Haloooo?! Is anybody still here after the not so spectacular disaster that was TB final? Any survivers? Do you need any help? First aid? Heart surgery? Blood bags? Tissues? Brain bleach?...amnesia spell?

For now, let's just not talk about it and try to think about something else. Then we can write our own versions of the series final and vote which one we're going to call a canon one. What do you say?

Meanwhile, Breathesgirl sent me next chapter of FMN, all fixed up, so here is something for you to focus on in these sad, sad days.

Disclaimer: I heard there is an auction where you can buy items used in the show and that Eric's throne is for sale. Now, following Eric's own logic (if you buy a house, you buy it with everything and everyone inside it) I'm asking: is it a package deal? If I buy a throne, do I get the Viking sitting on it too?

Previously:

He seemed ready to go, but he paused at the threshold. He looked like he considered saying something but changed his mind so we just stood there for a while in silence. I wasn't sure what he was waiting for.

"Maybe you're right," he said finally. "Maybe this is for the best."

But, even when he already left, I couldn't shake the feeling that he sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.

I was standing in the bathroom and staring at the sheets that I intended to pack into my washer. I was very glad that I got Jason the fresh change from the drawer the night before instead of just letting him sleep on the ones that had been already on the bed in the guest room. I'd been in a hurry so I had not taken a better look at them at the time – which was probably a good thing, as I had already had enough excitement for one night – but looking at them the next morning I could tell that they were definitely used: Both the ones from my bed and the one in the guest bedroom.

Thank God my brother hadn't seen them. I would have probably died from embarrassment if he had. I was still blushing furiously even though there was no one but me and the damn sheets in the room!

It was a very odd feeling knowing how the evidence I had in my hands had been created but not really feeling a part of the events that had led to its creation.

It gave one more hint about the time I didn't remember, too, and I wasn't sure what to do about it: Two beds with used sheets in two different rooms suggested that it wasn't a one-time thing.

Damn it all to hell.

I chased away the thoughts of Eric in order to deal with the more pressing issue: my miraculously saved brother. Jason was still asleep and I didn't want to wake him. I knew that I'd eventually have to let the police know that I had found him but decided to wait until we could agree on one version of our cover story since I'd already promised Calvin that I wouldn't tell the whole truth.

My inner musings were interrupted by the loud knocking. I had to go out by the back door since my front door was still damaged. I made a mental note to ask Eric what had happened to it, because I had forgotten all about it with everything else going on.

My visitor was a pale, sour-faced guy. I could hear that his mind was one big rant about the fact that he had to drive to some bum-fuck town just to deliver a package to some redneck bimbo (his thoughts, not mine). I looked at him, intrigued, because he wasn't dressed like a delivery guy. I knew that he worked for Eric before he even opened his mouth. His job was to complete the tasks for him that had to be taken care of during the day, when vampires were dead to the world, which made him a glorified errand boy, though I don't think that was how he saw himself, given his high opinion of himself. I also heard a little too much about his rather unhealthy fascination with Eric. If Eric ever needed a human footstool this guy would be the first to volunteer. I wondered why Eric had hired him. Maybe it was because he was loyal?

"Good morning," he said, looking as if he smelled something nasty. "Sookie Stackhouse?''

I nodded.

He gave me a once over and he formed his opinion of me based on the fact that I was blond and had a big rack. He decided that at least my appearance explained why Eric would be interested in me to the point of sending me a delivery. He was sure that it had to be a payment of sorts. There was no doubt in his mind about the kind of services I could offer. He hoped it meant that Eric was done with me and would no longer pay me any attention. He was only surprised that his employer bothered at all since it was blatantly obvious that any woman (or man) should be grateful to be graced with the interest of such a magnificent creature as Eric since Eric's one glance was enough to get him anybody he had a whim to have. He wasn't sure what it was in me that had Eric paying me so much attention. His only guess was that I had to be good in the sack.

For the first time in years I had a hard time controlling the urge to slap someone for his thoughts.

"Can I help you?" I asked icily.

"Delivery from Mr. Northman," he said, looking like he wanted to scold me for my apparent lack of enthusiasm.

I was probably supposed to fall to my knees and bow to the ground to show my gratitude.

His mind told me that he didn't know what was inside but Eric told him specifically to make sure that I got it personally, not to leave it in anyone else's hands in my stead.

I decided it was a good enough reason to take the package from him without waiting for him to hand it over to me.

"Anything else?" I asked.

I didn't have the strength to deal with him.

"No," he said and turned on his heel without even saying goodbye.

Asshole.

I went back inside carrying the package with me. I was so irritated with the guy that I wasn't even sure I wanted to open it but my curiosity got the better of me. I started the coffee and sat at the kitchen table to unpack my delivery.

