A/N: Thank you again to everyone reading this story. It means the world to me that people are still interested and hopefully enjoying!
I hope this part isn't too slow… I debated on how much time to spend at the nest, well, here it goes I guess…
To GloomDusk: Arabella never really had to use it before, especially not to defend herself, but she's come to realize that she needs to develop those skills because her life's gotten a lot more dangerous. This Godric may be a little different… similar but different. I don't want to give away too much though. I like Luna too. She may be around for a little bit. Still toying around with how…
To Cooky Crumbla: Thank you! Hopefully the next will be good too…
….
Eric couldn't find the patience to sit down in the living room, he was too agitated. 'What has she gotten herself into now?' He couldn't help but think to himself as he paced around the room, running his hand absentmindedly through his perfect mane. Given her recent track record, she could be in some serious shit, but he had no clue what happened, where she was now, and more to the point, with whom. It definitely wasn't a good sign that Godric came back with her brother unconscious and her purse. But, Godric said she would be fine. He knew his maker wouldn't lie to him, but he also said she was with a shifter. Who the hell was that? Well, whoever that shifter was, they better get her back to him safe and sound or there would be hell to pay.
His maker had placed her purse on the coffee table before speeding off with the unconscious brother. His state of being was just another one of the many baffling questions Eric had running through his mind now. Since Godric was tending to Jason at the moment and unable to answer any of them now, Eric decided to rummage through Arabella's purse to see if there were any clues in there. He had to keep himself busy. So, he finally sat down on one of the new sofas and started systematically pulling things out of her purse.
'Odin's mercy she has a lot of crap in here! It's like she has an entire convenience store in this thing. How does she find anything in here without a search crew? It's like a fucking black hole. It's amazing she didn't topple over just trying to carry this thing.' These thoughts ran through his mind as he impatiently pulled out four lipsticks and several other various make-up compacts, a wallet, mirror, hair brush, notepad, the notes he'd given her about her false persona, and other numerous items, some of which he didn't even know what they were. 'Is this a human thing or a female thing?' He couldn't help but wonder if Pam in all her fabulousness also carried this much shit around with her. Finally he found Arabella's phone in an outside pocket. 'Why didn't I look there first?' He thought as he eyed the mound of female crap before him.
Before he could check her phone, he got a text on his own. He decided to check it first because it may be her.
The text wasn't from her though; it was from Lafayette. It was interesting nonetheless…
Something musta happened. Source's number and e-mail is disconnected. Without them, I gots nowhere to goes.
Eric would've normally reamed Lafayette hard on this if he didn't have a sneaking suspicion that the sudden disappearance of the source had something to do with Godric's safe return to the nest.
Deciding to let Lafayette's message go for now, he began rummaging through Arabella's call log. He wasn't too surprised to find that the only person she had contacted was him via text, and he already saw those. Then there was the text that Godric had sent him and a call made after that text to a number Eric didn't recognize. Godric had also sent a group of pictures to that same unknown number. Curious, he decided to check out the pictures. Eric in his thousand years had seen and done many gruesome and horrible things, but the pictures Arabella must have taken, especially the ones with his maker, caused him to jump up to his feet as he was so taken aback. He had no idea the Fellowship of the Sun, a so-called church consisting of humans at that, was capable of this. 'They must be stronger than we had originally thought or incredibly lucky to be able to get away with this, especially to be able to capture a vampire as old and powerful as Godric.'
When Godric reentered the room, he saw Eric standing there looking down at a phone in his hand. Based on the emotions he was reading off of his child, he knew that Eric probably found the pictures that Arabella had taken in the basement. It saddened him that his child had to see those. He had hoped to spare him the visual knowledge of what occurred. Eric looked up at his master as a single red tear fell from the normally stoic Viking vampire. Seeing his master in such a vulnerable position, one in which he could very well have met the true death, was overwhelming his senses and causing him to lose hold of his emotions.
"I had no idea what they were doing to you, but this, this is nowhere near what I could have imagined. They cannot not be allowed to get away with this Godric. They need to pay for what they did to you!" Eric said, grabbing a bust on a nearby pedestal and throwing it hard into the brand new coffee table, making it to break apart into two and causing all of Arabella's belongings to crash down with it, his inner Viking warlord shining through. Not used to having to contain so many emotions at once: anger over the treatment of his master, distress and fear over the real possibility that he could have lost him to the true death, sympathy, which he held for only a select few who truly deserved it, for what his master had to endure, worry over the human who had somehow weaseled her way through his carefully built up defenses… it was too much to bear. Eric tried hard in his many years to reel in his emotions or not feel them at all for others; it was necessary for self-preservation. However, that caveat went out the window when it came to his master; his father, his brother, his son. Godric gave him everything. Eric would never hide himself from the one person who knew him the best and loved him best, faults and all; besides, he couldn't hide anything from Godric even if he tried. Their bond was total.
