FYI I have changed my name to Zofya (previously princesszofia) in case you were wondering.
Thank you once again FairytaleAmber for your review of this chapter!
Chapter 28- You Bring Me To a Better Path
Claudine had once again pushed Sookie to the ground with a wave strong enough to knock anyone off his or her feet.
''Get up!'' She instructed but Sookie was exhausted. They had been at it for hours with absolutely no result.
Claudine had explained to Sookie that without consciously controlling her spark, she would not be able to return to her world. Since fairies were mainly emotions, the easiest way for her to tap into it was to get angry. Sookie had wondered if that was the side of Claudine she sworn she could see when she got angry or upset.
Claudine was a beautiful woman, there was no doubt about it but Sookie wondered if that was truly her true appearance as sometimes, when her guards had seemed down, Sookie could see he eyes changing to darkness and she noticed her skin changing to a slightly greenish color. Niall had explained to her that fairies were light and life but how much of it was true. Nothing in any world was perfect, so why would fairies be? She also wondered about their weaknesses, as she was sure they had some. Could there be a dark side lurking behind their facades?
She was hit by another wave which through her off on a tree. Claudine yelled at her she needed to concentrate but Sookie was too tired to do so. The countless waves of energy Claudine kept sending her way never angered her. It only managed to physically weaken her.
Sookie could not feel much of anything. When she had eaten the fruit of knowledge and then been hit by all the emotions that came with it, something had happened in her subconscious where she blocked everything that was happening. She had managed to remember Eric and her Gran but she was not able to feel anything about it. As fast as the emotion valve had been opened, her mind had closed it shut and now she was incapable of feeling anything.
Claudine helped Sookie get up and declared that was enough for now. Sookie shrugged her shoulders and sat on a chair not far from where they had been training. She was growing impatient and frustrated by her own mind playing tricks on her. She closed her eyes and decided to focus on memories of both Gran and Eric, but her mind kept wandering elsewhere and she felt like she was literally fighting inside herself.
''This is getting ridiculous Claudine. I need to go back to my world. I don't wanna to be here!''
Claudine had poured them a drink and handed one to Sookie.
'' I do not blame you, who would want to be happy!'' she sarcastically said.
''But I am not happy.''
''That is because you are not satisfied with anything.''
Sookie looked away.
''Maybe we are going at this the wrong way. Maybe the emotion you need is not just anger.'' Claudine said more to herself than Sookie. As she thought about her own words, Claudine's face lit up.
''I will be right back!'' she exclaimed leaving Sookie to her drink.
Sookie rolled her eyes out of pure boredom. About half an hour passed before Sookie grew impatient. She was tired of waiting and Claudine was pushing her luck. What was it that Niall said? 'One week for twenty minutes or…something?'
She got up on her feet and decided to head back to the castle and look for her great Grandfather. When she reached the empty dining room, Sookie wondered where the fairies actually ate since they were supposed to do so every four hours, but she never saw them at the table. She walked through the enormous expanse of the deserted kitchen. She headed back to the room she had awakened, testing the closed door she found it unlocked. As she opened it, she heard moans coming from where the bed was located. A long and breathless sigh which made her blush at the very thought of walking in on two strangers. As she proceeded to close the door, she heard His voice.
Eric was whispering to someone.
Just a short, blunt whisper as she heard him grunt low to whatever was happening, but there was no mistake, it was Him. She frowned and then hesitated in opening the door. 'What if she was wrong?' As she lingered, he spoke again. This time he had said a name, not hers, and sadly, it was loud and clear.
Out of unadulterated rage, Sookie opened the door to see him on top of another woman. She did not recognize her but then the harlot's eyes were not on Sookie anyways. She was confused on why Eric was there, in her room, having sex with another person. Something was strange about the scene but she couldn't help feeling angry and betrayed. It didn't ring all true but seeing Him with another woman was too much for her to put her emotions aside and use her logical side. Instead, she let her anger loose and stumped in. As soon as she started walking towards them, she noticed that Eric was smiling which pissed her off even more.
She pushed him off whatever bitch he was on and watched him fall on the ground completely naked and aroused! She couldn't believe it! As she clenched her teeth, she screamed how he could do something like that to her!
''What? Was I supposed to be exclusive?'' Eric replied.
