There's really nothing I can say that defends why this chapter so long to post. I can only say that I'm sorry and I will try to not let it happen again. A big thanks to those who've stuck by and my beta, RubySun03.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my characters.
We drove in relative silence, which was good because it gave me time to think about what I was going to say my parents. There wasn't really a good way to explain everything that happened. I knew that when I told them the story, Dad would be even more opposed to my seeing Dane and I hadn't even told him about the date. It would be interesting to say the least. I knew Mom would be, for the most part, levelheaded. I didn't expect that from Dad though. Dane must've sensed my nervousness and took my hand into his. He squeezed it a little.
"Everything will be alright," he assured me.
"Right, of course," I said sarcastically.
Dane glanced at me, "You don't think so?"
"I think shit will hit the fan before anything is okay," I replied frankly, "I know my Dad will do something because of Zachary. What, I couldn't even begin to imagine."
"Well, we'll have to persuade him otherwise," Dane sighed.
"That's not likely. You know how he is," I sighed as well, "But, we need to think of a way to deal with Freya first. I'm not really worried about Zachary right now."
"There isn't much that can stop her," Dane replied solemnly.
"Oh don't be such a Negative Nancy. I know of three things that can stop her: the Sun, some silver, and a stake," I grinned.
"Yes, well, she's been around for just over nine hundred years. Freya's become very good at avoiding those things," Dane said pointedly.
"She's less than a thousand years old? I thought she was much older than that," I wondered aloud.
Dane looked at me with a puzzled look, "Why would you think that?"
"Well, you said you were nearly seven hundred years old, so I thought she was older," I shrugged, "I didn't think it was common for a young vampire to become a maker."
"It's not. Freya's sire, Callis, had released her at a young age. He liked Freya's fieriness as a human. However, he was unable to really control Freya when he turned her. Once he taught her how to survive, he left," Dane paused, "But, Freya loved him and was very…upset when Callis left. She was desperate for companionship. I was the unwilling companion she chose."
"What were you before she sired you?" I asked.
"A warrior and I owned a good portion of land as well. I had a pretty good life, all things considered," Dane recalled.
I debated whether or not to ask Dane more questions. I know many vampires don't like talking about their former lives. But, my curiosity got the best of me, "Did you have a family?"
"I did," Dane said quietly, "I was married at sixteen and when I turned twenty I had five children and a second wife. Surprisingly, I made it to the ripe, old age of twenty-nine by the time Freya turned me."
"Do you miss them?" I pried a little more.
"I miss my children from time to time, but not really my wives. They were nice, but I wasn't very…attached to them," Dane said bluntly.
I simply nodded. I didn't really have a response for that. Dane chuckled and grinned, "Anymore questions?"
"Uh, no, I don't think so," I replied.
"Are you sure? I don't mind talking about it," he assured me.
"Okay, I do. What do you think will happen if Freya finds me? I mean, do I even stand a chance?" I asked, "And would she go after Erin or Karsten?"
"No, she wouldn't go after your friends. But, I would make them aware of the situation," Dane paused, "She will try to use you in any way to punish me. The ways she implements her punishment are limitless. And, honestly, I don't believe you would stand a chance against her. She wants to hurt me so she's going to hurt you," Dane looked over to me, "I need to protect you in every way I possibly can."
I sunk into the deep seat of the car, "What have we gotten into?"
"You don't even want to know," Dane replied.
"But, I do. I want to know what to expect. I want to be able to prepare myself," I argued.
"Maybe...we shouldn't continue to see each other," Dane muttered.
"Are you saying that because you think it would solve all of this? You know it wouldn't. Freya will come and find me anyway," I told him.
"I know, but I just don't want to see you get hurt because of her. She's not your problem," he continued.
"Well, Zachary's not your problem. If it weren't for me, we wouldn't have to deal with Freya in the first place," I replied stubbornly.
Dane looked at me, "I didn't expect you to just lie back and allow Zachary to bite you. He was going to tell Freya about me regardless. We can blame ourselves all we want, but we're in this situation now. We need to find a way out."
"That's for sure," I agreed.
We were in Bon Temps sooner than I thought. As Dane's car crept up the driveway, I had that sinking feeling. That feeling you get when you have to tell your parents bad news and then enlist them to dig you out. Dane parked next to Dad's Corvette and we headed up the walkway. Mom met us at the door and allowed us in. We passed through the threshold and I spotted Dad sitting in the living room. He and Dane shared a nod while Mom brought out a couple bottles of True Blood.
