Annabel held on tightly to her Aunt's hand as the two descended down the jets stairs, after having just landed in Dallas. Anna was still unused to flying and was happy to be on the ground. Her last plane ride had been one she would have been happy to forget.
Sookie smiled cheerfully, having partaken in some of the mini bottles of booze offered during their flight. The young woman grasped Annabel's hand before spotting a man standing near a limo and holding a sign with her last name on it.
"Woohoo, that's us." Sookie made her way over to the limo driver with Annabel close beside her. The man gave a worried look over her shoulder at the two travel coffins being unloaded from the plane. His gaze then looked down at the little girl and the man gulped in distressed.
"You're two hours late." The man commented as he fidgeted, glancing back and forth between the woman and the coffins. Sookie seemed to pick up on the man's strange behavior and just as the telepath looked into his mind, he made a grab for her and Annabel.
The little girl let out a terrified scream while her Aunt called out for her vampire. Bill was quick to break free from his coffin and confront the limo driver. Sookie quickly placed herself protectively in front of her niece and watch as Bill glamoured the man.
With Jessica out of her travel coffin, the two vampires, two humans, and the glamoured limo driver left the airport and made it to the hotel Eric had booked them at. Unfortunately, upon arriving at the lavish vampire friendly hotel, Annabel started to feel sick. She did her best to not to look as tired as she felt, but this time felt worse than any other time she had gotten sick like this.
Something wasn't right, Anna felt dizzy and run down. The change in her health was quick and went unnoticed by the adults around her. She grasped her Aunts hand and did her best to stay steady on her feet as the five of them made their way up to their room.
Once in the hotel room, Anna sat beside her Aunt and across from the man, Leon, who had tried to kidnap them from the airport. Her head felt heavy and she was unused to the strange feeling welling up in her chest, was that sadness or something else?
"Who sent you?" Bill asked the glamoured man.
"The Fellowship of the Sun." Leon's blank stare turned to Bill as he spoke.
"Are you a member?" Sookie asked, trying to pull as much information as she could out of the man.
"No ma'am, they just hired me." Leon answered.
"Who specifically?" The dark haired vampire pushed.
"I'm not sure, it was over the phone." Leon started. "Money was put in a locker for me at grand station."
"And they hired you to what?" Bill asked the man. Anna sat quietly beside her Aunt as the two integrated the man. A wave of fatigue wash over the child, making her dizzy and her eyelids heavy.
"Abduct any humans with the Compton party and bring them to the church." The man answered in a dead voice, his answer echoing in Sookie's mind as she verified everything he said.
"Do you know our names?" Sookie brought up.
"No ma'am. I didn't even know you were a woman, or that you had a child with you." Leon answered honestly. "All I know is that vampires are using humans to find a missing vampire named Godric."
Annabel suddenly sat up straighter and even lept from the couch. Her rused movements caught the attention of her Aunt and Bill.
"Godric!? Where's Godric!? What's happened to him!?" The child stood from the couch with her doll pulled close to her chest as she suddenly yelled. "Where is he!? Is he alright!?"
Sookie took her niece by the shoulders, becoming concerned as the child yelled and suddenly started to cry. The little girl was becoming hysterical upon hearing the name of the missing vampire. Her cheeks became red and a sob racked through her small body. Annabels breathing became rapid as she thought of Godric being in trouble, of her Godric being hurt or worse. How could someone as strong as her Godric be taken?
"Annabel, sweetie, breathe." Sookie rubbed small calming circles on the girls back. The young woman had never seen her niece in such a state. She couldn't even remember a time Annabel had cried since that first night. "It's alright sweetie, calm down."
Anna took a deep breath, doing her best to stop her sobbing, but she couldn't cease her crying. Her Godric was missing, taken by some fellowship, taken away and she wasn't there. The sickness Annabel had been feeling was suddenly amped up to ten as the child began to panic again and her breathing became ragged.
"Are you sure Godric is the missing vampire?" Sookie ask the still glamoured man. She became fearful as Anna started sway and her eyelids closed. Sookie gently took the child into her arms as she looked to Bill.
"Yes." Was his only reply Leon offered.
Sookie took Annabel out of the room and gently placed the sleeping child in one of the suits beds. Sookie felt anxiety clench at her gut, she had never seen such a reaction come from her niece, it was terrifying. Bill released Leon from their room under a heavy amount of glamour. The little girl had wore herself out with her crying fit. Her reaction to learning Godric was this missing vampire made questions pop in Sookie mind. How did Annabel know this Godric person? And where was her mother in all this? Where was Marry?