Sookie placed her hands on the bed, her head spining while her cheeks were burning. She tried to take large, deep breaths to calm herself but she was boiling over.
''That is it!'' Claudine cried in joy as she entered the room. ''Jealousy! I should have known better, you are such a firecracker Sookie!''
Sookie turned around to look at Claudine as the heat had made way to her head. She felt like someone had turned the temperature up and all she wanted to do was to take off her clothing.
She turned around to face Eric again who now looked like another. The man who was still completely naked had dark hair and green eyes. He was still smiling. The woman in the bed got up and nodded to Claudine while the man followed her out.
''What the fuck is going on?'' Sookie asked confused.
''Jealousy! That is the emotion you need to ignite your fire.'' She handed Sookie a mirror. Her eyes were dark and her skin was strangely turning to a shade of green. She was surprised to see her reflection was similar to what she thought she saw when Claudine got mad or annoyed.
''That is your spark! It is on your mind now, go ahead and open the portal. '' Claudine instructed. ''All you have to do is to think about it now that the spark is right here.'' She pointed toward her eyes.
Sookie closed her eyes and simply thought of a portal between the human world and Faery. Instantly, an enormous wind started to twirl in the room and as the mini tornadoes made its way to Sookie, Niall entered the room. He put his hand to the tornado that kept swirling but had stopped moving.
''Before you go child, I am giving you this.'' He handed Sookie a bag. ''You will find the cure therein. Please bring it back to your world. We should join you very shortly to help you in your quest, and we will find a way to administer the antidote. I promise.'' He said. ''In the meantime, please bring a sample of the remedy to the vampire called Sophie-Anne. I believe she is a royal. She would know what to do with the sample.''
Sookie had so many questions that came to her mind but she would have to wait another day to get them all answered. She nodded and grabbed the bag before Niall put down his hand and the tornado came to her to scoop her up.
In a blink of an eye, she was in her old house back in Bon Temps. She looked around as her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. It had always been daytime while she had been in Faery. She wondered if that meant the demon world was permanently cast in a dark abyss and her world was a mix of both. She wasn't too sure what to think of fairies either. A part of her was happy she was finally discovering her heritage but the other part thought not only they were annoying beings, she felt they were using her in something greater then what she understood. Instead of thinking of them as light and happy beings, she thought of them as masters of deception. Sookie was left with a bitter taste in her mind, the one you get when you know something is fake. She felt as if the only reason why they saved her life was so she could play the messenger between their world and hers. They also had lied to her and played with her emotions. If they were so perfect and happy, why would they do that? Not only they turned hideous when they used their sprak but why would negative emotions feeds it? There was more to them than what met the eye and she wasn't convinced they had earned her trust. Her time there had been too short and her tapping in her spark had been so rushed, she was left with just questions and barely any answers.
She wondered why the portal would bring her in her old house. She had no idea what day it was or even what year anymore and while she panicked on the inside, she decided to explore the second floor where she had landed. Every bedroom had stayed the exact way she had left them. Even the smell was still familiar. She knew she wasn't safe here for the exact same reason she had left her home in the first place. None of the windows were boarded up, she had no weapons and knowing her luck, there was probably numerous corpses nearby.
As she entered the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was tanned more than usual and her hair had more bright blond highlights than normal. She frowned at herself and closed her eyes. She probed the bond, that very place that had been empty for the past day.
She could feel Him,
he was coming,
he was close.
Taking a deep breath, she called his name.
Nothing.
She probed the bond again, he was closer this time, she could feel all his emotions poured into the bond and was hit with passionate waves of love, anger, possession, envy and lust. As it took her breath away, she leaned in over the bathroom counter to help assimilate all of it.
As she opened her eyes, she felt that he was here, downstairs, knew it with every beat of her heart.
She ran down the stairs and when she reached the foyer, she threw herself into his arms. His embrace was tight and she could feel every muscle of his arms holding her as if she was the most precious thing on Earth. She gently broke away enough so she could cup his face into her hands and placed her lips onto his.
