Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Isobel wasn't sure if she should try to do something. All she could do was watch in horror as Longshadow choked Sookie. It was Bill who sprang into action before anyone else. It was only a matter of seconds before he had shoved a stake through Longshadow's heart. Everyone stared as Longshadow seemed to seize up before there was the imminent explosion. That was when Ginger began to scream bloody murder. Sookie was merely shaking uncontrollably, doused in blood and other body parts. It was Isobel who slid off the bar and went to get Sookie from the table. She ignored the stares being sent her way as she led the blonde towards the ladies room. Sookie was shaking but she didn't seem to be horrified. If Isobel had to guess the poor girl was in shock at what she had just witnessed. It was Isobel who began to run the water in the sink and motioned for Sookie to lean down. Some people would have been revolted but Isobel had seen much worse over the many years. All she did was begin to run her fingers through Sookie's hair in order to wash out the blood. The water in the sink was tinted red, almost pink.
Sookie remained as stiff as board the entire time. Isobel knew that it was probably going to take more than a few minutes for her to snap out of it. She glanced over her shoulder at the door to see if someone else was going to come in. Hopefully someone had enough sense to grab something from the souvenir stand for Sookie to change in. There was no way she was going to go out into the public wearing a dress that was drenched in blood. Isobel shook her head at the very idea of that. Instead of worrying about that she focused on cleaning Sookie up. From the looks of it, it was going to take a lot of time and a lot of patience. Blood was always hard to get out of anything. That was something that Isobel had learned right after she was turned. Isobel continued to run her hands through Sookie's hair, watching as the blood flowed from it.
She slowly pulled her hands back after a few more minutes," Can you stand up for me so I can get a better look at you?"
Sookie finally seemed to be snapping out of her state of shock. She stood up and turned towards Isobel to let her have a better look. The vampire reached to pull off the small chunks of flesh from Sookie where she could see them. After that she motioned for Sookie to lean back down. Ginger was no longer screaming but Isobel had no idea what was going on. She knew that Eric was probably going to take care of everything. She hoped that nothing else was going to go wrong for them. A vampire killing another vampire was going to have to be reported. Unless Eric decided to keep it quiet, which, knowing him he wouldn't. Isobel still had yet to understand what Eric had against Bill. Although if she to guess it had to do with Sookie.
Isobel would have had to have been an idiot to not notice the way that Eric was looking at her. It wasn't unusual for him to express an interest in humans. In fact she knew that Eric had only been sleeping with humans for quite some time. However from the way that he was looking at Sookie she knew that it wasn't about sex. There was something special about Sookie but Isobel couldn't put her finger on it. Everyone was probably trying to figure out what Sookie was. She was human, obviously, but there was so much more to the blonde than that. The door to the bathroom swung open to show a bored looking Pam. To Isobel's relief she was holding a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. That was better than the blood soaked dress that covered Sookie's frame. Pam threw them at Isobel who caught them without even glancing her way. After that it was just Sookie and Isobel standing there.
Sookie's hair was mostly clean from what Isobel could see," Why are you being so nice to me Isobel? No one else here has."
The question threw Isobel for a second. No one really ever questioned her before. Although it sort of made sense when Isobel thought about it. Pam and Eric weren't the easiest people to get along with. Plus they hadn't treated Sookie with respect or anything. They more or less had used her to their advantage. Isobel shrugged before sliding the clothes Sookie's way. She wasn't all that sure how to answer that question. She watched Sookie take the clothing before she disappeared into one of the stalls to change. That left Isobel with a chance to go find out what exactly was going on. She slipped out of the bathrooms to see that Ginger was cleaning up the huge mess.
Eric and Bill were nowhere to be found. Isobel had the feeling that they were in Eric's office. She turned to walk towards the door only to be blocked by Pam. Pam merely shook her head and motioned for her to turn around. Isobel rolled her eyes before whirling back around and walking towards Ginger. She dropped to her knees to begin to pick up the scraps, not caring about the fact that blood was staining her knees or her hands.
"That is not your job," stated Eric who had just walked out of his office.
Isobel didn't bother looking up or saying a word. She knew that he thought it was beneath her to have her do such tasks. In his mind he thought that such tasks were meant for humans. Obviously the two of them had other ideas when it came down to it. She ignored the fact that Eric looked like he wanted to yank her to her feet. He wouldn't dare lay a finger on her considering what had happened the previous night. The two of them had practically been walking on eggshells.
