Layla tossed and turned for a few hours in her borrowed bed before giving up. It was three in the afternoon on Halloween, what had used to be one of her very favorite holidays. No reason it couldn't still be one.
She pulled on a tight black mini-dress. Might as well wear it while she could. Paired it with some fishnets and thigh high leather boots, capped with her leather jacket. In the very bottom of her suitcase were a pair of cat ears she had bought ages ago and kept for halloween emergencies. They had come in use when she had been without an outfit many times before. She took her time applying her make-up, giving herself a more feline appearance.
Stomach growling she went out to her car and drove to Merlotte's. She felt like with all the witchy-business that had been happening, and the Russell crap before that, she hadn't seen anyone in ages. As she drove she dug in her purse for her phone and dialed Alcide.
"Hey stranger. Meet me for a drink?" she asked.
Layla smiled when she saw Alcide walk into the little bar. He was one of the few people who hadn't dressed up. When he saw her, he shook is head and laughed.
"You just refuse to let anyone rain on your parade, don't you?" he asked, taking a seat next to her. Layla took off her ears and shook out her curls. She already had a coke with lime sitting in front of her, that way she wouldn't have to explain that there was no liquor in it. Alcide could just assume she was drinking as usual. He ordered a beer for himself.
"How are you?" she asked. Alcide sighed and took a long sip of his beer. Layla frowned. "Is it really that bad?"
"I caught Debbie cheating on me." he said flatly. Layla sighed and rubbed his shoulder.
"She's a fool, Alcide. That's something she has to fix her damn self. No matter how much love her, it's not going to make her see what she does to you is wrong." Layla said.
"I don't know if I should even take advice from you. Isn't it kind of like the blind leading the blind?" he asked with a rueful smile. Layla raised and dropped a shoulder silently.
"Well, I haven't gone running back to him yet. I've barely spoken to him. I think I made the right decision in letting Sookie have him." Layla said. "I mean, I think it's how it was with you and I, sort of. I loved you, and you loved me, and we could have made it work if we wanted to, but at the first real test, I went running right back to Eric and you to Debbie. We had unfinished business with them, and it didn't matter that there was someone better for us, we went with the wrong people. I think because we had to know. We couldn't live with ourselves if we didn't at least try. Maybe, that's how it is for Eric and Sookie. They know it will never truly work, they know there are better people for them, but they're going to try anyway because some part of their heart is telling them that they have to."
Alcide nodded and Layla took a deep breath.
"I still hope they both rot in hell." she added with a smile. Alcide snorted and wrapped an arm around her shoulder before planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Do you think you and I could ever try again?" he asked. Layla licked her lips.
"I think I'd like to, but not the way we were. If we ever got back together, I would want to make sure nothing would break us apart again. I would want to make sure all traces of Debbie and Eric were wiped from our hearts so you and I could start fresh. I don't think either of us deserve to play second fiddle to anybody, and I wouldn't want to do that to you. I know I couldn't take it again." Layla told him honestly.
"Yeah, well, I'm done listening to my heart. Leads me into shit every time." Alcide said. Layla raised her glass.
"Cheers." she said with a smile. As she was taking a sip of her soda, Layla caught a flash of blonde from the corner of her eye. "Christ, do I never get a fucking break from that girl?" she muttered, rummaging in her purse and throwing a few dollars on the counter to cover her tab. "I'm sorry, Alcide. I can't handle her right now."
"No, I get it. Don't be a stranger, kitty cat." he said, with a weak smile. Layla kissed his cheek and then was out the door just as Sookie was walking into the back.
Layla had been back at Bill's pulling on comfier clothes when she caught a glance of herself in the mirror.
"Fucking ears!" she hissed, jumping into her car and heading back to Merlotte's. The sun was going down quick, and after all the shit that gone down recently, Layla wasn't feeling too comfortable. In fact, she felt downright jumpy. She pulled into the parking lot and ran inside. They had her ears behind the bar. She grabbed them and as she was rushing back to her car nearly walked smack into Sookie, who was standing with Holly.
