A/N: Hello Readers! Hopefully you are still reading. I apologize for my long hiatus and I am not even going to bore you with excuses! Here is another chapter (It's kind of filler, but an update none the less). More will follow- I promise. R&R.

Jackson

My alarm went off the next morning, waking me at 9:00. I rolled over groggily, slamming my hand down on top of the clock to make the horrific noises it was making cease. I considered staying in bed and hiding from the world. It seemed my bed was the only place that I had silence, peace, and it had been vampire free for a long time. I could stay in my bed and just lay there until the whole mess was over and everyone was convinced I didn't exist anymore.

But I knew I couldn't do that. I had a lot to do. I still needed to let Sam know that I was going to Jackson with Sookie and he would be short not just one, but two waitresses. I hoped that I would still have my job when I got back, but with over nineteen thousand dollars sitting in my new checking account I could stand to miss some work. I sat up slowly, pushing my crazed bed hair out of my face and sighing heavily as my eyes fell on the packed duffel bag sitting at the foot of my bed.

We didn't plan to leave for Jackson until afternoon, but I had used packing as an excuse to get away from Alcide last night after Eric's stupid stunts. I could still feel the tension in the room long after the vampire left. When I had called Sookie last night to let her know that Alcide was accompanying us to Jackson and giving us a place to stay she had mentioned that Eggs' funeral was this morning and she not only was paying, but that of course she planned to go. It gave me plenty of time to get what I needed to do, done and absorb the fact that I was leaving Bon Temps again. The last time I had left Bon Temps it had not gone so well and I only hoped that this trip would go a lot better.

I regretfully rolled out of my bed and felt my stomach growl in response. Breakfast sounded like a really good idea. I moved to make my way to the kitchen, but stopped when I remembered that I was not alone in my house. I looked down at my night shirt and touched my crazy hair before making a beeline straight for the bathroom connected to my bedroom. I combed my hair and brushed my teeth quickly before changing into a tank top and my sweats. After making sure that I looked presentable and didn't have horrible morning breath I exited my bedroom, blinking in surprise when the smell of bacon assaulted my senses in the hallway. I heard sounds in the kitchen and padded down the hallway slowly, pausing in the doorway of my kitchen.

Alcide stood at the stove, scrambling eggs in a pan, his hair slightly tussled from sleep, clad in jeans and a dark long sleeved shirt. He looked over his shoulder at me once he felt my presence offering a weak smile. The tension was back in the air again suddenly and I felt uneasy. I smiled in return, trying to force the weird feeling away.

"Good morning," I said leaning against the door jamb.

"Morning," he replied turning back to his eggs. "I hope you don't mind I made coffee and something to eat."

I shook my head, waving his statement away. "No, not at all. I told you to make yourself at home."

"I made some for you too," he continued. "The eggs are almost done. I hope you like em' scrambled."

"I love them scrambled," I replied moving into the kitchen.

I slipped past him opening the cabinet to retrieve a coffee cup. I poured myself a cup and added creamer before leaning against the counter and taking in the sight of Alcide's large and muscular shoulders hiding behind the dark material. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know if I should apologize for Eric's antics or not, did he really care? We really didn't know each other that well so wouldn't it make me a fool to think that he liked me and was jealous of the kiss? He was a nice guy, so I could be mistaking his kindness for attraction to me.

"Look about last night," I start already kicking myself because I knew it would end up awkward. Alcide paused in his egg scrambling and looked over his shoulder at me, one eyebrow slightly arched. "The whole thing with Eric…the kiss thing-."

"Don't worry about it, Chase, it's none of my business," he cut me off quickly, turning back to his eggs.

I felt a pang in my heart and my face fell. "Well I feel like I should apologi-."

"Don't," he said turning off the stove and moving the frying pan to a different burner. He avoided eye contact with me as he began opening cabinets probably in search of plates. "Like I said it's none of my business."

I deflated, feeling silly, and wishing that I had ignored it. "Okay."

I retreated from the kitchen with my head down and my cheeks flaming. I ended up at my coffee table, holding my warm mug. I felt silly for assuming that he would even care about the kiss and for bringing it up. When he came out of the kitchen carrying two hot plates of food I forced a smile onto my face and tried shake the feeling of tension in the air. Alcide set the steaming plate in front of me along with a fork. I looked down to find that he had not only made eggs, but bacon and toast as well. My stomach growled in response. I hadn't had a home cooked meal in god knows how long.

