A/N: Thanks as always for the reviews. Sorry to take up space here, but briefly answering some guest reviews:

1. Pam didn't know where Sookie was that night. My bad - I edited out a line of dialogue that hinted at that, trying to shorten Ch6. If anyone wants further explanation PM me.

2. Exposition or too many sub-plots? That's fair comment, though. This is a long winding story, but I love world-building and all the characters, not just the main ones. I hope that makes it enjoyable to read, but if it's not to your tastes, that's fine.


Repercussions


The office was closed on Monday, so I hit the sales at the Monroe mall. Kennedy and Holly came with, and we spent the day indulging in retail therapy. I bought a few camisole tops to go with my work outfits and had a look-see at laptops for college, but decided I really needed Danny to translate the jargon for me before I laid out that much money.

Vampires were the furthest thing from my mind, yes sirree.

Even when I spotted two burly Longtooth werewolves shadowing us in the lingerie department. They looked so out of place it made me smile. I'm sure my butch guards weren't real happy about trailing me around the mall, but, hey, they were getting paid good money. Some of it mine.

That night I ate out at Crawdad's Diner with Holly and Hoyt, Kennedy and Danny, and Penny. Ryan was with family, so I wasn't the only spare wheel. The meal was relaxed and enjoyable.

Up until Bill walked in with a well-dressed leggy brunette. I was mighty surprised to see him at Crawdad's with a human companion. Mighty surprised and immediately reminded of his visits to Merlotte's with Selah Pumphrey.

After they were seated at a cosy table for two, Bill glanced over in our direction. He leaned over to say something to his guest, got up and came over. I wasn't impressed with the motives my mind was conjuring up for his actions, but I hid my mistrust behind a tight smile. I was prepared to be polite. We were in public after all.

"Good evening everybody," Bill said. "If you'll excuse me for talking business for a moment…" He looked at Danny. "Did you have any difficulty with those contractors?"

Danny looked a little bewildered. "No, no. They said there'd be no problems."

Bill nodded. "How are you all tonight?" There was a murmur of replies. He smiled warmly. "I heard the food is good here." That got a more enthusiastic murmur of agreement.

"Sam recommended the place to me. I wasn't sure where to bring," he glanced back at the brunette, "Miss Padilla to impress her." He leant forward conspiratorially. "She's a sales rep for a supplier and I want to get a good deal." He twitched his eyebrows meaningfully and then looked straight at me. "Obviously, I don't know what dishes to suggest. What do you think she'd like, Sookie?"

I ignored the unspoken suggestion that I should take a look in her mind. Despite the blatant fake-excuse he gave for coming over, and the obvious way he'd singled me out, I pulled out all my years of acting experience and said pleasantly enough, "Oh, the pork chops are always good. Although Miss Padilla might prefer something lighter."

I couldn't resist a dig at her skinny ass.

Bill glanced down at my almost finished fudge brownie, and then over to his guest. "Hmm. Perhaps." He looked right into my eyes, his softening into that deep warm brown I used to love to drown in. His voice liquid and resonant he drawled, "I've never understood the modern obsession with women looking half-starved. Thank you for the advice, Sookie." Then he murmured, "Bon appétit," to the rest of the table and returned to his guest.

As soon as his back was turned Kennedy mouthed a silent "I told you so!"

I shrugged and went back to my brownie. I wasn't buying the horseshit Bill was selling either. Like it was an innocent coincidence, him turning up with Miss Glossy-Brown-Hair while I was eating with my friends.

Bill was either trying to make me jealous after I'd proved indifferent to his approaches, or Miss Padilla was genuinely just a business contact and he'd gone out of his way to reassure me. I was not invading a stranger's privacy just to find out which. Consequently, I didn't know whether to be appalled that he was using the woman, or pleased he'd at least tried to spare me the jealousy he imagined I felt.

What I really felt was exasperated that he wasn't taking the hint.

