Sunlight and Ambrosia
Chapter 28 – Season 3 – Hämnd
Just after eight, Alcide, Anne, Luka and Sookie drove over to Lou Pine's in silence for the engagement party. They were getting out of Alcide's van when Anne cried out, her hand clutched to her chest. Luka was immediately by her side, holding the Elf up so that she didn't fall onto the dirty sidewalk. Through Anne's bond with Eric, she'd felt his pain and misery along with hearing Pam's agonized scream, Anne seeing a man silvering Pam with the end of his walking stick.
"Andromeda, what is it?"
Anne took a deep breath and straightened slowly. "I need to make a call. Go ahead without me,"
"You sure?" Alcide asked.
Anne nodded. "I need to do this. I will wait out here until you return," Luka stayed by Anne's side as Sookie hesitantly moved to leave. "Please, Luka, watch over her,"
Luka wasn't happy about it, but once Alcide started leading her towards the bar, she followed Sookie inside. Anne got into the passenger side of Alcide's truck easily before sliding across the bench seat to sit in the center, pulling her phone out from between her breasts. Anne quickly scrolled through her contacts until she found Eric's number, calling him quickly.
"Not now,"
"What is happening to Pam?" Anne asked him, ignoring his blatant words. Eric was silent for a long moment but he didn't hang up on her which was a good sign. "I can feel your pain and I could practically hear Pam's screams through our bond. What has happened?"
"The Queen set me up," Eric bit into the phone, almost too quiet for Anne to hear. "The Magister raided Fangtasia and now is holding Pam prisoner until I can prove it wasn't me,"
"Shit," Anne bit out, pulling her knees up to her chest, pulling at the edge of her skirt to cover up her underwear. "What are you going to do? It is not as if the Queen will come quietly,"
"I'm going to the King of Mississippi now," Eric informed her. "He might be able to tell me where Bill is so that I can turn him in,"
Anne groaned. "You do realize that Sookie is going to kill you if you succeed,"
"It's Pam, Anne. My progeny!"
"I know!" Anne yelled back. "But I think that blaming him is only going to end up biting you in the ass, especially because I am sure that it is Russell Edgington that kidnapped Bill and is the leader of Operation Werewolf,"
"What?"
"Who is a very old, very evil, very conniving vampire that could keep control over a crazy pack of wolves that just so happens to reside in Mississippi?" Anne asked him rhetorically. "I do not know why he wants Bill but you better watch out or you might get yourself in deep, Eric,"
"I'll be fine," he told her, his voice cold. "If what you're saying is true, get Sookie off the trail and have Alcide take you home. Now,"
Eric hung up on her and Anne slammed her phone onto the dashboard.
Twenty minutes later, Luka, Sookie and Alcide came running out of Lou Pine's, the three of the jumping into the van on either side. Alcide started his van with a painfully loud whine, before he took off down the road at illegal speeds, shaking the whole time with the wolf in his eyes. From what Anne could gather through their frantic shouts, Russell Edgington had arrived to supply the pack with vampire blood and had been supplying it to Operation Werewolf for centuries.
Anne's theory being proven correct.
"What happened back there? Why were they all shifting? You almost shifted,"
"Couldn't help it," Alcide groaned, almost sounding in pain. "Then that energy starts rolling it takes you over. We're lucky we got out of there alive,"
"I know that it was terrible for you but-"
"You don't know anything!"
"I know if you don't slow down, you're gonna kill us and I am not gonna die because of your shitty girlfriend and a Mississippi pothole!" Sookie suddenly yelled, making Alcide drive off the road and slam on the brakes, bringing the van to a stop.
There was a long moment of quiet as calm descended, everyone breathing hard as everyone took a moment to relax. The gold of Alcide's eyes turned back to brown while Sookie took deep breaths through her nose. Anne's skin giving off a hint of shimmering light as Luka's skin turned rough as she gripped Anne's hand painfully tight.