He had inserted his tongue right away. Something felt rushed, he wanted to possess her and that sense of urgency he felt had leaked into the bond. He lifted her off the ground as she wrapped her legs around him. She felt the wall behind her and the strength of his brute force holding her. She continued to kiss him, having ached for him in Faery. She wanted to feel him closer, as she reached down and grabbed his perfect ass. He grunted that he would never let her go again in between kisses. She slowed down the kiss and opened her eyes as he did the same. They stared at each other for a couple moments. He was taking her beauty in as she was taking in his. She had missed his icy azure eyes that rarely let any emotions through but at that very second; she saw the intense pain she had caused him. Sookie had no idea how long she had been gone, but it was obviously incredibly longer for Eric.
''I am sorry.'' she whispered.
He did not reply. Something in his eyes had changed. Sookie couldn't tell what exactly but it was that look some people have when they figured something out, that presence they have when they know something others do not.
He slowly leaned in to kiss her again but this time, it was gentle almost sweet. Sookie shivered at the tender kiss and wished it lasted more than it did. Eric had broken away but still holding her hand, he faced the door.
''Can you invite me in?'' He asked.
''What? I don't live here anymore.''
''Well the magic seems to think so.'' He replied with a smirk as he displayed his failure to enter through an invisible brick wall.
''Would you please come in Eric.'' Sookie said with a smile.
Something about entering her home again without a care in the world had helped her forget about the horrors of the surrounding biosphere. She closed the door behind them and faced Eric.
''I would offer you something to drink but I am pretty sure my fridge is empty and if it's not, you wouldn't want to open it.'' she sarcastically said
Eric had grabbed her waist and turned her to face him. His fangs were down and he was smiling.
''I have missed you. '' He said as he leaned in for another kiss but Sookie broke away and crossed her arms.
''How long was I gone for?''
''Almost a year.'' He replied.
''What!?'' she exclaimed with anger.
Sookie was trying to understand what exactly that meant. Eric could tell she was on a down spiral into a thousand questions and he could feel how lost and devastated she was. He took her hand and guided her to what he thought was her living room. She followed him along, lost in her own internal struggle. He sat her down on the couch and took his place right beside her. He grabbed her hands in between his and looked her in the eyes.
''Sookie, look at me.'' He said, even if her eyes were, he knew she was not yet back to reality. She blinked a couple times as her shoulders relaxed slightly.
''Sookie, where did you go? Were you in faery?'' Eric inquired.
She nodded.
''Did the Fae save your life?''
She nodded.
''I am so sorry I was not there.'' He simply said.
She stared at him for a minute embracing the feelings that were in the bond. He was sad that he did not save her, he was angry that she had been gone so long but most of all he had missed her just like she had; the difference being she had endured it for only a day or so and he had suffered for a year. She remembered the sorrow and the emptiness she felt when the bond was gone and she couldn't imagine what he had went through. She then thought about what Niall had said, 'Vampires were from the demon world which was pain, manipulation and destruction.' Sookie hated that Niall had put doubt in her mind. If what he had said was true, than how could Eric feel this way about her? How could he feel this deeply at all?
Sookie looked away as Eric felt her weariness.
''What is wrong?'' he asked.
''Some Prince who says is my Great Grandfather told me about the demon world too.''
Eric couldn't help but growl.
''What did he say?'' he snickered.
She explained to him what Niall had said.
''The world is not as black and white as he explained it Sookie.'' He took her chin between his fingers and gently guided her to look at him.
''Fae and Demons lived together for millions of years in this world. We tainted each other. I am sure that back then the Fae were as pure as they believe themselves to be. Just as Demons were as terrible as they pretend to be, but this is not truth anymore. Vampires were humans once. The Fae magic cursed them with feelings just as Demons cursed them with their own revulsions lurking behind their pretty faces. Have you noticed that side of them? Their spark is fueled by emotions, the good and the bad. Vampires may have learned to hide their feelings, but I assure you we still have them.''
Eric leaned in and kissed Sookie, taking his time to pour every bit of love he had for her in the bond. He knew she felt it because she had shivered a second time tonight.
''You are still mine Sookie, my lover and I will not let the Fae poison your mind with lies.''