"Thank you Alcide," I said as I grabbed my fork ready to dig in.

"No problem," he replied coolly, sitting opposite me.

We took our first bites in silence. It wasn't until I was nearly done with my food that Alcide, finished with his food, cleared his throat and spoke. "So what's the deal with this Sookie chick anyway?"

I looked up at him, dropping my fork, unable to help but think: I would like to know the same thing. "Her boyfriend, Bill, was kidnapped. I guess she was attacked by a werewolf and when she read his mind-."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, read his mind?" Alcide cut in raising a hand. "What do you mean?"

I blinked. "Sookie's a telepath. She can read people's minds."

Alcide looked completely surprised and disbelieving for a moment before he shook his head and crossed his arms. "Well if you can do…whatever it is that you do then I shouldn't be that surprised," he said incredulously. "Go on."

"Well from reading the werewolf's mind she thinks that he is in Jackson somewhere," I continued with a sigh. "So she wants to go down there and look for more werewolves to read their minds and find Bill I'm guessing. But…Sookie is a magnet for trouble…and she is also my only friend which is why I can't let her go alone…not to mention it might do me some good to get out of Bon Temps."

Alcide nodded as he soaked in all the information. "How does she know Eric?" he questioned further.

I took a deep breath. "She knows Eric through Bill… I think."

"Bill and Eric close? Is that why he is willing to pay me to protect her too? I mean wasn't he with her last night while you were being attacked?"

There was a nasty pang in my heart as he asked. I wished that was just the reason. "Yes he was and….Eric and Bill can't stand each other honestly…I think the reason that he is willing to pay you and the reason that he was with her is because…" I swallowed the hard lump that formed in my throat and paused. I hadn't said these words aloud. They had only been in my thoughts. Alcide leaned forward intrigued, one eyebrow going up in anticipation. "I think it's because he's in love with her."

Alcide looked genuinely surprised, then confused. He shifted in his seat and placed his elbows on the table. "But…the way he kissed you last night-."

"Eric likes things that are valuable," I cut in shaking my head. "He's also possessive. I'm not foolish to think that just because he hires people to protect me or that he and I had a thing, that he's in love with me. I really think that the only reason he went after me was because of my talents…and that the only reason he doesn't have Sookie is because she was already claimed by Bill."

Alcide blinked, still looking confused and surprised. "So you guys got some kind of love triangle thing going on with Northman?" he questioned.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair. "I don't know how Sookie feels toward Eric. I just know how I think that Eric feels."

"How can you still be friends with her if you think that the guy you have a thing for is in love with her?" Alcide probed.

I shook my head and frowned. "Eric and I don't have a thing anymore….And Sookie has never done anything, but been there for me. She can't help how Eric feels about her. She is the only friend that I have since Cassandra died…. and I am not going to let Eric take everything from me."

Alcide nodded in understand, pausing for a long moment. "That Eric Northman is a real prick," he said staring off in thought.

I huffed. "Tell me about it."

"You deserve better, Chase," he said surprising me as he looked at me seriously. "You shouldn't let him toy with you."

"Trust me I know Alcide," I said with a heavy sigh dropping my fork.

We finished our breakfast in near silence. Once I had switched the subject, Alcide seemed to catch on and we suddenly were talking about horror movies again. The more we talked the tension in the air seemed to lift and things felt friendly between us again. He entertained me with some stories and I listened, but in the back of my mind I couldn't stop thinking about Eric. Alcide was right, I did deserve better and I shouldn't allow him to toy around with me. I wanted to move on for real this time. I didn't want to wait in Sookie's shadow or be placed on the back burner for her anymore. I needed to cut all ties with Eric off. I needed to finally be rid of him so I could get back to some sort of normalcy and start relationships with other men that would actually treat me with the respect that I deserved and who would actually return the love that I had for him. Someone that I could live in the light with and not just the dark. Once I helped Sookie out of her mess and returned to Jackson I was going to change things. I was going to get my life back.

An hour passed of Alcide and I talking before I finally left the table to get ready. Once in my room I hesitantly phoned Sam and got no answer. I didn't like leaving town without actually speaking to him, but I left him a detailed message apologizing for not being able to come to work and also not being able to let him know when I would return. I hoped that he would understand.

