Chapter 8
I
Payton pulled into her driveway and shut off her engine. She was tired from driving for so long. She would make a terrible trucker, she thought, because she found driving a tedious chore most of the time. She popped the trunk and got out of the car. She stared at the chest in her trunk and thought about the best way to get it out. She reached in a grabbed one side of the chest and pulled it up and over the edge. As she was maneuvering the chest to pick it up, she heard the loud snap of a twig breaking. She dropped the chest and whirled around. When she saw Eric Northman within a few feet of her, she gave a startled cry. She stared at the state he was in. He was covered in dirt that dusted his bare arms and shoulders. It was even in his hair and his black clothes were filthy. She wondered what in the world had happened to him. Payton stumbled back away from him and noticed that he was between her and her front door.
"Stay away from me," she said.
He tilted his head as if he was listening to her words very carefully. He turned his intense blue eyes on her and for a moment Payton felt trapped in that gaze. Like a snake hypnotizing a mouse, she thought as she came to herself. Payton decided that she didn't have any choice and she made a break for her front door. But, Eric moved in a flash in front of her. It was so swift that Payton tripped over her own feet when she tried to stop her own forward momentum. He looked down on her and moved again. The next thing Payton knew, he was crouched above her and she jumped almost out of her skin.
"Stay back," she cried. "I...I'm not defenseless."
"I know you," replied Eric.
Payton paused. What did that mean? Of course, he knew who she was. Hadn't he been trying to coerce her into some sort of vampire and pet relationship for the last couple of weeks?
"Of course, you know me," said Payton.
"You...you are the only thing that I remember," said Eric.
He held out his hand to help her up and Payton stared at it and then looked into his eyes. She slowly got to her feet without his help. He awkwardly dropped his hand and stood there as if he was uncomfortable in his own skin. He was usually so cocky and self-assured and his body posture always mirrored that. But, not now, thought Payton. Now, he stood like a shy boy who seemed to be very unsure about everything around him. This was Eric Northman, wasn't it? What had happened to him? And more importantly, why was he here if he didn't mean her any harm?
"Do you know who you are?" asked Payton.
"I know that I'm a vampire," replied Eric.
"You're a little more than just an average vampire," said Payton. "And, you aren't exactly my friend, either."
Eric seemed confused and his eyes clouded with doubt. "But, you were the one who helped me. If you aren't my friend, why would you do that?"
"Just how exactly did I help you?" asked Payton.
"Your voice pulled me back from...from somewhere terrible," replied Eric. "I heard it on the wind."
The spell, thought Payton. Evidently, his overbearing ways had gotten him in trouble with someone else. Payton dusted herself off and looked at him. "Look, I don't know what's going on with you and I really don't care, either. I'm glad that I helped you, but you aren't my problem."
Payton hurriedly turned and walked to her front door. She unlocked it and quickly moved inside. As she turned to close it, she saw that Eric had silently followed her and stood on her threshold like a lost puppy. Now, using the term lost puppy to describe that vampire was just wrong, she thought.
"Go home," said Payton. "I'm sure that even a vampire like yourself has one."
"Maybe, but I don't remember it," he replied. "You are the only thing that I remember."
"Is this some game that you're playing with me?" asked Payton.
She narrowed her eyes and asked, "Or, some new way to trick me or torment me?"
"Do I look like I'm playing games with you?" replied Eric. "Can you deny that I could have already harmed you if that had been my intention?"
No, thought Payton, he certainly didn't look like he was playing some sort of joke on her. And, he had caught her totally off guard. Surely that vain vampire would never resort to these extreme measures in order to trick her, she thought. He was a sight with his dirty clothes and filthy body. She noticed for the first time that his feet were bare and covered in dried mud. She couldn't deny that she was curious about what had happened to him.
"How did you get so dirty?" she asked.
"I had to spend the daytime outside without any refuge," replied Eric. "I slept in the ground."
Yuck, thought Payton. Definitely not the Eric that she had been dealing with. "If I let you inside, you have to behave yourself."
"Why wouldn't I?" asked Eric, curiously.
"Nevermind," muttered Payton.
She stepped aside and hesitated a second before saying, "Come in."
Eric began to stride inside, but he stopped and turned away before stepping over her threshold. As Payton watched, he walked back to her car and picked up her chest out of the trunk. He hefted it easily in one arm and closed her trunk. He then returned to her door and came inside. He sat the trunk down.
"What's in there?" he asked.
"Stuff," replied Payton vaguely.
When Eric moved to the couch, Payton grabbed the hem of his wifebeater tee shirt before he got too far.
"You need to get out of those clothes because you'll get dirt all over my house," she said.
Eric immediately pulled off his tee shirt and a sprinkling of dirt fell onto her floor. Payton had not meant for him to disrobe in her living room and she gazed for a moment at his chest which he had just revealed for her. When his hands moved to his pants, Payton roused herself and interrupted him.
"Um, you can take those off in the bathroom," she said.
He looked up at her and that gaze was completely guileless and innocent. It was her first concrete clue that maybe he wasn't faking it. Come on, she thought, how could the real Eric Northman not make some lewd comment about taking off his pants in front of her? Payton led the way to her bathroom and got out a fresh towel for him. She gingerly moved around him and vacated the space. Just as she was going to leave him alone, she remembered his clothes.
"Can you toss out your clothes?" she said. "I'll wash them for you. You'll just have to wear my robe until they dry."