She closed her eyes and abandoned herself into his touch. He continued kissing her lips and then went to her neck while his hands explored her body further. She moaned under his skilled touch, which aroused him to the point of creating a tight bulge in his pants. She placed her hand on the impressive length as he rumbled in her ears. She pushed her hips forward and he lay on top of her. His hands were trailing slowly down her arms and made their way to her stomach where he reached under the white tank top she was wearing. He took her earlobe in his mouth, which made her moan anew. Sookie pressed forward where she met his arousal and grabbed his ass to bring him even closer. He thrust his hips at her demand and then proceeded to kiss her neck, her clavicle, her shoulder, her breasts as he moved down to the end of her tank top and the beginning of her skirt. He kissed her soft belly a couple times and then lifted the skirt to expose her beautiful legs. Sookie was breathless when she asked Eric to stop teasing her and just take her, which in turn made Eric growl deep and loud exposing his fangs.
She looked down at him and took in the beautiful sight of his face filled with lust but what she couldn't stop staring at were his clean white fangs. She wanted to give him her blood just as much as she wanted his. Without hesitation, she grabbed his forearm from her hip and bit into his wrist.
The act was so primal that before long took Eric by surprise. He really did not see this side of Sookie very often, and he loved it. As she drank his blood, he felt his pants grow extremely tight. He surveyed her body slowly from the tops of her thighs all the way back up at her puckered lips on his vein. She was still drinking from his wrist with an animal hunger. It was the melody of her moan, her impossible smooth sun kissed skin, which ultimately invited him to sink his fangs in the inside of her thigh. Sookie's hips thrust forward at the slight pain and tickle.
''Eric…'' she arched as he drank her blood.
Her blood…oh it was sweeter than it had been, and tasted of the sun he knew was ruling over Faery. He did not dare to drink more than a couple sips of her delicious elixir. When he stopped, he made sure to lick the two small holes so they would close right away.
She had stopped drinking as well and was staring at him. The desire in her eyes was so strong that Eric could not control himself. He did not waste any more time with taking their clothes off, when entered her. Her initial scream of pleasure turned into deep moans as he thrust over, and over again into her. He leaned in as he drove further into her and took her mouth hostage. He kissed her slowly, their tongues dancing to the rhythm of their hips.
''Eric…please…'' she implored.
He knew she was close to ecstasy so he picked up the pace, a little faster, a little deeper. Her sighs were long and plaintive looking for a release that was imminent. He stopped kissing her without pulling away. He stared into her eyes as he slowed down his motions. She grabbed his ass in objection and rushed forward driving him even deeper than where he had been. His own moan escaped his lips as she screamed in pleasure. She had contracted so tightly around him that it brought him to his own stunning release.
Panting, they both looked at each other for several minutes. Not daring to move and happy that they were together. Sookie did not want him to pull out yet. She liked feeling him inside of her, closer to her entire being. He did not complain in the least.
They kissed again, one more time, before Eric broke away and fixed his pants. She did the same with her skirt and sat up next to him. She placed her head on his shoulder and stared at the chair that was facing the sofa. He placed his hand on her spine and gently stroked her back relaxing and enjoying the contact.
They spent about an hour in silence just cuddling in a home she had once lived in. At first, they did not talk much, each trying to control their own emotions and trying to make sense of whose emotions they were feeling. Wether it was their own or it was from the bond. Eventually, Sookie build the courage to ask about the community and who was left in it. Eric explained to her what had happened when he had woke that night, the vampire hideout fire, the runners, the devastated main street, her Gran's body, her loss. She listened carefully trying her best to process all the information as much as possible. He had shared with her his suspicion about the Fellowship of the Sun, who had shot at her and try to kill her and he explained what the world had come to. The vampires take over, the enslavement of humans who were happy to just have a purpose, Alcide, Jason and Tara's survival, the new farm, their new reality. He told her about Louisiana, the No Man's Land, the beast and shared with her every piece of the investigation he had done while she was gone. She had asked about Sam, but he told her he had not seen him since the community's fall.
Sookie sighed heavily, ashamed she had missed all that hardship and wasn't there for Eric and for her friends. She explained to Eric what she had done in Faery, the cure, and the lack of ideas on how to administer it, her spark, and her emotions.
''Do you think that is why someone tried to kill me in Bon Temps?'' She asked when he had growled at the cure's mention.
''The witch said you were important and you had a role in finding the cure.'' He continued. ''If she knew about you and your origins especially that you were one of the only people who could open the portal from this side, maybe others knew too.'' he declared.
''Why would someone want to stop us from finding the cure?'' she exclaimed.
