'Well, at least I tried to go to sleep', I thought as I stared up at my ceiling, panicking. What was I thinking agreeing to go on a date with Eric Northman? I'm a complete and utter moron. Eric pretty much said that he never dates. The man doesn't need to. Look at him. He's sex on a stick. He probably has women throwing themselves at him all the time. Oh God, what is he going to expect from me on the date? I'm not exactly worldly when it comes to these things. Can I cancel? What if he doesn't like my plan? Why did I even offer up one? Shit. And then Sookie… Sookie's gonna flip when she hears I agreed to this. Why did I agree? I really didn't know. Am I that hard up for a date that I'd agree to go out with Eric? Yes, yes I am, I suppose. Too bad Alcide didn't ask me, although he's in no position to ask anyone out right now. That ex of his is still under his skin. Shit. But, it's not completely unreasonable to want to go on a date with Eric though, right? I mean, on one hand, he's gorgeous, a business owner, and respected (at least in his community)… did I mention he's gorgeous, but then on the other hand, he's dead, he thinks he owns me (not) and is cocky as they come. Still, for some strange and unknown reason I like being around him, I liked the way he sent shivers up my spine, and I guess, I kinda liked… him. Uhhhhh….. I sound like a lovesick puppy. I just need to suck it up. I made this bed and now I gotta to lie in it. Ohhhh… wait, bad analogy…. I really need to try to sleep. Maybe that will clear my head and calm my nerves. I need to call Jessalyn soon.
…
Eric had made Pam stop in a clearing in the woods before they reached Bill's house to pick him up for his sentencing.
"Why are we stopping? You know the Magister doesn't like being kept waiting. Who knows what that sick son-of-a-bitch would do to us for being late?" Pam asked Eric while he pulled out his phone.
"This'll just take a minute Pam." Eric responded and then dialed Alcide's number.
"Hello?" Answered Alcide, shaking his head as he saw the caller ID, Eric… Shit. A call from Eric was never good.
"Alcide. It's Eric Northman. I understand you've been doing some work over at Miss Stackhouse's residence." Eric said to the werewolf.
"Hey Eric. Yeah, I have. What's it to you?" Alcide responded, not knowing why Eric would care about that.
"Yes, well, she speaks highly of your work. I understand that you'll be going back tomorrow to finish the job. " Eric continued.
"Yeah... I'm not sure I'm following what you want here Northman." Alcide said, hoping the vampire would just cut to the chase.
"I'm just calling to make sure you are finished tomorrow and do not return. Arabella Stackhouse is mine." Eric said to the werewolf.
Alcide took a moment before responding. Arabella didn't say anything about being with a vampire, let alone Eric Northman, in fact, she said that she hasn't dated in a while. Even though he could smell vampire around her, she didn't smell of them, at least not in the way a human does after being intimate with a vampire. After she told him about her sister and Bill, Alcide assumed that the smell came from him. Evidently not. This call didn't make sense though. Since it was obvious that Eric hadn't touched her yet, why would he be calling like this? Most vampires didn't claim a human that they weren't intimate with. Well, he thought, whatever was going on with Northman, he couldn't let her deal with that vamp on her own. Eric was crafty as he was old. And, while Eric had never done anything to him, Alcide had seen what Eric was capable of with others. Granted they had it coming, but still, it was brutal.
"Well, that's news to me. She didn't mention it. Not that she would to the handyman working on her foyer." Alcide finally answered. He didn't want the vampire to catch on that he knew her a little better than that.
"Yes, well, I suppose I can see how it wouldn't, but none-the-less it would be advisable, to you, to not return." Eric replied, hoping this would settle the matter.
"Eric, I only have to finish painting tomorrow. But, I'll tell you what, if she decides to hire me again for another project, I'm not going to turn it down. We're in a recession my friend. I can't afford to turn down a client. As a fellow businessman, I'm sure you can understand that. However, you have my word that I will not touch what is yours. I'm not stupid enough to want to piss you off." Alcide answered. He understood what being called 'mine' in the vampire community meant. If he had not made that pledge to not touch Arabella, he knew that Eric would do everything in his power to prevent him from seeing her again.
