Hello my beautifuls! Almost 100 reviews! I seriously can't believe it! I mean I've read many many fics which received great review because they were simply amazing, but I did not think for a second that I'd get any of that attention! I'm all smiles :) I thank you so much for review that much! I do my best to update as fast as I can so that I don't leave you guys with huge cliffies :P I do love a good cliffie though muhahaha (evil me:P)

Hope you enjoy this! Here are a few more songs to listen to whilst reading this chapter (it is a bit slower than the other ones and I want you guys to see it as the introduction of Season 4, basically a transition between the Season 3 events and what I believe the 4th season should give us :)!) Review, review, review! You guys are the best :)!

You're Gonna Miss Me - 13th Floor Elevators

Juicy - Emily Wells (Notorious B.I.G. Cover)

Take a Bow - Muse

We Share Our Mother's Health - The Knife (the Ratatat Remix is great)

Paradise Circus - Massive Attack

Is Anybody Home? - Our Lady Peace

Love Me Or Leave Me - Nina Simone

(Yeah I know, wicked choices, bizarre beats! But heck, I like all of these songs :) Hope you enjoy them! If you have suggestions give them to me, I love discovering new music :))!

Two weeks had passed since I had returned home and not much had happened. Jason was very secretive about something I did not know about, going out at night and coming back at the wee hours of morning. For all I knew, he was probably dating a vampire. I was in a sort of trance, going through my everyday routine with a boredom I hadn't felt for years. I'd wake up, eat breakfast, relax with a book in the sun, go to work, come back from work, sleep, and the next morning it all started all over again. The repairs at my house were now completed and I had moved back in the day before. The house looked stunning and I was amazed at many little details Eric had put into making my house a comfortable place to live. He had even ordered me a shelf full of books, all different kinds, all very interesting. I was touched more than I would admit myself at his attentions. I hadn't seen him since the Fangtasia events, only spoken to him on the phone.

I was making coffee when Tara arrived in her car, a deep frown on her face.

'Sookie.' She called once she was on my porch. I gestured for her to come in through the screen door. She plumped down in a seat across from my usual one.

'Hey Tara, how you doing?' I asked her, pleased to see her. I had been afraid she'd do something stupid once she discovered that Jason had been the one with the gun and not Andy when Eggs had been shot down, but, based on the fact my brother was still out of jail, I guessed she must have decided otherwise.

'I don't know, Sook. I keep on thinking the pain is gonna lessen but it just won't. I miss Eggs so much.' She said, her eyes filling with tears. 'Holly's therapy group is kind of helping about...' she said, not finishing her sentence. I was so overwhelmed with the recent events taking place at Fangtasia that I had hardly given a thought about how my best friend was doing or feeling. I felt dreadful at the moment because I was in no position to help her with her heartache, suffering one of my own with Bill gone. I hadn't told the people of Bon Temps that we had broken up and they all simply assumed he was just off doing some vampire business. They were right in a way. I knew that his punishment must have been over with by now since McAlister the Magister (rhyming me!) so desperately wanted him to finish his database, and I couldn't help but wish, every time the phone rang at night (which was not that often, I can tell you that), it would be Bill, inviting me over to his place for cuddles as if nothing had happened.

Jessica had taken his departure quite sourly. She missed Bill's guidance a lot and the grand house on the other side of the cemetery felt very empty without his presence. I had been over there to bring her some True Blood a couple of times and to explain to her our current situation. We got along pretty well and she strangely was very mad at Bill for hurting me. She was helping a lot at Merlotte's, taking four or five night shifts per week. She was doing a great job and it seemed to me that she and Hoyt were back together. It didn't seem to please Tommy at all. He had a very bizarre crush on Jessica and felt very possessive of her. It had taken lots of self control on Sam's part not to fire him the night he had punched a client in the face for grabbing Jessica's behind. She could fend for herself, no doubt about that. She surely did not need little Tommy to punch some noses. The boy had issues with his violent temper and I didn't really appreciate working the same shifts as him. Luckily for me, since his unpleasant surge of violence, Sam had taken to making him work only day shifts where there wasn't much trouble to be caused. He barely saw Jessica anymore and that seemed to relax her a lot.

Tara's sobs brought me back to reality and I patted her back gently. I was worried about her befriending Holly Clearly. For some reason, the woman made me nervous. She had told pretty much everyone working at the bar that she was a Wiccan, some sort of witch of the forests. I was a bit sceptic at first, but then again if there were such things as fairies, werewolves, were-whatevers, shifters and vampires, why not Wiccans? Or Big Foot? Or Santa Clause? For all I knew, Eric was friends with the Loch Ness Monster! Thinking about Eric made my stomach flutter with butterflies. I missed the big Viking. A call from Pam yesterday had informed me that he was doing great, healing a lot faster than expected.

'Tara' I said, 'Will you ever forgive Jason?' I whispered, still patting her back. Her temper flared dramatically and I couldn't help but step back.

'He murdered my boyfriend! And cowered behind Andy!' She snapped, tears still flowing from her eyes.