"I understand your anger my child and trust me when I say that arrangements have been made to make sure this does not happen again. They need to be stopped because what they are doing is wrong; not out of a need for revenge from you or me. Revenge never solves anything and never tastes as sweet as you would think it should. Now, wipe your tear, others are coming. I will explain everything to everyone in but a moment." Godric said quickly so that Eric could compose himself before those of the nest came into the room. He knew how Eric prided himself as being seen as the ultimate bad ass.
Eric obeyed hurriedly and was able to save face before Isabel, Stan and a few others entered the room.
"Godric! Thank goodness you are safe! What happened? Where's Farrell?" Isabel spoke first with sincere elation that he had returned. Even though they were not master and child, they had always had an extremely close connection.
"Isabel, it is good to be back." Godric said with a small sad smile before continuing. "Unfortunately Farrell has met the true death. And before you ask how, I will admit that it was by my own hand. I had no choice but to stake him myself."
"What?" Stan shouted as his fangs popped out, angry that Godric had sent his friend and ex-lover to his true death.
"The story is long, and I would like to start at the beginning. But before I do so, let me just say that we had been tortured at length and Farrell had become rabid from the extreme blood loss. He had gone past the point of no return into vampire madness. It pained me immensely to have to be the one to send him to his true death, but it did end his suffering."
This humble statement from Godric was enough to pacify Stan for now, as he popped his fangs back and said, "Okay, so what happened then?"
Godric strode over to take a seat at the throne-like chair in the corner of the living room and motioned for the others to take seats in the various chairs and sofas in the room. It was like a perverse version of story-time with grandpa. No milk and cookies served here though.
….
"You all know that Farrell had been struggling for the past year or so… with things." Godric began. "We all saw the signs of his unhinging; the erratic feeding behavior, the way he lashed out at others for no particular reason other than to distance himself from us, the intentional silvering of himself. He wasn't the oldest of us, but he wasn't young anymore either. He had come to the point that some of our kind do, where he didn't have the strength to go on anymore. He felt his time here was over."
"He was just going through a phase Godric. He was getting better over the past few weeks. We all saw that too." Stan interjected with huff as he looked around the room, seeing some head nods in agreement.
"Yes, I thought the same; that he had found a way to get over his despair and self-loathing, but the contentment that he had found, that we all witnessed, was not in pulling himself out of it. He had merely found a way to end his life that he felt would assist him moving forward into the next life with peace. That's why he looked so at ease and finally happy again. And that's unfortunately where the Fellowship of the Sun comes in." Godric responded.
"The Fellowship? Help Farrell? Please Godric, spare me this cockamamie bullshit. That church ain't out to help us out." Stan interrupted again.
"Stan! Let Godric tell us what happened. Quit interrupting! You're giving us all a migraine, even though it should be physically impossible." Isabel shouted at Stan, angry at his insolence towards her beloved sheriff. Eric smirked at Stan for being put in place by the feisty female vamp. Eric would've yelled at Stan himself, but didn't out of reverence for Godric and his position. Also, Eric didn't want to have another outburst as he did the night before. It was Godric's nest, not his. He was a guest here and that invitation could be revoked if he didn't play nice with the others on this playground, even with Godric in charge. It was bad enough that he had damaged a wall and broke an expense vase and now a brand new coffee table as well. But, he could enjoy seeing the badly dressed cowboy vamp being called out on his rudeness. 'Honestly, where did this guy get his outfit; from Woody's closet in Toy Story? Tacky doesn't even begin to describe it.' Eric thought to himself as he eyed Stan. 'He must have to glamour most of his meals; even humans have some standards.'
A soft smile came across Godric's face, aimed at his friend Isabel before he continued, "No, Stan is right, the Church is not out to help us. They would love nothing more than to end our existence. It is truly a shame that they cannot see that we can coexist peacefully. They're actions, I fear, will lead to more bloodshed than needs to be."
"What do you mean Godric?" Isabel now interjected, not to be disrespectful, but out of sheer curiosity and worry.
"It seems that the Church had filled Farrell's mind with promises of him being accepted into heaven if he offered himself up to the Lord." Godric replied.
"And just how was he supposed to do that?" Stan asked, stumped at how his friend could've bought into this load of horse hockey.
"By renouncing his vampire status and allowing himself to be silvered to a cross and burned at the stake by the morning sun in front of the congregation." Godric replied sullenly.
