Alcide left in the afternoon while Layla was sleeping. The note on the bedside table said he was going to the see the Pelts and then going to talk to Sookie.

When Layla woke up it was already dark out, but she finally felt good and rested, and back to her old self. She checked her bank account, which was still pretty healthy, but there wasn't enough for a house. She wondered if she could send someone to go get the rest of her things out of Sookie's house, like the tv and the microwave. They were hers anyway.

When Alcide hadn't come back by 10, Layla began to worry. He wasn't answering his cell. Is it possible Sookie had finally gone off the deep end and hurt him, or had someone else hurt him? Layla knew he probably went there to forgive her. He had the same weakness with Sookie as he had with Debbie. Alcide couldn't hold a grudge against a pretty girl, and despite what he said, she knew he had a crush on Sookie.

Layla drove to Bon Temps and parked her car on the other side of the graveyard, taking the time to walk through it in the quiet, still of the night. She missed coming to the graveyard every day. It had been her safe place, well until Bill and Marnie had used it as a battle ground and she'd been shot.

As she walked she was suddenly aware of footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn because she already knew who it was.

"Thought you got snatched up by the Authority." Layla said dryly. She turned and looked at Eric, who was flawless as usual.

"Try not to sound so disappointed." he replied.

"So did you escape or something?" Layla asked. Eric walked forward so they were standing in front of each other.

"Not exactly." he said.

"Well, what the hell does that mean?" she asked, twisting her arms across her chest, silently resenting the fact that they looked like they matched, both wearing all black.

"Bill and I were charged with the treason and face the true death. We bargained for time to find Russell." Eric explained succinctly.

"And once you find him you're free?" Layla asked.

"Oh, I highly doubt it." Eric told her with a smile. Layla's brow furrowed in disdain.

"Just tell me your plan to avoid death so I don't have to worry." she snapped.

"There is no plan." Eric said evenly. "I am going to find Russell, and then I am going to kill him, and then I will die. I have already released Pam, and now it's your turn."

"Release me? You did that when you fucked a waitress." Layla snapped, but she turned away so he couldn't see the tears welling up in her eyes. "This isn't fair! You're either breaking my heart or dying! I never get to just enjoy hating you properly! It's not fair!" she cried and then turned, beating his chest with her hands. "I hate you! You're a horrible, evil thing and I hate you!"

"Layla..." Eric said softly, but made no motion to still her hands.

"No! You ruin everything! You have ruined me! I will never be the same again and it's all your fault!" she sobbed. "You don't know what you've done to me."

Eric finally swept her up in a hug.

"I am sorry I hurt you." he said. "I was wrong."

"You're not sorry you hurt me. You're sorry you wasted your time on a woman who didn't choose you." Layla said, pushing him away. "I'm not stupid, Eric. Don't patronize me at the end with false apologies and exaggerated declarations of your 'feelings'." Layla said contemptibly, used sarcastic air quotes. "I may be an idiot who will always love you, but I don't have to be the idiot who believes every word you say."

"Fine. I chose Sookie, but you chose Alcide." Eric said flatly. "And then Bill Compton, and then Alcide again. You do get around."

Layla's jaw dropped. "I chose Alcide after you broke my heart, and then HE broke it all over again and who did I go running back to? You! And then you ripped me to shreds all over again!" Layla hissed. "I stayed at Bill's because I didn't have another choice. My options were live with my ex and his girlfriend OR leave with my ex and the woman he cheated on me with. It wasn't a hard choice."

"You were going to let me face the true death at Bill's hand." Eric growled. Layla narrowed her eyes.

"I lied to Bill to protect you in the first place. I nearly got myself killed the whole time you were boning the blonde bimbo behind my back!"

"Nice alliteration." Eric said dryly.

"Fuck alliteration!" Layla shrieked. "And I decided to stay with Alcide because SOMEONE shoved me under a desk while they got themselves arrested by the goddamn Vampire police! AND Russell Edgington is on the goddamn loose! I have more important things to worry about than who you seem to think I'm fucking. Newsflash is isn't Alcide." Layla said, and then stormed off, away from Eric, the whole time muttering to herself.

"You just think you're so above it all." Eric said as he loped beside her.

"Don't talk to me." she snapped quietly.

"You think you're so much better than I am."

"I know I'm better than you." Layla said with a derisive snort. "I actually care about people, even if they hurt me I do my best to help. Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't I recently peel your charred ass off of a pyre after I helped protect you from a necromancer even after you cheated on me? Then what did you do? Moped when your skank said that she didn't want to be your girlfriend." Layla said, tossing him a patronizing pouty lip. He growled at her.

"I could kill you." he whispered.

"I have things to live for." Layla snapped.

"Like what? A book you'll never finish?" Eric said sarcastically. It was on the tip of Layla's tongue to tell him, but she didn't. If he was going to die anyway, he need never know about the baby. As far as she was concerned it was HER baby, and no one elses. Eric Northman had no right to know.

As they reached Bill who was standing in Sookie's yard Layla thought for a moment something was wrong but then she looked through the window and saw Sookie and Alcide making out.

"You know, last night I thought he was gonna hit her. Now, they're screwing around. That girl should walk around with an 'open for business' sign hung around her waist." Layla said. "Fuck this shit." she said and stormed off in the direction of her car.

"Awkward time for a drop in, Bill." Eric noted.

"Jessica mentioned Sookie had been having a rough go of it." Bill said.

"She seems to be recovering nicely." Eric said. "Can we go back to looking for Russell now?"

"We are looking for Russell, but clearly without any success." Bill said. "Sookie could be useful." he paused and looked over his shoulder at the retreating brunette. "Layla should probably be left out of it."

"If I had to pick the more useful girl, it would be Layla every time. Sookie is nothing more than Vampire bait." Eric said boredly. Bill raised an eyebrow.

"Not so long ago you were going to die for Sookie, and you tossed Layla aside like she meant nothing." Bill reminded him.

"That's not true. Layla was always important, neither you nor she knew what I felt when I was without my memories." he said flatly.

"I know that you when you found out she was alive you said that was enough for you. Just to know that she was still living." Bill said. "Why did you care if you had chosen Sookie to love?"

"I didn't choose Sookie. I settled for Sookie." Eric snapped. "When I was under that fucking curse I had no idea who I was. I didn't think I deserved Layla. I was in love with her from the moment I saw her, but she was an angel and I was nothing. So I settled for the fairy."

Bill raised an eyebrow. "She's still too good for you." he noted.