AN: Cue the anger-enducing chapter! Lol. I won't even lie, a few of you are going to be pissed by the end of this chapter, but I have a plan! I promise, this leads somewhere, and I actually like where. So, I hope you'll trust me. Anywho, feel free to let me know what you think, cause I think some of you might vent (sorry again), and enjoy!

Chapter 30

Two Weeks Later

Banks were unreliable.

A house was unreliable.

If someone had goods they wished to keep secret, there truly was only one place where they could be put: a cave.

Or, at the very least, something similar.

In the middle of unused farmland in Oklahoma, not far outside Tulsa, there was an underground bunker. There used to be a farmhouse on the land, complete with a storm shelter because of the annual frequency of tornados required it. One such storm tore the house to its foundation, and Maria chose to never rebuild. But the storm shelter, however, was quite useful.

Maria parked on the gravel driveway and retrieved a few mailing boxes from the passenger seat. She took them with her beyond the cleared and overgrown foundation to a small mound. On the other side was a steel trap door. Maria unlocked the plain padlock while she balanced her packages, and stepped inside.

The interior of the storm shelter was nothing more than cinderblock walls and struts to hold up the roof. There were cobwebs and the place smelled of dank. No person in their right mind would keep anything of value in it.

To the left, Maria approached the plain wall. There was a crack no thicker than the width of a finger, and three fingers long in the seam between the blocks. Balancing the packages once more beneath her arm, Maria slid her fingers within and curled them. With a hefty pull, she drew back the wall much like one would a door. In many ways, perhaps it was. Behind it was another more modern door, one made of thick steel, far stronger than the rest of the hovel.

Maria placed her thumb on a computerized panel. Gears turned and hinges groaned as the door unlocked and loosened. She opened it, absentmindedly wiped her thumbprint from the pad, and stepped inside.

Years ago, back when the Cold War was still a thing but winding down, Maria purchased the land she now stood within. She knew, long ago, and had learned from her parents that hiding places were a good idea. Maria agreed, thus the farm in Oklahoma, far from where someone might think to look.

She hired multiple contractors to do small bits of work at a time, while doing other bits herself. She made sure no one had a complete idea of what she was building. In truth, most people probably assumed she was a Doomsday Prepper.

Hidden within two feet of steel-lined concrete rested a room filled with things that Maria had stolen through the last four decades. She'd been a thief since she was a teenager forced to live on her own and survive, but back then she stole only enough to keep herself going. At the time, she was unwilling to part with any of her family's gems or trinkets. That hesitation ensured their value grew, however. And when she finally chose to sell a sizable emerald, Maria acquired a tidy sum.

Crates, trunks, and boxes were stacked against the walls. Some held clothing, pieces folded neatly within separate pieces of packing paper. Others held pictures and memorabilia. The prevailing theme was family.

Maria set the boxes down on an old trunk, lining the three of them up side by side. She tugged off her gloves and promptly slipped her pinky nail beneath the tape. It gave way easily.

Before she left New York, Maria acquired a small handful of flat-rate boxes from the closest post office. She proceeded to package her haul delicately and carefully within each of them, addressed them to her P.O. Box in Oklahoma, and mailed them out. She then purchased a train ticket for the same city, and left without a single eye drifting in her direction.

The boxes had arrived the day after Maria did, so she picked them up, and happily added them to her other pieces. Within the first was one of her mother's pearl necklaces wrapped delicately within cloth and packing paper. Alongside it were a few broaches, and one of her tiaras. Maria felt an itch in the back of her throat as she looked them over. She remembered every time her mother wore them.

In the second box was her family's coronation book, a tome that detailed the coronation dates of her ancestors as far back as Katherine the Great up to her father. She set it aside and opened the third. Within it was Olga's bracelet, Tatiana's tiara and a ring their father had given her when she turned thirteen, and a silver chain with a single teardrop pearl that he'd given to Anastasia.

Maria set them out and broke down the boxes they'd been in before discarding them. Behind her was a wooden box, ornately carved and made for a specific purpose. She opened it and nestled within were mounds in two rows of three. Surrounding two of those mounds were a pair of ornate and delicate tiaras. Maria tenderly placed the other two into the box and closed it tightly. Another carved chest held broaches, a separate one simpler necklaces and bracelets.

When the jewelry was set aside and safe, Maria left, taking the cardboard mailing boxes with her. The book she left in a stack with some others –old family diaries.

In recent years, Maria had done what she could to raid exhibits and personal collections, stealing back what she felt was taken from her. She couldn't have her family back, but she could have their things.

With every door locked and closed tightly, Maria stepped out into the sunlight. She got into her car and headed for the freeway.

It was a six hour drive to Shreveport.

Season 6, Episode 2

Sookie sat there listening to Jason spout a thousand different things that made little to no sense. She knew he wasn't relaying the information properly. It was a handicap of his. Sometimes, he was just too excited to manage a coherent story.