There were gasps in the room from the other vamps that had entered since Godric had started his story. It seemed inconceivable to pretty much everyone in the room that any vampire would allow such a thing, willingly.
"Yes, well, I think it goes to show Farrell's mindset and just how desperate he was to find an acceptable out for him, to his existence." Godric said to the riveted audience.
Stan then asked the next obvious question. "Okay, well, if he went willing, how did they end up with you and that dim human?"
"As for the human, unfortunately he was on the receiving end of some unwanted advances by the good reverend Newlin." Godric said as eyebrows shot up around the room and a few snickers were heard. Everyone in the room was glad to hear that the reverend had a skeleton in his closet. They were all sick of his holier than thou attitude. "When he rebuffed the reverend, he got thrown into the basement with Farrell and myself. They actually never found out that he was working for us."
"What basement? What are you talking about?" Isabel asked.
"Now I am ahead of myself. Let me go back a little. After Farrell had decided to meet the true death at the hands of the church, he got scared; not of going through with it, but going through with it alone. He wanted a friend to help him see it through to the end, at least until the sun part. He didn't want someone to die with him. He just wanted someone he knew to sit with him, tell stories, hold his hand, until it was close to sunrise. He asked me to be that person." Godric said, somewhat ashamed at his part in the story. He knew many in the nest would not understand and certainly not approve.
"You knew he was going to do this and didn't tell any of us or try to stop him? Godric, how could you let him go through with it?" Stan yelled at the somber looking vampire, voicing the thoughts of many there. Even Eric couldn't contain the look of surprise on his face. He too was shocked that Godric would take that course of action as well.
"I understand the uneasiness that you all are feeling at my decision to help see Farrell through this, but, in the end, it was his life and death. He felt like he had a terminal illness, eating away at him, at his soul. He had lived countless lifetimes; lifetimes that he felt were at the expense of all the lives he had taken. He felt unworthy; that by robbing so many others of their lives out of bloodlust, selfishness and greed that he should not, could not continue. He couldn't reconcile his actions anymore, or more to the point, he couldn't forgive himself for his past actions." Godric said contemplatively. Many vampires have entertained these thoughts at some point. It was hard not to.
The room remained silent until Godric continued, "So, I agreed to go with him to the Church and sit with him until sunrise was to come. I was to leave with just enough time to get back to the nest before daybreak. However, Reverend Newlin had other plans for us. Upon arriving at the Church, the reverend ushered us to an office with no windows. He gave an excuse for leaving for a moment; one that seemed logical. However, when we heard the click on the door activating the lock, we knew that we had made a grievous mistake. Silver mist began to permeate the air from the air vents. Our skin began to burn horribly and we were weakened quickly. After a few minutes of this, two of the reverend's minions came into the room and placed more silver on us. I had wondered why they didn't just stake us there, but the answer to that would come shortly. It seems that the good reverend is running a V-lab in a basement of the Church offices. It is a highly evolved, efficient and well-organized machine. They had to have had millions of dollars' worth of V in the refrigerators down there, well, until I destroyed their stockpile. But, it begs the question how did we not know? How were they distributing it? Where were the buyers?"
Eric knew right then that Godric was the reason for Lafayette's source to disappear. The Church obviously shut down their business due to his escape. They were probably in clean up mode as Godric spoke.
"So they intended on draining you and Farrell, for V?" Isabel asked dumfounded. "The Church?"
"Yes, I too was surprised that the Church was involved in the practice. Even though they had their differences with us, based on their own values and moral code, I expected that they would at least stand by their word to not harm me and to handle Farrell's true death with some form of dignity. However, they took it as a way to get more V. Evidently V is how they accumulated so much wealth over the past few years. They actually had an ingenious set up for maximum blood draining. Farrell and I were strapped to gurneys with silver. Needles were placed in our arms to drain us slowly while they had a human on a gurney between us whose blood was fed to us by way of tubing that was positioned above our mouths. In our case, that human was the Stackhouse boy. It seems that this set up was a fantastic way for them to not only slowly drain and eventually kill vampires, but to also get rid of humans they wanted out of the way." Godric said, glossing over some of the other torture done down there. No one ever needed to know about that.
"Well, let's take them out then; all of them. Do we really need any more excuses?" Stan said as he straightened his bolero tie and tipped his hat, ready to go.
