A/N: Hi! I just want to thank my wonderful beta and her magic skills, CassandraMello. She is the best. Any remaining mistakes are all mine. Also, you gonna have some surprises with this one; it's a longer chapter, things finally start to happen and we get some answers. Hope you guys like it! If you do or even if you don't like it, please let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts, no matter what they are.

Chapter 4 - Love Is The Crooked Thing

The next week came at the speed of light. I had so many projects to work on, papers to do, books to read, and my mom to help with the daily housework, that I was utterly shocked when I looked at the calendar and found out it was already Thursday. We departed the next day at 5am sharp, from Shreveport to New Orleans, so we could get there with enough time to enjoy the rest of the day. We had to visit the particular locations our professor chose at the end of the sunlight hours at least.

It was a two-day trip to get to know the city and its famous buildings, take some notes about the local architecture for a later paper and saunter alone if you wanted after the group tour completed the daily schedule; we didn't have much time to spend procrastinating at road stops or at one place alone.

I managed to sleep almost all the way; I didn't have a good night of sleep the night before. How could I? I was going to meet Bill and Amelia in less than 12 hours. My head was spinning with meeting scenarios and possible conversations overnight. I definitely needed the rest.

I looked at the window, rubbing my eyes a little. We were already in New Orleans and I had missed all the views we went by. That was a bummer. 'Well, you always have the way back to look.' The bus stopped at a busy street and we all got out, excited to see our first stop. It was in the French Quarter, the best place to start. The area was relatively lightly affected by Hurricane Katrina, so there were still plenty of historic buildings to see and relish.

We walked together the entire time; there were at least 25 people. The professor couldn't stop talking to explain every single detail he glimpsed. I was overwhelmed with so many peculiar buildings, cute little houses, unique antique shops, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants… I wished we had time to see everything more calmly. We rushed through St. Louis Cathedral and The Cabildo, the old city hall that was turned into a museum, and some more famous spots.

Afterwards we separated in groups to have a quick lunch, it was past noon and we were all hungry and weary. Everybody should have been getting back to the Jackson statue at the Jackson Square in 45 minutes. I went with two friends to Café du Monde, a famous coffee shop on Decatur St. One of the many places I wanted to see. We found a table with incredible luck and took our seats.

"Sookie, be advised, you can't drink a better café au lait then the one served here," Cassie told me very seriously and then giggled. I rolled my eyes and laughed at her little display.

"Ok, if you say so…" I feigned total ignorance, and asked for the café au lait and some pastries to go along. I was hungry, but we didn't have time to waste on real food. It was a huge loss; some of the restaurants there seemed a great place to go and have a blast. Although Café du Monde was an obligatory stop too, without a doubt.

"I love this place. My dad brought me here many times before he passed away," Terry said with a sad smile on his face. I squeezed his hand and gave him a sympathetic smile before getting up from the table; while we were still waiting for our order to get ready, I had some things to do.

"I need to make a phone call, I'm gonna be right back," I told them. I called Amelia. She said I should call her so we could make plans for the night. It only rang three times.

"Hi! Amelia?"

"Yes, this is she."

"It's me, Sookie. I'm in New Orleans already."

"Hey Sookie! I'm so glad you called girl, I was waiting to hear from you… First things first, where are you staying? And what time can I pick you up? "

"Oh, I'm staying in the American Youth Hostels, Carondelest St. Do you know where it's? And I think we can meet at 8:30? I will probably be free and ready by then."

"Yeah, sure I know. I will pick you up at 8:30 then." We talked a little about the road trip, how Café du Monde was the best place to get a cup of coffee and that she would take me to a cool place to enjoy the New Orleans nightlife. Neither of us mentioned Bill; I wondered why.

"It's settled, sweetie. See you. Bye!"

"Ok, bye!" I hung up and went back inside. My order was at the table, and my colleagues were happily eating. I took back my seat to taste the famous beverage and dug into some delicious pastries. I found myself mesmerized; it was the best coffee ever. I took one more to go, obviously. We headed to Jackson square with time to spare. Almost everybody was there already.

