Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

It's not warm when she's away

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

And she's always gone too long

Anytime she goes away – Bill Withers

Sookie POV

I internally hit myself in my head for my own, for our stupidity for not seeing what was right in front of us. Okay, maybe not right in front of us but we should have everything coming at us all at once, know that all of the coincidences were anything but.

Before the proof was literally standing right in front of my face would have been nice.

"Ms. Stackhouse it is lovely to see you again," de Castro tells me, the smile on his face matching the one on Appius'. Great now there are two of them.

"I wish I could say the same," I say to him, careful not to correct him that my name is now Northman. Something tells me that Appius wouldn't respond very well to that right now. Something also tell me that Eric's maker would love nothing more than to assert his authority over me in front of de Castro, so I am going to try my best to make sure that I don't do anything that would allow him to do that.

I shift my weight and let out a hiss of pain as I cause my arm to move when I do so. I think the pain is getting worse as the days go on. De Castro for whatever reason looks at Appius with disapproval; almost like he is upset that I am hurt.

"I thought we agreed she would not be harmed," de Catsro says, the fact that he upset is evident in his voice. Color me confused. Who would have thought the captor would be upset at the captive being hurt? Appius shakes it off but he keeps de Castro in sight out of the corner of his eye. "A simple accident. I was trying to show her to the phone and she was scared and pulled back."

Not quite how it happened but I'm not about to say anything. I think I have just seen the cracks between these two and I will have to figure out just how to exploit them, hopefully quickly.

"You should have healed it," de Castro says through his teeth making me confused. It's not often that the kidnappers are worried about the health and well-being of the one they have kidnapped. I look at the faces of the two vampires and can see that this is one thing that they definitely do not agree. Even if I am not sure why, I can appreciate de Castro's want for me to be unharmed.

Hopefully he wins in this battle.

"I would and will not give her my blood," Appius says, disgust in his voice making it evident that he believes supplying me blood to heal the break is below him. I haven't had Eric's blood since the night we pledged, which could explain why my arm hasn't healed itself. That may be a good thing though because Appius probably would not like the quick healing his child's blood can offer me.

Appius lets out a snort at the disapproving look he is getting from the king of Nevada. Yes, because giving blood to a human is the lowest of the low. I am not complaining that he didn't offer; it's not like I would have said yes if he did. I let out a shudder at the thought that have both vampires turn to stare at me.

For a split second I think about telling them the truth about why I shuddered as the look on their faces tell me that they find my little human reaction interesting and would like to know the cause. Deciding not to push my luck at the moment I shrug and simply say, "Cold."

They both look confused at me before looking back to each other.

"And Oklahoma," de Castro asks a little smirk on his face while Appius loses the one on his. Appius glances at me quickly and it becomes clear to me that he did not want me to know anything about Oklahoma, while de Castro looks like he's the cat that ate the canary bringing it up. For two vampires who seem to be working together they most certainly do not seem like they are on the same page about…anything if I am being honest.

Since that is something that I may be able to use to my advantage, it's not something that I will be complaining about.

"She has not been returning my calls," Appius says, taking his turn to say something through his grit teeth.

Smile getting bigger de Castro says, "Yes, well knowing her…"

"I know. I know. You've said. She is looking," Appius says, anger in his voice.

Felipe nods but says, "On her terms, however." Appius waves his hand in the air, clearly done with that topic. Looking to move on to a different one de Castro asks, "How are the iron walls working?" de Castro asks, changing the subject but his face is making it clear that whatever is going on between them is not over. The frown on Appius' face grows even bigger. Whatever is going on with the iron walls, it seems clear that he is not happy they were brought up, like he didn't want me to know about them.

