A Drop of True Blood

Miniseries: Vows of Midnight

Suddenly Robyn found herself not within the comfort of Eric's mind, but she was standing on a street corner, noticing the dark rain clouds that hung over the moon and stars, the smell of freshly fallen rain on the concrete was registering in her mind along with a peculiar sensation of familiarity to the whole scene.

However, as she looked around she knew why everything seemed so familiar. She had been here before. Hundreds of times when she was growing up for this was the small town that she had grown up in. The neon lights of the pawnshop were glowing from across the street, while tanning booth signs flashed brightly displaying their business while other clothes shops or grocery stores were closed for the night while boat bells chimed from the harbor behind her.

But, as she continued to look around, Robyn had to shove her face back towards the looming figures in the distance. Two figures dressed so expensively Robyn's first thought was business men heading towards the local prostitute club that she new to be around the corner, nevertheless she squinted, focusing her eyesight as recognition finally flooded into her features as she understood who it was heading towards her.

A man, who seemed like a different person to her now was heading towards her with his progeny walking right next to him. His long blonde hair was bellowing in the wind behind him, his lean torso clasped in a tight leather jacket that she hardly saw on him anymore, while his tank top poked from between the lapels. Pam however, seemed dressed far more elaborately compared to where she was.

With each step, they grew taller until they walked directly past her as if she was not even there. Her heartbeat began to increase as she followed them, Eric's indelicate voice lifting to her ears as she travelled with them, listening to a conversation she had not heard before.

"I don't understand why you are doing this. Fuck the Queen, you've never cared before. It's one vampire going after a werewolf. Why should we care?" Pamela stated, her emotionless voice stating her point of view as she continued to follow her maker, unaware of him not caring what she had to say.

"I may not care Pamela, but this vampire controls a cult of humans and vampires alike. I am unsure why they want this werewolf woman but when Miss Herveaux is concerned, I must do right by her."

"Herveaux why does that name sound familiar?" Pam stated before realization washed into her features. "The girl? She is the girl that you have monitored since she was a child."

"Do not make me sound like a prowler Pamela, you know that is not the case." Eric responded. Robyn just gapped at him, uncertainty shining over her as she tried to comprehend what Eric and Pam had just spoken to each other. Eric had been following her since she was a child? Why the hell could she not remember? Robyn was pretty sure that she would have imbedded anything to do with Eric into her mind, knowing how he always left a lasting impression on her.

"You have told me very little about her, I don't know what you want me to believe."

"All you need to know, is I have met her many times during her childhood. Nothing more." Eric responded, "Now wait here." Eric ordered as he had finally made it to his destination and pulled open the door to the bar. Robyn frowned when she understood where she was, her confusion still embedded in her mind as she tried to get accustomed to this new information.

She was standing outside O'Connell's; a bar that was owned by a very good friend of hers. Jack had been a werewolf within her pack. They were roughly the same age so the pair of them had been childhood friends. But, like most things in the life of a werewolf Jack was murdered sometime before she became Pack Master, he was a victim of Daniels tyranny.

Standing outside the place that had given her a chance in the music career made her heart fill with so many different emotions and memories she had no idea whether she could move. The sign was written in golden Irish font, the windows blacked out to aid in the lighting that pointed directly towards a stage that was filled with budding artists; People like herself.

Robyn shook herself from her thoughts when she noticed that Eric had moved into the bar a few moments earlier. She smiled to herself as she heaved open the door, the familiar ringing of the bell above the door was heard only by her as she headed down the dark corridor of the bar's entrance before she made her way to the main area of the bar.

Tables and booths were dotted around the room, the large bar stood to the far right of the bar while the stage was the opposite side, sitting on the wall that backed onto the store room and the harbor decking. Robyn was so wrapped up in her environment she almost missed Eric who was hiding in the shadows just next to her.