She did get the basics, though. The worst of which, by far, was that Warlow was on their plane.

"There are a few things you should know." Her Fairy Grandfather Niall said. "Warlow has been obsessed with our family for thousands of years."

"Why?"

"Because we are the original fay. Our family comes from the oldest line. We're royalty and I am the king of our tribe."

Sookie sat back listening intently and asking a few questions when they would arise, but her mind was still primarily scattered. A long time ago, Sookie learned to simply accept the information she was being given as gospel. It helped her cope, but at the same time, some things were a little out there. Like her being a fairy princess, for example.

"Well, ain't you got like, guards or somethin'?" Jason asked, drawing her back into the moment. "All kings got like, knights and shit."

"Not us. Not anymore." Niall answered.

"But ya did."

"Thropes." Sookie said, though the word left her without her meaning it to.

Niall turned a curious gaze to her. "How do you know about thropes?"

"I met one." Sookie said. She wasn't exactly 'warm' with the response.

Niall leaned forward, scooting himself a bit closer to her. "Is this thrope a friend of yours?"

"No," Sookie scoffed. "She hates me, actually."

His brows rose and he nodded. "That makes more sense. They have an innate fear of our kind. Then again, they're just animals. Can't really expect them to know much better."

"The hell's a thrope?" Jason asked in a demanding tone. It was the tone he used when he didn't really know what was happening.

"Uh, they're creatures the fay created a long time ago." Niall responded. "After Warlow's first rampage, before our kind had created the other worlds to hide in and we were still living on this plane, we created thropes to protect us from the growing vampire threat."

"Well, okay. Let's get us one of them."

"It's not that easy, Jason." Sookie told him. "Maria hates me, a lot."

"Wait, ain't that the girl that hangs 'round Eric and them?"

Sookie nodded. Jason's brows rose and he fell back in his seat as he let out a sigh.

"Can you get close to her?" Niall asked, suddenly sounding very interested.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe. Why?"

"Brand her." He said simply.

"Bran-… I'm not going to brand someone. That's barbaric."

"Yeah, plus, we ain't got a brandin' iron-thing."

Niall rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Brand her with your Light." He told her. "Then, she's under your control."

Sookie perked a little. "Under my control? What does that mean?"

"Exactly what I said. If you touch her with your Light, then she's bound to you. She'll be forced to do everything you tell her to, including protecting you from Warlow."

Sookie sat back and thought over what Niall had said. She had to admit, the thought of having a supernatural body guard who wouldn't burn to death in the daylight was a nice one, but she didn't know if she could do that to someone. Then again, on the other hand, sometimes she hated Maria.

Niall seemed to sense her apprehension and drew her eye again when he spoke. "If it makes you feel any better, you can always release her later."

She offered him a small smile and a nod before the conversation took another divergence. In the back of her mind, however, she wondered if maybe she shouldn't just do what Niall suggested. If Warlow really was as bad as literally everyone said he was, then it might not be such a bad idea to have some extra help. Besides, it wasn't as though Bill and Eric were jumping at the chance.

Maria woke in the familiar comfort of her bed. As per her usual routine, Maria rose, headed for the bathroom, and then promptly went downstairs for something to eat.

She passed boxes that lined the walls, each labeled with what they had within. Ever since she'd been 'excused' from Eric's employment, Maria had been packing up her house while simultaneously regaining her family history. She was slow to do so, but had every intention of calling a moving company to take her belongings to a storage unit where they would stay for an indeterminate amount of time. The house was hers, tailored to her style and it had become home. She had no intentions of selling it, but didn't wish to live in it at the moment, either. So, in a few years, perhaps a decade, she would return.

Maria sipped on her coffee while she spread some butter over a slice of bread. The rest of the day she'd be tenderly packing the small life she'd created for herself.

She knew she should have felt worse than she currently did at that moment. She was well aware of the fact, actually, which was why she hadn't stopped moving since she left the Moon Goddess Emporium. Keeping busy was the only thing that kept her mind off Eric. Her dreams, so far, had been Viking-free, but she knew it wouldn't last long. At some point, he'd slide back into her mind, flash his charming smile, and she'd feel that pull once more.

Hours passed and Maria continued to lazily pack things up. At the moment, she was in the middle of placing some books she'd read within a box. She did love to read.

As she set the last that would fit in the box, there was a knock on her door. Curiously, Maria rose to answer it. Curiosity drove her and against her better judgment, she opened the door. To her shock, it wasn't Pam who stood on the doorstep. It wasn't Pam or King Bill. It was Sookie.

A wave of pure rage swept through her, vibrating every nerve and molecule within her body. The lion clawed and roared within her, begging to come free. A torrent of emotion struggled to be released, but, calling on every iota of proper 'training' Maria had been given since birth, she remained calm and stoic on the outside.

"What?" She asked with a bitter voice.

Sookie's eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, but she wiped the look from her face quickly.

