A/N: We're back to Sookie's POV this chapter. I'm sorry my updates have been a bit slower than usual. I've been writing pretty much non-stop since I began Dead to Rights back in late November. I think that pace has finally caught up with me, so I hope you can all forgive me a possible day in between updates here and there. My regular proofreader has also been sick, so please don't kill me if the grammar isn't 100%.

Your reviews continue to inspire (and often make me bust a gut laughing). Thank you so much, and on with the madness!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or stories from The Southern Vampire series. I can only hope that Ms. Harris does not mind me taking them out to play with.

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I've only had a hangover twice in my life. The first time was when Jason, Tara, Hoyt and I had gotten drunk in the woods behind Gran's house after a football game in high school. Jason had raided the coach's secret 'stash' he kept in his office just off the locker room. I was the one who'd put up the biggest fight about participating, so naturally I ended up being the one bent over a bush, puking my guts out. The one good thing about that was it prevented Hoyt from acting on his own lusty, drunken, teenage boy thoughts with me.

The second time wasn't long before vampire Bill first walked into Merlotte's. Arlene was enjoying a rare night away from the kids (her mother had them for the weekend), and we'd stayed up late at my house, watching sappy chick flicks. She'd blended up some fruity concoction that did a fine job of masking the taste of the various liquors it also contained. I woke up the next morning face down on my back stoop. Don't ask me how I got there.

Those two hangovers; with their cotton-mouthed, splitting headache, can't stand the light, feel like you got run over by a Mack truck symptoms, were nothing compared to the way I felt as I woke in that bed in a mystical oasis nestled in the Egyptian desert. Luckily for me, it was only moments later I was sucking down the liquid that could not only heal a gunshot wound, but apparently could also kick the worst hangover known to man.

"Erf," I muttered after releasing Eric's bleeding wrist, flopping back down onto the pillows.

His blue eyes sparkled down at me as he chuckled, seated next to me on the edge of the bed. "Will you survive, my delicate princess?" he smirked.

I stuck my tongue out at him as I stretched, "Hey, some of us aren't professionals at dealing with energy sucking, giant balls of exploding light."

Eric roared with that laugh I can't help but smile at, his blond mane dancing around those perfect, broad shoulders. "I assure you, lover, it is new for both of us."

"You could've fooled me, you sure seemed like you knew what you were doing. Another... educated guess?" I snorted.

He grinned, "Something like that."

Eric reached out, brushing the back of his hand across my cheek. I was surprised he hadn't jumped me yet, considering I'd just drunk his blood, and there was no bigger turn on to a vampire that I knew of. I'd certainly felt his lust through the bond, but at the same time, he seemed distracted.

"Okay," I sighed, "Tell me."

He took my hand in his, looking pensive as he held my gaze, "Lover, I need you to search your memory for me. When we made our wish, as you called it, what were you thinking about?"

I tensed a bit, "Just what you told me to... I wished for time for us to figure out what to do."

His thumb lightly stroked the inside of my palm, soothing me, "What did that mean to you?"

I bit my lip, trying to recall what I'd really been thinking at the time. When you're used to hearing people's thoughts on a regular basis, you learn pretty quick how oddly our inner thought patterns actually work. In the blink of an eye you can go from point A to point Z, each stop along the way being a zig zag of seeming randomness, but ultimately adding up to the end point of a thought.

"Well, I was thinking about wanting time... and that we were already out of it before Amelia, Elana and I had begun to act on our plan, since you were having your trial that very night... I wondered if Pam, Bill, and Victor had already had theirs... I thought if we had a bit more time, then we could get Sam or Tray to find the shifter mole and still save you in time..." I trailed off, suddenly feeling apprehensive. "I messed up, didn't I?"

Eric pulled me into his arms, stroking my back softly, "No, lover. I should have been more clear with you. You did nothing wrong."

"Then why do I feel like you just got the answer to a very disturbing question?" I asked, sensing some resignation through the bond.

He cupped my face in his hands, and I melted from his gaze, that perfect mix of strength and tenderness that was my Eric. "There have been some... unexpected side effects. However, they are ones that I think will please you."

