Chapter Ten : Witch Hazel

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Despite her uncertainty, her caution and the bad timing of it all, Lily felt a tug from Sookie's words jolting her heart and creating a distinctive urge to drop everything and go to her. Sookie, in all of her wide eyed optimism and irrational hope, tended to have this affect on her. She couldn't seem to refuse her. The same way she couldn't if a small child looked up at her with glossy pleading eyes that simply could not comprehend why Doing The Right Thing would not always result in a perfect outcome for all souls involved.

Sookie explained to her over the phone that when she arrived home things were unusual. Her neighbours, her friends were behaving differently and acting deranged. Her home had been turned upside down and inside out by a woman who had taken it upon herself to settle there, and although she did not know this peculiar woman she had made it clear that she was not entirely human. And that was why she had called, because she was all out of ideas on how to fix it and her vampire boyfriend was just as perplexed and left her alone while he went to see someone who he believed might be able to help.

She was terrified, it could be heard plainly in her voice. Lily ended up agreeing to go, stupidly, just because she knew that it would conciliate her even though she knew her limits and the extent of her abilities and knew that there wasn't very much she could do. But what she could do was offer her advice. Salt for protection, smoldering sage for easing bad energies. The best she could do from a distance.

She placed the phone down gently, and inhaled the cold harsh air from the open window in the kitchen to overcome the heaviness of her eyelids. It had been too long since she'd slept. She promised herself a strong coffee somewhere between here and Bon Temps. There was a sudden glimmer of light out of the corner of her eye. Movement outside the window immediately drew her eye.

From the height she had on the second floor she had a rather precise view of the garage down below, the one out back near where the bins are kept, used for storage and liquor deliveries and other junk that had no place inside the house, and leading off down a back alleyway that often served as a convenient shortcut to school or grocery stores.

A figure moving through shadows, a hooded face that even from here she knew to be Danny, and he was carrying a wooden cart filled with jars and empty whiskey bottles. It was hard to tell, but at a second glance she thought some of them had been filled with something red.

He disappeared inside with them, presumably to one of the back rooms. More secrets she wasn't supposed to know about. Danny had brushed her off earlier for keeping secrets, made her sink in guilt when really he was doing the exact same thing. He did what Steph asked of him because he knew that if there was something she needed it was in everybody's best interest. And although he couldn't see it yet, Lily knew she was doing the same. Involving herself with vampires, powerful ones that could do things no one else could, that would be in her debt if she were to do what they asked of her. Godric had already come to her feeling obligated. It was playing with fire, she knew that too. But if it worked, it was worth it.

Lily moved quickly, rushed into her bedroom to grab a bag she slung over her shoulder and shoved in a sweater, a laddered pair of tights, and a clean white cotton t-shirt. Went to her dresser where an empty concealer bottle harboured hidden witch hazel and retrieved a box of matches from a drawer underneath. She grabbed a small dented tin with chips in the paint, placed her chosen items inside, and carried it with her in her bag.

She made it to the door leading downstairs and allowed herself a long lasting look down the empty hallway. She gathered her thoughts quickly. No time for regret. No patience to change her mind. She hadn't even told anyone she was leaving, much less why. If she tried explaining now they would catch her out, or she would say something wrong to give herself away. No, this was the easiest way. Leave quickly without gathering attention and explain it later when it was too late and she was too far away.

She was about to make for the stairs, hand on the brass door handle. When she saw it. A wedge of ice white crystal. Exactly where her sister had left it on the mahogany side table next to a bowl of keys. Of course, she had no idea how, but that small piece had been the trick to ebbing away the painful result of the hex placed on her front door.

She thought about taking it. It didn't belong to her and nobody had given it to her, but since she was already going against better judgement… She scooped it up and bundled it underneath her spare sweater. A crystal for clarity.

After scouring the station's map with a paper cup of cheap espresso in her hand, Lily eventually found a meek black dot representing the barely there town of Bon Temps somewhere close along the line that the bus to Shreveport would travel. Even on that scale she could tell it would be at least a miles walk in the dark and had to jam her thumb into the stop button repeatedly to get the already tired and aggravated driver to stop when she guessed she was close enough to spot a sign down an empty dirt road. He put up a fuss about opening the doors out in the middle of nowhere so she made sure to thank him when he finally did, hearing him mutter, "Fucking kids…" followed by a series of profanities.

