Episode 2 – Making deals with the devil

BPOV

"Well, where is she?" The very tall, slender and foul smelling Human Lieutenant asks me for the hundredth time since we arrived at Fangtasia. We were barely in the door before he started questioning the whereabouts of Sookie. I'd ignored the first several inquiries, attending to other matters at hand but finally suggested that he instruct his men to search the premises. I'd known moments after we entered the main bar area that Sookie wasn't here. There hadn't been a trace of her scent, not even the slightest hint. I would guess she hadn't been to the bar in months. More precisely, I'd wager a bet that she hadn't been in the bar since Russell was being held. But then again, I could be wrong but I'm hardly ever wrong.

I look at the human standing in front of me once more. I have no idea what his name is and know nothing else about him other than he is an officer in this human's army. Quite frankly, I've never seen a reason to ask him anything more. To me, he's just another blood bag drone taking orders from some other drone that believes that he has the power to control things. The difference with the one standing before me is that he believes he holds power over me. These humans can be so foolish.

I raise my eyes and just stare at him from my seat at the bar. The place is empty save us. One advantage of having these humans wielding guns with silver plated ammunition is that it's of the most certainty that we can clear a room rather effectively. The sad groups of Vampires congregating within the bar, this evening, were easily cleared out. Once we disposed of any onlookers, the bar was searched from top to bottom looking for Sookie. Like I said, she was not here but then again, there was nothing else of interest either. This above everything gave me reason to be concerned. Clearing the bar should have been easy but finding nothing else seemed to be too convenient.

I knew that Tara and Willa were in Bon Temps for the big blood/human pairing. After all, they really didn't have any choice in the matter. Any Vampire who wished to be seen as friendly and accommodating toward this unfortunate situation knew that they show their faces and participate in this joint project between humans and Vampires. I guaranteed with Tara and Willa's current predicament they wouldn't be left out in the cold. Especially since the two of them are now running Fangtasia for their makers, they needed to play nice. With the both of them out of the building for the evening and without anyone here to make decisions for the other Vampires and humans on staff, I, as reigning King of Louisiana and the last member of the Vampire Authority, closed the establishment for the night without needing to discuss this decision with any of those minions.

No one wanted to look like they were being difficult while facing these most uncertain times. After all, the Vampire community has yet to come to a decision regarding how we will proceed after the decimation of the Vampire Authority. Some wish things to revert back to a time before the Authority was so powerful while others wish to rebuild the structure as a whole. There has been a great deal of infighting and posturing to gain political footing in these unnerving times. Being the Vampire King gives me some authority when it comes to my territory and being part of the Authority gives me more power, in some circles that is. But even I have to play my cards close to my vest and watch my footing. Things could and probably will change on a dime. Vampires are not one to sit for too long. Though many of the older ones know the art of patience and time, there are a considerable amount of younger Vampires than older that need to be dealt with. I'm sure that at some point, the Vampires will organize again and I am confident that I'll be part of that new regime. But until then, one must do what one can to survive in this dark time. I will look after mine and myself and let the others deal with their own messes. I for one have no time to deal with the riff-raff roaming the area at present. That includes those found in the bar tonight. I've other priorities to deal with and nothing will deter me from my goal.

Looking around the bar I let out an internal sigh. I've never agreed with Eric's methods, but you can't argue that Fangtasia hasn't been a money maker. There weren't many Vampires present this evening and that would stand to reason. With the hep-V epidemic, I know for a fact that many Vampires were hoping that more towns would follow in Bon Temp's path and start a "buddy" program as Merlotte called it. In fact, other gatherings are taking place in most of the northern towns this upcoming week. Other areas in neighboring kingdoms are following suit and will be holding their own rallies in the upcoming weeks. It had taken some doing to get others to buy into this scheme but I didn't rise to the Queens most valuable procurer for nothing. I still have a great many contacts in the Monarchies and with my position in the human world, it didn't take much convincing to get the others to agree that this "buddy" system is the best solution in a very bad situation. Compound that with the fact that most, if not all Vampires in the areas are hungry they really had no other choice but to comply. There is that and also a fact that, not unlike me, monarchies hate dealing with messes and despise cleaning up after their own.

Granted the exchange of untainted blood for protection wasn't the real reason for the gathering that happened in Bon Temps this evening but it is still a good idea and one that will bring me more favor when the time comes to position myself back into a higher position. Then this little game I'm playing with the human authorities will be over and I'll have what I want. Once I'm back in power, all will be as it should and Sookie will be safe by my side. I'll guarantee it.

"There is no sign that this Vampire, Mr. Compton indicated should be here in the bar this evening. In fact there is no evidence that she has been in tonight or any other night, Lieutenant Tisdale."

Ah yes, now I seem to recall someone saying his name once or twice before. Lieutenant Marcus Tisdale, leader of this mission.