"No. We will not do that. Most of the humans in that Church had no idea what was really going on there. They should not have to pay for the actions of a few. Also, if we go and exact revenge on the Church as a whole; it will only give them more ammunition to poison the minds of humans against us, and rightfully so. We don't need more ill will. No good would come of it. I have proof of their methods and torture on the phone that Eric has in his hands. I have already contacted the Authority. They are going to deal with this. They have the manpower, resources and plenty of knowledge about the Church, much more than we do. We all know the political ramifications of reacting with hostility towards that Church. Anyone caught doing an act of violence against them does so with the sincere possibility of harsh judgment from the magister and the Authority. You are all under my care and watch. It would pain me to see any of you suffer one second because of the actions of that church." Godric said sincerely. He took his responsibility over those in his nest with great conviction.
"So we're just going to bend over and take it in the ass? That's our strategy Godric? When did we hang up our balls? This is horse shit! That mother fucker needs to be taken out!" Stan yelled at Godric with fury and fangs out.
Eric and Isabel both hissed at Stan with their own fangs out, ready to strike out at him, while the younger vampires in the room watched with baited breath at the exchange. They both had enough of his rudeness. Also, after hearing Godric explain the situation, both were smart enough to realize that level heads were needed here, not reactionary actions. You didn't get to live as long as they had and not know how to play the game. This situation was more than one vampire death and the torture of another; it had political ramifications that could impact the whole Great Revelation. Good accord toward vampires was tenuous at best. Humans, especially those in government, were still wary of them and the power they possessed. If there was a human massacre, at a church no less, that could send all the progress they had made into the shitter.
"Everyone, calm down." Godric said with authority and then continued, "Stan, I understand your anger; you have a right to be angry. But, lashing out will only bring more pain to our kind and to the humans. I hope that you can see beyond your rage and realize the logic in the course of action I have set in place."
"Uggghhh! I'm outta here!" Stan bellowed before whooshing out of the room. He was followed by several nest-mates who obviously shared his frustration.
"Should I follow him; make sure he doesn't do anything stupid?" Isabel asked Godric, ready to do whatever it took to protect the nest.
"No. He has been informed of the consequences. His actions are his choice." Godric said dejectedly.
"But Godric, what if Stan massacres that Church? It'll be a fucking nightmare to clean up." Isabel said worriedly.
"I realize that Isabel, but if we restrain him tonight, do we have to again tomorrow? Or the next day? Do you not think that he would resent us then as well for preventing him from acting on his own free will? Maybe even take it out on the nest? He knows what the consequences are Isabel. We have to hope that he makes the right decision." Godric said wearily. This situation was weighing on him like the nets of silver he wore in the basement, cutting him to the core.
"Everyone, please go about your night as usual. We will meet again tomorrow night here to remember our good friend Farrell and discuss matters at hand. Eric, Isabel, please stay. I have more to discuss with you." Godric said as the rest of the nest quickly dispersed. Many hadn't fed yet as it was early in the night. Now, after the tale they just heard, many needed to satiate their hunger and fast.
….
As soon as the room cleared, Isabel said to Godric, "Sheriff, you never did say how you escaped." It was a question looming in Eric's mind as well, but Isabel had beat him to the punch.
"I have to thank the sister of the Stackhouse boy for that. She is truly amazing." Godric said as he looked straight into Eric's eyes. Eric felt pride and happiness swell in him at the notion of Godric approving his human. But, then he internally scolded himself for feeling that way. He couldn't let himself be this attached to her. He still had his plans in motion for Bill and Sookie. Godric's face reflected the confusion he felt at his child's inner conflict over this human. He resolved to talk to Eric about it later, when they were in private company.
While Eric felt this internal struggle, he could not deny Arabella's amazingness. "That she is Godric, but what she isn't is here. What happened to her?" Eric asked, eager to find out what happened to her.
"I had been drained of a lot of blood; so much so that I knew I would not be able to fly without feeding. The Stackhouse boy had been drained of much blood as well and was unconscious; as he still is. She offered her own so that I could get her brother out of there and to safety. She is very loyal to her family." Godric began before being cut-off by Eric.
To say that Eric was upset by this news would be an understatement. He knew that Arabella had never been bitten before. Hell, she never even offered her blood to him before. The logical part of him knew that she probably saw this as the only way to get her brother out of harm's way; he could not reprimand her for her loyalty. In fact, her loyalty to her family was one of the things he liked best about her. But, the irrational part of him, the part that kicked the logical part to the curb, was beyond incensed that someone else got to taste her first; got to taste her at all. What made this pill even harder to swallow was that it was his beloved maker who got that pleasure. Eric had wanted to be the only one to ever taste her sweetness, and now that was gone. He was conflicted though. Even with all the anger he had at the situation, he could not bring himself to direct his anger at his maker. Godric and Arabella were in an impossible situation. He knew that neither of them would have done this if they weren't forced to, but still it ate at Eric. Jealousy was definitely rearing its ugly head; so much so that the only thing he could bring his mouth to say in a choked up, strained voice was, "YOU BIT HER?"