I went to shower and get dressed for the trip. I was a little nervous, but also excited to get away. By the time I had made it out of the shower, dressed in a black t-shirt and shorts, and double checked that everything was packed Alcide was sitting on the couch with his own duffel waiting for me. I locked all the doors and made sure the house was secure before climbing into Alcide's work truck with him, giving him directions to Sookie's house. She was sitting on her porch waiting for us when Alcide pulled up. She smiled widely at me and jumped to her feet grabbing her bag as I climbed out to greet her.

"Hey Sookie," I waved as she came down the steps.

"Hey Chase," she replied. "Hello Alcide. Thank you for coming with us to Jackson. I really appreciate it."

Alcide waved her statement away. "No problem. If we want to reach Jackson by nightfall, we better hurry."

Sookie nodded, handing Alcide her duffel bag which he put in the back of the truck. We climbed into the car, with me taking the middle spot for an opportunity to be closer to Alcide, and also keep Sookie from him. Alcide turned the truck around and headed for Jackson. My stomach felt slightly uneasy as I saw the "Leaving Bon Temps, Thanks for stopping by!" sign, but I took a deep breath and forced it down.

Sookie turned towards Alcide leaning forward slightly to see his face. "Alcide, are the werewolves in Jackson friends of yours? Do you know where to find them?"

Alcide huffed, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "The wolves you are referring too? No. I know of them cause…" he took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. "My ex is banging their leader."

I swallowed hard looking at Alcide in surprise. His jaw had tightened and I could see clearly it was a touchy subject for him. I was also surprised that he hadn't mentioned this earlier.

"Oh…" was all Sookie could manage to say.

"Besides, you guys aren't getting anywhere without an in. The pack is sniffing around and without me around you guys would…" he shook his head as he broke off. "Well nothing good would happen to you guys. That pack is a cancer to our kind. Weres have lived in Jackson for almost two hundred years without a single human knowing it. Now, these sons of bitches come to town and there's a crime streak a mile wide. I'd hate for you to be one of the numerous amount of women that go missing nowadays." He took his eyes off the road as he said it, looking me right in the eye, and I suddenly got the feeling that he was only talking to me. My cheeks flamed and I looked away from him at Sookie who was staring at us both with one slightly arched eyebrow.

"Well Alcide I hope you know how much this means to me," Sookie said sincerely. "Bill is…everything to me…"

"You're welcome, Sookie," Alcide said absently. "I just hope you know how dangerous this is going to be."

Sookie leaned back into the leather seat, that determined look she got whenever she was going to do something stupid, but didn't care, coming over her face. "Danger doesn't scare me when it comes to the man that I love. They took something from me and I was raised to fight back, and I plan to do just that to get Bill back," she said softly.

Alcide glanced at me sideways, all I could do was shrug.

"Chase, wake up."

My eyes snapped open quickly at the sound of Sookie's voice and looked around, finding that I was still in Alcide's work truck. My head was resting against Alcide's firm muscular shoulder and the woodsy smell of his cologne was wafting into my noise. I realized embarrassingly that some drool had trickled out of my mouth during my sleeping creating a small dot of a wet spot on the material of his shirt. My cheeks flamed as I sat up, wiping my mouth and blushing crimson as I looked at him bashfully.

"Oh Alcide I am so sorry, why didn't you push me off or something?" I said.

"It's no big deal, Chase," he shrugged wiping at my drool spot with his hand. "Seemed like you were sleeping good."

I smiled at him weakly as my eyes took in the rest of my surroundings. Night had fallen and after more inspection I found that we were parked in the parking lot of a bar named Lou Pine's. I huffed at the humor in the name and immediately knew where we were. It was a werewolf bar.

"We couldn't stop at your place first?" I asked looking at Alcide. I had a lot of skin exposed with only my shorts and black tee on. I definitely did not want to get any werewolf thoughts in my head unlike Sookie. I was hoping to change before we went looking for dangerous werewolves to question.

"I was planning to but Sookie here insisted," Alcide said motioning to Sookie.

"I am not here to mess around. I do not want to waste any time finding Bill. I will go inside by myself if you two want to go back to Alcide's. Just give me your address Alcide and I will find my way after," she said crossing her arms, her accent thicker than usual.

