PRIORITIES – Chapter 3

The second the hot Louisiana sun dipped below the horizon, Eric flung his office door open, yanking it clean off it's hinges and scaring the crap out of Ginger, who'd arrived before sunset to open up.

'Wha – where are you goin'?' Ginger choked out, nearly falling off her sky high plastic heels when the thousand year old Vampire barged past her.

'We're not opening tonight Ginger, go home,' Eric snarled, ignoring her protests and sweeping through the doors, into the night. Ginger stood gaping for a moment, before bending down to pick up the blood stained rag Eric had dropped by her feet. Her recently glamoured brow furrowed for a moment, but she shrugged it away and started locking up the bar.

Eric arrived at Bill's house to find the young Vampire king almost as distraught as he, and about to leave.

'Eric, now is really not the time, I have to get to –'

'Pam is gone,' Eric interrupted him, his voice cracking on the last word, much to his distaste. Bill stopped on his way through the door, and turned, one eyebrow raised.

'You released her?' he asked, disbelieving.

'No.' Eric said, his patience wearing thin already. 'I confronted her about Russell, and she… took off.'

'Took off? How could she just take off?'

'If I knew that, do you really think I would be here?' Eric shot back. 'I've summoned her, I've commanded her return, I've forbidden her to defy me and still she remains lost. I need you to order every sheriff under your jurisdiction to help me find her.'

Bill hesitated at the thinly veiled desperation on his sheriff's face, but he really couldn't allow himself to be distracted.

'I'm sorry Eric, truly I am, but there is a matter that requires my urgent attention…' he paused, torn between making his excuses and leaving, and sharing his fears with Eric. In the end, he relented, and removed a crumpled piece of paper from his suit pocket. 'I can't spare a single Vampire right now, as Russell Edgington has made a threat against Sookie, and I have them all guarding her house.'

Eric stalled at that, two halves of his unbeating heart pulling him two separate ways.

'Sookie?' he repeated, trying and failing to push Pam's suggestion that he go 'fuck his fairy' out of his mind.

'Yes, Russell has made a threat against her life, claiming that he plans to take away the thing that, well, that you and I hold most dear. Now, I do understand your distress at not being able to locate Pam…'

'No, you're right,' Eric interrupted. Instantly, the haunted fire of his eyes dulled and his face hardened into an unreadable expression which made Bill feel even more uncomfortable than he had when the thousand year old Vampire had seemed on the verge of breaking down. In the end though, he just nodded once, and the pair took off into the night.

'What the hell Bill?' Sookie demanded when the two Vampires turned up at her door. 'I just tried to leave – to go to work by the way, so you can explain that one to Sam later – and I found out I'm being kept prisoner in my own damn home?'

'Technically you're being kept prisoner in my home,' Eric commented, as he surveyed the area as best he could. There was something of a familiar smell on the air, but he couldn't quite place it. Sookie's delectable scent seemed to play havoc with his senses these days.

'I really don't think now's the time to be piping up with that crap again Eric,' Sookie snapped, hands on hips, staring the pair of them down. 'Now is one of you going to tell me what's going on?'

'We believe Russell Edgington has marked you as his next target,' Bill explained. 'The Vampire's are for your protection, I cannot let you leave this house Sookie,'

'And the Werewolves?' Sookie asked, eyebrows raised.

'Werewolves?' Eric repeated, glancing at Bill. Maybe that was what he could smell – but it wasn't an unpleasant smell, like that of a wolf. What was it? Why couldn't he place it?

'Again – for your protection.' Bill said calmly, ignoring Eric's narrowed gaze.

'C'mon Bill, it's been dark for at least an two hours and look, no Russell Edgington. You can't keep locking me up against my will just because you think I might be in danger. We're not together anymore, that's not your job. Either of you.'

'Did you ever think perhaps the protective circle of Vampires and Werewolves around your house might be the reason you haven't been brutally murdered by a vengeful three thousand year old Vampire yet?' Bill asked, beginning to lose his patience. Eric smirked at that – they weren't so far past their old enmity that he didn't appreciate watching Bill almost pop a blood vessel.

Sookie looked set to throw back a smart remark, when her attention suddenly wavered. The Vampire's followed her gaze to the edge of the forest, where they spotted Alcide emerging, buttoning his pants and stalking cautiously toward them.

'She's right, Bill,' Alcide said, his wolf ears picking up the end of their conversation. 'Russell's not here. The only Vampires we've come across are the ones working for you – not that that stopped a few of them trying to start something anyways.'

'See?' Sookie held up her hands, exasperated. 'Now can I please go to work?'

Bill frowned, and pulled the note out of his pocket again. Eric froze and sniffed again, his eyes darkening, as Bill opened the crinkled page.

'I don't understand, why would Russell warn us of what he was going to do if he couldn't guarantee we'd already arrive too late?' Bill wondered aloud. 'It says he plans to tear away the thing Eric and I hold most dear. If that's not you…'

'Ew,' Sookie wrinkled her nose. 'Is that note written in blood?'

'Yes,' Bill replied, grimly. 'Of course, I knew it wasn't yours – you do have such a distinctive smell. But it's –' All of a sudden, Eric moved so fast he was barely more than a blur, snatching the note from Bill's hand and crushing the paper to his face, breathing in deeply. A split second later, the note slipped from his grasp and fluttered to the floor, and Eric was left staring as if he'd seen the ghost of Godric all over again.

'Eric… what is it?' Sookie crept carefully over to him and laid a tentative hand on his elbow. He didn't even register the contact.

'Russell – he has Pam,' he answered, his voice barely above a whisper. Sookie gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth. Beside her, Bill seethed with rage at his own foolishness.

'He wasn't going after Sookie,' he shook his head in disbelief. 'He went after our progenies… my god… I have to find Jessica. Sookie – she's with Jason, is she not?'

'I don't know, I guess,' Sookie said, panic rising in her own chest at the thought of a murderous Vampire attacking her brother's house to get to Bill's child. 'Oh my god Bill, we have to find them before Russell does!'

Eric suddenly snapped into action, picking up the discarded note and closing his eyes tightly, before pushing past Bill and Sookie in the direction of the forest.

'Eric, wait!' Sookie cried, racing after him. He ignored her, and she couldn't keep up with him.

'Eric, as your king I command you to stop,' Bill ordered, causing him to stop at last, albeit reluctantly. He turned slowly, and his gaze was murderous.

'I will defy your command if I must, Bill,' Eric warned. 'I care nothing for your baby Vampire.'

'Surely you can appreciate that the only way to find Pam is to find Russell,' Bill said. 'We must get to Jessica before he takes her – if he hasn't already.'

'THIS NOTE IS WRITTEN IN THE BLOOD OF MY CHILD!' Eric thundered, his fists shaking violently. Bill employed every bit of patience and diplomacy he had left.

'And right now, Russell is on the way to take the blood of mine. Together, Eric, we can save them both,' he reasoned. Eric bristled, trying hard to keep a check on his anger, and turned briefly to Sookie.

'Sookie, if Jessica is with Jason, where will they be?'

'Uh… Merlott's maybe? It's still early, if they were going anywhere else they'd probably not have left Bon Temps yet…' but Eric had heard nothing since 'Merlott's'. He folded the letter written in Pam's blood and held it tightly in his fist, and took off into the sky.