The Favor
Part Two

In the morning, Gram-pa came over. Preston insisted on laying his hands on me to give me some of his energy. I didn't fuss about it; I couldn't deny him this one thing. After my coffee and a good serving of nerves, Gram-pa and I stepped a few feet away from Preston. He was standing next to the counter watching us. My eyes locked with Preston's until the last moment when Gram-pa and me teleported out. With lightening speed, we were teleporting across state lines. It was that part of the morning when everything had that ethereal glow signaling to the birds to begin their morning song. After several minutes we slowed down as we came to what looked like Graceland.

"He's in that building," I told Gram-pa. It had been many months since I last saw Bill's register, but like faces, I never forgot people's registers.

"Make sure to suppress your essence," instructed Gram-pa.

"I will," I assured him. The next second we teleported between a pair of trees that stood tall off to the side of the gabled building. It was actually a three car garage. We followed the side of the building, stopping when we reached the corner. Even though I scanned the area, I figured it wouldn't hurt to take a second look. "Its all clear," I whispered back to Gram-pa. The farthest garage door from us was half open. Carefully, we stepped lightly making sure to stay low so that we couldn't be seen over the cars parked in the driveway. The cars were all clean and shiny. Even the black tires were polished. Isn't it strange the stupid things you notice sometimes?

As we walked and half crawled toward the partially opened door, I smelled chlorine. I wondered if behind the hedge was a swimming pool. Gram-pa stopped and looked inside the garage. While his attention was turned inside, I stared down the long driveway. It was a straight shot all the way down. The drive curved and disappeared behind the house. Or should I say mansion? My nerves were so tight I imagined they would break if plucked. There weren't any cars parked in this lane. For several long seconds that stretched to infinity, we had nothing to hide behind. It wasn't a good feeling. We were completely exposed.

Out of nowhere stepped out a dark figure.

My heartbeat hitched. "Don't turn," I pleaded silently. "Don't turn."

I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until the figure, the man, the Were, turned and walked in the opposite direction. He never looked over toward us. With my mind I reached out toward him, and I quickly listened to his thoughts. He hadn't noticed us. Something tugged at my shirt sleeve jolting me. "Shhh," motioned Gram-pa with his finger. With his hand he waved me to follow him.

Crouched close to the ground, I slipped under the garage door.

"Hey Frank," called out a voice from inside. In a flash we took cover behind the canary yellow car.

"What do you see?" silently asked Gram-pa through the Knowing. I was already reaching out with my mind. "If we're seen, they can't live."

Preston and Gram-pa had made sure I understood this very clearly. Even though I could impose my will on people, I couldn't necessarily erase their memories. If we were seen, I could bend their thoughts and feelings about us, but the memory of us wouldn't disappear from their minds. For this reason, Preston was empathic with me that if someone saw us, they couldn't live. He then showed me the special room with no doors and no windows. It was a room that housed weapons. "Remember what you see," he told me, "call what you need to yourself." Then he had me promise that I would.

"Are you really gonna see that Felicia gal again?" asked Were #1.

"Yeah," said Were #2 who was called Frank. "Why?" The two started walking toward the garage door. As carefully as I could in my squatting position, I moved forward following Gram-pa along the car that was shielding us. Somehow, my stupid idea to wear my sneakers backfired. My laces on one shoe loosened catching under my foot.

I hit the floor with my face. It seemed the sound of face smacking cement was loud enough to be heard. A split second later, even before the stinging had faded, I heard a gun being cocked.

"Who's there?" snarled Were #1.

Gram-pa reached out and helped me off the floor. In a blink, the Weres were on us like beans on rice.

"What the f***," blurted Were #1. His buddy was right behind him.

"Fairies," growled Were #2. Gram-pa stood up to his full lean length. His arm came across me pressing me to get behind him. In Gram-pa's open hand appeared a long sword.

"Oh—," I whispered silently. Preston's words to me, that no one who saw us could live, replayed inside my mind. The war drum in my chest started beating fast and loud inside my ears. I knew that if I got too worked up, my connection with Preston would pull him to me. Somehow, us trying to conduct a break out, and getting caught with the Ambassador of Alvar with us, didn't play out too good in my mind.

"That sword won't do you any good," snickered Were #1. I could see him clearly from where I stood. He pointed the stubby mussel of his gun at us. In his mind, I saw Gram-pa smile wryly.

A streak of light sped through the air. It happened so fast. Gram-pa brought his strong sword down and swift, making one clean and strategic cut.

Were #1 howled in pain as blood sprayed everywhere. The next thing I heard was another gun cocking. In a flash, before I finished the thought, Were #2 went barreling toward the side wall. His gun dropped to the floor letting out a series of bullets ricocheting off the nice canary yellow car. Before the last bullet found its resting place in the drywall, I flung him into the ceiling; his neck broke on impact. With my next breath, I released my telepathic grip. He fell like a limp rag to the cement floor.

"Let's hurry," instructed Gram-pa. I jumped over Were #1 and followed Gram-pa through the open door, which I assumed led to a back room. All I knew for sure was that Bill's fading signature was on the other side of that door. I stepped through the threshold and froze.

Nothing would have prepared me for what I saw.

The brain signature of the creature tied up was Bill's, but it didn't look anything like him. Dozens of small gaping wounds folded like pedals, exposed the raw flesh underneath. It wasn't a person. "Untie his legs," said Gram-pa. I hesitated for a fraction before I kneeled to free one of Bill's ankles. He was strung like the image of the Vitruvian Man. His arms and legs were spread apart, tied at the wrists and ankles to a beam frame.