"I had to be mean to make you listen," Sookie was telling Alcide as he breathed through his nose. "I'm sorry,"
"She wasn't always shitty," Alcide told the three women. "We were great together… when she wasn't drinking or cheating. She used to play horseshoes with my dad, help my mom plant tomatoes,"
"But tonight she was half naked in a wolf skin, getting branded," Sookie stated, making him look away in shame. "Tell me more about Russell Edgington,"
Alcide sighed, realizing that his talk was over. "He's just some rich vampire. That's all I knew till tonight,"
"Which is sad," Luka muttered, getting both of their attentions. "Russell Edgington is a three thousand year old vampire that just so happened to be the main reason a lot of Fae were nearly driven from existence whether he realizes it or not. He also happens to be the vampire King of Mississippi,"
"I gotta talk to him," Sookie stated instantly.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Alcide exclaimed.
"The brand, the blood, the vampire king," Sookie drawled. "He knows where Bill is, or he knows who knows,"
"I promised Eric I'd keep Anne out of trouble which means you too," Alcide told her. "You ain't going near him, Sookie,"
"Anne," Sookie said, turning to her for help. "Come on,"
Luka growled, her face in Sookie's as she blocked the human's view of the Elf. "You will not get Andromeda into anymore shit, half breed. She has sacrificed enough for you,"
"Luka," Anne soothed, putting a hand on her shoulder to pull her back so that she could look Sookie in the eye. "They are both right, Sookie. This is bigger than saving Bill. This is vampire politics and V addicted werewolves. We cannot get involved with this,"
"Anne, we can't just leave Bill here!"
"Half breed, do you know what the punishment is for a vampire biting another vampire's human… or the vampire punishment for selling V… or the way the hierarchy works for vamps?" Luka exclaimed, challenging Sookie as she blocked her view of Anne again, finally giving up being quiet. "If you know the answers to any of those, I will personally give you the leech's address and walk in there with you myself, Anne in tow," Lie. "But if you can't we're staying away from Russell,"
Sookie went to say something but stopped herself, her shoulders sagging. She had no idea.
"That's what I thought,"
They went back to Alcide's apartment and Sookie didn't talk to Anne or Luka the whole time she was changing out of her getup, which Luka thoroughly enjoyed and Anne was fine with. This was what Luka had been waiting for, for Sookie to realize that she was hip deep in shit and forehead deep in stuff she didn't understand, and for Anne to realize that her charges weren't worth her life. Anne on the other hand, was just tired of having to deal with Sookie not understanding that she wasn't the center of everything and thinking that she could have any vampire around her pinkie. Anne couldn't save her from everything and she'd already lost a great deal to protect her.
So Anne and Luka changed into their pajamas and curled up on Alcide's furniture, falling asleep with Alcide watching a cop show. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning when Anne and Luka were startled awake by two people yelling at each other from the entry of the apartment.
"You can't just walk back in here. Give me back my key!"
"Shut up! Don't tell me what to do! It's my fucking key and I'll use it whenever I want!"
"You walked out on me. You got no right,"
Anne was startled awake by this, making her uncurl from her place on the recliner as an angry redhead in barely an clothes stomped into the living room angrily. She could only assume that this was Debbie considering the conversation they were having and how the Were female was an obvious addict if she ever saw one.
"We'd still be together if you weren't so weak!" she yelled at Alcide as he walked in behind her.
"Keep it down!"
"Don't tell me to keep it down!" she yelled before her eyes spotted Anne sitting on Alcide's recliner in a tank top and men's pajama pants. "That's your neighbor? Oh, hell, no,"
"She got nothing to do with us,.
"You're fucking my wolf, bitch!" Debbie suddenly yelled, running at Anne and grabbing a fist full of her hair, yanking her off the recliner.
Anne was shocked at first, and in pain, but she quickly got to her feet and put one of her legs between Debbie's and pulled, knocking Debbie off her feet and making her let go. Debbie was up within seconds and reaching for Anne but Alcide already had his arms around her, keeping her from ripping Anne's face off while Luka stepped in between them.
