Okay, I have to admit.. I started this for fun and as a kind of writing exercise... but I'm starting to feel the pressure! haha :) Thanks so much for all the feedback... sorry if you guys hate cliffhangers--- but how else would I end a chapter and have you craving more?
I hope you guys continue to enjoy... i'm kinda going along with the story as it happens too.. so all your questions have been really helpful! Any questions, comments, suggestions feel free to send them my way! :)
In case you forgot.......
"Eric…" Was all I said as the tears started to form in my eyes. His eyes met mine, soft, and I felt it again, that emotion I couldn't quite place earlier in the night. Eric did love me. Well hot damn.
He turned his eyes back to Tony, they went from soft to icy in an instant, "She is mine."
"I am sorry to hear that. You have been a great member of our community, but I cannot let her stay with you." Tony clutched the stake in his hand ready to strike. Eric looked cocky as ever, I had to assume he had some sort of plan, but since his mind was a closed book to me I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was.
I had to stop it, I had to figure something out and I had seconds to do it. I grabbed a bottle of gin from the bar front and smashed it on the edge, glass flying everywhere. I held the broken edge to my neck before saying between gritted teeth, "Stake him and I die with him."
There I stood, in a room filled with vampires... friends, enemies, and Bill. They all stared at me, some anticipating my blood, some worried of what I was thinking, but none of them moved a muscle. Good I got their attention. I looked at Pam and she gave me a little smirk. I must be on the right track.
Finally Tony spoke, he turned his head back to Eric, "Is she always this dramatic?" Eric beamed at me, in a very Eric way, ignoring Tony's question.
"Put down the stake and step away from my Viking." I said slowly, still holding the glass to my throat.
"Alright dear, I'll play." He dropped the stake to his side and took a few steps away from Eric. I wanted to sigh with relief, but we weren't out of this quite yet. "You do realize if you cut your throat we'll just turn you." I was glad he didn't realize with his vampire speed he could probably snatch it from my hand before I even got the chance to cut myself. Stupid vampire.
"And I'll meet the sun." I said matter of factly. I had no intention of becoming a vampire, especially with fat Tony as my maker. I also had no intention of slicing my throat open but he didn't need to know that.
"So, what do you suppose we do?" He was trying to charm me; little did he know I had already resisted the charms of one Eric Northman for so long that I was no longer susceptible.
"I think you should leave." I tried to keep my voice as confident as possible. He laughed at me, I knew it wasn't going to be that easy, but I had to try.
"My dear, you're coming with us. Whether Northman meets his final death or not is now in your hands." He smiled at me. I wanted to slap the smile off his face.
"How long do you need me to work for you?" I took a deep breath and hoped he said one evening. I wasn't so lucky.
"Indefinitely." Tony's grin grew when I flinched at his answer.
"You know other vampires hire me, you just have to work it out with Eric and we can come swooping in." I tried to reason with him. Yes, I was completely reasonable. A twenty-something telepathic part-fae barmaid, vampire wife in the middle of a closed vampire themed bar with a broken bottle to her neck trying to save the husband she never asked for. This all seemed completely reasonable.
"I don't want to hire you, sweetheart, I plan to own you." He took a step closer to Eric, still clutching the stake in his hand, my time was running out.
"I'm under the protection of the King!" I yelled remembering the fact that Felipe owed me for saving his ass. I smiled proudly thinking I had finally thought of something to stop them.
"How do you think we heard about you?" my smile faded and he was getting closer to Eric.
"What are you talking about?" I couldn't believe the king would sell me out, I was a very important asset, or maybe just Eric thought so. Did I just refer to myself as an asset? Ug. Regardless Tony stopped his creep towards Eric to answer me.
"We're tired of hearing him bragging about his favorite toy. When we couldn't find one of our own, we decided to take his." He started to walk to Eric again.
"Well, you can't own me, I'm a person not a Toyota, but perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement." I swallowed hard, hoping, praying, that someone would do something. I realized quickly, it was all up to me at this point. Tony stopped mid-step and changed direction. He walked towards me and I took a step back.
