After a few playful hours to themselves and a mostly quiet car ride, Eric and Alex are at Fangtasia in Eric's office, waiting on Bill and Sookie to arrive. Alex is sitting on the black leather couch; Eric is behind his desk. He is looking over paperwork and making notes.

Alex is drumming her leg at an increasing rate; nervously glancing at the time.

Eric casts a look toward her, "Is that necessary?"

"What?"

"That movement. It is extremely difficult to concentrate with that noise."

"Well, I'm sorry. I can't help it. I need a cigarette…like, yesterday. And I hardly think you can give any speeches about needing something to get by, so save it."

He turns to face her, "You need them to live? Funny, I vaguely recall that those are quite deadly."

"What's that proverb…that which nourishes me also destroys me."

"Hardly the same and more over, hardly the context in which it was intended for use."

"Whatever…don't you have spreadsheets to fill?

He laughs, shaking his head. He returns to the paperwork in question, "Whatever is not an efficient way to end an argument, Alex."

She crosses her arms and rolls her eyes, "Well, I'm a shitty communicator. I'll work it on. And it may not be the best way to end it, but I'll fucking take it."

She sighs, uncrossing her arms. She begins to drum her fingers on the arm of the couch to which Eric gives her a serious stare over his shoulder.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Maybe you should consider quitting that foul habit. It makes you extremely unpleasant."

"For future reference, giving me the quit smoking speech is something for later in this relationship and definitely not when I need to smoke!"

He says nothing, just continues to glare at her.

"Sorry, I'm on edge here. Told you I needed it. I'll try to keep it down."

"Thank you."

She makes the effort to consciously not move around. She can feel the withdraw coursing through her veins like fire. She tries to even out her breathing, keep herself calm.

"It sounds like you've been running for miles. I can hear it," he says with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, well, I can't stop that sound. So, just deal with it."

A knock on the door causes Alex to jump up. Eric calls for them to enter. Pam opens the door and is nearly run over by Sookie, who rushes over to Alex and hugs her tightly. Bill enters closely behind her, sitting a backpack down on the couch near the girls. He leans against the wall.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry! How are you," Sookie asks.

"Since you have my clothes with you, I'm going to let this hugging shit slide," Alex pushes Sookie away from her and mutters a thank you, "Who told you…Pam."

Pam smiles, "Wasn't much of a secret cupcake. I'm a little hurt though. You didn't like the outfit I picked out for you?"

"If I was some fang-banging hooker, it would be the best thing ever. But I'm way too fabulous for this."

"You are fabulous," Pam touches her arm, "and you have even more fabulous taste in underwear."

"That'll be all Pam, thank you," Eric attempts to diffuse the ticking bomb.

Pam smiles, strides back to the exit and shuts the door behind her.

Alex dumps the contents of the backpack onto the couch. There are a few shirts, two pairs of jeans, four pairs of shoes, and a designer handbag.

"Dear God, tell me there's a pack of cigarettes in here," Alex huffs as she picks a pair of jeans and a shirt from the pile.

"I didn't see any," Sookie says softly as she takes a seat across from Eric, "maybe in your purse?"

Alex sighs, "Great. I'm just so happy to have my own clothes at the moment," she removes the very small top, "Oh, shit. Sorry Bill..."

Eric laughs and leans back in his chair, "He's not."

Alex turn her back to the mixed company , slips her white tee shirt on, and then changes her jeans with as much dignity as she can. She turns back around to see Sookie looking away from her.

"Sookie, you are embarrassed and a little pissed off."

"I am not…oh, right. You would know."

"Come on, we've got the same parts you and I…and it's not like I was showing off."

"Course not. It's just always a little weird for someone you hardly know to just strip down in front of you. But, you look healed up considering what Pam said about it…"

"Don't play dumb. You know why I'm all better."

Bill cast a glance at Eric, "So soon?"

Alex rolls her eyes at the posturing. She opens her purses and dumps out its contents.

Eric, now leaning forward in his seat gives Bill a hard glare, "I was only doing what was needed to save her life. She was nearly gone when she was left here."

Alex punches the couch and shrieks, "Fuck my life!"

"Shoes not go with the outfit," Eric mocks.

"No, but that would be par for the damn course," she starts shoving the contents of her bag back to the rightful place, "No cigarettes…no one panic. We can fix this," she opens her wallet and finds that all her credit cards and cash are still in place, "Sookie, you're going to drive me to the nearest gas station so I can buy a new pack."

"Why can't you drive yourself?"

"Drive what," Alex gestures to Eric, "His car? Right….like he would let me take his Corvette anywhere by myself. It's his prize possession."

Eric smiles at her "Don't be so sure of that. But, she does have a point Sookie. Why don't you two girls go…and if you don't return within the hour…"

"We cannot send them out alone," Bill scolds, taking his place beside Sookie, "Alex was nearly beaten to death yesterday."