Eric listened to Alcide's response and decided that he understood that he was not touch Arabella and the veiled threat of harm that would be imposed on the wolf if he were to do so anyway. Normally Eric would not take the word of a… dog… but this one was more honorable than others of his kind. He'd known Alcide for years and knew he didn't go back on his word, and to be honest, he really did good work.
"That sounds… reasonable. I'm glad that we have an understanding. If you are to do future work for Miss Stackhouse, make sure to notify me." Eric replied.
"Sounds fair enough. Is that all Northman?" Alcide asked, glad that the situation had diffused itself.
"For now. " Eric replied and hung up, somewhat satisfied with the outcome of the call. It would've been much better if the dog had just agreed to never see her again. He could understand the monetary aspect of not agreeing, but Eric couldn't help but wonder if there was something more. After all, she was a beauty…
Alcide couldn't believe that Arabella was mixed up with Eric, but it shouldn't have surprised him too much though. He knew very little got by Eric. He also knew that Eric had an eye for the ladies, beautiful ladies. He'd have to talk to her in the morning about Eric.
"Eric, we stopped so you could tell that dog Alcide to stay away from Arabella. Really? You realize we're supposed to meet the Magister, right?" Pam asked dumbfounded that this was the reason for their delay. He couldn't possibly care for that human that much, right? She thought Arabella was yummier than most, but that shit only gets you so far. This was the Magister they were going to see.
"Yes Pam, it was. I made the mistake before of not being more vigilant with keeping tabs on a prospect, if you recall, and was betrayed, humiliated. I will not deal with that again." Eric replied thinking back to the Bill/Emma fiasco.
Pam nodded in understanding. So that's what he's telling himself. Well, she knew that was part of the reason; he did have his pride. But due to the extremely close bond they shared as child and maker; she could tell he was hiding something else, maybe even from himself. She decided to drop it though. Now wasn't the time to get into with him and he'd probably deny anything else anyway. It wasn't like they had Oprah moments all the time either, sharing their feelings over a cup of blood. "Well, if that's done, then we should head off to the sentencing."
"Yes. Let's continue on." Eric replied and then blasted into the sky with Pam following behind.
….
With nothing but his thoughts to keep him company, Bill impatiently paced back and forth along his porch waiting for Eric. He was starting to wonder if the whole Longshadow thing was a setup from the get go to get Bill into major trouble like this. He knew that Eric had it in for him, but he never thought it'd go this far. Bill could be looking at the true death for killing another vampire, especially for a human. Was Eric that cold hearted? Did he hate Bill that much? Bill really didn't know at this point. God, if Eric only knew the bullet he dodged when Emma chose to be with him instead of the Viking, Bill thought. He should have been thanking me instead of holding this stupid grudge. And then Sookie… she had no idea what was taking place tonight. Bill had decided it would be best to keep her in the dark because: one – there wasn't anything she could do about the situation, two – she'd never accept that and try anyway and probably get herself into more trouble, and three – he couldn't bear to see those tears form in her eyes knowing that it could be the last time they'd ever see each other.
Finally after a few more moments, Eric and Pam arrived at vampire speed on Bill's porch.
"So, waiting with baited breath I see." Eric said as he walked up to Bill, placing gloves on his hands so he could put silver handcuffs on Bill.
"Are those really necessary Eric? I'm not running from you, or this trial." Bill said looking at the cuffs.
"Yes, I do see that. As admirable as that may be, the Magister will notice if you arrive without cuffs on. I would not be doing my duty as Sheriff if I allowed that. You should be thankful that you haven't been wrapped in silver in the basement of Fangtasia since staking Longshadow." Eric replied. He could have done that to Bill, but Eric wasn't as sadistic as the Magister was in enforcing the law. He was, however, looking forward to cuffing Bill now, knowing that it would be extremely embarrassing to him. Just an added bonus to the night, Eric thought.
"I understand." Bill responded solemnly as he held out his hands to receive the sliver shackles. The minute the cuffs touched his skin, they burned him causing putrid visible vapors to fill the air. Deep cut-like valleys appeared in his skin and blood started dripping to the ground. How he was going to make it to the trial in this condition, he didn't know. All he did know was that they needed to get to the trial soon. The Magister was a stickler for punctuality. But, it would be difficult to run as fast as he normally could in the state he was in.
