The slightly warm breeze blowing in from the South had the town opening their windows to embrace the coming of summer. The sun had just risen over the horizon as the morning dew dripped from the budding leaves on the trees.
His eyes felt heavy as they opened slowly, the piercing sunlight shining through the window basking against his skin. He noticed the spot next to him was void, the sheets and furs cold signaling the inhabitant had long been missing.
He laid his head back against his pillow, soaking in the unusual silence of his household. Usually his mornings were started early and noisy, his senses never having time to acclimate to his surroundings. This morning was unusual as the noise of the house was a deafened silence. He slowly sat himself up, sweeping his long legs over onto the floor. He set his head in his hands as he exhaled slowly, his head pounding from the overload of mead the night before.
He stood up from the bed and walked into the kitchen….the house empty of any and everyone. He grabbed the pitcher of mead and poured himself a cup before grabbing the freshly baked bread and cheese that sat waiting for him on the table.
The warm breeze made its way into the window carrying the laughter of children. He grabbed his mead and bread before stepping out of the house, the sunlight instantly warming his skin as he walked to the bluff behind his home. The ocean waves crashed against the surf as the beach below him brought cool air from the North.
Below him, he watched joyfully at the small children running amuck along the surf, their mother close behind as she too took joy in the feeling of the warm sun and cool water. Her hair glowed and shimmered as it caught the rays of the sun, her smile showing brightly as her laughter carried all the way up the hill to his own ears.
It was days like these that had him feeling content. Not always was he jovial about life, seeing as most days he was gone from home. It was days like these that reminded him of why he was here and what was truly important, even if he forgot sometimes.
"Pappa!"
His eyes scanned down the hill to his youngest, Finna. Her eyes smiled up at him as she waved vigorously. She yelled to him once more before climbing the hill, her small legs making the trip slow and wobbly. He met her half way, scooping her up into his arms as she giggled infectiously.
"Morning, pappa." she said, snuggling her head into his chest.
"Morning, my little dove." he whispered into her ear, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
He watched as her familiar eyes looked up into his own. The eyes of her mother. He loved all of his children, but his heart always held a special place for his youngest.
"I wondered where she had run off to."
His eyes rose to see the woman in question smiling back at him, her hair blowing wildly against the winds of the ocean. Her eyes looked into his own as she stepped closer to him, gently placing a soft kiss onto his lips.
"Good morning." she whispered, her smile becoming infectious.
He smiled back at her as he set down his youngest, watching as she ran back towards the surf to join her brothers and sisters. His arms quickly wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush up against him as his lips claimed hers once more.
"I was hoping you would be next to me this morning." he whispered.
"I was next to you enough last night." she smiled mischievously.
"Under me, more like it." he whispered huskily.
"You are a brute." she laughed, slapping his arms away from her as she walked closer to her children.
"And I am all yours." he grinned.
"Please, I ask that you do not remind me." she smiled, glancing at him from over her shoulder.
He laughed as she ran back towards the surf, scooping Finna up into her arms as she spun her around. The laughter and sights of his children playing with their mother was an image that would forever be burned into his mind. An image he would always remember when times seemed harsh and unyielding.
He watched as her head threw back with laughter before she fell into the sand, all 6 of her children falling with her. They lay, a pile of limbs and laughter as he stepped closer to them. He picked up his oldest son and took his spot next to his mother.
The sound of the ocean calmed them all as they lay together, the sun shining bright above them. The cool air from the waves caressed their skin as her head turned to his. He watched in amazement as her discolored eyes shone brightly at him, her lips pulled into the most beautiful and perfect smile that had his gut quenching in love and desire.
'I love you.'
His eyes slowly returned to the present as the night sky fell back into focus. The memory he had long since suppressed had found its way back to him. He had not dreamt that memory in quite some time, the pain of all his happiness being too much for him to bear.
His gut clenched in guilt as he remembered her lips forming the soft-spoken words that he longed to hear. It had been almost 2 weeks since she had gone missing, and each day proved to be one challenge after the next in finding her.
