A/N: Thanks so much for sticking with me. It's been a rough few weeks but here it is. I think it came out pretty well! I hope you enjoy it too!

Chapter 10

Sookie's eyes widened as she heard him and she stalked into the room. "I wouldn't call you quite that heroic, Bill Compton," she said coldly. "I was already awake when you manhandled me thank you very much."

Bill's eyes widened and he hurriedly whirled to face her. "I didn't mean..."

"You didn't mean to tell whomever you're speaking to that you're some kind of hero for 'saving' me because you were wandering around in the woods by my house in the middle of the night? You didn't trust my smoke alarms would wake me?" She held up a hand to stop him from speaking. "Forget it. I'm going to get my purse and my phone, then I'll be out of your hair." Sookie turned on her heel and left the room.

Moments later she returned to the guest room, purse in hand. She dug out her phone and dialed her brother's phone number.

"'Lo?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Jason, I need a favor. I need you to come and get me. I'm at Bill Compton's house."

"Sookie? It's like six thirty. What are you doing over there and why do you need me to come and get you?"

Sookie held in a sigh of frustration. Of course Jason wouldn't know about the fire yet. "Jase, I don't want you to panic. There was a fire at my house last night. Bill... let me stay here for the night, but I think it's high time I left. Can I stay with you? Just until I know what's going on with my house, then I'll find a place to stay if I need to."

Jason seemed to be more awake now. "Yeah, sure, Sookie, whatever you need. I'll be there in about twenty minutes."

"Thanks, Big Brother." Sookie rung off and sighed. She tossed her phone on the bed and stood, planning to find out where her own pajamas were when Bill's silhouette loomed in the doorway.

"Sookie, I am sorry if you think that I was trying to be unjustly heroic in my conversation. You don't need to leave," he said quietly.

"Bill, I don't know what you want from me, but I cannot stay here with you. I'm going to stay at Jason's until I know what's going on with my house." She took a deep breath. "I thank you for your hospitality and your help last night. I appreciate it very much, but I just can't stay here. Now if I could get my own clothes, Jason will be here in a few minutes to pick me up."

Bill stood stiffly for a moment and then nodded. "Of course, Sookie, I'll fetch them for you right now."

Jason picked her up and brought her back to his house. He had to work, so she was stuck there unless she could find someone to come and chauffeur her around until she figured out what happened to her car. At the moment though, Sookie didn't mind being trapped in one place. While Jason got ready for work, she found a blanket and a pillow and fell asleep on the couch.

Her sleep was plagued with nightmares of smoke and fire. When she finally woke she felt as tired as she had when she'd gone to sleep. The muscles in her back and neck were screaming from having slept on the couch. She padded slowly to the bathroom and ran a hot shower, hoping to loosen her muscles and lessen the pain. After she finished her shower, she rummaged around in Jason's medicine cabinet for some pain relievers. She sighed in relief when she found a bottle of ibuprofen. Downing two with a glass of water, she found a t-shirt and a pair of shorts in Jason's room that fit her moderately well. It would have to do until she could get in and find out what she had left.

After making some coffee, Sookie called Sam, who told her to take a few days off. Her next call was to the fire station, and they told her an arson investigator would call her when he had finished his initial investigation. The person she spoke with was unsure when exactly that would be, but the investigator was scheduled to go out there sometime today. That left her stuck at her brother's house with nothing but the pajamas she had been wearing, her purse and her cell phone.

She stared at the phone sitting on the coffee table and contemplated whom she could call. Jason was at work. Sam? No, he had too much going on with the bar and finding someone to cover her shift. She could call Eric or Pam but they had a business to run and they were all the way in Shreveport. Sookie sighed. Amelia was at work, and so was Tray. Alcide? She shouldn't call him. He had to work and if she called him, he would expect an answer from her. Sookie still wasn't sure what that answer would be. She wanted to call him though. As she continued her silent vigil over her phone while debating the pros and cons of calling Alcide, there was a knock at the door.

Startled out of her reverie, Sookie made her way to the door and peeked through the window to see who it was. It seemed strange anyone would be knocking on Jason's door in the middle of the day when he normally would be working. When she saw who was standing there, Sookie threw the door open. "Alcide!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Alcide gave her a once over with those cool green eyes. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, he moved past her into the house, uninvited. "Why didn't you call me?" he demanded.

Sookie shut the door quietly before turning to him. She wasn't sure what to make of his words. "I didn't call you because last night I was nearly catatonic. This morning I had my brother take me away from Bill's house and bring me here where I've tried, unsuccessfully, to get some sleep and to figure out what the hell is going on with my house. So forgive me, Alcide, if I didn't pick up the phone and call you as soon as I was clear of the fire," she shot back, going on the defensive. "Maybe you wanted me to call you as I was running out?"

Alcide looked taken aback by her words. He'd been so worried from the moment he had stepped into Merlotte's and Sam had told him what happened. He had broken the speed limit pretty much from the bar to her brother's house trying to see for himself that she was actually okay. "I'm sorry, Sookie. When I heard about what happened, I panicked. I had to see for myself that you were okay. What happened?"

This Alcide she could deal with. She didn't like the other, demanding Alcide. She went to the kitchen and grabbed another mug of coffee. "Sit down and I'll tell you what I know. I'm warning you right now, it isn't much." She brought him the coffee and picked up her own, taking a sip. She started relaying the story, noting to herself when she told him about Bill taking her to his house and taking care of her, Alcide's hands clenched into tight fists.

