Okay everyone! I am ampin' it up again! I just want to say that I have already begun working on the next chapter, and there is some S/E action going on in it for all of you out there who are getting sick of my angsty writing. So be sure to stay tuned.

Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, PMed me, alerted and/or favorite me or this story. It means the world to me.

Enjoy and happy hump day!

Where Love Will Lead

Chapter 11

Eric

Pam pulled her van up in front of Bill's old mansion. It had been restored, but since Bill and Jessica had ceased inhabiting the old Southern home, it had quickly fallen into disrepair.

Pam turned and said, "Tara, go to Sookie's. I command you."

Tara gave Pam a look of absolute fury, but she sped off towards Sookie's home.

Suddenly Nora appeared and asked Eric, "Save your little bird?"

Eric ignored her question and said, "Jessica if you would like to wait out here, you may. I can understand why you might be wary of seeing your maker."

"No, I am good," she said as she climbed out the back of the van.

Eric nodded and looked at the house for signs of life. There was none.

Eric walked up the porch steps and inhaled. Yes, he had been here and recently too. Eric wondered if this thing that Bill had become, had any concern for his progeny. Pam and Nora followed closely behind while Jessica brought up the rear.

He noticed the door was slightly ajar; a small crack that emitted a distinct odor death and rotting flesh. Someone had died here quite recently. He looked to Pam and Nora, who nodded, confirming his findings.

He slipped inside the door and inhaled deeply again, the pungent smell of death even more intense as he got inside. He looked into the parlor and saw stacks of dead bodies dumped haphazardly around the rooms. Jessica gasped and put her hand over her mouth, as if to prevent herself from being sick.

Eric listened carefully for any movement and suddenly WHOOSH! Bill was in front of him, snarling and hissing in front of him.

"Bill?" he asked.

"Eric, where is Sookie?" he asked.

English. A good start. Mention of Sookie was also a very good sign. The vampire had looked better, though he had cleaned the majority of his body of the blood and he had put on a pair of pants.

He had dark circles under his eyes, and his eyes were blood rimmed. Eric noticed one of his fangs was chipped. He had jerky movements, almost spasmodic. He looked like he was a cracked out junkie, looking for a fix.

"Sookie is fine, Bill. We came to check on you," Eric said, trying to keep the younger vampires attention. Meanwhile, Nora and Pam began inching around him so that they had him surrounded.

"I care little for how Sookie is," Bill growled out, licking his fangs.

Eric inched closer to him, but Bill seemed to recognize that now he was surrounded and the vampires were beginning to move in. He growled and snarled but Eric lifted his hands and said, "Bill, stay calm. We are here to help you. Truly, you have nothing to fear."

"I fear nothing. For I have the truth. I have Lilith," Bill spat out at him.

"Bill, she is a mad God. And she has driven you to the brink of insanity. We can help you. Trust us."

Bill looked at him suspiciously and said, "Lilith said I would be tested. I would be tempted. I will not fail her. I will prevail and show I am the chosen one. I am the way. The light for all vampires."

"Bill. No. Nobody is following you. You will be killed if you don't listen to me," Eric said forcefully. "You are alone, Bill."

"I am never alone. For she is with me always," Bill said almost reverently.

"For fuck's sake," Nora muttered under her breath.

"Nora," Eric warned.

Bill glanced at Nora and said, "You are a traitor to the blood. A sacrilegious weakling. You disgust me. You disgust Her."

Nora growled and Eric said, "Nora, stop. I mean it."

She tried to compose herself, clenching her fists and her jaw tightly. Her fangs were down, and there was no way they were going back up until Bill was controlled.

"Bill," Eric said, getting his attention once more.

He made a minute gesture to Pam and Nora and they both nodded and extracted small silver chains. They were both wearing gloves.

"Bill, we will bring you to Sookie. She is undoubtedly the best blood you can feast on. Surely you would like to drink of the best?" he asked, knowing using even the idea of Sookie or her delicious blood was a shitty thing to do.

Bill snarled and Eric thought he could see a bit of the old Bill in those black eyes. "She is mine."

Eric only nodded, afraid to scare him/her off. Suddenly Nora moved and the silver was flying through the air, lodging on the bare skin of Bill's neck. Bill struggled, like any wild animal realizing it was caught in a trap. Pam was suddenly there and catching Bill's flailing arms with the silver as she kicked him hard in the back of the knees. Bill fell forward and hissed as he was subdued to quickly by Pam and Nora.

Eric sighed in relief, knowing now that Nora's theory of Bill simply being high on the blood was correct. Bill would be back to normal soon. Maybe days. He might be weak from all the excess energy he had exerted burning up Lilith's blood, but he would be fine. Then the challenge was breaking the self-inflicted brainwash that Bill had subjected himself to while he was in the Authority.

But Eric knew he would get better. Pam pinned a thrashing bill to the floor, her knee pressed to the center of Bill's back as she old fashioned hog tied him.

"Yee-haw," Pam murmured, finishing the knot and standing back up.

"Well done," Eric said, kneeling down to get as close to Bill's eye level as possible.

