AN: You guys are awesome and I love hearing that you're enjoying the story. Well, here's another chapter. Let me know what you think and, yet again, enjoy!

Chapter Nine

Maria was sitting in the living room of the suite eating when the door suddenly burst open. Eric emerged, his body tight and rigid. He stood there, stock still, while the weighted door slammed shut behind him. Maria eyed him curiously.

"I'm going to hunt." He told her with a deep growl.

Her brows pulled together. "Okay," She muttered. "Hunt me, or some homeless person on the street?"

He cocked a single brow, his silent way of telling her how stupid his question was. Maria sighed. She set her plate down on the coffee table and rose to her feet. She didn't know what happened that amped him up, yet again, but it seemed as though a head massage wasn't going to be enough.

"I'm going to fight you." She told him plainly. "And I won't make it easy."

His head dipped. Eric looked at her through his brows, a grin pulling at his lips. "Good," He cooed.

For a breath, the room was deathly still.

No sooner than Eric snapped his fangs into place, he launched himself toward her. Maria reared back and swung. Her fist slammed into the side of his face sending Eric flying across the room. He crashed into the couch before he caught himself. When he shot to his feet, he was seething, and Maria was ready.

The fight that broke out between the two was vicious. Maria did as she promised. She held nothing back. All of the anger, the rage and the litany of other emotions that she'd been forced to keep buried inside burst to the surface. This was her revenge for every time he taunted her, every time he poked and prodded, and every time he debased her. It all was finally given release and with the aid of the immeasurable amount of his blood he'd forced her to drink previously, Maria held her own against the ancient.

Broken furniture littered the space, and still he hadn't managed to pin her down. Maria was quick and agile, but as she dodged another swipe of his large hand, she brought her heel down on a piece of broken lamp. The porcelain dug into her foot and caused her to misstep. Eric seized his chance.

The Viking grabbed her by the arm and spun her. He encircled her in his arms and tore into her neck. Maria screamed. She struggled against him, fought and cursed while Eric fed. She gripped his arms and tried to wrench them away, she twisted and shifted, and did everything she could to escape, but the longer he fed, the weaker those struggles became.

Slowly but surely, Maria began go limp until Eric had to hold her up because her legs could no longer manage the task.

He fed for only another minute or two before he stopped. As he always did, he swept his tongue over the wounds, healing them in an instant. After, he scooped her up into his arms, holding the "dead" young woman in a bridal hold.

When he chuckled satisfactorily, Maria sat up. She looked at his proud smile.

"Satisfied?" She asked plainly. Every hint of the "victim" was gone.

"Very," He crooned. He let her slide from his arms and stand on her own two feet. Maria stumbled just a bit. She felt dizzy, but she managed the task quickly enough. "Here,"

Eric bit into his arm was presented her with the chance to heal, but she wasn't willing to accept.

"No thanks," She said. "I'll be fine."

Maria didn't want to drink any more of Northman's blood if she could help it, not after what happened last time. He seemed to sense it and shrugged indifferently.

"As you wish." He replied. "But, we will be doing that again."

Maria nodded and retired to her bathroom to clean off her skin. In truth, she was surprised he hadn't wanted to "hunt" before. She wouldn't mind. It gave her anger a release, which she appreciated. Hell, she'd have happily continued the fight, but it didn't seem as though Eric could keep up. That was why she stumbled when she stepped on the broken porcelain. If she hadn't, he might never have eaten.

Later that night, Eric stood with Isabel staring at The Fellowship of the Sun's compound, cast in shadow and hidden from the human patrols.

"I find it curious," Isabel said when referring to her human companion. "Like a science project. How does Bill Compton feel about your interest in Sookie?"

Eric tensed his jaw when he spoke. "I am not interested in Sookie, and even less about how Bill Compton feels about it. My only interest is finding Godric."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Isabel smirk at him. "Of course."

"Don't look at me like that." He told her.

Isabel shrugged nonchalantly and let her eyes drift back to the scene ahead of them. Eric doubted the conversation was over, and was given his proof when she spoke again.

"And your little companion?" She asked. "For one who claims to have such disdain for humans, you seem to keep many of them around."

"She is not a companion." He replied shortly. "She was sold to me and needs to earn her place."

"You must trust her greatly to bring her here in search for Godric."

Eric took in a long, deep breath to show his agitation with her current prying.

"She is expendable."

He gave Isabel a warning glance and fortunately for her, she chose to heed it.

