"In here," Annie muttered so that no one could hear her as she motioned to a door to the right. "It is the warehouse. We can sneak out here."

Nora nodded and stepped into the room first, holding the door open as Eric pushed Annie through the door. She stumbled slightly, keeping her eyes on the floor as Eric looked to the bottles of Tru Blood that were being bottled up, but then his eyes widened as he looked at it, seeing what was being injected.

"You're seeing this, aren't you?" Nora whispered to her brother as Annie peered upwards too.

"What is it?" Annie whispered to them.

"They're injecting something into the drink," Nora whispered to her. "It's…I think it's the virus…they're putting it into the drink."

"No," Annie said with a shake of her head. "They can't be."

"I think they are," Eric said. "We need to get out of here before someone catches us."

Eric continued to walk with haste then, moving through the warehouse as he did his best to keep a low profile. It was only when he came to a truck did he stand still and look around. Annie wondered what he was doing before she saw him begin to duck down, pulling Annie with him. She knelt on the floor as Eric crawled under the truck and Nora kept a look out.

"Are you crazy?" Annie whispered to him.

"Not today," Eric mumbled, holding his hand out for her.

She soon moved towards him, rolling under the truck and letting Eric wrap his arm around her, hauling her body on top of his as her hands found his shoulders and she wondered what he was doing. She soon found out when he moved his hands and legs to hold onto the belly of the truck, Nora following suit as the vehicle began to rumble.

"How can you hold onto it?" Annie wondered from him. "With me?"

Eric chuckled as the vehicle moved and Annie felt her body stiffen, her hands tightly clinging onto Eric's shoulders as she dared not move, her head resting by his neck as she closed her eye, waiting until they were free of the van.

Annie had fallen asleep, unable to keep her eyes open as Eric carried her towards Fangtasia. Nora followed them, whispering to her brother about the situation they were in while Annie remained sleeping. She was unable to keep her eyes open as they walked and so Eric had taken to carrying her back to the bar.

Only when they arrived did Eric wake her, setting her down in a booth in the bar while Nora went to grab herself a drink of Tru Blood that she knew had yet to be compromised. Annie shifted once as her back came into contact with the seat and she sat up, looking to Eric as he moved an arm to wrap around her shoulders, yet she seemed more content with nestling closer to him, her own arms going round his waist as her head rested by his side.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I was just so tired."

"I know," Eric assured her. "I get it, Annie. You've been shot…shot someone…I'd say it's been a pretty eventful day."

"Hmm," Annie agreed, closing her eyes, "but we have so much to talk about, Eric. I mean…how did you escape the Authority in the first place? What happened to them?"

Eric began to retell her the story of everything that had happened since she had left the Authority. He didn't know if she was entirely listening as her breathing often went shallow, indicating that she was on the verge of sleeping. But she listened to everything he told her about how the Authority had been disposed of. He told her how they were no longer an issue and she said how grateful she was for that.

"And Nora is very apologetic," Eric informed her, glancing to his sister who was still behind the bar. "She didn't mean anything she said about…well…you know…"

"I know," Annie mumbled. "I guessed by the way she is here. But if what you're saying is true about Bill…that he took her blood…well…doesn't that mean that he's a threat?"

"Who isn't a threat?" Eric muttered back as he stroked Annie's hair down her back and moved her, adjusting her body so that he draped her over his lap, his arm holding her back as she slumped on his chest.

"I should have done something to help," Annie mumbled. "I should have done something earlier…when they first took you."

Eric chuckled then, shaking his head as he bent down to kiss her on the forehead "You did enough, Annie. You saved me and Nora. I've never seen you like that before…so strong…determined…it was different…but you proved that you are most certainly not pathetic."

"I…I just wish that you hadn't killed him," Annie admitted.

"Why?" Eric enquired back. "He deserved to die for what he did to you. If you thought that I would let him live after putting his hands on you then you really don't know me."

Annie scoffed. "I know," she promised. "I wanted to kill him…I really did, and I'm not saying that he didn't deserve it, but I just…I don't know, Eric. I know that you've murdered before but I don't like thinking about it. I don't like the fact that you had to kill because of me."

Eric tried to take in her words, but he didn't entirely know what she was talking about. Eric had killed before and the life of Michael didn't matter to him. In fact, it had been a pleasure for him to take it, yet she did not need to know that. No, Annie was concerned for his soul. If only she knew that she had no reason to bother.