"I believe you are correct, Private," Tisdale says to the other human and then turns back to me. "I'll ask you again, Mr. Compton," Lieutenant Tisdale pauses for emphasis. "Where is this little girl you thought would be so easy for us to obtain this evening? Where is this Vampire you assured us would be here and would either have the woman or would be waiting for her?"

"I'll tell you what I told you before," I say as I attempt to keep my temper in check. "If Sookie wasn't at the farmhouse she should have been here," I push off the stool and walk toward the door. "Your other men should be here soon. I'm sure that Alcide will have news for us or have our girl with him. There would be no way he'd leave her at her home."

Or leave her with anyone that was there waiting for her. Certainly if there were some major issues we would have heard about them already.

"How do you know that we can trust this friend of yours, Compton?" the lieutenant asks me.

"For the same reason you know you can trust me," I say as a matter of fact.

"Yeah, like the Governor trusted you," I hear one of the other humans mumble under his breathe.

I choose to ignore that comment. Clearly, it wasn't meant for me to hear and there is no need to start a blood bath now. I close my eyes for a moment, counting to ten. When I open my eyes once more, I feel a great deal more centered. I sigh at the creatures around me. These humans have no idea who they are dealing with and even less of an idea on how to deal with someone like my Sookie; more so now that her powers are manifesting earlier than expected. I was assured by every seer, witch and daemon that I could find that knew anything on the subject of Faeries and they all said the very same thing. That if Sookie would come into any powers, she wouldn't do so for few more years. Granted, many didn't know all the facts about Faeries and their ways but from what I could piece together was that the only way she could quicken the process would be to have a continuous supply of either Vampire blood or have a constant sharing of Fae light with another Faerie that held a light more powerful than hers. Evidently, the sharing of light as it were would not only speed up the process but heighten Sookie's skills. Since the only Fae that Sookie is in contact with is a child, I doubt that the latter is the case. I've also been assured by the Were that the last time Sookie received Vampire blood was before Warlow was destroyed. That was six months ago. So the fact that Sookie showed any signs other than her ball of light is quite confusing. There really is no reason for Sookie to be able to Teleport, but both the Were and I saw it with our own eyes. Thankfully there were no other humans around at the time or we would have other reasons to be concerned. I can only hope that these human authorities don't think much on this right now. If they do, there may be problems and my plans will all go by the way side before they even begin.

These humans need to believe that Sookie will be theirs and will not be able to do escape by human or other means when they get her to the facility. Otherwise, they may decide to perform other experiments on her to attempt controlling her gifts. I suspect that those experiments will be as effective in controlling her as other ones were in controlling Vampires. No, for now, we will need to downplay Sookie's newest skill and any other that may come to light. I will need to speak to Sookie in private to assure her of the need to keep this a secret. I'm sure she will agree that it's in her best interest.

Once I assure those in positions of power over the project that she's more pliable being with me than in the compound, we can deal with this little skill. Until I can get her alone, I hope that Sookie knows better than to use it again. If she does, it could mean the death of all of us.

"I'm sure everything is fine," I smile at the humans in the room. "We'll find out more from Alcide once they have collected Sookie from the Farmhouse and met up with us," I look back at the Lieutenant. "What about the infected Vampires you unleashed this evening?"

"Not that it is any of your concern," the human huffs. "All but two survived and were taken into custody by our men stationed at the bar. None of the humans were harmed as was part of the deal," he nods in my direction. "Now you want to tell me how the demure Miss Stackhouse got away from a Vampire and a Were that were sure they could control her?"

"I told you before and I'll tell you again," I growl at him beginning to lose the little patience I had with him. "I don't know. She never was able to do that before," meaning of course her skill in question. "I'm sure that it was brought on by fear. Her kind are unpredictable in their skills but I assure you that it will not happen again."

"You never mentioned anything about their kind exhibiting any abilities, Mr. Compton," another human responds.

I turn to see Dr. Millie Stork walk into the bar with her rather large entourage behind her. I look her up and down as her heels click on the floor rather aggressively. The woman is a bit older than Sookie, but not older than I was when I was turned. She is a striking woman who still has her figure and her looks, for the most part. She's intelligent too, for a human that is. Probably one of the most intelligent humans I've come in contact with in over a hundred years. Her focus has been on the science since the beginning; nothing like those hacks that were working for the Governor.

She took the information I'd provided and made more than several more advancements than Takahashi did in his time in my basement. Granted, I didn't have at my disposal that equipment the government has but that too is another thing all together. She has been able to isolate a great many genes and enzymes in the blood that, on paper could be the answer to all our problems.

"Are you keeping things from us, Mr. Compton?" she asks smirking at me. "That, I believe wasn't part of the deal."