"Eric, it was necessary for me to escape with the Stackhouse brother. My strength was used up by demolishing the vials of V and making it look like a vampire breakout so Arabella and the shifter could get out as well." Godric replied in earnest. Through their bond, he knew his child was beyond upset. It seemed that this human was more than the typical pet to Eric. He also knew that he needed to come clean about taking more than he should have of her blood. If Eric were to find out later, he would be even more enraged. Better to get this out in the open sooner than later.
"There is more to tell though. Unfortunately due to the combination of blood loss and her… taste… I took a little more than I intended and she fell unconscious. Thankfully the shifter who was assisting her pulled me back in time." Godric said to Eric, wondering how his child would take that information.
Instead of ranting and raving more, Eric stood there, unnervingly still with widened eyes and clenched teeth staring at his maker in shock. His Arabella was almost taken from him by the one person he would have never expected it from. He knew that it was an accident, but still… It was a shock to his core.
"Eric, she will be fine. Her heart was beating healthily when I left. The shifter agreed to take her here as soon as they got out of the Church." Godric said in an attempt to soothe his child.
Eric finally snapped out of his shock and asked with an edge to his voice, "Who is this shifter Godric? I only sent Arabella to find you. She wasn't working with anyone else. And, shouldn't they be here by now?"
Godric looked at the modern looking glass enclosed grandfather clock in the room and noticed that quite a bit of time had passed. He had to admit that they probably should have arrived at the nest by now. He began to worry that they were detained by the Church. "I will call my shifter contact and try to see if they heard any news."
Godric left the room to head to his office to make the call while Eric and Isabel remained in the living room. Eric wasn't excited to have her stay with him as he wanted to stew alone, but it was probably better that she remained, at least for the room. He really wanted to break more shit.
Isabel couldn't help herself, she had to say, "So, these human-vampire relationships… they are complex indeed no?" It wasn't meant in a cruel way, but more as if she could understand his pain.
Eric just turned his head away from her, using all his strength not to break her.
….
About ten minutes later, Godric came back to the room. Eric stood up immediately, eager to find out if the shifters had any information.
"Unfortunately, they have not heard anything from their agent, but claim that they will let us know as soon as they hear something." Godric said, knowing full well that none of the vampires in the room believed that. Shifters were known for their secrecy. It was impossible at this point to know if they were telling the truth or not. All they could do right now was wait for events to unfold.
Eric said nothing, but the look in his eyes conveyed the worry that he felt for her.
"Isabel, I know that we have more to discuss, but if that can wait, I need to talk to my child for a moment." Godric said to Isabel. She nodded in agreement and immediately left the room.
"Eric, I left her alive. Trust me. The shifter said that she would get them out and I believe her. She was not lying when she said that she would." Godric said.
"I believe you Godric, but you left her… unconscious… in that Church; the very same Church that tortured you and her brother. How am I supposed to reconcile that?" Eric said honestly.
"That was part of the plan Eric." Godric started.
"To leave her there unconscious?" Eric asked incredulous.
"No, of course not my child, that was… unfortunate. But the bite… that was done so it would look like a vampire escape and she was attacked in the process. It was supposed to give her and the shifter a viable excuse for the events that took place." Godric replied.
"That's all fine and good, but she's still not here." Eric said dejectedly.
"You have to have faith my child. She will come." Godric said with the warmth of a parent to a child and for a moment, Eric believed him.
Then, Eric had to ask the question in the back of his mind, "How did she taste?"
"I cannot lie my child, she tasted divine. I have not tasted blood of her kind for centuries. In fact, it may have been even before I turned you. She is truly a rare find and must be protected Eric. I can see that you already have a bond with her." Godric replied before getting cut-off by Eric.
"No, you are mistaken Godric, we are not bonded." Eric responded in haste.
"Not a blood bond, but an emotional connection of sorts. Don't even try to deny this Eric." Godric said to his child with a smirk.
Eric looked away, taking in a large needless breath as he ran his hand up the back of his neck, because he couldn't deny it. He also couldn't bring himself to speak the truth aloud either, so he remained silent. Besides, Godric already knew anyway, without words.
"I can see that you are not ready to admit your true feelings for this girl, so I will let it alone. But, I know that you will do what you need to in order to keep her safe." Godric said.
After reflecting on his maker's words, Eric asked, "Do you know what she is?"
"Yes, I have a hunch." Godric replied, a wistful look upon his face.
"So what is she?" Eric asked excitedly. He had wondered, researched, had some ideas, but knew he did not know for certain what she was.