Bill reappeared with Sookie right behind him ," Sookie and I will be leaving now I need to see that she gets home."
No one seemed to acknowledge them. Eric and Pam were talking in hushed tones. From the sounds of it, they were talking in Swedish. Isobel rose to her feet to walk over to the couple. She shook Bill's hand and pulled Sookie into a hug. This seemed to throw Sookie but the blonde hugged her back in return. Isobel watched the two of them go out to their car before she turned back towards Eric.
The look on her face was determined and her eyes were two narrow slits," You're going to report him aren't you? You don't have to do that."
Eric's head slowly turned towards her. The look on his face was somewhere between bored and annoyed. She rolled her eyes before walking towards the bar to grab her things. She waved to Ginger, nodded to Pam and then was out the door. There was no way she was going to stick around to watch Eric report something that could go unnoticed. Instead she was going to go home where she could have some peace. That was what she needed after everything that had gone on in a matter of twenty four hours.
Isobel had barely stepped out of the shower when the door to her bathroom swung open. She didn't even jump since she knew who it was. Eric always let himself in, he always had. She didn't look his way but reached for the pure silk black bathrobe. The feel of the fabric against her skin brought a smile to her face. Eric looked over at her and watched as she tied the belt. It was clear that something was on his mind but he had yet to say it. Although it was only a matter of time before he actually said it. Until he did she wasn't going to bother acknowledging his presence. Instead she busied herself with blow drying her hair and beginning to apply a scarce amount of makeup. It wasn't like she really needed it but she still liked to use it from time to time.
Eric's hand shout out to grasp her wrist," There is to be a tribunal tonight, I expect you to come with us," he held up his finger before she could protest," If I hadn't reported it and it got out some other way then it would be my head on the chopping block along with yours and Pam's."
Of course he would try to justify what he had done to her. He was the bad guy but he didn't want to seem like it to her. The act was an old one and one that drove her crazy. Isobel rolled her eyes and yanked her arm away. She didn't speak but walked towards the closet to find something to wear. Tribunals were one of her least favorite things in the world. The magister gave her the creeps but she also respected him. She didn't see why Eric was insisting that she needed to go with them.
All she did was nod and looked towards his hand that still held her wrist. There was an annoyed expression on her face since she was going to have to get dressed. Finally he released her and she walked towards the master bedroom. It was no surprise when she heard his footsteps behind her. She shed her robe the moment that she had reached the walk in closet. Over the years she had collected quite a large amount of clothes. Some of them she had thrown out but there were others that she couldn't bring herself to part with. It was almost like stepping into a museum of fashion. There were clothes from every single decade spanning from her human years. Some of them had to be moved to storage and others were housed in the many homes that Eric owned.
She slid easily into a simple black long sleeve shirt with a scoop neck. For once she chose to wear a pair of jeans that were extremely tight and showed off her legs. It had been strange for her at first to wear pants. The only reason it had been was because she had grown up in a world where women wore dresses. It was unbecoming for them to wear trousers. When Eric had tried to convince her to wear them she had refused adamantly. Eventually she had given in and now she wore them from time to time. She reached for a tan leather jacket before pushing past Eric who had been watching her every move. He reached to grab her by her waist to stop her from moving away from him. Her lips parted to utter a protest but he was fastening something around her neck.
It was the locket, the one that she had found. What was he doing? She reached to place her fingers against it and looked up at him. He didn't say anything but tugged her along, towards the car that was waiting. Pam was already inside and she merely waved to Isobel. Isobel nodded curtly in response before sliding in and then Eric was right beside her. The other occupant of the car was Longshadow's replacement, Chow. He had taken over the portion of the business that had belonged to Longshadow. When he had met Isobel he had been extremely confused as to why she wasn't a partner. She had merely said it didn't interest her and she had her own business ventures. Chow smiled at her and she returned it with a smile of her own. The four of them sat in silence on the way to Bon Temps.
Isobel was the first out of the car when they reached Bill's home. She tore off towards the front door and pulled it open. Bill was in the foyer before she set foot inside. She launched herself at him and he had no choice but to wrap his own arms around her.
She pressed her lips close to his ear so that she could whisper," I tried to stop him, I tried but he didn't listen."
