A/N: Takes place during Season 2, Episode 8/9

Chapter 14: New Beginning

One Year Later . . .

Eric stood outside the church, waiting for some kind of alarm or alert to go off. Seeing the petty humans with their wooden arrows and stakes was amusing and annoying all at the same time; if they were to be attacked then and there, nothing would have saved them. But yet, there was doubt in the back of his mind. If the Fellowship of the Sun was able to obtain Godric, the oldest vampire known, then what they were capable of became frightening. Eric took an unnecessary deep breath. An abrupt memory emerged in his mind as he gazed up at the sky, wondering if Sookie and Isabel's human were fine.

He remembered the day in Los Vegas. He exited the burlesque club after asking the bartender about Celeste. He willingly shared a vast amount of information that Eric could not wrap his mind around exactly. Not much longer after his departure he could sense her presence, and if he tried long enough he could taste her scent on his tongue. As he walked around first going farther away from the club, soon realizing that her presence was diminishing as he got farther away, then quickly turned around and saw her from across the street at the entrance of the club. He could recall exactly what she said:

"You shouldn't be here." She said in a low whisper, keeping her eyes on the ground.

"Neither should you. I went to the hospital to see you but he disappeared. Explain that to me." Eric struggled to control his anger, clenching his hands into tight fists at his side. Celeste carefully looked over her shoulder, then grabbed his arm and pulled him outside of the club into an nearby ally.

"You have to go Eric." Celeste looked frantically around her.

"I'm not going anywhere until you explain everything to me."

"I will, just not now. I need you to go." She begged. "Please, you're only ma-" She didn't have time to finish when a black leather bag was placed over her head and wrapped tightly around her neck; Eric could do nothing before a large silver chain found it's away around his neck, being followed by smaller ones around his ankles and wrists and a silver fishing net placed over his face only to be covered by a leather bag. He was lifted over someone's shoulder and thrown into what he assumed was a truck. He remembered Celeste being thrown next to him and yelling, only to groan in pain when she was suddenly hit. Eric could remember the feeling of all that silver being over him. Never in his one thousand years had he been so covered with the painful metal. The smell of his flesh burning, his wrists cracking, and the feeling of his chest contracting like he was still human was an all-too-new experience and for once he was afraid.

After that everything else was a haze. His bindings were carefully removed once he and Celeste was placed in a room, the only thing they took off was the silver net around his face and the leather bag before watching Celeste be beaten then dragged across the floor, leaving him in the room alone. Not much time after others came in and undid his bindings; Eric tried to attack, but was only flung against a wall and dragged across the ceiling of the room then suddenly dropped. He had no idea how, but was astonished nonetheless. No one had touched him, yet they had managed to dislocate his shoulder in less than five seconds (which healed quickly). After that he remembered seeing Celeste, half dead, refusing to take any help he provided, then reluctantly giving in. She fell asleep and he promised to get answers, but when he woke from his daylight slumber, she was gone. Night's passed without seeing her and no one would tell him anything-not that he expected them to. Then suddenly, he was released, without warning. When he demanded to know where Celeste was all they said was:

"You don't have to worry about her. You've already been removed from her memories . . . best remove her from your's."

After that other actions were useless. Eric could not find the location of the place he was taken or any of the people that had taken him, and when he asked around no one knew anything. Eventually Sookie and Bill returned to Bon Temps while Eric stayed behind and looked through the slums and mansions of Los Vegas to no avail. Upon his return to Bon Temps he found out his maker, Godric, had gone missing. Thoughts of Celeste were pushed to the back of his mind, however, still very prominent and probing at his brain.

