Hallo! Sorry for the radio-silence! Don't worry, I'm still here!

This story is beta'd by Breathesgirl. I bet CH din't have a beta. That would explain why nobody stopped her from publishing DEA.

Previously:

"Sookie, I have to ask: do you know anything that could help me find either Bill or his computer program?" he asked seriously.

I looked deeply into his eyes as I made my decision. I didn't know if I wasn't giving Bill to the wolves by telling Eric and if Eric would bother to rescue Bill if I gave him the information. On the other hand, I wasn't sure if I owed Bill the benefit of the doubt – what if he was a willing prisoner and he'd already sung all he knew? He was a freaking procurer! Who knew how deep his loyalties ran and where they lay? I was almost sure that the hard drive Bill left in my house for safe-keeping contained what Eric was looking for.

"I think I do," I said.

Eric closed his eyes for a moment and tightened his embrace.

"Come on," I said as I got up,"I'll show you."

I threw my nightgown on quickly (Eric didn't bother with his clothes), led him to the closet and showed him the hidey-hole under it before getting the package Bill gave me from there.

"Here," I said handing it to Eric. "I think this is it."

Eric took the package from me and looked at the hidey-hole, puzzled.

"I didn't know you had a resting place for a vampire in your home," he commented.

I blushed at the realisation.

"Oh, God, Eric, I'm so sorry! I didn't think... I assumed... I mean..." I took a deep breath and counted to three. "Bill had built it. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. It's not because I've been hiding it from you. It just never occurred to me that you might want to use it."

He never voiced a desire to stay the day and I honestly didn't think about it. Somehow, it would feel as if... I don't know, as if he was staying for breakfast? Well, not really, obviously, the parallel was all wrong with him being a vampire, but something along those lines. I realised that it was awfully rude of me not to offer, especially since he made it clear that I could have stayed in Shreveport after the party if I wanted.

Eric simply nodded.

"It's just good to know that there is an option," he said rationally.

"Is it big enough for you?"

"A little on the cramped side, but it'll do."

He turned his attention back to the package in his hand.

"Is this...?"

"I hope so. You'd have to check, since I'm not really sure what's on it and I don't have a computer, but it is Bill's hard drive."

Eric leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"So, what happens now?" I asked.

"Now I'm going to check if it is indeed what I am looking for and if it is I'll call the queen and let her know what's going on."

"Are you still going to look for Bill?"

He ran his free hand through his hair and then gave me a sullen look.

"As much as you're probably not going to like it, I'll just follow her instructions in this case."

"Didn't you just say that it would be best if you had both Bill and the program when you talk to her?"

"That would be best, yes. Unfortunately, getting Bill back doesn't seem to be an easy task. I can't just go to Jackson and demand that he be returned to Louisiana. Even if the king would be willing to hand him over, Lorena's rights to him as a maker overrule everybody else, so it would have to be done in secret – I'd have to... kidnap him. And I'd still have to find him first and at the moment the best way I see to do that is by asking for your help. Are you offering?"

Oh. Saving Bill's lying ass and risking my own neck in the process was the last thing I wanted, but could I really leave him to rot? Would my Christian upbringing allow for that?

I felt like the guilt was already eating at me, but on the other hand it wasn't just about putting aside the hurt from being cheated on – I wasn't sure what Bill's true feelings for me were and if he was still a potential threat to me. He abused my trust. For all I knew, his intentions toward me were not a far cry from human trafficing. Was it wise to rescue him when I couldn't predict what his next step would be after returning safely to living in his house across the cemetery? Should I risk bringing the bogeyman to my doorstep so my conscience would be appeased?

I was torn.

He lied to me about so many things that I wasn't sure if there was asingle thing I thought I knew about him that was true. I didn't know him.

While I didn't necessarily wish to push Bill of the cliff, did I really owe it to him to go out of my way to check on him? Our whole relationship was a sham and I had no way of knowing if his sleeping with me was a part of his job too, or was it just a bonus. Did I owe it to myself to get a closure of seeing his face when I tell him that I know much more than what he asked Eric to tell me?

I wanted to say no, but...

"Is she going to kill him?" I asked Eric in a small voice.

If she was, I couldn't do that. I couldn't sentence someone to death, no matter how much of a son of a bitch they were.

Eric cupped my face, I closed my eyes.

"I don't think she would, Sookie, but I don't know for sure. He is her child after all, and it's very rare for a maker to kill their child. They used to be quite infatuated with each other, but that could work both ways now."

"Do you think the queen will want you to try to rescue him?"

