Chapter Notes: Same night, Bill and Sookie gone for the first part.

"As much as I hated it, that was good thinking." Kit spoke a few moments after the office door closed behind Bill.

Eric lifted his head to meet Kit's eyes. "Thank you."

"That was also pretty careful wording, the only thing you are losing is your money."

Eric smirked. "Yes. Godric taught me how to handle fae, but I often use those skills outside the realm of supernatural affairs. It can be helpful for getting what you want. I promised to release you from any glamours I held you under, which is none, so I do not need to do anything. I never promised to let you go."

"I don't think I want you to let me go." Kit mumbled, aware that Eric would have heard them.

"I won't."

"I would wear that leather jacket instead of packing it." Eric called out from his perch on the bed.

Kit popped their head out of the closet. "Why?"

"We are flying there. Our bags will come on the same plane as Sookie and the rest of them."

Eric watched as realization dawned slowly on Kit. They nodded and walked out of the closet, slipping on the jacket. They closed their suitcase, satisfied at what they had packed and slipped their backpack on.

"Alright. I'm ready. I'm taking my work with me though. I'm too paranoid about my laptop to trust it in anyone else's hands but mine."

Eric shrugged and pocketed his phone. "Outside then."

"Our things should arrive by nightfall tomorrow, along with the others."

Kit allowed themselves to fall back on the bed and sink into the softness of it, half listening to Eric as they allowed their muscles to stretch and relax. "Okay. Is there anything that we need to do tonight?"

"We shall meet with the Dallas vampires tomorrow night after the others arrive. So, no." Eric gave a sigh. "Kit…"

Kit sat up fully, recognizing the more solemn tone of Eric's voice. Eric moved to stand in front of them, their legs framing his. He cupped their cheeks in his hands, meeting their eyes and studying them for a moment.

"It has come to my attention," Eric spoke, running a thumb over Kit's cheek. "That I care deeply for you. There are some who might say that I love you, and I wouldn't deny them. If you do not feel the same towards me, then so be it. But if you do, would you allow me the pleasure of courting you? I am sorry, I am unsure of what the modern terms are for it. I would like to form a blood bond with you."

Kit brought their hands up to cup Eric's hands, and leaned into the hand whose thumb was moving. "It's called dating nowadays. And I would love that."

Eric beamed, and Kit couldn't help but share in his joy. Eric leaned down to rest his forehead against theirs, eyes closing. Kit brought a hand up to the back of Eric's head, guiding his lips down to meet theirs in a soft, short, and sweet union.

Kit broke the kiss, leaning against Eric and allowing him to lift them up, moving to sit fully on the bed with Eric against the backrest and Kit on his chest.

"Min lilla räv (My little fox)."

"Only if you're mine as well."

"Of course."

Eric allowed them the comfort of his arms, just as they allowed him the comfort of holding them. Silence was nothing new, but it was always comforting. Eric nuzzled the top of Kit's head, taking in their scent.

"How would you be most comfortable performing the blood exchange?"

"I'm fine where I am. Could we do it from wrists?"

"Of course." Eric shifted Kit to lean more towards his side.

Eric lifted his own wrist to his mouth, biting into it, and bringing it down to Kit's mouth. Kit's hand gripped Eric's arm as they drank a few mouthfuls from him. Kit released his wrist and arm, the wound healing over, and Eric brought the same hand that had gripped his arm up to his mouth. Ever so gently, he bit into Kit's wrist. His eyes closed as he felt the bond cement further into place with each mouthful. One last pass of his tongue over their wrist closed the pinpricks made by his fangs, and he let their hand go back to resting on his chest.

"I can feel you, your presence in my chest." Kit spoke softly.

Eric looked down at them, their eyes closed and face full of bliss.

Kit concentrated on that feel within their chest, near their heart.

He saw the slight shift in expression first, then the gentle caress across the bond next, and he grinned.

Eric answered his phone, his annoyance having already built in the time he was waiting for it. "You were supposed to call me when you arrived."

"We were ambushed at the airport." Bill's dry lit came through the speaker.

"By whom?"

"You know exactly by whom, Eric. The Fellowship of the Sun. Why didn't you tell me they were involved?"

Eric looked up to Kit as they entered the living room area of their rooms. "I didn't know for sure. Now I do."

"You could've shared your suspicions with me."

Kit relaxed on the couch as they waited for Eric to be done.

"I could've, but I didn't. You should remember that I am your sheriff, Bill. We are not equal. And if that displeases you, take it up with a majestor. Or the queen. Now, you have an hour to get your shit together and meet me in the lobby. We have a meeting with this area's vampires."

Eric ended the call, having resisted the urge to end it by throwing his phone into the wall. He lifted Kit from the couch and settled back down on it with them resting against his chest.

"The Fellowship of the Sun?"

Eric sighed. "Yes. It worries me that they were able to abduct a vampire such as Godric."