We were neighbours, nothing more. Bill's odd behaviour was a real blast from the past, a past I had no interest in repeating. I kept my attention on my friends and away from Bill, determined not to encourage him.

There were curious eyes on me, but they weren't Bill's. Our exchange had caught the interest of several other diners. Their scrutiny made me uneasy and I was real glad to leave.

Jody walked into the office late on Tuesday morning, alive and well. Damn. She hadn't wrapped her car round a tree driving home from Blue. Then I berated myself. I'd hate for her to DUI and hurt someone else.

Dipping into her head, I found Jody was hung over, and wishing she'd stayed home. I asked about her weekend, hoping to turn her thoughts towards the nightclub, but Pauline cracked the whip with a sharp look and handed me a stack of files to put away.

I did my sleuthing at lunch. We usually ate in the break room, and that day Leanne fetched us all po'boys from the deli down the block. They were delicious, and there wasn't much talking until we were done eating.

"So, y'all have a good weekend?" I asked, dropping my shields.

"Went to a great party last night," Jody said casually. "Big house, loaded guys. The works." All bravado – she'd been at some dive bar, with a guy who wasn't worth seeing again.

Melissa grinned. From her secret smiles all morning, things had gone well with her beau. She was thinking of him– Jonah, that was his name! – and fireworks. Actual fireworks. They were taking it slow. Aw. Cute.

"My weekend was great," she said. "How was your cookout?"

"Oh, just grand. Sunshine, plenty of food, beer and friends."

"Y'all got home okay on Friday?" Leanne asked softly.

"Sure did," I lied breezily. Leanne was quieter than ever, her confidence knocked hard by Jody's bitchy comments from Friday. I wanted to hug her and punch Jody in the face. Instead, I turned to Jody and steered the conversation to our night out.

"Oh, Jody, I meant to ask – what were those yummy shots called again?"

Her lip curled. "I guess a one stoplight town like Bon Temps doesn't have many fancy cocktails."

I shrugged of her insult, which annoyed her. Good, I wanted her off balance. I asked again. "The ones you got me after Leanne left?"

"Oh I don't …" She squinted, and I pounced on her memories as she tried to remember. "A Georgia Sunset and a Grasshopper."

She was lying, but she was picturing four shots on a tray. Three red and one green.

"The Grasshopper was the green one, right?" I asked, fishing for the rest.

She eyed me suspiciously, thinking what a dumb hick I was. "Well, duh. Sunsets ain't green."

I sat back, hiding my horrified reaction as Melissa asked Leanne if she wanted to see a movie later in the week.

It wasn't Jody.

She had no idea my drink had been spiked. She didn't know what the shots were because she hadn't bought them. Some guy sent them over, asking that the 'pretty blonde' got the green one. She handed it to me without a second thought, and like an idiot I knocked it straight back.

The guy?

Mr Creepy.

I shuddered internally. I flirted with him. Danced with him. Trusting fool that I was, I didn't check his intentions. That glimpse I got into his mind when he put his clammy hand on my wrist was disturbing beyond measure now I knew he'd roofied me.

That night, I called Thalia softly from the front porch. She appeared, dressed completely in black again. Maybe it was her favourite.

"Is Gerard here tonight?" I asked.

Thalia gestured over her shoulder and he appeared, nodding respectfully.

"Hi Gerard. Y'all remember two guys from the nightclub Friday night, one tall and dark, and the other a redhead?"

He scowled. "Zey were watching you. Ze dark one, 'e danced with you."

"Yep, those two. Could you find them again?"

"Mais oui. After you left, I ask some questions at ze club. It was zey who messed with your drink?"

"Uh-huh," I said grimly. "I'm gonna call Pam now."

Thalia's fangs shot down. "A hunt." Her eyes gleamed.

"Y'all can't just go around hunting folks," I said firmly. No matter what slime they were.

Thalia snorted. "No-one will miss them. Men who prey on the defenceless are scum."

I opened my mouth to argue and didn't know where to start. I threw up my hands in a helpless gesture, and went back inside the house. This was what I hated about vampire shit, all the blurred lines between right and wrong.

