It was only an hour or two until dawn when Layla and Alcide pulled up to Fangtasia. Layla took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. Alcide took her hand protectively. This close she could feel Eric's emotions. He was worried, anxious but mostly he was pissed off. They walked inside where Pam met them.

"Layla." she noted with an almost smile. "You look more human."

"Thanks." Layla said with a small smile.

"Wasn't a compliment. Eric's in his office. You know the way." she said, nodding them in the direction. Layla led Alcide back to Eric's office, never letting go of his hand. She didn't bother knocking and fought hard not to gag when she walked in on Eric feeding on some slutty girl whose dress was riding up her thighs as she moaned.

Alcide cleared his throat as Layla averted her eyes. Eric whispered something to the girl who walked out.

"Alcide." Eric said in greeting. "and Layla. What a lovely couple you two make."

"Where was Sookie last seen?" Layla asked bluntly.

"I left her at her house the night we buried Russell." Eric said. "No one has seen her since."

"Not even Bill?" Layla asked.

"No one." Eric repeated. "You smell like you've been recently fucked. I hope my call didn't interrupt anything."

"Hey!" Alcide barked. "Don't talk to her that way."

"So chivalrous, Alcide." Eric replied snidely. "I thought you hated Vampires."

"She's not one of you Fangers." he said staunchly.

"Don't let her fool you. She may not drink blood and she may paint her nails and tan her skin and walk around in the daylight, but she is more like me than she is like you." Eric said.

"I'm nothing like you." Layla said flatly, meeting Eric's eyes. "Nothing."

"Why do you want us here?" Alcide asked.

"To try and find her, obviously." Eric said, still looking at Layla before he could pull his eyes away. "We'll begin at her house."

XXXXXXX

Alcide and Layla had been crashing at Layla's house in Bon Temps. Things had already begun to change in the two weeks they had been there. Tara had apparently moved away. Layla found that out chatting with Lafayette one afternoon at Merlotte's. Bill had become the freaking Vampire King of Louisiana and she had discovered that after they'd traced Sookie's scent to the graveyard and seen the guards outside Bill's house. Layla had been putting up flyers as well as trying to get the word out over the internet, even going to far as to try and circulate Sookie's picture on a national broadcast, but it hadn't worked. She'd been missing for little over a month now.

Alcide was looking at a site for a housing development in Shreveport this afternoon and she missed him. They were basically a couple. He hadn't asked her to go steady or anything, but they were living together and sleeping together and not messing around with other people, so it was a safe assumption. However she would be sleeping alone the next couple of nights because it was Alcide's time of the month and he had decided to just stay in Shreveport.

The sun was far below the horizon as Layla pulled up to her house. She'd woken up at 6 in the morning, armed with flyers, and driven all the way to New Orleans and spent the whole time there plastering Sookie's face to every flat surface she could staple. Though she was not completely at peace with the blonde's actions she certainly didn't wish her any physical harm. A part of her felt guilty, but a larger part told her she wasn't Sookie's end all protector. If two Vampires couldn't even keep an eye on her, what chance did Layla have? She deserved to have a life outside of looking after Sookie Stackhouse.

She felt him before she heard him. Smug energy slamming into her back. Layla turned and twisted her arms across her chest. Her hair was thrown up into a messy knot that she'd done while driving just to keep cool. Her ever present combat boots were paired with a dark blue sundress that had a design of flowers and vines all over it.

"I haven't found her, Eric." she said boredly. Eric stood with his hair slicked back and his leather jacket on over top of a black t-shirt and jeans.

"Full moon tonight. I assume your lover has found alternative lodging." he said without looking at her.

"Is there something you want? I mean, besides Sookie back."Layla said sarcastically.

"Let's go inside and talk." Eric said, taking a step towards her. Layla laughed meanly.

"No chance. I rescinded your invitation a while ago, Northman. I'm not about to let you back in." Layla said. Eric was standing in front of her in an instant. He dipped so his forehead was almost pressed to hers, staring deeply into her eyes. Layla stood frozen.

"You left." he said. Layla frowned.

"I went to New Orleans to hang flyers. Not that I think they'll do much good. Honestly if Sookie had any brains at all she would have run away, changed her name and disappeared." Layla told him. Eric grimaced in displeasure.

"I wasn't talking about today." he growled. Layla looked beyond the swagger and armor and saw what he was really talking about. She has disappeared without saying goodbye.

"I didn't see any search parties out looking for me." she said snidely. If Eric had been concerned when she had left for Jackson he certainly hadn't done anything about it.

"I assumed you had more brains than to start sleeping with a wolf." he said evenly. Layla looked surprised for a moment because she heard what he was really saying. He thought she had run away like Layla hoped Sookie had done. Run away and gone off the grid, giving herself a chance at a normal life.

"Well, I fell in love with a soulless monster who is obsessed with another woman. How smart can I be?" Layla said as Eric leaned back, stung by her words even though he didn't show it.

"You're never going to escape who you are, Miss Dahlin. You belong in the darkness." Eric told her. Layla steeled her spine and took a step towards him.

"I belong wherever I choose to be. If I want sunlight and babies and man who will be faithful to me, then no one is going to take that from me. If tomorrow I wake up and I want darkness and pain and love then I'll have it. I decide what I am, Eric. Not you or Godric or Alcide or anyone else. The sooner you get that the better."

Layla didn't want to hear his response and instead turned on her heel and went inside.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

A few days later the sun was beginning to filter through the curtains of Layla's bedroom when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She inhaled the scent of the woods, smoke and sweat and smile.

"Hey you." she said sleepily.

"Hey beautiful." Alcide said, kissing the nape of her neck. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." Layla said, settling in his embrace.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" he asked.

Layla paused before answering.

"Nope. Not a thing."