Sawyer walked down the stairs of the basement wishing that Eric would keep more light down there. She could barely see what was in front of her. She stepped off the last step and looked in front of her at the wheel. She sighed when she saw a shape chained to it. She didn't want to feel pity for the person knowing that they had done something to Eric or another vampire but she did. She could only too easily imagine Lafayette chained down there and she knew that no matter what the person had done they were still a person.
"Hello?" she asked softly.
"I didn't think anyone was going to come," the voice said and Sawyer knew it was a man; a man who had been screaming for a while as his voice was hoarse.
"Believe me, I didn't want to come but I had to. You need to stop screaming because believe me, if you don't it will only piss Eric off more."
"I think he has shown how pissed he is, Tom Sawyer."
Sawyer stopped. There had only ever been one person who had called her that not to hurt her but in love; Finn. She slowly walked around the wheel staying close to the wall. She stopped when she finally stepped into the dim light and was able to see who the man was. It was a beaten, broken Finn. She covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at what was left of her brother. Finn's chest was bare and she could see the cuts and slashes from what looked like had been a knife. Her eyes raked over his chest then his hips and to where his legs should have been. Instead there were two stumps wrapped in bandages that were slowly turning red.
"That was the first thing he did. Making sure that I couldn't get away again," Finn whispered his eyes looking up at his sister.
"No, he... No, he wouldn't," Sawyer said leaning against the cold wall for support.
"Yes, he would, Sawyer. Look at me. Look at what the thing you love has done to me. Now tell me, do you still think he is human?"
Eric walked into Fangtasia and stopped when he only saw Jessica and Sookie laughing in the corner. He looked around but did not see Sawyer anywhere. He walked over to where Sookie was telling himself that Sawyer was probably in the back or that she had gone home. He stood there and glared at Sookie and Jessica.
"Where is Sawyer?" he asked knowing that it would sound more like a demand to them.
"She said she was going to go to your office. But that was a while ago," Jessica said frowning a little.
"How long is a while?"
"I don't know, Eric, I don't time how long that your girlfriend is gone," Sookie answered.
Eric just turned and walked away. He walked towards his office and stopped when he heard voices coming from the basement. He felt his anger rising but tried to keep calm as he yanked open the door and walked down the stairs. He stopped when he saw Sawyer leaning against the wall looking at Finn. He marched over to her. He stopped when he got about a foot away when she looked up and looked at him. She had never looked at him with fear in her eyes but there it was. She was terrified of him now. He clenched his hand in a fist and turned to look at Finn. The son of a bitch had a grin on his face.
"Looks like I win after all, bloodsucker," Finn said.
"Vacker, you should-," Eric started.
"You told me you killed him. Do you have any idea how much that hurt me inside to think that the man I loved killed my brother?" Sawyer whispered the silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
"He isn't a man, Sawyer. He never was. Do you understand now what Mom and Dad were trying to teach us? Do you now know why they pushed you so hard to use your gift against them? Use it now, pop his head off and kill him!" Finn yelled at her.
Sawyer ignored Finn and looked at Eric. She felt her twins move and knew deep down his reasoning for doing this to her brother. She knew that he wanted Finn to pay for all the horrible things that had happened to her. Her lover wanted Finn to have the same scars on his back that she had on hers. Sawyer pressed herself against the wall more as Eric took another step towards her. She didn't want him near her at the moment. She was so confused and hurt she wasn't sure what to think or who to trust in that moment.
"Sawyer, love, do it," Eric told her softly.
"What?" she asked looking at him confused.
"Do as your brother asks. Kill me, if it will make you feel better and bring closure to you, then do it. By all means, kill me and save your brother."
Sawyer looked at Eric the tears flowing freely, "Is that what you want? Do you want me to kill you?"
"I want you to decide here and now what side you are on. I want you to do what you feel is right."
"You are going to die," Finn said confident that Sawyer would choose to save him. He saw the way that his sister was looking at the vampire and knew that he had turned her against vampires. He could see it.
"Eric, don't ask me," Sawyer started.
"I lied to you, I hurt you, I have tortured your brother enjoying every moment of it! And I am not sorry about it and I will never apologize for it! You know that, so decide, would this world be a better place without me or Finn! It is an easy question!"
"It isn't easy! I love you but... HE IS MY BROTHER!" Sawyer screamed. Still after everything that Finn had did to her she couldn't stand there and condemn him to death. She closed her eyes and banged her head on the wall. She didn't want to choose, she couldn't do as Eric was asking her. Suddenly she felt his cool hand on her cheek and she opened her eyes and looked into his blue depths. She let more tears fall.
"Do you understand why I did it this way? I knew you would never be able to choose and I was protecting you," he whispered to her in French.
"I spent an entire week blaming myself for this and thinking that I was losing my mind because I could still sense him and you," Sawyer looked at him and shook her head, "you knew he was here the entire time and let me suffer."
"Min karlek, not here. We can speak of this later, I can hear your heart racing, you should not be here."