We passed the next five hours walking, getting into public places, visiting historical buildings, going back to the bus when the locations were too far apart. I was exhausted, but I loved it all, I couldn't get enough. Anywhere I looked there was something incredibly special, some unique detail, you had to look carefully or you might miss it. It was certainly a magical city, so colorful and full of life. 'I could live here…'

Before my train of thoughts led me to fantasy land once more, we made it to the hostel. Our group would have to split in three for the night. None of the hostels seemed to have enough vacancies for all of us. I gathered all my things and headed to the room I would have to share with three other girls.

It was almost 7pm already, I needed to get ready. Everybody would go out as well, so I grabbed my towel, my toiletries and went to the shower line; I waited there for a while. When it was my turn I had a quick shower. I had already shaved and washed my hair that day. Also I didn't have time to waste, so I went back to the dorm to change right away.

I chose a cute deep purple dress with strapless bodice and fitted waist, flattered by a satin black ribbon and A-line mid-thigh skirt; a peep toe black shoe 2 inch heel and delicate amethyst earrings as jewelry. I brushed my hair and made some loosely waves using the curling iron. I applied some make up, nothing strong, just mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss.

My cell phone rung, it was Amelia. She was waiting for me at the front door. I gave myself a final look in the mirror, gladly approving what I saw and went to met her out there. She was beautiful; she had shoulder-length, straight, dark brown hair, brown eyes and really white teeth. I smiled at her happy to finally meet her. We hugged each other contentedly.

"It was about time, girl! You are stunning, I'm gonna have to hide you from admirers the rest of the night," Amelia affirmed while making me spin in my heels. I blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, come on, you are the fabulous one here. I'm so glad we finally got to meet, Amelia. I'm just sorry that it took us so long." Amelia was all smiles, like I knew she would be. She was wearing a teal short-sleeved sheer blouse, black skinny jeans and black boots; it looked amazing on her.

"So, where are you taking me?"

"It's a surprise. Let's go, we need to make good use of our little time together."

We walked two blocks chatting until she spotted a cab. I didn't have a clue to where she would take me, but I trusted her. It was a quick ride, the cab left us at Decatur St.

"First, we need to put some food in our systems. Then we will have some fun," Amelia said readily taking my arm to follow her. We stopped at a restaurant called Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. I thought it had such a funny name that I had to ask Amelia if she knew why.

"Aw, it's from Forrest Gump, you know? It's Forrest friend, Bubba, the one who talked a lot about shrimp? A humorous thought don't you think?" I grinned and nodded in agreement; people are so creative sometimes. "Locals think this place it's a tourist trap, 'cause it's a chain place or wherever. But I think it's bullshit, redneck narrow-mindedness you know? Their shrimp are the best and I'm all for enterprising ideas."

I thought it seemed to be a really pleasant place and I had nothing against chain places. We sat at a nice table and soon enough the waitress came by to get our orders. I looked at the menu excitedly. Amelia suggested I try one of the special cocktails; they seemed to have just two for me to choose from. I picked the Medal Margarita.

"Excellent choice, girl." She beamed at me. "I want a Delta Sunset, please," Amelia said to the waitress. She nodded while taking our orders and left rapidly.

"So, where is Bill?" I asked hesitantly, peeking at her through the menu.

"Oh, honey. I didn't tell you? He is gonna meet us at our next stop. He had a long workday today, they were having a problem with new software, but he called me an hour ago saying he would meet us there. He is eager to see you as well." She had a sly smile plastered on her delicate features. I didn't like it.

"What do you mean by that? I just asked because you hadn't mentioned him yet. It's not like I'm dying to see him, I'm just curious..." I couldn't convince a 3-year-old with that pathetic defensive tone.

"Oh, come on! I know you have a thing for him. You are too obvious, Sookie; every time you talk about him you change, you know? I would have to be stupid to not notice." She waved a hand, like she was patronizing me. I looked at her wide eyed. 'No way! She has got to be kidding me.' I laughed nervously as our waitress returned with our orders and placed it on the table, leaving just a minute later.