It looked like a gift. It was in a nice, flat box and was wrapped in glossy paper and had a bow on top. I opened it and saw that there was a new winter coat inside with an envelope resting on it. I put the note aside for the time being to take a better look at the garment.

I admit that it softened my heart a bit. The coat was cranberry red and it was very pretty, much prettier than my previous one, even in its prime which had passed a long time ago. When I tried the new coat on I discovered that it fit perfectly. It looked like it would keep me warm too. There was no price tag but I could tell that it was expensive. Normally I would probably think longer before accepting such a gift but the memory of the last evening and Eric's dark look directed at my too thin jacket gave me a new perspective on the matter. I wondered how he managed to arrange it on such short notice. I knew that he didn't order the delivery guy to buy it because he had no idea what was in the package.

I opened the envelope and two pieces of paper fell out. One of them was a check: A check for fifty thousand dollars!

I gaped in shock, looking back and forth between the number and Eric's signature. What was it about? Why was Eric giving me so much money? A hundred thoughts crossed my mind.

I picked up the card attached to the check. It was a note hand-written by Eric:

Before you lash out you should know that we agreed on a payment for your taking care of me while I was cursed.

E

Okay, that slowed me down. Of course I had no way to know for sure what he was telling me was true, but what would be the point for him to trick me into giving me so much cash?

I got a little ashamed of myself. Did I really demand such an outrageous payment for helping him when his life was in danger? Sure, it was Eric, he wasn't exactly poor, and I knew I risked getting myself into trouble, but still… What was wrong with me? It wasn't how I'd been raised. No wonder Eric was irritated when I acted as if I was the wronged party. I also knew that it showed his fairness that he was willing to fulfil the deal I didn't remember making.

"Who was that?" I heard Jason calling.

"Delivery!" I called back and hurried to his room.

I sat on his bed and took a good look at him. His eyes were wary and on alert. They only calmed a little when they rested on my face. There were bruises on his skin and even clean and rested he still looked exhausted. He even looked a little older.

"I thought…" he stopped but continued after a moment: "When I woke I couldn't believe that I was really here. So when I heard someone coming, for a minute I thought they came back for me."

"Oh, Jason," I said, suddenly realising where the wary look came from.

It was understandable that after his nightmarish experience he would automatically assume that he could be still in danger when he heard someone trying to get into the house while he was half-asleep. I should have been with him when he woke up.

"It's over," I said taking his hand. "Felton will be punished for what he did to you, he probably already has been. No one's coming for you. You're safe."

"You saved me," he said looking intently at me. His voice was gruff. "Last night, it wasn't a dream. You and Eric came for me and brought me home."

"Yes."

It took me a few seconds to notice that there was something wrong with his last sentence.

"You know Eric?" I asked, surprised.

Jason gave me a weird look.

"Sook, I was right next to you when these two vamps – you know, that guy and that pretty blond – came here and explained what happened to Eric and that he should stay at your place. You even asked me to buy him some clothes! It's not everyday that you ask me for a favour! C'mon, I'm not gonna forget it any time soon. By the way, is he still here?"

I sat there stunned but I heard only half of what he was saying, because with my hand on his I was able to catch a fleeting but crystal clear image from my brother's mind: a memory. I saw myself sitting on the couch in the living-room and talking to Pam and Chow and then Eric sitting at my feet – yes, that's right, on the floor! – with his back pressed against my legs. He was wearing… Bill's too small house-coat. My hands were on both sides of his head, as if I was covering his ears in what would be a pointless attempt to stop his vampire hearing from picking up on something from the conversation. I was at a loss as what to make of the expression on his face.

The image was gone just as suddenly as it appeared.

I realised that I accidentally found a way to get at least a glimpse of my missing days.

"No, he's not here," I took a deep breath. "Jason, what exactly do you know about this whole thing with Eric?"

"Sookie?"

"Just tell me, okay? I'll explain everything, but you have to promise me that you won't tell anybody."

"All right," he said slowly. "I was here the first day of the new year… twice. At first I just stopped by and you asked me to buy blood and some clothes for a tall guy. That was when I met Eric.

I tried to listen to his words and thoughts at the same time, but I wasn't able to catch much this time.

"Then when I came back with the things you asked for, these two vampires from Fangtasia were already here. Pam and…

Of course Jason remembered the woman.

"Chow," I supplied.

"Yes, Pam and Chow! They told us how Eric got cursed. They weren't exactly friendly. They thought you might sell Eric to the witches."

So Jason knew about the witches and the curse.

"…Even more so when I told them about the poster!"