Pam answered her phone on the first ring. She was pleased to hear Gerard could find the culprits. I explained that Thalia was a mite too enthusiastic about catching them. I didn't want any fallout landing on Pam.

"I'll put Maxwell on it. He has contacts in Shreveport PD. Thalia can stay on duty. She will complain but I don't give a fuck." She paused. "Although it's very tempting to let her rip them to shreds. Sadly it's becoming too difficult to hide that sort of thing."

"Pam," I said sharply, "handing them over to the police is the right thing to do."

"The right thing? Sookie, do you think this is the first time those men have spiked a woman's drink?"

"I…" That flash of something ugly I caught from Mr Creepy. "No. Probably not."

"The woman wakes up confused, can't remember what happened, never goes to the police, never gets justice. Once, twice, three times and they have a taste for it. They won't stop until someone stops them."

"But … They should get a fair trial," I muttered sullenly. It was the American way. Due process, courts, lawyers, rights.

"Perhaps. In an ideal world. But in this one the process is lengthy and difficult. Would you testify against them?"

"Yes." I said firmly.

"Even if you faced some two-bit lawyer who will say you were drunk, you were seen dancing with this man and you experimented with the drug willingly?"

I hesitated.

"Now imagine you had been actually been raped. Your way is not so easy for the victim, is it? Sometimes our way is quicker, cleaner." She paused, the vamp equivalent of a heavy sigh. "But we must adapt, as Eric keeps reminding me. I will handle things the human way. I'll keep you informed."

I sighed for us both. This stuff made my head ache. "Okay Pam. Thanks."

She hung up.

Damn. I meant to ask her… Never mind. Eric had surely gone back to whichever bit of Indiana he was sheriff of by now.

I went to bed with a head full of horrors and injustices. I didn't give Jody a second thought.

By mid-morning the next day I was tearing my hair out.

The filing was one big snafu. Things I swore I'd filed correctly were missing, or the wrong paperwork was in the file, or the file was empty. When I had to admit to Pauline for a third time that I couldn't find what she asked for, her mouth tightened into a thin line and stayed that way.

Leanne scuttled out to get coffee to escape the tension, leaving me and Melissa sitting on the floor in front of the filing cabinets, surrounded by stacks of files and paper.

"I don't get this," Melissa said quietly, glancing over at Pauline's back. "I know you didn't mess up this bad."

"I don't understand it either."

"Let's just fix it as quick as we can."

We were still sorting and refiling when Leanne came back. Pauline took Mr Fredericks his coffee, and we were just putting the last file away when she came out of his office. I glanced at the clock and frowned. She'd been in there a long time.

She came to a halt in front of me, and I scrambled to my feet, brushing my skirt down. "All sorted out," I said brightly.

Something was wrong. Her eyes were regretful, but her face was stern. Anxious, I dipped into her mind. It was a gamble taking her on. Such a shame. I hoped...

"Mr Fredericks would like to see you," she said firmly.

Oh shit.

"Oh. Right." Smiling tightly, I walked down the corridor on autopilot, my hands sweating as every shitty job before Merlotte's came back to me. Bosses that yelled, leered, or were just plain disturbed by me. Melissa's urgent questions and Pauline's sharp answers faded behind me as I stared down at the blue carpet, counting my steps, fighting to keep calm.

Please, let it be just a reprimand. And don't let me lose my temper. Please.

It had been so long since I had been fired.

I wiped my hands on my skirt and knocked. Mr Fredericks, whose head was full of figures most times I'd peeked inside it, was behind his desk, waiting calmly. I took a seat, nervously twisting my hands.

"Miss Stackhouse. The disruption this morning is unacceptable. The business cannot function like this. My office has to run smoothly." He paused.

"I... Of course, Mr Fredericks. It'll never happen again." I said contritely.

"No, it won't." His eyes became sharp and hard. "This is a family business. A decent Christian family business."

"Excuse me?"

