Hello all! Sorry for the length of time, but I hope you're still with me and enjoy! 3


The smell of Lorena's burning flesh still hung in the air as she waited patiently in the dining room so that Russell could quickly extinguish an alight Lorena. Her eyes slowly drifted to Bill as he rushed from his seat to finish the deal. Gorilla 1 and Gorilla 2 managed to grab him before he could do any more damage.

She couldn't help but let an amused smile grace her lips as a crispy Lorena was dragged to her feet and escorted away. It seemed there was always some kind of drama to be had if Talbot's incessant wailing about a tapestry was anything to go by.

"Now, will everyone please leave Mr. Compton and myself alone to discuss some business." asked Russell.

Aurea went to stand but the searing pain in her ankles caused her to sit back down with a hiss. Her fingers gripped the table as Russell made his way back into the dining room, Bill following close behind.

"You stay where you are my little princess." replied Russell, catching the attention of Bill. "I hope your nightcap was enjoyable."

"Your heart on a roasted spicket would have been better." she replied, her smile making Russell's own grow into a laugh.

"I do love your honesty." he laughed, walking up closer to her. "Now…I believe we are both in agreement that you are not to leave the premises…is that correct?"

"Not with your blundering mongrels sniffing every inch of the property." she replied.

"Excellent!" he replied, calling Bill to join them as Russell stepped behind her.

"Now we have business to discuss. Bill, please." gestured Russell to Bill as both men sat down across from Aurea.

Her eyes settled on Russell as he casually brought up Sookie, again. Her eyes widened slightly as Russell wondered why Bill hadn't turned her. She always wondered why too, but ever since she found out Bill was sent to Bon Temps for a purpose, and finding out what Sookie was, it was easy to understand he couldn't. Or if he even wanted to.

"-to spend an eternity together." smiled Russell, his own relationship causing him to feign. "Now that's a commitment."

Aurea felt her dead heart break as her own eternal relationship was in the gutter, Eric's face happening to make its place within her mind once more. She swallowed to push away her sorrow as her eyes caught the quick glance of Bill's, as if he knew what she felt in that moment. Her hardened mask drew back upon her face as she squared her shoulders, her eyes turning cold as she settled on Russell.

She was still withdrawn when she heard Russell give Bill an ultimatum. No matter where she found herself, fucking Sookie once again managed to force the hands of others.

"Now, I suggest you sleep on it." said Russell, standing and making his way over to her chair. "My dear Aurea here will escort you to your rooms. You'll be staying right next door."

Her eyes caught Bill's as Russell gestured for Gorilla 1 to remove the silver from her ankles. She hissed as the skin pulled away from her body before she was pulled to her feet by Russell, his hand gently grabbing hers as he placed his hand to the small of her back, guiding her to stand in front of him. She resisted the urge to vomit as Russell's hands swept aside her hair. She went to step away but his grip on her hand stayed her body. She watched Bill's eyes travel to what Russell was proudly showing off.

"Cute aren't they?" smiled Russell, gently gliding a finger across her pointed ears.

She shivered at the touch…the sensation rushing familiar feelings and memories of Eric through her memory.

"An interesting trait for a vampire." replied Bill, diverting his eyes at the cold as stone glare he got from Aurea.

"Ah yes they are." replied Russell. "Now, away with you both. Till tomorrow evening, we have much to discuss!"

Aurea turned towards the stairs as Bill gestured her forward. Her eyes fell from Russell as she ascended the steps, Bill close to her heel. The two were left alone as they stepped onto the landing to the second floor, Russell's guards seeming to have something better to do.

"Since when do you serve the King of Mississippi?" asked Bill.

"Since the asshole shoved me into a cage downstairs till I was raw with hunger." she replied, catching Bill's own shameful face. "Honestly Bill….if you didn't notice the captured treatment I was under then I really do question your senses as a vampire."

"You still have your witty tongue." he replied.

"Of course." she replied. "It's the only thing that keeps me sane while I'm here."

"Does Eric know where you are?" he asked.

"No he does not." she replied. "And I would appreciate if you would fail to divulge the connection between Eric and myself. I have finally come close to the one thing we have desired for centuries...and I will not let a sniveling spy of the queen such as yourself blow this for me. "

"I am no spy of the queen." he defended, thrown slightly by her change in tone.

"Save it Compton." she said. "I know your angles….sort of."

"And what pray tell are your angles?" he asked. "Last I knew…you haven't been alive for longer than a century for someone to have wronged you."

She snarled before turning on him, wrapping her hand around his throat and pushing him into the wall. He watched her eyes blaze in color as the grip of her hand around his neck outrivaled his own. Impossible for such a young vampire.

"I was asleep for a long time." she replied, her voice low and dark. "I've finally found where I need to be and I refuse to let anyone get in my way of what Eric and I have fought so long to obtain. Given that, I will warn you once… and only once. Do not get in my way…..or I will break you down."

"Good to see you've finally chosen a side. Must be hard….trying to keep the two of you straight inside of there." he snided, gesturing to her head.

"It's just taken some time for me to embrace who I truly am….and who I need to be." she replied, letting go of Bill.

"And who is that?" asked Bill, adjusting his collar.

"The woman who will do everything to avenge her family." she replied, turning and walking down the hall.

"It's that easy is it?" asked Bill, following her down the hall. "That easy to just forget all those who helped you-"

"I never said I forgot them, Mr. Compton." she said, turning to him. "I am still the same person I've always been….except with…..something extra. But I know everything I need to know and who I need to be. I'm sure of that now."

"You are?" replied Bill.

"Yes." she stated. "The flashbacks have been enough to make anyone look into and accept what's become of them. At first I did not want them….but now that I know what they were for, I welcome them."

"Then I'm glad you're back." replied Bill, sounding sincere.

"Me too." she smiled, turning to a pair of doors. "These are your rooms, I assume. Mine are right next door."

"Pleasant dreams." said Bill, stepping inside the room and slowly closing the doors behind him.

"Söta drömmar." she whispered, her thoughts running back to the sound of Eric's voice when he used to whisper those words to her.

She entered her own room and shut the door. She sat herself gently onto the bed…..the exhaustion from the day's events eating away at her. Everything seemed to be coming to a head in a short amount of time. She had to be aware, on her toes to make sure she didn't miss anything. She had a bad habit of zoning out and now was not the time for her terrible concentration skills. She had the person in her grasp, the person who caused her and her family so much heart ache. With that came plans that if she didn't keep her head, she would lose the upper hand.

She didn't know when or if she would see Eric again, and it was up to her at this moment to try and figure out a way to end Russell. This wasn't her area, it wasn't her expertise. She wasn't smart enough to put angles together or build things up to watch them fall.

At this moment she couldn't do anything. She was stuck as a prisoner and she had to swallow her tongue and keep her mouth to herself if she was going to survive long enough to get what she wanted. It was a waiting game, and she had waited long enough. A little while longer wouldn't hurt.