And when Appius grudgingly tells de Castro that they seem to be working just fine something clicks into my head; iron can hurt the Fae. I think I may have just found out why my telepathy isn't working unless someone is in the room with me. Though I have learned my telepathy isn't a Fae quality, if the iron is weakening me it could explain why it isn't working, like my body is conserving energy to fight the iron. And if Eric's blood is helping the Fae part of me combat the iron, it would help to better explain why my arm might not have healed yet. Something similar might be going on that occurred when I was attacked in Mississippi; his blood was then working to keep me out of shock it wasn't healing the wound on my neck

It would also prevent someone like my fairy godmother who would try and protect me, from teleporting into the room. It seems Appius, or these two working together have thought of pretty much everything. It also means they know a great deal about me and probably a great deal about those I care about. How long and how closely have these two been watching us?

It's very worrisome to me that these two are speaking so openly. They aren't giving too much away but at the same time they are giving me a great deal of information. As much as I would love to believe otherwise, it's not because the two male vampires are particularly stupid. I could credit it all to arrogance and I'm sure that a part of it, probably a large part of it, is. But these two are positive that I will not be able to relay this information to anyone. And though I am going to do all that I can to make sure they do not get what they want, that worries me a bit for two reasons. Again, the first being they seem pretty sure that I will not be able to escape and let anyone know of there conversations. The second reason is one that I am holding as more important, even if I probably should not be.

It doesn't seem like Appius will let me talk to Eric again knowing all of this. That is a thought that makes my heart break a little and I can feel the tears build up in my eyes. I do not let them fall though, not in front of these two. I will not give them the satisfaction. Felipe, obviously done with Appius at the moment leaves the room but not before glancing all around it and nodding as in approval.

I wish it were that easy for me when I am done with Appius.

Eric's maker gives me a glaring look before following de Castro out. Something tells me these two are battling to see just who is pulling the strings. At the moment, it seems like de Castro is winning and hopefully that bodes well for me. Long-term, neither of them will do anything that bodes well for me and my family in Louisiana but I have to take things day by day, night by night. Hell, it's more like minute by minute, maybe even second by second right now.

I am not given much time alone with my thoughts as far too soon for my liking, Appius is coming back into the room. I have no way of knowing what happened out there between him and de Castro but with the look on Appius' face, he's not a happy camper.

Which certainly isn't good for me.

He storms over to me and stops mere inches from my face. I am shaking despite my strongest effort not too and I know he can sense my fear but I refuse to back away. I refuse to show him just how afraid I am. My fear is something that he doesn't deserve.

He looks me up and down and if I didn't know any better, I would think I see a little bit of approval in his eyes, though the idea of approval by the vampire standing in front of me is not exactly something I crave. "I may not be seeing you tomorrow night," he starts off by saying, which first has me doing a little internal happy dance at the thought that he will not be gracing me with his presence tomorrow.

"It doesn't mean that you will be alone all evening though. There will be someone paying you a visit." Okay, not the best thought in the world but at least I will have a night off from Appius.

"I will be doing some traveling. There is someone that I need to pay a personal visit too," he says with a smile before closing the door. That is when my heart breaks again, not for me but for Eric because there is no doubt in my mind that is where Appius is heading.

I know Eric can handle this. I know he is in, or at least was in, a much better place when it comes to his maker. I know that Eric knows he is not on his own at this point. I know that he knows that he has family that he can draw support from. I know all of that.

I just hope Eric remembers all of that.

Eric POV

A minute of my time as soon as I wake from my rest tells me that we still do not have any additional information of where Sookie may be. The only thing we have to go on is that we have evidence that the second plane that left from where the first plane landed completed its trip in Oklahoma. There are many more things I do not know.

I do not know if Sookie was on that second plane or if she was taken from the spot in another way.

I do not know if she was in fact in Oklahoma, she is still there.

I do not know where she is.

I do not know if my maker hurt her further after the phone call.

I do not know if she is even still alive.

Part of me hopes that with whatever spell is causing me not to feel her, that is something that I would still know; that if the worst had happened, that is something that though it would kill me, I would still feel. That leads me to another thought that I do not know; I do not know if our bond is merely hidden or broken completely. Both thoughts leave me feeling empty.