Dane and I perched ourselves on the couch while my parents sat on the loveseat. An awkward silence had settled around us while the two vamps sipped their bloods. God, it was like I was telling them I was pregnant or something. I let out a long sigh.
"Okay…so here it is," I paused, "I got myself in a little bit of trouble."
"Law or supernatural?" Mom asked, "And how little is little?"
"Supernatural and two vampires have it out for me," I clarified.
"Who?" Dad asked, his voice was like ice.
"Uh, Zachary Rees and Dane's maker, Freya," I said, the weight of the situation becoming heavier by the minute.
"I know Zachary, a petulant and irritating waste of a vampire," Dad inferred, "What happened?"
"He tried to feed from Kim," Dane interjected.
I heard a faint growl from Dad. He had a look on his face that I'd only seen a few times in my life. It was an expression that made my blood run cold. I could almost feel the rage radiating from him. The well stored and dispensed rage. The last time I had seen it was when he found out about what Mark had done to me. Dad was beyond livid and without a word he stood up. He made his way to the front door, but wouldn't make it passed the door.
"Eric Northman sit your Viking butt down," Mom ordered him as she stood up, "You're not going anywhere."
Only my Mom could say such a thing to him.
"Sookie…" he said warningly.
"Don't you "Sookie" me, Eric. I know what you want to do, but that won't solve anything," she argued.
"Yes, it will. He won't be able to feed for a very long time. That solves everything," Dad countered.
"You can't just go out and blindly attack someone," Mom reasoned.
Dad sighed, "You say it like I'm going after a human. I've known Zachary for many centuries now and I've wanted to rip his fangs out since I met him. Now I have the perfect reason."
He looked over to Dane and I. Dad sent a hard glare at Dane, "Where were you? I trusted you to protect Kim."
"My band mate Owen called me, which he rarely does. I found out that our guitarist, Ian, almost met the final death at the hands of a few members of the Fellowship of the Sun," Dane explained, a hint of regret lingered in his voice, "But, I shouldn't have left her."
"You're right. You shouldn't have," Dad said chidingly as he opened the door.
"Sit down," she said firmly, "You seem to forget the consequences of going after Zachary. He could call you in front of a committee if he desired and I know you'd do much more that just pull a couple of fangs out."
He was about to say something else when I stopped him, "Zachary is not my biggest concern. What I need your help with right now is Dane's maker."
Dad closed the door and sat back down. Mom joined him once again. He looked at me, his features much softer now. I bit my bottom lip nervously.
"I intend on taking care of Zachary. However, for now that can wait. I can tell you're scared by Dane's sire," Dad said softly, "What happened with her?"
"I had attacked her years ago. She's looking for me and now Kim because Zachary most likely has told Freya about her," Dane explained, "I don't know how to protect Kim."
"I haven't met your sire, but have heard some…interesting tidbits about her," Dad began, "Is she hell-bent on finding you?"
"Has been since I almost staked her," Dane confirmed.
"If she wants to find you so bad why doesn't she just call you to her?" Mom asked.
I wanted to know the same thing.
"She likes the hunt," Dane replied plainly.
"I can't protect you, Kim, if you're at school," Dad said soberly.
"Are you asking me to leave for the rest of the semester?" I asked, surprised.
Dad nodded, "I think it's best until we know where Freya is at least."
"I'm not going to leave in fear of some crazy vamp who wants to use me to get to Dane. I'm not going to live in fear. All of my classes are during the day and she can't get into the apartment unless Erin or I invite her," I replied stubbornly.
"It's not enough," Dad said simply.
"Eric, we can't ask Kim to just drop everything," Mom reasoned.
"I ask her the same thing I would ask of you," he replied.
"And you should know I wouldn't do it either," she said.
"Kim can stay with me," Dane offered.
All three of our heads jerked in Dane's direction. He hesitated to continue, "I have a place in Baton Rouge which is where Kim's school is. More importantly, I can watch over her during the night."
"You're on the other side of the city and I won't leave Erin on her own, especially if Freya is looking for me," I argued.
"She won't go after her," Dane tried to assure me.
"You don't know that for sure," I huffed.
"I know I have to protect you," Dane replied.
I crossed my arms, "Then you're gonna have to stay with me. I won't leave Erin alone. If she were to get hurt I could never forgive myself."
"Then I will," Dane conceded.
"What?" I exclaimed.
"You need protection and I will provide it for you at any cost," Dane said.
"How can I expect you to protect her when you were so easily distracted the first time?" Dad demanded.
