AN: Hey guys! It's been a minute, sorry. Been struggling with some other stories. Lol. But, anyway, here's the new chapter Let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 19

Six Months after Sookie's Disappearance

Things at Fangtasia had, to the best of their ability, begun to return to normal. The AVL had done their best to try and wipe away everything Edgington had done, but it was slow goings.

Fangtasia's customers were gradually returning, though they generally had to step through a picket line when they did. And, as though that wasn't affecting the bottom line enough, Eric had to deal with Bon Temps Sheriff's Department making random inquiries. It didn't seem to matter how often they turned up nothing. Once Sookie's brother joined the force, random raids were common.

It annoyed Eric that the Shreveport Sheriff's Department was cooperating with them and that no one would back him. We have to comply with human laws they'd say.

Eric's head began to ache as he sat in his office pouring himself over the books. The sheer amount of money he had to pay in taxes to the newly-crowned King Bill angered him. It wasn't that he had to pay. That was a constant ever since he'd been given the title of Sheriff. It was who he had to pay that annoyed him.

After making the last few calculations, Eric leaned back in his seat and thought. They used to bring in thousands of dollars a night, generally nearing nine or ten. Now, with the current tensions within the human community, they struggled to reach five. They were pulling in half of their regular income, and still had to pay nearly eighty-percent in tax.

Eric was stressed.

There was a benefit to feeling the emotion, though, something he planned to exploit. Gliding fluidly to his feet, Eric left his office. He strolled casually to the back room where the box compactor sat, just near the doors that led to the alley with the dumpsters. He'd followed the scent to find Maria there.

She was standing at the compactor, tossing broken-down boxes into it before slamming the grate shut, and compressing it. The gears ground against one another and the sound was all but deafening to him, but he hid within it. While the machine made its noises, he crept towards the unsuspecting young woman.

When he was as close as he could get before she sensed him behind her, Eric lunged. He encircled her in his arm and grabbed the hair at the crown of her head, jerking it back. Maria cried out.

"Mine," Eric growled in her ear before he bit into her throat.

Maria screamed again. She fought against him and tore at his arm, but she made no headway. Eric held her as tightly as he could without causing actual damage, and drank to his heart's content.

When she began to go limp in his grip, Eric released her. He retracted his teeth, bit the tip of his tongue and glided it over the puncture wounds. When they closed, he let her go entirely. She was a bit unsteady on her feet, which he expected. It was a common occurrence when he decided to hunt her.

Without hesitation, Eric bit into his wrist and offered it to her. Maria took it without a second thought and drank just enough to heal the damage he'd done. After she'd finished the brief drink, Eric turned and left her to finish her task. That was it. That was the end of their interaction, and it was incredibly common.

Throughout the last few months, at least since the entire Russell ordeal, he and Maria had fallen into a rhythm. They knew what to expect from one another, and what was expected from them. They'd found a balance that suited them.

As he returned to his office, Eric tenderly wiped some of Maria's blood from his lips, smiling as he went. He rather liked the way things were going, finances notwithstanding. Things had leveled out and were actually peaceful again. He had no concerns anymore, not since Sookie disappeared.

While he thought about her periodically, and called on their connection to see if he could sense her, she rarely crossed his mind. He tended to only think of her when her brother came storming into Fangtasia demanding answers. But, she'd leave his mind shortly after the men in uniforms disappeared.

If he had one complaint, however, it would be having bought Maria her own house. At the time, it made sense. If his house hadn't been so easy to find, he'd have put it in her name until he dealt with Edgington, but the situation being what it was, her having a house of her own that no one save him and Pam knew about was the safest option. The problem came with the fact that he hadn't died as he initially thought he might, which left Maria with a place of her own. He didn't like her sleeping somewhere other than beneath his roof.