"Hi, Maria." She said. Her voice might have been nondescript, but it more resembled nails on a chalkboard to Maria. "Can I come in?"

"No." Maria said plainly. "How the fuck do you know where I live?"

She was rude and she knew it. In all honesty, her etiquette lessons only extended so far.

"Oh, uh… Jason… my brother, he's a cop and I'm pretty good friends with the whole force."

Maria arched a brow. She was still holding the door open and her grip tensed around it. She faintly heard the wood creak.

"Look," Maria heard her voice tremble with a hint of the rage she was losing her battle with. "You should go, really, because I can't promise this conversation's going to stay so polite."

Sookie's face crunched together and it was then Maria knew that the blond wasn't interested in keeping up with the veil of propriety, either.

"What's wrong with you?" She snapped. "What'd I ever do to you, huh?"

"I don't like you." Maria said. She found herself stepping forward, approaching the young woman and forcing her to retreat. "I can't stand the way you look, the sound of your voice, or the way you smell." Each step forced Sookie further and further from Maria's door until the blonde has no choice but to walk down the porch's steps. "Forgetting the fact that your fairy blood is genuinely offensive," Sookie scowled. "I don't like you as a person. Every time you come around, shit goes sideways. You know what happened while you were gone?" Maria finally stopped her advance when Sookie was forced to stand beside her car parked in the driveway. "You had to notice it. Everyone was better off when you were gone. We were happy. But the second you show up again," Maria dragged her bottom lip between her pointed teeth. She shook her head. "You're like a plague." Sookie flinched. "All of your kind is." Electricity coursed through her body, her fingers twitched with need. "The world would be better off without you."

It happened in an instant. Maria reached out and grabbed Sookie by the throat. She threw her to the ground and was on her immediately, her body pinning that of the struggling waitress beneath her. Out of habit, she was wearing her gloves so she was safe from gleaning the fairy's life.

Maria bit into the tip of the fingers of her other hand and loosened the leather. When her hand was free, she spat out the glove. Maria placed the edge of her index fingernail against the blonde's rosy cheek.

"You're not worth the trouble you cause." Maria growled deep within her throat. Her eyes found focus on her finger. With minimal pressure, the tip pierced into the soft flesh. "You know what I said to your precious Viking about you?" Sookie didn't reply. She just continued to hold the wrist of the hand secured around her throat, as though she'd manage to gain any headway at all. Maria leaned even closer until she was sure she had Sookie's terrified gaze. "I told him I'd slice open your face the next time I saw you."

Sookie's eyes widened further, if it was possible, and a pathetic whimper left her parted lips. Maria slid her fingernail down the length of Sookie's cheek. It sliced through her skin with astounding ease. Maria watched as the flesh parted in her nail's wake and crimson began to pour from it. Sookie let out a scream that would rival a banshee's.

Maria's lips quirked into a grin. When she reached the end of the line, just before Sookie's jaw, she lifted her fingernail back to her cheekbone where the first cut had begun. Like before, she pressed it into her skin.

There was an undeniable joy that Maria felt maiming Sookie Stackhouse's face. It wasn't just that the blonde had ruined her personal life, but it was everything. Everything she caused, every bit of pain and trouble that followed Sookie… it was for all of that. Maria had every intention of giving Sookie a mark for each slight.

As she reveled in the pain she caused, something washed over her. Maria flew through the air, her body temporarily stunned motionless. She hadn't managed to catch herself before she hit the ground –hard. The wind had been knocked from her and her vision blurred when she finally opened her eyes. Maria stared up at the sky and groaned. She felt like she'd just been hit with a million-volt taser.

Somehow, Maria eventually managed to roll onto her hands and knees. Gradually, she shoved herself to her feet and set a murderous gaze on Sookie. Sookie was bleeding from the cheek, brilliant red liquid glinting in the pale night as it ran down her cheek and neck, dangerously close to touching her collar. She had murder in her eyes, too. In a fight, Maria knew she'd win.

"You fucking fairy cunt!" Maria bellowed. "I'm going to rip you heart out with my teeth!"

She roared viciously and launched herself at the waitress. Sookie was all she saw, a beacon in the dark and the target of her rage.

"Stop!" Sookie suddenly screamed when Maria was dangerously close to grabbing her again.

And she did. Every muscle in Maria's body seized and went still. She was mid-run, an arm extended and her dangerous grip less than a foot from reaching her target. Maria's brows tugged together. She pushed, pouring all of her will into trying to move her body, but it wouldn't. She'd settle for a pinky, but still she remained motionless.

"What did you do?!" Maria howled.

Sookie jumped. She was breathing heavily and took a weary step back. The blonde seemed just as surprised as Maria by what happened, but her shock subsided faster.

"Put your hand down." Sookie said.

As before, Maria complied despite her best efforts.

"Stand normally."

Maria did and what crossed Sookie's face could only be described as a perverse joy, the kind someone got when they knew they were the one in control.

Maria's heart fell.