Okay. One thing is clear after reading last chapter's reviews: you don't like Bill.

That's okay ;) You don't have to - but he serves his role in the story so we're going to have to bear with him sometimes.

Without farther ado...

This chapter is unbetaed.

Disclaimer: I can't remember why, but I have a feeling I shouldn't claim this story as mine.

Previously:

I was tempted to ask bluntly if Lorena raped him and if he thought that experience was anywhere near what he had done to me afterwards, but I reminded myself that I didn't want to disturb my gran's eternal rest, since it would certainly made her turn in her grave.

"I'm going to find Pam and say goodnight to her," I said instead after a few long minutes of staring at him in silence and then I walked past him on my way out of the room.

I walked quickly, so he wouldn't notice the angry tears that were about to fill my eyes in any second. It looked like I wasn't as over it as I thought.

I started my day with facing my burned house. I made an appointment with my insurance agent, Greg Aubert, to assess the damage and we agreed to meet at the scene. I had to borrow some of Bill's clothes, since unfortunately there were none of mines among the things I had left in his house, which meant that I had only pyjamas on my back plus the socks and the coat saved from the fire at my disposal - which I deemed insufficient outfit for the occasion. I grabbed some flip-flops from his closet, too, since it was that or walking barefoot, seeing as I didn't even have any shoes either.

When Greg Aubert finished his calculations I was inwardly grateful that I had kept the money from Eric after all. Though my insurance did cover a big part of the costs, it hit me that with how many items and devices I had to replace I would have had to tighten my belt for many months to come if it wasn't for the fat cheque deposited in my bank that made it possible for me not to worry how I was going to pay my contractors.

In the daylight the full extent of the destruction became visible, but it was only when I found what once had been a key-ring melted and disfigured, when knowledge of how narrowly I had avoided death by a similar fate hit me with a full force. The uneasiness on Jason's face when he arrived at the scene shortly after me told me that he came to the same conclusion.

He came to see me because he found out about the last night's events and it turned out he wasn't the only one – the news travelled fast in a small town like Bon Temps and the fire was a big deal, so before I knew it I had a driveway full of people. Soon I was standing in my backyard with Sam, Arlene, Tara, Terry Bellefleure and Maxine Fortenberry. All of them took turns in giving me hugs.

Tara surprised me by offering to lend me her old car at least until I find something to replace my damaged car and Maxine helped me to retrieve the salvageable clothes from my bedroom and promised to wash them so I would have something clean to wear. Terry told me that he could help me with pulling down the remains of my burnt kitchen which I happily agreed to since it would make it possible for the rebuilt could start faster. I had every intention to pay him for that, but it warmed my hearth that he offered without waiting for me to mention money. Arlene brought me a lunch. I have to admit, it was nice to have everyone acting so kind and understanding toward me for once. Too bad it took a fire for that.

Not for the first time I thought that Tara didn't look too well, but she said her goodbyes quickly and again we didn't get a chance to really talk. I got an impression that she didn't want to drag me into her troubles. Honestly speaking, I had enough of my own at the moment. Finally people started to leave and then I only had to talk to the policeman who showed up to see the scene in daylight. He discovered that there had been gasoline spilled on my porch that would have probably caused my house to perish completely had the firefighters arrived later. Fabulous.

Jason packed some of the things I retrieved from the house and that I was going to need on daily basis into his car so he could take them to his place, where I planned to stay for the time being. I knew that living with my brother was not a long-term solution, but I hoped that I would somehow figure it out if I took one thing at the time. I still needed to stop at the mall to buy a few essentials.

The day flew with me constantly on the move and before I knew it I was already parking my car at Merlotte's. Sam told me that I could take a day off, but I knew that I needed to get back to my routine sooner or later and I didn't want to lose a shift if I could help it. Eric's cheque or not, I was used to spending my money very carefully for my whole life and I knew that I just couldn't afford taking extended leave when I had so many additional expenses in my future to think of. My financial situation might look not too bad at the moment, but accidents happen and I couldn't predict when I was going to suddenly need to use my small reserve. Merlotte's didn't cover health insurance; I was good on paying my bills on time, but never ahead of it, I rarely bought clothes that weren't discounted and usually even paying for a minor car repair was a problem for me. Also, I had to take it into account that if the works on the house took longer I'd have to rent a place to stay or at least split bills with Jason.

It turned out that showing up at work was a good move, at least financially – everyone was tipping me generously that day. I had my five minutes of fame. I'm not going to pretend that I was all that flattered, but there were some advantages.

Pam was working the shift with me again. She walked into the bar in a leisurely pace right on time and not one minute earlier. Despite the fact that the clothes she kept at my place had to be in no better condition than mines (I suspect she wasn't even going to try to salvage them) she looked impeccable.

She was, as usually, 'dressed up' for work (jeans, red boots and a tight, blue top with a Superman logo – or maybe it stood for Supergirl? Supervamp? SuperPam?) and her clothes were clean, fresh, wrinkle-free and looked brand new. She left her long blond hair loose to complete the image. I didn't think Pam needed cash, but that outfit was going to get her great tips.