"Maybe that is a talk for another time; when you are ready to deal with your feelings toward her." Godric said, not with the intention of pissing off his child, but more so with the intention of protecting the one who saved him from his basement hell.
Eric knew that Godric sometimes worked in mysterious ways and that his way was 99.9% correct, so he didn't push. He knew his maker would reveal the information when the time was right.
So, in the meantime, Eric began to clean up the mess he made in the living room, while Godric tended to matters regarding his nest in his office. The wait for Arabella's return weighing heavily on both their minds now.
…
I didn't know if I was awake or in a dream, but I started to hear voices, as if they were coming from a fog, working their way in and out of my perception. Soft and low at first, like whispers, but then they started to get louder and more distinguishable.
The first words I heard came in bits and phrases, in a familiar woman's voice. "You wouldn't think… not believe…amazing… jerk…had it coming… "
Soon I figured out the voice was Luna's as it started to come in clearer and louder. "You should have seen him just hanging there. I still can't figure out how she did it. It had to be her though. The vamps were still caged and silvered."
"Do you think she's a threat?" A male voice asked warily as I felt a prick at my arm.
"No. Gabe was a disgusting pig. I'm sure whatever happened was probably in self-defense. Besides, she doesn't seem the type." Luna replied.
"And you would know 'the type'?" The man asked sarcastically.
"Yes. Yes I would asshole. Just do what I asked, okay." Luna said with authority.
I was struggling to fully awaken. My strength seemed spent. Even though I could hear talking, I couldn't find the gumption to open my eyes or move. But, after a little while, I wasn't sure exactly how long because it wasn't like I was watching a clock, I started to feel a whole lot better, enough to finally open my eyes and see what was going on and more to the point, where I was. I immediately regretted opening them because I was scared shitless to see the situation I was in.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed out loud as my eyes grew wide in fear as I saw a needle stuck in my arm while my arms and legs were strapped to a gurney in what looked to be a basement. Panic and fear gripped me and made me jerk my body about, trying fruitlessly to get out of my current mess.
Luna shoved her hand over my mouth and said quickly, "Shhhhhh! This isn't what you think. If you promise not to scream I'll take my hand off of your mouth."
It wasn't like I had many choices here right now and I definitely needed to get my bearings, so I stopped screaming and thrashing about and nodded in acceptance to get her hand off of me. She eyed me for just a moment and then took her hand off.
"Then what exactly am I supposed to think Luna? I'm strapped to a gurney, like my brother was, with a needle stuck in my arm and I'm in a frickin' basement; there's the furnace and boiler right over there. What the HELL am I supposed to think? I can't believe you were working with Steve all along!" I spat at her, angry at her for my situation and angry at myself for trusting her.
"I'm not working with that asshole! If you took one second to look at where the tubing was going you'd see that it was to a bag of IV fluids. You feel better, right? This guy here next to me, Dr. McSteamy, is helping you get back to normal. You had a lot of blood sucked out of you girlfriend; like you were some sort of delicious milkshake that vamp couldn't get enough of." Luna said huffily in her defense.
"I've asked you to stop calling me Dr. McSteamy Luna. It's degrading. I'm much better looking than that guy." The man said indignantly.
"Full of yourself much? Personally, I think McSteamy is much better looking." Luna said, clearly enjoying antagonizing the guy.
"Whatever Luna. You're just jealous that you haven't had a chance to ride this love machine." Dr. McSteamy said waving his hand around his body while smirking at Luna.
"Not really. You see, you have to be at least this tall to get on this ride. I like my guys a little bit bigger, in every way." Luna said, holding her level hand up to indicate just how tall she liked her men. Unfortunately for McSteamy, he was a few inches too short.
I started to tune those two out while I looked at where the tubing went, and she was right, I was getting fluids, but I still had questions. Interrupting their annoying banter, I asked, "Yeah, okay, but why am I strapped down to this gurney and why are we in the basement of… Crap, where are we? We're not still at the church, are we?"
"Look, to be honest, we didn't know how you would react waking up with a needle in your arm, especially after what we just saw at the church, so restraining you was just precautionary. I don't know how you did what you did to Gabe, but I didn't want anything like that to happen to us because you misjudged what we were doing to help you out." Luna said honestly.
"Okay, well, can you take the straps off now, because this is totally freaking me out?" I replied.
"Yeah." Luna said simply as she started undoing the straps that were holding me down.
As soon as she was done with them, I sat up, needing to feel like I was in a less precarious position. I couldn't help but think that it was probably for the best that Jason was out of it when he was finally released from his own situation. It was scary as shit to wake up like this. I swung my body around so that my feet were now hanging off of the gurney. I definitely felt better so I asked the guy wearing the doctor's coat, "Can I take this out of my arm now?"