Bill nodded to show he understood and his hold on her tightened. They both knew that Eric wouldn't be pleased when he walked in. Obviously that didn't matter to either of them. She knew that he was about to go through hell and he was going to do it for Sookie. If Eric had a decent bone in his body that he would have let it go unnoticed. Although she knew that he had, had a point about the whole thing. She wasn't going to let him know that though. Eric cleared his throat after stepping inside and not-so-subtly grabbed her by the back of her jacket. The force of the pull almost made her stumble. She turned to try to bat his hand away but his hold on her tightened.
She scoffed at him but didn't try to pull away again. Instead she listened as the introductions were made and Chow made some small talk. Eventually all of them were piling in the car on their way to Merlottes. Bill had requested that he go to talk to Sookie and explain that he was going to be gone for a while. There really was no way of knowing just how long they were going to be gone for. For some reason Eric and Pam wanted to go inside. Isobel followed them inside and the moment all of them were in the bar went quiet. Every single person was staring at them in shock or disgust. None of them looked all too happy about the fact that vampires were in their local bar. She watched as Bill was directed to the owner's office and Chow followed him. That left her alone with Eric and Pam. The two seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.
They were soon handing out cards for Fangtasia and talking about the different events they held. It was Isobel who remained standing by the door. Sookie looked like she was scared out of her mind. She had made her way over to Isobel with her eye brows raised. All Isobel could think to do was reach to take Sookie's hand into her own and give it a reassuring squeeze. There was no way she was going to say anything. That was up to Bill because she knew that it was his business to tell. Finally Bill reemerged and they were all outside. Bill and Sookie went to stand some feet away to talk. Sookie looked scared out of her mind and worried beyond belief.
Isobel listened as they said their goodbyes and began to kiss. She looked over at Eric and nudged him in the ribs at his remark. For some reason he didn't look pleased at the display. It didn't make any sense to Isobel since Sookie belonged to Bill. Unless Eric had some sort of interest in the human. A pit formed in the bottom of her stomach at that thought. Even if Eric drove her crazy she didn't love the idea of him wanting someone else. When Pam had been turned it had driven Isobel crazy. She had left them for a while until Eric had demanded that she come back. It had been one long adjustment period and there were still times that she hated it. She walked towards the car to climb inside and went to curl up in the furthest corner. Her hand reached for the locket, fiddling with it while she waited. Everyone else soon got into the car and they were on their way.
The tribunal was in full swing by the time that they arrived. Isobel watched in horror as a vampire had his fangs torn out for feeding on another vampire's human. The very sight made her cringe but she tried to hide it. All she could do was stand there and watch. Eric and Pam were both staring with peaked interest. There was no trace of emotion on Bill's face but there was the chance that he would face something similar. Isobel didn't think about what she was doing as she reached for his hand. He jumped at her touch but didn't try to pull away. Eric was too enraptured at what was going on to even notice. The magister wrote down that the sentence had been fulfilled as the vampire was dragged off.
Soon it was Eric being called forward with Bill. Isobel had no choice but to let his hand go. She watched as Eric explained and so did Bill. All she and Pam could do was stand there and watch. The Magister was clearly not pleased at the fact that Bill had killed one of their own for a human. He was old school and believed that humans were beneath them. It was a shock when she heard that they weren't going to go with the traditional sentence. A teenage red haired girl was yanked out and she was rambling about wanting to go home. She was talking about how she had only snuck out the one time and how she was a good girl. The sight of her tore Isobel's heart out.
Before she could think, she stepped forward," Please Magister, there must be something else."
Everyone went silent the moment that she spoke. The Magister didn't even look her way but looked towards Eric. Eric was shocked at what she had just done. By speaking Isobel had put herself at great risk. If she was to be found guilty of something than she could meet the true death. That was something that Eric couldn't handle. If she was going to be killed then there was no telling what he would do .
She obviously wasn't thinking straight as she went to stand in front of the girl," She doesn't deserve this she is innocent and deserves to lead a normal life."
Although she wouldn't admit it the girl, whoever she was, reminded her of herself when she was still human. The girl suddenly crawled towards her and was wrapping her arms around Isobel's legs. Isobel seemed to freeze up at the girl's touch but she didn't pull away. She looked straight up at the Magister who was still looking right at Eric. All Eric did was nod before he went towards her and he yanked the girl off of her legs. The girl went flying and Isobel was yanked back to where she had been standing. The only difference was Eric kept both of his arms wrapped around her waist to keep her still. Bill was clearly torn but he knew what he had to do. All Isobel could watch in horror as the girl was turned right before her very eyes. After that Eric was yanking her towards the car and Pam was sent out to make sure that Bill didn't stake the girl before she was turned.