"Whoa there little lady," Alcide replied raising his hands. "You definitely aren't going in there alone. You wouldn't make it past the damn door."

I nodded in agreement. "I am not letting you go anywhere alone, Sookie. I didn't come to Jackson to hang out at Alcide's place. I am here to help, so get your lacy panties out of a twist and let's go," I said nudging her.

She smirked at me as she slid out of the car and I followed after her. I hesitated and checked myself out in the side mirror of Alcide's truck, smoothing my hair down and making sure my face was free of sleep drool. Alcide suddenly seemed nervous as he straightened his shirt and beckoned us to follow. Sookie slung her purse over her shoulder and walked with a strong-minded stride, staying close to me though.

"I know it doesn't look like much, but Lou Pine's is the oldest were bar in Mississippi," Alcide commented as we reached the door, holding it open for Sookie and I.

Sookie slipped through first with me following closely after. I was immediately assaulted by the smell of liquor, musk, and smoke. The bar was full with men and women clad in leather and dark clothing. There were pictures of wolves decorating the walls and a pool table sat in the corner. Alcide was right, it didn't look like much. The door man, a young black man, who I assumed was also a werewolf smiled once he saw Alcide.

"Alcide!" he said joyously, remaining on the stool he was seated on, but shaking Alcide's hand. "It's nice to see a face from the old pack."

Alcide huffed, looking around. "Yeah well I figured the new wolves were drinking enough for all of us."

The doorman nodded, his smile faltering as he finally noticed Sookie and I standing beside Alcide. "Who are the civilians?" he asked.

"They are cool," Alcide insisted placing a hand on the small of my back, sending a delightful trail of fire up my spine. "They are….friends."

Sookie looked around uncomfortably. "Are we not…dressed properly?"

I looked down at her lacy white long sleeved shirt and her jean skirt. "I don't think we are Sookie," I mumbled.

"You two look like dinner," the door man replied.

My face fell and Sookie blanched. Not one ounce of me believed that he was joking.

"I will keep my eye on them, Hollis," Alcide assured pushing gently against my back to get me moving. "I promise."

Sookie grabbed my hand and held it tight as we moved deeper into the bar with Alcide at our backs. He stopped next to the bar, standing at our backs and tilting his head down to whisper. "We have to split off, if they see me with ya, they won't talk."

My heart started to race. I felt as if I was being thrown to wolves, which I technically was. "Where will you be?" I asked looking up at him in a panic.

"With my guys, but I will be close. I will be watching," he said looking deeply into my eyes. "Be careful." He turned to Sookie. "Make it quick for your own sake alright?"

Sookie nodded and Alcide walked off, looking back at me momentarily before turning back. Sookie moved forward, pulling me along as the energy began to well up inside of me. I had no idea what her plan was or how we were going to go about getting information. She was walking slowly toward a large group of leather clad men and once we were close enough she released my hand, looking over her shoulder at me and mouthing "play along".

Shit.

Sookie giggled loudly, calling attention to the men of the group as she braced herself against the bar and twirled a strand of her hair around her finger. "Hey boys," she called as all eyes fell on her. "Oh my god I am so stupid. I left my wallet in the car and I am just parched! Would one of you mind buying a girl a cosmo?" she asked in her ditzy blonde voice looking around at them all.

The men seemed to encircle her like a pack of her hungry wolves making me move closer to her. "You hear alone cream puff?" one particularly large wolf asked looking her up and down. "Well you are stupid."

Sookie huffed and waved his statement away. "Im not alone silly, my friend Veronica is here with me," she said motioning to me as I looked at her in surprise. I'm Veronica? She grabbed my hand, pulled me closer and the large wolf licked his lips as he looked me up and down. "Besides we have been too much tougher places than this haven't we Veronica?" Sookie asked looking at me.

I hesitated, but nodded, trying to play along with her game. "Oh yeah," I said looking at the large wolf who was still eyeballing me. "Like that vampire bar in Shreveport called Fangtasia."

The large wolf frowned and the rest of them began grumbling. "Ya'll two some fangbangers?" he asked.

"Oh there's nothing meaner and stronger than a vampire," Sookie continued calling the large wolf's attention. "What's not to like?"