"No. You should really keep that in until the bag is almost empty. You lost a lot of blood. It's the strangest thing though… when Luna brought you in I tried to type your blood hoping I could give you a fresh bag. But, the test came back inconclusive." Dr. McSteamy said to me.
"What do you mean inconclusive?" I asked confused, "Inconclusive for what?"
"Inconclusive for a type. You have no blood type. I've never seen that happen, ever. What are you?" Dr. McSteamy asked curiously.
"I don't know. I mean, I'm human, look at me, but if I have something else, I don't know what it is." I answered honestly, shrugging.
"Well, your secret is safe with us. Luna told me that you know what she is; a shifter. I am one as well. And, to answer your question from before, we're in the basement of the hospital that I work in. When one of our kind needs medical attention, they page me, we all meet here and I help the best I can." He said and then added, "We haven't come out like the vampires. Our kind is still waiting to see how that all works out. But since we haven't come out, we have to operate in secret the best way we can. The accommodations here aren't five star, but at least you'll get healed."
"Well, thanks for the help, from both of you. I'm feeling much better now. Luna, as soon as the bag is done, can you take me to the nest? I need to see how my brother is doing." I asked, eager to see Jason and make sure he was okay. I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit I wanted to see a certain blonde vampire as well. Even though I didn't know where we stood, he still made me feel good, at least most of the time, and feeling good would be good just about now. He's probably wondering where the rental car was too. I knew I'd be. I think I'm jonesing for a new car, bad.
"It's pretty close to dawn right now, so I don't think that's such a good idea to be honest. I don't know who would be there to let you in." Luna said looking at her watch before adding, "And, not to mention, that vamp nearly drained you. Granted, he said he was sorry about that, which I've never seen or heard of a vampire say before, but I'd rather you have your wits about you and have your strength back fully before heading back there. Some more sleep wouldn't be bad either."
"Close to dawn? Was I really out that long?" I asked, shocked.
"Yeah. Like I said, that vamp took a LOT of blood from you. If I didn't step in, I'm sure he would've drained you. But besides that, McSteamy here had a couple other emergencies, both in the ER that he works in upstairs and down here with some other shifters that took precedence over your situation." Luna replied. It was certainly a busy night.
"Oh. Well, can you take me back to the Hotel Carmilla then? I'm staying there with…" I didn't know what to call Eric at this point, so I just left that part hanging.
"You have no ID on you. You gave your purse to the vamp, remember? I don't suppose you kept the key card to the room, did you? Or have anyone's phone numbers?" Luna asked.
"No. My ID, keycard and phone are all in the purse. And I can pretty much guaranty that the front desk won't help me with just my word and a smile." I replied, feeling like a fool. Maybe I should have played nicer with the front desk lady. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't help me out after I yelled at her in the lobby in my fit of jealousy. Barry would probably be a no-go as well seeing as he told me to stay away. He wasn't excited, to say the least, to meet another telepath.
"With the security at that joint, no, probably not. Look, it's no biggie. You can crash at my place today and I'll take you to the nest at sundown, okay." Luna replied with a friendly grin.
Knowing I didn't have another option at the moment I warily replied, "Thank you Luna. That would be great. I just really was hoping to see how my brother was doing." I had to keep the faith that they were treating him well at the nest.
"I know. To be honest, I would be worried too if I were you. Your brother got himself into some serious shit there. He's lucky to have you around to bail him out." Luna said.
"I won't feel better about this though until I get him home, safe and sound." I said more to myself than anyone else.
…
When we got to Luna's ranch style house, she ushered me to her guest bath.
"Wait right here, I'll go get you something to change into." Luna said as she quickly went to her bedroom and returned with a set of comfy sweats.
"Thanks Luna. I have to admit it'd be nice to get out of this." I replied looking down at my wrinkled, blood splattered outfit.
"Yeah, well, you should probably shower too. I'm not gonna lie, you stink. I'll put your stuff in the wash after you're done in here." She said wrinkling her nose.
Once she mentioned how bad I smelled, I noticed it too. "Oh jeez, I do stink. God this is embarrassing." I replied mortified that I smelled that bad.
"Don't be embarrassed. It's the blood that's making you smell so bad. You've had blood, and not to gross you out too much, but I think a little of that exploded vampire, on you for a real long time. That stuff marinating can make a rose garden smell like shit. You can use that towel hanging there and the toiletries that are in the shower. I'm going to put a pizza in the oven. I'm starving and I bet you are too." Luna said as she pulled out some washcloths from under her basin.
"Yeah, that sounds good." I replied as my stomach growled loudly, as if on cue.
