-

AFTER CLEANING THE BLOOD from the walls, ceiling, and floor. Alexandra let Bill take Tina out back to bury her. Sookie had been upstairs, Alex set her up with a hot bath and a cup of warm tea. Bill was in and out very quickly, making Alex jump when she saw him enter the kitchen quietly.

"Jesus." She muttered, grabbing a beer from the fridge. Bill cringed slightly, giving her a sincere smile. He pulled a chair from the kitchen table and took a seat. Alex took the liberty of grabbing him a Tru Blood, nuking it for around a minute or so.

"It's okay to be scared, Alexandra. Sookie is, almost everyone in town is being kept on their toes." Bill nodded a thank you to the blonde who was wrapped up in one of her many sweaters. She looked down at her thighs, playing with the frayed hole in her leggings.

Alex shrugged slightly, "I'm just pissed off, Bill. It's like, no one wants to find who did it. Andy and Sheriff Dearborne are just wantin' to blame Jason and Eric is just being an ass. You're probably the only help me and Sookie have right now. I appreciate that."

Bill quirked his lips up at her quip at Eric. "Eric Northman is always an ass." A genuine smile crossed over Alex's face and she chuckled. Bill joined in on her laughter soon, but only because hers was so contagious.

"What on earth are you laughing at?" He questioned in between his chuckles. Alex took in a deep breath, fanning her face to control the tears coming from her eyes.

"You said ass. You should say bad words more often. We haven't really gotten a chance to hang out, y'know?" Alex gave him a small smile and he nodded. After the laughter had ceased, Bill's small smile turned into a frown.

"Alexandra, I wanted to speak with you about what I saw tonight." His words pounded in her head and Alex immediately knew what he was talking about. "I don't know exactly what I saw - a light coming from your palm?"

Eric's words were echoing in her head, it's bad enough Bill Compton knows. He didn't know the full truth and Alex wasn't sure if he needed to. At that time, Alex wished that Eric was there to sway the conversation away from her abilities.

Alex blinked and for a few seconds she was outside, and Eric was knocking on the door. Suddenly she was back at the table sitting in front of Bill. "I think Eric is here-" She was cut off by a knock at the door. She stood up with her beer in hand, as did Bill. She let her free hand tangle through her damp hair and made her way to the front door, Bill hot on her tracks.

She peaked through the curtains to see Eric standing there in all his glory. Alex could practically hear the roll of Bill's eyes from behind her, meaning he was obviously frustrated Eric had interrupted their conversation.

The older Stackhouse opened the door slowly, her eyebrows raised slightly. "Eric, what's up?" She opened the door all the way, revealing Bill behind her.

"I sensed you were panicked earlier, it passed quickly. I just wanted to check up on you to see if I could be as of assistance." Eric leaned against the doorway, his leather jacket sticking to the chipped white paint.

Before Alexandra could open her mouth, Bill stepped in front of her. "You gave her your blood?" His fangs popped out, and he sounded disgusted, repulsed by the thought of Eric and Alexandra sharing something that important together.

Something about Bill's outburst rubbed Alex the wrong way. He was so protective over her, more protective than he should've been to his girlfriend's sister.

"Bill!" Alex glared at him, while Eric just continued his dull stare with his signature smirk. "You should probably go check on Sookie." Bill hesitated but gave her a nod and retracted his fangs.

"Eric, come on in." Alexandra waved her hand, and he walked through the threshold, craning his neck to look at the ceiling. He sniffed the air and frowned, looking to Alex for an explanation for the bleach smell. "The killer broke in and murdered Sookie's cat. Hell of a night we've had." She plopped down on the couch, patting the seat next to her.

Eric accepted her invitation to sit down, but instead it was on the coffee table in front of her. He propped his arms on his knees and gave her a blank expression. His eyes, however, were almost enraged. The thought of the murderer being there and no scent except for the overpowering smell of bleach.

"You're not safe." He nodded, pushing a chunk of his blonde hair behind his ear. Alex took a swig of the dark brew and mimicked him, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I wasn't safe, but I feel safe when I'm with you. I feel safe right now." She shrugged, scratching the back of her neck. "I don't want to talk about it, really." Her voice was filled with an unknown emotion, Eric nodded slowly.