She walked until she felt her eyes adjust to light, a streetlight up ahead, the first sign of civilisation in this barren place. She clutched the strap of her small fringed bag, a sudden dread and insignificance falling over her, realising that here, she was just another human alone in the dark, and no chants or burning sage were going to help.

On the phone, Sookie had instructed her to avoid going through the center of town and instead go towards the cemetery and tread straight through it as a shortcut to her house, assuring her it would be safe. Which she did, sidestepping mossy pieces of headstones and overgrown weeds.

In a sudden and heart jolting way, a light shone bright over to one side. She was alone here but abruptly felt unsafe like triggering a sensor light by an unfamiliar building warning her to stay away. All she could do was stand still as ice and watch her breath flow like smoke in the air. The light was bright and moving. She could hear the gravel grinding against something large and heavy. A car. Someone was driving extremely slowly alongside the cemetery. Watching. The light had not hit her yet and when she threw herself behind a large angelic gravestone she was relatively sure that she had not been seen.

The plan was to stay there until whoever was driving had left. But when she thought about it she supposed she really ought to calm down. Nobody here knew her, and there was nothing unusual about a car driving past at night. But she couldn't seem to stop the apprehension she felt deep rooted in the pit of her stomach, the chill in her bones and the raw uncontrollable instinct to run.

The car stopped. The door opened. A tall man got out. She pressed herself against the cold stone hoping to hide underneath it's shadow until she felt the sodden moss seep through her clothes. The man, who she could not clearly make out except for the fact that he was well dressed in a shirt and tie, was standing with his hands on his hips, as if searching for something. For someone. She realised now that the car he had been driving was an expensive one. Black and shining like it was brand new. He scanned the area for a moment, even walked around a little, and then brought a cell phone to his ear and muttered something she couldn't hear. He then retreated and climbed back inside his sparkling car and drove off into the night.

She couldn't stop the first thought she had from jumping out at her. That a hunter had come looking for her. Deciding to speed this journey along Lily more or less jogged the rest of the way. Soon she came to the end of a gravel driveway, just like it had been described. Sookie's house was the colour of lemonade. An old farmhouse surrounded by trees and a warm breeze.

The porch lights were on but she couldn't see anything through the windows while approaching the front door. Her hand barely had time to reach the door's surface before it swung open from the other side, where Sookie stood with her hair scraped back from her face dressed casually.

"You made it," she said sighing as her worry fell away. She moved to one side as an invitation. "Come in."

The floor inside had a coating of thick dirt and mud like treadings from muddy shoes, and branches and sodden leaves bundled in piles on top of the antique furniture. This was the type of house that lay abandoned in the dead of a forest, someplace forgotten, and lay neglected except for teenagers breaking inside to practice smoking and graffiti strokes. The place had a decaying scent and a chilling, dreadful, energy that made her skin cold and hyper aware of every passing change in the air.

Sookie saw the look on her face and replied unhappily. "I'm sorry, I haven't had a chance to clean up."

As if that was what she was thinking, which she remembered suddenly that she, of course, knew it wasn't. And she asked, "Sookie, what happened here?"

There was a pause, a gathering of breath. "A Maenad," she said it with unsurety at her pronounciation. "Ever heard of it?"

Lily shook her head. She had pried the pages of countless books not intended for her eyes but the name didn't strike her as familiar. "What does it do? Besides," her eyes trailed upwards, "all of this."

She had an expression that made her question whether asking was even appropriate, but then she took on this blameless sort of face as she went on. "Scratches the people it chooses, human sacrifice, uh...possession. Makes people think everything bad is good." Her expression made it seem that she didn't want to talk about it. "But it's over now. Thanks to Bill. He got here just in time to save Sam—my boss. That thing was just about to kill him."

"Lucky guy."

Lily barely knew Bill. She tried to hide her dubious thoughts and focus on Sookie and her friend's safety after the ugly matter. And try as she might, she still couldn't tell if Sookie had heard. Whether she had or not, she wasn't letting on. Maybe she was used to it. Lily decided she couldn't be the only one irked by Bill's clingy boisterous behaviour. He probably told Sookie he figured the whole thing out by himself. And it wasn't just a vampire thing. Eric hadn't acted that way. Not when it mattered, anyway.

