranged that I'd be starting back at work in fifteen days, part time the first week and then back up to my normal hours the week after that. I figured I would need a few days after Hunter left to rest and decompress. The kid wore me out, plus he brought up a lot from my own childhood, emotionally draining as it was.

Jason and I confirmed that I was dropping Hunter at his house at 10:30 on Saturday and that he was fine to sleep there. Jason even sounded like he meant it. I might have sweetened the deal with a promise of bringing biscuits and sausage gravy when I dropped Hunter, but all's fair with family. I may have even hinted at the possibility of pie.

I'd even called Tara to chit chat for a little bit. She was fine, getting more and more pregnant, and happy. Hunter was out playing with Beau and Don, which was giving me all this time to make phone calls. I still had one more call to make, and I'd left it till last for a reason.

When Amelia left, she'd promised to keep in touch, and we'd exchanged a few texts, but I figured we should actually have a conversation. I dialed her number quickly, before I could chicken out.

The phone rang four times, and I prepared to leave a message, but I was slightly shocked when Amelia actually picked up. "Hey telepath." She sounded tired, but I didn't think she sounded sad, which was a plus.

I forced a smile. "Hey witch. How's the Big Easy?"

"It's okay. I'm settling in, my dad's in my business in a serious way. He wants me to get more involved in his company, I need to get back into my coven here. We're trying to get along. Oh, Octavia told me to say hello next time I talked to you, so hello from Octavia."

I smiled. She hadn't been the easiest to live with, but Octavia was a good woman when all things were equal. "Say hi right back. How's she doing? All settled in with her man?" I couldn't believe it had just been a few weeks since Octavia had moved out.

"Yeah, they're still getting their place fixed up, which keeps her occupied on things other than getting me in front of the council" I winced. That was one of Amelia's biggest fears about returning to New Orleans. It was actually the only reason I had encouraged her to leave. She needed to own up to what she'd done to Bob, accept her punishment and move past it. She couldn't hide in the sticks forever.

"Has she set a date yet?"

Amelia sighed. "Not that she's told me. There's a council meeting Monday, so I'm staying out of her way until Tuesday." She laughed. "How's Bon Temps?"

I blew all the air out of my lungs before taking another big breath. "Still here. I'm going to be back at work in a couple weeks. I told you Hunter is staying here, right?" She made a positive noise. "He's really great. He'll be here another ten days. I'm really enjoying getting to know him. Even Jason's managed to pull his head out where Hunter is concerned. They're going fishing tomorrow."

Amelia let out a low whistle. "That's unexpected. I hope he keeps that up."

I nodded. "You and me both, hun."

There was silence for a minute before Amelia thought of something to say. "How are the vamps doing?"

I shrugged before replying. "Uh, pretty good I guess. Eric's a bit stressed. We went on a date the other night."

I could tell I'd actually stunned Amelia. "You did what?"

I laughed. "We went on a date. It was nice, actually. We went to this café/ bar in Shreveport. They had live music, and we chatted. It was good, casual."

"How was the sex?" Ah, there was the blunt Amelia I knew and loved.

"There hasn't been that much, with having Hunter around. When we've managed it's been good."

She laughed. "You guys never could keep things quiet. How's Pam?"

I twiddled with my hair for a bit before responding. "She's okay, I think. You should give her a call tonight." I sighed softly. "So, how have you been? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm doing better. The change of scenery really helped. I'm sorry I left like that, but I really needed to just, you know, be on my own."

"I know. Trust me, I get it. You're getting better though, right?"

"Yeah, I'm getting through it. I wasn't in love with Trey, but we were having such a good time. I liked him a lot, and we were getting to be friends. I've never had a friend die before." Amelia was silent for a moment. "So, Stackhouse, you better stay alive for the foreseeable future, because I wore my one black dress already and I just do not have the energy for shopping at the moment!"

We both laughed, a little shakily. If she was laughing, she'd be alright. At that point, Hunter came tearing into the house, asking if he could have a sandwich. "Okay, witch, I better go. This child wants to eat me out of house and home!"

Amelia laughed. "Okay, telepath. Don't let him run you too ragged! I'll call you Tuesday, if I make it that far unscathed."