Alex pats Bill on the shoulder, "Don't be so dramatic. I don't need a chaperone. Besides, we've both got someone who knows if we're in danger. Come on Sook. Get your cheap bag and let's go." Alex opens the door, an impatient look on her face.

"It's not cheap," Sookie mutters. She takes the keys from Bill and the two girls head out the door.

Bill sits in the chair directly in front of Eric. He crosses his legs and laces his fingers together. He says nothing.

"Something on your mind," Eric asks with a sigh, leaning back and placing his feet up on his desk.

"How was it?"

"Extraordinary. But I already told you, it was necessary."

"Giving her your blood maybe, but tasting her…"

"She had wounds that needed cleaning and closed. We're not animals."

"Then I can only assume she stayed in your home. Where did she rest?"

"In bed with me, so I could keep watch over her."

Bill raises an eyebrow, "Eric…"

"Come now, Bill. She is still pure. I'm not that easy or predictable."

"Yes you are, to a degree."

Eric inclines his head, "I suppose I deserve that. Why the inquisition? This is just a diversion…"

"You know she is much more than that. You can't just use whomever you want Eric, regardless of intent. She is a living, breathing person with tangible feelings. She can be hurt by you."

Eric puts his feet down and leans forward, "I know that. You brought her here to me or have you forgotten? You intended on using her, not the other way around. However this began, no matter the intentions, it is no longer a game to me. She is mine and I will personally hunt down and kill whomever, or whatever is after her."

Bill leans back in his seat and takes in the gravity of the statement, " Yours…that's sentimental. For you."

"Do you have any idea how long it had been since I have willingly desired to give my blood to a human?"

"You mean taking aside that stunt in Dallas…"

"Bill, it isn't very becoming to hold a grudge. I only did that to illustrate to you my power and to irritate you. From the looks of it, my purpose was served. Irritating you brings joy to my existence but I digress…"

"Other than Dallas then. I would say it has been centuries since you've exchanged blood with any human. Who was the last?"

Eric pauses to scan his memory, "Pam, I believe but that was for a different purpose. I actually can't recall the last time I did so willingly."

Bill nods, "But when it come to Alex, it's a different situation? I suppose that's fair enough, however I do recall you mocking me for doing the exact same thing for Sookie."

"I believed that it was done only to curry favor with her; seduce her. But seeing as how you've killed one of your own kind for her, defied your maker for her, and even drink that swill they call blood…surely those things mean you love her. You saved her life so it wouldn't be needlessly squandered."

Bill leans on Eric's desk, "Is saving her life the only reason you gave Alex your blood or is there something more?"

"Not that you need to know my every whim. But I. I only….I want to know her."

"I'm sure you mean that. In every sense of the word."

Eric laces his fingers together and sits his hands in his lap, "It's true. I want her in every way imaginable…and some ways that aren't. But all in due time."

Bill pushes himself back and slams his fist on the desk, "Then why not just have her and be done with all of it? What's one more girl on an endless list of lovers?"

Eric gives Bill a serious glare, "She is not just another girl; another nameless face to be forgotten. She is valuable and I…it brings me pleasure to be in her company."

Bill raises an eyebrow. He folds his arms across his chest, "Really….a human girl does that for you?"

"We both know she's more than that."

"Fair enough then," Bill casts his glance downward, "you must care a great deal for her then."

Eric weighs the statement with a long pause, "Yes. She makes me….feel."

Bill smiles to himself, "Feel something you thought had been lost to you ages ago."

"I never believed it possible that anyone remotely human could do that for me. Even claiming her as my own seems natural. Anything else and I would have already had my fun…but this…Alex. She is worth waiting for."

Bill nods, "Your secret is safe with me, Eric."

Eric returns to his work, needless typing something, "Thank you. For now, keeping her safe is the priority. I'm certain that her attack and the killings in the area are related…perpetrated by the same individual."

"Human?"

"Not the impression I got from listening to Alex's description of his thought pattern. Not to mention the terrible smell that was all over her when I carried her inside…I suspect that a Were is behind these acts."

Bill snarls is disgust, "That would make sense. Those foul beasts will do anything…and for the right price even hunting vampires isn't out of the question."

"True and with the prospect of killing us for what is sure to be a king's ransom, it must send those dogs into a drooling lather. Fucking Werewolves."

"Agreed. How close was she…you aren't just exaggerating that?"

Eric sighs, "Moments. That thing threw her out in the parking lot. She had several broken ribs and her right leg was in pieces. There was probably more that I couldn't see…but my only option was to heal her and quickly. She was barely conscious when I saw her lying there…but why Alex? Surely there are better targets other than a human girl…"

"Maybe it wasn't about her at all. Maybe the message was intended for you…maybe she was targeted because of your association with her. But who knows about it that would gain anything from harming Alex?"

Eric clenches his fist in anger, "I can think of a few places to start."