He took a handful of photos out of a drawer and spread them out carefully on his desk. "Digital cameras are amazing, aren't they? So handy." He tapped one of the grainy images. "There you are, Miss Stackhouse."

I gaped. Me and Mr Creepy getting up close and personal. Half a dozen shots of us. How in the heck–

"And the pièce de résistance." He slid a photo out from beneath the others as it dawned on me they'd been taken with a phone. Me again, in Eric's arms.

I spluttered for a second, until my temper flared. "Now look here, Mr Fredericks. What I get up to in my own time is none of your damn business. You can't–"

He cut across me, carrying on as if I hadn't spoken. "This one," he said, pursing his lips in disapproval and tapping Eric's face, "is a vampire. Not only are you behaving in an immodest manner, but you're not too choosy about who you do it with, are you?"

Reading his intentions clearly, I said incredulously, "You're firing me because I danced with a vampire at a club?"

"A vampire you left with."

"You can't do that," I snapped. There were rules. Well, proposed anti-discrimination laws that hadn't actually been passed yet.

"I can and I will." He was completely calm. "You're still in your probationary period. The mess you made of the filing gives me adequate grounds to fire you."

"Oh, how convenient," I sneered. Too convenient. I narrowed my eyes and dug into his head as I asked, "Who really messed up those files? Because it sure wasn't me."

"Who else would it be? You do the filing."

He was thoroughly convinced I was a dumb blonde who didn't know her alphabet from her ass. I had hunch the real culprit was whoever took the photos. Waving at them I asked, "Where did you get those?"

I saw her in his head, acting oh-so-reluctant to show him them and blacken my name. "Jody. Of course. That two-faced b–"

He scowled at me as I bit off the insult. Shit.

He was Jody's uncle. He'd never believe she set me up. He thought butter wouldn't melt on her spiteful little tongue. She was his favourite niece, the one he spoilt, the one he treated like a daughter.

"Miss Metcalfe has nothing to do with this," he said firmly. He kept their relationship secret because Jody asked him to, so she could make friends free from accusations of nepotism. Or at least, that's what he thought. I saw, in a flash, that she had him wrapped around her finger, and she just loved whispering poison into his ear, abusing her power over the other girls. She'd done it before, got the last girl fired.

"Oh, this has Jody's fingerprints all over it," I snapped, unable to hold my tongue.

"You brought this on yourself, Miss Stackhouse. Collect your things and be out of the office in half an hour. Pauline will sort out your paperwork."

I blinked back furious tears and tried to sound confident and reasonable. "You're making a mistake. I didn't mess up the filing."

"You're not suitable for the post, Miss Stackhouse. The camera never lies." He tidied away the pictures, offended by the sight of them. "I pride myself on looking out for my staff morally as well as materially. I can't have you influencing the others. Leanne is very impressionable. Now, please leave."

Appealing to him was futile. It wasn't even about anti-vampire prejudice, not really. He wasn't Fellowship or anything, just an old-fashioned Bible thumper who didn't approve of immoral, loose young women. Mr Fredericks had strict ideas about how we should behave. Jody had spun a girls-gone-wild tale about me jumping on every available man and he'd swallowed it hook, line and sinker.

He believed whole-heartedly he was doing the right thing. The Christian thing.

Paternalistic bull, but I'd met enough older men who thought young girls needed protecting from themselves to know it would take an earthquake to dislodge the stick up his ass. Wasn't a thing I could do to change his mind and that made me mad as hell.

Standing up, I spat out, "I wasn't the only one dancing with strangers that night. Your precious Jody is no angel. And that vamp you're turning your nose up at? Someone spiked my drink and he was the one who saw me home safe. He's worth a hundred of you."

My fierce defence of Eric took me by surprise. I might want to stake him for trampling all over my privacy, but he'd kept me safe, and I'd never doubted that. I was furious at my boss's narrow-minded assumptions.

He scoffed. "Don't make a scene, Miss Stackhouse or I'll have you escorted off the premise."