"Good luck!" I clicked the phone down and felt relieved. When Amelia left, I'd been worried that I really was going to lose someone who'd become a good friend in the time we lived together. I ran my hands over my face, mentally giving myself a shove. "Okay, kiddo, lunch time!" My cheeriness was forced, but only slightly so. Children had a way of keeping gloominess at bay.

After lunch, where even I managed to eat half a sandwich, I decided Hunter needed to work some more on shielding. It was a sunny day, pretty warm for the tail end of January, so I figured people would actually be walking around outside. I got him in the car, let Beau and Don know our plans and the two of us, with Don following behind, set off for the park in Clarice.

Hunter and I got settled, with Don a moderate distance away, at a picnic table in the sun. I pulled out the deck of cards I'd stuffed in my purse and started shuffling. I figured I could teach Hunter a simple card game while we practiced so that we weren't just staring at each other in silence. I dealt the cards and started teaching him the basics of go fish. After about ten minutes we could play, slowly, so I decided it was time to start trying to keep the people wandering by out of his head.

Take my hand, Hunter. We'd learned, over the past few days, that touching enhanced our gift, similarly to how it had when I'd done it with Barry in Rhodes. I wasn't going to put any shields up in this situation, since that made it a bit too easy for him, and since he couldn't keep it up when we weren't touching. Do you see that lady over there? He nodded. I'd indicated a woman with a small child, about a year old. She was feeding the baby some food out of a jar. Focus on her. Her thoughts came flooding into our minds.

Is Ryan going to be late again? God, I hope he's not having an affair. He can't leave me, we've got Isabelle now. Such a beautiful girl. Wish she was sleeping regularly, maybe if she was we could get our sex life back on track and I wouldn't be convinced he was having an affair. I really need to lose the last of this baby weight.

I sighed. Always, people had to be thinking about sex. At least she wasn't being graphic about it. Focus, Hunter. Push her away. Picture her a thousand miles away, so far away there's no chance you can hear her. The thoughts got slightly quieter, dulling to a buzz. Focus, Hunter. They dulled slightly more, becoming almost silent. After a minute, Hunter shook his head slightly and I dropped his hand. "Kiddo, that was awesome. You did really good. Now go fish." I grinned at him as he picked up a card. He had done really well.

For two hours, we alternated between playing at cards and blocking out one person at a time. By the end of our session, he could, when focusing, block out three separate minds at once. Of course, if he didn't focus, it all came rushing back and he wasn't yet at the point where he could even have a conversation while shielding, but it was better than nothing. I was confident that I was at least leaving the young telepath in a better situation than I'd found him.

Hunter was working on blocking a group of men standing under a tree smoking and chatting. As soon as I started listening to their thoughts I slammed Hunter's earmuffs in place, before rummaging in their brains as best I could. Hunter look a bit puzzled, but I waved him away. This was important.

A few minutes later, I was hustling Hunter into the Don's car as fast as I could. I could barely think. I needed to get him home, and then I would deal with this situation. How was I going to deal with this situation? I didn't need this. I needed peace, and quiet, and time to spend with my cousin's child.

"Aunt Sookie, why was that man thinking about bombs?" Hunter's voice pulled me back to the present, and I turned to look at Don, who was certainly taking notice.

For a few seconds, I simply focused on my breathing. After a final deep breath, I was ready to answer him. "Remember how we talked about the Fellowship of the Sun, kiddo?" He nodded. "Well, they sometimes do very bad things, and those men are planning on doing something bad."

He got a small crease between his eyebrows as he frowned. "What are we going to do to stop them?"

I shook my head slightly. "Hunter, I am going to take care of it. You are going to go home and Don and Beau will watch you, okay?"

"I wanna help! I can help, we've been practicing and I'm getting better. I can help!"

"Not this time, Hunter." Jesus, what was I going to do? Think, Sookie, think!

Don forced me back to the present. "Sookie, what the hell, excuse my language, what the heck is going on?"

"Did you notice that group of guys smoking?"

He shrugged. "Sure, of course I noticed them. What of it?"

"Fellowship. Something big is going down tonight. You better tell your pack. I'm going to try to find out more and make a couple calls. It's going to be all over. Kind of like a Kristallnacht for supes. Take Hunter home, I'm going to make a few calls and see if I can hear anything else." I was also probably going to end up visiting an inmate in the parish jail, but I would have to see.

Don frowned. "I don't like leaving you alone here, Sookie. I'm going to call Beau and get him to pick up Hunter."