"I am not having sex with Alcide, you dimwit Were. If I was, why on earth would I be sleeping on his recliner?" Anne yelled at her over Luka's shoulder, making Debbie stop struggling for a moment as she thought about that. "Not to mention you should be able to recognize another floozy since you have slept with Coot, Bobby, Roy and Travis-"
"What'd you say to me, whore?!"
Luka got in Debbie face, growling threateningly at the female Were. "She's saying that you traded this man- who is twice the wolf all of the guys you've slept with combined are- for a shot of V and that burn on your back,"
"Fuck you!" Debbie roared, fighting against Alcide, trying to shake him off. "I come here to save your fucking life and you have another girl here?"
"She's got nothing to do with us," Alcide exclaimed down at her. "And you didn't come here to save my life! You drug addict. You sold your soul to a vamp. I saw you,"
"He's more than a vamp, you ignorant redneck! If he knew what you saw-"
"Fuck him!"
"I'm warning you," Debbie told him, her voice going quiet. "If anybody finds out what went on at Lou Pine's… they'll kill you,"
With that Alcide flung her towards the door, blocking her from coming back into the living room to go after Anne again. Debbie quickly stepped away, smacking his arm for good measure before she turned to face him. But instead of saying anything or going after Anne again, Debbie left, the key to Alcide's apartment still clutched in her hand.
Elsewhere, Russell Edginton and Franklin Motts sat in the King's office discussing a folder full of information all about Sookie Stackhouse.
"Bill Compton is lying to me,"
Franklin nodded. "Yes, sir,"
"Who keeps a dossier on his human? Why would he care about her family tree?" Russell asked himself before he flipped through the folder again. "Sophie-Anne's overstated perfume is all over this,"
"That's what I thought,"
"This barmaid and her bodyguard friend already escaped us once," Russell spat, obviously annoyed as he looked through the folder, tossing a picture of Sookie back into it.
"Send a wolf. What'd you expect?"
"Maybe I should send you back to Bon Temps to acquire Sookie Stackhouse and Anne Weston,"
"I don't have to go anywhere," Franklin smirked, Russell looking over him with surprise and interest. "They're both here… in Jackson,"
The next night, Anne had been asleep for a while when she was hit by a dream that was not altogether of her unconscious's own making. She dreamt of Eric, not the Eric she knew today but of a human Eric who did not wish to be king of his tribe. She dreamt of werewolves destroying his family, of Eric kneeling over a small dead baby, his hands on his mother's face before he drew away to reveal blood. She dreamt of him fighting off wolves that turned into men once stabbed before he looked up to see a crown in one of the werewolves' mouths before it handed it off to a cloaked figure that walked off into the night. Eric watched the figure leave before he fell to his father's side and watched his father die with his last words on his tongue.
"Du vetvad du ska göra...hämnd," (You know what to do… vengeance.)
"Hämnd,"
Anne woke with a start, the sudden rush of emotions and memories waking her up more thoroughly than coffee ever could. Anne did her best to block Eric out but it was only when Eric's strong surge of emotion was gone was Anne able to put up the barriers the held him at bay.
Her eyes flicker as the remnants of familiar scenes flashed before her mind's eye and Eric's numbness washed over her like a balm for the pain. She shook her head as Luka approached her, trying to get rid of Eric's memories, though she was sure that his memories would never leave her, especially when they reminded her of the loss of her own family.
"Anne?" Luka breathed, her eyes full of concern. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Anne told her, waving her off. "Nothing, Luka. I am fine. It was only a dream,"
Luka didn't seem to believe her but let it go when there was a knock at the door. Alcide was the one to open it, Luka not far behind him. Anne listening as the two of them start growling once the door opened, bringing her to her feet.
"I'm Bill Compton. I'm here to see Sookie Stackhouse," a familiar accented voice said from the hallway. "May I come in?"
"Bill?" Anne stepped around the corner to find Bill standing in the hallway in a sweat suit, looking miserable but with a hint of anxiety.