What Isabel said stuck with him. Her words were true: humans were so urgent because their lives were so temporary, but they achieved much in those short bursts of life. Eric began to wonder what Celeste had achieved in her life, if in fact she was dead. He wondered if she had any siblings, where her parents were, if she had ever married or had kids. He chuckled at the thought of Celeste having kids, she would definitely bring a hell storm down on them. But most importantly, Eric Northman couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he met Celeste, an ordinary woman that moved to a small town and had no special abilities except an amazing smile and intoxicating laugh. Would he have tried as hard to understand her? Or would he have been completely oblivious of her like all the other average humans that walked into Fangtasia? Eric wasn't sure, but at the moment he wished that he would have gotten the chance to find out, because everything would have turned out differently.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back slightly, watching the humans continue to pace back and forth, hoping that something would happen so they could use their new toys. If they were lucky, nothing would happen. But knowing Sookie Stackhouse, and whatever she did and wherever she went, trouble always had a way of following her.

Sam leaned back in his chair, his hands clutching the arm rests and his breathing somewhat struggled. The day was overwhelming for some reason. In the sweet seclusion of his office the doubt and pain that filled his mind consumed him. It had been nearly a year since Celeste left, since Sookie and Bill returned from Los Vegas without her . . . since he reluctantly put her under the care of Eric Northman, whom she undoubtedly trusted. Sam was pissed, to say the least, more than anything else. He knew Eric couldn't be trusted, but she was so stubborn and set on making everyone believe that things were okay with him. Sam intertwined his finger behind his head and looked toward the ceiling. When Eric came back empty handed all hell broke loose. Sam confronted him on numerous occasions, most of them being intoxicated; for the first few months he was in and out of fights and frequently went to the bar of his business and drank, later having a melt down and destroying anything he could get his hands on. But, to his luck, Tara always seemed to be around to help him out. It was thanks to her and her strait-forwardness that he was able to try to come to terms at least a little.

Sam went to the bar, feeling that being in the silence of his office was a bit uncomfortable since he was alone to his thoughts. He took the liberty of restocking some of the popular drinks that his friends enjoyed, seeing as the bar was starting to fill up fast. Andy Bellefleur entered and approached the bar, at first with a smile, but once he saw Sam the corner of his lip turned down in a faint frown. He slapped his hand on the counter and quickly removed the frown and grinned.

"Sam!" He said, taking a seat.

"Hey Andy." Sam said over his shoulder. "What can I get you?"

"My regular. Except give me two beers, I could really use it."

"What's the occasion?"

"Nothin' really. I could just use another one."

Smile shook his head no slightly and grinned. "Sure, I'll get that for you." Sam got Andy his two beers and popped the caps on both of them before handing them to him. He wiped down the counter and contemplated whether or not to ask Andy if he had any leads on Celeste, but decided to wait until he finished his first beer before probing. Lafayette said he had Andy's food done and Sam went to get it. He placed the cheeseburger with extra pickles and fries in front of him. "So has anything come up?" Sam asked with indifference.

"What do you mean?" Andy took a big bite of his burger and wiped his mouth with the side of his hand.

"Well, I mean . . . has anything come up about Celeste?"

Andy stopped mid-chew and wiped his mouth again. He put his burger down and took a drink from his beer. "Nah. Nothings come up. But you gotta understand that Los Vegas is out of our jurisdiction: we can't get any information from that area, and it's been more than a year Sam."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Sam's head dropped. "Just wishful thinking I guess."

"Celeste was a great girl Sam. I had the chance to talk to her every now and then, even thought it was very rare, but I did get to. But there is nothing else we can do Sam, we have to pull out of the investigation. There are other cases that need our attention."

"No it's fine, I understand." Sam nodded to Andy and left the bar, going to the kitchen to get something to snack on. Terry was at the island in the middle of the kitchen cutting up vegetables and Lafayette was at the grill flipping burgers and seasoning them lightly. Lafayette looked over his shoulder to see Sam and Terry looked at him from the corner of his eye. Sam went over to Terry and grabbed one of the sliced tomatoes and ate it, leaning against the freezer as he did so. There was silence, awkward silence, and Lafayette was getting annoyed.

"Sam, you're my boss and all, but what the hell do you want?" Lafayette gripped the metal spatula in the palm of his hand and pointed it in Sam's direction.

"Nothing, I'm just . . .bored."