"It is done now," Eric simply said, knowing that there was no use in arguing over it. "But the problem is that we can't stay here, can we? Your father will be sending men as we speak."

"Then where do we go?" Annie asked and Eric looked to Nora, nodding at her softly.

"I have a safe house," Nora said. "Somewhere in Texas. It isn't far away, but it is far enough for us to hide. But that's not the problem…the problem is what we should do. They still have Pam and they are infecting all the vampires."

"We can't let them get away with that," Eric declared, but Annie nodded in agreement with him. She understood what he was saying. "We need to stop them."

"Agreed," Annie said. "So what do we do?"

"You don't do anything," Eric told her, but she shook her head and pushed herself from him to stand up, dropping her hands to her hips as she listened to him talk. She watched him for a few moments and he watched her back, a look of determination on his face as he did so.

"If you think I am going to stay here and do nothing then you really are an idiot," Annie hissed at him. "Who was it who just saved your arse, Northman?" Her voice was high and demanding as Nora smirked from behind the bar, unable to stop herself as she watched Annie move to prod Eric in the chest. "If it wasn't for me then God only knows what would have happened in the facility. No, I was the one who came up with a plan…granted…it was a brash plan, but it was a plan and I helped. So yes, I am coming with you, and yes, I will help you."

It was only when Annie saw Eric stare at her with some form of need did she hold her hand up to him, pressing it against his chest as he took her by the waist. Arching a brow, she looked up to him while he remained silent, the stare still there.

"Are you serious?" Annie demanded from him as his hands took hold of her by the waist and he pushed her backwards towards the backroom as Nora laughed and raised her glass in their direction.

"He pretends not to like authoritative women," Nora said. "But he's lying."

Slamming the door to the room shut, Eric moved with haste then, gripping Annie under her thighs as a gasp escaped her lips at the motion. She said nothing, nor did she complain as Eric's mouth found hers, his lips needy and demanding against hers as she wrapped her legs around his waist and her hands moved down to the waistband of his trousers.

"We shouldn't," Annie muttered, even though she wasn't protesting. "I mean…really? Yelling at you turns you on?"

"Hmm," Eric grunted in agreement, moving to rest Annie on the edge of his desk as his hands found the buttons to the blue shirt she wore and he tore it open as she looked at him.

"If I'm honest," Eric whispered, moving to kiss along her neck, "I've waited far too long for this…do you not understand, Annie? I need this…I need you…because I almost lost you."

He brought his gaze back to her then as he spoke the final few words. His eyes searched hers while she moved a hand to his cheek, stroking it softly as he moved to kiss her once more, the motion needy as Annie felt him move with haste, bringing her to rest on top of his lap as he sat in his chair and she draped her arms over his neck, kissing him along his jaw.

"You have me," Annie whispered against his skin, her breath hot as Eric ran his hands up and down her back until they tangled into her hair. "And you won't lose me."

"Not again," Eric confirmed before kissing her hastily again.

….

Fixing her hair in the mirror as she changed into a simple red dress, she assumed was Pam's, Annie tried not to think of Eric watching her in the mirror. But he was there. Saying nothing, she only smiled as Eric buttoned up one of his regular black shirts, tucking it into his trousers.

"Shut up," Annie said as he continued to grin.

"I didn't say anything," Eric defensively spoke.

"I know what you're thinking," Annie replied in a soft voice. "And we need to go before anyone finds us here."

"Agreed," Eric said.

As Annie left the bathroom, there was a knock on Eric's office door shortly followed by Nora's voice.

"Eric, we have company."

Eric moved with his superhuman pace, opening the door to the room and stepping into the bar. Standing there was Bill Compton, his hands in his pockets as he looked between Nora and Eric. Annie was soon on their trail, her nostrils flaring as soon as she saw Bill stood there. She moved past Eric and went towards Bill.

"You bastard," Annie hissed at him. "Eric told me what you did…turned against him…how dare you!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Eric said, gripping Annie by her upper arm to stop her from getting far as she tried to advance towards Bill but failed. Yet Bill continued to look amused at the sight of her.

"Still as feisty as ever, I see," Bill drawled and Nora chuckled, folding her arms as she watched Bill with narrowed eyes.

"As always," Nora mumbled.

"What do you want, Bill?" Eric demanded.

