Hey folks, sorry sorry sorry (I know everyone says this) but I have no laptop at the moment, and writing on an ipad is just not fun. Also we're in a bit of a mental Jubilee world here in London at the moment, so I haven't been able to find a spare moment until today. But hurrah! We're back.

Jessica struggled, fighting to stay conscious against the white hot pain of a silver chain tearing into her throat, and cried out for her maker in her mind. She knew it was exactly what Russell wanted of her, but damnit, she didn't want to die and she couldn't bear it if his wolves got Jason. A thousand miles away it seemed, she heard a door open and footsteps rush out.

'Hey!' Shit, it was Sam. Not Bill, or Eric, or Pam, but Sam. And he was going to get his pathetic little Shifter ass ripped to pieces.

'Well, what do we have here?' Russell sounded genuinely amused. 'Look boys, an entree!'

Sam stepped out into the lot, taking in the scene before him, recognising Russell in an instant of course – the image of a vampire ripping a man's spine out on live television is not one that leaves a person easily.

'Let her go,' Sam demanded, sounding considerably more sure of himself than he felt. Russell just laughed.

'You want to come here and make me, son?' His voice suddenly grew dark, but Sam stood his ground. Russell growled, and after one last twist of the chain around Jessica's neck, he hurled her to the ground. With the chain still in place, she struggled to drag herself away, but it was like the weight of the world held her down, and she couldn't move.

Sam, on the other hand, found himself surrounded. At least six werewolves snarled at him, circling so quickly he couldn't keep track of exactly how many were there, while Russell simply stalked toward him, as though the wolves weren't even there.

'I trust my reputation precedes me, judging by the fact you look about ready to piss your pants, little dog,' Russell observed, rocking back on his heels, hands in his pockets. Sam stepped back, then in an instant dropped to the ground, clothing crumpling around him, emerging with his teeth bared. Russell smirked, and cocked his head to the side.

'Well, that's one way to make less of a mess I guess,' he commented, giving a nod to the circling wolves. Two jumped at once, snapping at his legs to bring him to the ground. Russell stood back and chuckled, watching Sam fighting for his life with a grin on his face. It was only after Sam managed to tear the throat out of his second wolf that the vampire saw fit to intervene.

'Alrighty then, I think that's enough from you,' he said, moving at vampire speed and grabbing Sam by the scruff of his neck, tearing him away from his twitching victim. The dog snapped at Russell's wrist, but his grip was like iron, as was his strength when he drew his arm back and hurled him into the forest. Sam hit a tree trunk with an enormous thud and fell to the ground, unmoving. Russell approached, taking his time, wondering how best to dispatch on this one. He'd just about settled on a good old fashioned tearing limb from limb, when he heard, a sickening crack and felt the white hot sizzling of his own flesh burning away.

Jason, forgotten in the fray, somehow managed to drag himself and what he was pretty sure was a broken leg, away from the distracted wolves, long enough to rip the bloody chain from around Jessica's neck, and tie it tightly around a fallen fence post, with just enough time left to bring the weapon crashing down on the back of Russell's head before the vampire managed to finish off the unconscious shape shifter.

Russell dropped to his knees, momentarily caught off guard. In seconds though, he was back on his feet and spun around, fangs out and eyes filled with fire.

'That, was a very stupid thing to do, Mr Stackhouse,' he hissed. Jason shuffled back, brandishing his makeshift weapon bravely. It wasn't worth much without the element of surprise though, and faster than he could blink, Russell was on him, with his fangs in his neck.

'Jason!' Jessica screamed, her voice raw and bloody tears running down her cheeks. Russell threw his head back, and grinned as Jason struggled in his grasp.

'You were wrong about one thing Miss Hamby,' he said. 'Your boyfriend here does taste pretty darn sweet. Not half as good as his sister, mind, but still...'

'Then don't fuckin' kill him!' Jessica pleaded. 'You know Bill and Eric won't ever let you get at Sookie, don't kill the only shot you've got at your little day walkin' dream!'

'Jess, what the fuck are you doing?' Jason spluttered, trying his damnedest to stay coherent despite the constant niggling sensation of his blood flowing steadily from the wound on his neck.

'Keeping you alive, you big doofus,' Jessica snapped, hands at her own throat. 'Whatever Sookie's got, she's not the only one in her family to have it. It skips a generation or two, you kill Jason now, you'll never know if he's gonna pass it on to his kids, or his kids' kids, now do you?'