"I've only heard rumors of the gifts of Sookie's kind," I widen my arms attempting to look as innocent and shocked as possible. "Like I said, they are most unpredictable and run on emotions."

I'm not sure of that fact but is sounds convincing.

"So, if I'm hearing you correctly, you have never heard of such a skill?" she asks.

"Sadly, I've not been privy to many encounters with the species in my lifetime." I nod in her direction.

"How many of these Faeries, as you call them, have you come in contact with again, Mr. Compton?" she moves to sit in a seat in front of me. Crossing her long legs and folding her hands across her chest, waiting for me to answer.

"Sadly, I've only known a few HalflingsHalflings and have never had dealings with those of pure blood, Doctor. Most HalflingsHalflings I've encounter hold the light if anything. None had had any gifts that I'm aware of. I directed you to several of them if I recall," it is my turn to smirk at her. "I am sorry to say that you couldn't find the one in Dallas but that really isn't my fault. No one has seen him for almost two years."

"Yes," she leans forward. "However, you did tell us about the other one, Hadley is it, and her son," she acts like she's thinking. "Hunter is his name. Sadly, Hadley's blood does not hold the enzymes we are in need of but her son may be useful once we have all the data on him compiled. It's surprising however, that only when the mother tried to save herself and her boy by giving up her cousin did you come forward and admit to the knowledge of Ms. Stackhouse's whereabouts. Why would that be, Mr. Compton?"

"Sookie has enough to deal with since encountering my kind, doctor. I'd hope that she would be of no use to you if we found others with more potent blood lines. Sookie, after all is of the same blood as her cousin Hadley and you already said that you can't use her. Besides, I'd promised to protect Ms. Stackhouse and keep her out of Vampire business."

"But this isn't Vampire business, Mr. Compton. It is the human races' business. Keeping her a secret from us is not part of the deal," she says to me.

"Sookie was mine to protect. A promise was made and a deal was struck. She kept her side of the bargain and I kept mine."

"You have promised to protect her even though she was with another?" she raises an eyebrow at me. "That is very gallant for a Vampire. One would think you care about her."

"Vampires honor our deals, doctor," I growl at this human. My patience is lost now. She is goading me and it will end now. "My connections and investigations gave you ample numbers of HalflingsHalflings to meet your goals. You didn't need Sookie."

"Or the other one in that little town," she moves to take a folder from one of the guards. "The sheriff's daughter, if I'm not mistaken. You failed to tell us about her as well."

I walk toward her. "She didn't have her blood tested," I say. "It is my understanding that Andy refused to bring her to the gathering or to have anything to do with the program. He wished to have his daughter and himself left alone. I still believe this is a free country, doctor. The man has a right to protect his family any way he sees fit."

"Yes, well," she sighs. "Be that as it may," she looks at the file again and shakes her head. "You seem to believe that you have a say on what information is pertinent and what isn't, Mr. Compton. Intel you give us seems to be spotty at best. We've needed to resort in finding out information on our own, it would seem. One would think you weren't genuine in agreeing to assist us in this project. Perhaps this is something that would best be discussed with your handlers."

I dismiss her threats. If she thinks that her kind have the strength or the power to control me, they are sadly mistaken. Oh, they can send me to my final death but other than that, they really can't do anything to me. Besides, they have already seen the type of information and items I can procure for them. They will not want to lose such a skilled ally as myself.

"The child is too young and too weak to help you, doctor. The Sheriff lost his other daughters not too long ago. It would be evil to take his only living relative from him." I move in front of the good doctor. "She is all he has left."

"We are not doing anything we don't need too, Mr. Compton. The sacrifice of the few is for the greater good of all," she smiles. "We are all making sacrifices in this, wouldn't you agree? We all need to do what we can for your kind and ours, Mr. Compton. That is what you told us when you made your deal, is it not?" she tilts her head to the side. "You told us that we needed to band together in order to eradicate this epidemic. You convinced all the upper brass of your sincerity and desire to help us anyway you could. You told us that we needed you to find these HalflingsHalflings and Faeries as you call them," she pauses. "Or am I getting my information incorrectly."

I remember the day I made this stupid deal. Really, it was the only thing I could do at the time. I was given very few options other than to assist them. If I refused, it would be my true death for killing the Governor. It didn't matter that the crazy, vengeful human was the reason we were in this mess to begin with. It didn't matter that it was he who decided to kill Vampires with the True Blood. Okay, so it was my idea to bomb the factories but it was the Governor that initiated the epidemic. That decision was why we were in this mess and I did what I needed to do to try to save my kind from him. But the humans didn't seem to see it that way. It was help them or be destroyed. I picked the only choice that was viable.

