Part 2: Bad Things To You

"Fuck, Sookie." Jason said, an untouched glass of sweet tea sitting in front of him on the kitchen table. Sookie sat across from him in the sunlit kitchen, having just told him the story of last night. Of what Bill had asked her to do, of how she couldn't… and of what she did instead. He looked stricken, a near perfect reflection of how she felt.

"Have you told Jessica?" He asked suddenly.

Sookie shook her head.

"Not yet." She responded. "She just... her and Hoyt deserve a couple of days."

Jason nodded.

"Right." He said. "How are you doing?"

"Surprisingly?" She started. "I don't want to die as much as I always figured I would if Bill was suddenly... gone."

"Well, that's good. I guess."

"But I do feel like a great big hole's been ripped open inside of me..." She swallowed her tears. "And I'm so... so scared that it'll never get filled back up again."

Jason scooted his chair closer to his sister.

"Sook..." He said, putting his arms around her. "It will. You know it will."

"I don't..." She said, shaking her head.

"You're the strongest person I know. You've taken more than your fair share of heartache, and you've always pulled through. Hell, you've pulled me right through with you most times."

Sookie buried her head in her brother's shoulder, wanting to have the strength he seemed to think she did, but she felt like all of her strength was gone. She used every ounce of that she had to kill the love of her life.

"I don't understand why he made you do it, though." Jason said, patting her head. "That don't make no sense."

"It's what he wanted." She said tiredly, not wanting to go over that again.

"Yeah, but that don't make it right."

Sookie pulled away and wiped her face haphazardly with her hands.

"That's what Eric said, too."

"Eric Northman? He was here?"

"He came to see me last night. He can feel when I'm... upset."

"Gross." Was Jason's immediate response, then his face changed as it recognized what he'd just said. "Sorry."

"I guess it is kind of gross."

"Yeah, kind of."

Sookie dropped her head on to the table, and wrapped her arms around her face.

"Ugh." She said, and the sound was muffled in to the fabric of her sweater.

"You couldn't help what you did." He said, shaking her a bit. She raised her head. "I know he tricked you in to sucking that silver out of him."

"Sucking the silver-?" She shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Back in Texas when... Wait." He sat up straight in his chair, and eyed her with an air of suspicion and confusion. "Did something else happen between the two of you?"

Sookie's face went still. It occurred to her that no one had really ever known what went on between her and Eric.

"No..." She said in almost kneejerk defense. "Well, I mean... Sorta', I guess."

"What does 'sorta', I guess' mean?"

Sookie inhaled deeply.

"Do you remember when he lost all of his memories and was as helpless as a newborn kitten, and he was staying in the little hidey hole under the house?" She paused. "He was just so sweet, and... Things sorta' happened."

Jason scrunched his face in what appeared to be distaste.

"Really?"

"Are you judging me?" She asked incredulously.

"No, I ain't judging you." He responded, then was silent a beat. "But really?"

Her face was back on the table.

"Yes, really." She answered.

"Well, do you love him?"

She took a breath, and raised her head again.

"I did." She gave him the most honest answer she could think of. "But my heart's broken in so many pieces, that I don't think any one of them is big enough to love anyone the way I used to anymore."

That seemed to set reality back in to place, and Jason slumped a little.

"I know you're hurting now, but it will get better." He paused. "It always does."

"Does it really get better?" Sookie asked with a far away stare. "Or does the pain just eventually become normal?"

Jason put his hand on his sister's arms.

"Far as I can see," he started. " That's just two ways of saying the same thing."

...

"This is strange." Sookie said with a shy smile as the man in the suit and bowtie poured hot tea in to her dainty little cup.

When she was a little girl, she remembered having this type of tea party. She, her grandmother, and Tara would sit in the backyard at a small lace covered table and pretend that they were grand ladies. They would snack on little finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off and little cookies with jam in the center of them. Her and Tara loved how elegant and fancy they felt, even though their cups were really just filled with cold sweet tea. Not like the steaming amber liquid that was in front of her now.

Also, it was always during the day. Never at night. Like this.

"What is?" Bill Compton asked with a gleam in his eye from his seat across from her at the beautifully laid out tea table.

"I don't know." Sookie said and looked around. "Something's... different." She looked back at Bill. "I feel like I'm forgetting something. That ever happen to you?"

"All the time." The pale man responded before taking a sip from his teacup. Sookie couldn't help but take a peak at what was in it. "Blood infused with tea leaves." He said off of her look.

Sookie felt a chill run through her.