Since there was no immediate danger to take care of—thankfully—she at least offered to help tidy up. Cleanse the house with a little protection spell she once did for her neighbour after her apartment was broken into, just to make her feel better. So she helped, doing what she could to sweep away the grime built up between the tiles. Gathering pieces of broken pottery and polishing counter tops. She heard a small laugh and at once tilted her head not bothering to tuck away the hair that fell over her face. Sookie was trying to stop herself.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just...you're using a broom."

Lily extended her arm and examined the wooden handle as if expecting to see something different. A witch using a broomstick. She had never considered it like that before. She looked back at her and her sunny little face, lips pulled together forcefully but her smile still breaking through. It was more the sight of Sookie's uncontrollable laughter that sparked a similar reaction in her.

"Do witches even use brooms?" Sookie giggled.

Lily told her, "You watch too much TV."

"Do you use a wand?" She gasped abruptly and asked in awe. "Can you make stuff explode or fly or something?"

Lily grinned. "No. It doesn't entirely work that way. It's not like you just pop out of the womb able to to all that stuff. Anything cool enough worth doing takes a serious amount of practice, and the people who use enough to do the fun stuff almost always end up insane anyway."

Sudden perplexion had replaced her earlier wonderment. "Why?"

"Because that's what happens. Your body can't keep up, and the more you use the person you were just sort of...deteriorates. You're either going to kill yourself or kill someone else."

"Wait. Witchcraft is addictive?"

"Power is addictive." Lily looked to her, saw the frown lines on her face and decided she didn't like seeing them there. "When you can pretty much do anything you want it tends to inflate the ego. Not a lot of people would give that up. Not willingly."

Sookie leaned her shoulder against a cabinet with a dustpan and brush still in either hand. "So what happens when they aren't willing?" she asked cautiously.

Lily thought about it for a second. It had been a long time since she had given it any real thought. "Basically, there's this council of chosen people who run around acting like authority. Respected witches, the ones from the good families. They handle punishments and damage control with the public. Nothing a little brainwashing can't fix."

Sookie was silent. She thought at first that she had told her too much, discouraged her. And then her voice turned awestruck. "That is so cool."

Thinking of the stories she had heard about the council that once gave her childish nightmares, she replied blankly. "It's not."

They had a vast majority of space in the kitchen cleared enough for it to be usable once again, and convinced by the gurgles of her stomach Sookie suggested they take a break. "You hungry? I know I am." There was food lined up in her cabinets, good food untouched by whoever had destroyed her home. There was no reason that Lily could think of to decline, her stomach was undeniably hollow. Sookie would grab jars and pour their contents into a saucepan, softly asking more about her life. School and cheerleading and places in the city.

Lily took the time to light a candle she had found in one of the drawers full of junk, and used the naked flame to burn strands of witch hazel she had brought with her in a bundle. She began to whisper. It was just something simple, to purify the space and send out good thoughts. It was the intent that gave the magick any strength. And she knew Sookie was watching, even though she was trying hard not to make it obvious.

"What's that for?" she asked, stepping away from the stove.

Lily held a portion of the dried herb up for her to see. "Purification. In the old days, this little baby would be used to protect people from angry spirits. It's handy to keep around."

Sookie's eyebrow twitched upwards. "Wow, I'm not sure there's enough there to protect this house."

"Well, here. You can have whatever's left over." She set the bottle carrying the plant down on the table. Sookie's expression changed to astonishment.

"You don't have to do that."

Lily felt her lips turn, smiling naturally. "I want to. Take it."

Sookie set two bowls of pasta dripping in slimy red sauce on the table, thanking her for all she had done. She said that feeding her was the least she could do and mentioned that her boyfriend would drop by later to sort the upstairs portion of the house which was still in high disarray. She could have prattled on about Bill for as long as anyone would allow it, so Lily made an earnest attempt to steer the conversation in another direction.

"After I left the last time I saw you, I heard about what happened. The explosion. You look like you got out okay."

"Oh, I'm fine," Sookie replied. "I was there when it happened, it was I got lucky. No thanks to Eric."

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean, what did he do?"