''Personal advantage I assume.'' Eric said.
Suddenly taken away from their conversation, they heard noises coming from Sookie's driveway. Fast-paced footsteps' coming toward the house, Eric rose up and was listening as the thundering footfalls were getting closer and closer.
''Runners.'' he breathed.
Sookie got up and ran the stairs as the corpses broke into her front door and came crashing in. Eric ran to the entrance from the living room and one by one, he snapped their heads off without much trouble. He wished he had his sword with him as the Runners kept pouring in the now broken down door. Sookie was upstairs looking for the bag with the cure. She had left it in one of the bedrooms and the darkness was stopping her from finding it quickly. She was crawling on the floor blindly searching for it when the floor starting vibrating to the beat of quick footsteps. She frowned and rushed to find the bag under the bed. She heard loud booming noises coming from downstairs. As she got up, she did not have time to understand what was happening, Eric swept her off the floor. He then ran to the window and jumped through it absorbing Sookie's fall on the ground. As soon as they touched the Earth, Eric took flight holding her bridal style. She looked down at her house as the beast crashed through the window and partial wall only to land where the couple were mere seconds ago.
''My house!'' She cried.
''I am sorry Sookie, it was never truly secure.'' He said as she nodded in agreement.
''It's not safe anywhere in Louisiana apparently.'' she replied. ''I guess only when I am with you.'' She joked which made him smile. ''What are we going to do with the cure? Niall said your Queen could help us.''
Eric was flying low, close to the trees heading to the farm.
''We will stop at the warehouse where I spend my days. We will hide some of it there and then I can take you to Jason, Alcide and Tara. You can tell them and administer the cure to the people at the farm. I will let Sophie-Anne know about treatment at our next meeting.''
His tone had changed. He was back to his stern look, his cold voice. She still felt some of his emotions through the bond but the intensity was a lot less than earlier.
''How do you do that?'' she asked.
'What?'' He asked without emotions.
''That! How can you go from this perfect caring lover to this cold hard executive? Even the bond has less intensity. How's that possible, we just exchanged blood!''
He didn't reply but instead just pointed to the old warehouse. He landed right at the entrance and put Sookie on her feet. Pam was already at the door waiting for them. Sookie couldn't tell, but Pam was actually excited to see her. Not because she cared for her but she knew her Maker did and she had waited for the day she would return and bring her back her beloved Maker.
He nodded at Pam and explained quickly where Sookie had been earlier that night as they walked to the office. Pam listened carefully and did not spoke a word. When they reached the office, she sat in front of the desk as he took seat behind it. Sookie stood watching them as if she was not part of the scene.
Pam asked what they were going to do with the cure and he had explained to her exactly what he had told Sookie. She agreed that would be the best course of action. Sookie took out one of the jars from the bag and placed it on the desk. Pam took it and ran out of the office.
''It is better if you do not know where we hide it Sookie.''
She frowned and did not reply anything. He felt her hesitation.
''Do you not trust me lover?'' He asked.
She nodded in silence as he graced her with a quick smile that was gone as fast as it had appeared. Pam was back in the office.
''Shall we?'' Pam asked as they exited the room.
They walked to the farm at human pace so Sookie could follow. They crossed two guards on their way to the main building.
''Vampire?'' They asked Eric whose fangs ran down as the sole answer.
Once they reached the farm's edge, Sookie heard something hit the ground behind her so she turned around. Jason was standing there, having dropped the box he was holding. His mouth was opened in shock and Sookie could tell he was trying to say something.
''Close your mouth silly, you gonna catch some flies!'' She exclaimed as she ran into his arms.
He placed his hand on her head and gently stroked her as they hugged each other. Her joy of seeing him was short lived as he broke away.
''Where you been Sook'! We thought you were…'' His voice had broken up.
''I am sorry Jason, it's a long story.''
Alcide and the remainder of his pack had joined them as well as Tara and other members of the farm that Sookie didn't know. She could hear thoughts about her, some wondering if ''She'' was the one Eric had been waiting for. A couple of the women's jealousy made their way into Sookie's head automatically putting her shields up. The last image she had been hit with was one of a woman with Eric in the barn which made her clenched her teeth and frowned at Eric in anger. Her cheeks were already getting red when she felt her fingers start to tingle.
