A/N: Hello everyone, this is rko-luver, co-author of this story. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up, Setsuna has been having technical difficulties. Chapter 3 is already well under way and should be up in a few days. The more you review the faster it will go up!

EPOV

I felt it. I felt it the moment that she lost consciousness, and knew that something had frightened her. I also, knew that there was nothing I could do to help her. I could go out in to the sunlight to try to save her, but finding her in the sun without her being close was almost impossible. I would get no where, as she was too far away, and I was stuck underground, with guards, and the knowledge that Bill was probably off rescuing her right now.

God, the irony. The deep understanding that he hurt her, and used her, and every other thing under the sun, yet he will be the one to save her, and I'll go back to being the one who was never there for her, and was the one unable to save her.

So I laid in my cage. I laid in my cage, and plotted... and waited for my moment.

SPOV

I was dreaming, seeing things that couldn't be real. I saw Eric, swimming in the sunlight, killing all the gators. I saw Jason, being chased by various weres. All of these images, familiar, yet foreign. They swam around in my head, blurring into each other. I did not wake up until someone threw a cold bucket of water onto me, and I coughed and sputtered. I reached to wipe the water from my face, only to find that I could not move my hands. They were stretched out at my sides, and it felt as if they were tied. When I opened my eyes the room in front of me was blurry and I was surrounded by figures. Slowly my vision and the memory of seeing Marnie came back to me and I jolted to alertness, struggling against my bonds. I turned to see what it was that I was tied with, only to find that there was nothing there. I struggled and yanked but it felt as if my arms were being held in place by iron chains. "A binding spell, a rather simple one actually, I couldn't have you using your power on me."

Marnie stepped forward, a smirk riddling her wrinkled face. I looked all around me, trying to get my bearings. I was in the back room of the Moon Goddess Emporium and surrounded by the other members of Marnie's coven. I felt my stomach sink when I saw that that still included Lafayette, Tara, and Jesus. She must still be holding them hostage. Marnie's lackey giggled behind me and I resisted the urge to blast him. "What the hell do you want lady, let me go!" I yelled, praying that someone would notice I was gone.

Marnie (or maybe Antonia) chuckled. "What I want, child, is to know what you are." I reached into her mind, but soon had to pull myself back. There was such a mix of thoughts, there really were two separate minds battling for control, it was dizzying.

"I'm a waitress, I'm just normal now let me go!"

"You will tell us what you are if I have to drag it from your corpse," she stepped back and began chanting. Around me was a ring of fire and as she chanted it began to shrink, drawing ever closer, the heat burning me inside and out. I screamed in terror and despite myself, I called out for Eric.

EPOV

I felt the pull once again, the pulls of the sun finally dissipating enough that I could get up. I shot towards the door prepared to find her, her urgency echoing through my body, only to be met with silver bars in front of the door.

"Did you really think I was going to let you go that easily?" I heard from a little distance. Bill stood, hands in his pockets, staring at me with the most menacing look. God, I could only hope that you would.

"You're wasting your time on a petty fight, while Sookie is in danger? Losing your touch, Bill?" I asked snottily, knowing the statement would provoke a response.

"Goodbye, Eric," I heard him call, as the front door opened and shut. Are you fucking kidding me?

SPOV

The fire got two feet from my skin, making it burn and blister before Marnie finally waved a hand and made it disappear. She chuckled as I cried, trying to catch my breath as the pain washed over me in waves. I head Lafayette yelling from behind me, he was yelling at Marnie. "What the fuck lady? Are you crazy? She didn't do shit to you!" Marnie looked up, I assumed at Lafayette. With a narrowing of her brow I heard a loud crash and a small yelp of pain. Tara screamed and a group of people was running over to one of the back walls. I wanted to run and look but I couldn't even look over my shoulder.

"I will not tolerate insubordination. You are with us, or against us."

I heard shuffling and then Tara's voice, she was pissed. "Look, We ain't with you, now let us go! Lafayette needs a doctor, so does Sookie! Marnie, we're here to fight the vampires, not hurt humans!"

"She is a traitor to her kind, a fornicator. She has made herself part of the enemy, as do any of you who stand against us."

Tara was silent, and from what I could hear swimming in her head, Lafayette was badly hurt. Jesus was next to him, trying to stop bleeding from a cut on his head. Tara began thinking at me, loudly, making my already aching head pound. Sookie, Sookie can you hear me? Marnie's lost it, I'm so sorry Sook, I didn't know she was gonna do this. Look Jesus says he might have a plan to stop her, but he's gonna need time, just hold on Sook!

I turned my head slightly in what I thought was her direction and made a small nod of my head, not wanting to attract attention. Jesus stepped forward his hands outward in a placating gesture, as if approaching a wild animal. "Marnie, Lafayette needs some medical attention, can I take him into the bathroom and make sure he's okay?"

Marnie seemed to deliberate before giving a slight nod and Jesus' thoughts screamed with relief. At moments like this I wished I knew Spanish so I would know what the hell he was thinking. Marnie turned her attention back to me.

"I will ask you again. What are you?"

With the best glare I could manage I moved my head up to look at her, "I'm. A. Waitress."

Marnie's face hardened, and she stepped forward. She reached a hand back towards the long-haired lackey. "Roy, can you hand me that bag."

Roy nodded and ran to grab a small black bag, handing it over to Marnie. From the bag she pulled a roll of duct tape. Without a word she pulled a long strip from the roll and began walking towards me. I didn't know what she was planning, but I was terrified. She placed the strip of duct tape around my neck,pushing it down so it stuck. I gritted my teeth against the pain as she pushed on my fresh burns and blisters. With a twisted smile she slid a finger nail under the corner of the duct tape. "One last time. What are you?"