Eric continued their conversation about the Fellowship while his mind remained divided. He was annoyed with Isabel's line of questioning. To think he cared at all about Girl or Sookie was foolishly misguided. They were tools for him to get what he wanted, nothing more.

Eric felt a sudden twinge. It was a reaction he didn't appreciate when it came to thoughts of Girl. She was a tool, a thing and little else, but the reality of it tasted foul to him, and he wasn't entirely certain why.

"You should return to the nest." Eric said to the woman at his side.

"And you?"

"I'll stay here." He replied.

Isabel made another face, a smirk that Eric honestly wanted to remove forcefully, but he didn't. Instead, he let her walk away.

Eric's attention shifted back to the compound. He lingered for untold minutes until, to his surprise, he heard commotion inside the building. He heard Godric's name muttered more than once, and that was all it took for him to charge forward.

Everything happened so quickly. He found Godric, his Maker, his father, and everything in his world… and Sookie.

There were people everywhere, fanatics with stakes and silver –burning, aching, fiery silver on his skin.

After Eric disappeared, Maria stepped out of the shadows. The moment she heard him mention the Fellowship over the phone, Pam's glamor kicked in. Whether she wanted to or not, Maria followed him. Her choice had been taken from her by a giant blonde vampire in six-inch heels.

Hidden in the darkness of the night, Maria took a seat on the hill to watch the little humans patrolling the property. She was angry for being there at all. Northman was an adult, more or less, so the fact that she had to babysit him annoyed her.

Four years. She had to endure this ridiculousness for four years. Was she really supposed to be his keeper for that long?

An alarm blaring brought Maria back to the moment. She perked, shooting to her feet. It was hard for her to hear anything of import beyond that horrible sound, and it forced her to sneak closer.

She was light on her feet and more than capable of blending in with the background. She was a feline, after all.

Maria slinked through the church with ease. At the end of a hall, away from the hustle of a crowd, Maria found a door. She crept closer and trained her hearing. What she heard on the other side made her heart sink.

"I traded myself," She heard Eric say in a labored, heavy voice, "For Godric, and the girl."

"That's noble," came a voice she didn't recognize. "But she's a traitor to her race, the human race. She's just as culpable as you." And then his volume rose. "Maybe we should tie her to you so the two of you can meet the sun together?"

A bolt of fear swept through her. Maria couldn't tell if the emotion was her own or pushed onto her by Pam, but it was there regardless, alongside the urge to help. In the most dramatic fashion, Maria shoved the doors open so hard they splintered on the frame. It was a habit or hers, apparently.

Her heart sank when she saw Eric on an altar, held in place by brilliant silver chains.

"Stay right there!" A man in a white suit said. Her gaze drifted to him. She instantly hated him, from his poofy hair to the white suit draped over his body. He held a revolver to Sookie's head. "Or I'll shoot her."

"Shoot her." Maria replied as she stepped forward. "I'm here for the Viking."

"Stay back, vampire!"

"Fuck you." She told him blatantly.

Apparently, he had hit his tolerance for insolence.

He swung the gun and instantly pulled the trigger. Maria felt the bullet tear through her chest, but she refused to stop. Instead, she let loose a loud, ferocious roar that caused the room to quiver. Fear saturated the air and burned her nose. The Man in White was the worst, and cause for the majority of it. Maria should have learned not to frighten someone holding a gun.

Without warning, he fired multiple times. Maria felt each of them burn through her body. She felt the blood pour from the wounds and down her torso. Her breathing grew haggard, but she refused to fall. Either stubbornness, or Pam's glamor kept her on her feet while her body screamed at her to collapse. She wouldn't let it.

A familiar voice screamed no. Somewhere else she heard someone cry out for Sookie.

Attention shifted from her, which she used to her advantage.

Maria became dizzy as she forced herself to move toward the altar. Each foot fell heavily on the floor. Every time her heel hit, pain vibrated through her body, but she pressed on. The world around her darkened and her body ached.

After what felt like an eternity, Maria reached Eric's side. He stared up at her heavily as she peeled the chains away from his skin. They'd burned him so deeply that she had to tug harder than she wanted to just to get some of them free.

"You're bleeding." He said heavily.

"Getting hungry?" She shot back in the same tired voice.

A breathy laugh left his lips. "Less fun when I can lick it up off the floor."

Maria thought she managed a smirk, but she couldn't be certain. The fact was, she didn't have much energy for anything.