"I'm listening." He stopped a few feet away from me, hitting his empty hand with the stake he held onto. I'm sure he didn't want me to forget what power he had over me at that moment.
"What if I just come with you? What if I walk away from Eric and go with you?" I said it calmly, but my insides were sobbing. The idea of going away from my home what heartbreaking, but the idea of leaving Eric was emotionally devastating. I thought my heart was going to implode with just the mention of leaving him behind.
"Sookie!" Eric growled from his personal chair prison. I ignored him.
"You would do that? Just come with us, willingly?" He was definitely intrigued.
"If you let them live," I was referring of course to Eric and Pam, sure they weren't really alive, but he got the point, "I will come with you." I pushed the tears from my eyes and avoided looking in Eric and Pam's direction. Eric was fighting his restraints and the other vampires had moved closer to him in attempt to make him shut up and stop moving.
"Sookie, stop talking!" Eric was shouting.
"Eric, it's her decision, you can't force her to stay." Pam was trying to calm her maker.
"Listen to your child, Viking." Tony shot over his shoulder not taking his eyes from mine. "So, Ms. Stackhouse, if I let your boyfriend here and his child live, you'll come with us?" he needed to clarify once again. I looked at Bill, I needed to see someone I knew and I couldn't bear looking in Eric's direction. Bill stood there, arms crossed, staring intently at Pam and Eric. I figured this would be a good time to read vampire minds. Although I hated the idea of reading a vampires mind after the glimpse's I'd had in the past, I wished to have the ability at the moment.
"Husband…" I corrected Tony's use of the word 'Boyfriend' in regards to Eric. I knew I had very little control over what was going to happen and I wanted every little bit I could.
"I'm sorry, your husband." He corrected himself.
"Is there any other way?" I asked. I knew I was grasping at straws. I knew even if there was another way around this he wouldn't tell me. I glanced at Bill again and he was still staring at Pam and Eric, his face emotionless. I realized that Eric had finally quieted himself and I chanced a look. I wished I hadn't. His head was down and he looked absolutely defeated. It was strange because I could still feel hope through the bond and I couldn't believe he had given up so easily. Pam was staring right back at Bill. I was pulled from my observations when Tony spoke again.
"This would be the best way for you to come, either way, we'll take you. You'll be with us until you die." He said as if we were not discussing my future, my short human life.
I lowered the bottle from my neck, but kept it gripped in my hand. "I'll come, but I have rules."
He looked at me like I sprouted a new head, "Rules?"
"I'll come, but I'm still Eric's bonded. I will not be a slave, you try to turn me into sex and food and I end my life." He seemed to be amused by my conditions, but I continued anyway. "I'll need my own private space and financial support for my services."
"Of course Ms. Stackhouse, is there anything else." You didn't have to be a telepath to know he had no intention of following my rules, but I never thought he would.
"If you send someone to send Eric to final death after I leave with you, I'll know." His eyes were as big as saucers, but only for a split second before he replaced his calm mask. It only confirmed my suspicions that he in fact was planning to kill Eric regardless. "If he dies, my bonded, half of me dies with him. And who knows, perhaps the half that dies will be the half that can read minds." I raised my eyebrow and crossed my arms defiantly. Yeah, I know I was pushing it, but I had to make sure Eric was still alive when I walked away with them.
"I assure you, we have no intention of doing such a thing. I didn't want to do it in the first place and you coming with us willingly will only save me from such a horrible task." He bowed a little when he said it, then he left the stake he had been carrying on the bar top.
I looked to Eric. His head didn't hang any longer, instead his eyes penetrated mine. I almost passed out from the intensity. I had a feeling I wasn't the only one wishing I could read vampire minds. I let the broken bottle drop from my hand, but I barely heard the crash when it hit the floor. Tony was on me a second later, his grubby little hand back on my arm. I pulled my eyes from Eric's with some difficulty and looked at the vampire holding me.
"Are you quite ready, Ms. Stackhouse?" his hand held me tighter. I couldn't speak for once, I could hardly think. All I could do was look back at Eric and nod. "Very well, let's get moving. He started pulling me to the door; his backup was already half outside.