My intention was to keep Sookie as far away from all of this as possible. My edict was simple. Find and acquire as many Fae as I could to assist the humans in finding a cure. The job would be easy, I thought. After all, I'm good at tracking things down but as I learned quickly, Halflings are rare; especially those that show signs of the light of the Fae. It wasn't easy, but I was determined to find other Halflings to satisfy the human's needs. I tried to keep them out of the Louisiana area but when I heard they found Hadley, I knew it was only a matter of time before she used her knowledge about Sookie and what she could do save herself and her child. That was when I knew I had to act. It wouldn't be easy to convince all these humans that I could deliver Sookie to them and that she would come if she thought she would be safe with me. I know that she'll be mad but I'm hoping, in time, she will understand that this was the only way to keep her safe. In time, she will see that I did all of this to protect her. If not, there is always a secondary plan. If she can't see reason, she will come to understand that this is the only way to keep little Hunter out of harm's way. I know that she will never want anything to happen to her kin. Regardless of how she came to be in the situation she finds herself, she will never allow anything to happen to him. If rationality doesn't calm her, her sense of family and loyalty will.

Either way, she'll understand or at the very least acquiesce to the needs of the humans. It really was the best deal I could make in light of a very bad situation. I had to make the humans believe that I would give my precious southern belle to them. Sometimes I wonder how theses human believe all that they do.

The good doctor's phone rings and I watch her as she answers it. "Did you get her?" she asks without so much of a hello to the caller.

"There's a situation," the man on the other end says.

"What's the situation?" Stork asks. "She's a teenage girl for god's sakes."

"Well, there, there was a Vampire guarding the house," he begins. "There wasn't anything we could do."

"What do you mean?" Stork asks looking at me. "Where is she?"

"We, we don't know where she went, Doctor. We have the father in protective custody but the girl, the girl and the Vampire are in the wind. We tried to use the stun gun on her and the silver bullets but she was too fast. Our men didn't have time to do much more than watch her as she got away. Before they knew what was going on she'd disappeared."

She sighs pinching the bridge of her nose. I notice that she seems to do this when she is overwhelmed. Could there be a crack in the good doctor's façade of perfect stoicism?

"Bring the father in. We will talk to him at the facility. Make sure he's comfortable and I'll be there shortly," she says.

She hangs up without saying goodbye and looks at me. "This is turning out to be one shitty day, Vampire."

"You wouldn't know who was there with the Halfling would you, Mr. Compton?" she asks me.

"Why would I know who was with the Sheriff and his daughter?" I ask her.

"That isn't an answer. Where is that Vampire who lives in your house?" she asks.

"Many Vampires come and go from my estate, doctor. You will have to be more specific," I try to keep a straight face.

"If I find you had anything to do with this Compton," she moves a little closer to me. "I will personally stick the stake in you myself."

She doesn't wait for me to say anything else before she turns and walks out the door. Funny, she reminds me of another uppity bitch that was given too much power. Stork better hope that she doesn't meet the same end Nan found herself in. It would be awfully messy and I'm not looking forward to cleaning up any more messes.

As we wait at the bar, I can't help but wonder what the hell is going on. All intel collected over the past several weeks all indicated that Northman was on his way back to Louisiana. The sources of this information were very diverse but they all said the same thing. He was returning to the area and had a reason to do so.

There was only one reason I could think of that would bring him back here. That reason could only be Sookie Stackhouse. I'm certain that he came for her but the reason for his appearance now is highly suspect. After all this time, to come back now should have many, not just me, concerned. Either he'd heard about what the Government is doing to find a cure for Hep-V or he himself has need of our young feisty Faerie.

Regardless of the reason, there is no way he can be permitted to interact with Sookie again. The last time was a disaster and most confusing for Sookie. I honestly think she believes that she loved that monster. How, after everything she's learned about ingesting Vampire blood could she possibly think that her feelings for that Viking were ever anything but a side effect of the blood? True, she'd taken my blood as well, but I felt the connection between us the moment I laid eyes on her in that bar so long ago. That night was magical in so many ways and was before she had any of my blood.

No, Sookie and I are destined and I'll be damned if I allow that Vampire anywhere near her again. He loves playing with lives and feelings. Hell, I should have made my undead existence easier and ordered his death long ago. I should have never spared him after he was cursed by that witch. I should have staked him myself and been done with it. But, the fact of the matter is I needed him to stay in Louisiana after I became King. Eric is strong, cunning and knowledgeable about everything in the area as well as others. I hate to admit it and would never admit it him, but I needed Eric Northman to run my kingdom. Without him, who knows how many Vampires would have walked away from this area? Granted, many of his most faithful have departed to parts unknown but it doesn't change the fact that Eric Northman has always had his hand on the pulse of the area. It would have been foolish to dispose of him when he is so valuable. However, his usefulness has been outweighed by the damage he can do. I will not hesitate to end him at the first chance I get.