He hated his current behavior. His actions were those of a lost puppy…and it was all because of her. He needed her back, immediately. Not only for the longing he felt from her absence, but also to allow him to reobtain the hard shelled exterior that everyone knew him for. It was becoming harder and harder for him to act like his old self. Having her gone overpowered every cold-hearted feeling he could possibly have, and people were starting to notice. His fangs no longer scared people and his threats held no promise to harm. He was becoming weak….. and being weak would never allow him to find her. He needed to get his head together….. to remember who he used to be, before her. Not only would it save himself, but it would also save her. He needed his mind in the right place, and at the current moment, it was on the beaches of Sweden.
He revved the engine of the corvette he had been driving and daydreaming in and pulled to a stop. Tonight, he had business dealings that needed to be dealt with, no matter how much he would rather sit and dream.
No other news had been heard of concerning the whereabouts of Aurea and Compton. He knew for a fact their disappearances were related….. the location of their disappearance being the only problem currently holding him back. He knew that without a doubt they were located in Jackson, Mississippi thanks to the werewolf. The question was as to who in Jackson was behind it all.
He pulled on his hard exterior once more as the honking of the horn pulled the business associate from his home. He slowly waved as Lafayette walked towards him.
"Hello, sweetheart." he said, patting the seat next to him. "Hop in."
Lafayette cursed his inner self for ever getting involved with Eric Northman. He rolled his eyes and stemmed his tongue as he remembered the promise he made Aurea. To be pleasant, but only for her sake.
Pleading his case to Eric was no easy thing…but he got himself in this situation, he would get himself out. If not by his own luck, then by his girls. She promised she'd have his back and so far, she had.
"Huh?"
Lafayette pulled himself back to the present at Eric's mention of the corvette. Maybe it wasn't all bad.
"I thought it'd be a nice gift for my top salesman." mentioned Eric. "And before you ask, you'll pay for the insurance of course, I'm not an idiot. And I'll also have to sell it to you for $1 to avoid that… pesky gift tax."
"Man, I don't want no more of your shit." said Lafayette, taking the offered keys from Eric.
"You have great value, Lafayette. You're discreet, efficient, and have a large employ of admiral customers with great disposable income. From what I've heard you've never lacked in ambition. Wouldn't want you to start now."
"I'll think about it." said Lafayette.
"Don't make me wait too long. My patience is extended only due to the praise of you from my wife's lips which I grow tired of hearing about. Don't make me regret this." said Eric, getting out of the car.
He took off running back to Fangtasia. Now that his business for Sophie-Anne was done he could get back to finding his wife.
He had sent Alcide to look after Sookie while she insisted on traipsing around Jackson to find her precious Bill Compton. As before, all they had found out so far was that the werewolves were living in Jackson, fueled by vampire blood, and they all had a death wish.
None of his sources in Mississippi were able to confirm for him anything. Either they were paid well or they truly didn't know a thing. Once more, all that was left for him to do was wait and hope that Aurea kept her mouth shut.
And keep it shut she did. After the little soiree in the parlor with everyone, business had ended and conversation began. If the twilight zone had suddenly become her reality, she was sure she was in one. How fast people who hate each other, disagree, and who aren't even the same species can converse with one another was beyond her. She herself sat quietly, sipping on a blood martini while Bill sat quietly next to her. Every once in awhile they threw looks each other's way, more in bewilderment than anything.
She desperately wanted to ask him what his plan was, surrendering himself to Russell. Judging by Lorena's disappointment in the loss of attention for Sookie's demise, she made the assumption it was to save her. Though to what end she didn't know. She knew he couldn't keep with Russell forever. There had to be something more, but their current location was not the place to talk about such things.
She drained her glass and stood to her feet, Bill following after as the cordial thing to do. She smiled gently to him and made her way to the door, making a pit stop in front of Russell and Talbot.
"If your majesty has no issue, I would like to retire to my room. I'm afraid I did not sleep too well this day."
"Sure, my little cream puff, your wish is my command. Go and rest, I'm sure you have other pressing matters you need to attend?" said Russell, his last statement coming as more of a question in regards to her practice.
