"Banished?" Pam echoed. "But...but where would I go?"
"I neither know nor care," Eric shot back coldly. The silence stretched between them like a chasm. Finally Pam ventured to speak again. "For how long?" she whispered.
"Until I have decided that you have sufficiently learned that it is not your place to ever question me."
Pam stared at him, mouth agape.
"Indefinitely? Eric, I assure you I can atone for my actions. I..."
Eric said nothing, but stood up. He straightened his jacket and flicked away his scarlet tears irritably. "By dawn, I want you and your belongings out of my area." He loomed over Pam until she stood as well but made no motion to tidy herself up. She gazed up at Eric with disbelief. "Can you be so cruel?"
"You know very well that I can," Eric said evenly. "Now, get out of my sight before I end you," he growled, fangs dropping. Pam began to cry again, but zoomed out of the room before Eric could say or do anything else.
...
"Banished?" repeated Sookie. She and Bill had rejoined Eric in his office now. "But...well, doesn't that just make things worse? Won't Pam hate me even more?"
"On the contrary, " Eric replied. "And Pam doesn't hate you." Sookie raised her eyebrows skeptically. Eric waved a hand inconsequentially. "She believes you to be an easy target, and as such, my obvious weakness...and she is jealous, of course. But I don't suppose many children have ever liked their new stepmother after so many years of having Daddy all to themselves." Any other time, such an analogy would've made him chuckle, but now his mouth was a grim line and his eyes were red. However, there was no trace of even a single tear.
"Banishment is the most severe of punishments, Sookie," Bill explained. "In fact I cannot remember an instance that occurred during my lifetime. It is a sort of...purgatory type of situation. Being Banished, Pam neither enjoys Eric's favor nor his protection, but she is also without the benefits of being autonomous. She cannot stay in one place too long, for no vampire king or queen would want a subject who is known to disobey authority. With no one to take responsibility for her, this makes her an easy goal for Eric's enemies, or even simply rogue vampires. It is a very isolated, very dangerous punishment."
"So...she's totally on her own?" Sookie mused, trying to understand. "How will she survive? Where will she live?" She imagined Pam as a homeless vampire, living under a bridge, the rain and wind making her mascara run.
"She is allowed to keep all assets belonging to her, as well as any monetary gains made under me," Eric said, smoothing back his hair. "She will manage."
"You did that to her...because of me?" asked Sookie. Eric and Bill exchanged significant glances but were quiet. When no one said anything for several more seconds she tried again. "When does Banishment end?"
Eric's eyes flashed. "Pam's will end when I say it does. We are still bonded; she can feel my call. But it was the only way..." Eric broke off for a moment then frowned at Bill who tactfully gazed at the ceiling like it was the most fascinating thing he had seen in a hundred years. Eric caressed Sookie's cheek.
"This is not about you," he said quietly. When Sookie furrowed her brow he continued. "Or, not only about you. I became a sheriff many decades ago. But I have stayed a sheriff because I have outsmarted or eliminated those who would take this office from me. I am able to do this through my own skill, yes, but also through the loyalty of those bound to me. I do believe Pam acted as she did out of loyalty, but I cannot tolerate- or afford- having a progeny who doesn't obey me in all things, who doesn't protect the things I cherish, simply because I command it. Such a child not only endangers you, dear one, but everything I have built for myself in the past few hundreds of years." His voice grew hard then, and Sookie merely nodded, waiting. His other hand came up to cup the other side of her face and while his right hand fingers absently slipped through her hair. "Pam can return when I know I can look at her without ripping her to pieces." Sookie trembled slightly; she didn't have to be able to read vampire minds to know Eric meant every word. He went on, softer this time. "This was the only thing I could think of that would wouldn't result in either of you dead or lost to me forever. This way, Pam is in your debt, Sookie."
"Wh-what?" Sookie sputtered, confused. "Won't she just come after me in the dead of night? Or send someone else who's been after me?"
"I very much doubt that. When a vampire is Banished, one's main goal is to be Reconciled with the Maker- not revenge. To be Reconciled, Pam must prove she is still valuable to me- by reversing the cause for the Banishment. Since Pam's was disobeying my authority due to her own wishes, a worthy gesture would be doing something she disagrees with solely in order to serve my own interests."
"Like being nice to me…" Sookie said slowly, the implications dawning on her.
"Like protecting you," Eric corrected gently. "Pam would essentially become your greatest champion."
"If she can survive her period of Banishment," Bill chimed in, obviously deciding that they had had enough one-on-one time. The both turned towards him, Eric lowering his hands to Sookie's waist. "It drives many vampires mad, being without their Makers, but not yet truly Released," Bill went on. "And a vampire alone is very vulnerable- to other vampires, to humans...plus, there's always the chance the Maker won't accept the Reconciliation offering. Many progeny simply choose to meet the sun in order to end their misery...ah, though I hope this is not the case with Pam," he added.
Sookie felt Eric's hands stiffen. She looked up at Eric.
"Hey, Pam's a survivor. She's your kid, remember?" Sookie cajoled, trying to get Eric to smiled at the modern colloquialism for children. When he did not, she sighed. "Well, you know I'm not much for all this do-what-you're-told-no-questions-asked stuff, but if anyone is, it's Pam. She loves you, Eric. Without question. I'm sure she'll, uh, "prove herself" to you somehow."
Eric nodded curtly. Sookie suspected he would've said more but did not want his emotions displayed in front of Bill.
"My thanks for exposing Pam to me," Eric said to him, inclining his head a fraction of an inch. He let go of Sookie and gave Bill his full attention. "Would you be amenable to a truce?"
Bill nodded. "If Sookie wishes it."
Sookie let out an exasperated breath. "Oh geez, would you, already? It's about time!"
Eric knelt in front of Bill. "I offer you complete fealty, my king."
"I accept," Bill replied soberly. "Rise." Eric got to his feet and for the first time all night, smirked. "This doesn't mean I have to be nice to you, does it, Billy?"
A/N: I know this chapter was short but I hope it explains things and was still interesting! Do you think Pam will survive her exile long enough to prove herself to Eric? Or do you think she'll go rogue and just kill Sookie even if it means losing Eric's love? What do you think of Eric and Bill's truce? Can Bill be trusted? I absolutely LOVE reading reviews from you guys!