Sensing Bill's thoughts, Eric said, "We need to leave now for the tribunal. Seeing as you aren't in any condition to keep up, Pam and I will pull you along." And then Eric and Pam each grabbed one of Bill hands and flew off into the night sky with Bill to get to the trial. Bill thought they must have looked like some sort of very perverse version of Peter Pan trolling Wendy and her brothers through the night sky. This was no children's' story though; far from it.
…
Seeing the tribunal was a shock to Bill as he, Eric and Pam landed. Bill had never been to one before, but this, this was nothing like what he had anticipated. As far as he knew, vampires always had prided themselves on being above all others: humans, werewolves, etc. This tribunal looked like some sort of post-apocalyptic horror movie, or Friday night in Hot Shot, complete with fires in tin barrels, old beat-up junk cars, abandoned buildings and people all around dressed in questionable attire looking like they were ready to kill. There was nothing 'superior' about this show. Where was the nice courtroom with people dressed in suits? It certainly wasn't here.
"Stay right here until you are called upon to appear before the Magister. Do nothing else until then if you want to survive the night." Eric said to Bill. While Bill was not his favorite person, Eric was sheriff. He took those duties seriously and was not going to let his own personal biases interfere with the process before them, no matter how tempting it would be and how easy it would be to exact his revenge on Bill here. This was not the place for that. Bill nodded in understanding.
"Sean O'Malley, step forth for your trial." The Magister bellowed as he sat on a fold-up chair in the back of a pick-up truck that had seen better days. What an odd bench for a judge, Bill thought. While the setting of the tribunal was dismal, to say the least, the Magister was a complete contrast to it, being that he was the only one dressed appropriately for court, outfitted in a pinstripe suit, a pair of black leather gloves and a pure silver cane. There was no doubt in anyone's mind what that cane was for. The Magister was known for his love of dispensing torture.
Two other vampires dragged Sean out of the crowd to appear before the Magister. His wrists and ankles all had silver shackles preventing him from standing, or doing pretty much anything but kneel before the Magister. Bill thought to himself that Eric was right; he could've had it much worse.
"Sean O'Malley. You're how old?" The Magister asked the vampire before him.
"Seventy five years old." Replied the vampire who looked about twenty.
"Yes, that is what the record before me states. Hmmmmm. Seventy five years old. You are aware of our rules and traditions, are you not?" Asked the Magister.
"Yes." Responded Sean, who knew there would be no sense in lying. The Magister would know if he was.
"Well, Mr. O'Malley, you are quite old enough to know, respect and follow one of the most time honored rules we have, which is: you do not feed on a human that belongs to another vampire. Seeing as you unabashedly broke that rule, I have no choice but to sentence you to defanging. Maybe the three months of starving while your fangs grow in will teach you better manners. Please note for the record the sentence that has been passed and executed. Members of this tribunal, is this sentence fair and just?" The Magister proclaimed, obviously loving his position of power.
The other vampires all cheered and hollered in approval as one of the vampires who brought Sean before the Magister pulled a pair of pliers out of her back pocket. This sentence was obviously anticipated. The other vampire held Sean's body still with one hand and with the other held Sean's head so his mouth was wide open. The first vampire then used the pliers to pull the first fang out. Sean screamed in agony as blood spurted from his mouth. The vampires in the audience cheered even louder. Then the other fang was pulled out with similar response. Bill cringed as the audience seemed to go into a frenzy over the sentence. They were loving every minute of this show. Bill shuddered to think of what was going to happen to him. He turned to look at Eric and Pam. Thankfully, they were not participating in the frenzy. They both stood there with blank expressions. It seemed to Bill that maybe they also thought the display before them was a bit much.
"Sheriff Northman of Area Five, bring me your murderer." The Magister then yelled out over the crowd's noise, effectively bringing it to silence.
Bill knew there was no turning back, so after Eric removed the shackles from his hands, he walked forward to stand before the Magister and receive his sentence, whatever it may be, from the Magister.
"So, Mr. Bill Compton, I understand that you staked a fellow vampire for a human, your pet, is that correct?" The Magister said with disgust.