"Before you get all bent out of shape because of Bill, I called Jason early this morning and made him come and get me. I didn't want to stay there," Sookie said quietly.

Alcide listened to her story, growing more and more angry at Bill Compton. What part of stay away from Sookie did the man not understand? "You could have called me, Sookie. You should have, I'd have come and gotten you," he said gently.

"And brought me where, Alcide? I don't even have a change of clothes. I literally had the clothes on my back and I had enough wits about me to grab my phone and my purse. I can't afford to check into a motel and I don't even know what's going on with my car."

"Well why don't we fix that? I'll take you out there right now. You can see about your car and your clothes."

Sookie lifted her eyes to his as she took another sip of her coffee. She nodded. "Yes, I think I'd like that. I am sorry I didn't call you, it was on my to-do list," she said with a sheepish smile. "You're a lifesaver, taking me out there. Whenever you're ready, I am."

They arrived at the house about twenty minutes later. Alcide pulled around the drive in front and Sookie looked out the window at her house. From this angle, her home looked normal except for some muddy ruts in the yard where the firemen had run around and pulled the hoses toward the back. "It looks... normal," she said with some surprise. She didn't move to open her door.

"They must have been able to contain it to the back. That's a good thing, chere." Alcide climbed out of the truck and walked around to her door, opening it for her. "Are you sure you want to look at the kitchen?" he asked as he helped her from the high seat.

Sookie paused and then nodded, determined. "Yes." She started around the side of the house and when she was half way there she could see the black scorch marks on the outside. She didn't even have to reach the back yard before she could see the devastation. Her kitchen and back porch were completely gone. All that remained were some blackened framing boards standing silent vigil over the carnage. The floor was almost completely gone. The appliances, warped by the heat, had mostly fallen through to rest at strange angles. It looked as if nothing was salvageable. The one bright spot was the wall that stood between the kitchen and the rest of the house still stood. Sookie closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer of thanks. She glanced away from the kitchen to see her car sitting where she had left it. That too had been blackened and burned. Tears pricked her eyes.

Alcide stood beside her silently surveying the damage. "I could have a crew out here as soon as the arson investigator clears it," he said quietly. "We could have it done in a couple weeks."

Sookie swung her eyes around to meet his. "I can't take advantage of you that way, Alcide. I have a little money saved, and with the insurance, I can hire someone local to do it."

Alcide looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "Or you hire me to do it. You know we do the best work in northern Louisiana. I'll charge you the amount of your insurance settlement."

Sookie just stared at him. It was true that his company was reputed to be the best in the area. "I'll think about it," she replied. She started back toward the front of the house. "I need to get in and see if I can at least get some clothes so I can wash them. Then I have to figure out how I'm going to get around town."

Alcide hesitated a moment. The thought crossed his mind. Of course it did. But to invite her to stay with him? When she hadn't decided or perhaps even had a chance to think about his offer? If he made the offer, it could push her away. Alternatively, it could bring them closer. In the end, the words couldn't be stopped. "You could come stay with me while you need to. I could drive you to work and back until you get your car taken care of."

Sookie paused and turned to look at him. "I couldn't ask that of you Alcide. It's an hour and a half drive one way! I won't put you out like that."

Alcide grinned. "But Sookie, if you hire me to work on your house, I'll be out here anyway. I would personally oversee the project. Actually I would do that even if you don't stay with me." He sobered. "I'm not trying to push you to do anything you don't want to do, Sookie, I just want you to know you can come stay with me if you want to. I don't mind playing chauffeur for a few days."

"I... don't know. Let me think about it. Please," she replied.

"Of course. It's not a life or death answer, Sook, we're still friends whatever you decide. Let's go pack up some clothes for you," he said to divert her attention.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sookie turned and walked around to the front of the house. She unlocked the door and opened it slowly, unsure what to expect. The door creaked open and Sookie peeked cautiously inside. She was somewhat surprised to see that it looked almost normal. There was a fine layer of soot on everything, but nothing that a few days of good scrubbing couldn't fix. She stepped through the door and walked slowly toward her bedroom. The door stood open, just as she left it. Her bedsheets were still a tangled mess, a testament her struggle to get out of bed quickly. Her eyes flew to the closet. The back wall of the closet was on the same wall as the kitchen had been.

Her clothes looked mostly intact. Some of the hangers had melted, leaving those items unwearable. Her shoes lining the floor all looked to be still in good shape. She went to her hamper and grabbed the entire thing. She tossed a couple pairs of shoes into it before she rummaged through for anything salvageable in the closet. She found a few dresses and some sweaters and tossed them in the hamper as well. She then went to her dresser and pulled out underthings, pajamas, some t-shirts, shorts and jeans. Everything went into the hamper, filling it to overflowing.

Alcide stood in the doorway watching her work. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was leaning against the doorframe. When she had filled the hamper, he silently walked over and grabbed it, carrying it out to his truck while she went into her bathroom and grabbed whatever she thought she might need.

Sookie tossed her toiletries on the bed and rummaged around underneath it for her overnight bag. She tossed everything into it, and then began stripping the bed. She wrapped the sheets in the comforter and slung her bag over her shoulder. With a last look around her room she picked up the bundle at her feet and stepped out into the hallway. She was nearly knocked over by Alcide, who was coming back to help her.

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