"You call whomever you please, Don, but you better get Hunter the heck away from here, now. I'm going back to listen some more. Do not follow me, got it?" He nodded and I started dialing my cell phone as I walked back towards where Hunter and I had been sitting.

The first person I called was Alcide. "Sookie?" He picked up on the second ring. "Is every thing okay? How have you been?"

I felt like pulling out my hair. We didn't have time for this. "Alcide, something big is going down tonight with the Fellowship of the Sun. They're planning on setting off bombs all over the state. Do you have a way of getting in touch with other pack leaders?"

As soon as I mention the Fellowship, I could tell I had Alcide's full attention. "Of course, can you give me anything else to go on?"

I focused back to what I had seen in those men's minds. "Well, there are a few targets in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Were and vamp owned businesses, anything known as such. In Shreveport, as far as I could tell, Fangtasia is probably going to get hit, along with the Harley dealership and that shifter bar that used to belong to Amanda." Amanda had died during the Were War, along with several other members of the Shreveport pack. "Those were the only specific locations I picked up, there might be more. They've stocked up on small bombs and have been making Molotov cocktails."

"Do you know the names of the people you picked this up from?" Of course Alcide figured out how I knew this.

"I'm going to try to find out."

"Where are you? Are Beau and Don with you?" Did everyone know about the protection Eric had arranged? Was I not trusted to walk out my front door these days?

"I'm in Clarice, in the park, and I'm on my own for the moment, but one of them will be here soon. Look, I need to call Eric's day guy, then I'll call you back if I pick up more specifics."

I could hear Alcide moving papers around. "Any time frame?"

"After dark. I don't know anything more specific."

"Fine. I'll start making calls."

"Can you call Calvin?" I didn't have time to give him and Sam an update, and I wanted to call Sam.

"Will do. Thanks for this, Sook. We're always in your debt."

As soon as I ended the call I dialed Bobby Burnham. He picked up after four rings. "Yes Miss Stackhouse? How can I help you? You must know I'm very busy." Even the man's voice annoyed me, but I pushed through it.

"Well, be prepared to get even busier. Something is going down with the Fellowship tonight. From what I've gathered, they're targeting businesses owned by supernaturals all over the state, possibly more than just Louisiana. I know Fangtasia in specific is being targeted, but anything openly known to be owned by vamps or Weres is fair game."

Thankfully, Bobby was suddenly all business. At least he wasn't a total idiot, he just hated me. "I have contact info for all of the area vampire's day people, plus some for Area One and Three. I'll start making calls. Contact me if you learn anything else." The line went dead.

"You're welcome, Bobby." Sheesh, the man was an ass. I wanted to scream, but instead I dialed Sam.

"Merlotte's Bar and Grill, Sam speaking."

"Sam, it's Sookie, something's going down tonight--"

He cut me off. "Hey Sook, yeah Alcide just called. I got calls of my own to make. Let me know if you learn anything, okay cher?"

"Sure thing, just turn your cell on, okay?"

"Sure thing."

I hung up with Sam and sat down at the picnic table I'd shared with Hunter. The men were still talking and smoking. I started typing what I heard from their minds into a text message. Parties of four, Molotov cocktails, small bombs, starting two hours after sundown, across La, mainly in cities, other states later in the week. This group: Marlin Jessops, Ernie Williams, Brian Taylor, James (Jimmy) Anderson. Targeting Weres in Monroe. Flower shop, Italian restaurant, pool hall. Three other "cells" in Monroe. Two targeting vamp business, one more for Weres. Hit and run. I sent it to Bobby, Eric, Pam, Alcide, Calvin, Don and Sam.

I listened, digging as deep as I could. These guys going to meet at Applebees on I-20. Going there after to celebrate as well. Shreveport: 8 cells, 5 for vamps 3 for weres. Names: Billy Miles, David Santos. Places: Fangtasia, Harley dealership, Hair of the Dog. Probably more. That's all these guys know. Will keep trying.

I moved to a closer table, keeping my back to the men. I needed to hear what they were actually saying. I couldn't get anything else. They were just talking about making sure their pickups were gassed up and that they had all the "supplies". They were annoyed they hadn't been assigned the local supes since they didn't really want to drive all the way to Monroe and back. God, these people disgusted me. I was going to have to make a visit I was not looking forward to. I sent a quick text to Don and Beau to let them know where I was going. The last thing I needed was an angry vampire on my ass for losing my guards at sundown.