Anna obviously had a strong, emotional, connection with the vampire sheriff. It was made clear by the child's reaction to hearing his name and discovering he was the missing vampire. Sookie didn't know what to think of the situation, and only hoped they would be getting answers soon.
Annabels sleep was restless with dreams and images of her old life and nightmares of her mother taking her from her home. Nightmares of the woman she trusted leaving her on the front porch of a strangers home, taking her away from Godric. Memories she wished had never happened, but was cursed with remembering them that night.
Annabel did her best to keep up with her mothers fast pace as the two hurried through the Dallas airport. The little couldn't understand why her mother had taken her from their usual meeting place, and wondered where Natasha, her day time watcher, went. The woman never left her alone on the days she was set to spend time with her mother.
"Mama, where are we going?" The little girl asked her mother. Marry ignored her child's question and continued to pull her along by her wrist. They only had 10 minutes before the plane to Shreveport, Louisiana, took off. They had to be on that flight, no matter what, especially before sunset.
"Mama, I want to go home." Annabel looked around the airport, worry starting to fill the small child. Planes took people away, that much she knew, and she didn't want to go away. Annabel suddenly grew very scared and started to cry.
Mary ceased her pulling and looked down at the crying child. She could sense people staring at the two and feared Anna making a scene. She had to get her daughter to calm down, they had to make it out of Texas.
"No, no, sweetie, it's all right, everything is alright." Mary shakily knelt down before the child and did her best to comfort her. "I promise where we're going it much better and safer."
"No. I want to go home. I want Godric." The child started. She didn't understand why her mother wanted to take her away. Mary ignored her childs demand and stood up. She was going to just have to make a scene. With that, the woman continued the walk to the gate and hoped they made it out of Dallas before the sun could set.
"No! No, I don't want to go! Godric!"
The next night Annabel felt somewhat the same as the night before, run down and confused about the emotions she was suddenly feeling. The little girl sat quietly in the back seat as Bill drove a rental car to an address Eric sent them. Sookie was against taking Annabel with them, but the sick child had practically demand that she go with. Wanting nothing more than to help find her Godric. Wanting nothing more then to go home.
Sookie glanced back at her niece as the child suddenly became jittery when Bill drove the rental into a gated community. The large fancy homes were something Sookie had only seen in movies and fancy magazines. Sookie took notice of the little girls sudden change in emotion as they got closer to the address Eric had sent them.
As soon as the car was stopped, Annabel was pulling at the door handle and hurrling herself out of the car and running up the driveway. Sookie yelled for her niece to stop, shocked that Anna would just rush up to a strangers home. The young woman rushed after her niece, but stopped when a tanned woman was suddenly clutching Annabel to her chest in a tight hug.
"Oh Annabel! Thank God." The latina woman held the small child as close as she could, relieved in having the child in her arms again.
"I missed you Isabel." Anna told the female vampire as the clutched to the woman neck. She had truly missed the undead woman who had taken it upon herself to be a makeshift mother figure and caretaker to the child.
"Excuse me. Can someone please explain to me what's going on here?" Sookie spoke up, she looked at the sight before her with confusion and worry. Bill stood beside her, equally as confused, as the two watched Annabel interact with the vampire woman she was obviously familiar with.
Isabel looked at the blond human and the dark haired vampire who had brought Annabel with them. The female vampire also had a few questions of her own for the couple concerning the little girl who had been taken from the nest.
"Yes of course. Please come in." Isabel lead the two into the large house with Annabel still being held in her arms.
Eric and another male vampire stood waiting for the group. The cowboy looking vampire was shocked to see a familiar human child being held in Isabel's arms.
"Well I'll be damned. If it isn't the little snack." Stan commented, smirking at the tiny human who only stuck her tongue out at the vampire, a bold move for one so small, then sent him a bright smile.
"Hi Stan." Anna waved to the vampire from Isabel's arms. Stan wasn't a big fan of the little girl who lived in the nest, but for reasons only Godric would know, Stan became, attached, to the child. Something that was inevitable considering what she was.
"I'm sure everyone has a lot of questions." Isabel started as she set Anna on the ground. "But let me start by saying thank you for bringing Annabel back to us."
"Um, you're welcome, but how do you even know my niece?" Sookie asked the vampire.