I look around the bar again. Regardless of the Intel we received, it is evident that Eric isn't here nor has he been here for some time. But regardless of that fact, I'm sure that it was Pam driving the car that we saw on the highway driving away from Sookie's place. Though, I didn't see anyone else in the car with her, Pam could have been informing Sookie of the situation. She could have been transporting Eric in hiding. Though, I've never known that Vampire to hide from anything. He could have been flying. Yes, that is more likely. Yes, having Pam act as chauffer for that Viking would be a miss-use of time and energy. Then again, I doubt Pam would be out at Sookie's place without direct orders from her maker. She has always hated Sookie and I don't see that changing. Unless I'm completely mistaken, there is no way she was going there for a social call. Something is not making sense in all of this and I'm not sure what logical reasoning in all of this is. If Eric was at the Farmhouse, we would have known already. If he was here, we would have known it the moment we arrived here. If Sookie had left the Farmhouse, we would have seen her car. What was Pam doing there other than relaying information to Sookie? There would be no reason for Sookie to leave with Pam. After what happen at that magic shop, Sookie wouldn't trust Pam.

We wait at the bar another hour before I hear three cars pull into the parking lot. I take a deep breath, analyzing the air around the bar but I don't smell Sookie with them. I shouldn't really be surprised. If I think about it, Sookie would protect herself even if she didn't trust Pam. Once I saw who was in the car, I should have known that our chances of taking Sookie in tonight were slim to none. I should have known that Sookie would have done the exact opposite of what I'd presume her to do. She must have been in that car with Pam but how did we miss her? Pam must have known all about the plan for tonight but how?

In any event, why wouldn't they head to Fangtasia? If we could just find them perhaps we could make a deal to give up Sookie. After all, Eric has always been a pragmatic and practical Vampire. He above anyone would see reason in all of this and agree to give Sookie over to the humans. He would see it as a way to keep in control of the situation. Much like I did. In many ways, we think alike.

I watch as Alcide is the first through the doors followed by all the little humans.

"Well?" I ask him.

He shakes his head and puts his hands on his hips as he comes to a stop in front of me. "She's gone. I smelled a Vampire and Sookie in the house and it was fresh. I looked around and a lot of her things are missing. ."

"She packed?" I asked him. "How did she have time to do that?"

"I don't know but other than clothes and some personal stuff, Sookie didn't take much. If she packed, it was in a hurry."

"She wouldn't have had time to pack unless she knew what was about to happen," I pause. "Are you sure of what is missing?" I ask him.

From the time she left us at the bar and the time we passed the hummer on the road was less than an hour. Surely she couldn't pack much in that time.

"I'm sure," he says. "But the funny thing is what she left. She didn't take anything of value. None of the big price items and jewelry that was her grandmother's is missing. I checked the safe in her room. She even left her passport and the little bit of cash she keeps in the house. I'm not sure what she's doing but I don't think she had a plan, Bill. She definitely wasn't planning on going far. She can't get out of the country without her passport. Most of the roads out of the area are already covered by the military. She didn't think this through, Bill. She must have panicked. There is no way she could, you know, do that thing again so soon. I don't think she even knew she could do that much less control it."

I laugh at his assumption and shake my head. "She's with Pam," I turn to walk back to the bar resting my hands on it. "She could be anywhere."

"Did you get the plates on the car? We can track that?" Alcide asks me.

"We have already run the plates, Sir," a soldier that has been quiet up until now and playing with his laptop says. "The plates were stolen. Unless Mr. Compton here got the numbers mixed up."

"I'm a Vampire," I growl at him. "You don't think I can see in the fucking dark?"

"Still," he says and looks away from me. "We weren't prepared for any kind of opposition and were definitely not prepared for her to not be where she was supposed to be," Tisdale pipes in. "We lost the car in the woods. We weren't equipped for her to go off road."

"That is correct, Sir," the solider says. "I've been determining the trajectory of her path and the limited time before sunrise hindering her travelling distance. Even with moving at velocity that would be dangerous in those woods, she couldn't make it more than fifty miles before she would have to seek shelter."

"Unless she has a way to conceal herself in the car and allow Ms. Stackhouse to drive," the Lieutenant interjects.

"Well, that's conditional on if she went with the Vampire willingly, Sir," the solider says.

"You think Pam took Sookie by force?" Alcide moves forward.

"That would depend," he replies. "Was there a sign of a struggle?"

Alcide shakes his head. "No, no sign of any problems like that. Even if Pam was waiting for Sookie when she, well when she arrived, they weren't there for very long. The only thing I smelled differently was this sweet smell that Bill and I smelled after Sookie disappeared from the parking lot."

"And you are sure that Ms. Stackhouse teleported herself. Nothing else compelled her to move? Perhaps a Vampire took her and you didn't see?" Tisdale asks.

I growl again but say nothing.