Before Bill can ask the question hanging in the air, the door to the office opens back up. Alex strides in deep in conversation with Sookie, "Totally a good guess. I've never been in there before, I swear!"

Sookie pulls up an extra chair beside Bill and takes her seat. Alex shuts the door and leans against Eric's desk. Bill takes Sookie's hand in his.

"Well, that lady at the counter sure seemed to know you," Sookie rolls her eyes and lays on her best Cajun accent, "White girl."

Alex snorts, "Seriously? We're both white."

"Sorta, I'm tanned…you're white. You're like the whitest person I know."

Alex gestures to the vampires in the room, "Really. I'm the whitest?" She lights a cigarette and takes a long drag.

Eric strokes her back, "What are you two babbling about?"

Alex blows the smoke out into little rings, "So out of the roughly one hundred or so gas stations in all of Shreveport, we stop at the one with the most smart ass clerk. Sook here seems to think of me as a person of low standards…"

Sookie crosses her arms, "The lady looked at her and asked No drink today white girl? To be fair, I thought y'all had met."

"A lucky guess, besides she carded me when I asked for the cigarettes…"

Pam opens the door, glass in hand. She strides over to Alex and hands it to her, "Thought you could use a drink…I know I could."

"My point exactly," Sookie adds.

Alex raises an eyebrow and takes the glass, "Thanks…but why? You would sooner suck on sunlight than be nice to me."

Pam smiles, "Think of it as a peace offering. I've been extremely hard on you. Besides, you please my Master so pleasing you is of great importance. So I brought you this."

Alex sniffs the drink, "Oh, lovely…tequila and Sprite. 1800 Especial I believe; good choice."

Pam smiles in appreciation.

As Alex lifts the glass she stops suddenly, "Wait…I smell, is there lemon in this?"

Eric casts an evil glare in Pam's direction.

Pam stands in front of Alex, "Well, just a little. But how could…oh yes of course, the blood. How silly of me. But why on Earth would a hint of lemon be a bad thing. I thought you humans always liked fruit with your liquor."

Alex hands the glass back to Pam, " I can't have lemons. They really upset my stomach. If I even have one drop…its like liquid fire in my system. I know it sounds fucking weird, but I think I'm allergic to them."

Pam smiles at Eric, "Now what a peculiar thing for a human to be adverse to? I've never heard of such a thing."

"Well, I'm fucking special."

Pam strokes her face, "Yes you are. Let me bring you a new one then. Lime?"

"Sure..That would be amazing."

Pam bows and turns to leave. Before she shuts the door, she smiles at Alex.

Alex turns to face Eric, "What? The lemon thing….super weird?"

"No, just…curious that's all."

"I tried drinking lemonade once, and I do mean once. I was miserable sick for days. I've never puked so much in my life," Alex shudders at the memory.

"Sure it was lemonade and just that," Sookie asks, with a healthy dose of sarcasm in the question.

Alex sighs, "Really Sookie? Do you think so little of me? I'm a chick that loves the liquor but I don't add it to everything. So, no…it was just lemonade. Smart ass," she takes another drag of her cigarette.

Pam opens the door again and hands Alex her new drink. She takes the cigarette from Alex, "Really Eric, you shouldn't let your pets misbehave," Pam opens the window behind Eric's desk.

Eric rolls his eyes, "Well then, since we're all together, shall we discuss business?"

Alex quickly climbs on top of the filing cabinets and takes her cigarette back from Pam, "What's to talk about? Something took me, tried to kill me, and Eric saved me. End of story."

"It's more than that dear one," Eric explains, "From what you described to me about his thoughts…it sounds like you were held by a Werewolf."

Sookie gasps, "Wait, werewolf….those too?"

Alex takes a long drag and stares out the window into the darkness, "Why not? I mean, if there's vampires and whatever the fuck the two of us are….there could be whole other worlds out there, right?"

Pam pats Sookie on the head, "Yes, whole worlds of things you humans can't possible imagine."

Alex nods, "Probably so….but that guy…he's the one. I could see the killings in his mind. I felt what he did…he feels so justified in them…"

"Weres are nasty, vile creatures who will do anything for the right price," Eric adds.

"Everyone has a price," Alex flicks her cigarette out, then closes the window.

Eric helps her down from her perch. She sits in his laps and lays her head against his chest with a heavy sigh.

"But why me," she whispers, "what makes me so damn important?"

Eric strokes her hair, "This I do not know. However I assure you that everyone in this room will keep you safe. Someone will always watch you, even when I cannot."

Bill nods on agreement, "We will find him Alex."

Sookie rubs Alex's arm, "And you're not alone."

"Thanks guys," Alex sniffles, "All I know is right this second….I feel safe."

Sookie kicks at the floor, "So how long you stayin' in Shreveport?"

"Well, I'm not too sure on that. Not my place to say…."

Alex gives Eric a look, hoping for the right answer.