On my way to Bon Temps, I phoned Amelia, not really caring that I shouldn't be talking and driving. I got her voicemail, which I was slightly happy about. I didn't have time to have a conversation about this. It was already 4:30. I'd spent an extra hour sitting on that park bench and I really hadn't gotten anything useful. "Hey, 'meals. Look, the Fellowship is up to some serious shit tonight, two hours after sunset. I've done my best to beat the message drums, but if you could do your best in the New Orleans, I'd appreciate it. Supe owned and operated businesses are being targeted, in the Fellowship version of Kristallnacht. Please watch out for yourself tonight, okay? Bye."

I pulled into the police office parking lot. The office also housed the small jail, which held Arlene Fowler until she faced trial. Her boyfriend, Whit, was in a federal prison, since he'd shot an FBI agent. I took a deep breath and steeled my will before walking in. Andy greeted me slightly suspiciously. "Andy, hey, I really need to talk to Arlene, if it's possible."

Now he looked downright mistrustful. "What's going on, Sookie?"

"Look, I heard something, and I need to talk to her about it."

Andy at least believed in what I could do, even if he didn't like me at all. "Fine, but I'm sitting in on this little 'chat' and if Arlene says you need to go, you do."

He led me to one of a few small cells in the back of the police station. Arlene was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. Andy knocked on the bars to get her attention before he opened the door for me to enter. I didn't know if I actually wanted to sit in the same room as her, but since he didn't seem to be giving me an option I walked into her cell.

I sat down on one end of the narrow bed, while Andy lounged against the cell door. "Hey, Arlene." She didn't say a word to me, just stared at her hands. "How are Coby and Lisa?"

"They're with Helen Ellis. She brings them to see me a few times a week." She sighed before finally looking at me.

"They coping alright?" I'd always liked Arlene's kids, even if she and I weren't on great terms.

"They'll be alright. They'll probably go stay with my aunt after the trial." Arlene's aunt was in Clarice, and she'd always been good to the kids. I nodded. "What do you want, Sookie?"

Arlene looked resigned, and tired. "What's going on tonight, Arlene? Don't even bother asking me what I'm talking about, because I know you know." She did. It had been at the front of her mind since she'd heard my voice.

"Just some honest citizens trying to take back their state from the devil. Stay home, stay out of it."

Now Andy looked positively gleeful. He always loved the prospect of arresting people. "What's going on ladies?"

I sighed. "You know that church, the Fellowship of the Sun?" He nodded. "Well, they're taking a page from the Klan's playbook. They're targeting businesses owned by Weres, shifters and vamps, Molotov cocktails, bombs, that kind of thing. We might even get to see a few burning crosses come nightfall, right, Arlene?"

She glared at me. "Why even bother asking if you're just going to take things straight from my mind?"

"Don't you dare sass me, Arlene Fowler. I never did a bad thing by you. I was your friend, I helped you take care of your kids, I cleaned your trailer more times than I can count. You repay me by trying to trick me into getting crucified by your boyfriend. You tried to get me killed, don't even dare give me attitude." I was angry now, mainly because Arlene didn't know much more than those men in Clarice. She knew two out of the four who were going to go to Merlotte's, and a few other places in Clarice and Hotshot. She didn't know who would be replacing Whit, who was in jail, or Donny, who had been shot dead by Agent Lattesta. I got up in disgust, brushing by Andy to find a pen and piece of paper from the front desk. I wrote down the two names and handed them to Andy, who'd been hot on my tail. "They're meeting at the Grab it Kwik about an hour after dark. They'll have Molotovs in the back of the pickup. That's all she knew for sure. They should have two other people with them, but I don't know who. These guys will be heading for Merlotte's, and some other places owned by shifters in the parish. Can I tell Sam that you'll take care of them?"

I could hear from his brain that he didn't particularly care for Weres or shifters in general, but he liked Sam. This was his town and he didn't want to see its people terrorized. "Yeah, I'll get Kevin and Kenya and Bud and we'll pick these guys up. Thanks for the tip." He said it kind of begrudgingly, but at least he said it.

I nodded to him and walked out to my car. Beau was lounging against his truck, so I waved to him before I climbed into my car. I called Sam and let him know what was going on with Andy and to pass the word to Hotshot, then drove back to my house, tears running down my face.