He was still possessive of her, perhaps even more-so than before. Worse yet, he was completely aware of the fact. Eric knew, even while the thoughts were crossing his mind, that he was being unreasonable. He simply didn't care. It was so unreasonable sometimes, in fact, that Eric was genuinely upset that eight months had already passed.

It wasn't panic that he felt when he thought about it, but the closest he assumed he could feel to the emotion. Before everything, her end-date meant nothing to him. He thought she'd be a fun toy to play with and then think nothing of again once she was gone –assuming he didn't kill her in the meantime. But, after all that they'd been through, he wasn't as willing to let her walk away. It was almost enough to make him seek out the last member of Anthony's crew that she hadn't found just to add another six months to their deal. Eric had his name and knew what he looked like after Maria shared her life story, so he knew he could find him if he had to. He simply hadn't decided on the fact just yet. Doing so would confirm that he had feelings of any kind for her, and he wasn't willing to do that.

The rest of the night progressed slowly, but it continued on regardless. Soon, it came time to close. Maria was in the process of cleaning up for the night. Ginger would be in later that day to deal with orders and the like, but the staff was well aware that she wasn't entirely reliable, so Maria and the others did what they could before she arrived.

After wiping down the tables and placing the chairs on top, Maria approached Eric, who had returned to sitting on his throne.

"I'm done." She told him plainly. "Is there anything else?"

His usual thoughts passed through his mind, from the teasing to the lecherous, but he didn't speak any of them. Instead, Eric simply shook his head, and that was all the prompting Maria needed. She gave him a nod and without another word, she left.

When Maria got home, she instantly grabbed something to eat from the fridge. It was nothing more than an apple, but she needed just a bit of food to stave off hunger. She was too tired to make herself anything that night, and would prepare a big breakfast before she went to work.

As Maria stood in her kitchen chomping on the apple, she looked around the room. She'd been gradually restoring her house over the last few months. Since the majority of her time was dedicated to Eric and Fangtasia, she did what she could during the day. Being a supe helped move things along, but she was still only capable of a room at a time, and that may take a week or better. Still, it was coming along and the kitchen was the most recent. She still found herself admiring the brand new paint, slick countertops, and shining appliances.

When she'd finished eating, Maria tossed away the core and took a shower to wash off the smell of the club. Afterward, she sank into her bed with a soft groan. She felt instantly better and fell asleep almost immediately.

Things were so much better now that Sookie was gone. Aside from the random police inspections, Maria was as happy as she assumed she could be. Sookie Stackhouse was nothing but trouble, and Maria meant that in a very literal sense. Whenever the blonde showed herself, things inevitably turned bad, and then she'd whimper, whine, and pout, flashing those big blue eyes, and somehow manage to drag everyone into her mess. She was an actual menace.

A little bit of drama to keep things exciting was fine, but Sookie brought actual life and death situations to the door. Frequently. Whenever she turned back up again, Maria feared the same would follow. Eric didn't think she was dead, unfortunately. And, if she was being honest with herself, Maria didn't, either. If there was one thing that was unmistakably true, that bitch somehow always managed to survive. It wouldn't surprise Maria one bit if she was off somewhere doing whatever she wanted while those stupid enough to actually care about her were losing their minds.

The night was stale and humid. It clung to his skin as he walked onto the front porch of Maria's house. It made him scowl, but he ignored it as he stepped through the door without invitation.

As he stood in the foyer, Eric's eyes drifted. He pressed his hearing to find her and soon did. Soft, dulcet singing and the sound of shifting water guided his feet. They barely touched the steps as he climbed to the second floor and reached her bathroom door. On the other side, he heard her singing another haunting melody, though this time in English. It was a song he somehow knew without knowing.

"Tis I, tis I, thine own true love, that sits all on your grave." Her voice was soft, separated from him by the thin slab of wood between them. "I ask one kiss from your sweet lips, and that is all I crave."

Eric wrapped his slender fingers around the brass knob and opened the door with ease. It glided out of his way on silent hinges, exposing the interior of the bathroom to him.