Alexandra let her eyes roam down Eric, it was crazy to her how he seemed so out of place with her grandmother's decor. The light colored wallpaper clashed with his all black clothing.

The peaceful silence gave Alex time to think about her options. She could've invited him up to her room, she could've jumped on him right then and there. Before she could make up her mind he raised to his feet, and held out his hand.

She locked eyes with him and grabbed his cold hand, which sent chills up her arm. "Well, Alexandra, it seems as though I need to go meet my new business partner, Chow. I'll be seeing you soon." His lips caressed her knuckles and he was gone in seconds.

Alex let out a frustrated sigh and scrunched her nose up, "Chow?" 

-

Alex fiddled with the plastic tip of her blue ink pen, giving a fake grin to a group of high schoolers who were taking forever to decide on their order.

"Guys, this is a bar and grill. You're too young to order a drink, so get a damn cheeseburger and call it a night, m'kay?" Alexandra sucked her teeth, watching their innocent smiles turn to furrowed eyebrows and frowns. Suddenly, they grabbed their bags and pushed passed the blonde.

"We are so out of here. Good luck getting any tips tonight bitch." A boy called out from the door, he swung it open, making Alexandra flare her nostrils in frustration.

"Fucking kids." She muttered under her breath, not even bothering to notice the looks customers were giving her. Alexandra looked around the bar, shaking her head.

She had a very eventful day, if you count her and Hoyt sitting at the bar and playing pool before her shift. The night, on the other hand, was actually busy. Arlene has been no help, considering she was flashing her fancy new engagement ring and getting large tips from everyone she waited on. Alexandra was so happy for her best friend, but he didn't know what he was getting himself into.

Alex trotted up to the bar, leaning against the oak countertop and stealing a shot of whatever the hell was in the glass that Tara had poured. Her taste buds almost fell off when she downed the gasoline like liquid. She was getting ready to open her mouth in disgust, when the bell on the door let out a chime.

Alex was about to hop up and get a table ready but she froze whenever she saw Bill who was accompanied by Eric, Pam, and who she assumed was Chow, Longshadow's replacement. He was definitely no Longshadow. But then again, Longshadow did try to kill her.

It was truly unsettling to see them all at her place of work. Of course, Alexandra didn't know why she felt that way, and she knew Eric felt it too. His eyebrow twitched up when he locked eyes with her, and a smirk played at his lips. She slowly walked from beside the bar, right up to them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Alex gave them a tight lipped smile. Pam gave a small chuckle and Eric let his hand raise to push a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Just thought we would check out the competition." He sent her a wink and stepped over to let his eyes roam over the crowd. Alexandra folded her arms and made her way over to Amy, who was almost frozen in fear at the bar.

"It's okay, they are, well - moderately nice. They aren't gonna hurt you." Alex gave her a small smile and she slowly nodded.

"Have any of you ever heard of the vampire bar in Shreveport? Fangtasia?" Eric's voice boomed over the country music that was playing and everyone turned to him. "We accept all kinds, humans and vampires. It's quite fun, to say the least. We even have someone here with some personal experiences." His eyes slivered over to Alexandra. Almost everyone's eyes landed on the blonde waitress and she gave an awkward smile and looked down at her feet. She could feel Tara's eyes staring at a hole in her head and she slid behind the bar, grabbing whiskey and two shot glasses.

"We're gonna need this." She mumbled to Tara who shot her head back, swallowing the drink in an instant. Alex followed her lead, her eyes not leaving Eric's.

Eric reached into his back pocket, pulling out cards and showing them off to all the customers. "I am the owner of said bar, and we would like to see some new faces around." Eric and Pam passed out the cards, everyone took one, probably out of fear.

"So simply present this card at the door when you get to Fangtasia and the first round is on me." Eric laid a hand on his chest, giving the crowd a smirk. Alex crossed her arms and glanced up at the clock above the bar. She pursed her lips, she only had one hour left on her shift and she was hoping her and Eric would have a few words after.