I put my hands on his desk and leaned towards him. "You're a bigot Mr Fredericks, and Jody is a nasty bitch. If you can't see her for what she is, that's gonna bite you on the ass one day." Turning to leave, I added, "Oh, and firing me is your loss."

I let the door slam after me.

If only I hadn't been so grateful for my peace and quiet. If I'd only read the minds around me more often. If only I'd been more wary of Jody.

It was an office for eff's sake. Not a vampire summit. I hadn't expected trouble.

But, as usual, trouble found me.

I gathered my things, silent and fuming.

Leanne watched wide-eyed, a hand over her mouth and her eyes shining. Melissa scowled at Pauline's back. As for Pauline, she was busying herself to hide her regret from the others. She hated firing incompetent but well-meaning young women. She liked me and was upset to see me leave. I was too furious with Jody and her stupid uncle to say goodbye. I managed to give Leanne a swift hug, which only made her start crying in earnest.

Thankfully, I'd parked around the side of the building, out of sight of the office. I dumped my hastily packed box into the trunk and slammed it shut, imagining Jody's scrawny neck under it.

It didn't help.

I sagged against the side of the car, adrenaline fading. Cheese and rice. I had to go back to Bon Temps with my tail between my legs. A noise made me look up. Melissa was rounding the corner. She came over and flopped against the car next to me, muttering, "This fucking sucks." She pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one. "Want one?"

I shook my head. "Don't smoke."

She dragged heavily on it, holding the smoke in her lungs for a few beats before she exhaled. "Stress relief." She took another drag, and said, "I know it wasn't you. Pauline wouldn't listen."

"Thanks for trying." I kicked a pebble, wishing it was Jody's head. It skittered a good way away. "I should have listened. You were right about Jody."

She stared at me. "She's not in today. It would've taken ages to–" Her eyes widened. "She has keys for the office. You think maybe she came in after hours and did all that?"

I snorted. "No maybe about it."

She cussed and flicked the ash off her cigarette, brushing my arm as she did. Without thinking I latched onto her rushing thoughts. She was re-assessing some odd things round the office, remembering Jody took against the last girl after a row. As the ideas coalesced, she became certain Jody had got her fired too. She began making wild plans to pay Jody back, indignant at the injustice.

"Be real careful Melissa," I warned. "She's Mr Fredericks' niece."

"Holy shit."

"Uh-huh. She's a clever bitch, too. It wasn't just the filing. She took photos of me dancing on Friday, convinced her uncle I'm a slut."

She swore again. "I should have warned you. Fredericks is an uptight prude. I thought that was better than my last boss. He was too friendly" she made a grabbing gesture, "if you get my drift."

"Yeah. Been there."

"I'm sorry, Sookie." She dropped the cigarette butt and ground it angrily into the gravel.

I shrugged. "I've picked myself up after more bad bosses than you know. I'll be fine." I half-grinned. "Hey, at least I don't have to divorce this one."

She was shocked. "You married your boss?"

"Yep. Waitressed for him for nigh on ten years."

She tried not to grin. "So … blonde stacked waitress married the boss? Girl, ain't you just a walking cliché!"

I gasped, pretending to be offended.

"Hey, join the club," she said. "Everyone assumes I'm from the wrong side of the tracks, broken home, father in jail, and I'll do anything to get out of the hood."

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. When we stopped, I bumped my hip against hers. "You're so much more than those fools think, Melissa. You're a smart girl."

"You too. Fuck the idiots who can't see beyond my skin and your boobs."

"Don't let that boy of yours jerk you around none, either."

"I won't." She gave me a sly grin. "He's going to have to work hard for me."

"Look out for Leanne too?"

"I will."

I gave her a tight hug. "Y'all take care."

"You too."

She waved as I drove off, and I felt a lot better.

My mood darkened on the way home and I landed on Michele's doorstep feeling sorry for myself. I spilled the whole pitiful story over coffee – except the spiked drink and Eric turning up, because that really had nothing to do with getting fired.