"What Eric always does. Lies and manipulates people into getting what he wants. He tricked me into drinking his blood." When she spoke about it, although she was irrefutably enraged and with valid reason, she bit her bottom lip and her gaze dropped, distracted. When she snapped back to the present she swallowed and shifted in her seat. "He told me it was the only way to get the silver out of his chest, I thought he was dying."

"Ew." Lily frowned. "Why?"

She studied her for a moment. "You don't know do you? When you drink vampire's blood they can feel you, forever. They'll always know where you are. It's a blood bond, it makes you dream about them."

"You mean...special dreams?"

Sookie responded quickly. "But it's not real though. It doesn't matter, it's just the effect of the blood. In my heart I know I love Bill and that's all that matters."

"I never said you didn't."

Her brown eyes glinted. "Right." She gently nodded, moving her hands unnecessarily. "I just wonder how he turned out so heartless. You look at Godric, who might be the most human vampire I've ever met, and he's nothing like that."

"You know," Lily felt her mouth go dry almost as soon as she had begun. "after I got home I ran into some blonde woman that works for Eric. She told me that he stayed in Dallas, with Godric."

"Yeah, I heard that too. But I'm sure he's back by now. Fangtasia's his pride and joy, after all."

Yes, she had heard something about Eric and his business in fleeting talk amongst those who wanted to learn more about Godric's progeny. But what Sookie had said was stuck inside her head. Maybe Eric was heartless, maybe that was how he had been raised up to be. Caring only for those who had spent centuries by his side. But the people who are seen as heartless are usually the ones that in another life cared too much.

Glancing down, it took her by surprise to find that she had cleared her plate. It sat in her stomach and filled her with warmth, made her head clearer. She was losing track of time, losing sight of why she had come in the first place. She couldn't squander away time sitting at Sookie's kitchen table, playing house. She couldn't afford to let herself be so distracted. She looked over to where she had set down her bag and imagined the screen on her phone, the unread messages and missed calls. However, once she noticed it, it began burning a hole in the side of her head with everything that she didn't yet know. Sookie cleared the table and brought the dishes to the sink, while she excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Finally finding privacy she took the chance to pull on the clean shirt she had brought with her, smoothing down flyaway pieces of her hair in the mirror. Her phone was in her hand, reluctant to read it. There were only two messages. Both from her sister.

'Where are you? Come home. Steph freaking out.'

And the second: 'Covered for you, don't worry. You owe me one. Be safe, kid, come home soon. How are those friends in high places working out for you?'

She pressed the plastic edge to her lips and let her eyes close until they stopped burning. This reaction had caught her off guard. She hadn't thought simply hearing from her family would stir up so much in her. Things were far from okay back home. She just hoped her sister could cover for her long enough to convince their guardian.

Let go, she told herself. Just let go. But of course she can't. If she doesn't take control, keep everything together, ensure bills are paid and doors are locked at night, who will? And she knew she could do it. She could control herself, control her words, control other people and their perceptions of her. Surely she can manage one more little aspect.

As she walked back into the kitchen she found a grumbling, gurgling sound coming from somewhere underneath the sink and Sookie on her knees searching for something underneath it. She saw her and explained. "I thought Jason fixed it! The stupid drain's been overflowing all night. Disgusting…" She retrieved a plunger and promptly knew what to do.

But there was something else, some other noise other than the rumble within the drain pipes and Lily was beginning to believe she was the only one who had caught it. She wandered over to the nearby window to peer through the lace curtain. Outside, everything appeared black. But when she squinted and focussed and scanned for lights out of place, she saw a very blurry, very faint, white dots roaming close by through the thick trunks of oak trees at the end of the driveway. And then the lights froze. Headlights, she realised. A polished black car had parked itself right at the end of the driveway to the only house around in miles. It was no coincidence.

Sookie let out a sigh of relief when the water went back down, then took heed of her guest by the window. She saw the look on her face, disjointed and uneasy. "What is it?" she asked, coming to her side to see from her angle.

"Nothing, probably." Lily swallowed to ease the tightness in her throat. "You see that car over there, do you recognise it? One of your neighbours or something?"

Sookie examined it and frowned. "No, no one around here drives a BMW. Unless it's stolen. Or they're from the city trying to sell something. But they wouldn't leave it alone like that."