"Fuck! Are you everywhere?!" Layla snapped, shoving the ears back onto her purse.
"Well, excuse me. I do work here." Sookie replied. Holly held out a joint.
"Sweetie, you look a bit stressed do you want some?" she asked. It was definitely a new take on Southern Hospitality. Layla would have loved some but she felt back subjecting a fetus to the effects of THC.
"No, thanks. I'm just a bit wound up." she said, fiddling with the strap of her tank top. She was also in her cargo pants and black boots. It was the exact outfit she had worn when she had moved here, close to two years ago.
"That's so weird, so are we." Sookie said.
"Not everything is a fucking sign, Sookie." Layla said caustically, as a car pulled up to them. Tara jumped out.
"Tara? What is it? What happened?" Sookie asked.
"She's back." Tara said breathlessly.
"Who's back, honey?" Holly asked.
"Marnie."
"How's that possible? She died right in front of us." Holly said.
"Why do you think she's back?" Layla asked, frowning.
"She killed Jesus." Tara said. Layla felt the wind got knocked out of her. "I think she's inside Lafayette." Tara continued.
They all immediately climbed into Sookie's little yellow car. If Marnie was back there were two people she was going after first.
"Sookie you call Eric. I'll try Bill." Layla told her while beside her, Holly rummaged through her purse.
"Okay, thanks Ginger." Sookie said after a moment. "Ginger said Eric's been missing since nightfall."
"I can't get a hold of Bill either. He's not answering his phone." Layla told her. Holly sighed in relief.
"Oh found it." she said, pulling out a big thing of salt.
"You carry salt in your purse?" Sookie asked.
"Yeah, and sage and a lock of my Aunt Josie's hair. It's like a Wiccan first aid kid." Holly explained.
"I should get myself one." Layla said.
"Any of you three got a mirror?" she asked. Sookie handed her one.
"You ever done anything like this before?" she asked after she passed back compact.
"Goddess, no. Usually I just light a candle and ask the spirits to make sure my boys don't wind up in jail or knock somebody up. But so far that's worked out okay." she added with a forced smile.
"Oh, good." Layla said.
"You can't let them hurt him. If Bill and Eric find out Marnie's inside Lafayette-" Tara said, staring out at the road.
"Yeah, I have a feeling they already know." Sookie said, glancing back at Layla. Layla was not in the mood to go saving Bill and Eric's asses again, but if there was one person she had to team up with to do it, it was Sookie. She may be a skank with a stupid fairy vagina, but at least she would do everything she could to keep them alive.
Pulling up to the estate, Layla realized she must have just missed to carnage. There were dead security guards littered across the lawn. Bill and Eric were tied with silver to a giant pyre. As the four women ran up, Lafayette came out in a long blue robe.
"As you friend, Lafayette would say, 'What goes around, comes around, bitches.'." Lafayette said, though it was really Marnie doing the talking.
"Lafayette!" Tara called, but then corrected herself. "Marnie, please don't do this."
"After all they've done to you, you protect them." Marnie said.
"Killing Bill and Eric isn't gonna make any of that go away." Tara told her.
"You need to forgive, Marnie." Layla told her, using some of Godric's wisdom.
"Revenge will never bring you peace." Eric added.
"There cannot be peace, until there is justice!" Lafayette/Marnie said. Holly took the distraction to begin making a circle with the salt, as the possessed Lafayette went on a little tirade.
"Marnie, what will this serve?" Bill asked, buying Holly more time. "There are millions of us. More being made every night. You cannot win."
"I'm already dead, Vampire. Thanks to you, I have nothing left to lose." Marnie said, and then she ignited the pyre.
Layla and Sookie rushed the pyre, but the flames flared and they were driven back. Layla was trying to figure out if she could jump onto the pole and try to break the chains, or maybe just knock the pole over and keep Eric and Bill away from the fire when she heard Tara yelling at Sookie who aimed a ball of light at Lafayette and sent him flying outside the circle. Suddenly it wasn't Lafayette anymore, but the face of what looked like a demon.