"Is the blood clean?" She asked suddenly, urgently. Bill just smiled.

"You worry too much."

She shook her head and stood up.

"I'm forgetting something." She said, and began to look around frantically. Bill stayed where he was, drinking happily from his cup, as though nothing was wrong. But something was wrong. What was she forgetting?

"Why don't you just sit down and enjoy yourself?" The vampire asked. Sookie looked down at him, and noticed the black veins beginning to crawl up his neck.

"Bill..." She said, feeling the tears well up.

He took another sip from his cup.

"Everybody dies, Sookie." Bill said as he looked down at the veins appearing on his hands.

"I can help you." She said, sinking to her knees in front of him, tears spilling from her eyes. "Please don't do this. Please don't leave me." She dropped her head in to his lap, and could feel his hand come to rest over her hair.

"I've already left you." He said from above her.

Sookie looked up suddenly to see only an empty chair where Bill had just been. An empty chair covered in blood.

That was when she began to scream.

...

"-ie, Wake up!"

Sookie shot up in her bed, and it was a few moments before she realized she was still screaming. It was a moment or so after that that she realized who had woken her up.

"Jason..." She said and then wasted no time throwing her arms around her brother. "Oh, God..."

Suddenly someone else was bursting in through her bedroom door.

"Where is he?" A girl's voice asked frantically.

"Jess?" Jason asked, turning away from his sister. A second later, Jason was on the ground, and the redheaded vampire was staring down at Sookie.

"Where is he?" She asked again, a streak of red running down her cheek. "Where's Bill?"

Sookie could only stare up at her.

"Jessica?" A male voice asked from just outside the house. "Jessica?" It asked again from just downstairs. It was Hoyt.

"Up here!" Jason called down as he stood up. "In Sookie's room."

Heavy footsteps ran up the stairs, and then Hoyt appeared in the doorway.

"I'm sorry, man." He said as he helped his friend up from the ground. "I tried to stop-"

"Shutup!" Jessica said shrilly without taking her eyes away from the woman who she towered over, and her fangs dropped down. "Tell me where he is. I know you know!"

"Hey!" Jason said. "You can't just pull your fangs out at Sookie in her own goddamn house!"

Jessica stared down at Sookie for a moment longer, then retracted her fangs and slumped down on to the bed.

Sookie could only manage shuddering breaths. anyway

"He's..." She started. "He's gone."

Jessica let out a sob, though everyone else remained silent. Hoyt rubbed his mouth with his hand for a moment, but said nothing.

"Were..." Jessica started, and then seemed to try and calm herself. "Were you there?"

Sookie swallowed and glanced at Jason who - just slightly - shook his head.

"Yes." She answered anyway.

Jessica sniffed.

"Was he in pain?" She asked.

"Baby," Hoyt started, taking a step toward his wife. "Maybe this isn't the right time to-"

"I want to know!" Jessica said, cutting him off, but not looking at him. "Please, Sookie." She pleaded.

Sookie shook her head.

"No, sweetie." She started. "He was ready."

After a beat, Jessica nodded. Then she began to cry. Hoyt's arms were around her within moments.

"Shhhh..." He said.

"Shit." Jason let out exasperatedly, looking out through the curtains outside. Sookie creased her forehead, and stood up out of bed to join him at the window, leaving Hoyt to comfort Jessica behind her.

"What?" She asked, and then peered out through the window. She let out a breath. "Shit."

Eric Northman stood outside staring up at her.

"Want me to get rid of him?"

Eric raised his forehead before looking away with a smirk. Sookie couldn't help but smile just a small smile at that.

She looked at her brother.

"Go put the kettle on." She said quietly, and then glanced at Hoyt and a still crying Jessica. "They're going to have questions." She began to walk away.

"What are you going to do?" Her brother asked, taking her by the arm.

"Every time I see that man it's supposed to be the last time, so if he's back, he must have something important to say." She paused. "I'll be fine. I trust him."

Jason nodded, and then let his sister go.

...

Sookie stepped out of her house and in to the cold night air, shutting the door behind her, but did not meet Eric at the bottom of her porch where he stayed rooted.

"Is this going to be a pattern with you?"

"I'm here on business." The blonde replied with familiar coldness.

Sookie tilted her head.

"Business? What kind of business would bring you-"

He was directly in front of her now, though she hadn't even seen him move. He looked down at her sadly.

"I'm sorry, Sookie."

Then the two of them were gone. An echo of Sookie's scream rang out in to the quiet night for a moment, before everything was once again completely silent.