"To help," Bill spoke. "I have Lilith's blood inside of me. You know that I can help you if you allow me. I trust we all want the same thing?"

"Perhaps," Eric agreed. "But why the sudden change of heart?"

"Because I saw something," Bill admitted. "And Jessica managed to persuade me that Lilith…well…she might be very real, but she cannot control me. I know that I have done some bad things, but I am looking to change."

"I've heard bullshit before," Eric said and Bill shook his head.

"I killed Truman Burrell," Bill declared. "I killed him and I want to help stop anyone else who would hurt our kind. I have seen what they intend to do. They intend to burn all the vampires…they have a chamber where they lock them up and burn them to death. I saw Jessica…Pam…even Nora…all of them burning."

"I don't trust him," Annie said, her voice defiant as she jutted her chin out.

"You're not the only one," Eric agreed with her.

"I am telling the truth," Bill continued. "And I was hoping that I could rely on you for help. I know that you shouldn't trust me…but trust me when I say that I would do anything to save Jessica if she's in trouble."

"She's your progeny," Nora recalled and Eric did nod then, seeming to agree with what Bill was saying.

It seemed that when it came to progenies; vampires would do anything.

Eric had been adamant not to bring Annie with them, but Nora had been on Annie's side, saying that she could come in use when it came to navigating the building. Annie had kept hidden while Eric, Nora and Bill had got rid of all the guards around the perimeter of the base. The night was slowly upon them, the sun settling behind the clouds and bathing them in darkness.

It was only when Eric came back to her, holding his hand out and demanding for her to take it did they move towards the base. Nora and Bill held the door open, letting Eric and Annie go in first.

"I have Lilith's blood inside of me," Bill began to talk. "I am stronger than anyone in here. Let me deal with them and you find everyone and free whoever you can."

"Got it," Nora agreed with him.

Annie kept on pulling Eric behind her as she moved towards the rooms where she suspected Pam and the others might be if Bill's vision had been correct. And she knew who would be there.

"We have to split up," Nora said, realising that if they were to free everyone then they had to go their own way.

"Agreed," Eric said. "You two free the gen pop and we'll head over for Pam."

They all split up then and Annie continued to move, sneaking around the corner before a guard finally saw them. Annie said nothing as Eric rushed by her, snapping their necks without a second thought. Annie moved to catch him up, taking his elbow and steering him down another corridor.

"You could just knock them out," Annie said in a whisper as she stopped around a corner, stretching her arm out to stop Eric from moving further.

"Where's the fun in that?" Eric whispered back and she rolled her eyes as the guards left the corridor they needed to be down.

Moving once more, Annie came to the locked door she suspected the control room was hidden behind. She pushed on it, but it didn't open, the keypad at the side stating that it was locked.

"Shit," Annie mumbled.

"Super strength, remember?" Eric whispered to her and moved to the door, gripping its handle and edge before ripping it from the frame.

Nodding, Annie watched as he threw the metal into the room, the smashing of glass echoing through the room.

"That'll do," Annie muttered, stepping into the room to see her father, a doctor and Sarah Newlin stood inside. Eric dealt with the guards in the room, killing them with ease before they could fire at him.

"Annabelle Walters, you better have a good reason for the things that have happened," Donald snarled at his daughter as she cocked a hip and tilted her head, Eric standing behind her.

"You mean my dead fiancée?" Annie demanded from him. "The man who would have raped me? Abused me?"

"We found him dead," Sarah said, stepping next to Donald as the doctor remained seated and Eric remembered him from yesterday. He had the hep v injection. "His throat had been ripped out and he bled to death…"

"Good," Eric said, but then he saw the room behind them. The glass pane that had smashed revealed a containment room and inside of it were Jessica and Pam, but no Nora.

"What were you going to do to them?" Annie asked her father, motioning to the room.

"Let them go back to depths of hell where they belong," Donald informed his daughter. "Sarah, you should go."

"No," Eric said. "She goes nowhere."

"You don't make that decision, Northman." Donald said. "I run this place."

"This place is being overrun by vampires," Annie said. "We are releasing them as we speak now. They are all going and that is all there is to it. If you want to live then you surrender now."

Eric caught Donald's gaze then, a look of understanding coming between the two men. Donald had no intention of leaving, while Eric also had no intention of letting him leave alive. He had caused too much pain.