Not particularly the answer she had been hoping for. It didn't help matters that she was reasonably convinced that was the same car she had seen by the cemetery.

"What, you know them?" Sookie asked, seeing the worry lines underneath her eyes and the serious nature of her expression. A fear she had never known the young girl to carry.

"No, Sookie. I don't know them." She felt a stare burn her. Sookie never said a word but the arising distress of the situation had not gone unnoticed.

Through the threads of white net curtains, visibility was too dark and unclear to trace the car, to notice the door opening, the man vacating it, and the footsteps on the gravel driveway. Inside, the chaos had been contained enough to see the colour of the tiles and the damage done to the walls. Of course, almost everything was broken and had to be thrown away with the rest or bleached clean. Hard to imagine that this time yesterday some strange creature was standing right where she was, in the same space. They spent some time toying with knots on trash bags and buckets of cleaning fluid.

Then emerged a loud rattle of knuckles on the front door.

Lily felt her hands go cold. Sookie turned to go to answer it but before she could, Lily caught her by the arm and Sookie glanced to her immediately with a blank look on her face. She tapped her finger against her lips to urge her to stay silent, which she did, nodding her head slightly so that her blonde ponytail bounced.

Another persistent knock.

She said to Sookie barely above a whisper, "Don't let them know I'm here." She was sure her eyes were pleading because Sookie's had taken on a sheen of hardness. She nodded, and slowly stepped in front of the door. Lily had moved to a point along the far wall and a tall cabinet where she would not be seen by someone at the door or someone roaming about inspecting the windows either. It occurred to her that the back door might be a problem, she only hoped he had come alone.

Sookie answered the door with a tense expression. "May I help you?" she asked a well dressed man. Shirt and tie and cheap jacket that made him look like a detective in a crime drama. He was thick muscled, she could tell even through his shirt. Face worn, bags under his eyes, a half charred cigarette sticking out of his mouth.

He leaned closer towards her, completely unfazed and intentionally intimidating. "Is this the residence of one Sookie Stackhouse?" He placed one hand in the doorframe as if needing to lean against it so that she couldn't close the door. He reached for the cigarette to rest it between his fingers and blew smoke in her direction as she answered.

"Yes. Yes, it is. My brother lives here too, actually. And my boyfriend—" He put up a hand to stop her rambling.

"Unusual name. The kind that sticks in your mind. I bet you're not the type of girl a person easily forgets. I know I've heard it somewhere before, when I was working a job in Dallas not too long ago maybe. Couldn't be coincidence, could it? What do you think?"

She took a few seconds to gather her breath. "I'm sorry, I've never been to Dallas. Was there something you came here for? If you're having car trouble my boyfriend's pretty good with a wrench. Strong, too. He's a vampire."

"Very interesting," he said quickly brushing her words off. "But that's not why I'm here, Sookie. Can I call you Sookie?"

"No."

"Sweetheart, you always offer to fix up strangers cars?"

"My grandmother always said you should help those in need."

"Well, did your grandmother ever tell you this: Thou shall not suffer a witch to live."

She stared, stunned. His mouth split and he laughed. He had a wide smile and perfect teeth, too many teeth, all shiny and white. She spoke startled, "Excuse me…"

"I'm a regular hard working American, Sookie. I go to work just like everybody else, and see the thing is I've got people in my ear telling me that you were in Dallas, and that you were doing things you shouldn't have been doing."

"I haven't done anything wrong. I think you should leave now or else I'm going to have to call the police."

He laughed and the sound that escaped his lips was rough and throaty. "You do that." He took another drag of his cigarette, flicked the ash on her porch before raising his arm to fling the stub through the open door and onto her floor.

"Sookie!" Bill's voice boomed as he appeared by the doorway.

"Bill," she exclaimed as he rushed to her side.

The stranger rolled on the back of his heels, raising a finger towards Bill. "Ah, the vampire boyfriend." He grinned wryly, retreating, stepping back contently. He called out on his way, "You be careful about what you cast now, alright."

Clinging at Bill for support, they watched him until the car could be heard taking off and leaving the way it had come. "Bill, thank god." She snuggled against his chest.