"You are not bored, you're never bored. You just distracted." Lafayette didn't have to ask to know what was distracting him. It's wasn't new news to anyone. In a way he felt bad for Sam: he never go the chance to confess how he felt to Celeste, he reluctantly let her go to Los Vegas, and he put her in the hands of one of the people he hated most. Yeah Sam definitely had it harder than most of the people in Bon Temps, considering he had a lot more to loose when it came to the missing/possibly dead woman. Lafayette flipped the raw meat on the grill again.

"Andy said he is calling off the investigation." Sam said suddenly. Silence filled the room; Terry looked over his shoulder slowly at Sam.

"What did you expect Sam?" Lafayette's heart sank a little. "They can't look for her forever. It's already been more than a year."

"Has it really been that long?" Terry asked.

"Yeah." Lafayette said in a deep exhale. "More than a year since our baby girl went missing."

"Celeste really was a nice lady." Terry put the cutting knife down. "At least now we can finally move on and forget anything ever happened." Terry bit down on his bottom lip and quickly wiped away the pool of water that was forming in his eyes.

"Don't talk about her like that." Sam tapped his foot. "Don't talk about her like she's dead."

"Sam sooner or later you're gonna have to accept the truth just like everyone else. Cici is gone, and there's nothing we can do about it." Lafayette nearly yelled. Talking about Celeste always made him angry, probably because he missed her more than anyone else, and he hope more than anyone that she wasn't dead.

"That isn't true."

"Cici is gone!" Silence suddenly filled the bar, people at the tables and booths sitting quietly, remembering Celeste and listening to Lafayette. "She's gone Sam! And it's about time you realize that just like everybody else." Before Lafayette could react Sam was on him. In one shift move Sam shoved his employee against the tin service counter, causing Lafayette to bang his back against the hard side, leaving a rectangular imprint of the side.

"Until I see her in a body bag she is still alive!" Sam looked to the crowed of people staring at him. "I don't give a fuck what any of you have to say. She's alive." He marched out of the kitchen, went through the back door, stripped his clothes off as he headed to the woods and shifted into a dog, running away from the whispering voices and on looking eyes.

Reverend Newlin paced back and forth in his office. Words could not describe how he was feeling at that moment in time. He had gained a vampire and was going to make him see the holy light of God and be burned like the damned creature he was. He grinned at the thought of what it would be like once the day finally approached. But for the moment he had other distractions. Sookie Stackhouse, Jason Stackhouse's sister, was at the Fellowship of the Sun with her supposed "fiancé" , but he had heard much about her and knew that they were up to no good. He had hidden them in the basement of the church, but was unsure of what to do with them. Reverend Newlin knew they came for Godric, but now that he had them in his grasp he found it difficult to find a substantial and somewhat humane punishment for their sinful fang-banger ways.

The idea of have intimate relations with a vampire made Steve Newlin's skin crawl. How could people do it? He wondered. Their bodies were hard and cold, they could only come out at night, and they lacked self control. Not only that, any wrong move and they could or would kill you. His bottom lip started to quiver and his hands slowly balled into fists. At Sookie Stackhouse's arrival he wondered what Jason's intent was, but wasn't sure. He didn't seem that smart, then again, looks could be very deceiving.

He grabbed the glass off water of his desk and drank it greedily, quenching his prolonged thirst. A subtle knock came from his door and he told the guest to come in, taking a seat at the corner of his desk while putting the glass down. He was surprised to see a group of young, well younger than him anyway, kids come in, most in their early twenties and late teens.

"Reverend Newlin?" One of them asked, as if wondering if he was busy.

"Adam. Come on in. It seems you've brought some new faces with you."

"Yeah." The boy replied. "I was just telling them about the lock in that's suppose to happen tomorrow night, they are very interested in participating aside from the regulars."