She nodded her head slightly in thanks as well as confirmation that she understood his words. She would need to practice. Influence was hard when she didn't have anyone to practice on, but her hearing she could definitely work on. Her eyes drew across the room before quietly excusing herself, her hands beginning to shake as she ascended the stairs.
She could feel the gorilla's behind her at a distance, making sure she hit her proposed destination. She closed the door as a sob made its way from her throat. Now was not the time to lose her shit. She needed to remain strong and diligent. She flung her shoes off her feet and sank down onto the floor at the foot of her bed.
She heaved a heavy and unneeded sigh as she pulled the pins from her hair, letting it fall down past her shoulders. She rubbed the sore areas where the pins dug in as she closed her eyes, letting her inner mind fall away and allow herself to open up to everything around her.
Her first focus was on the soft and heavy thuds of the footsteps around her. The gorilla's making their rounds to make sure the 'guests' were where they needed to be. She could hear Russell's laugh and Talbot's moan and instantly retreated, her body shivering in disgust thinking of what they may be doing.
She rubbed her hands across her face before getting back into it. The first thing she heard was clapping before Lorena's annoying voice graced her ears. Her ears also picked up Bill voicing his annoyance at her presence. She always wondered what caused the two to have such differences. It was pretty obvious Lorena was no wonder to be around and neither was Bill, but they worked well for over a century and then all of a sudden it was if Bill grew a conscious.
"You made me lose my humanity!"
Her eyes popped open as Bill's agony rang through her ears. She forgot his room was right next to hers and judging by his words, Lorena decided to have stopped by. Letting the woman inside of her take over at the prospect of gossip, she closed her eyes and reached out, catching Bill as what she assumed to be a snarl, empty words into Lorena's oblivious mind.
"I will never… never, love you." snarled Bill.
"Ouch." whispered Aurea.
The next thing that ran across her ear drums were sounds she never wanted to hear from Bill ever. Moans and cries of passion from both ends mixed with self-regret and disgust rang throughout her head as she heard Bill and Lorena going at it.
"Well, that's enough of that, I think." She said, opening her eyes and shutting her mind off from outside influences.
She shivered in disgust at what she heard as she stood to her feet and prepared for bed. After everything that happened throughout the evening, nothing sounded better than a hot shower to wash away the sorrow, guilt, and longing that ran through her.
As always, the thought of Eric raced through her like a lightning bolt. She wished for anything to be able to turn back the hands of time that kept her where she was at. Every second she wished she could undo what she did, not only for leaving, but for closing herself off from him. It was a logical thing to do at the time, being that she needed space, quiet space, her own space. But now that she had gotten herself into a catastrophic shit of a situation, she had no clue how to reconnect with him, if she could.
She always tried to be too big for her britches, and it was times like this, always like this, when she realized she didn't know anything compared to the others. The basics, is what Eric had taught her, not knowing she'd turn a situation into a right fuck up of a mess that only she could pull off.
She ran her hands over her face before grabbing something to wear after the shower. Her hands grabbed a silk little number when her ears perked up at the sounds of Bill's voice, soft spoken at first but becoming harder as he spoke.
She stepped closer to the wall that separated their rooms and placed her hand against the ancient tapestry that hung there. She closed her eyes and listened openly, intrigued that no longer did she hear moans of passion.
"Sookie-"
"Last time I saw you, you asked me to marry you."
Aurea's eyes opened large as she heard Sookie's soft voice from the other end. Disbelief is what it sounded like, and although she hated Sookie, a girl never got over the pain of getting broken up with, especially over the phone. Aurea felt her own dead heart break a little as Bill and Lorena lavished in Sookie's heartbreak.
"You are no longer a concern for me. Do not try to find me, I do not wish to be found."
Aurea let out a whistle as she heard Bill end the call. She stood up straight and stared at the wall in front of her, confusion the first thing coming to her mind. After everything that Bill had done for Sookie, almost killing Lorena more times than she had fingers, killing a vampire who almost killed her, only to then fuck his maker and then break Sookie's heart? Something was off and it felt like another ruse of his, albeit a harsh one, to further protect her.
"What are you up to, Bill?"
Holy goodness, sorry for being MIA. Here's a new one! I hope you enjoy!