"I don't know," Alcide shakes his head again. "It's possible but I don't know of any Vampire that would be able to move that fast and I don't know of any other kind of species that could compel Sookie to move like she did. At this point, I don't really think it matters how she got there. The truth of it is that she was at the Farmhouse. I smelled Sookie, and who I think was Pam in the house. I didn't catch the scent of anyone other than me and Jason in the house. I didn't smell anything outside either."

"You are certain no one else has been on the property?" Tisdale asks. "Don't you think that a little odd?" he opens a file he has in front of him. "Intel suggests that she has two Vampire friends and several others in town. One would suspect that you would be able to identify others."

"No," Alcide glares at the Lieutenant. "We don't get many visitors. Sookie knows how I feel about those, well, those Vampires being around the house. She sees them when she comes into Shreveport. As for the others, well, she hasn't been mingling with them for some time."

The way he says this makes me pause. Sookie has always liked mingling at the bar. It was one of the reasons she loved working there. Sookie wasn't one to be alone too often. I will have to remember to discuss this with him at a later date.

"And nothing else was missing from the home?" Tisdale continues.

"Other than her clothes, nothing else was missing."

"Fifty miles isn't that far," Tisdale turns back to the other solider. "We should be able to grid that off before sunrise."

"Even if Pam didn't have Sookie drive," I interject. "Fifty miles in different direction is a lot of ground. Pam lived in this area for many years. She has friends and associates all over the place. They could be anywhere."

"Perhaps they didn't drive," the soldier at the laptop interjects. "We haven't taken into consideration the air transport in the area."

I spin around to look at him. "What did you say?" I ask him.

"The airports?" he looks from me to Tisdale. When his senior officer nods for him to continue he directs his answer to me. "There are five inside the travel grid. Two in Shreveport, one in Texas, one in Monroe and one in Alexandria," he points to his screen. We all move to look at what he is pointing to. "All of them are well within the fifty miles radius of the Vampire's last known location. In fact, she may have moved to one of them after going off road. It is quite possible to access several of the facilities by maneuvering through the woods."

"Which is the closest airport to where she turned off?" Tisdale asks.

"Monroe," the solider zooms in on the area on the map.

"Is it an active airfield?" I ask him.

He nods. "It's a private airfield but it's big enough for a full size plane."

"There is none closer?" Alcide asks.

"No Sir," the soldier shakes his head and then changes the view on the screen to show another area.

"The ones in Shreveport are too industrial and the one in Alexandria is smaller and is used more for crop planes that passenger type. I don't think she would try for Texas. It wouldn't be logical to travel that far before dawn. There are too many variables to consider and I'm not certain that this Vampire you saw would risk it."

Tisdale nods. "I agree," he turns to me. "It would be the safest way to depart the area. Unless there is another way you would expect this Vampire to travel?"

I shake my head. "No," I pause. "You are correct. If I was trying to get out of the area in the quickest manner possible I would try to fly out."

"Well, I'm so thankful that you agree with my observation," he says and then points to the men that walked in with Alcide. "We have a situation, gentlemen. We have a Vampire that has taken possession of a valuable asset and this situation needs to be rectified in the most expedient manner." He moves to stand in front of the men. "From information gathered regarding this club and the Vampire owners we know that this Pamela Ravenscroft has ties to the area," Tisdale looks back at me. "Go round up the two Vampires connected with this Vampire," he turns to the man on the computer. "Find out what you can on this Vampire and her maker," he turns to me. "His name is Northman, is it not?" he asks me.

I nod without saying anything.

He smirks at me. "Where would you suggest we pick up these two Vampires," he waves his hand around. "Obviously they are not managing their bar this evening."

I stifle a growl but it's Alcide who answers

"They should still be at the event in town," he says to the Lieutenant.

"Right," Tisdale nods again and turns his attention back to his troops. "The rest of you will be coming with me to the airport. We will be going in blind people. So keep your wits about you. From what we have gathered on her, this Vampire can be deadly. She is immaterial but remember the worth of the possession she has in her grasp. We want to prevent blood shed if we can."

"Wait a moment," I say as everyone starts to move. "Why are you rounding up Tara and Willa?" I ask him. "They have nothing to do with this."

"For strategy, Mr. Compton or didn't they teach you that when you were at war."

"We aren't at war, Lieutenant," I say to him.

"You are stupid and naïve if that is what you think," he says and moves to leave the bar.

Alcide and I wait until all the humans follow the Lieutenant out before we even look at one another. Once they are out and I hear the cars pull away from the bar, I turn to look at Alcide.

"What do you know?" I ask him.

"What do you mean what do I know? This was your party, Vampire. It looks to me that this whole thing has turned into a complete cluster fuck. What the hell do we do now?" Alcide moves closer to me.

I move closer to him. "What do you think, Wolf," I growl at him. We find Sookie. It's the only way we can survive."