"Of course, we could always use more young people in the house of God, to spread his holy word and make the world a better place, one step at a time." He went to his desk and pulled out a stack of papers from one of the drawers, sorting through them and separating them into different piles. He placed the papers at the front of his desk so his guests could look at them while he spoke. "Now there are just a few informational forms that I will need you to fill you if you really want to do the lock in. Name, address, phone number, etc. And these other ones are pretty much a list of things you might need like sleeping bags, PJ's, and toiletries. There is also a list of guidelines and rules that must be followed; there are going to be very young children here, we don't want them hearing or seeing inappropriate things, so you can understand that this is a strictly G-rated lock in. Aside from that you can just fill out the forms, take any informational packets you may desire and give them to me before ya'll leave. How's that sound?" Words of thanks and excitement filled the room and he patted a few on the back as he left his office. However, as he departed, someone called his name. When he turned around he saw one of the women that was just in his room with the information form in hand.

"Reverend Newlin." She said.

"Yes?"

"I just had one questions to ask."

"Please ask and I will answer as best I can." He said with a smile.

"While we were approaching the church I noticed a lot of people standing outside with wooden stakes and arrows and other kinds of weapons. Would it be presumptuous of me to assume that you are guarding the church from-"

"And what exactly would we be guarding the church from?" Steve interjected before she could finish.

"Well, we have all seen you on the news, and you're not exactly pro-vampire. Are you expecting some kind of attack, is that why there are so many armed people outside?"

"I am here to spread the word of God and his light. Vampires never see the light, therefore they are not creatures of God. Their only intent is to destroy all that is rightfully his, which includes us." Steve placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "In spreading his holy word we are protecting ourselves and destroying that is which darkness. We as a human organism are constantly battered and beaten and swayed by the ways of the darkness, so yes, we are preparing for an attack. Because right now, innocent people are being attacked by vampires as we speak, and if we are not prepared we will be destroyed by the darkness and his Holy Light will fade away, leaving only the Devil and his minions to walk this wonderful Earth." Steve stood erect. "Does that answer your question?"

The woman thought for a second. What he said did make sense, but he mad it sound like the world was coming to an end. She shook the awkward feeling off. "Yeah I guess." She replied. "What you said made a lot of sense Reverend. Now, I'm kinda looking forward to the lock in tomorrow night." She smiled.

"Well I'm glad. I hope to see you there tomorrow night."

"You will Reverend Newlin."

"Great. What is your name?"

"Christina, sir."

"Christina?" He cocked a brow. "Don't you have a sister here?"

"Yes sir, she's working on the bon fire thing, at least that's what she told me."

All hell broke loose, and the shit was starting to hit the fan. Luke watched as the vampire cringed on the marble slab at the alter. The lock-in barely even started when everyone started to go crazy and a vampire alert went out. His grip on the stake tightened and he wondered how the nights events would turn out. Was there going to be a holy bon fire at dawn? Or was everyone gonna die? It was hard to say, but at the moment he hoped it would be the first one. He took in a deep breath as Reverend Newlin spoke, talking about the silver on the vampire and something about a child. In all honesty he was scared-no he was terrified. Never in his life had he ever been in the same room, let alone seen a vampire one on one. It was a completely new experience and he wondered how the rest of the soldiers were holding up.

While in mid-thought, someone tapped him on his shoulder and told him that someone was waiting at the foyer for him. He looked at the doors then at the vampire and decided to see who it was. He exited the church and went to the foyer; he was surprised to see Christina there, shifting her weight from one leg to the other with a stake clutched in both hands. She looked kind of cute when she was nervous.

"Christina," Luke approached her. "What are you doing here?"

"Luke have you seen my sister?"

"You're sister? As a matter of fact no. I haven't seen her all day."

"Are you sure?" Christina started shifting her weight more and her words came out extremely fast, something she did when she was nervous. "Because I know there's a vampire alert out and all and I know she's a soldier or whatever you want to call it, but I haven't seen her since the alert went out and honestly I'm getting kinda scared and I know she is suppose to be working with Reverend Newlin on this bon fire project thing but she didn't tell me exactly what it was and now I'm really worried about her because no one seems to know where she is and I don't wont her to get drained by one of those bloodsuckers and now that there's a vampire in the church I'm afraid I'm gonna die and she won't be here to protect me and-"

"Now hold on a second Christina." Luke interjected. "We got everything under control, no one is going to die except for the piece of shit vampire in their, and you're sister is probably in downtown Dallas doing some things for the Reverend."