"You are wrong. I like Bill as a friend, nothing more than that. Besides, he likes Claudine." I probably sounded a little more bitter than I should have with that last statement.

"I'm gonna pretend I fell for that one, Sookie. But I feel like I should tell you that he doesn't like her anymore. He came to his senses; he understood that his feelings for her were an illusion, an unreal sentiment. He had broken up with his long term girlfriend five months ago; the bitch cheated him with her boss repeatedly. Lorena... What a royal whore." She snorted, livid at the simple mention of the girl's name. "I'm sure he didn't tell you any of this… He is a really closed person sometimes."

Amelia took a sip at her drink and continued, "My boy was in such a dark place, feeling betrayed, lonely and miserable all by himself. And Claudine was attractive because she seemed the total opposite of Lorena in his eyes, so cheerful, affectionate and full of life. He thought she could brighten him up again, but it was not true. I tried to help, but he wouldn't listen to me. You Sookie, you made Bill understand that it was up to him to change things; that no one could fix him other than himself," Amelia said, looking straight in my eyes; her tone heavy with significance. "If he should truly fall for someone, that someone should be you." Oh, my… I wasn't expecting that last piece. That was really mean and inappropriate. She shouldn't blurt things like that, especially to me. 'Well, you just said you don't like him, she can tell you anything, you idiot.'

"I'm happy for him, then. He seems to have endured a great deal and was able to pull through that. But I'm not the one to heal his broken heart, Amelia. I want a guy that wants me, in the first place. I'm not a freaking rebound girl." Yeah, I probably sounded a bit mad after that. But man, that was just too much for me to deal it at the moment. I didn't know any of that, Bill never told me about it. I felt somehow betrayed, like he didn't trust me at all. And that pretty much hurt a lot.

"Geez, Sookie. Calm down, I was just saying… Of course you are not a rebound girl. And he would never see you like that; he thinks highly of you, almost too highly, might I add… What I'm saying is that you guys are perfect for each other; you just don't see it yet…" She sipped at her cocktail and motioned for me to try mine. I did without thinking twice; it was really good, a little strong for my taste, but good nonetheless.

"Ah, love is such a crooked thing, hon." I couldn't agree more. I just needed to relax and not think about what she had revealed to me. Well, I never succeeded.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, without more big confessions or great reveals; we just ate our delicious "Shrimp New Orleans" and "Boat Trash" entrees, and drank our colorful cocktails. It was past 10pm when we left the restaurant, took another cab and went to meet Bill at the Warehouse District. The street was packed with tourists, passersby and people everywhere. It was difficult to spot him, Amelia had to call and ask where he was exactly. He was waiting outside at the line to The Metropolitan, the nightclub they settled for us to meet.

I spotted him first; I knew it was him even if I had only saw pictures of him before. Bill was six feet tall with short dark brown hair and fair skin. He had thick eyebrows and beautiful sculpted lips. He wore a charcoal sport coat with a pinstriped gray shirt underneath and dark jeans. He was searching the small crowd, looking for us. When he turned his head left and met my gaze, I saw his eyes. They were a mysterious dark shade, like a night sky inked black and clear, littered with stars. There was certain clarity about his eyes even though they were dark. I couldn't bring myself to look elsewhere, our eyes locked and all I could do was beam.

Amelia finally saw Bill looking in our direction; she waved at him to come meet us. When he was close enough she took his arm and lead him near me. We never broke our gaze.

"Bill, this is our exquisite Sookie. Sookie, this is Bill." Amelia introduced us with evident satisfaction, giving Bill a small thrust towards me.

"Sookie, it's a pleasure to finally meet you in person," he said, and his voice was cool and clear like the cold crystalline water of melted snow. I shuddered at that sound.

"The pleasure is mine, Bill." I gave him a genuine smile. He came closer and we wrapped our arms around each other in a friendly hug. He smelled so good. I could have kept my arms around him forever, just feeling his sent and his warmness through me. 'Get a grip, Sookie.'