"I am not leaving here. I can't trust you not to hurt him more."
"Sawyer, just kill him already," Finn said watching his sister and starting to wonder if maybe he was wrong and that Sawyer was still on the side of her bloodsucking dead boyfriend.
"She won't kill me, Finn because she loves me. You however, would not understand that since no one has ever loved you," Eric said letting go of Sawyer and turning towards Finn. He walked over and stood beside him. He looked up at Sawyer, "What do you want me to do?" he asked wishing that she had never walked down to the basement and saw her brother. Pam had been right; he shouldn't have taken the risk and he should have just killed Finn outright.
Sawyer looked at Finn and knew that there was no way they could just take him to a hospital and let him go. Eve would find out and then there would be no stopping her from going after Eric. Sawyer closed her eyes and knew what had to be done. She opened her eyes and looked at Eric. She looked away not able to look at him for very long. She raked a hand though her hair and sighed.
"Do what you should have done in the beginning," she whispered looking at Finn. She felt tears fall and wished again that things could have been different between them.
"What? Sawyer, do not let this thing kill me!" Finn screamed.
"I will kill him once you leave," Eric said.
"No, you do it now."
"Vacker-."
"I don't trust you, Eric. I want to but I can't. You lied to me. Now just do it."
Eric looked at Sawyer and could feel the pain that was coming off of her in waves. She was angry and horrified at him for doing this. He wasn't going to apologize for it though. He had spent years doing horrible unspeakable things for less honourable reasons then this and he had never apologized for them. He would not apologize to Sawyer for protecting her and their children. He had done what he knew was right in keeping the knowledge that her brother was in the basement and alive from her. He looked at her and saw the determination in her eyes. He loved her and the last thing he was ever going to do was kill her brother in front of her. He never wanted her to see him kill someone let alone her very own brother. He couldn't do it and he knew that she was going to be pissed at him even more but he didn't want her to see him that way. He crossed his arms on his chest and gave her the look he knew annoyed the shit out of her.
"No," he stated.
"No? Eric, I am not going to say it again."
"I am not going to kill your brother in front of you. I refuse to. I will not have you thinking of me as a monster."
"Little late for that, don't you think?" Finn asked closing his eyes and wishing that one of them would kill him. He didn't think that he could take much more of the domestic fighting going on.
"I don't want to fight with you, Eric. I am tired and drained and," Sawyer closed her eyes, "I hurt down to the very core. Could you please, just kill him so that I can go home and cry about this?"
"Go upstairs and I will do it."
"I don't trust you to do it."
"Ahh, what is going on?" Jessica asked walking into the basement and seeing Sawyer and Eric both jump then turn to face her.
Sawyer looked at her friend and wiped her tears from her eyes. She turned and looked at Jessica as the vampire walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She was glad that Jessica was there with her but she knew that in reality this was really between Eric and her. She looked at Jessica and gave her a soft smile.
"Are you done decorating?" she asked.
"Yes, for now. Sawyer, are you okay? Did Eric do something? And who's gimpy?" Jessica asked looking at Finn.
"I'm Sawyer's brother and my loving sister just ordered her dead lover to kill me. Thankfully he won't."
"Yet. I still plan on killing you," Eric answered.
"I'll kill him for you. Been wanting to test my skills."
"Jessica, no. We have this handled," Sawyer said holding her back. Jessica looked at her then looked at Finn and nodded. Sawyer watched as she left. She then turned back to Eric and Finn. She looked at Eric not wanting to argue with him more, just wanting him to do what she had asked him to. "Eric, please just do it," she almost begged.
"No, Vacker. I love you and want to share everything with you but I will not share this. I know you have seen me covered in blood but this is different. I will not let you watch me take your brother's life and have you have that image in your head replaying over and over. I am a monster, I accepted that long ago but I will not let you see that side of me," he told her firmly.
"Eric, I don't care. I just want you to kill Finn so that this will finally all be over. I am done with you lying and trying to protect me. I am not some delicate flower. If you don't kill him," Sawyer paused and looked at Eric, "I will."
Finn snorted. He looked at his sister and shook his head, "You can't. You never used your gift to help yourself out of getting beating so I know there is no way you are going to use it to kill me now. You're weak, Sawyer. Always have been."
Sawyer looked at Finn. She focused her ability on his head. She stood there and watched as it slowly began to turn round. He screamed but she didn't stop. She slowly turned his head round and round waiting to hear the snap of his neck. She stumbled back shocked when Eric shoved her aside and suddenly ripped Finn's head from his body. Eric stood there holding the head as the blood squirted over. He turned and looked at Sawyer. She looked at him and suddenly felt sick. She turned away and quickly walked out of the room. She rushed up the stairs and pushed past Sookie, Jessica and Pam who were all waiting at the door. She just wanted to get home and try to forget how Eric looked holding her brother's head. She knew Eric had been right; she did see him as a monster now. And it caused her heart to ache.