I was barely even out of the car before Hunter was flying off the front porch and barreling into me. He was crying too, and seeing his tears made mine even worse. He was confused and tired and worried because he didn't know what was going to happen to me if I tried to stop the bad men with the bombs.

I picked him up and hugged him to me as hard as I could. I could feel the wetness of his tears against my neck, feel him shaking, as I carried him into the house. I just rubbed his back gently, kissed his dark hair and popped him down in a kitchen chair. Don and Beau had followed us in and were standing in the kitchen doorway silently. I sighed, brushing the moisture from my cheeks in irritation. "Well? Sit down, I'll make you guys some food. There's beef stew or some chicken casserole. I'll heat up both and you can just take what you want."

I put coffee on, threw some of the par baked rolls into the oven, poured myself a very large glass of white wine and put leftovers into the microwave. "Do either of you need a drink as much as I do? I've got some wine, and there's gin, but I don't have any tonic. I've got orange juice. There's a bit of bourbon too. Sorry about the selection. I don't drink much."

The two guys exchanged a look and Don shrugged. "We'd both appreciate a bourbon, if that's alright."

I nodded. "Straight up or on the rocks?" They both wanted the drinks with ice, so I fixed those and got Hunter some orange juice then sat at the table. I reached out and stroked his small hand. "You okay, kiddo?" He shook his head slightly, so I opened my arms. He slid around the table and into my lap. "You were such a big help, today, Hunter." I was having trouble here. Hunter was so smart for his age that I frequently forgot just how young he was, and how a child his age would react to the very disturbing visuals we got before I shut him down. "If it weren't for you, those bad men wouldn't have been caught. The police are going to take care of it." I was glad I had Hunter wrapped in earmuffs, because Beau was pretty certain that the police would not be the first to get their hands on these Fellowship goons. I gave him a very dirty look before taking a long sip of my wine. It was already nearly six and getting pretty dark out. I figured the vamps would get in touch once they had things under control on their end. I hoped they could get it under control. I hadn't really found that much to go on. "So, did you guys touch base with your people?"

Beau nodded. "The pack in Baton Rouge is on alert, and they've touched base with the local blood suckers. You've got a favor banked with them." I nodded, not really caring about favors. I just hoped no one got seriously hurt tonight. When the rolls were done and the food hot, I put Hunter back in his seat and distributed plates and food, taking a roll and a bit of stew for myself. Beau and Don helped themselves to coffee. I sighed, dipping pieces of bread into the broth before putting them into my mouth. After a couple bites of bread and a piece of meat, I was done. Hunter, too, was pretty much just pushing his food around. At least the Weres had a good appetite. They polished off the rest of the leftovers without complaint.

"Kiddo, take a few more bites, then I'll read to you for a while, okay?" The look he gave me nearly broke my heart. "Two bites, then we'll get in pajamas and read The Last Unicorn, yeah?" He dutifully took two more bites of stew, even adding a bite of bread before pushing his plate away. I put the plate straight in the fridge, figuring he could eat it later if he got hungry. I looked to the two Weres. "Are you guys heading out?"

They exchanged a glance. Beau spoke up. "We're going to stay here tonight, if you don't mind, Sookie." I sighed.

"It's fine. There's room upstairs to sleep, and if one of you would run to the supermarket and get some tonic water and a few limes, I would really appreciate it. I feel like I'm going to need a couple stiff drinks in me tonight."

Don gave me a lopsided grin. "Yeah, I'll run over there. Anything else you need?"

I picked up Hunter to carry him to the living room, managing to get him balanced on my hip so I could grab my wine. "If you want anything more than a quick sandwich or popcorn to eat, grab that. I've only got vanilla ice cream, so maybe something like vanilla heath bar crunch, and some whipping cream." My purse was on the counter, so I put down my wine and reached in to grab twenty bucks.

Don fended me off. "Don't worry about it. Tonic, limes, ice cream, cream. I'll be back in half an hour or so." He picked up his keys and was out the door. I picked up my wine and hauled the surprisingly heavy almost-five-year-old into his bed room.

"Okay, kiddo. PJs, brush your teeth and meet me in the living room. I need to change too."

