Layla approached the room on the paper Eric had given her, and she had originally intended on knocking, then she heard raised voices and her instincts took over. She kicked the door in.
"Sookie?" Layla shouted, turning the corner to see a man in his bathrobe standing protectively in front of her friend. Whoops.
"What the fuck?" the man screamed.
"Layla? What are you doing here?" Sookie asked, coming out from behind her gorgeous barricade.
"I...uh...I'm sorry, I came...and Sookie...yelling...I'm Layla Dahlin, by the way." she said, feeling pretty starstruck as she held out a hand to the gorgeous man who shook it warily.
"Alcide Herveaux." he said gruffly. He was the polar opposite of Eric, dark where Eric was light. "You look like a vamper."
"Yeah, I get that a lot. You look like a werewolf." she countered.
"Imagine that." he muttered sarcastically.
"Layla, what are you doing here. If Eric finds out-"
"He knows." Layla said succinctly, closing the door behind her. "So what's new on the Bill front? Find out anything yet?"
Sookie's lower lip began to tremble and her eyes filled.
"You had to bring that asshole up, didn't you?" Alcide grumbled softly. Layla's eyes widened and she pulled a move that was as old as womanhood itself. She opened up her arms and hugged Sookie tight, holding on to the small blonde as she sobbed. In a weird twisted way, Layla had never felt more like a friend. Helping your friend as she cried over a boy. Still, that didn't explain why Sookie was crying.
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"I AM GOING TO STAKE THE SHIT OUT OF THAT INSENSITIVE UNDEAD SON OF A BITCH!" Layla roared when Sookie finished telling her what Bill had said. Alcide raised a brow.
"You know, I think I judged you a bit too quickly. You're okay." Alcide said from where he stood in the doorway with his arms crossed.
"And you!" Layla said, rounding on the werewolf. "What's so wrong with her wanting to see that asshole again? You want her to let him get away with being a stupid coward?"
"Whatever, I have to work." Alcide said. "I'll be back in a few hours."
Layla narrowed her eyes, partially in annoyance, partially to scrutinize his ass as he walked out the door. The brunette spent the next forty-five minutes calming Sookie down and reinforcing the plan to sneak into Debbie Pelt's engagement party at some dodgy bar. It sounded like fun. Sookie smirked and decided she needed to make a phone call.
"You're Sookie Stackhouse?" asked a tall blonde, wearing expertly done make-up and a denim vest. Layla snickered quietly, silently falling in love with Acide's beautician sister as she babbled along.
"You're just what he needs." she was saying, wheeling her bags of equipment into the tiny eating area of the dingy apartment.
"We need to get into Lou Pines." Sookie explained, after she explained that Alcide was just giving her some friendly help, not 'friendly help'.
"You two need to look the part then." Janice said with a smile. Layla's satisfied smirk that she'd been wearing since Janice walked in, fell.
"Wait, me? What's wrong with me?" she asked.
"You look like a Vampire. No one wants to let a random vampire walk into Lou Pines. I'm gonna add a little heat to that cold, dead look you've got going."
Layla tried to suppress a shudder of fear.
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Layla couldn't stop staring at Sookie, in her leather pants, skimpy top and short black wig. It actually looked really good on her. She had told Janice she wanted to look like she could kick some ass, and Janice had come through. Sookie looked like a badass. As for adding 'heat' to Layla's look, well, she hadn't been kidding. Janice had put streaks of bright red into Layla's already near black hair, plus she had cut it and made it choppier and edgier but still long. Her make-up was dark, as usual but had been done professionally and therefore looked better. Plus Janice had used bronzer, which made it look as though Layla actually knew what sunlight was. However the clothes she wore, were her own. Luckily those hadn't had to change
"Sookie?" came Alcide's voice as the front door opened. "Layla?"
"In here." Sookie called gently, standing so Alcide could see his sister's handiwork. Layla remained seated, cause quite frankly, she didn't care what Alcide thought...much. Damn him for being so good-looking and manly and human...ish.
"Wow." Alcide said. "Well, I guess my sister took to you."
"Debbie's getting initiated into Coon's pack and she's addicted to V." Sookie spat out. Layla rolled her eyes. None of this was news to her. They'd discussed what Sookie had picked up from Janice's mind after the woman had left. They'd also decided to tell Alcide gently. Leave it to Sookie to blurt that shit out.
"Shut the fucking door." Alcide said, which made Layla smile just a teeny bit. "Debbie's a blood-head? How'd you find out?"
"She was poking around in Janice's brain." Layla supplied quickly and with just a bit of sass. I mean seriously, did people just forget that Sookie was a telepath?
"She didn't tell you cause she's just trying to protect you." Sookie added.
"Why didn't you let her?" Alcide asked, getting heated.
"Cause I know you still care about her not matter what she did to you, and I figure you'd wanna know if she were in danger." Sookie said in one breath.
"She's gonna let those fucking mongrels brand her!" Alcide yelled, obviously getting more pissed off by the second. " V's the only reason. It's gotta be."
"Of course it is." Sookie said reassuringly.
"Maybe it's not to late for you to get through to her." Layla said in an offhand matter, looking at Alcide's reaction through her periphery. It would only take a little manipulation. Who gave a shit about his drama, all she and Sookie needed was for him to get them into the freaking bar so Sook could look for Bill clues. "Stop her from ruining her life."
"Fuck." Alcide said, slamming a punch against the archway so hard, Layla heard some things in the wall break.
"That mean you're coming with us?" Sookie asked in a small voice. "We probably won't get in otherwise."