After hearing all about Jody and her old-fashioned uncle, Michele commiserated with me and bad-mouthed them in solidarity. Jason was equally pissed when he got home, muttering about lawsuits and court cases, but I had no proof and I just wanted to put it behind me. There were too many idiots in the world to fight every single one of them.

Mr Creepy, on the other hand, would be getting his. That was enough justice for me. An afternoon playing with JJ and cuddling Marie Adele sure put it all in perspective. It was just a job. There'd be another one.

Trouble was finding one wasn't so easy. There was a dearth of jobs in the local papers unless I wanted to work in sanitation or waitress again. I just wasn't that desperate.

I spent the next day at home, eating ice cream and wallowing, cramps adding to my misery. That joy was two weeks late, but I figured crossing to another realm and the stress of divorcing had taken its toll and messed up my cycle.

Amelia phoned that evening to finalise our plans. She asked if I could to get away early on Friday week, and I was vaguely positive. I pretended I didn't mention being fired because I didn't want to bring Amelia down. Not because I was too proud to admit it.

I ran errands on Friday. Same old same old with the sideways looks around Bon Temps, but I ignored it, head held high. I popped in to see Tara at the store, and told her my tale of woe.

She felt bad she couldn't offer me a job, but I was secretly relieved. I wasn't comfortable accepting charity and I didn't think our fragile relationship would survive working together in any case. Things were still rocky between us. She flinched when I mentioned JB in passing, so I certainly wasn't going to ask how things were between them, let alone mention her mystery man Clive. I wasn't ready to spill the beans about running into Eric either.

I spent the afternoon at home, doing chores. Pam phoned me not long after sunset. "Have you read today's Shreveport Times?" she asked without preamble.

"No. I have it right here though." The back pages were spread out over the kitchen table peppered with disappointingly few red circles.

"Page four. I'll wait."

"Okay. Give me a sec." I searched through the loose pages, spotting two familiar faces when I flipped the correct sheet over. My heart thudded. I skimmed the article next to the picture.

...

POLICE APPEAL: DO YOU KNOW THESE MEN?

Two Bossier City men, Jake Fellows, 34, and

Mike Rafferty, 37, were arrested yesterday

following an anonymous tip.

A search of Rafferty's home found a stash of

illegal drugs, including rohypnol, the infamous

date-rape drug, and a number of recordings of

sexual assaults on young women.

Shreveport PD is appealing for any woman who

thinks she may have been assaulted by these

men to contact them, anonymity guaranteed.

Counselling and support will be available.

Detective Henson told our reporter: "This is a

major case and we're making it our highest

priority. We're appealing for anyone with

information about these men to come

forward. We don't know how long they were

active, but there may be over a dozen victims."

Neighbour Frank Sheppard, who witnessed the

arrest, said, "The apartment was turned upside

down. Hell of a mess. There were always girls

going in and out. I figured an angry father caught

up with them."

Detective Henson refused to comment when asked

to confirm rumours that Rafferty and Fellows

were found hog-tied and beaten.

...

Sheppard of Judea. I swallowed bile. "How many women, Pam?"

"Enough that they won't be getting out for a long time." Pam sounded grim. "Once Maxwell found out the imbeciles taped everything, it was simply a matter of finding the evidence, setting the scene and Gerard – how can I put it? – scaring them shitless so they'd sing like canaries."

I shuddered. "Those poor women."

"Maxwell's contact will make sure they get help."

"Good, that's good. Thanks for letting me know." I could have been one of them. I had a very strong desire to shower and second thoughts over whether those two men deserved to be still breathing. Maybe Thalia had the right idea.

"I heard about your job." Margaret probably told her; she'd stuck her head in on Thursday when I didn't leave for Minden, worried I was sick.

I summarised what happened and when I'd finished Pam offered, "I could glamour them to reinstate you."

I was tempted for a second. "No, I wouldn't comfortable there now. Mr Fredericks isn't someone I want to be around. Although if you glamoured Jody into being less of a bitch to Leanne, I wouldn't object."