Candles littered every surface from floor to shelves, and surrounded the pristinely white bathtub. The flickering glow of a hundred candles made the shadows dance.

Directly in front of him and facing the door in the high-backed, claw foot tub was Maria. Her ebony hair was gathered at the top of her head, but tendrils had escaped and clung to her damp skin. She tenderly gathered the opaque liquid of her bath and spread it along her arms. The moment he passed the threshold, her brilliant green eyes landed on him.

She continued to sing as he approached.

"My breast is cold as the grave, my breath is Earthly strong. And if you kiss my cold clay lips, your days will not be long."

The nearer he drew, the more Eric could see. Maria sat in a milk bath, the white liquid shielding everything save her arms and shoulders from view. Blood red rose petals danced across the surface, shifting only when she did.

"Is that what would happen if I kissed your lips?" She asked in a voice as delicate as the one she sang with. "Would my days be numbered?"

Eric tore his eyes from her body and met her gaze. "You mean, would it kill you?"

Maria nodded. Eric thought on his answer only briefly because he knew it the instant she asked her question.

"Yes." He told her.

"Hm," She muttered softly.

Maria seemed to fall into her own thoughts as she wrapped her fingers around the curved lip of the bathtub. Eric continued to watch her. He felt an odd spark of cold in his chest when he answered her. It was the truth and perhaps that was what bothered him so much.

"And what if I kiss you anyway?"

A single brow rose as he looked at her. "Is that what you want?"

She didn't immediately reply. Instead, Maria used her grip on the tub to pull herself up and out of the bath. Eric's attention immediately diverted for obvious reasons. He couldn't help but watch the way the thick, white liquid glided down the curves of her body, the way it dripped from her chest and slid down the slope of her hips. He was transfixed, completely under her spell until she stepped out of the bathtub.

Eric gaze drifted back to hers as Maria approached him with slow, deliberate steps. When she reached him, Maria immediately began to unbutton his shirt. Eric could have sworn he felt his heart begin to beat with anticipation. On instinct, he reached out and held her hips, squeezing them gently as he did.

"And if it is?" She asked on a whisper.

Eric lifted one hand while the other remained on her hip, and gently trailed the back of his fingers along her jaw.

"Then so be it." He said just as softly. Eric dipped forward and brushed his lips across hers before he added, "I'll just have to keep you safe."

He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her deeply. Maria happily complied and continued to undo his shirt until she could shove it from his shoulders. Eric helped her as best he could, all the while refusing to release her lips.

When his shirt hit the floor, Eric lifted Maria into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He did all he could to ensure her naked body was pressed as tightly against him as it could be.

A bed appeared beneath them. Eric lowered himself on top of Maria and finally tore his lips from hers, but dipped quickly into the crook of her neck. He felt the heat of her skin and the way her pulse fluttered beneath.

His fingers began to tingle with the need to act while his body vibrated. Eric felt as though he'd come through his skin at any moment and that desperation translated to every part of him. Without a care as to how it sounded, he spoke freely.

"Come home," He mumbled against her neck as he kissed her.

"I am home." She said with a moan-laced whimpered.

"No," He said before sharply biting into her shoulder just hard enough she would know that he didn't like her answer. Eric drew back, propped himself over her, and stared into her bright green eyes intently. "Come home with me." Her brows tugged together. She seemed confused. "You belong to me."

His voice was stern, but sincere, and to his surprise, her expression softened. A slow smile spread across her full lips. She reached for him, lacing her fingers through his hair. The sensation of her fingernails raking across his scalp sent shudders down his back. Maria pulled him to her.

"Yes," She whispered just before she kissed him again.

Eric was more than willing to disappear into the moment, to let it consume him, but then he felt it. It began small, then hit him so powerfully he launched himself away from Maria. It was fear, that same pure, unimaginable fear he'd felt from her before.