I put on my yoga pants and a very soft long sleeve t-shirt. Since the Weres were going to be around, I elected to keep my bra on. When I got to the living room, Hunter was tucked into a corner of the couch, hugging his knees. I sighed. "Hunter, I know you're upset. Let's talk about it okay?" Both of the Weres had figured out that he was a telepath too, since Don heard the two of us when I was getting Hunter into Don's car, and he'd told Beau. I figured it didn't really matter at the moment.

"I don't want those men to hurt you." His sniffling almost tore my heart in two.

I hugged him to me before responding. "Honey, we're fine. The police are going to get those men and Don and Beau are here to protect us, just in case."

"Why did you go back to listen more if you knew they hate people who are different and want them to die? What if they figured out that you were different?"

Hunter had a point. I did tend to rush in without thinking things like that through. I was slightly surprised they hadn't noticed me, and was thankful they'd been so absorbed in their planning. "I needed to go back so I could get more information to give the police, and Eric and Pam. Those men could have hurt people I care about very badly, and I didn't want that to happen." I thought for a minute. I'd always appreciated it when adults were honest with me, and tried to do the same with Hunter. "It's easier for me to take the risk of getting hurt than be certain that people I love are going to be hurt because I didn't do anything to stop it."

He wiped his face on my shirt, but I didn't have it in me to care. "So going back was a good thing to do?"

I had to approach that one carefully. "It was alright for me to go back because I was pretty sure it was safe. If I had thought they would have hurt me in public, I would have waited for Beau. Just in case I was wrong, I didn't want you to come. I love you kiddo, and I don't know what I would do if someone hurt you." I had an idea of what I would do, and it wasn't pretty. I didn't like to think myself a violent person, but if anyone went after Hunter, I would do my best to kill them.

He nodded to himself and we settled down on the couch together. Beau turned on the news, keeping the volume low, and I read to Hunter. The Unicorn and Schmendrick had escaped the carnival, Schmendrick had embarrassed Jack Jingly and been captured by the time Don got back. I made myself a gin and tonic, made some whipped cream and put together a bowl of ice cream for Hunter. I didn't even press him to eat more of his dinner. He ate his ice cream, and we got further into the book, getting past Hagsgate and the unicorn's transformation, all the through to Lír becoming a hero for Amathea before Hunter finally passed out. It was about ten, well past his normal bedtime, but I figured I'd let it slide. He'd had a really hard day and so had I.

I picked him up and got him into his bed, though I had the sneaking suspicion he'd wind up in mine eventually. I settled back on the couch and turned up the volume on the news. So far it didn't seem too bad. There were reports of police apprehending members of hate groups around the state, a few Molotovs being set off, but other than that it was quiet so far.

I needed to get in touch with my vamps, if only to find out if I needed to head over there and talk to people. If I didn't have to I was going to have at least one more very stiff drink. I grabbed my phone from the kitchen and fired off a quick text to Eric. Did everything go alright? Do you need me or can I proceed to get very drunk?

A minute later the house phone rang. It was Eric. "Hello lover. I hear you've had a very busy day."

I sighed. "You guys are okay?"

"We're fine. Two humans came in with small explosive devices, and someone tried to throw a flaming bottle of gasoline at the building. Pamela was most put out, since she was manning the door."

I gasped. "Is she alright? Did she get burned?" Fire was especially dangerous to vampires.

Eric laughed. "Pam, come talk to Sookie. She's worried about you!"

I could hear Eric passing over the phone. "Ah, my telepathic friend!" Pam sounded positively jolly, which was terrifying. "You missed an interesting evening."

I shook my head. "Pam, Eric said you were at the door when someone through a Molotov. Are you okay?"

She laughed. "Ah yes. The men were most surprised when I caught it and threw it back at them. They all jumped out of the truck, since it lit all the other ones on fire. It was quite amusing. Felicia and I apprehended them. Of course, that idiot Burnham had informed the police of the threat so we couldn't drain the pond scum. We were forced to hand them over to the authorities." She sounded like she was pouting. "Would you like to speak to Eric again?"

I sank into a chair. "Sure, pass him over."

"Hello my lover. So, tell me about how all of this came about." I gave him a run through of my day since Hunter and I had first heard the fanatics. It took about ten minutes, though I felt like it should have taken much longer. It had feltlike years as I was living it. "I'm glad you thought to call Bobby. He managed to get in touch with at least one day person from each area. Since none of us could be roused, he chose to inform the authorities. Pam is less than pleased. She thinks I should drain him and find a new day man. Was he at least courteous to you?"