"If I may, Magister, Longshadow, the vampire I staked, was about to attack my pet because she outed him as a liar and a thief. In fact, we were there to assist Sheriff Northman in finding out who had been stealing from his business." Bill stated, hoping that those facts would lessen the sentence at hand.
"Is this true Sheriff Northman? " The Magister asked looking at Eric.
Eric took his time in responding, not because he was trying to think of an answer, but only to make Bill sweat it out as to what the answer would be. Sometimes it was too easy to rile Compton up, he thought. "Yes Magister, Mr. Compton and the girl were there at my bequest to assist in outing the thief and I dare say that this human has some valuable assets worth keeping… in tact." Eric finally said, much to Bill's surprise and relief. While Eric wanted revenge on Bill, he didn't want in here or in this manner. The vampires at this tribunal made their kind look like savages. This wasn't Eric's style. Also, Eric wanted revenge, not necessarily Bill's death. What Bill did to Eric didn't warrant that.
"The business offense does make this case more interesting. What to do? What to do? This was a most inopportune moment in time for you to decrease our numbers, Mr. Compton, at such a critical period in our history. All this for a… human? Really, what's become of us?" The Magister replied glaring at Bill.
"Magister, especially at this time when we are trying to show humans that we can coexist with them, peacefully, what better way would there be than to protect them when one of our own is about to violate them?" Bill said, angered by the obvious bias the Magister had against humans. How were they going to successfully coexist with humans if those in vampire positions of power, such as the Magister, still held onto such antiquated views? He was about to continue when…
"Bill, enough." Eric said, hoping that Bill would heed the unsaid advice of 'shut the fuck up before you get yourself killed'.
Bill stopped talking immediately and bowed his head down in submission, understanding the meaning behind Eric's outburst.
"Well, you seem obedient to your Sheriff and you haven't bored me. That works in your favor. The usual sentence for this offense would be five years chained in silver in a coffin. Most go insane from hunger and pain within, oh I'd say about two years, give or take." The Magister said as Bill couldn't help but have a flash of shock and fear appear quickly on his face. "However, I'm feeling a bit creative tonight. Mr. Compton, you seem to have lost sight of our priorities by consorting with humans and not living in a nest. You also owe us a life, for the one you have taken. From what I see in your records, you've never been a maker, is this true?" The Magister asked.
Bill knew where this was going. "No, Magister, I have not been a maker." Bill answered sadly. This was not going to be a good night at all.
"Good, then let's proceed. Bring out the girl." The Magister exclaimed as a car rolled closer to the crowd. The driver then got out of the car, opened the trunk, pulled out a young woman and threw her harshly on the ground by Bill's feet.
The young red-headed obviously distressed woman was dressed in a conservative floral dress and a pair of keds gym shoes. She didn't look any older than a teenager. She was just a baby, Bill thought.
"Magister, put me in the coffin, please, don't make me do this." Bill said as he regarded the young woman. Just by looking at her he knew that she probably led a sheltered life, not experiencing much in her short existence. How could he take her life from her when she's barely lived it?
"Oh, Mr. Compton, if you would like torture, I know more than a few methods and have been itching to try some news ones out on someone." The Magister said while licking his lips.
"No. No. I'll do it." Bill finally said in defeat. He knew that this girl's life was over whether he took it or not. Someone was going to end it tonight. He didn't need to be tortured as well.
"Good. Honey, meet your maker." The Magister said to the girl who now was groveling on the floor at Bill's feet begging him to help her. Little did she know, Bill was helping her in the only way he could, by making her a vampire.
Bill took her face into his hands, looking intensely into her blue eyes and said, "You're going to be fine. It's all going to be over soon." She immediately stopped crying and looked happily into his eyes, feeling safe and calm.
"Uh, Uh, Uh, Mr. Compton, no glamouring. It's not permitted." The Magister said wagging his finger back and forth at Bill. Bill knew that glamouring could be used in turning a human. This was just the Magister getting his rocks off watching this poor girl be turned. What a sick jackass, Bill thought.