Russell's eyes narrowed. 'Well if you two are so happy together, that ain't gonna be a possibility now, is it?' Jessica bit her lip and held his gaze, until Russell rolled his eyes and gave in. 'Alright then, fine.' And suddenly he dropped his grip from Jason's throat, and took his unbroken leg in both hands, snapping his shin clean in two, so that Jason screamed before falling to the ground, unconscious from the pain.

'Russell!' Bill's voice cut through the night, and Jessica's eyes fluttered momentarily closed in relief.

'Oh my god, Jason!' Jessica heard Sookie too, and from the horrible howling screams coming from the forest, she was pretty sure Eric had arrived as well, and was making fast work of dispatching Russell's extra werewolf troops hiding out amongst the trees.

'My my, if it isn't the King of Louisiana,' Russell mocked. 'Took your time coming for your little girl, didn't you daddy? I thought my note was pretty clear, but then... well, maybe the ink I used wasn't particularly legible.'

If Eric's presence hadn't been obvious before, the mighty roar he let rip as he emerged, covered in the blood of Russell's army, let the whole of Bon Temps know.

'Eric, remember, do not kill him,' Bill warned. 'We kill him now, we won't stand a chance of finding where he's keeping Pam.'

Eric growled, and Russell chuckled.

'What makes you think I'm keepin' your hundred year whore anywhere at all?' he taunted Eric, licking Jason's blood from his lips. Eric did not miss the insinuation, and neither did Bill, who threw out his arm just in time to catch Eric before he rushed the three thousand year old psychopath.

'You have nothing to gain here, Russell,' Bill said.

'Oh, I have everything to gain,' Russell shot back. 'What I don't have is anything to lose, thanks to your Viking friend, and your fairy here.'

'I will tear you into three thousand pieces, you tvinnade oäkta, one for every year of your miserable life,' Eric snarled. 'Tell me where my progeny is.'

'Oh I don't think so,' Russell replied, grinning, but his eyes were cold. 'I'm nowhere near done with her yet.' Eric snapped and leapt, but Russell was too fast for him, and simply stepped aside. 'She's got such big, sad eyes, your precious girl. And not just since she's been... spending quality time with me. I found her almost a hundred miles from here, you know. And she didn't look like she was planning on coming back any time soon. Wouldn't it be just tragic if something were to happen to her before you two managed to make up? That's the sort of thing that can tear a Vampire apart inside.' Eric balled his fists and made to fly at him again, but Bill and Jessica were on him in a split second, holding him back.

'LET ME KILL HIM!' Eric spat, shaking Jessica off easily, though he struggled more to get free of Bill.

'Oh, that's a very bad idea,' Russell warned, in a singsong voice. 'You see, she's not going anywhere on her own, and even if one of my faithful wolves did escape your little tantrum in the forest earlier, I can assure you I'm not dumb enough to have told a single one of them where I've been entertaining your progeny. I'm the only one who knows where she is, and no matter how much she screams, I promise you'll never hear her.'

'What do you want?' Bill demanded, struggling to keep hold of Eric.

'What do I want?' Russell repeated, chuckling. 'Well, before I just wanted to make you all suffer, but now... Well, you should give your progeny more credit Bill. She managed to find a way to save her own skin tonight, by offering me something even more useful than her blood.'

Jessica's eyes widened. 'Wait, what? I didn't offer you anything,' she objected. Russell laughed, and moved as a blur, scooping unconscious Jason up into his arms like a ragdoll.

'Jason! Get your hands off my brother you asshole!' Sookie screamed, but Jason wasn't the only thing in Russell's hands. Sookie froze when she saw the gun, visions of dead girls on her kitchen floor flashing before her eyes.

'Silver bullets, gentlemen, so don't get any wild ideas.' Russell warned. 'And your brother's going to be fine, Miss Stackhouse. Well, his legs probably won't be, but hell I don't need him to be able to walk now, do I? Oh, and before I go, there's just one more thing.'

He barely took a second to aim before three clear shots rang out, striking their target in quick succession. Eric fell to the ground, blood gushing from his neck and both his wrists, soaking the grass crimson. Sookie and Jessica screamed, as Russell took off into the night with his precious cargo.