'But he told you. Eggs was coming at Andy with a knife. Jason saved Andy's life, Tara...' I continued, my voice quivering. 'He's my brother, he's all I've got left.' I pleaded.

'He took from me the only person I had left!' Tara countered.

'You still have Lafayette' I whispered, hugging her tightly.

'I don't know what to do, Sook. I don't want Jason in jail or anything' At her words, the lump in my throat subsided. 'But I don't know if I can ever forgive him' she continued. I let her go and grabbed a cup of coffee for her, handing her the sugar. She drank the cup slowly, taking in my relaxed face.

'You're looking better Sookie.' She said. She was the only one who had guessed Bill was gone. She needed not be a telepath to know that I had gone through hard times whilst at Fangtasia.

'I guess I am feeling a tad bit better. It's just hard with all those things in my life reminding me of him.' I replied, staring at my fuming coffee.

'He was no good to you. He never was.' Tara replied, gloomily. I wanted to tell her that she didn't know anything at all about my relationship with Bill but it suddenly dawned on me. In a way, she was right. My life had become a mess since that dreadful night Bill had waltzed into Merlotte's. In a way, he had helped me a lot with the telepathy, helping me build up my shields to protect myself from other people's thoughts, but I had almost died a good dozen times since meeting him and my life had been anything but simple. And the fact that all the good times we had had were based on a bunch of lies did not help me find anything good about our relationship. Except maybe my meeting Eric and Pam. I missed them, a lot more than I would have thought possible. They were relaxing with their quiet brains. In fact, I missed anything that had to do with vampires, except the bloody politics. Once in a while, I'd get a surge of emotions at night that I could tell weren't mine. Eric's blood still flowed in my veins and mine in his, I realized. The dreams had subsided and I couldn't say I wasn't happy about that. It was quite straining to lust over a man whom I'd never have a real relationship with. I decided I would go to Fangtasia that night after work to see them. It was almost time for me to go to work a double shift so I thanked Tara for her visit and told her to call me whenever she felt like it.

Sam was quite happy to see me in Merlotte that day. Holly had called in sick and I was gonna be alone with Arlene for the lunch shift. At 7pm, Jessica would join and help with Tara who only did the bartending.

Arlene and Terry were having a hard time these days. I didn't know why and seriously did not have the energy to ask, but I could feel that Arlene was tensed and she sometimes looked at me in a way that made me break a cold sweat. We had been good friends at a time, but ever since I'd returned from Fangtasia, she had acted towards with some sort of fear she did not wish to explain. I once or twice got a glimpse of her, muttering things behind my back. I couldn't care less about her being moody, with her pregnancy and all, but it made the ambiance at work quite tensed when she would raise a temper at Jessica for absolutely no reason at all except that she was a vampire and effectively doing her job.

The day stretched on and Tommy left at the time Jessica came in. Jessica looked nervous tonight and she was rosier than I had seen her in a long, long time. Human blood I thought. Hoyt's without doubt. Ah well, I wasn't going to judge. I gave her a helpful smile when Arlene nudged her voluntarily. Jessica was incredibly patient with Arlene and I think I was more angered than her by Arlene's demeanour. Jessica smiled back and shrugged her shoulders, as if saying What can I do? I took it on me to talk to Arlene. Whilst she was heading for Sam's office to get her purse and leave, I cornered her and gave her my Crazy Sookie smile.

'Arlene, honey, can I talk to you a minute?' I said, my voice dripping with sweetness I didn't really have towards her anymore. I would have been a terrible poker player I realised when she frowned at me.

'What d'you want?' She snapped, a bit scared of me, something I did not understand very well. I had never done anything to make her fear me.

'Why are you so intolerant towards Jessica? She works hard and does her job well as any of us.' I said, smoothly. Arlene took a step back and smiled cynically.

'She's not like any of us, Sookie. Nor are you, as a matter of fact. She's pure evil. And she shouldn't be.' She hissed before turning her back on me and slipping into Sam's office.

'What in heaven's sake do you mean by that Arlene?' I snapped, my brow furrowed in anger at the meaning of her words.

'I mean what I mean. God hates fangs.' She simply replied, and she headed down the hall. She turned back before entering the bar and hissed at me 'He hates freaks of nature too.'

I felt a lump form in my throat. What had I ever done to her to deserve those harsh words? I swallowed hard as tears silently rolled down my cheeks and went to the bathroom to put cool water on my face. Jessica came in at that moment and smiled shyly at me for walking in on me.

'Are you okay?' she asked, genuinely worried when she noticed my eyes were puffy from crying.

'Yeah, I'll be alright. You shouldn't let Arlene treat you that way, Jessica.' I said, softly, drying my hands before I walked back in the bar for my second shift of the day. The night was quite busy and I didn't have much time to think about anything at all. When I finally got out at midnight, I hurried back home to shower and change for my visit at Fangtasia.

I pondered for a while what I should wear to the vampire bar. I opted for a cute new dress I had bought a few days ago. It was white and strapless. It flared at the hips down to my knees and I wore my strappy sandals with it. I let my hair down and put on loads of mascara and a touch of blush. I grabbed a warm navy wool vest to keep me warm in the cool November air.