"How do you plan on doing that?" he asks me. "If Pam actually has her then you know where they're headed. You and I are totally fucked if he finds out what we were doing to her."

"We haven't done anything to her," I say to him. "We did what we had to do to keep her safe. Eric would have done the same thing. You know that as well as I. Eric Northman cares about Eric Northman and nothing more.

He shakes his head at me. "It doesn't explain how we are going to find her."

"We need to find a trail that leads to him," I say to him. "We find Eric, we'll find Sookie. Then we can play to his practical side. Even if he did have her taken, he'll not want to go up against the human government. It is far too dangerous. The last time Eric went up against them, it cost him his sister. He will not wish to lose any other ground where they are concerned. He'll see reason in what we are doing and give her to us."

"You are assuming a lot," Alcide says coming up to stand beside me. "Northman is unpredictable at best but he's a good businessman. He may try to cut you out of the deal if he sees an opportunity for himself."

"He will not want to deal with all of this," I wave my hand around. "When he realizes what is at stake, he'll deal with us."

"Now, try to find out all you can before I rise. Once I do, we will start our own search," I say to him

"We shouldn't have betrayed her," Alcide says and goes to walk out the door.

I am tired of thinking about all of this. It was the only way to keep me on this earth and keep Sookie relatively safe. It was the best I could do and I will not apologize for it.

I wait for Alcide to walk out before I make my way to the door and lock it. Walking to the back of the bar, I maneuver to the door to the right of the dance floor where I know the coffins are kept. It's too close to dawn for me to go with the humans or to even make it back to my home. I can only hope that when I rise, there will be better news and Sookie is safe and secure with Alcide. At the very least, she'll be away from Pam. Right now, I'll be lucky to live out the week if I don't find a way to procure her for the humans. The only card I have to play is the one where I'm controlling Sookie. Without her, I might as well walk out into the parking lot and wait for the sun to rise. I'm sure that it would be the quickest way for me to meet my end. It would definitely be better than what the human authorities have in store for me.

I shiver at the thought of meeting my final death. They may not be able to capture me for long, but I'd suspect that once they had me, they'd do everything in their power to cause me pain; long, dragged out pain.

We have to find her. After everything I've been through, I've no intention on meeting my true death any time soon. I'm not the best procurer in the area for nothing. I need to find her and it must be before the humans do. Otherwise, they will have no use for me. I need to do this and do it quickly

I close the door to what could only be called a confined room and secure it and make my preparations to rest for the day.

Once I get into the coffin and wait for dawn to take me, I have one final thought.

Tomorrow will be better. It just has to be.

Jessica's POV

I land just outside the house I thought I'd never step foot in again. Looking up at it, I takeit in and can't help but think that it seems smaller somehow; smaller and weathered down. As all the memories come rushing back to me I can't help, for some reason, to somehow feel an overwhelming emotion while looking at the dwelling. I thought I'd always feel hatred, pain and disgust toward anything to do with this place. Now, I can't describe it but it is powerful.

I shake myself out of my recent memory but to no avail.

Taking a breath I don't need, I attempt to steady myself at the onslaught of emotions now bombarding me. They keep coming fast and furious until they end on the last time I'd seen them. It was not the prettiest of situations and not exactly my finest moment.

I knew that my parents were dead. Bill had to take care of the situation I found myself in with my parents. I never blamed him for the destruction of my family. We were broken beyond measure for some time. Bill just ended the pain we all felt by the hand of my father. I know that Bill bought the house for me after my little sister was sent to live with a distant aunt that hadn't spoken to my mother in well over six months before her death. Even though I knew the outcome of the situation, I never asked how they died nor did I want to know. Whatever Bill did he did for me and for that I'm grateful. It didn't stop the waves of anxiety and fear that now poured over me. I close my eyes and willed it all to pass.

"Where are we," Adilyn asks as she turns around to look me.

"Somewhere safe," I say and make my way up the stairs.

"What about my dad?" the Fae Halfling asks me. "Who were those men, what did they want?"

"Adilyn I'm sure your father is fine. They said they wanted you. I couldn't let them take you. I'm sorry."

We walk into the house and I lock the door behind us.

"But who were they?" she asks again.

"Look," I turn to her. "I know this is not where you want to be and I'm a little scared to have you with me myself but until I hear from Bill, this is how it's going to be for a while." I walk into the sitting room and motion for her to sit on the couch while I go to sit beside her. "Those men back there," I point to the window. "They were going to take you, Adilyn. They were going to take you and do experiments on you. Bill told me that if they came for you, to run with you. I'm not strong enough to carry you and Andy. I'm really sorry but I couldn't let them get you. They would have taken you and done things to you. I don't really know what things but Bill promised they wouldn't find you here," I stand and move away from her.