"Fine, we're gonna have to go in separate though. You might be able to fool someone in that getup, but they're just gonna beat the shit out of me, again."
Sookie and Layla exchanged a quick smile and nod as the sexy werewolf went to get dressed
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Layla tried to shake off the weird feeling she had as she made her way into Lou Pines, her red corset top showing off all the fake tattoos Janice had so thoughtfully applied earlier. Layla stayed with five feet of Sookie as the telepath did her thing and tried very not not to get too comfortable, but it was hard. Everyone here was rough, the music was good, and everyone was ignoring her. It was almost like a Vampire bar, but the difference was here, there were no pathetic vampire groupies to spoil the atmosphere. No flashing cameras. No Eric Northman siting on a freaking throne looking as delicious as sin.
Sookie stepped closer to the bar, and Layla stepped closer to Sookie, almost knocking some guy in the jaw when he grabbed her wrist and held her there, telling her to take a shot. At first Sookie declined, then with a sudden change of heart banged back three in a row. Well, fuck, if she could drink on the job...
"Rum and coke, two limes."
"Who the fuck are you?" asked a trashy looking redhead in a leather jacket. Layla turned and groaned. She had a good feeling this would be the infamous Debbie Pelt.
"She's with me, Debbie." Alcide said, appearing out of the crowd.
Good feeling confirmed. Also Layla had to stifle the 'I wish' that bubbled to her lips when Alcide said they were together.
"You thought this night on a white horse shit would work? With me?" Debbie asked, somewhere between laughing and crying.
"What have you done to yourself?" Alcide asked.
"Finally got free of you, and I've never been happier in my life." she said. Ouch.
"I still care about you. You go through with this, the pack will never let you back in." Alcide told her.
"I don't need your pussy pack!" Debbie told him. "And I was fucking Coot when I was still with you." she added for spite. Layla edged closer to Sookie, just in case a fight broke out.
"This isn't about us." Alcide said softly.
"Like hell. You came here and brought this skank and her slutty friend just to make me jealous."
"Skank? Wow, coming from you that's just funny." Sookie said in Layla's defense.
"And excuse me, but she's slutty? Did you forget to put a top on before rolled out of the backseat of whatever car you just got fucked in?" Layla asked.
"Sookie. Layla." Alcide hissed warningly. Debbie gave a hollow laugh
"You did not just say that to me at my own fucking party." she said, losing all traces of humor.
"Alcide came here, despite every good reason in the world not to, cause he believes that the woman he fell in love with still lives inside you somewhere. He's willing to risk his life to make sure you hold onto her even if he doesn't get to." Sookie said, using sappy romance bullshit to diffuse to situation.
"It's not too late." Alcide said when Debbie turned to look at him. "We can get out of here right now."
Debbie actually seemed to be thinking it over when some trashy looking guy sauntered over and draped his arm around her. This had to be the fiancee.
"What the fuck is this?" the man asked.
"It's just a conversation, Coot." Alcide said placidly.
"Well, she's all done with you, Herveaux. she went and found herself a real wolf. C'mon, let's do this shit!" he yelled in Alcide's face.
"Leave him alone, Coot. Let him stay." Debbie said.
"No way in hell." Coot growled.
"He needs to see this. He ain't never gonna let us be baby, until he understands that I'm with you for good." Debbie told him. The two proceeded to make out right in front of Alcide. Layla bent down to whisper in Sookie's ear.
"Oh, and I'M the skank?"
Sookie, Layla and Alcide made their way to the back of the bar as Debbie's skirt was ripped off so she was only in her underwear as she crowd surfed to the platform at the front of the bar.
"Coot. He's one of the ones who took Bill." Sookie told Layla and Alcide. Layla shrugged, not entirely surprised, but Alcide kept his eyes on Debbie who was now getting a fur draped over her but some random dude in shades.
"Who's that?" Layla asked Alcide.
"Russell Edgington. He's a rich antiques dealer." Alcide explained. Layla quirked an eyebrow. An antiques dealer got a roomful of werewolves to take a knee with a simple hand gesture? Bullshit.
"What's a Vampire doing in a wolf den?" Sookie asked.
"Why are they submitting to that Fanger?" Alcide asked back.
"Was that German?" Layla asked. The trio watched as the vampire bit into his arm and promptly filled up long trays of shot glasses.
"Oh my God. He supplies them." Sookie said.
"No, really?" Layla asked with heavy sarcasm.
"Holy shit." Alcide breathed. Layla was only half paying attention because that creepy crawly feeling was back under her skin. Something was definitely wrong, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what. As she debated whether to go into the bathroom and call Eric she heard Sookie echo the Vampire.
"The ages?" she asked Alcide, who seemed just as clueless as her. Layla watched the Weres around her toss back the shot of V like some creepy kind of communion. It looked like they were all losing their minds. Coot actually branded his fiancee. Debbie may be primitive but branding seemed a bit extreme. What happened to exchanging rings? Then, abruptly, everyone in the room began to become wolves.
"Are they all shifting?" Sookie asked horrified.
"Maybe we should go." Layla proposed.
"Sookie, leave." Alcide said, turning to look at the girls even as his eyes began to glow.
"See, Alcide agrees." Layla said good-naturedly.
"Go!" Alcide barked. Literally, barked. As soon as they hit fresh air Layla felt like she had been punched in the stomach with anxiety and had her cell phone out before she could process it.
"Eric, pick up your damn phone." Layla growled as she and Sookie headed back to Alcide's.