"Eric, I swear if I fail Kim you can do what you want with me," Dane replied unblinkingly.
Dad snorted, "As noble and stupid as your gesture is, it doesn't tell me how you can ensure Kim's safety."
"I can't promise that. But if Freya shows up, no harm will come to Kim. I can guarantee you that much," Dane replied undauntedly.
"Why don't we go outside and discuss the details of how you'll be protecting Kimberly," Dad offered, although Dane had no choice in the matter.
"Eric," Mom said warningly.
"He'll come back," he assured her.
Without hesitation Dane stood up. The two of them headed out through the kitchen. I sighed as I placed my head into my hands. I felt the cushion next to me sag as Mom sat down. She smoothed my hair with her hand. I groaned and looked up at her, "I told Zachary that you're my mom."
"What? Why?" she asked.
"Because threatening him with Dad wasn't enough and I panicked," I shrugged, "What do I do?"
"Honey, I wish I could tell you," she said, sounding defeated, "But I'll do whatever I can to help you in any way. Dad will too, you know that."
"I never doubted either of you would," I said appreciatively, "I…I'm sorry."
"For?"
"For all of this. For all the supernatural related trouble I've caused," I said.
"Oh sweetie, the day I found out I was pregnant I knew none of this was going to be easy," Mom consoled, "We're just lucky that this hasn't happened sooner."
"Well we've had plenty happen, I mean Dad still hates Karsten," I whined.
"I doubt that'll ever change," she sighed, "Karsten was your first boyfriend. I think he'll always dislike Karsten for that."
"I thought it was because I brought him over while you guys were out of town and we had sex," I blinked.
"Yeah, well that too," Mom chuckled, "But you know the real reason, Kim."
I nodded, "I know, it's because he was just freaking out that I was growing up. They've been outside for a while now."
"I'm sure they'll be back any second now," she assured me.
As if on cue, the two vamps came walking back in from the kitchen. Neither looked worse for wear, which was a good sign. Dad sat next to Mom, however, Dane remained standing.
"Eric and I decided that it'd be best if we left so we'd get back to Baton Rouge before dawn. I know you don't want to leave Erin alone for too long," Dane said.
"Okay," I agreed, "But, what did you two agree on?"
"I'll tell you in the car," Dane said vaguely.
"Alright."
I stood up and bent down to hug my parents. I told them how much I appreciated their help and that I loved them. They both gave me a peck on the cheek. Straightening myself up, Dane and I left. We climbed into his sports car and we were soon zooming down Hummingbird Road. Neither one of us spoke. Dane's lips were pressed firmly together, as if he were in deep thought. I had my own thoughts whirling around my head. However, sometime after entering the interstate I nodded off. By the time I woke back up we were heading on to the exit ramp.
"Eric doesn't want me to see you after Freya is dealt with," Dane spoke once he was aware I was awake.
"Well, that's too bad. It's not his decision," I replied.
"He said it more as a command than anything else," Dane grinned, "But, I figured you'd think otherwise."
"My Dad can think what he wants. He has never liked anyone I've dated. I never expected him to start with you," I shrugged, "So how do you and my dad plan to keep Freya from squishing me like a bug?"
"He wants to use Zachary as a messenger to tell Freya where I am to lure her into a trap. However, Eric neglected to tell me what he intends to do with Freya once she's caught. I suspect he'll force her into submission," Dane explained.
"We're not doing that," I said adamantly.
Dane glanced at me, "Well what other options do we have?"
"None, but how do we know she'll even go for the trap? And besides, you could get hurt or worst," I rebutted, "Plus, why would Zachary believe my dad?"
"I don't know. Perhaps, Eric will trick him as well," Dane presumed.
"Well, I don't like his plan," I huffed.
"It's the only one we have," he reminded me.
I looked at him, "We'll make a new one then."
"Alright then," Dane sighed.
Silence fell upon us once again. I decided I needed to know more information about Freya, which made me wonder if Bill Compton's database would help with that. I think I still had a copy of it. I really hoped I did. However, whatever I gathered from the database would be useless unless it could help me to rid myself of Freya. It just irked me that I had done absolutely nothing to her and yet she wanted to torture me just to get to Dane. Then again, Dane did say she was crazy. As I thought more, staking her seemed to be the only option.
"If it happened, would you be upset if Freya met her true death?" I asked.
"I...don't know," Dane replied, caught off guard, "probably not."
"Do you feel anything towards her?" I pried a little more.