"Thursdays are ladies nights, so be sure to bring a date." Pam hummed, going over to the table of rednecks, Royce Williams and a few of his buddies were bandaged up. It was no doubt that they were the ones to burn down the old McClaren house. "That is, if you can get one." She smirked, getting ready to hand one to the man in the cast before Eric stopped her.

"Not him, he doesn't get one." He held a finger up, glaring at the man. Alex chewed on her bottom lip, looking between Pam and Eric.

"What gives, bro?" He scoffed, wrinkling his face up at the long haired vampire. Eric was quick to dash over, only a few inches from the boy's face. Alex's eyes widened and she stumbled from behind the bar, slowly creeping over behind Eric, placing a soft hand on his back.

"What'd you do to your arm there, bro?" Eric raised his eyebrows, grinning at the redneck who looked like he soiled his pants. Eric stood up straight, shooting a saucy smile at Alex who hadn't stopped holding her breath.

Bill stepped out into the main room, a frown on his face. Sookie followed in behind him, along with the other vampire. Eric perked up, "I take it your business is done here?"

"I came to talk to Sookie." Bill almost pleaded, Alex narrowed her eyes, wondering why he would almost beg to talk to his own girlfriend.

"I'll give you three minutes. We have a tribunal to get to." Eric rolled his eyes, watching as Sookie and Bill walked outside. Eric's hand trailed to the small of Alex's back and he led her to the door, but before they walked out, he stopped and turned slightly. "Oh before I go, a word of advice: we know when a human has wronged us. We can smell it. So do not make the mistake of letting the pretty vampire lady on television make you feel too comfortable. We may not have retaliated, yet, but we know who you are. Have a nice night."

-

Alex kicked the dirt and stared up at Eric, "So you're gonna be gone for how long?" She knew that Eric had heard the disappointment in her voice, but she wasn't really bothered by it. Their nightly visits had become the thing she was looking forward to every day.

"I'm not sure. However long it takes to get this sorted. I know you will miss me deeply." Eric gave her a smug smile, towering over her small frame. She rolled her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek. A million things were running through her mind. Eric wouldn't be there to stop anything from happening if she had another run in with the killer.

"So, I'll have no one here to protect me at night?" The corner of her mouth twitched into a frown and Eric pulled her aside, away from Pam and Chow. Of course, Alex had Hoyt or Sam during the day, but at night they left and Eric was there, or she would just stay at the bar and go home when Merlotte's closed. He let his eyes roam over her frown and he sighed.

"If you're in danger, I will feel it." Eric said, watching as she looked down at her shoes. He lifted his hand and placed it under her chin, slowly raising her head up. "Plus we both know what you can do. Even if you think you can't, you have to try." Alex pursed her lips, forgetting that she told Eric all about what happened with the light shooting from her hands, and him seeing it firsthand the other night.

"I don't know how to do it on command, Eric. It just happened." She shrugged, Eric looked over his shoulder and spat a warning to Bill, signaling they would have to go soon.

"Just try. It would be a big loss to all of us if you get yourself killed." He hummed the familiar sentence he had said before and Pam looked back and nodded in agreement. Alex stumbled closer and leaned her head against his chest. His scent of mint and leather encased her and she nuzzled into his thin black T-shirt. Eric snapped another warning to Bill who ignored it completely.

"Make sure Bill is safe. Sookie loves him." She mumbled, watching the two kiss from the corner of her eye. Pam looked disgusted and Alex gave a little smile. She looked up at Eric, who she had undoubtedly became attached to. She shook her head, almost scolding herself for being so close to him. "Just, be careful. It'd be a big loss if any of you got yourselves killed too. Well, except for Chow." Eric chuckled and let his eyes go down to his new partner, who just rolled his eyes.

"If I was human, I'd have chills right about now." She commented, glaring at Bill and Sookie who were still going at it.

Eric snorted, "Not me. Bill! Now." He barked and Alex pulled away from him but he grabbed her hand tightly, pulling it up to his lips. They glided over her knuckles and landed on the top of her hand, quickly but oh-so-pleasingly. After a blink, they were gone.

Alex looked over her shoulder to see Sookie, tears streaming down her face. Tara's arms were wrapped around her but it still didn't seem to help the heart break.