"Gimme your hands." Holly said. "NOW!"
The four women linked hands and followed Holly's chant.
"Spirits who watch over us, friends, family, guardians of the gate. With this right we invoke thee. Through the veil of Samhain we call thee forth. Spirits who watch over us, friends, family, ancestors, guardians of the gate. Protect us. Help us. Blessed be."
Layla had her eyes squeezed shut tight, focusing everything she had on the chant, praying with every bit of love and strength and fight she had left in her. It was until she felt a rush of wind and Lafayette/Marnie yell that she looked and saw that the flames were out. More astounding, she saw Antonia, and an army of ghosts around them.
Layla watched in silence as Sookie's Gran pulled Marnie out of Lafayette's body. Marnie left with Antonia and after a moment of talking with a sobbing Sookie, Adele Stackhouse left too. Tara was trying to get Lafayette to wake up when Eric looked down at Layla.
"Excuse me." he called out rudely. She tossed her hair and looked up at him with a raised brow.
"What?" she asked.
"We're feeling a bit crispy up here." he told her.
Layla stayed just long enough to get Bill and Eric off of the pyre and inside Bill's house. Sookie, of course, helped. Layla ran upstairs and then returned, tossing matching robes at the men to change into before turning to go upstairs again.
"Layla." Sookie called. Layla turned and stared at her.
"What?" she asked boredly.
"They nearly died. They need to feed." Sookie said, like it was obvious. Layla shrugged.
"So handle them both. You're good at that." Layla said, before going back to her room.
Layla was sitting on her bed reading, well pretending to read. She was really listening to the voices downstairs. Sookie had left a while ago, but Layla had been showering while she had still been in the house. She didn't want to hear ANYTHING about the little menage et trois going on downstairs. Eric was still hear, and she had heard the shower run two separate times. Eric had showered here? Had their little three-way orgy been that messy? Curiosity got the better of her and she went downstairs, wearing on the the nightgowns Eric had gotten her. It was expensive, long silk that swept down to her toes and collected just under her breasts. Her toenails were painted a dark purple and poked out from beneath the fabric as she crept downstairs. Eric was in the parlor, and so was Bill. Both were back to looking beautiful and impeccably dressed. Bill in a suit. Eric in all black and a leather jacket.
"What's going on?" Layla asked, crossing her arms.
"Nice outfit." Eric said dryly.
"There's nothing going on. You can go back to bed." Bill said with a smile Layla narrowed her eyes.
"Don't lie to me, Bill Compton. You never smile when Eric's around. And if there's nothing going on, why is he still around? Or have you two just decided to skip Sookie and start dating each other now?" Layla asked. Eric smirked, admiring her tenacity but Bill frowned.
"Nothing you need concern yourself with, you can go back to bed." he said more firmly. Layla didn't move.
"Layla, go upstairs." Eric said softly.
"Fuck off, Northman. You're not the boss of me." Layla said quietly. Eric stood up.
"I will throw you over my shoulder if I have to."
Layla didn't feel like screaming, so she turned on her heel and went back to her room. As she paced the floor she heard the front door open. Peeking down the hallways she saw Nan and her bodyguards follow Bill and Eric into his office. Layla crept quietly down the stairs, but the bodyguards closed the doors. That didn't seem like a good sign. Layla sat down on the steps, listening to them yell. Sounded like the Authority had fired Nan, and she wanted Bill and Eric on her side for some reason. Well, that just seemed dumb.
When the yelling suddenly stopped Layla stood up, nervous, and headed towards the doors. When she opened them she saw Bill, drenched in blood holding a stake, and Eric also covered with blood. They were the only two left standing in a room pull of vampire puddles.
Blood seeped out into the hall and under her bare feet as she stared at the two of them.
"What the fuck have you done?" she asked, horrified.