"Now don't get too excited here, it's just a frozen pizza, nothing fancy, but it should tide us over until we can grab something better out to eat. I know this Mexican place that has the best enchiladas. We'll pass it on the way to the nest." Luna said, excited to go to one of her favorite restaurants.
"Don't worry, I'm not that picky. Besides, I can't cook to save my life. I could burn water." I said truthfully. Cooking was always Sookie's thing. Speaking of which, she's probably wondering what's going on. I figured I'd call her later. I didn't have the full scoop on Jason yet and didn't want to say everything was fine if I wasn't absolutely certain. As much as I wanted to call Sookie, I knew that I should call Eric, but there was one hitch. I didn't have his number memorized. With cell phones being the way they are, you don't really need to remember anyone's number anymore. Well, except for instances where you're in a stranger's home after nearly getting drained by a vampire, who you just so happened to give your cell phone and purse to. Guess I'll be memorizing some phone numbers when I get home.
Just before Luna left the room to start the food, I stopped her by saying, "Luna, thanks for everything. I barely know you, but you helped me and my brother out tremendously today; even though you didn't have to and you're still helping me out. Thank you."
"Yeah, well, I guess us supes need to stick together. Certainly can't let an asshole like Newlin get the better of us. I mean honestly, you've met him. He's such a weenie! We wouldn't be worthy of our powers if a guy like that got the better of us." Luna said breezily as she headed to the kitchen.
I stood there for a second, surprised, because as much as I wanted to be able to say I was only human; I was starting to face the fact that I wasn't. I was starting to think of myself as a supe. I only wished I knew what kind.
….
"It feels soooo good to be clean again. Thanks." I said to Luna after walking into the living room after the shower.
"I bet. You can sit there. That plate of pizza is for you. I didn't know what you would want to drink, but I have some cans of soda in the fridge. You can go grab yourself one." Luna said in between bites of her pepperoni pizza. She was too hungry to wait for her guest to dig in.
"Thanks." I said as I headed into her kitchen.
"I'm going to turn on the news. I love to watch the local morning segments. There's a guy named Larry that's always interviewing the strangest people. I think he's supposed to be talking to a lady today that has a waterskiing squirrel." Luna said as she flipped the channels until she got to her favorite station.
As I walked back into the living room with my Diet Coke, I froze, just as Luna did sitting on the couch, as we saw the special news bulletin.
"I'm sorry to interrupt Larry." The serious brunette newscaster said as she interrupted the not so serious squirrel interview, "but this story has just come to our newsroom. It seems that during the night, the Dallas metro police department was tipped off that a V-lab has been operating at the headquarters of the Fellowship of the Sun. Twenty squad cars were dispatched to the scene. Once they arrived, the police officers were shocked to find several church members hastily cleaning up remnants of the lab in an attempt to cover up its existence. More shocking is the story of the five vampires who were staked by rapid fire machine stake guns as they attempted to expose the atrocious activities of the church. It is believed that the identities of those five are as follows, Stan Baker, Yoshi Yakamoto, Carol Woodlawn, Truman Little and Maude Fairbanks. Fifteen church members have been arrested with warrants out for an additional four others. The whereabouts of church leader, Steve Newlin are unknown at this time; however his wife Sarah Newlin is currently at the Area 1 police station undergoing questioning. It remains unclear if they too will be arrested at this time. Stay tuned to this channel for updates as we receive them on this breaking story."
"Holy shit!" Luna finally said, giddily as she stomped her feet up and down excited.
I was speechless. This really was the best news ever. The church was exposed and Jason and I wouldn't have to worry about them ever again. I couldn't help but wonder if Stan Baker was the same Stan that I met at the nest. He seemed like a hot head, so it wouldn't surprise me if it was him. Then another thought occurred to me. "Luna, do you think the police are going to try to question you? I mean, you worked in those offices." I was worried for my friend; that she could get in trouble for their actions.
"Nope. Fake last name. Fake address. Fake social security number. All the information I gave them about me was fake except for my first name. I'm untraceable." Luna said smirking, leaning back into her couch with her hands behind her head.
"What about your car? Is it still there?" I asked because we drove to her house in Eric's rental.
"Noooooo. I had a friend go and get it after we got out of there." Luna replied.
"And the transformer?" I asked, hopeful that Godric was able to destroy it.
"Fried real crispy-like." Luna said, smiling widely.
"Huh." I said as I sat down and started to vigorously eat the pizza Luna made. I was happy at the turn of events, but couldn't help but feel like the other shoe still needed to drop.
….
A/N: I actually did see on TV a local newscast interview someone with a waterskiing squirrel. It was a real slow news day I guess.