As Sookie works the afternoon shift at Merlotte’s, she is stunned when she accidentally reads the thoughts of the cook, Antoine, and discovers that he is a government informant. When he realizes she knows, he begs her to talk to him before she does anything, but Sookie goes directly to Sam. Antoine tells them that he had gotten in trouble with the law over the theft of a car when he was desperate after Katrina and that Agent Weiss came to see him in jail, bringing Agent Lattesta, who offered him a deal. Lattesta already knew that Antoine’s uncle was a Were, and the agent was convinced not only that the shifters would come out, just as the vampires did, but that there were other things out there as well. Not quite certain of Sookie’s nature, Lattesta sent Antoine to Merlotte’s to keep an eye on her. After Lattesta was ordered to leave Sookie alone, he continued to expect Antoine to report the activities of Sam and all the other supes that came into the bar. Antoine tells them he had already decided not to spy anymore and is relieved when Sam believes him and lets him keep his job. When Antoine goes back to the kitchen, Sam and Sookie begin to share their personal troubles, and both agree to go out to dinner again the next night if they don’t hear from their significant others.
Sookie is surprised to see her brother waiting for her on her front porch after work. She calls out a greeting before realizing that the man is actually Dermot. A terrified Sookie wonders if he has finally come to kill her. Dermot tells her not to be afraid and that he only wants to get to know her and Jason better. He claims he had nothing to do with the death of her parents and that Breandan had lied to him and told him that Niall had killed his brother. As they converse, Sookie realizes that her uncle is desperately trying to warn her of something but has somehow been bespelled, so he is confused and crazed. He is able to tell her of another fairy who wishes her ill and that he will be looking over her, and then he vanishes. She calls Jason, letting him know to be especially vigilant.
Going through the past few daily newspapers while her dinner is cooking, Sookie realizes that there is still a great deal of tension about the shifters. She also reads about two especially brutal gang killings in Shreveport. She receives a message from Alcide with the time and date of the pack meeting and calls Jason again to give him the information. Finally giving in to the desire to contact Eric, from whom she has not heard a word in several days, she telephones him about the upcoming pack meeting, and he asks her to come see him.
Arriving at Fangtasia, Sookie is shocked by how few customers are in the vampire bar. She finds Eric sitting with Alexei and Appius. Alexei begins to speak of his human family, taking Sookie’s hand and showing her his memories of all that was done to him and his family in order to justify his current sense of entitlement and desire to be allowed to go his own way. Sickened, Sookie tells him he still has a responsibility to live the right way. Pam interrupts them with the unwelcome news that the new area BVA representative has arrived in the bar, and Eric asks Appius and Alexei to go to his office so that he can greet her. Although it is obvious that Eric’s business is down, the rep is pleasant and too polite to comment.
Once they are alone, Eric tells Sookie that Alexei is insane and that Appius has brought him to Eric in the hopes that he could help the boy. Alexei escaped somehow from their supervision and is responsible for the two supposedly gang-related deaths. Sookie is not happy that Eric is only concerned about the interests of vampires, especially his own, and is ignoring the deaths of the two young men. As they part, Eric wearily reiterates his love for her and promises to come to her house the night after her meeting with Alcide. As Sookie walks to her car, she is joined by Pam, who tells her that Alexei will ruin Eric if he stays much longer. Sookie warns Pam to let Appius handle the situation because Eric will have to let him kill her if she takes out Alexei. Pam is touched that Sookie cares and calls her a friend.
Sookie returns home exhausted and is ready to go to bed when the doorbell rings. She doesn’t recognize the vampire female on her doorstep but, curious, opens the door, knowing the vampire can’t enter the house without an invitation. When Sookie’s unexpected visitor identifies herself as Judith Vardamon, Sookie invites her in, much to the vampire’s surprise. As they talk, Judith tells Sookie the story of Lorena and her maker, Solomon Brunswick, and about how she changed Bill because she’d fallen in love with him after seeing him through the window of his home with his family. Bill hated her and was miserable with her, but Lorena remained obsessed with him. After thirty years together, Lorena tried to make him happier by turning Judith because she resembled his wife. Lorena believed that if Bill had a companion, he would be content to stay with her. When Judith confesses her fear of Lorena, Sookie tells her of Lorena’s final death. An overjoyed Judith demands to know where to find Bill and delightedly exclaims that they are finally free to be together without Lorena’s influence. As she hurries away to find Bill, a stunned Sookie tries to come to terms with her mixed feelings and ponders the fact that she will grow old while the vampires will go on living.
SUNDAY, APRIL 30. Sookie finds two envelopes that were shoved under her front door in the night. The first, from Mr. Cataliades, is her inheritance from Claudine. A stunned Sookie finds a check made out to her for $150,000. The second note is from Bill, who tells her that Judith’s blood is already healing him and that she will be staying for a week to catch up on old times. Sookie is again pondering her feelings when Claude joins her on the porch. She tells him of Dermot’s visit and of her suspicion that he has been bespelled. She confronts Claude about whether he knows anything about the other fairies still on this side, but he tells her he doesn’t want to be killed and leaves. Sookie goes to church for comfort, and she is surprised and pleased to see Sam there. She joins her friends Tara and JB for lunch and then spends the afternoon doing laundry. Jason calls, and they decide to ride together to the Shreveport pack meeting the following evening.
MONDAY, MAY 1. Sam is away at a final tax meeting with his accountant when Sookie arrives at work. An anti-shifter protester enters the bar, and Sookie tells Kennedy to call the police and then notify Sam. Sookie and the bartender persuade the protester to leave, but to their dismay, there are about thirty other protesters in the parking lot. Police officers Kevin Pryor and Kenya Jones manage to disperse the crowd without incident, and Sam, having parked elsewhere and come in the back, arrives to thank them for their help. Sookie tries to be helpful by suggesting that Sam arrange to talk to the church the protesters attend, but Sam furiously refuses to have to explain who and what he is.
Sookie stops at the grocery store on her way home from work and is aware of the silence that greets her as she shops, knowing that word of the protest at Merlotte’s has already gotten around town. She is disturbed to realize that some of the townspeople support the pending legislation that would restrict the rights of shifters.
Jason picks up Sookie on time for the drive to Shreveport, and they discuss the various suspects in the killing of Basim on their way to Alcide’s house. Jannalynn greets them at the door and escorts them into the living room, where Annabelle is on her knees all alone in the center of the floor. Jannalynn instructs Sookie to go upstairs to Alcide. She finds him in the study waiting for her, and he bluntly tells her that a pack shaman would be able to determine what had happened to Basim. They haven’t had one in four years; she is the closest they’ve got. By drinking a shaman’s potion, she should be able to discern who was involved and their degree of guilt. When she tells him that a year ago he wouldn’t have asked her to do this, he replies that a year ago she wouldn’t have hesitated. Sookie drinks the potion.