Kit watched from the background as the vampires argued, not having much to say that wasn't already said. Stan wanted a war, but Isobel and Eric simply wanted Godric back home. There was already a plan set, Sookie would need to go into the church and read minds to find information as to where and how Godric was being kept, that way they could better know how to rescue him. Stan stalked off after being denied the fight that he longed for, and for once, it felt like there was a possibility for conversation.

"If you plan on going into the church, you should take my human, Hugo, with you. People of the church are not likely to trust a woman on her own." Isobel broke the silence that ensued after the exit of Stan.

"No." Eric spoke quickly, not willing to deal with another unknown.

"I have to say, as a woman who's been absent a man most of her life, that could not be more true." Sookie crossed her arms over her chest.

"Would it help if Sookie read his mind first?" Kit spoke for the first time since entering the nest.

Eric gave them a slight glance. "Yes."

"Excellent." Isobel clapped her hands together. "I shall go see if he is available."

Kit reluctantly extracted themselves from Eric's arms to answer the relentless knocking at the door of their rooms. With a glance through the spyhole, they swung open the door. Sookie stood on the other side, hand raised, ready to start another round of knocking.

"Yes?"

"You're coming with us."

"No. I'm not."

Kit made to close the door, but Sookie stopped them with a foot. Taking Kit by surprise, Sookie was able to reach and pull them out of their rooms with Eric, closing the door behind them.

"Now you have to come with me. You obviously don't have your key with you." Sookie crossed her arms over herself, smug in satisfaction.

"No, I don't."

"Come on." She grabbed their arm in a tight grip once again, leading them away. "I have some clothes that I bought earlier in your size for this."

Fuck. I hope Eric doesn't kill her over this.

Kit watched their hands, barely keeping them from shaking where they were folded in an awful skirt that was the color of a dying daisy. This was not part of the plan, it was decided that Kit would not go in, there would have been too many loose ends. But now here they were, decided to be the little sister of Sookie, and the maid of honor at their wedding.

"We're here."

Kit lifted their head to look at the front of the church. Standing there was Steve and Sarah Newlin, lips stretched wide in a smile that was meant to be welcoming, but Kit couldn't help but feel as if they had been thrown into a den of hungry lions.

With each step towards the pair, Kit couldn't help but feel the oppression of fear grow on their shoulders, though they were careful to keep their face neutral. The wide smiles on the faces of the Reverend and his wife mirrored that of Sookie when she was trying to work with her telepathy. The pair kept their voices kind, welcoming, something that attempted to be warm but only ended up taking more warmth than it gave.

It was the introduction of Gabe and an offer of a tour of the basement where Kit was certain that they should have done more to stay at the hotel. Hugo was pushed down the stairs, and Sookie roughly grabbed by the newcomer. Kit raised their hands in surrender, willingly going down to the basement and to the cage, hoping to avoid more trouble. Sookie paced like an animal, but they simply watched as the light from the main portion of the church was cut off when the door closed.

Fuck.

Kit sat against the wall at the far end of the cage, not wanting to be near the panicking Hugo or Sookie. Hugo may have betrayed the nest, but to Kit, Sookie was also a traitor.

"Kathlene—"

Sookie started, but something in Kit broke open. "Stop calling me that! My name is Kit. My pronouns are they/them. I am non-binary. And you need to respect me as the person I am!"

Sookie quieted monetarily at Kit's shout.

Ignored again, Kit tried to focus on their bond with Eric over the bickering of the two ahead of them. Tried to focus on reaching out…

"They should have been back by now." Eric paced the room.

Kit was not meant to go to the church with Sookie and Hugo, they were meant to stay in the hotel with him to wait for the others to come back. He had been ready to tear down the hotel to find them when they were nowhere to be found, but the lingering scent of Sookie outside his door gave him all the information that he needed.

"I checked on Hugo earlier, he is fine. I would know if anything was wrong." Isobel lounged on the couch next to Stan.

Eric nearly growled. He too had checked on Kit and found nothing too worrisome, but that did not quell the feeling that something was wrong.

"How are you sure that the humans didn't just run off together?"

This time Eric did growl in addition to Isobel. "Hugo wouldn't."

"What about you, Sheriff?" Stan took Eric's silence as uncertainty.

"Kit didn't go to that damn church willingly in the first place."

Eric collapsed in the nearest chair as Stan and Isobel began to bicker about themselves again. Any movement of his stilled at feeling the gentle touch of Kit in the bond.

"Screw this." Eric stood, leaving the room intent on getting to Kit.

The door to the basement slammed open, breaking Kit away from their focus on Eric, and bringing them to their feet. Hugo began whining as soon as Gabe reached the cage, roughly opening it to step inside. Hugo was met with a shove to the ground that rendered him unconscious for the second time since their capture. Sookie was met with a similar fate, and Kit could feel their panic building as Gabe turned to look at them, something more than burning hatred in his eyes; it was lust.