There are several things I actually do know. I know that Sookie has been gone for three nights.

I know that though I would love nothing more than to pretend otherwise, there are very few clues to where she may be.

I know that I would do anything to get her back.

I know that I miss her more than I have ever missed anyone before, more than I even thought was possible.

I know that Sookie is missing and I know that it is all my fault.

Appius took her as a way to get to me, to use her to get to me. He is trying to show me that he is still in control of my life and he does not like the direction that I have been taking it; hence, his need to give me a 'refresher course.'

I also know that it is this kind of thinking that I need to avoid.

As much guilt as I feel over this, in the back of my mind I can hear Sookie tell me that I am not to blame; that the only person that can be blamed for this is Appius. It is similar to what she told me about what happened with Karin, about what happened with much of my vampire life. I have had guilt in me for centuries, but Sookie was helping to show me that it simply wasn't my entire fault.

I finally believe her and that is not something that I am going to let my maker take from me. He has already taken too much, far too much.

Sookie has taught me many things. My children have taught me many things. My family has taught me many things. I cannot, I will not, forget that.

I think back to what Claudine had to say last night. I will admit that I was worried at her sudden appearance in my living room. A member of the Fae royal family has been taken and I could be held responsible for it. Dealing with a fight with them would delay getting Sookie back and that is something that I need to make sure that does not happen.

Claudine however, said nothing to suggest that there will be any action taken against me. Instead, she wanted to focus on how to get Sookie back. She explained that Niall was exhausting his resources and that Claudine would be working with both of us to bring Sookie home, making sure we shared information and nothing is overlooked.

I asked her if Fae magic could be used to track Sookie; Claudine being her fairy godmother should have that power, at least to my understanding of it. Her face fell at my words and I imagine mine fell along with hers just imagining what would be causing such the lost look on her face.

She explained that yes, there usually is magic that would allow the guardian to find their charge when they are in need of help. The magic is being blocked and something is preventing her from finding Sookie. Using iron, a weakness to the Fae, would do that. What is worse in this whole situation is that no one seems to know how the iron would affect Sookie.

It is deadly to full Fae, which Sookie is not. Being such a small amount, it is not thought that it would have such a large affect on her. However, being constantly exposed to it could certainly have consequences for her. Claudine explained that Niall does not think it would be a huge affect. She may lose her telepathy as the Fae part of her conserves strength and goes into self-preservation mode. This is all conjecture of course; no one is entirely sure how a human that's one-eight fairy would react when constantly exposed to iron. Sookie did not seem too affected by it in her everyday life but with it being all around her all day, all night, it could have more of an affect on her.

I am starting to think that even with the unknown, it may be prudent to take a trip to Oklahoma. We have an idea that is where my maker and Sookie are and we have no other leads. I will have to contact Sophie-Anne and see what she thinks because unless we also want Oklahoma at our throats, we will need 'permission' to bring everyone into Oklahoma that we would need. I will make damn sure though that even without permission we get there and I will turn the state, and all other forty-nine if needed, upside down to find Sookie.

At least in Oklahoma, we may be able to find out more information. Felicia could not get an exact landing spot; they seem to fly the plane at low altitudes at times to try and go undetected but we have the probable landing radius. We can start and go from there. I just have to make sure that de Castro is not going to use this to his advantage and try something when I, and I am sure I will not be alone, am out of the state.

I make my way into Fangtasia and find even worse news; Octavia has not been able to complete the reconstruction spell. She thinks it is for multiple reasons. Whoever the witch is that Appius is using could have used magic to prevent it. The other problem is that the site itself has been interfered with just by the natural traffic of the area. Whatever the actual reason it does not appear that that reconstruction will be able to happen.