"I don't understand," she says.

"I don't understand much either," I say to her. "All I know is that they found out what Sookie was and Bill was trying to do what was best for her. But you," I look at her. "You're too young to be in a place like that," I look out the window remember my time in that white tomb. If Vampires could get goosebumps I'd have them right about now.

"I don't understand," she says again. "What place?"

I shake my head. "He said it was like a place that they put us when they were rounding up Vampires. It's a terrible place, Adilyn. I couldn't let that happen to you. Promise me, promise me you will stay here so I can protect you."

"You're scaring me," she says and moves farther into the corner of the couch.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to. But this is serious. We can't let them find you. You're too young to be in a place like that. Promise me that you will stay here until we know it's safe?"

"What…what about my dad? What about Holly?" she asks.

"They don't want them. They only want those like you and Sookie," I say to her.

"Halflings?" she tilts her head to the side.

"Or more," I sigh. "But I don't know why. All I know is it's about what Bill was trying to have Professor Takahashi do before all this shit happened. All I know is that he said we needed to keep you safe. He would take care of Sookie but it was up to me to keep you safe."

"So," she sits a little straighter. "When you came tonight it wasn't only about the bad Vampires?" she nods as if answering her own question.

I shake my head. "No," is say softly. "It was because Bill thought they'd find you and he needs to stay close to Sookie."

"Sookie is with Alcide," she says. "He's handsome and nice. He can protect her," she nods.

"Not against this sweetie, not this time," I look at the clock on the wall. "Come on; let me get you to bed before I need to go to ground. Promise me you'll stay in the house until sunset. No one knows about this place. It was my parents' house. Those men won't be able to find you here. Bill made this a safe house for us. You will be quite hidden here until we find out what's going on."

"What about my dad?" she says again.

I forget how young this girl really is. Her dad has been her only constant and in truth she is not even been on this planet for a year. This has to be tough on her. I try to smile but I haven't really perfected the art of deception yet.

"As soon as I hear from Bill, we will find a way to get in touch with Andy and let him know you are safe," I say softly. "Don't worry," I say as I hold out my hand to her. "We aren't going to let those humans get you."

Something changes in her expression. I wish I could read people better.

"No," she says, shaking her head. "No, I know you won't."

She reaches her hand out and I take it in mine. Rising, I lead her through the small living area and up the stairs to what used to be my sister's room. I show her where everything is and am pleased and proud of my maker for making sure there is clothing and things for Adilyn's human needs.

The tour doesn't take long. Once I make sure that she's settled, I make my way downstairs, through the new hidden door in the pantry and down to hidden room in the basement. Something else my Maker has added to the old house. It does make sense, however. This isn't like Fangtasia where the basement is encased in reinforced steel and the human would have to have a death-wish to enter it during the day. No, this is a small house on a street with dozens of other little houses. There is nothing keeping anyone out if they wanted to get in and having a Vampire down for the day in plain view would be stupid. If Bill has taught me anything it is that you need to keep yourself as protected as you can while you are dead for the day. It is really the only time we are vulnerable.

Once I'm in the room and I'm sure the door is secure, I take out my phone and send a message to Bill in code. He'll know what I had to do by now, no doubt, and will want to know that my mission was successful and that I'm safe. We've gone through the plan so many times but still, things can and will go wrong when you are dealing with humans. It's just the way it is.

Setting the phone aside, I change quickly, grabbing a bag of blood we have in the freezer down here, I heat it quickly. Once it' ready, I don't bother with transferring it to a glass and drink it down before repeating the processes several times. With a half Faerie in the house it's important that I don't go hungry. That was the number one thing Bill made me promise him. Neither of us wanted a repeat of the last time I was with the Halfling sisters. Granted, I have a lot more control now but the truth of the matter is that Halflings still smell very good. Even Sookie smells extra sweet to me and she is a lot less Fae than Adilyn. Though she too has a lot more control of her powers now, you still can't be too careful. Bill told me that for some reason the young Halfling smells extra sweet to me as Sookie smells extra sweet to him. He said it must be some sort of a connection we have with them but I'm not too sure about that. I mean, Bill loves Sookie. That's their connection. I feel guilty for what I did to Adilyn's sisters. The two can't possibly be the same.

Drinking the last of the blood I sigh and hope that it will be enough to control the hunger. Climbing into my travel coffin, I look one more time at my phone before the day takes me away. I haven't heard from Bill but he cautioned me that this too would not be a cause for alarm. If everything went as planned, he's with Sookie and I'm sure he is explaining everything to her before he too will have to meet the day. I don't believe she will be very grateful at first, but I'm certain she will see that my Maker has done everything he can to keep us all safe. He loves her. That should be what matters to her.

As the first rays of sun make it over the horizon, I smile thinking that once this is all over, my Maker will finally be happy once more.