The moment she had the final chain removed from his body, Eric sprang to life. Maria finally let herself crumble to the floor and felt better for it. She no longer had to designate so much effort to standing.

Leaning against the altar, Maria looked down at her body. Her dark shirt was glistening. It had stuck to her skin, saturated in blood -her blood. Her brows tugged together worriedly. It didn't feel like she was healing properly. It was different when Sookie had shot her. She felt the healing take place almost immediately, but not this time. Maria didn't know what was wrong, but it was clear something was.

Flashes of the past surged through her mind. Tears gathered in her eyes as she remembered the first time she'd been shot so many times.

Her mother cried out, shielding her brother from the gunfire.

Her sisters cried and screamed in fear.

Soldiers shouted drunken orders.

Then silence fell.

At some point, Maria had slid to the floor, curling up on her side while she struggled to remain conscious. Her gaze drifted to the ceiling, pitched and brilliant white. Tears gathered in her eyes only briefly before gliding down her face. She was dying, and she knew it.

As the blackness that surrounded her vision closed in, Maria was angry. She was angry that she was forced to give her life for an asshole like Eric Northman, and it wasn't even her choice. She was forced into the situation because of Pam.

The world began to fade and as she struggled with her coming fate, Maria felt her body move. Someone threaded their arms beneath her and lifted her into the air. She was gathered close to a cold, hard chest of muscle. Her body barely jostled as cool air touched her face. The one holding her was smooth on their feet, and though the dizzying smell of her own blood, she caught a familiar scent of cologne.

"I hate you." She said with a heavy, exhausted voice. It was so quiet that she barely heard herself despite her heightened senses.

Eric replied, "I know."

And then her body gave out.

Eric sat in the back of the SUV while Bill drove. Sookie was in the front seat with him, her brother Jason was in the second, and Eric and Girl were in the third row in the back. He hadn't let go of her since the church, still cradling her against his chest as they drove to Godric's nest.

He was worried about her, whether he wanted to be or not. She was no longer bleeding, but her heartbeat was low, closer to a coma patient than someone who was meant to be alive. She wasn't healing properly. Something was wrong.

A thin layer of sweat had forced some of her hair to cling to her face. Eric reached forward and brushed it out of the way. Aside from the few droplets of blood that had touched her skin and her cheeks which weren't quite as pink as they were supposed to be, Girl looked like she was sleeping. She looked peaceful, something Eric hadn't seen from her before. No matter how she tried to hide it, he'd always been able to see her inner turmoil.

While his exterior remained calm, Eric felt a surprising level of something close to panic coursing through him. He was worried about Girl, perhaps even afraid for her well-being. He wanted her to be alright, needed it really. He found her entertaining and curious. As far as he was concerned, she couldn't expire until he allowed it. If she died, it would be no different than her running away. She would still be backing out of their deal and that was wholly unacceptable.

It never donned on him that he may actually like her because "feelings" served no purpose in the end. They only complicated things.

Movement in front of him drew Eric's gaze. He looked up through his lashes and saw Jason staring at the young woman in his arms. He seemed very interested, which made Eric angry. He didn't like the look in the brother's gaze, the interest he was showing the bloody and injured woman in his arms.

"What?" His voice was low and threatening, enough so that it caused Jason looked up at him with wide eyes. Eric cocked a single brow.

"I didn't say anythin'." Jason replied as innocently as he could.

"Turn. Around."

Jason wisely complied, instantly turning around in his spot and facing forward once more. But, he didn't remain silent. Instead, he leaned forward and began to speak to his sister. Eric didn't know if Jason assumed he couldn't be heard, or what, but his "whisper" was barely that.

"Who is that chick?" He asked Sookie.

"She works for Eric." Sookie said.

"Okay," He said, sounding a little unsure of the statement. "But who is she? Like, what's her name?"

There was a brief pause before Sookie shoved Jason out of the way. Her eyes were set on Eric and he already knew what was coming.

"What is her name?"

Eric didn't reply. He didn't have an answer. Even though Girl had been in his "employ" for nearly three months, he had no idea what her name was.

In his silence, Sookie seemed to realize the fact.

"Oh my God!" she snapped. "You don't even know, do you?" Again, he remained silent. "Disgusting."

Eric had a few choice words for her, but kept them to himself. He just kept staring at her until she scoffed, scowled, and turned back around in her seat.