I shook my head, and she ripped, taking most of the destroyed skin of my neck with her. My nerves screamed with pain as the cold air hit my raw flesh. As she placed the second one I began to whimper. This strip was across my eyes and as she ripped the skin from my eyelids I screamed out, "ERIC!"

EPOV

The feelings of pain and terror ripped through my prison. There was only one explanation. Sookie. I had to get out of there. Using my vampire speed I got to the door and threw it open in milliseconds. Cursing in old Swedish I looked at the silver bars, a quick intake of breath informing me that there were guards. Two of them. Vampires. Only two? Really Bill, I thought you were smarter than that. There was only going to be one way to do this, and it was going to hurt. I placed my hands on two of the parallel bars and pulled. I tried to grit my teeth through the searing pain that came with touching silver.

Ignoring the commands of the guards to stop I used all of my vampire strength. My skin melted, nearly fusing the muscles of my hands to the silver bars. If I didn't do this fast enough the silver would melt through the muscle and I would no longer be able to separate the bars. With a last surge of strength I growled and pried the bars far enough apart for me to be able to get out. The gunshots started. They had to be silver bullets, Bill would risk wooden ones, he wouldn't want to replace another sheriff. I ripped the metal door from its hinges, holding it in front of me like a shield, and I counted. They were handguns, and therefore had a limited amount of ammo in the clip. When they ran out of bullets and were forced to reload, I took my chance. Pulling the door through the bars behind me and wielding it as a bat I smashed it into the face of the nearest guard. The other guard lunged at my back, and I used him momentum and threw him into the other guard. This would not disorient them for long, but I didn't need more than seconds.

Pushing myself to my top speed I rocketed up the stairs and out of the house. I'm coming, Sookie. I promise I'm coming. Just hold on. Another searing wave of pain hit me and I threw myself to the air. "Sookie!"

SPOV

I couldn't bear to open my eyes, the feeling of my raw nerves scraping together was too much. I also could not drop my chin to my chest, the act crushing the raw skin of my neck. I used the last dregs of my strength to hold my head up. Marnie placed another strip of tape and I whimpered, trying to steel myself for the pain. As she ripped a patch of skin from my stomach I screamed.I couldn't break, I wouldn't. I just had to hold on. I felt something approaching, something very angry, but I was not afraid. Marnie didn't seem to sense it, too absorbed in her frustration. Before placing another strip to strip me of my blistered skin she slapped me across the face and I let out a near silent scream, my throat raw. The force of her hand on my destroyed skin was like a thousand stinging bees, even on the part of my face that did still have skin.

Roy said something to Marnie and she turned away. I was swimming in and out of consciousness, and could not decipher the words. Marnie seemed amused, handed something to Marnie, and I was terrified to know what it was. I hissed in pain as tears escaped from my eyes, the salt of them feeling like a trail of razor blades. Marnie stepped back to me, and my vision was swimming, she was holding something. She spoke to me, but I couldn't understand. My mind seemed to be struggling to remember even to breathe. I felt someone grab my arm and I tensed, crying out in pain. Suddenly something sharp and hot was shoved into my shoulder. Letting out another breathy scream I tried to move the weight of my body from that arm, but the way in which I was tied made that impossible. I could feel things in my shoulder separating, tearing from the stress. I couldn't take it anymore, and dropped finally into unconsciousness.

EPOV

I stood outside of the shop that I knew Sookie was in, as a sense of an uneasy peace came over me. For a second, I was unable to feel anything but the emptiness, searching in my mind for the light buzzing that told me that Sookie was alive. I found it, letting out a sigh of relief, as the thought that she was unconscious passed in my mind. Good. She didn't need to see this.

I walked up to the door, her energy flowing around the area, sending chills down my spine. An irrational fear filled me as I got closer, a sense of dread I hadn't felt in years swallowing me whole. I stopped, staring at the shop I knew I should have been heading towards, but years of instinct honed in on the fact that something was not right.

I waited, patiently, letting my mind play catch up with my instinct, acknowledging the risk of getting closer, while asking why I didn't want to. I got my response in the simple urge to throw a rock. I walked over to the sidewalk, picking up one of the many small rocks that laid on the ground. I tossed in my hand for a second, allowing the internal debate to continue before taking the choice out of my head and guts hand, and tossing it toward the store.

I wall lit up about five feet from the store, the rock disintegrating on impact. While I ignored my instinct doing a happy 'in your face' dance with my brain, I leaned against the wall of a nearby shop. Well, fuck me, the bitch got smart.

"How did I know this is where you would be, Eric?" I heard from behind me, as I sighed. God, did the dirty bastard have an 'Eric's almost there, let's go spoil it' app on his phone?

"Possibly because that is where Sookie is Bill," I turned to look at the man, taking in his rugged appearance. Seems I'm not the only one with issues around here. "Did you deduce that on your own, or was it a mere guess?"

"Your sarcasm is the reason Sookie will never be with you," Bill snarled, as I smirked. Yup, hit a nerve again.

"Your ability to get her in the worst situations is what will keep her from coming back," I smiled, knowing that I was unnerving him. "She wouldn't be in this situation if you hadn't-"

"Are we really going to get in to this argument with Sookie in there being harmed!" I sighed, knowing he was right.

"You go right ahead and try barging in there," I stated simply, slightly wondering if the man was actually going to try to barge in there. He stared at me, even as I kept my face blank.

"What is it, Eric?" He snapped my name, and I knew the gig was up. Oh, well, an 'A' for trying I guess.

"It seems that Marnie has gotten clever with her crafting. There's a barrier that prevents anything from getting too close to the store,"I leaned back on the wall, again, staring at the store. The silence that I knew was Sookie remained that way, easing my weary conscious. We just have to find a way to get to her.