So with no reconstruction and no tracking spell available, the only lead we have I that the plane landed in Oklahoma. So when I get to Fangtasia, I start to make plans to travel to Oklahoma. Sophie-Anne told me that she would be willing to fight to get Sookie back, however she is just hesitant to go after Oklahoma now with so little proof. Even if Sookie is in Oklahoma, there is no proof the Queen is involved or that she even knows the repercussions of it, or even knows she is there period. So Sophie-Anne is going to contact Freyda, the queen of Oklahoma, and feel her out about this situation. I am trusting Sophie-Anne with this and I could hear in her voice that she understands just what that means coming from me. I have always been loyal; Sophie-Anne has never given me a reason not to be. But the phone conversation made it feel different than that; that this is more than simply Queen and Sheriff, more that Sophie-Anne going after a member of her retinue.

I am not exactly sure what it may be yet but I am sure Sookie will be able to tell me when she gets back.

For now, I spend my time going over maps of Oklahoma trying to see which areas Appius is most likely to bunker down in. I may not like how he did it, but he did teach me how to survive; he did know what he was talking about with that. I am remembering everything he taught me, everything he's done to me trying to figure out what is going through his mind. With it, the pain comes again but I have to let it go to the side. I can't dwell on that at the moment.

Karin and Pam are currently working on weapons and Thalia is dividing up the vampires of Louisiana and Arkansas making sure our strengths are utilized and our weaknesses are fortified and hidden. Other vampires, ones we are sure we can trust are helping where the can. Felicia is with Octavia trying one more thing that may be able to get through this witche's magic. Alcide is coming by later with Jason after they both check on Tray and Amelia. Pam came from there and she says he is still not awake, though Ludwig has not given up hope yet. She has one more thing she can try and Pam donated some blood to see if it will work.

I am hoping it does.

The door of Fangtasia bursts open and suddenly things are starting to happen as if we were in a movie. Time seems to slow down. A shadow is casted upon the face of the vampire who threw the doors open to delay the reveal, though I would know him anywhere, simply by the way he stood in the doorway. It is almost like there should have been a mist or a fog coming in with him as he entered. In my mind I am hopeful for a second that he has not come alone; that there will be a female walking in behind him. My senses tell me that is not the case, but my senses are also telling me that the vampire standing twenty feet from me is hundreds of miles away.

It is a daunting thing when you cannot trust your senses, especially when they are what is often keeping you alive.

Time suddenly is back to normal again, or at least I think it is as everyone in the bar is still motionless, taking in the vampire at the door. Pam and Karin know who it is and I know Thalia is probably correct in her thinking. The rest of them are picking up on the message that our tension is sending out.

I know I am not the only one thankful that Jason is not here right now. There are far too many here for my liking. There are too many here that I care about, too many that could be used against me, too many whose hurt would destroy me, for my liking.

I am just hoping we can all get out of here unscathed and that one, a specific one, will not.

He takes a step into the bar and suddenly the light hits his face and any of those in the bar who did not before, they now realize just who walked into the bar.

Appius Livius Ocella has decided to pay me a visit.

Hello dear readers. I hope you have had a great week and have enjoyed this little chapter. Next chapter we will get to see just how Eric deals with his maker in this very difficult situation. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and thanks for those taking the time to leave their thoughts and input. I love reading them.

Lexi-Anastasia – It's coming. We have a few more things to set up in the next few chapters but it is coming. Eric's got to deal with his maker first and that's going to be very important…for a few reasons. Thanks so much for taking the time to review.

Jackie69 – Eric is ready. He's not letting himself get taken over by that dark cloud again. Let's hope that's a mantra he keeps using, shall we. So happy you liked the Jason and Eric moment. It was an important one for them both. They had both been looking for acceptance from the other…even if they didn't know it. We did get some answers about the Fae in this chapter and more will be coming in the next chapter as well. Yes, Appius and Felipe teamed up. Now we will just see how they work together. Be well.

Jsm88 – Thanks so much. I am so happy to hear that you think so. Hope you enjoyed this one.