-

WORKING AT MERLOTTE'S HAD never been a challenge for Alex. But, that being said Alex was usually well rested when she worked morning shifts. Being at Fangtasia all night and not being able to sleep a wink really put a damper on her attitude. As soon as Alexandra walked in, almost everyone knew to stay out of her way, not ask questions, and maybe they wouldn't get hurt.

Hell hath no fury like a Stackhouse woman scorned.

"What do y'all want?" Alex impatiently tapped her pen on top of her notepad, glaring at her two friends. She sloppily scribbled down Hoyt and René's order, adding on a pitcher of beer.

"Tired, huh?" René chuckled, his cajun accent slipped through and she gave a tight smile. René had become one of her good friends ever since he moved to Bon Temps years ago. They spent many drunken nights hanging out and playing pool.

"Yeah, I am. I spent all last night at a bar in Shreveport. Not my smartest move." Alex glanced over at Sam, making sure he was busy with a customer when she slid into the booth beside Hoyt.

"That vampire bar, eh?" René casually mentioned and Alex nodded her head, frowning. All the memories came rushing back to her head and she cringed.

"I asked how you were cause I hadn't talked to you but you never answered me. Did something happen?" Hoyt questioned, gulping down his glass of sweet tea.

"Yeah, I dropped my phone in the bar. I'm gonna go get a new one sometime or another." She shrugged and clicked her pen on the table.

"Why didn't you bring me? I could've been like your bodyguard." Hoyt nodded triumphantly, and Alex snorted.

"Hoyt, sweetheart, that bar is not for you. Not for me either, I just wanted to see what all the hype was about." Alex lied. She didn't particularly want to tell them that the handsome owner and beautiful business partner slung her into the wall like a rag doll.

"Well, I'm just glad you got out of there alive, you." René smiled at her, and she nodded again.

"Me too, René." She stood up and wiped her apron off, dropping her order off at the kitchen. She sneakily walked into Sam's office and went over to her cubby. Alex tucked her pen and notepad into her pocket and grabbed a pack of cigarettes that were hidden behind her bottles of Tylenol.

She grabbed a lighter and made her way to the back of the bar, opening the door to the back parking lot. Alex didn't usually smoke cigarettes. Ever since her Grandpa Earl up and left to go get a pack of cigarettes one day and never came back, it kind of haunted her. It was a silly thought, but it happened.

She only had them in case she needed a little stress relief, besides smoking pot.

Alex placed the cancerous stick into her mouth and moved the lighter up. She felt the heat on her face as she watched the end of the cigarette start burning. She took a deep inhale, letting the tobacco smoke roll down into her lungs. She loved that feeling. She felt the nicotine creeping up to her brain and let out the smoke she had been holding in.

Smoking helped some.

-

That night she decided to skip Fangtasia, and it's lovely owner, instead she decided she would clean up the pig stye that had become her house. Living with Jason was great, but both of them combined made their house look like a tornado had ran through it. She got a large trash bag and went to work, picking up old pizza boxes and beer bottles. It was looking pretty decent when Jason came in tossing his eyes onto the counter, completely ignoring his sister who was standing there looking at him with her eyebrows raised.

"We have a key bowl, Jason. Right beside the door. I'm tired of you just throwing your shit around, Mama would roll over in her grave if she seen her house like this." Alex fussed throwing his keys into the key bowl. That seemed to struck a nerve in her twin brother, he slammed the refrigerator door and looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Don't you ever say that again, Goddamnit." Jason pointed a stern finger at her and she scoffed, "I'll say whatever the hell I want. What is with you? Usually you help me around the house, these past few weeks you've been as lazy as ever. You barely ever come home." Alex got down on her hands and knees, scrubbing the layer of dirt off of the kitchen tiles.

"I don't need you to tell me how I've been acting. What the hell were you doing at a fanger bar?" He strolled over to this chair and fell back. Alex stopped scrubbing and stood up, laughing. Of course the moment she mentioned anything about vampires around Hoyt he would have to blab his mouth to Jason.

"So now you get to use my actions as a defense mechanism? You wanna know why I was there? I was looking for a good fucking time!" Alex threw her rag onto the floor and Jason huffed, "You're just plain stupid. Letting a vampire use you like that. If that's what you were doing you're nothing but a fangbanging whore." He spat.

Alex let her eyes wander down to her manicured toes. Everything in her felt like it was crumbling apart as she took those words in. She felt like someone had punched her in her chest, she had to lean back against the counter to support herself. "You're a sorry son of a bitch, Jason." She left her bucket of water and her washrag on the floor. She slid into her flip flops on and grabbed her keys.

Jason sighed, running his hand over his face, "Where are you going?"

"To fuck a vampire." She screamed out of spite, slamming the front door and marching to her car. Alex angrily swiped at her face, not even knowing she had tears rolling down her cheeks. Alex didn't know where to go. She didn't want to go to Adele's because her and Sookie would question her about what happened. She didn't want to go to Hoyt's because she was still pissed at him because she knew he was the one who told Jason.

Not Tara, not Lafayette. Bill? She didn't really know him that well to lay her bullshit on him. Alex just sat there, her hands moved to turn on the car, the cool air blasted through the vehicle, it had been running for maybe 20 minutes before Jason came out.

He got in the passenger seat but Alex stared straight not even wanting to glance at him. He shut the door lightly, his hands moved on onto the dash.

"She's a little dusty." He muttered, wanting to spark a conversation. Jason felt guilty he yelled at his sister like that. Though this wasn't their first fight, it was probably the one that hurt her the most.

"Fuck you." Alex shook her head, crossing her arms. She looked down at her legs, studying the tattoo she had gotten when she turned 18. It was a big piece, and she had to admit it, it had hurt like hell. The seven roses that covered her thigh was meant for one person she loved in her family. Corbett, Michelle, Adele, Earl, Sookie, Jason, and Hoyt.

"I deserve that," Jason nodded his head, "I am sorry, Al. Dawn got me so riled up tonight, we had a fight. I have my anger issues but I know that's not an excuse for what I said. I didn't mean it."

Alex took his words into consideration and looked up. His eyes were red and puffy, he had been crying. Just seeing that made tears well up in her eyes, every time she saw him cry she hated it.

"I know you are, Jase. But I have to tell you I ain't never slept with a vampire. And I don't plan on it. Hoyt never should have told you anything about it anyway. He's gonna get a good screaming in the morning when he wakes up." Alex swatted at her face, wiping the tears away. Jason's eyebrows furrowed, "Hoyt didn't tell me. It was René." Alex looked over at him again and scoffed.

"It's none of René's business either, damn it." She huffed, folding her arms again. Jason chuckled, "I know."

"Come on back in, I'll help you clean." Jason gave her a smile and she obliged, shutting off her car and walking back in. Even though she was still upset with his harsh words, Alex never was one to hold a grudge.

authors note
hey guys! please vote and comment, leave your love, criticism, anything below! it's a pretty short chapter this week! i have just been really busy working so forgive me!

love mack