"Bill, I know there is some part of you in there. And you will get better. I promise," he whispered, looking deeply into the crazed eyes, desperate to find an escape.

Pam and Nora looked at him like he had lost his mind and Jessica was still standing by the door, blood pouring down her cheeks as she sobbed at the pain her maker was suffering.

"He is going to be fine, Jess. If he was beyond saving, we would never have been unable to subdue him," he pointed out to her.

Jess nodded and wiped at her cheeks. Eric said, "Get him in the van. We are taking him to Fangtasia to…'dry out' is the closest term I can use to describe."

Pam and Nora nodded, easily picking Bill up who was still snarling, hissing, and thrashing around and carried him out of the house.

He was silent as he watched Jessica looked around the dark and ransacked home.

"It was like a moment, but it seemed so perfect," she said sadly.

Eric felt uncomfortable, slipping his hands in his pockets as he thought about what she was saying. He knew how she felt. She felt the way he had felt after Sookie. It had seemed so perfect for what seemed like seconds, and then it was horrible again.

"It will be fine," he said, almost to himself. "It will."

Jess looked at him, a skeptical and disbelieving look on her face. "Yeah, I only half believed myself there," he admitted, to which she chuckled.

He smiled and said, "Let's get out of here. The stench is really starting to get to me."

She nodded and took one last look around the place before turning for the door and walking out of the old mansion, closing and locking the door behind her.

Sookie

Tara was now sitting on the couch in the living room, silent and not responding to Sookie's attempts at conversation. She tried talking about Pam, what she was doing in her home, had she seen Lafayette lately, anything that might get her talking, but she wasn't responsive.

Sookie made another attempt and asked, "So I hear you are takin' a trip soon. It'll be nice to get outta Bon Temps for a while. But I will miss y-"

"Just shut the fuck up," Tara snapped.

Sookie's mouth gaped open, not exactly shocked by Tara's behavior, but shocked that it was directed at her.

"You know what? Fuck you Tara! You aren't gonna make me feel like shit anymore. I didn't ask you to jump in front of that bullet. In the seconds it took for me to get to you, hold you dying in my arms, Lafayette begging me to do something, I made a snap decision. I would love to see you in that position. I know this isn't the life you wanted, but did you ever think maybe this isn't the life I wanted. Part of me wishes you didn't take that bullet, because then I wouldn't feel like absolute shit all the time or constantly fearing for my life. You have been like this your entire fuckin' life and I am sick as hell of it. Makin' the world, especially your loved ones, pay for your fuckin' problems. You know what. Life ain't perfect. It's messy and fucked up. Just like me and just like you. So if you want to fuckin' throw away our friendship and your relationship with Lafayette over the way life has dealt your cards, then be my guest and get the fuck outta my life!" Sookie finished, her voice shaking with anger and frustration.

Tara, who looked more than shocked, began flying towards the door as the invitation was rescinded. She landed on the other side of the door on the porch floor and Sookie slammed the door behind her.

She let out a frustrated sigh and walked to the kitchen, grabbing the fresh coffee pot she had made and took a warm cup with her to the table. She held the hot mug, the ceramic warming her hands, in what she found as a comforting way.

She had been happy to see Tara at her door. More than happy, ecstatic. Almost tearful. With all the shit she had been through, she had deeply missed her friend and wished she could go to her and talk.

Sookie felt tears trail down her cheeks and she took a sip of coffee, letting it soothe her throat still scratchy from all her screaming and hollering.

She heard a faint knock on the door and walked to it, coffee cup still in hand. She opened the door, seeing it was Tara and stuck her hand on her hip.

"Yes? Did I rescind your invitation before you could collect your belongings?" she asked.

"Sook," Tara said, looking more like her human self than she had since she had been alive. "You are right. I am sorry."

"I am so sorry. I am scared. So scared. I never thought this was in the cards for me, but this fear is so overwhelmin' along with every other emotion pouring through me. I spewed hate to disguise my fear. I am sorry. I been takin' it out on you and Laf."

Sookie opened the door all the way and said, "Come in then."

Tara rushed over the threshold and embraced Sookie. Sookie tensed, then relaxed and gave her a one handed hug as she held the coffee in her hands.

Sookie was patting her back and suddenly she felt Tara's grip on her tighten. Sookie said, "Tara? You okay?" she asked as she tried to move back. It was then that Tara nuzzled Sookie neck, near her pulse point. "Tara?"

She then heard the click of Tara's fangs and before she could react, her fang sank into her neck and Tara began drinking from her deeply.

"Tara!" Sookie gasped out, beginning to panic.

Tara only moaned in ecstasy, gripping Sookie so tight she couldn't breathe. Sookie's eyes began to tunnel and her brain was screaming for air. She began to shake as she shivered against the cold that came with blood loss. She thought, I am gonna die in the arms of my best friend.

Sookie could barely hear the whoosh that came with the arrival of Eric. She couldn't even see him to know it had to be him, growling and snarling against the door he couldn't get through. She then passed out, blissfully unaware of what life was about to deal her next.

Review! And remember, next chapter contains major S/E action so stay tuned!