He smiled, leaning in for a soft, lingering kiss that turned me into a gooey, boneless mass in his arms. They say every vampire has a special talent, and I swear Eric's was kissing. Okay, I knew it was flight, but his kisses could surely make the gods weep. They sure as heck could make me forget everything, including my own name.

As Eric pulled away from the kiss, I felt myself leaning forward, trying to recapture his lips. To my dismay, he only took my hand, prompting me to my feet, "Come, lover."

"Eric, I'm all bed-head and ruffled. Where are we going?" I asked, my tone a bit more whiny than I'd intended.

He paused, casting his gaze appreciatively over me, "Actually, you look as beautiful as ever."

Eric guided me over to a floor length, standing mirror, and I gasped. Sure enough, I looked as though I'd just gotten ready. My braids were still perfect, dress looking like it was fresh from the closet, and my skin appeared fresh and glowing.

"Wow," I breathed.

He winked at me in the mirror, leading me by the hand toward the stairs. Of all the weirdness I'd encountered lately, I suppose this was pretty minor in comparison. I wondered if Amelia knew some spell that could duplicate that trick. As we descended the staircase, I heard a sound of trickling water, like from a fountain, mixed with a din of hushed voices. I think my jaw literally fell on the floor when we reached the courtyard, and I took in the gathered crowd.

Before I could think I was squealing, running up to each one of them, even Victor, throwing my arms around them in a massive hug. The sight and feel of them flooded me with waves of relief I could never have anticipated. I think, somewhere in the back of my mind, I still believed all of this had been either a dream, or that I was maybe even dead. Now things somehow seemed more real.

The vampires, of course, were a bit stiffened by my touchy-feely actions, but I didn't care. I was just so elated to see them, to know they were safe. Amelia squeezed me back so hard I thought my eyeballs might pop out of their sockets. She seemed as nervous and overwhelmed as I had been when I first arrived in Romania. I whispered to her that everything would be okay, even though I still had no idea if that was true.

The last person I came to was Sam. I sank into the warmth of his arms, mine wrapped tight around his neck. Sam had been my rock while Eric was gone, holding me together as no one else could have. He'd always known just how to be there for me, and had been time and time again for so many years. His hands rested gently on the small of my back as I hugged him for all I was worth.

Suddenly, Sam flinched back a little. Through the bond I felt an odd mix of emotions coming from Eric; curiosity, jealousy, and even a hint of... lust? Had I held onto Sam a bit too long? I was just happy to see him. Really happy. A warm, tingly kind of happy. Okay, that's way too much happiness. Where in the world did that come from? Was I... purring?

Sam was giving me a very odd look, "Sookie?"

I felt that smile plastering onto my face and my skin flushing with embarrassment. I quickly stepped a safe distance away, moving back to Eric's side. He cocked a questioning eyebrow down at me, though I didn't feel any anger coming from him. I glanced around nervously, wondering if anyone else had noticed. Oh, they had.

"I... I'm just so happy to see y'all!" I stammered, realizing my Louisiana drawl had become far more pronounced. Great, another vampire trait rubbing off on me.

Thankfully, Rachal chose that moment to arrive on the scene, and her beauty naturally distracted all eyes from me. All except Eric and Sam, that is. Looking back and forth between them, I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to just slink back up the stairs and hide under the covers. Sam's sage green eyes had grown more intense somehow, staring at me almost like I was a big, juicy steak. Even more strange was that Eric wasn't bursting into a rage or growling with jealousy, but rather looking at me with an amused smirk. I shuffled my weight back and forth on my feet, wishing like hell all this madness would just stop already. If this was what an acid trip felt like, I was glad I'd always 'just said no'. I was broken from my thoughts by Rachal's lilting voice.

"Welcome, all of you," she glanced up for a moment at Eric. They seemed to exchange a few silent words, and I saw him nod to her. She continued, "My name is Rachal, and I bring you greetings from Phemonoe, whom some of you know as the Pythoness. She regrets she is not here to personally welcome you to her realm, but she is currently in consultation."

Consultation? I wondered if that was some code word for 'having crazy visions'.

"As soon as she is able, she will come and speak with all of you. She begs your patience, and encourages all of you to take respite and enjoy the comforts of the Oasis," Rachal said with a smile.