Pam chuckled. "I'd have to lobotomise her by the sound of it."

I remembered the bouncer in Dallas and realised she wasn't joking. "Ugh. Even Jody doesn't deserve that." Unfortunately.

"Yes, it's a shame glamour can't change the essence of someone's personality without damage. If it did, I would suggest someone glamour Leanne a backbone."

"There's nothing wrong with Leanne," I said, defending my gentle friend.

"Jody won't be the only bully she meets."

"Good point." I sighed. The whole business left a bad taste in my mouth. "I guess we can't fix the world."

"No, but putting those two degenerates behind bars has certainly improved our corner of it."

We agreed on that wholeheartedly, but I didn't feel any sense of achievement for my part in that, only disgust and world-weariness.

Saturday morning, over a much-needed mug of Wynn's soothing tea, I budgeted for college fees, normal expenses and the sizeable chunk of monthly income I insisted on paying towards my security. I needed to find another job fast, or once college started I'd have to plunder my savings.

Needing one did not make the perfect job miraculously appear.

Reluctantly, I swallowed my pride and worked on applying to less than perfect jobs. Then I cut the grass, which took all afternoon and left me sweating and irritable. Once the temperature cooled, I watered my new rose. Even its lovely flowers and sweet fragrance didn't cheer me up.

I berated myself again for staying tucked up safe behind my strengthened shields, for not reading Jody more often. I'd gotten complacent. It was time to pull up my panties and dive into the nastiness of people's thoughts again. Build up an immunity, toughen my hide to the unpleasantness.

I should have known better than to pick church next morning as the place to start.

Vampire Bill lives just across from her...

Bet it's been going on right under Sam Merlotte's nose this whole time...

Explains why Merlotte's so twitchy 'bout the undead...

Ugh. Why had I decided to listen in again?

So much for Eric driving me home starting gossip. Apparently I should have worried about a few innocent words in a public place. Speaking to Bill in Crawdad's had everyone and his dog believing I'd thrown myself back into his arms as soon as I'd divorced.

Which made no sense. Bill had been there with another woman. But, hey, why let facts get in the way of a good scandal? I was starting to think that damn wish had warped more than a few heads around Bon Temps.

The chatter was particularly mortifying as Sam had shown up for the service for first time since I got back.

He sat towards the front of church and we nodded politely to each other afterwards, outside in the sunshine, but we didn't speak. He was stiff and uncomfortable, no doubt hearing too many whispers with his shifter ears. It was a blessing that was all he could hear. People had no qualms about letting their more salacious ideas about me free in their heads, let me tell you. It was enough to make me blush.

I felt responsible for Sam's embarrassment. There wasn't even anything going on between me and Bill. Frustrated and annoyed, I didn't stay to chat with anyone, afraid I might snap and actually slap Maxine Fortenberry if her tongue wagged any faster.

Running errands the next day, I bumped into Sam at the bank. I was leaving, he was coming in.

"Oh. Hi, Sam."

"Hey, Sook." He looked surprised to see me and stopped uncertainly. "Not over in Minden today?"

"You haven't heard?" My friends, who all knew by then, were a loyal bunch and hadn't talked. I let out a world-weary sigh and admitted, "They let me go."

"Oh." He took in the slump of my shoulders and wisely didn't ask. "Their loss."

He meant it. "Thanks, Sam."

He looked down then, playing with the cashier's bag he was carrying. "I know it's not my business," he glanced up cautiously, "but I heard some talk … about Bill."

My heart sank. I said in a rush, "It's not true. Nothing going on there."

He ran his hand through his hair, and nodded. "I reckoned so from what Kennedy said, but I thought I should warn you there are rumours are going round." He pulled a face. "I guess you know what folks are thinking better than anyone."

I grimaced too. "Yeah. Lucky me, huh? Look Sam, I'm real sorry you have to hear that crap."

He nodded again and said quietly, "It's okay, Sook. I mean … what you said in your letter … it goes for me too."