He was breathing heavily from his spot across the room, staring at the unmoving young woman on the bed. Somehow, he forced himself to approach, worried that he was the cause. When he could finally see her again, Maria was staring back with the most terrified expression he had ever seen. An instant later, her mouth opened and a horrifying scream emerged.

The scene around him disappeared in an instant. Eric's eyes shot open. He was still nestled within the safety of his coffin at Fangtasia. It had all been a dream, a wonderfully frustrating dream, but the fear was very real and more powerful than anything he'd felt before.

Without a second thought, Eric threw open the lid to his coffin and raced upstairs. He was at the front door in an instant and yanked it open. Immediately, he was bathed in sunlight. It burned and scorched his skin as soon as it touched him, and forced Eric to retreat into the safety of the club.

His brows had furrowed and he began to pace. Something was wrong –dangerously wrong- with Maria. He'd felt her nightmares before, but this was different. It felt too real, too raw. She was in trouble and there was nothing he could do about it as long as the sun was out.

For only the third time in his life, Eric felt helpless. He was helpless to save his family, helpless to save Godric, and now helpless to save Maria.

A loud, ferocious roar left him as he lifted the nearest object and launched it across Fangtasia. The table smashed against a distant wall, shattered and broken. It did nothing to alleviate his rage.

Maria didn't know where she was. She was tied tightly with her arms chained behind her back, her ankles bound, and a rag tied around her head as a gag. She was immobile. There was even a spiked collar around her throat with spikes –gnarly and thick- that faced inward. It was specifically designed to keep her from shifting. If she changed into her other form, the spikes would puncture the entirety of her neck and she could very possibly die.

The road noise was loud and inches from her. It was sweltering within the trunk. The sun was clearly bearing down on her, and wringing every droplet of sweat from her body that it could.

There was no lead up to where she found herself. Maria had been asleep. She felt a brief jab of something, may have remembered being moved, but nothing more. As far as she was aware, she awoke in someone's trunk.

Unwilling to remain, Maria began to kick at the side of the small pocket she found herself in. Her ankles might have been bound together, but her legs were more or less free, and she used them to the best of her ability.

Maria threw her heels into the side of the vehicle with such force that it jostled and swayed, but she didn't stop. She continued to pummel it in hopes that she might cause the driver to wreck, or would put her foot straight through the quarter panel.

She felt the aluminum shifting beneath her heels. She felt it succumbing to her will. With a few more kicks, she'd be able to possibly escape.

As she reared back to continue her attack, the car suddenly began to slow. Maria went still. She waited to hear if they were at a light or somewhere public, but she could hear nothing but the passing of more cars. They were probably pulling over to the side of the freeway. Good.

Maria had been facing the back of the trunk, away from the opening, and she knew she had only one chance. As best as she could within the minimal space, Maria rolled and twisted until she faced the trunk's lid. Her heart thundered. She was primed and ready to launch herself at whoever had been stupid enough to take her in the first place. The chains meant nothing at that moment. She would deal with them afterward. Her first, and only concern, was attacking her kidnapper.

As the car finally came to a halt and she heard the driver exit, Maria steadied her breathing. In and out, in and out. Every nerve within her was ready for what was coming. It'd been so long since she was able to fight without a care as to the consequences. She almost welcomed it, especially since she was so angry at herself for letting the kidnapping happen.

A key slid into the lock. Her heartbeat turned to a hum in her ears. She tensed her muscles as the lock gave way and the trunk's latch released. The thin beam of light hurt her eyes at first, but the rush of fresh air helped steady her. The trunk slowly rose, she braced herself against the interior, and just as the driver came into view, Maria went still.

The blood rushed from her face and all the fight fled her in an instant. She felt dizzy, nauseous, and scared.

"Hello, l'vitsa."

Maria instantly screamed as she scrambled to get as far away from him as possible, but he lunged for her regardless.

The last thing she saw as the world around her went black was those dead, cold, hateful eyes.

Song: The Unquiet Grave