She lifted her violet eyes to look up at him. He had an expression of nonchalance as he folded his arms across his chest, leaning his tall form on the wall as he surveyed the crowd. Robyn noticed Eric stiffen and suddenly an intense anger and distrust washed over her body, making her believe that she was currently feeling his emotions as she moved her eyes from him and then towards a man who was trying not to be noticed.

Robyn continued to look around, a large smile on her features as everything came washing back to her, her past life that she had lived in this place. But all of a sudden that came to a stop when she noticed what was happening on the stage; precipitously she realised just what memory Eric had chosen for her.

A very young version of herself was sitting on the stage, her long brown fringe was framing her face while the top layer of her hair had been pulled up. Robyn noticing how her cheek was untainted by the scar that littered her skin nowadays. A casual pair of jeans, a star trek t-shirt pressed to her torso underneath a cardigan with elbow patches showed her unique teenage style. As Robyn continued to watch herself playing, she realised she must have only been seventeen as she played her acoustic guitar, the song she was playing 'Unintended' had been recorded and ended up on her first album.

Nevertheless something came over her. A feeling of pure tenderness suddenly engulfed her as she watched. This was a feeling she did not understand but as she once again looked up at Eric, the expression of insouciance vanished from his features, replaced with an image of leisure and untainted devotion and desire. He was watching her playing, enjoying her small performance, almost forgetting he had a job to do as he watched the girl he had always watched and protected.

Suddenly, everything moved in slow motion. Eric's growl vibrated around her as he moved at lightening speed as soon as he registered the lunging of the vampire who had been after her. People were screaming, humans barged into the bar, destroying tables and chairs as Pam shoved her figure into the fray, determined to protect her maker who had bolted towards the stage, shoved his arms around Robyn's waist, pressing her to the floor to prevent her from an injury from the stray bullets.

As Robyn watched she pushed herself through people, shoving herself through the door and onto the decking, the wall disappearing as she watched the interaction between Eric and her younger self. Eric was pretty much lying on top of her as young Robyn had her hands pressed to his chest, shoving with all her might to get him off her. She remembered her anger, her rage against his actions. She remembered hating this man due to his vampirism because at the time she had no idea that they could ever build a relationship. But after a few growls and cries from herself Eric had shoved his hands under her shoulders, flopping her over his shoulders, Robyn noticing how much she fought him as he ran, at vampire speed to one of the boats that was anchored.

Robyn smirked when Eric dropped her onto the boat, moving at lightening speed to get them moving as Robyn watched herself pick herself up from the floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" Young Robyn shouted, her figure flinging towards Eric who was steering the boat like a professional. Robyn watched the conversation, not feeling the boat rocking dangerously like the two in front of her, the dark night hiding the fact the human's were jumping into their own boats in pursuit, determined not to fail their master by bringing her back alive.

"You're welcome" He replied with just as much fury and disdain that was being pointed in his direction, quickly looking over his shoulder to see where the enemy had gotten too before shoving his eyes back towards the furious Robyn.

"You need to take me back!" Her younger self demanded, shouting over the roaring of the engine, Eric's voice and the waves that were crashing against the boat.

"You know maybe I'll do that later!" Eric responded, not reading young Robyn's body language as she lifted one of her hands and landed a heavy right hook to his jaw, sending him stumbling by her strength. She was about to land another blow but Eric responded too quickly by flinging away her attack, rendering her defenseless as he pulled her around so her back was facing him.

Eric tried to get her hands behind her back, to keep her restrained but Robyn remembered how she fought. Robyn watched her younger self fighting against his hold, even when she knew he was a vampire she fought her damned hardest to fight him, to get her own way. Robyn watched as her other self lifted Eric's arm away from her chest, moving out of his grip and behind him, wrapping his own arm behind him.

"You don't know what you've done! I don't need you're help!" She snarled, hearing Eric's own growl as he tried to compose himself, to prevent his anger from washing and taking over his control. She had never fought him like this before, even after all the times he had saved her. But then again, Eric had never made a lasting impression so maybe she couldn't remember. Eric just moved his hand so it was clasped over hers again, shielding her mouth to stop her from talking, his eyes flashing towards the humans in the boat that was gaining on them quickly.