"She might. I could be mistaken but I don't think that the computer program is finished yet. Bill is the best person to finalize the project, though he's not irreplaceable."

Of course. That was the reason why the queen might want Bill back.

Not for the first time I thought of telling Eric the whole story. There was, however, one thing that was still stopping me: Eric was the queen's sheriff. I wanted to avoid any situation where his obligations to her and to me might be in conflict. It could be tricky. As long as he didn't know, he didn't have to choose. He didn't have to report a thing about me to the queen but he wasn't exactly hiding anything from her either since she didn't tell him about me, so she couldn't accuse him of being disloyal to her. I wanted to keep it that way.

"Why don't we go back to bed if you want to talk about it some more?" Eric proposed, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I simply nodded. I could use some more snuggling right then.

He put the package away before slipping under the covers next to me. We lay on our sides facing each other. Before I could say anything, he spoke up:

"I need you to promise me something," he said, surprising me.

"What is it?"

"If I call the queen and she decides not to intervene, I don't want you to go and try to extract Bill on your own."

I snickered. I certainly didn't expect him to say that.

"Okay," I said, rolling my eyes, but Eric would have none of that. He scooted closer and looked me right in the eye.

"Sookie, I mean it. Do not attempt to rescue Bill without me. Promise me. If you have any plans to do that, you better tell me now."

His eyes were insistent. He was serious. I felt myself softening. Did he really think I would do that?

Would I?

"I promise," I said. "Why would you think I would do that? You know how angry at him I am."

"I just don't think you don't care what happens to him."

I sighed.

"I don't wish him dead... or hurt.

Okay, so maybe I do wish to hurt him sometimes, but more like slapping him, not having someone torture him. Still, I don't particularly care for what he's up to and if he gets himself in trouble," I shrugged,"except I can't help but feel that I'm somehow responsible for what happens to him if I know that he might need help and I ignore it. I'm not so eager to go there and save him myself, but I do feel guilty for doing nothing."

"You're not responsible. It's not your fault that Lorena decided to step back into his life. I'm not even sure if she knows about you. In fact, I hope she doesn't."

I smiled sadly.

"I know it's not my fault she has him. I just can't decide how I feel about not intervening when my head is telling me that it would be the right thing to do."

"What is your gut telling you?" he asked.

"To stay the hell away from it," I said surprising myself with how quickly I answered.

Eric smirked faintly.

"I always knew that you had good survival instincts," he mused, "you just choose to ignore them."

I gaped at him.

"Lorena wouldn't by any chance just let Bill go if she knew he didn't have his project any more, would she?" I asked suddenly.

Eric looked at me curiously.

"Your mind works in the most interesting ways," he said and I wasn't sure if I should take it as a compliment or not. "It is possible."

"At least she should stop interrogating him, if that's what she's doing, right? I mean, he can't really tell her where the hard drive is if he no longer knows it himself."

Eric hesitated.

"What?" I asked. "What is it?"

"It's really hard to predict what Lorena would do."

"And why is that?"

"She's bat-shit crazy."

"Oh," this time I said it aloud.

I dropped my head on the pillow, defeated.

"What do you think is the best course of action?" I asked finally.

"Honestly?"

I nodded.

"I'll do what the queen orders me to do, but as much as I don't envy Bill right now, I think she should let it be. If Lorena really wants to keep Bill, the only good taking him away from her would do will be buying some time. Sooner or later she'll find out who took him and where he is and demand that he be handed over. She's his maker, she has the right to do that. Of course I can try to make her a deal in the queen's name, but there is no telling if she'll agree to the terms. Short of killing her there is nothing I can do about it. Looking for him is a risk and it might be for nothing. If she's not willing to give him up, the only point in finding him would be getting him to reveal the information to me before he spills his guts to Lorena, but with his researches secure, it seems a void effort."

I remained quiet for a moment. If I understood Eric correctly, there wasn't really much I could do to help Bill to get free form Lorena.

Lola – I reminded myself. She insisted he call her Lola.

I made my decision, "Call your queen. If she tells you to stay put I promise not to get involved. If she wants you to find Bill, I'll help you." Then I muttered to myself: "And then I'm going to kick him in the balls."

That earned me a kiss.

Here is a confession: originally I planned to send Sookie and Eric to Jackson, because I thought that no matter what, she would never leave Bill to such fate, but then I started questioning it - it seemed a correct assumption when I was thinking of Bill just as an unfaithful lover, but knowing he was sent to procure her too? Not so sure... So I let the characters to talk about it and they made some valid points against the idea. If you have any thoughts on the topic, please share them with me!