As if on cue, several servants entered the courtyard, carrying trays of food and bottles of wine, honey mead, and presumably blood. They set them all on one of the low walls that ringed the circular, stone patio, along with goblets and small plates. Well heck, it was almost like a regular buffet, though this sure wasn't Shoney's.

Rachal would have made a perfect Southern hostess. She glided back and forth amongst us, asking if we needed anything, offering words of comfort. I was very aware of the calming influence she had on everyone, having experienced it myself. An air of serenity just seemed to follow her everywhere. Sure enough, everyone soon seemed far more at ease, drinking or eating, carrying on polite conversation.

Eric had gone over to talk with Pam, and I was just about to head toward Amelia, when I felt a hand lightly gripping mine from behind. I turned around to Sam's piercing gaze, immediately feeling myself flush.

"Sookie..." he said in a low, but rather serious tone. "What was that?"

He was close enough that I caught his familiar scent, woodsy and earthy and entirely masculine. His hand was warm as it continued to clutch mine. I felt like the air temperature had shot up a good ten degrees.

"What was what?" I asked lamely.

I couldn't understand the reaction my body seemed to be having to his touch. Granted, Sam had starred in a few of my best fantasies in the past, but that was long ago. I was in love with a virtual Viking vampire sex god, for heavens' sake. What I shared with Eric was beyond my wildest dreams, and believe me, I've had some doosies. Sam was my boss and my best friend, and I was perfectly content for it to never go further than that. So why in the hell was I suddenly feeling the urge to jump him?

"You know damn well what," he growled. "Are you getting some sick pleasure out of toying with me?"

"Sam Merlotte!" I spat. "How dare you!"

Sam looked ready to lunge right at me when I heard Eric's voice behind me and felt his hands on my shoulders.

"Is there a problem, lover?"

Before I could respond, Sam had already dropped my hand, and was walking off toward the horizon, away from the group. I stared after him, nearly dumbfounded. Eric gently spun me around, that same grin still on his smug face.

"What?!" I huffed up at him.

"I am curious when my lover began making animal mating calls," he said with far too much amusement.

"Eric!"

He pressed my back up against the wall of the building, shielding us from the curious onlookers. "Sookie," he said, a bit more seriously. "That noise you made while hugging the shifter was the equivalent of offering yourself to him. Actually, more like begging. It would be like you going up to Bill and slicing your wrist open right in his face."

Blink blink.

"I cannot say I am terribly pleased about it, but I can tell from your obvious confusion that it was not intentional," he continued.

I just stared up at him. Stunned, shocked, whatever. I'm forgetting what it feels like to be anything else at this point.

"Well, we will add that to the list of things we need to discuss later on," he said in that oh so pragmatic way. "For now, I suggest you keep your distance from the shifter. I need to speak with Rachal, will you be alright on your own for more than five minutes, Dear One?" he smirked.

I glared at him, but didn't fight as he engulfed me in a tight hug, chuckling all the while. I don't think I will ever understand how Eric can be so damned calm about everything all the time. I suppose I should partially be glad for it, since he didn't tear Sam to shreds, but it just irked me to no end that nothing ever seemed to phase him. At least, not for very long.

I kicked at the dirt with my foot for a few minutes after Eric went to find his sister, needing a bit of time to compose myself. If what Eric said was true, I felt awful for it. I knew Sam had a thing for me, he had for a long time, but I would never intentionally play with his heart. He must be furious with me. How do I always manage to get myself into these messes?

Well, regardless of what Eric said, I needed to find Sam. I had to try to explain, somehow, that it wasn't my fault. I couldn't risk losing Sam's friendship and hurting him after all he'd done for me. Aside from Eric, he was probably the most important person in my life. Though not in the way he might want me to, I did love him.

Taking a deep breath to steel my nerves, I headed off in the direction Sam had gone. I'd find him and make this right. Even though it was dark, the emerald glow from the temple was enough to see my way across the endless sand, following Sam's footprints. As I looked back and forth between his tracks and the horizon, I startled for a moment. I'd swear I saw two brighter green glows for a split second. I rubbed my eyes, looking around, the lights having gone. I sighed, too used to the weirdness at this point to give it a second thought, and continued off into the desert.

TBC