Alcide looked hesitant about letting the vampire in but he finally nodded. "Come in,"
Bill bowed his head to Alcide before stepping inside, immediately getting smacked on the shoulder by the Elf in the entryway. "You dumb hick," Anne snapped at him. "You do realize that no matter what awful things you said to her, Sookie Stackhouse will not leave you alone and that means that I have to come with her,"
"It was for her own good," Bill told Anne firmly before his eyes softened. "May I see her?"
Anne frowned. "Fine,"
"Sookie?!" Alcide called, watching Bill carefully, not turning his back on him and making sure that Anne and Luka stayed near him and close to the door. It was a wolf thing.
After a minute, Sookie appeared from the bedroom in one of her skimpy nightgowns, with a dopey tired look on her face. However, a huge smile appeared as soon as she spotted Bill over Alcide's massive shoulders. She ran to him, jumping into his arms and holding as him close as possible, looking afraid that he would disappear if she let him go. Eventually, Bill was able to pry her off of him, holding her away from him so that he could give her a serious look.
"Sookie, you have to go now,"
Sookie seemed shocked. "Is that all you have to say to me?"
"There's no time," he told her before turning his eyes up to Alcide. "You must take her away,"
"Wherever I'm going, you're coming with too,"
"It's too late. There's no hope for me," he told her before stepping around her and up to Alcide, almost begging. "Please, you've gotta get her out of Jackson as fast as you can,"
"No joke," Luka murmured sarcastically.
"What do you mean, there's no hope?" Sookie asked, starting to cry.
"You have to leave, now,"
"I will, but tell me what I'm running from-"
On cue, the door burst open, two werewolves and four vampires entering the apartment on Cooter's invitation. The largest of the two vampires grabbed Bill and pinned him to the wall while one of the wolves dropped down into wolf form. Coot surged forward and kicked Alcide in the crouch, bringing him to the ground with a shocked groan.
"That's for Debbie, fucker," He then slammed his heel into the side of Alcide's head, knocking the Were out completely.
"Grab the girls, you imbecile," the smallest vampire ordered in an annoyed tone.
Luka shoved Anne and Sookie behind her and stood her ground in front of both Weres, one in wolf form and the other in human form. Luka stood guard in front of Anne and Sookie for one of them went to attack her, waiting patiently like the predator she was. Cooter was the first to move, crouching down and took a swipe at her, allowing Luka to step back as his head in clear view. She threw her knee up into his chin, snapping his head back before he fell to the ground. The wolf launched itself at her as Luka sidestepped, slamming her fist into the werewolf's side. The werewolf went to the ground with several sickening snaps that were probably the wolf's ribs and spine breaking. The hulking ogress growled threateningly as the werewolf stared up at her with wide eyes, unsure of what to make of it.
Sookie grabbed Anne's arm and pulling her towards the kitchen to try to escape but Russell was waiting for them. The vampire appeared in their way and grabbed Anne around the neck and pulling her away from Sookie harshly, leaving Sookie defenseless and Luka helpless to save her Elf.
"Uncle Coot is gonna get you!"
"Maybe not!"
Luka swung her fist, growing in size as she swung it up into the werewolf's jaw. Cooter was knocked out cold, flopping to the ground limp and unconscious. Luka growled threateningly, ready to take on any vampire that came at her or Anne's charge. The less vampires there were to fight, the more likely Luka would be able to get her Andromeda back.
"Fantastic!" Russell laughed into Anne's ear happily before he dipped his head down and drew his nose up along Anne's neck. "Now, I remember that smell…"
Anne fought him, jerking in his grasp as he giggled.
"Get off me, demon!"
"Kill the blonde monster,"
"NO!" Anne screamed, her eyes meeting Luka's determined ones. "No! Please!"
The two remaining vampires descended on the ogress at once, grabbing onto her arms to try to pin down her massive strength. In response, Luka's glamour fell away in a shock of green, revealing the ogress to the vampires in the room. Luka brought her arms together, slamming the vampires together like two ragdolls, both of them falling to the ground in a heap.
"Kill it, you fools!"
In a flash of motion, there was a resounding snap and everything was silent.
Author's Note: Okay, now you have to review.