Bill stopped the glamour and the girl started screaming once again for help as she bucked against Bill trying to free herself, to no avail. "Please forgive me." Bill said as he sunk his teeth into his wrist and brought it bleeding up to her lips to drink as he then sunk his fangs into his new progeny's neck, sucking out her life force and creating a new vampire. As he did so, the crowd of vampires circled around them, fangs out, extremely excited out of blood lust from the scene unfolding before them.
Eric and Pam watched the scene before them. They had a wonderful maker/child relationship, but they had come together wholeheartedly and without regret. While Bill was not a favorite to either one of them, they couldn't help but feel a bit, sorry, for Bill, being that he was forced to create a progeny who he never met and under such duress. This was an awful way to create a new vampire.
Once the blood transfer was complete and the girl lay still on the ground, the Magister said, "Sheriff Northman, see to it that the full transformation is completed… successfully." The Magister was concerned that Bill would try to send his new progeny to the true death before her transformation was complete due to his obvious 'love' for the human condition. He was not going to be having that. This girl was going to be a vampire whether Mr. Compton liked it or not.
"Yes, Magister. It will be done." Eric replied, bowing before the Magister to show his respect, but internally glad that this dog and pony show was finally ending. Through previous meetings with the Magister, he had come to the conclusion that the less time spent before that crazy-man, the better. Besides, he had a laundry list of things to do at Fangtasia before the night was through: review inventory, fire Max the incompetent replacement bartender for Longshadow (even though Max was a good looking vampire, which the ladies seemed to like, he couldn't make a drink to save his life), feed and fuck on Yvetta , sit on the stage for those pesky tourists and fangbangers. Ahhh, my job is never done, he thought. He was glad though that he was able to get the call with Alcide out of the way beforehand. The thought of anyone, especially a werewolf, touching what was his, before he even had a chance to play, was intolerable to him. Too bad he couldn't feed and fuck Arabella tonight, he thought…
"Pam, please make sure that Mr. Compton complies with his sentence." Eric finally said to Pam just before flying off to Fangtasia.
"Bill, pick up your punishment and let's go." Pam said pointing to the red-headed girl lying dead on the ground.
Bill looked down at the girl, no make that his progeny and was horrified at what he had done. He didn't even know her name. Did anyone? She was just a bloodbag to these fools at the tribunal. They didn't care that she would have to leave everything in her life behind: her family, her friends, her hopes, her dreams… her life. She would never have children after being turned. She would watch many of those around her die through the years as she lives on. It was a burden he struggled to deal with in his own existence and he was older when he was made vampire. He didn't know how this young woman was going to deal with it all. However, there was nothing more he could do about that other than lift her up gently and follow Pam to the place where they would lie in ground for the final transformation.
….
Pam had chosen a spot in the cemetery near Bill's house to dig the hole where Bill and his new progeny would lie to complete the transformation. Bill thought, 'of course she would choose this place; how ironic of her.'
"You don't have to stay here Pam. I know how this all works." Bill said while digging the hole, hoping she'd leave so he didn't have to see her bored looks anymore.
"I'm not going anywhere Bill. I follow my orders. I will not allow you to stake her before you go to ground." Pam replied annoyed that she had to deal with Bill.
"I'm not going to stake her. I'm going to set her free." Bill said to Pam.
"You've already set her free Bill, just as Eric set me free. She's just been given the ultimate gift, freedom from all the constraints of a pathetic human existence. What more could you give someone?" Pam replied. Sometimes she wondered why anyone ever thought it'd be a good idea to turn him.
"You really believe all that?" Bill asked.
"You're a maker Bill, a hero. You should be relishing this moment, not belittling it." Pam responded.
"Were you just born a vampire? There's no way you were ever human." Bill said dumbfounded at her take on the situation.
"Why thank you Bill. I believe those are the nicest things anyone's ever said to me." Pam said with a smile.
When the hole was finally finished, Bill jumped in and Pam rolled the girl into the hole with him.
"Do you know her name?" Bill asked Pam.
"No, but you two have eternity to figure that shit out. Now, let me tuck you both in for the night. Sweet dreams." Pam said as she began shoveling the dirt back into the hole and onto Bill and the girl.
'This better not fuck up my heels.' Pam thought as she finished packing them in for the night.