A tall skinny older looking werewolf rose from where he was seated, taking careful steps towards us as he gained Sookie's attention. I could tell Sookie was reading his mind, as she stepped towards him, her eyes scanning his face with that dazed look she got. "You would be surprised," he said to her.

Sookie continued towards him, making me feel uneasy as she went into his arms and placed her hand on his bare skin. Sookie what the hell are you doing?! "Why don't you tell me about?" she enticed in a low whisper looking up into his face.

"Let's talk about it in private," the wolf countered.

"Sure," Sookie answered without missing a beat. "Why not?"

I felt my jaw drop slightly as the wolf grabbed Sookie by the wrist and turned for the back of the bar. Sookie looked back at me as I stared at her wide eyed, wondering just what the hell I should do. She didn't seem to be giving me the 'help me' look which made me think that the wolf must have known something about Bill. I wasn't going to let her go alone regardless and moved to follow when another tall wolf stepped in my path, blocking my view and smiling down at me like I was little red riding hood alone in the woods.

"And what about you sweet heart?" he asked in a low voice as the other wolves started to chuckle. "How about you come talk to me in private?"

"No thanks," I said with a frown attempting to side step past him.

He moved to follow blocking my path again, the smile disappearing from his face. "What if I am not giving you much of a choice?"

The energy that had been swirling tamely in my stomach flared up at his words, his threat made clear. My frown deepened. I didn't want to expose myself in front of all these werewolves, but if he laid one finger on me I wouldn't have much choice.

"Hey, she's with me, back off," came Alcide's voice.

I felt immense relief as he stepped through the wolves, coming to a stop at my side and wrapping his arm around me. The wolf frowned at Alcide, opening his mouth to say something when a blood curdling scream rang out. I felt my stomach drop and my feet were moving before I could even think about it.

"Sookie!" I screamed pushing past the wolves and rushing for the curtain in the back of the bar. I heard thundering footsteps behind me and hoped that it was Alcide following.

I burst through the curtain to find the wolf with his arms around Sookie forcing her down onto one of the black couches that lined the room. "Get the hell off of her!" I yelled rushing towards them and jumping on his back.

He released Sookie in surprise, throwing me off easily. I hit the cement ground hard, my vision blurring just as I heard more footsteps and Alcide's deep voice. "Hey Asshole!"

Soft hands were on me next as I struggled to make my vision clear. Sookie was pulling me to my feet, holding me tightly as I finally regained my sight and saw Alcide and the werewolf tumbling through the dark curtain.

"Alcide!" I called running forward, dragging Sookie along with me as we both paused in the doorway.

Two wolves had grabbed Alcide holding him tightly, allowing the wolf that had attacked Sookie a chance to deliver some good blows to his face. My stomach tightened as I frowned in anger, the energy rushing up through me as I stepped forward to help, but someone beat me to it. Hollis, the doorman, came to Alcide's rescue, hitting the attacking wolf in the back and knocking him down.

"God dammit!" he yelled stopping the fight in its tracks as he brandished the bat around. "I am going to run out of bats if he keeps this shit up! Get him the hell out of here! NOW."

The other wolves grumbled in response, moving to collect their friend. I rushed to Alcide's side where he was sitting up from where he had been dropped like a rag doll. He brushed me off as I tried to help him, shaking his head.

"I'm alright, Chase," he mumbled running his hand through his hair and taking a deep breath.

Hollis moved closer bending down on one knee next to Alcide. "Come on man, she isn't worth it."

Alcide huffed, looking at Sookie sideways. "I barely know her."

"I mean Debbie," Hollis said with a frown.

My eyebrows arched. Debbie?

"What about Debbie?" Alcide questioned.

Hollis sighed, looking away from Alcide. "Oh shit…"

Alcide frowned, looking up at Hollis expectantly.

"Debbie is getting engaged to Coot," Hollis answered.

Alcide looked disbelieving, shaking his head as it dropped. "Come on Hollis stop it…"

"The party is tomorrow night," Hollis continued. "Here…."

Alcide still looked as if he couldn't believe it, but the hurt was in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I had to be the one to break it to you," Hollis said with another sigh.

Alcide frowned looking over at Sookie who seemed to shrink in the doorway. I stood and moved to her side wrapping an arm around her. Alcide probably wouldn't have heard about the party at all if we hadn't come looking for Bill.

Alcide rose to his feet. "Let's get the hell out of here."