Isobel, Chow and Eric were given accommodations from one of the other vampires that was a friend to Eric. Eric hadn't said a word since they had arrived. She knew that he was merely biding his time. He was going to probably want to kill her for what she had done. Obviously she wasn't going to bring up what had happened at the tribunal. Instead she pulled off her jacket and went to see where she would be resting. The entire house was light proof so there was no risk of the sun coming in. The room that she would be staying in was a simple one. There was a bed, a chair and a nightstand. To her surprise there was a TV up on the wall. She, unlike so many others had never bothered watching it. After the night that she had, she needed something to distract her.
It took her a few minutes to find something suitable to watch. She climbed onto the bed and leaned back against the pillows. Both of her hands rested on her flat stomach and she sighed. Even though the TV was on she wasn't paying all that much attention to it. Her mind was in a completely different place.
The sound of laughter seemed to echo throughout the corridors. Isobel had just slipped away from the evening's fest ivies. She had just returned to court after having been away for a while. Her husband had been needed at their home and he had requested that she accompany him. It had also been a chance for her to see her son. Since her return she had realized that life at court was not like it had been. Motherhood had changed her and she didn't know what to think of it. She slipped out to the gardens that were fairly empty. Most people were still inside, dancing the night away and drinking. Before she had given birth she would have enjoyed it. All she wanted at that moment was to be back in her home in the country with her darling baby boy. Of course, what she wanted didn't matter. She was to do what her husband wished and that was the end of it.
She found herself walking amongst the maze that the bushes seemed to make. The fountain was just up ahead and she went to sit on the very ledge. Her hand reached out to let her fingers brush against the water. A small smile appeared on her face in spite of how she was feeling. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the footsteps behind her.
A hand clapped down on her shoulder," Is it safe for a lady of your station to be alone here?"
The voice was a familiar one, it belonged to Eric. It was the man that had made many surprise appearances since that night. No one was quite sure what his station was but he was very close with the King. That was all that mattered to any of them. If he had the king's approval that was all that the people needed to know. They welcomed him with open arms and accepted him as one of them.
Isobel jumped at the sound and quickly reached to brush his hand away," It's perfectly safe and I needed some air."
To her surprise he sat down right beside her. Most men would ask if they could join her but not him. She watched as he made himself comfortable and to her surprise he was reaching for her hand. She almost pulled it back but his hold was tight.
He looked up towards her face," You have been gone for quite some time, might I ask what happened to you?" His tone was perfectly polite but she didn't know if she should be talking with him.
She shrugged as she looked around in hopes of seeing someone but there was no one," I gave birth to my first child, a son and I was staying with him in our home in the country."
He nodded slowly in understanding, a smile on his face," Congratulations on the birth of your son Lady Norris, I'm sure that your husband was very pleased."
That was an understatement. Every single man hoped to have a son from their wives. Daughters were usually looked down upon by men of noble birth. They were good for nothing until they were of marriageable age. That was why Isobel had been more than relieved when she found out that she had given birth to a son. A son meant that her position was secure and that she has fulfilled her duties as a wife. She just nodded before rising to her feet and smoothing out some wrinkles in her gown. If someone saw them out there together a rumor was sure to be started. A rumor could very easily ruin everything that she had worked for since the day that she was married.
"If you'll pardon me, my lord it's not proper for us to be out here alone,"she stated, her voice showing how nervous she felt.
Eric was suddenly on his feet and standing right in front of her. She parted her lips to speak but then his gaze locked onto hers. Her entire mind seemed to go completely blank. The look in her eyes was empty. Eric was focusing intently on her and there was a grin on his face. She watched him as he stepped even closer and his face was mere inches from hers. If he wanted he could easily lean down and kiss her. Instead she watched as he began to speak.
"I want you to pull down the sleeve of your dress and expose your shoulder to me and then I don't want you to make a sound." It was an order, a direct order.
Isobel's movement seemed to be mechanical as she pulled down on the sleeve of the dress. Her shoulder became exposed and that was it, that was when his fangs sank into her flesh.
A/N: Sorry it took me a while to update! I've been busy with some other stuff and working on some other projects of mine. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I'm going to try to put more flasbacks in with the upcoming chapters to explain more of Isobel and Eric's past. Also don't worry to anyone who is thinking this might turn into an Eric/Sookie story. That is not at all what I have planned!