"Nothing heartwarming," he remarked, "Freya made me do many awful things over the centuries I was in her company. Such horrors I cannot even bring myself to speak of. She did not save me from death when I was sired. I was healthy and strong-I had my whole life yet to live."
"So you wouldn't be all torn up on the inside then if she really died?" I rephrased.
"No, I wouldn't," Dane paused, "But she did give me my new life and without her turning me I would have never met you. That is only thing I am grateful for from her."
He took my hand into his and squeezed, "But if you were to stake her I would not hold it against you."
"That's good to know," I smiled.
"Do you want to come back to the hotel tonight?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"I would, but I want to get up early tomorrow to fix the apartment up for your undetermined length of stay," I said, a bit regretfully.
"We can do that now," Dane replied matter-of-factly, "Unless, we would disturb Erin."
"No, she's staying at her boyfriend's apartment tonight," I informed him, "But is there anywhere that's open this late?"
"Wal-Mart?" he suggested.
I laughed a little at the thought of Dane wandering around Wal-Mart. Famous or not, everyone enjoys the luxury of convenience.
"Yeah, that'll work," I agreed.
We got off the interstate and headed into one of the suburbs that surrounded Baton Rouge. Dane's sports car sped down the road until we came across a shopping center with a Wal-Mart. Dane steered the car into the nearly deserted parking lot.
It was nearly 2AM when we entered the superstore. We headed down to the Home section of the store. I needed to find blackout panels for the windows in my room. They were a staple for any vampire who couldn't afford to have their widows light proofed. I spied them on the shelves and found there were only two left. Luckily, that how's many I needed!
Dane and I then made our way over to the food section. As we walked down the aisle, a few teens eyed us with suspicion. I picked from their heads that Dane seemed familiar to them. However, Dane caught them gawking and sent them a hard look, which caused them to scurry off.
"Last thing we need is to be hounded by some kids," Dane said stiffly, seeming uncomfortable now.
"More you than me," I said as I opened the refrigerator door to pull out a few packs of True Blood.
Dane took the cases from me as I stuck the panels under my arm. We walked towards the check out.
"Well, you should probably get used to it," he continued.
"What makes you say that?" I asked.
"Once this business with Freya is done, I want to take you out again. I'll get recognized and eventually, you will too," Dane explained.
I placed the panels on the self-check out register, "I don't know that I'd want to get used to that."
"I understand," Dane sympathized, "and I will try to keep you out of the public eye as long as I can. But, I'll have to attend events and I'll want you there with me."
"Oh? And not Isabel Grey?" I teased. There had been a yearlong rumor that she and Dane had been dating.
Dane crinkled his nose, which I thought was incredibly cute, "I'd rather eat silver."
"Really?" I chuckled as I swiped the items across the scanner.
"Really."
After bagging the blood and panels I went to pay. However, Dane had already swiped his card and signed. I hated vampire speed sometimes.
"Let me pay you back," I insisted for the third time as he climbed into the car.
"No," Dane replied simply.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Why should you have to pay for things that I need for basic survival?" Dane countered as we entered the highway once more.
"Because you're my guest and I want you to be comfortable," I pointed out.
Dane shook his head, "After all I have caused you, this is the least I can do."
"Oh fine," I conceded.
We made it back to the apartment around 3:30. Dane installed the panels while I stocked the fridge with blood. Afterward, I gave him the short tour of our home. I pointed out Erin's room, showed him the bathroom, and linen closet. We headed back into my room once I finished showing Dane everything.
I really wished I had cleaned my room earlier. I had books and clothes everywhere. It made my small-ish room look exceptionally cluttered. My bed sat under one of the windows, the other one on the other end of the wall. The bed was what made the room seem small though. I managed to fit a double bed in the room. I had to sacrifice my desk to the living room, but it was well worth it. The little closet faced the bed while my dresser was under the other window. I had a few movie and music posters up with other pictures of family and friends scattered around.
Before climbing into bed, we changed. Dane just striped down to his boxers; however, I put on my longer sleep shirt. Undressing in front of him felt somewhat odd, but I felt comfortable at the same time. As I pushed my head through the neck of the shirt, I could feel Dane's hands pull it down. His cool hands brushed against my stomach,and he kissed my cheek.
We settled into bed with him on the side that touched the wall. He pulled me close to him, allowing me to lie against him. He wrapped his draped across my stomach. I felt so safe. Dane kissed me once again. I could feel sleep getting a hold of me.
"Dream peacefully," he whispered.