-

"It seems kind of weird for me to sleep at Bill's house, y'know? Even though I did fall asleep that one time, but not like in a bed. I think I'm just gonna sleep downstairs on the couch, Sook." Alex scrunched her nose up at the master bedroom. After their shift at Merlotte's, Sookie and Alex hightailed it all the way back home and across the cemetery to Bill's house. Not by Alex's choice, though. Sookie was too freaked out to go anywhere else.

"Alex, it's safer if we stay together." Sookie argued. Alex could tell she was scared and she shared a look with the dog that had mysteriously shown up at the vampire's house. She had seen him before, around Merlotte's and a few times at Sookie's house. Sookie had named him Dean, but Alex wasn't completely set on the name.

"You have Dean up here, and I have my pistol. If anyone comes in the front door: pow motherfucker! Say hello to my little friend!" Alex held up her fingers in the style of two pistols, fake shooting at Sookie and Dean. He whined slightly and laid down, in an attempt to play dead.

"I think I'm gonna keep him. He's fuckin' awesome." Alex ruffled his fur and turned to Sookie, placing steady hands on her shoulders. "It's gonna be fine, Sookie." Alex kissed her forehead and hugged her slightly. She turned and closed the door, going down the stairs.

Alex clicked her tongue as she walked through the downstairs, going to the kitchen. She was surprised to see that he had a well stocked refrigerator. Besides two shelves of Tru Blood, he had water and sodas. As well as a 6 pack of beer with a sticky note scratched on it. Alexandra pulled the pack out and saw her name scribbled on the sticky note. She grinned, Bill was too nice to her sometimes.

She was also surprised to see popcorn sitting on top of the microwave. Alex narrowed her eyes, she had no reason to believe it was Sookie's, so she cracked it open and popped it in the microwave.

As she heard the popping in the background, Alex looked around. She wondered if Eric's house would be big and grand. And if he would keep the fridge stocked with her favorite sodas, and the cabinets stocked with her favorite food.

Three beeps rang out in the quiet house, making Alex jump slightly. She grabbed her bag of popcorn, and her 6 pack of beer and headed to the living room. After her last sleepover, Alex had mentioned to Bill he should definitely invest in a TV. And after seeing the large screen infront of the couch, he did just that. So Alex settled back onto the couch, propping her feet up on the coffee table as she scrolled through the boring channels.

She finally settled on a news channel, it was one of her favorite events. The American Vampire League against The Fellowship of The Sun. It was so humorous and fun to watch for Alex, she loved the argue along and laugh at their slander.

Sometime about an hour into the debate, Alex had fallen asleep. Her quiet snores were rudely interrupted by screaming upstairs. Alex jumped awake, popcorn spilling everywhere, she reached into her purse, gripping the cool metal handle of the pistol. She quickly darted up the stairs, busting open the door with her foot.

The room was empty, Dean or Sookie were nowhere to be found. The silence was very unsettling as she creeped lightly through the bed room. She held her gun up, walking slowly over to the bathroom. She dropped her gun to her side and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Dean wagging his tail and Sookie slowly opening up the shower curtain.

"Sook, you scared me half to death." Alex blurted out, giving her little sister a slight smile. Her smile dropped completely, and so did her weapon when the dog that was sitting before her morphed into a full grown naked man. The man was Sam fucking Merlotte.

authors note
hey guys! please vote and comment, leave your love, criticism, anything below!

guys if you read these (which i hope you do) i would so appreciate it if you could share this book. i love this story and i would love for more people to read it and give their feedback or any comments! so please help me out!

MERRY (late) CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY (late) HOLIDAYS! i was totally hoping to get this chapter up before Christmas but that obviously didn't happen, so i hope this is okay! this is almost like a filler chapter, and the next one is probably going to be also, just because i'm so excited to get to chapter 21! so, anyway, i really hope you guys like it!

ALSO thank you guys so much for all of the views and comments and votes! it's literally so mind blowing!! i truly appreciate it guys, from the bottom of my heart ❤️

thank you for all of the votes and comments we have gotten so far!

love mack