Eric's gaze drifted back to Girl. She still wasn't recovering as quickly as he wanted her to. In fact, she hadn't changed at all. When Sookie shot her, she didn't seem to slow down in the least. After Newlin, she couldn't recover. He'd heard five shots and began to wonder if each of them had landed. Thrope or not, she was a living creature and living creatures were prone to things like death.

The fact that she might die, lingering on the brink before her body decided to simply give in, bothered Eric more than he liked. He couldn't pinpoint the reason why, but Eric was aware he didn't want her to.

Resolute in his decision, Eric produced his fangs and bit into his wrist. With a wound bleeding steadily, he parted her lips and pressed his wrist to them. His blood flowed into her mouth, but she wasn't drinking it, and that was the problem. She needed to ingest his blood for it to work.

Seconds ticked by and there was nothing. Eric's patience was thinning. He frowned. He was genuinely annoyed that she wasn't complying with his silent demands.

But, eventually, things changed. He felt her begin to suckle on the wound. Eric assumed enough of his blood had made it down her throat that it had begun to heal her, awakening Girl so that she could properly feed.

For a moment, she drank from his wrist, until, she finally drew back. She managed to open her eyes and looked around. He could see her curiosity and instant confusion with the fact that she was in his lap, curled against his chest.

Eric grinned to himself as she scurried off of him and to the seat beside him. She gave her attention to the passing scenery outside the window.

"You're welcome." He said to her after a lengthy silence between them.

She turned her head slowly in his direction and leveled an angry stare on him.

"For what?" Girl's voice was as stern as the look in her eye. "I was shot saving your dumbass in the first place."

He grinned and was sure she saw it, judging by the tint of pink in her cheeks. Then again, Eric was well aware the pink hue could have been brought on by his blood coursing through her body and the fact that she was no longer near-death. On the other hand, Eric was arrogant enough to dismiss all of that in favor of what he wanted to believe.

"Afraid you would have to live without me?" he openly teased in Russian.

She replied in the same language and with a level of both sass and annoyance that Eric had grown to like and expect.

"Don't flatter yourself." She said as she, once again, looked out the window. "Pam glamored me to keep you safe. If it was up to me, I'd have let you die."

Eric fell silent after her response. He hadn't expected it, or the reaction it created within him. He was disappointed, if not hurt by it. His pride was injured. Despite the logical side of his brain being aware that she would obviously not sacrifice herself for him, he was genuinely disappointed and surprised that she hadn't. Surely he was worth the effort to her, wasn't he? He gave her a place to live, after all, and treated her as well as a slave could be treated. Why wouldn't she willingly want to place herself in Death's way to protect him?

After the small group reached Godric's nest, those who needed it were sent off to get cleaned up. Maria was grateful for the chance to wash the blood off her body. Her clothing had been soaked through and it had dried to the point it was crusty.

Eric spoke to Isabel on Maria's "behalf" and arranged for her to have something else to wear. Maria wondered briefly why he bothered. She doubted he wanted her to meet his Maker. Maria had no delusions about her station when it came to the Viking. She was his cattle, more or less. Would you introduce your pet cow to someone you held in high regard? Then again, it was becoming common knowledge that she "belonged" to Northman. Perhaps he simply didn't want his property to be unkempt.

As she wiped the blood away, Maria's mind drifted back to the incident at the church. She was furious she put herself in that situation and absolutely terrified that she'd nearly died. And Northman was surprised by the fact that she was glamored. How could he be surprised? Surely he knew that she barely tolerated him. She was only at his side because she had no choice.

But the look on his face when she told him so…

She was baffled by his reaction when she caught sight of his reflection in the window. He looked hurt, genuinely hurt.

Shaking the confusion from her head, Maria slipped into the outfit Isabel had left behind for her. It was a simple black dress with heels to match. Maria was grateful for it. She didn't want to be wrapped up in something ridiculous, like Pam had forced her to wear previously. At least Isabel had a tasteful wardrobe.

When she returned to the party, Maria wasn't surprised to find vampires everywhere. She was in a nest, after all. She ignored the majority of them as she lazily searched for the Viking. He wouldn't be hard to find, but the floor plan to the home was twisted and convoluted, broken up by half-walls and a duel-sided fireplace. As a result, instead of using her eyes, Maria decided to listen.

Eric's smooth voice met her ears easily, and guided her feet toward him. She stepped alongside a line of people who had finished paying tribute to their Sheriff and spotted the giant knelt down in front of an incredibly young-looking vampire.

"You need to eat." Eric said. "I doubt the Fellowship had anything to offer."

