"Do you really need to jump at every shadow?" Eric asked a few minutes later.
"I'm not jumping," Bill protested.
"Good, because I'm not going to hold your hand," Eric told him absently.
Bill narrowed his eyes, "I do not need to-"
"Shh," Eric interrupted him, glancing off to the side, "did you hear that?"
Bill listened for a moment, before giving up, "Hear what?"
Eric shook his head a little, "I don't know, something…" he trailed off as he disappeared down a darkened corridor.
Bill sighed and followed him into the darkness, they both stopped short as they found themselves in a room full of humans hanging from what looked like meat hooks; only one of whom was conscious.
"Please, help me," he begged, "I'm too skinny…I…please…take…take the others…" he continued, incoherent with fear.
"Where do they take the prisoners?" Bill asked, ignoring his pleas.
"Down the hallway…screaming…!" Bill and Eric glanced at each other as the man continued to ramble fearfully, "Please…get me down for here…I-I've got money…!"
Their decision made, Bill and Eric left the room, ignoring his continued pleas for help; making their way down the hallway he had indicated, they paused long enough to each pick up a makeshift stake.
"He's close," Eric muttered as they rounded a corner.
"Took you long enough," drawled a voice, Bill and Eric stopped in the doorway to a small room and regarded Russell's prone form. "What an infernal racket you've been making," he added, turning his head slowly to look at them.
"Hello old friend," Eric greeted him, speaking through his fangs as he approached the bed Russell was lying on. "Do you remember me?" he asked, leaning in close to Russell's face, "I've come to finish what we've started."
"As my great love Talbot used to say to me," Russell said weakly, "give it your best shot," he finished his tone and face hardening as a werewolf sprang out of nowhere, taking Bill by surprise.
Eric whirled away from Russell, coming to Bill's aid as more werewolves filled the room.
The fight was short and fierce as the two vampires dispatched the werewolves; throwing one against the wall, Eric was distracted long enough for Russell to pin him to the ground.
Ordinarily no match for the much older vampire, Russell's weakened state allowed Eric to break free of his hold. Pinning Russell against the wall, Eric pressed his makeshift stake against the other vampire's chest.
"I want you to know that I shall truly enjoy killing you," Eric told him, fangs bared as he moved to stake him.
He stopped as Bill suddenly appeared behind him, pressing his own stake against Eric's back. "If he dies, we will die," Bill growled, "if we take him back alive, maybe we won't have to die."
"Unlikely," Eric muttered, lining up his stake once more.
"But possible," Bill insisted, moving so that he was looking Eric in the face. "Maybe you're ready to die," he continued, "or maybe you're just bored having lived for a thousand years. But you do not make that decision for me."
Eric wavered, remembering his private promise to try and get back to Pam; impossible as it seemed.
He suppressed a sigh; he owed it to her to try.
Reluctantly he retracted his fangs and relaxed his hold on Russell, setting his stake aside as he did so.
All three vampires started and turned around, flashing their fangs, as half a dozen vampires spilled into the room, weapons at the ready.
"We'll take it from here," Kibwe informed them, stepping into the room.
Bill and Eric stepped aside, allowing the Authority guards to take Russell into their custody and lead him away.
"You'd better hope you're in the ground when I am fully restored," Russell warned Kibwe, momentarily breaking free of the guard's hold, "and, oh, I will be," he assured him. "The Authority," he spat, "what f*cking Authority do you have? Given to you by what – Lilith? You idiots, you're no better than humans with your absurd, magical, fake religion." Behind Kibwe, Eric suppressed a smirk, "There is no Lilith."
At this last comment, Kibwe snapped and punched Russell in the face. "That is blasphemy," he said easily as Russell straightened. Kibwe turned to Bill and Eric, ignoring Russell's continued diatribe as he was dragged away.
"It seems our faith in you was not as misplaced as Roslyn seemed to think," he said finally.
"We aim to please," Eric replied drily.
Kibwe snorted softly, "We shall see," he said enigmatically, motioning for them to accompany him out of the building.
...
A/N: Sadly, I won't be able to write more over the weekend, but I hope that posting multiple chapters this time will make up for that :)