Eric did not wait for the rest as he knew how devastating a fairy could be and sure Sookie was not a full Fae but he did not want to see the extend of her powers in front of everyone right then. He grabbed her arm not knowing what had sparked such anger but he stared at her in the eyes and whispered to breathe, trying to send positive feelings through the bond. She brushed him off and turned to face Tara who was in tears. Her friend's face was enough to stop her fury dead in its tracks. They stared at each other for a while as everyone kept whispering words Sookie couldn't hear.
''Where the fuck have you been?'' Tara asked through her teeth. ''We thought you were dead.''
Sookie could hear Tara's ire, which was then amplified by Alcide's growls. As they stared at each other, she was hit with waves of images coming from both of them. She couldn't manage to put her shields back up. Jason's thoughts also entered her mind. All the words from the three of them gave her a headache. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, her eyes tried to focus and stop the assault but were unsuccessful. Her head started to spin out of control and the feeling made her nauseous. She told them to stop but no one was listening.
Tara, Jason and Alcide looked at each other skeptical to her words. They were not really talking as they were waiting for her to explain where she had been but there she was telling them to ''stop it''. They all knew she meant their thoughts but to the others from the farm who didn't know Sookie, they had no idea she was a telepath.
Sookie tried her best to put her shield back up but she failed. She started walking away as the pain was greater than what she could manage. Alcide tried to stop her but Eric stopped him and growled at him to let her be.
''We have pressing matters to discuss Alcide.'' Eric said.
At that moment, Godric walked out of the barn and joined them.
''She has returned!'' he said with a smile.
Eric nodded and gave his Maker the jar. He did not explain where it was from, as he did not want to share too much information with the rest of the farm. However, he did enlighten his Maker, Alcide and Blake, that it was a cure to the virus. It could not bring back the dead, but it would ensure humans who did die in the future, would stay dead. The crowd whispered words of hope and excitement as an old woman walked to Godric and whispered in his ear. He nodded in agreement. Eric overheard her tell him that the best way to administer the liquid would be to make tea with it and to give it to everyone at the farm.
As the older women left the group with the jar, the other women whose excitement filled the air with hope followed her.
Godric stayed behind with Pam and Eric. He watched as they walked away.
''The sun will be up soon, let us go back and take shelter. You may tell me all about Sookie.'' He said with a smile.
Eric agreed and smiled in return.
''May I check on Sookie before I join you?'' he inquired.
''Of course.'' Godric said taking Pam's hand into his and walking away in peace. Eric could tell his Maker was happy that Sookie had brought back the cure. Godric cared deeply about the humans and this new development meant that slowly the corpses would disappear and no new ones would replace them.
Eric used the bond to track back Sookie who was sitting at a pond near the farm. He stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, which made her jump in surprise.
''I hate when vampires do that!''
''I am sorry.'' Eric said. ''Are you feeling better?''
''Where is Bill?'' Sookie replied ignoring his question.
Eric had decided not to tell her about his death earlier that day. She already was dealing with the community's destruction, the death of her Gran whom she killed herself. For Sookie, these events had happened only yesterday and she did not have a year to deal with the trauma. He did not wish to add to her sorrows.
''Where is he?'' she asked again. ''Is he dead?''
She had looked down when she pronounced the word "dead". Eric had no doubt she loved him very deeply but he was not blind to the fact she had cared and loved Bill too. He may have rejected her but it did not mean Bill had not cared for Sookie as well. Eric suspected Bill had been instructed not to touch Sookie since he had noticed his interest, the desire in his eyes when he looked at her.
''What happened?'' She asked resigned to the idea he had indeed passed.
Eric reminded her of their hideout's fire and the attack. He explained to her his suspicions on the coordination of the attack on the main street and their hideout. He told her it had cost not only many human lives but also Compton's undead existence.
She moved away from Eric and stood up. When he reached for her, she pushed him away, walking slowly back to the farm.
''I have to explain everything to them.'' Sookie said. ''I don't want to lose anyone else. They are entitled to know what happened to me.''
Eric did not stop her. The sun was slowly rising as he watched her leave. He wanted to take her pain away but he knew she needed to grieve and she had made it clear she did not want him to be part of the process. So he let her leave without any more words, and when she reached the farm, he took flight to the timeworn warehouse.
TBC
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Xox
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