Bill began to shriek. The sound was ghastly. My body didn't seem to know whether to vomit or cry. The silver cords that held him to the beams had dug deep into his skin, touching bone. My expression was wrenched. I reached into his mind and numbed his pain. It seemed to work; the agonizing groans stopped. As quick as I could, I unwound one ankle and quickly moved to the other.

"Another Were is coming," I told Gram-pa.

"Help me," he grunted. As he held Bill's weight, I frantically worked on his other wrist.

"Ok." The word came out rushed. Gram-pa laid Bill down, and hurried to stand off to the side of the door. As he waited for the Were that was hauling it into the garage, I unwound the silver cord around Bill's other ankle. Seconds later I dropped the cord to the floor kicking it with my foot away from Bill.

The first Were blindly came charging into the room. He never saw it coming.

Gram-pa took his fist and jammed it into the Were's jaw. The crisp sound of bone cracking was loud. Before the large Were could recover, Gram-pa knelt down like he was about to pray. Instead his strong arm, rammed his fist hard and quick into the Were's thigh. He would have eventually died, but Gram-pa stood over his body and with one quick jerk, the Were was dead.

"There's more coming," I cried out. With everything I had, from where I knelt next to Bill, I pulled the canary yellow car in front of the door blocking their entrance.

"What is this?" a cold accented voice came from behind us. I jumped up tripping over my feet, landing hard on my ass. I thought vampires couldn't be up once the sun came up. Before she could take advantage of my position, I shot up and side stepped, following her in the half circle she walked around us. I felt Gram-pa come up behind me.

"Get him out of here," I said firmly. Bill was too heavy for me to try to carry. "I'll be right behind you."

"He's mine fairy," growled the beautiful blonde woman. The brown pits of her eyes were as scary as Dante's inferno. I felt Gram-pa pull the energy around him and in less than a heartbeat, him and Bill were gone. "No!" screeched the vampire.

The hairs on my arms and neck prickled.

She surprised me. Before I saw it, she sprung at me tackling me to the ground. I'd never seen a vampire move so fast. Her long fangs came down on me. My arms were no match for her strength.

"Ou—." I felt the tips of her fangs cut through my soft skin. Through my connection I felt Preston coming. "No." This was the only word I could think of.

Telepathically, I rushed at her with everything I had. And like a bullet, I shot her off of me. Her small body struck one of the beams that Bill had been strung to. It broke under her impact. She crumbled to the floor.

'No one that sees you can live.' Preston's words rang in my ears. The small and intense vampire, I knew would heal in a few minutes. I opened my palm, and like I had done all those months ago in Alvar with Ken's desk, I called Preston's sword. It was heavy. Clumsily, it took me two hands, but I raised the sword unsteadily. The next second, I let the weight of the sword fall against her neck. In the corner of my eye I saw her head roll.

There wasn't any time left; Preston was almost to the building.

Quickly, I pulled at the energy around me. The next instant I was teleporting across state lines with a force that would have put to shame any man made jet. As the energy rushed past me, I saw and felt Preston following me.

Several minutes later I was in the middle of Fangtasia. It was practically dark; there weren't any windows. The only lights were coming from the bar.

I sat on the floor, my legs tucked under me, motionless. Somewhere in the back, I could pick up a handful of human registers, Gram-pa, and Bill. My hand started to cramp. I looked down and stared at my white knuckle grip on the sword. It was like my hand hadn't registered that it was all over.

"Sookie," I heard Preston's voice.

"Preston?" I whispered almost forgetting what my voice sounded like. His beautiful face was in front of me.

"Here," he said. Gently he opened my hand, and took the sword. It disappeared. I still thought it was the coolest thing ever to see an object poof into thin air.

"Where exactly is Gram-pa?" I asked.

"I'm here," I heard his regal voice. "I've placed the vampire in the chamber," said Gram-pa. "The humans will tend to him now."

Preston's hands slid under me, and he lifted me into his arms.

"What happened?" asked Gram-pa. His fingers brushed my hair back so he could inspect where the blood on my shirt had come from.

"I killed her." I told him.

"Good," said Gram-pa, squeezing my hand.

"I'll take her home now," said Preston. Gram-pa kissed my hand.

"Be safe," he said.

"I will." The next moment, Preston took me home and cleaned the fang wounds on my shoulder.

Several weeks passed before I saw Bill again. It was actually a few days before the New Year. I met him at his home in Bon Temps. He was weak, but he looked much better than he had when we found him in Mississippi. After a little small talk, I gave him back his package. "We're even now," I told him. Bill nodded his head.

"Thank you Sookie." His voice and expression were sincere. "You know the Queen has offered you a reward."

"Well," I said thoughtfully and let out a slow breath. "Maybe one day I'll take her up on that reward." Bill looked at me with a knowing smile. Favors owed to you were always a good thing to accumulate. You just never knew when they might come in handy. I leaned in and gave Bill a Fairy Kiss on his cheek. "I wish you serenity," I whispered in the Fae language. Though Bill and I were even now, I would always be grateful for what he did for my Gran.

I stepped back a safe distance from Bill so I could teleport back home. His hand was still caressing his cheek where I kissed him.

"Good-bye."