I wasn't sure what he meant. "Which part?"

Two intimately familiar blue eyes searched my face. I shifted under the scrutiny.

"The part about finding someone else," he said softly. "I'm okay with you doing that. As long as you're happy."

"Oh. I …" I couldn't meet his eyes, ashamed all over again of my half-baked plan to throw my drunken ass at strangers. A sordid one night stand was not what Sam had in mind by 'finding someone else'. And if he knew Eric was involved … Well, he wouldn't be so relaxed about it, that was for sure.

He smiled fondly at my embarrassment, though. "Really, Sook. It's okay with me if y'all are ready to get busy again."

Sam had a shifter's matter-of-fact attitude to physical needs. He was smiling, teasing me because he knew I wasn't so laid back. I didn't like that. I said a little too sharply, "Even if it was with Bill?"

I sensed a blast of jealousy from him as his jaw tensed. "I can't say as he'd be my first choice." Then his eyes clouded with concern. "I meant it, Sook. Be careful around him."

I softened. "Don't worry. I'm done with vampires."

I saw and felt his flash of surprise, but the door opened behind him and a few more folks came in. He glanced over his shoulder. "I best get in line, Sook. See you around."

"Sure, Sam. Y'all take care now."

Outside in the sunshine, I wondered if I'd handled our meeting as well as I could. It was bound to be awkward between us, but things were slowly improving. I felt a glimmer of hope. We might regain our friendship yet.

Bill turned up like a bad penny that night, but I brushed him off when he mentioned that walk, Sam's face fresh in my mind. We had very brief exchange about the parish roads. A short impersonal exchange, the kind neighbours have, just to be sure he got the message.

Bill looked like he wanted to ask me what the hell had gotten my panties in a bunch, but wisely kept any such question to himself. He gave me a resigned nod and left. Good job too, otherwise I might be tempted to tell Thalia he wasn't welcome on my property any more.

The rest of the week was disheartening.

I suffered through two uncomfortable job interviews, determined to 'listen' to everything and avoid another Jody. One at a large hardware store, where I endured a litany of filth from the overweight and overconfident manager who really liked blondes; and one at a quiet craft store in Ruston, where I had to bite my tongue not to respond to the disapproving sour-faced female owner who had me pegged as an airhead the second she laid eyes on me.

No job resulted from either. I shrugged it off, determined to buck their stereotyping and find something better.

But with no luck on the job front by Thursday, I was ready to call off my visit to Amelia, reckoning I should focus on finding work. Then Kennedy and Michele came over for coffee. Kennedy took one look at me and declared I needed to get the hell out of town and have some fun. Michele sealed the deal by pointing out I'd be letting Amelia down if I cancelled. Damn woman knew which buttons to press.

So I got down the suitcases I'd bought from that house clearance and filled the smaller one with enough clothes for a weekend. I was nervous about the long drive, to tell the truth, but I gave myself a pep talk. The new internationally travelled Sookie Stackhouse would take it in her stride.

It wasn't as if I'd be alone.

Wary of heading into vamp-central, I'd told Thalia my plans to visit Amelia the week before. I asked her if I would be safe in New Orleans. The feisty vampire sniffed as if I'd insulted her and muttered testily, "As safe as anywhere else."

Thankfully, Margaret had been much more reassuring when she explained the plan for my safety a few days later. Margaret and one of the Longtooth weres who had family in New Orleans would tag along and cover me in the day, staying out of sight as much as possible. Thalia and Gerard would be around at night. Pam was sure Amelia's place would be warded to the hundredth degree, so I should be safe as houses inside.

I told Margaret I figured that's where we would spend most of the weekend. Amelia needed some TLC, and I anticipated a lot of chic flicks and long talks over copious quantities of ice cream and chocolate.

Of course, I wasn't psychic, so things didn't turn out quite the way I expected.

...


A/N: I did my best formatting the newspaper article. This site doesn't quite support making it a neat column, so sorry about that.