"Wow, Pam, you look good. Where did you get this shirt from?"

"Emergency shopping," she explained.

"Are you telling me that you managed to buy something before coming here?" I was impressed. Unlike me, she had spent her day dead to the world.

"No," Pam replied, quite pleased with herself. "I ordered it online from Bill's computer before going to my rest. It was delivered at dusk."

"Nice trick," I praised.

"I have a lot of practice in shopping."

I had no doubt about that. After all, she has been mastering the art for over a century. If there had been such a thing as black belts for shopping, Pam would be the one responsible for giving them.

"Speaking of, I have something for you," she surprised me when she produced a white, carton box from under the bar. "I bought these, but it's not my size. Try them on when you take your break."

Intrigued, I peaked inside and I saw a pair of black, leather ankle boots. They had laces and a low heel and looked very elegant. I looked down at my own feet in cheap, Chinese tennis shoes I had bought in hurry on my way to work. They weren't even appropriate for the season.

"Pam, where was the last time your shoe size changed?" I asked suspiciously.

Pam pursed her lips. Right then one of the customers hollered at me and our chat had to be put on hold.

"Just see if they fit," Pam said when I came back with a drink order.

"Pam, it's really kind of you, but I shouldn't…"

"Sookie, your friend gave you a car today."

"It's not the same," I muttered but I got her point.

"Why would it be different? I'm not going to wear these shoes anyway."

I stopped myself from saying out loud that I wasn't completely sure if the shoes Pam had bought weren't more expensive than a car (there was no print on the box nor a price tag on the shoes and I was certain it was because Pam made sure about that) and I held back a sigh when I stole a glance at the beautiful boots again.

"All right, have it your way. I'll try them on when I get a minute," I said and then remembering that it was very impolite to complain about presents I added: "Thank you, Pam."

Pam sent me a triumphant smile. I shook my head and smiled back. Something told me that the boots would fit.

Despite the terrible night I had had, I felt quite good – or at least that had been the case until Sam called me back to his office where I found two people who wanted to talk to me – probably the last two people on the Earth I wished to talk to – Jeff Marriot's (dead arsonist's) mother and his twin brother. I had no idea why they would want to see me.

As it turned out they didn't believe that Jeff had anything to do with the Fellowship of the Sun. According to them, he had never, in any way, let it show that he might had felt intolerant toward the vampires and he had no criminal record. His brother claimed that there was something fishy about the details of the story – small things like where his brother used to keep his valet – but I just didn't have enough energy to listen to him more closely. They were a family desperately trying to find confirmation that their loved one was a good man. I could understand that, but I couldn't bring myself to act more compassionate toward them. Jeff did try to kill me.

"How are you holding up?" Sam asked after they finally left.

He put a hand on my arm in a reassuring gesture. I was grateful for his support.

"I'll be fine," I said.

When he looked at me his face changed and that was why it didn't caught me completely off guard when he kissed me. It wasn't an aggressive kiss – not at all. It felt nice, but I still pulled away slowly. Something was telling me this wasn't a good idea.

"I don't think we should do that," I said softly looking up at Sam.

I could see that he was disappointed.

"Are you seeing someone?" he asked.

I hesitated for a second… and I had no idea why.

Am I seeing someone? Nah. Sometimes I go out with Alcide – but only to the funerals. I sleep over at Bill's – but only when someone burns my house. Oh, and I make out with Eric from time to time – but only if he catches me by surprise.

Okay, I was a woman enough to admit that the last excuse sounded weak, even in my head.

"No," I said. "I just don't want to lose a friend… and you're my boss."

Perhaps it wasn't enough of a reason to explain why I didn't want to go down that path – I suppose if I really felt that way about Sam and believed that we had a chance to find happiness together, I would have given it more thought, but even though there had always been some sort of attraction between us, it wasn't strong enough for me to be willing to risk what we had. I had no doubt that our relationship would get much more complicated and while I liked Sam a lot and thought he was handsome, I wasn't in love with him.

"I understand," he said. "You're probably right. I'm sorry."

I shook my head.

"I'm not angry." I decided a change of subject was needed. "Hey, since I'm already out of the floor, can I take my break now?"

"Of course."

I felt a little guilty since he looked so sad, but there was nothing I could do about it, so I simply smiled, thanked him and walked out of his office.

I thought it would be a good moment to try on Pam's shoes to cheer myself up. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to wear them at work because of the heel, but I was wrong. I sighed loudly when I slipped them on my feet. These were, hands down, the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. Of course they fit perfectly. I wondered again how much they had to cost. I didn't want to ever take them off.

It was a good thing that I had something to lift my spirits, because when I returned to the main room I found that Bill was there sitting at one of my tables… with some woman.

Oh no! Bill again!

Yes, yes, I know, it's bad news, but he's going to make appearance in the next chapter. Good news is - so is Eric. In fact, they're both going to be in the same place at the same time. I wonder, whatever could go wrong with that...

Until next time!