I pushed my telepathy to the limits. The poster said that Eric was missing and promised a reward for anybody who would provide information about where to find him. It was made by Eric's enemies who were looking for him.

"…but then we managed to convince them that they could trust us and they decided it would be best if Eric stayed with you until the curse was broken. Hey, did they make it?"

I sighed.

"Yes, Jason, the spell is broken."

My brother suddenly got worried.

"He… didn't hurt you, did he? I mean, you're okay, right?"

Jason was thinking frantically that Eric didn't look aggressive and if anything, he rather seemed to like me. He even told Jason to take better care of me.

I blinked. Did I just peek into some kind of an alternative universe?

"No and no," I said. "Not everything is okay."

I hesitated for a second, but then I decided to tell him my secret. After all Jason was family.

"When the spell had been broken, something went wrong and I… don't remember what happened. I don't remember anything from the time Eric stayed here.

"Oh fuck," was my brother's eloquent comment.

"Yeah…"

He stared at me with wide eyes.

"But nothing… happened to you, right?" he demanded after a moment.

I was reminded of the previous night's conversation with Eric.

"No, Jason, Eric didn't hurt me," I said softly, resigned to the fact that I should reassure him. "I'm just… It pisses me off that I don't remember, you know? I'm trying to put together as many pieces as I can."

"Eric didn't tell you anything?" Jason suddenly sounded suspicious.

He thought about the money – about the fact, that the vamps promised to pay for all of that and now they could very easily screw me over. Thirty-five grand was quite a sum…

"Thirty five?" I chimed.

"Sookie!" Jason scolded me.

Shoot, I guess I just gave away the fact that I was eavesdropping. Luckily his focus quickly moved to another topic.

"Why are you asking? Did they give you less?"

I snorted.

"Oh no, quite the opposite," I said before I could bite my tongue. Stupid, stupid Sookie.

"The opposite? They paid you more?"

"Eric gave me a check for fifty thousand dollars. The guy who woke you up this morning delivered it."

We fell silent.

"I always thought that they should just give you fifty," Jason said finally, once again surprising me.

He thought that maybe I could give him some cash, since he was the one who suggested I should get something in the first place.

"Wait, what? Why fifty?"

"That's how much the witches offered for the info on Eric – that's what was on the poster I told you about."

Huh. I didn't know what to think. Jason thought Eric was a loser for paying more than he had to, which didn't go against the fact that it made him like Eric just a little bit more for the same reason. Of course it also didn't hurt that Eric happened to be the person who got him out of the were-panther's shack.

I decided to put this topic on hold for the time being and steer the conversation toward more pressing issues. We had to figure out what to say to the police. All this talking about the witches and amnesia made us think that it would be best to just stick to the story that Jason didn't remember what happened to him.

That's exactly what we did. No one really believed us, but they had no evidence that we were lying so they couldn't outright accuse us. Somehow we managed to close the issue and they let us be at last. I made sure to check that my bloody coat wasn't anywhere in sight before letting the cops into the house and discovered in the process that Eric must have gotten rid of it while I'd been looking after Jason last night because I remembered hanging it to dry after trying to wash it (which was really a hopeless mission), but it was mysteriously gone. For a second it even had me worried, but then I just snorted in irritation, when I put the pieces together and realised that all the clues pointed to Eric as the one responsible for its disappearance: he was the only person, except Jason, present in my house the day before, he knew about the coat (from our short exchange about a too thin jacket) and he had a motive (force me to accept his gift). Conceited, high-handed vampire.

I meant to drive Jason home but I noticed that he really wanted to stay at least one more night in my home and I gave in. It was Jason's first meeting with the harsh reality of the supernatural world, though if my concerns were right, not the last one.

I was scheduled for the late shift (I had to make a call to Sam to learn this piece of information – he was suspicious as it was and I knew that he'd want to question me at the first opportunity, so that he could find out what was going on with me), so I spent the day keeping myself busy with the chores at the house. I have to say, it was nice to cook for more than just me for a change. The time flew and I barely noticed when it was already time for me to get ready for work. I had already changed into my uniform and checked on Jason and told him not to wait up for me since I wouldn't be back until late in the night, when I was surprised by a knock on the door.

Sorry for cutting it here, but it was already getting too long. You'll find the second part of Sookie's day in the next chapter.

To the guest reviewer who was worried about Sookie being cold - yes, I know, she might seem pretty defensive right now and she'll continue to be this way (or even, sometimes, offensive) for some time, but I believe her capable of evolving. I hope you'll give her a chance. I'm sorry if you'd like more reassurance, but I can't respond to your review in a private message and I don't want to make any spoilers for the rest of the readers, so I won't tell anything more here.