"Annabel has been under Godric's care since her father's death when she was only two." Isabel answered. "She lives here, with the nest."
"What about her mother, my sister Mary?" Sookie asked shocked. Why was her niece living with vampires and not her mother?
Isabel hissed hearing the name of the woman who had taken Annabel from them.
"That woman is not suited to care for Annabel's needs." The female vampire told the other woman. "She was drug addict who was unstable and would never have been able to properly care for one such as Anna."
"And what exactly is Annabel?" Bill asked.
Isabel fell quiet at the question and looked to Stan. They had been sworn to secrecy regarding what Anna was and anything to do with her gifts. Godric would never forgive them if they told these people just what the little girl was.
"Answer the question." Eric ordered. "The child is obviously something more than human. I have experienced her gift first hand."
Isabel galred at the taller vampire before turning her glare to Annabel who sheepishly looked to the floor. The little girl tilted her head up, feeling Isabel's eyes on her.
"Annabel, you promised Godric you would never reveal your gifts. To anyone." Isabel chastised the child. "It was very dangerous to show another vampire what you could do."
"But he doesn't give me a bad feeling, and looks like Ic." Anna said back meekly, holding up her yellow haired doll. Isabel continued to glare at the child. "I'm sorry." Annabel sighed in defeat.
"Ic? I've never heard the dolls name before?" Sookie spoke up.
"Yes, it seems to some sort of joke only Godric truly knows about." Isabel answered, before looking to the others with a serious face. "Now, it is not my place to tell you what Annabel is. Godric is the one who swore us to never speak a word of it. When we find him, you can ask him yourself."
Annabel looked around the familiar home while the adults converstated. It seemed far more empty without her Godric there. The little girl easily slipped away from the adults and ventured up the stairs. She walked down to the end of the hall and opened one of the sets of double doors. She was saddened to find the room empty, somehow hoping that Godric would be in there somehow. The child left the empty room and walked to the room directly next to it, finding her own room.
Annabel walked around the familiar space and smiled at the sight of all her favorite things, books, stuffed animals, and the fluffy grey blanket that sat on the still unmade bed. Everything was as she had left it, as if she was never truly gone. Although she was happy to be home, the child would never fully feel herself without her Godric there. She was the safest when he was present in the nest. No one could touch her when she had him.
The little girl left the familiar room and made her way back to the stairs where she could hear the arguing vampires going at it. They were at a standstill on what to do about the fellowship, and how exactly they were going to find Godric.
"What we need is a plan." Bill commented, ending the arguing between Isabel and Stans.
"I have a plan." Stan told the other vampire firmly.
"That's not a plan, it's a movie." Isabel rolled her eyes at the cowboy vampire.
"Do you even care that there is a traitor in your nest?" Bill asked the two Dallas vampires.
"No." "Impossible." Was the two vampires answer to the question.
"It's true. Someone tried to kidnap Annabel and I from the airport." Sookie spoke up. Isabel's eyes became wide and she turned to look at the child who now stood near the bottom of the stairs.
"You were the only ones that knew we were coming." Bill stated.
"Explain." Eric ordered the two vampires.
"Unless it was you." Stan said looking to the tan skinned vampire.
"Unless it was you." Isabel said snidely back to her fellow vampire.
"Look, if y'all argue any more, I'm either going to fall asleep or start screaming." Sookie stated, standing from her spot on the couch. "So here's what we're going to do. I'll infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun."
"What? No, absolutely not." Bill stated firmly to his human.
"Let her speak." Eric ordered.
"Since Bill glamoured the kidnapper, no one knows who I am." Sookie explained. "I'll pretend I want to join the church and check out all their thoughts."
"I want to go to!" Annabel piped up, causing the vampires in the room, as well as her Aunt, turn to look at her. " Please, let me go with! I can find Godric. I promise."
The vampires and Sookie looked to the little girl. Both Isabel and Stand knew the child would be able to find the Sheriff, but putting the child in any form of danger would mean retaliation from Godric. Something neither vampire wanted. Eric also felt conflicted on the matter, while the child would be useful in finding his maker, it was his duty to protect what was Godric's.
This wasn't going to end well.
A/N: Annabel seems to be getting closer and closer to the one person she wants most. Its interesting to slowly give out answers about Annabel and build up the mysterious factor about the little girl. Thank you for all the positive reviews, and posting days are officially on Monday nights now that I have a set schedule.