"Normally I would agree." Eric shouted, about to say something else before he heard gunshots and inwardly cursed at how easily distracted he had been. "Get down!" He yelled again as he shoved Robyn's young body down to the base of the boat.

Robyn smirked when she took in the pissed off expression her other self was shooting Eric as he tried to protect her but she knew far to well that when she was that age, she wanted nothing more than to look after herself, and she sure as hell knew how too.

She watched as one of the enemy boats clipped the end of theirs, sending the boats reeling off course, Eric growling and cursing as he tried to correct their position while youthful Robyn stumbled to her feet. He looked behind him while young Robyn grasped hold of the area that housed the wheel, both of them ducking to miss the bullets. Robyn just laughed to herself a little. Why Eric tried to protect himself she never knew, after all it took very little effort for him to heal himself.

Wood started splintering as the bullets connected with their boat. Robyn heard herself grunting a little as she tried to keep herself hidden at the same time as fighting. Robyn watched her younger self grasping hold of a crow bar, lifting it high above her head as Eric shoved the boat in the direction of the airboat that was coming their way. Robyn could see a smile washing over her young features as she shoved the metal into the boat causing them to be flung into the water. Eric just looked over at her younger self as if she had just grown two heads and the younger Robyn just looked at him to try and make a point.

Eric maneuvered the boat again, noticing how another boat came cruising towards them, guns blazing as the pair of them ducked out of the way again. Young Robyn shoved herself to her feet, grasping hold of the edge of the boat as she tried to shove him out of the way.

"Give me the wheel vampire!" She bellowed; trying to grasp it out of his hands to try and get back to the bar and stop the man they both knew the other was after.

"Can you please not call me that?" Eric shouted again, just for them to be cut short when gunfire resounded around them again. Eric maneuvered the boat, young Robyn clinging onto the driving area as water was flung over their enemies, two boats chasing them, Eric showing his expert driving as his reflexes allowed him to get away from them.

"Left!" her younger self instructed, moving with the boat as Eric responded to her command, he forced the boat onwards again, gaining speed as the engine roared to life, propelling over a boat that was torn in half as he tried to make it into open water. He moved around a large boat, water spraying behind them, moving the boat towards the two that were firing towards them, heading on a collision course. "What are you doing?"

"Hold on!" He yelled, noticing how this Robyn actually complied with his order as panic and fear washed into her expression as her grip on the boat seemed to increase as the two boats gained on them. Gun shots rang around them, Eric pointing the nose of their small boat directly in the middle of the other, the sheer speed of the boat caused the airboat to career at of the way, the men falling into the water as Robyn and Eric were jilted from their position.

Robyn watched as her junior took that moment to get to her feet, thinking on her toes as she rushed to the other boat that had been close by, running up the side of the boat before jumping across onto the air boat and into the fray of their enemy. Eric's recovery was too slow for her as she was already on the boat before he even realised what she was doing.

The real Robyn observed with a bemused expression as she took in Eric's own baffled features as he took in how Robyn so easily took care of herself, at seventeen too. Robyn watched as her younger self landed on the boat, one of her hands reaching out to the man who was trying to load his gun, she pulled him closer towards her, lifting her right hand and shoved a punch across his features, sending him stumbling and over the edge of the boat. The other man headed towards her but Robyn managed to detain him, lifting her leg, again kicking him into the water as Eric jumped into the boat, clinging onto the last guy's shirt and propelling him from the boat as he looked towards young Robyn who could only glare at him.

"As I said vampire, I don't need you help." Junior Robyn voiced as she looked over at Eric, her chest heaving due to the physicality of their fight. Eric just glared at her.

"I told you, don't call me that."

"You don't have a choice." Young Robyn resounded before she smiled at him cheekily and dived into the water below her. Eric cursed as he bolted to the side of the boat, his emotions getting the better of him as he watched her body breaking the surface of the water, waving at him before she began to swim back to shore.