Lily came from the kitchen, watching them and the way he held her. Must be nice, she thought, to have someone that chased away your ghosts and made you forget the horrors of the world. Although he looked more like he wanted to chase him, to make him pay if Sookie had not been clutching him so tight.

"Sookie, I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen."

Bill darted his head, shooting daggers in her directing. He made creases in his skin and kept his jaw loose, reminding her suddenly what he really was.

"What are you doing here," he demanded.

Sookie stepped in. "I asked her to, Bill, she's doing me a favour."

This didn't appear to please him any further. "Whether you asked her to or not, it's clear that her presence here has brought it's own trouble. What did he want? How did he find you here?" His words were less venomous, carefully selected.

Sookie said slowly coming to terms with it. "He thought it was me. He thinks I'm a witch."

"Like I said, I'm sorry." Lily was strongly fighting the urge to beg. "I never thought they'd involve you. Sookie, they'll lose interest once they figure out it's not you they're after. They must have followed me. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

Bill unwrapped himself from Sookie and honed in on her. "Yes, interesting how trouble just seems to follow you. As it did when you joined us in Dallas last minute, stayed in the same hotel, went inside the Fellowship of the Sun."

"Bill!" Sookie exclaimed.

He faced her. "What do we really know about her, Sookie? That Eric Northman recruited her for some godforsaken rescue mission?" After he said that, Sookie began to look at her with a new apprehension in her eyes, like Eric had set them up somehow by placing her in their lives.

"Hey, I was in Dallas for the exact same reason you were. It's not my fault the Fellowship turned on us."

He nodded gently, thoughtfully. "Not indirectly."

She reminded him, "Those people kidnapped your girlfriend."

"And yet they did not take you."

She was not prepared to give him the satisfaction of arguing back that they had taken her, not by force, but by manipulation and subtle coercion. Basking in the glory of this revelation, he stood firm, his long limbs rooted to the ground like nothing could touch him. Ignorant. He, as so many other did too, had already made up his mind. That she could not touch him. Wrong.

"In my day," Bill began. "young women your age would have to meet certain expectations. There were higher standards back then. You would have been married off by now considering you acted as a lady should. And those who did not, women who lied, they were often imprisoned."

"Well, lucky I'm not from your day."

He tilted his head back just enough so that he was looking down on her, arms crossed. "No, you are not," he said.

She scoffed and looked away. "I don't have to take this." She started to walk away, further from him and closer to the door. She heard Sookie say something just before she made it out the door, calling her back. When the glass panes in the door shook after it slammed shut she caught her voice vaguely rebuke Bill for what he had said, maybe later, if she plucked up the courage to explain that it was not Lily who had taken her and planted her inside a silver wire confinement. And it was not her fault that his girlfriend and begged her for help instead of him.

For him, this was like when parents told their children they were putting the dog to sleep. When he told her that she was going peacefully and that it was for the best while he smoothed her hair and kissed the top of her head. And she would be gone, that rabid thing he didn't want anywhere near her, far away where she couldn't touch her.

She thought about where she might go now. She had only barely stepped away and wandering ahead around town alone seemed foolish and rash considering the man that believed Sookie was the witch he was looking for, could be lurking almost anywhere by now. The only other person that she knew in this town—or near it—was Eric. Even if he was still out of town his subordinate

Half trapped in a void of her own bubbling rage, she almost didn't notice the person she walked passed until she saw their head turn to gawk from the corner of her eye. She stopped. Turned around, and examined her. She was just up ahead, dressed in a dusty rose sundress with vines of rosebud patterns on the fabric, drew her brows together and straightened her posture in sudden recognition.

"Hey, I know you," the girl said.

Lily recognised her. Red hair worn loose and shimmering in the dull light, and bright baby blues that even before she was turned must have gathered their own attention. What was her name? Jessica. That was it. She wore her makeup with only the lightest brushes of colour, a gentle sweep of eyeliner, a barely visible stroke of drugstore blush to highlight her cheekbones in a shimmery baby pink. She was a natural beauty. The kind that momentarily made her vision blur with envy just to study her to try to find a flaw.

"It's Jessica, right?"

Eagerly, she nodded, and took a few steps closer. Lily began to recite her own name but Jessica stopped her. She said she remembered. "What are you doing here?" Lily asked her.