My drive to Shreveport was a quiet one, even though I kept on drumming my fingers nervously on the wheel. What would I say to Eric? Would he even be there? Would he be happy to see me? When I drove in to the parking lot, I noticed the bar must have been very crowded for the parking lot was full and the line of impatient fangbangers snaked almost to the corner of the building. At the door was Pam, dressed in pink latex, her blue eyes heavily made up with a smoky eye shadow. She smirked when she saw me approach and gestured for me to skip the line. A few fangbangers complained and whined and she shot them the deadliest look which shut them up quite efficiently.

'Well, well, what a sight.' Pam said, a hint of a smirk on her lips, taking the sight of me in.

'Hey Pam' I said, smiling genuinely.

'He's on his throne tonight' she said, irony in her voice.

'Bad night for me to see him?' I asked, cocking my head to the side, questioningly.

'You'll understand when you see him...' she said, mysteriously. As I entered the bar, some sexy beat hit me, almost drowning out the thoughts of the annoying tourists who hung out at the bar. It was one of those kinky nights at Fangtasia and Yvetta and a new dancer were swaying gracefully and sinfully around their poles. My arrival got quite a reaction out of most of the men of the bar, vampires and humans alike. Maybe I had gone over the top with that cleavage exposure. Silly little dress of mine, I giggled silently. I looked over at Eric's throne and found him already looking my way, his gaze taking in the whole of me. I felt a strong surge of his emotions: smugness, lust, pleasure, lust, lust, lust. Jesus. The man was naughty. He looked completely healed and was wearing a dark tank top and leather pants. As bored as he might have looked when I entered the place, he now was anything but bored. He looked gorgeous as usual and he was currently mindlessly shoving away with his foot a couple of fangbangers who were getting too close for his comfort. He crooked his finger at me for me to join him. Instead, I sat at the bar, throwing him a smile over my shoulder. I ordered a drink Gin-and-tonic from the barman and sipped it quietly, taking in the vibe of the bar. Eric was still looking my way, his brow furrowed. He was annoyed. Ah, well, I was very thirsty. A man nudged me and tried to grab my butt. I slipped away from his hold and glared at him.

'Do not touch me, you disgusting smug a-hole!' I yapped at him. He smelt of alcohol and his thoughts revolved around the things he wished he could do to me if I'd only follow him back to his car. I almost gagged. The man was gross and I caught of whiff of sour sweat. He had bad hair and teeth and he was obviously out of it.

'Ohhh, the pretty lady!' he whispered, his mouth almost on my neck.

'Get off!' I snarled, punching his ribs as hard as I could.

His hold on me was strong and I shuddered in disgust, trying to shove him away. He was about to pinch my breast when, suddenly, he wasn't holding me anymore. He wasn't even next to me at all. He was hovering a foot above the ground. Eric didn't look pleased at all.

'I believe the lady said no!' Eric growled, not ready yet to release the man from his grip.

'Let me go!' The drunk responded, his eyes wide in fear. I could understand that, after all, he was hanging from the hand of a 6'4'' Viking thousand years old angry Vampire. There was cause for fear. I replaced my dress which had been disrupted by the man's ministrations and gave Eric a thankful smile. He was still holding on to the man's neck.

'Get out of here and don't come back!' Eric snarled, dropping the man from all his height on a table top, causing the man to yelp in pain. Eric than grabbed my hand and forcefully dragged me to his throne. He plumped himself into it and gestured for me to sit next to him. I realised just then that everyone in the bar had watched the encounter with great interest, many women and men swearing at me for capturing the beautiful Sheriff's attention.

'You're looking quite mouth-watering, tonight, Sookie. This new dress looks good on you.' Eric said, his voice low, grabbing my left hand and tracing patterns on the back side of it. I almost giggled at his choice of words. He was the best at making women feel special, always noticing a little something new.

'Thank you.' I muttered, looking at my ring. I still hadn't been able to take it on me to remove the diamond Bill had given me. Eric noticed and it seemed to annoy him. I spun the ring around swiftly for the diamond to rest in my palm.

'What owes me the pleasure of your company tonight?' He replied, his eyes never leaving my throat. I could sense his arousal through our bond and my heartbeat raced. I couldn't understand why the hell the man made my stomach flutter like it did, especially since most of the time, he tried to manipulate me into doing things I did not wish to be doing.

'I felt like going out, I guess.' I replied, gazing at our joined hands. 'And I missed you and Pam.' I added, truthfully. A grin spread on his lips at my words and he swiftly brought his lips down on my palm to kiss it.

'You should miss us more often.' He whispered. I shuddered all over at his words, feeling heat spread through my limbs. My face must have flushed over because Eric's chest rumbled with a hungry growl and his fangs popped out. I turned my head to look at Pam who was now standing inside, looking rather nervous.

Eric saw her immediately and silently ordered her over.

'What is it, Pam?' He muttered, annoyed at her disturbance.

'The witches. They're here.' Pam simply said, her face impassive.