"But what if she doesn't come back?"

"I'm pretty sure someone called her telling her about the situation. She's probably on her way right now." Luke placed his hand on her shoulder. "Now I want you to go outside with everybody else, and I'll let you know when it's time to come back in." He smiled. Christina did not object to that and quickly went outside, still gripping her stake between her chest. Luke huffed and shook his head. He stayed in the foyer for a few seconds, just calming his nerves and preparing himself mentally for the vampire that was waiting in the church. When he was just about to enter the church, the foyer doors opened.

Eric cringed under the silver, his fangs protruding and hands like claws. He did everything for his maker, that is why he was there. Godric was the most important thing to him, he was his maker, the bond was stronger than anyone could imagine. The silver against his neck burned immensely, however, he was glad it wasn't on his face.

"I offer myself, in exchange for Godric's freedom." Eric glanced over at Sookie. "And the girls as well."

"That's noble." Steve Newlin leaned down towards Eric. "But she's just as culpable as you are." He grinned and looked at Sookie. "She is a traitor to her race. The human race. She hardly deserves mercy." Steve took a few steps around Eric. "Maybe we should tie her to you so you can meet the sun together." He took a few steps towards Sookie. "I bet this marshmallow would roast up nicely."

At the end of the evening, everything turned out okay. Godric was returned to his rightful place, Reverend Newlin was stopped, and everyone was safe. At least that is what Sookie thought. She wondered how things got so bad, and how her idiotic brother got involved in such a complicated mess. But she was happy that he was okay, and if it wasn't for his help she probably wouldn't be alive. Sookie crossed her arms over her chest and let out a deep breath. Deep down inside she hoped she would never have to go through such a horrific experience again. But another thought nagged at her. Where was Bill when every thing was happening? He had come for her, time and time again when she was in danger; but what kept him? Why didn't he go to her when she screamed for him? She found it hard to believe that anything could keep Bill away. But when his maker suddenly arrived at the nest and told her that she was the reason why Bill wasn't there, well things didn't end very well. As she began the unsettle the peace of the nest Godric intervened and told Bill to escort her out. So for the moment she was alone, her thoughts and anger still making it's way out of her system. Some much needed distraction came when a female vampire approached her and asked her a few questions just to make conversation; Sookie was glad to say the least, Bill's maker brought out an ugly side of her and her only desire was to push it all away.

"You don't have to do this Luke." Adam said in the drivers seat. They pulled up a block away from the house, where they were told to go by Reverend Newlin.

"He's right. You don't." Luke looked at her and took her hand in his.

"I have to. We have to teach these vamps a lesson."

"No you don't Luke." She adjusted herself in the seat and looked at her sister, Christina in the back seat. "Reverend Newlin has lost his mind. To tell you to do this, not even to ask you , is crazy. We all could have died tonight, but because of Godric we didn't. By going in there you are destroying every ounce of improvement we have made."

"They are vampires. They don't deserve our trust or our respect. They were the ones that cast the first stone, now we're just throwing it back." He let go of her hand and opened the van door. Before he could get out he felt a hand on his arm. He looked to see her holding onto him.

"Do you even hear what you're saying?" She asked. Luke looked at her with a perplexed expression. "What have vampires ever done to you? Have you even seen one before tonight?"

"It don't matter what they've done to me personally."

"Yes it does." She protested. "Why do you hate them so if they haven't done anything to you? The only reason why we're in this mess is because Reverend Newlin is holding a grudge, and he's blaming all vampires for the death of his family. Are you going to give up your life just because he can't let go of the past?"

"It isn't about that."

"Then what? What is all this about? What are you about to sacrifice your life for?" Luke didn't reply. "Fine. If you're so set on doing this, at least let me walk you in." She said. Luke looked at the house then at her. He nodded his head and helped her get out of the van.

