A/N: I would have had this up yesterday, but I couldn't sign on! Anyways, I noticed something great about codeine cough medicine… I suddenly had all these REALLY great ideas for this story; totally creative and exciting. And the bad thing about codeine cough medicine… the ideas didn't stay with me for long. :( LOL. Thanks for all the well wishes; I'm almost 70% better! :)

My heart raced as feelings of abandonment began to sink in. Alone, in the dark, in a rigged and bugged Corvette. The engine roared as the weight of the hammer pressed harder on the gas pedal, pushing the car to its limits. I did a mental math equation, trying to figure out exactly how long I had until the damn thing blew up.

Unfortunately, school was not my forte, so I had no idea how long I had. But after a glance at the speedometer, I realized it wouldn't be long; the flicking arrow was already halfway towards the death point.

I didn't know what to think of to distract myself from my impending death. So I decided on trying to decipher the culprit. Whoever had placed the bomb in the car must have known Eric drove like a bat out of hell on most (read: all) occasions. And, obviously, they were probably from the Fellowship. Unless, of course, there was a vampire who desperately wanted Eric wounded. Or would he die in a massive explosion? Maybe it was Victor; that skeez of a vampire didn't look like the follow-orders type. Maybe Victor wants Eric's territory. Maybe Felipe wants Eric gone because he poses a threat. He's old and he's a Viking and he's powerful, so that could definitely be a stone of worry for a new king. If I don't die, that's definitely something I want to mention to Eric.

If he even comes back for me. If I manage to escape and forgive him.

Back to original thoughts. The Fellowship was probably keeping an eye on Eric to find the best way to catch him or victimize him. This situation definitely qualifies as "victimizing," and obviously the rigger was a human, because a human probably wouldn't know that Eric could detect a bomb or a bug or anything.

And what was up with the bug in the car? There were so many possibilities that could explain all of this, my mind was spinning. Had someone known that I was going to be in the car with Eric? Had they wanted information from me? This person had to have been after both of us, then. And said person would also have had to follow both of us to know I was even going to be with Eric tonight.

Maybe the person had been following us for a while. Maybe they saw me leave Hunter's house. Oh no… is he going to be safe now? Do I need to contact his father and have them run?

I winced and turned my attention to the car door. The window was still wide open, whipping cold air across my face. I could see nothing but the trees whizzing by and darkness. No signs of Eric, that bastard. Maybe if I could manage to get the door to stay open and jump out…

… And then I'd probably be bruised and battered on the side of the road, left lying in the middle of nowhere.

At least I'd be alive.

As I contemplated my chances of survival, something sparked in the engine, and I heard a zinging sound as something clicked on. And then there was ticking. Each tick was shrill and seemed like it was counting down to my final moment. Something banged on the car and I shrieked, looking down into my lap so I wouldn't see what I assumed was a dead bat or bird on the windshield. Tears gathered on the rims of my eyelids and pooled down my cheeks, a rapid stream of sadness that I didn't bother to smother away.

Tick.

I can't believe Eric left me here to die. We weren't having the best track record but things were usually going fine with us…

Tick.

Of course, I shouldn't have assumed that he cared about anyone other than himself. He's so damn pragmatic he probably figured it'd be best to lose me than risk hurting himself. Geez.

Tick.

Reaffirming the blood bond with him was a stupid idea. All I felt across the bond was worry, worry, worry, and it had to be all my own. Because what the hell would that selfish, arrogant ass be worried about?

Tick.

You're a stupid woman, Sookie Stackhouse. The wind was getting so fast I could swear it sounded like a whisper. The speedometer arrow began flicking on the edge.

Tick.

He doesn't love me. I shouldn't have set myself up for failure like this. I jumped into it too fast.

Tick… Tick… Tick…

Suddenly the time between each tick grew shorter. Something else banged against the car and I felt more worry in the pits of my stomach. I clenched my eyes shut and balled my hands into fists. This is it. Any minute now, and I'm done.

Ticktickticktick-

And then suddenly something cool was hoisting me up and out the window by my armpits. My ankle hit the frame of the window and a bone cracked, but it definitely beat death. My shoulders ached from having all my body weight dangling under them, but suddenly I couldn't feel any of the pain. I was pressed firmly against a cool, sturdy, long body.

Eric.

He landed on the paved road as the car zoomed past us, his eyes not even trailing it as it rode off into the darkness. No, those calm pools of blue were transfixed on me. Eric appeared to be scanning me over, and once his eyes reached mine again he let out a sigh and hugged me against his body. My feet weren't touching the ground which was great, because now I could really feel the pain in my ankle. Reassurance reverberated through the bond and I let out a little tiny breath and allowed myself to hug him back just as tightly.

"I felt your doubt in me, Dear One," he whispered against my hair. "I tried to get close enough, but the car kept going faster and I wasn't able to latch onto it tightly."

Well, that explains the banging. I just shrugged and nuzzled my face into his chest.

"You need to have a little faith in me, Sookie," he said softly.

I wondered if he knew that was a song. I laugh maniacally and he pulled away from me a bit, eyeing me with intensity now, eyebrows furrowed in a serious manner. Maybe one day I could get him to sing it.

A loud bang broke me from my nonsense and the night seemed to turn into day if only for a moment. The car had finally met its end; even from this distance, I could see flame-engulfed bits of metal. With a shiver, I arched my head back to look at Eric.

"Let's just go. We need to talk, but… let's just go."