"I am not hungry." Godric replied. He sounded so tired, a sentiment that Maria felt despite the distance between them. "How are you friends?" Eric didn't immediately reply. "The girl who was shot."

"Healed." Eric said before adding something that stunned Maria. "Would you like to meet her?"

Maria flinched as a wave of apprehension swept through her. Why the hell was he offering to introduce her? Did he genuinely want her to meet his Maker, or was he simply swept up in the moment?

She couldn't help but glance around the edge of the fireplace. To add to her surprise, Eric was looking at her. With a blank expression marring his already stoic face, he silently told her to join them. Unsure as to why, Maria felt herself comply.

Her feet fell tenderly against the floor as she approached. Godric's gaze languidly drifted to her. Maria stared at the baby-faced young man she knew to be the ancient. She felt something, a twinge of recognition that she knew was unfounded, but there regardless.

Her body moved as though it was in the same haze as her mind. Gradually, she found herself kneeling before him, her eyes locked to his the entire time, until she was forced to look up at him. His physical age was clear and disarming, as disarming as the power he emanated, but it was in his cherubic face that Maria felt she knew him. His pale eyes were familiar, but the type of familiarity associated with someone seen in a dream –there, but not there.

As he looked down at her, Maria noticed him twitch. The center of his brows tugged ever-so-slightly together before relaxing again just as suddenly.

"You're known to me." Godric said to her in his calm, smooth voice.

Her brows pulled together as she stared at him quizzically. "You look familiar, too. But… I've never met you."

He tilted his head marginally to the side and let his eyes glide over her body. "What is your name?"

"Maria," She surprised herself with her readiness to offer it to the stranger.

"Maria," He repeated. "You were not born here. Where are you from?"

She was surprised he noticed her lingering accent. It'd been nearly beaten out of existence by years in the states, and yet, he somehow heard it. And as before, she felt compelled to reply. There was no reason for it, she knew, but he made her. The sheer power he emanated forced her to answer any and every question he asked.

"Saint Petersburg," She said. "Russia."

Maria watched as the child-like leader slipped into his thoughts briefly. Shortly after, his eyes landed on her once more, and sparkled with untold knowledge.

"Yekaterinburg." Maria flinched. "You were a child then." A heavy, but bemused smile tugged at his lips. "And to think, the world thought it was your sister who survived all these years."

Despite his calm behavior, his cool and collected voice, Maria wasn't lulled into a sense of security. Instead, her anxiety was on the rise. She understood nothing of the situation she found herself in and it was starting to frighten her. For some reason, the wall she had spent so long building around her was breached, and she didn't know how.

"How do you know me?"

He looked over her once more, though more skeptically than before. "Hm. I suppose you wouldn't remember us."

"Us?"

A pit formed in her gut. The more Godric said to her, the less she understood.

Before he had the chance to finish explaining himself, or help her gain the slightest clarity, commotion in the other room drew attention. Godric sighed when he heard it. Maria noticed how crestfallen the vampire looked. He seemed truly disappointed with the argument happening in the other room.

He vanished before Maria could comprehend the action. She wasn't entirely surprised given Godric was, according to Isabel, older than Christ. His speed didn't shock her, but she was far from comfortable. The moment he was gone, the moment that his eyes were no longer on her, Maria felt as though she finally had control over her body again. She had to remove herself from the house.

When Maria stood and turned, she was immediately confronted with Eric. He stared down at her with confusion marring his handsome face. She quickly moved around him and all but ran from the house.

The moment she was in the small, yet incredibly well-manicured backyard, Maria breathed deep. The humid night air of Texas did nothing to help calm her. Everything tingled, vibrating with nervous energy that she had no idea how to satisfy. She wanted to fight, she wanted to run, she wanted to tear through her dress as she let the animal inside burst free –but she couldn't. They were all fighting to make it to the foreground, leaving her unable to do anything, but shake.

There was something oddly terrifying about an all-powerful creature like Godric knowing anything about her. Genuinely, what were the odds their paths had ever crossed? And she had no memory of it. She knew the city he mentioned and she had, in fact, been there, but she didn't remember him specifically. While Maria was well aware she wasn't clearheaded then, she chose to believe that he was simply mistaken.

Minutes passed and eventually, Maria was able to calm her heart enough it was no longer pounding against the inside of her ribs. With a long, deep breath that she slowly released, Maria turned around and took a single step toward the house.

The windows suddenly blew out sending shards of glass and fire everywhere. Maria was taken from her feet and landed on the ground, hard.