I broke his embrace reluctantly, and was surprised to perceive in his eyes that he felt the same way. A little embarrassed, I immediately changed my gaze to Amelia, who was wearing a smug expression on her face. I laughed nervously, thoughts racing through my mind, one finally emerging to save me, "So, this is the place we are going, The Metropolitan? It seems really nice."

"Yeah, it's a dancing club. You said you like dancing, so Amelia and I thought you would like this place." Bill answered me quickly. 'Again with that voice, why couldn't he have a high pitched voice or be a stutterer?'

"Oh, I appreciate the thought, guys. I'm sure this will be fun. So let's go, then? I have to get back to the hostel in a couple of hours and..." My voice trailed off, the simple thought of leaving made me a little sad.

"I'm sure we can fully enjoy the brief time we have together. So let's party, bitches!" Amelia declared turning to the entrance and making a hand gesture for us to follow her.

Bill and I grinned at Amelia enthusiasm. The three of us went to the line and waited our turn talking about what I had seen and mostly liked in NOLA.

We didn't wait much, the bouncer let us in without problem and soon enough we were inside the club. The three of us sat at a table close to the dance floor and ordered some drinks to start. It was a huge place; a warehouse originally built in the early 1820s as a sugar refinery transformed into a huge dancing club, Bill kindly explained to me. The Metro was beautifully decorated with artworks about the history of New Orleans jazz. I instantly liked the place and its atmosphere.

The three of us talked, laughed and sipped our drinks for a good awhile. I was having so much fun; Amelia and Bill were such a great company. I felt completely at ease with them. 'Well, except when you dare to take a glimpse at those misty eyes, hm?' Amelia was just telling me a funny story, when a friend of hers approached our table. He was a handsome guy, big and manly. She introduced him as Tray Dawson. Tray acknowledged Bill and I with a nod follow by a "Hello", and asked her for a dance. She happily accepted, leaving me alone with Bill for the first time.

I plastered my nervous smile on my face and gulped my cocktail anxiously, glancing at him as we talked from time to time. On the other hand, he regarded me with very strange eyes when two guys came by our table and asked me for a dance, in an odd succession. I politely refused both. The edges of his perfect lips curled up slightly at my reaction to them.

"I suppose you should be prepared for more intruders. They seem to have no end…" I couldn't tell if it was a remark for me or for him given the thoughtful expression on his face.

"Oh, I'm sure it was a coincidence." I felt uncomfortable with his comment. I scanned the area and saw some guys looking at our direction, but I also spotted some girls glancing towards Bill with hungry eyes. 'He wouldn't leave me alone here, would he? Geez, I hope not.'

"You have no idea how stunning you are, Sookie." His cool voice flowed through my ears, like silk sheets over a smooth body. My face flushed, my lips trembled slightly, as I watched Bill from the corners of my eyes. I didn't know how to answer that, he got me completely by surprise.

"I… I don't know what to say, Bill. Thanks, I guess?" I laughed nervously, sipping my cocktail once more in a futile attempt to help me swallow the quiver that filled my throat.

He ran slender, nervous fingers through his hair and smiled at me. I stared at the table absently; I had no idea how to react to all of that. 'Where is Amelia, for Christ's sake?' He hesitantly laid his hand over mine and softly squeezed it.

"I'm only stating the truth, darling. You are the most beautiful woman in the room." He spoke again and very softly turned my face to his. I choked at that.

"Well, I suppose I'm lucky that Claudine didn't come with me, then." He visibly cringed and looked at me with hurt in his eyes; I instantly regretted my acid statement. But how could he say that to me? It was despicable. 'Unless he meant it, damn ass. He was flirting with you.' Oh my… He really was and I just blew it.

A/N: Sookie's background is coming to an imminent end. Do you guys really miss Eric or can you hold on for at least one or two more chapters? Tell me what you want and I promise I will try to attend your wishes. ;)

Don't forget to take a look at Bill and Amelia pictures in my profile. They are exquisite!