I took a moment before replying. Just because I hated the man, I didn't want to see him drained. "He was fine, Eric."

Eric seemed to draw his own conclusions from my reply. "Hmmm. Well, thank you for the warning. Things could have gone very differently had we not been aware of the threat."

I rubbed my temples. "You don't need me to come and interrogate anyone, then?"

He laughed. "You are free to get as drunk as you'd like. No molesting the Weres."

I harrumphed. "Then you better not get all post battle blood-lusty with some fang-banger!"

I could practically feel his grin. "Oh-ho, lover, I thought you didn't care what I did." He laughed again and I ignored him, setting about loudly making a gin and tonic. "Sometimes the trouble you attract is wonderfully amusing. I will have to have a chat with Bobby about going to the police. He should know better." Eric lapsed into silence for a few seconds. "So, lover, were you still thinking about coming to Shreveport tomorrow evening?"

"I'm going to have to talk to Jason in the morning and double check everything, especially after tonight, but probably." I sighed happily, really enjoying the first sip of my drink. "So, you guys are really alright? Did many businesses in Shreveport get targeted?"

"Only about ten, and everyone had been warned. Damages were minimal. Is your boy doing alright?"

I laughed. "You can call him, Hunter, you know?" I shrugged and sighed. "He's upset. He only just finally passed out and I got him to bed. I'm pretty sure he'll climb in with me as soon as I go to sleep. I read to him for about three hours and he still hadn't calmed down completely."

"What did you read him?"

"The Last Unicorn. It's a really good book. We're not done with it yet, but I've read it many times before."

"What's it about?"

I took a few sips of my drink. How to explain this book to Eric? It's about an immortal falling in love… Yeah, not so much. "Well, it's about a unicorn who goes looking for her people. They've been gathered up by the red bull for King Haggard. She meets up with Schmendrick the Magician, and Molly Grue along the way. When they finally get to Haggard's kingdom, the bull nearly conquers the unicorn, but Schmendrick manages to turn her into a human. Of course, he can't change her back because he has no control over where the magic takes him. They call her Amalthea, and she is able to enter Haggard's castle. She starts forgetting herself, starts becoming a human woman. The king's son, Lír, falls in love with her and makes himself into a hero to try to win her love. The unicorn can't love, but Amalthea can, and as she forgets herself, Amalthea begins to love Lír. Of course, they eventually find the way down to the bull's lair, Schmendrick gains control over his magic and is able to turn her back, she faces the bull and is nearly vanquished. Lír tries to defend her and is killed, which spurs her to defeat the bull and thus free the other unicorns. She heals Lír and leaves, and she is only unicorn that has ever learned love or regret. It sounds stupid when I explain it, but it's really beautifully written." I wandered out to the living room, picked up the book and waved at the Weres before going back to the kitchen. I flipped through it for a minute, trying to find a good line to read him. "Here, listen, this is unicorn, just after she's been changed: 'My people are gone, and I will follow them soon, whatever shape you trap me in. But I would have chosen any otherthan this for my prison. A rhinoceros is as ugly as a human being, and it too is going to die, but at least it never thinks that it is beautiful.' Anyway, it's really beautifully written."

Eric was silent on his end of the line. Finally he responded. "It sounds like a very sad book, my lover. Perhaps I can borrow it from you."

I made a noise, neither yes nor no. "So you guys are really fine? I can stop worrying?"

He laughed. "Yes dear one, stop worrying. Feel free to drink as much as you want. It seems such a shame, though, as I have never seen you drunk."

I smiled slightly. "I haven't been really drunk in a coon's age. It does funny things to my telepathy, and I lose all control over my shields. I really don't like drinking in bars because of that. I'll probably just finish this gin and tonic and go to bed. Good night, Eric. Say bye to Pam for me."

"I will. Rest well, lover." I dropped the book onto the counter and went back to the living room. I made small talk with Don and Beau, finished my drink and made my way through another before making my slightly unsteady way to bed. Hunter was already in my bed, so I got ready in the bathroom before getting into bed with him. He hugged me in his sleep, sighing, and I found myself falling asleep faster than I thought possible.

A/N: So, do you want the next chapter or me to do my laundry? You tell me.