"I was with Bill when he felt Sookie's fear. So I followed him here," she explained. "Why are you here?"

"Sookie asked me to come. Why aren't you going inside? Isn't Bill like your father?"

Jessica had a sad smile. "Yeah, I guess he is. It's just, when the two of them get together...I don't really want to hang around for that."

Lily felt her brows tighten. "So he just forgot about you?"

Her expression dropped and turned to stone. "No! He would never. He's just got a lot on his mind right now."

"Like Sookie?" Jessica didn't say anything, stunned slightly. "He's kind of a douche," she added with the flick of a brow. For what felt like an absorbitant amount of time, those summer blue eyes stared at her, sizing her up, until all at one Jessica's features burst into this fit of giggles so uninhibited that it made her cheeks look luminous from smiling.

"Yeah," she gasped. "he is. Fuck. Fucking douche. Fucking...asshole!" The surge of swears tearing past her lips made it seem as though it was not always an option for her. And Lily was glad she was speaking her mind, even more so that it reflected negatively on Bill but still content at Jessica's new found freedom. She knew she liked that girl.

Jessica said, "He was only in a hurry because he didn't want Eric to get here first."

"How well do you know Eric?" she asked, intrigued.

"Enough to know that he's into Sookie. Bill complains about him a lot, he thinks I can't hear."

"You wouldn't know where I could find him, would you?" Lily asked.

"Fangtasia! He's always there. I could take you!"

Going accompanied would certainly be in her better interest, particularly when Jessica was familiar with the town. She seemed eager, too eager. But Lily was starting to get the impression that had more to do with being cooped up inside all night, and in Bill's company, no less. Poor girl.

"You'd really want to?"

Her eyes grew wide and serious. "Yes. I know the way to Shreveport, it's not far."

Taking in her excitement, Lily smiled. "I guess the two of us could stir up a little trouble." She watched something wild and gleeful spread across her features. She had been itching to accomplish something since arriving here, anyway. There was no harm in popping by just to see Eric's bar for herself, and even if he wasn't there, see if the blonde woman who seemed to speak on his behalf would be there too. And, of course, there was a part of her that just wanted to bring Jessica along because it would piss off Bill.

Jessica was by her side now, surprisingly tall. "Lily, I'm not sure I know how to stir up trouble."

"Don't worry, you'll pick it up, it's fun."

Giddy, Jessica told her, "You think they'll let us in without ID? Since we know the owner."

"Jessica, we don't need ID." Slightly amused at the prospect because it hadn't crossed her mind to cause concern in quite some time. "You'll see."

Her smile promised adventure and excitement that, like Lily, Jessica had craved for a long time. It enthralled her and she revelled in it. She called for a taxi using a number Jessica had found on a business card in a bar called Merlottes. It picked them up closer to the middle of town with a grumpy little man in the driver's seat.

For so long she had felt stagnant and stuck, her thoughts sluggish and used up, lifeless and dragging. And finally there was a bubbling excitement, a streak of colour and adventure and new possibilities, and it had all been brought to her by Eric, no less. She hadn't quite figured out how just yet, but she knew she had to find a way to see him.

The side of town that they were dropped off at was something that Lily was much more accustomed to. Busy and bustling, with a queue of leather clad bodies waiting outside the doors. Jessica guided her towards Fangtasia, she seemed glad to do it. But they didn't head for the main doors like everybody else where there was a pale man scanning ID's.

Instead, Jessica brought her around the back, which should have raised alarms, a witch alone with an excitable vampire with barely any control over herself, but she couldn't explain the sense of inexplicable assurance she got when around her. She wouldn't hurt her. At least, she wasn't planning on it. There was a back door that she would have missed if Jessica hadn't pried it open. And on the inside, it was another world.


A/N: Wow, I must apologise for the huge gap between chapters. This year has really been huge for me, but I hope you understand I just got busy. I started college in September and I worked all through the summer, it's just been kind of crazy. I never intended to let this story get so far away from me and I hope it won't happen again. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and let me know if you have any theories about what might happen next? (Ahem, who might we run into in Fangtasia? Hmm.) I'm curious. And just wanted to take the time to thank the lovely people who review every single time, it means so much to have support for this story. Thank you.