"Wait!" I screeched, digging my heels into the floor as if I could stop him myself. He did stop though. "Aren't you going to let them go?" my eyes were still on Eric and now Pam also, who still had a smirk on her face. I had the oddest feeling that she was proud of me.
"No, my dear, their lives will continue, but I'm not stupid. If I release him I will be finally dead in moments." He was right and I had to admit that was kinda what I had been counting on. "His human staff will release them when they come in." And who knows how far away I'll be by then. I didn't even know where I was going. I started to struggle in his grip. "Don't forget you said you'd come quietly."
"I just want to say goodbye." I turned my eyes back to my captor. He let go of my arm and I walked slowly over to where the chains held Eric.
"No funny business, dear, or I will be forced to change my mind about your boyfriend." he reminded me, but I knew I couldn't get the chains off and it would only cause more problems.
"Husband" Eric and I both corrected him, never taking our eyes off of one another. When I reached him, I cradled his face in my hands and pressed my forehead to his. One or two tears betrayed me and fell down my cheeks. Eric bent his neck to reach out and kiss them from my cheeks.
"Sookie…" He whispered between kisses. I felt the love he was feeling through the bond and I was afraid he was going to say it out loud. Not that I didn't want to hear it, but for him to say it only meant he was giving up and he didn't think he would see me again. This was Eric after all. So I cut him off.
"Shh…I know." I pressed my lips to his and just in case this was really the last time I would feel his lips on mine I tried to memorize it. When I finally pulled away barely able to breathe, I kept my lips almost on his and breathed into his mouth, "Find me." Without another look I turned my back and headed for Tony.
When we were almost out of the club Tony stopped, remembering Bill, "You better come along Bill. I don't want you feeling generous and taking off their restraints. We'll send you home in a couple of days. That is if you want to return, you may want to consider coming to our area, now that you've betrayed your sheriff."
"Of course." Bill said without argument. I could hear Eric struggling behind me, but he already sounded miles away. The last thing I heard before the door shut behind us was Eric shouting my name. My heart broke with the sound of it, but I wouldn't let them see me cry. When we reached the parking lot I saw Tony's thugs waiting beside a big black sedan.
"Well, now that we have Bill here riding along there doesn't appear to be enough room for you." He looked at me. I hoped that meant I didn't have to go, but we all know that is way too good to be true. With the flick of his wrist the trunk popped open. I felt my anxiety start up at that moment. The last time I had been stuck in a trunk I was raped and almost drained by the man standing to my left.
"You're making Bill ride in the trunk?" I smiled my nervous Sookie smile. He shook his head at me, almost laughing at my question. "I'm not riding in the trunk." I put my foot down. With a whistle from Tony one of his thugs came over with what appeared to be a pair of handcuffs. They were on my wrists before I could say another word.
"Behave or we'll make you behave. I don't want to have to mark that pretty little face of yours." Tony's smile disappeared. He placed a hand back on my elbow and started to pull me to the trunk, I fought, uselessly.
When we reached the car Bill was next to me again, he took my free arm and squeezed it gently, "Sookie, get in the trunk." When I met his eyes I could almost see my Bill from before. Then I remembered that my Bill was a lying cheating jerk, but still I knew he would never hurt me, physically at least. So I let them shove me in the trunk.
When the trunk shut I was left in the dark, in more ways than the most obvious. Not only was I locked in the trunk, but now I had no idea which direction we were going or what was being said in the car. So I let it go, I cried like I'd never cried before. I was so lost in my own little world that I hardly noticed that the car had jerked to a stop with a loud crash. My body was thrown forward in the trunk and my head slammed against something hard they had left in there. I felt myself slipping away into oblivion, but not before I heard the trunk lid being torn from the car. Before the black took me over I saw the face of my savior.
Benjamin smiled down at me for the third time that evening, "lover?" And then the darkness took me.
a/n I know another freakin cliffhanger.. I really can't help myself... seriously. :) don't hate me.