Eric could sense something, what he wasn't sure, but he knew something was off. He made sure to stay close to Sookie until the feeling faded, but the feeling only grew more intense. For some odd reason he got the urge to go to walk around the house, feeling something pulling at him. Emotions started to flood his senses: nervousness, fear, pain, sorrow and anger. The emotions became overwhelming as he came closer to the living room, where everyone was. He heard the door open and listened to two voices. Something was oddly familiar about one of them. The voices ceased and the door closed. He watched the hall as someone approached the living room. Jason Stackhouse seemed to immediately recognize him and before he could share words the man pushed him away, telling him to go. Eric stood erect and listened as the man asked for everyone's attention.

Christina watched from the back of the van, her face planted against the side window. Adam and the others went to the side of the house, thinking that Luke really wasn't going to commit suicide with the bombs attached to him and kill a whole bunch of vampires in the process. Her heart pounded in her chest and her breathing became struggled. She watched as her sister exited the house. Christina let out a sigh of relief, knowing her sister was no longer in danger. She tapped on the glass of the car, getting her older siblings attention. She waved at her and smiled, but it was quickly wiped away when an explosion erupted, shaking the car violently and the windows of the house exploding behind her sister. Christina hid in the seats, covering her ears, waiting for the shaking to stop. When she looked back up she saw her sister on the driveway, face down. Christina almost ran out until she saw Adam and the others running back to the van, Adam picking up the fallen comrade and struggling to get her to the car. Nobody could have known what would happen next. Adam fell to the ground, tripping over his shoelaces. The others were already in and they told him to hurry, but there was no way he could get him and his comrade inside the car before the vampires came out. In a split second he decided to leave her, hardly breathing on the asphalt,. He grabbed her body and pulled her to the side of the rode, next to a small brick wall. She clutched the sleeve of his jacket, trying to hold on to him, but he shook her off and ran to the car, got in the drivers seat and drove off while Christina yelled in the back of the van, screaming for them to get her sister. However, one of the men was pulled out, just before they could speed off, by Bill Compton and was bitten seconds later.

Eric was satisfied with himself at the moment. Even though a suicide bomber entered Godric's house and killed a few vampires and companions (his concern was only for his maker in the end) he was extremely satisfied with himself. He made the bond with Sookie, as he had always intended to, and found that it was deceptively easy. Sookie was naturally a kind and caring girl, so he counted on that side of her when he pretended to be dying from the silver lunged in his chest and other parts of his body. So when she reluctantly decided to suck it out, proving her kindness even to the people she hated, he couldn't help but grin. Someone handed him a towel as they exited the now destroyed house and he gingerly wiped himself off. Now, he had expected their to be a huge fuss over the events, but as he walked across the driveway he noticed a small crowed building on the side, next to a minor brick wall. He looked over his shoulder to see Sookie and Bill, with his arm over her shoulder and her arm around his waist, behind him. He wiped off his blood soaked shoulder and looked back at the growing group of vampires and humans that were hovering over something. As he approached her could see a body, nothing else.

"What's going on?" He demanded over the clabber of voices.

"It's a human." Said someone. "But she is not anyone's companion." Eric stepped closer and pushed a few people aside, trying to get a closer look at the mysterious human that appeared out of no where. At first, the face was unrecognizable; hair covered the face along with dirt and gravel, but the blood could be clearly smelt. His nostrils inflamed as he immediately recognized the scent; it was burned into his senses. In a flash he was next to the human, kneeling, and pushed the mess of hair aside. If his heart was beating it would have stopped, and if breathing was a necessity that would have stopped as well. Eric's body went rigid, his mouth went dry, his eyes glazed over with confusion. All the wonder, curiosity, searching, and silent pain he had endured flooded him. His hands shook as he reached out to the human, carefully grazing his fingers against the fragile and cold flesh. Everything he felt at that moment, was exemplified in one word:

"Celeste."