Through the crack in the door, a long pale arm tossed out his clothes. The door shut and Payton heard the shower turn on. She scooped up the clothes and wondered if this evening could get any weirder. As she was throwing them into the washer, Eric's underwear dislodged from his jeans. Payton stood there a moment and couldn't control her urge to stare. They were ridiculously small red bikinis. Bright red ones. Sweet Jesus, she thought. Oh, this was completely unfair. Why couldn't he be wearing some boring white briefs? Or, better yet some ratty old ones? Payton poured in the detergent and slammed the lid down. Turning on the washer, she tried to forget what she had seen. Do not go there, she warned herself.
II
Pam sat at Eric's desk and tried to control the urge to weep and throw everything around. She had hunted for him last night after she learned that The Moon Goddess Emporium had burned to the ground. But, he was nowhere to be found. Those witches had disappeared, like rats abandoning a sinking ship or she would have gotten the truth out of them. She would find one of them, sooner or later, she thought. But, Eric had still not shown up and a part of her began to wonder if he had perished in the fire. A blaze like that would have completely eradicated every trace of him. Pam held back a sob because she knew that Eric hated tears.
This was all that little prick Bill's fault, she thought. He had sent Eric into that situation and he hadn't warned him of just how dangerous those witches were. But, maybe he had done that on purpose. It wasn't any secret that Bill didn't like Eric. Besides assassinating Sophie-Anne, was Bill trying to get rid of Eric at the same time?
It was also that little witch Payton's fault, thought Pam. She had put some kind of spell on him. It was obvious to Pam that he hadn't been himself. Whatever she had done to him had made him vulnerable to that attack by the other witches. Where the hell had all these witches come from? They were crawling out of the woodwork like cockroaches. There was only one thing to do about pests like that, thought Pam. But, first, she would find the girl and make her pay for what she had done to Eric. It was then that the phone rang and Pam stared at it. She had given instructions to be left alone. She picked it up and answered it.
"What?" hissed Pam.
"I'm really sorry," said Ginger. "But, there is a call from someone named Payton. She says that it's real important."
Pam restrained herself and kept her fangs from dropping, "Put her through."
"Hello?" came a young sounding voice.
"Is this Payton?" asked Pam.
"Yes," she replied. "I need to see you at my house, now."
"Oh, I'll be right there with bells on," said Pam. "You can count on it."
III
Payton opened her front door to see a tall, blonde female vampire. She was wearing a glittery red dress that showed off her figure and displayed a rather impressive set of breasts. My, thought Payton, he must be a boob man. The vampire gazed at her with the same intensive study from a set of cold, blue eyes. Finally, she flashed a small smile.
"You have to invite me in," she said.
"Um, come in," replied Payton.
Pam walked through the door and Payton closed it. As Payton turned around, Pam grabbed her by the throat and held her against the door with one hand.
"I don't know why you were stupid enough to call me after what you've done, but I don't care," hissed Pam. "I have every intention of enjoying myself as I rip you to shreds."
"You don't understand," gasped Payton. "I called about Eric."
"Oh, that's why I'm here, honey," replied Pam.
Pam began to raise Payton off the ground by her hold on her throat. As Payton wheezed and tried to pull off Pam's hand, Eric came into the room. In a flash, he knocked Pam away with a simple looking push. She flew across the room and skidded along the floor. Pam stood up in a flash and her eyes widened.
"Eric?"
Eric turned his eyes to Payton who was coughing and holding her hands against her throat. She had slid down the door and had yet to rise to her feet. Eric gently lifted her up and pushed her hair out of her face to examine her. He frowned when he saw the red marks on her throat.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
Payton coughed out, "I will be."
"What is going on?" demanded Pam.
"I was trying to explain it to you," said Payton. "Before you decided to cut off my air supply."
"You will not harm her," said Eric to Pam.
"Will someone explain to me just what the hell is going on here?" asked Pam.
Pam stared at Eric who appeared to be fine. But, he was wearing a pink robe with little yellow and blue flowers on it. She stared at this bare calves. That appeared to be all he was wearing. His hair was wet and he must have just gotten out of the shower. Was he here shacking up with her?
Payton glanced between Eric and Pam. She touched Eric's sleeve and got his attention. "Do you remember her?"
Eric glanced at Pam briefly and looked back at Payton. "No," he said.
"Fudge," said Payton.
"How can he not know who I am?" demanded Pam.
"I don't know," replied Payton. "He just showed up here on my doorstep like this."
"What is the last thing that you remember?" asked Pam.
Payton guided Eric to the couch and she sat down several feet away.
"I was staring into these eyes and they were taking everything that I was away," said Eric.
"So, how do you know me?" asked Payton.
"I heard your voice and it stopped whatever was happening," replied Eric.
It must have been that protection spell, she thought. After reversing her spell, Payton had added the protection spell to make up for the negative energy of her first spell. But, at least, that explained why he showed up here. He was following the trail of the only thing that he remembered. Payton glanced at Pam. Surely, he was better off with his own kind.
"Well, you should be going with your...friend," said Payton. "I called her here so that she could take you home."
"But, I want to stay here," protested Eric.
"You can't," replied Payton.
"I think that he's safer here," said Pam.
"Excuse me?" asked Payton.
"I think that our new king sent him to those Wiccans to get rid of him," said Pam. "It's better if he stays in hiding."
Payton stood up and walked to the door. "The two of you can do whatever you want. Just not here. Whatever is going on doesn't involve me."
"Oh, that's where you're wrong," hissed Pam. "You are right in the middle of all this. You're the one who put a spell on him first."
"You did?" asked Eric with a slightly hurt expression.
"Yes," admitted Payton. "But...but you had me thrown into a dungeon and you attempted to glamour me."
"Oh," replied Eric. "Sorry."
"You are partly responsible for what happened to him," said Pam. "You can't leave him like this."
"I could try to break the other spell," offered Payton.
"Fine," said Pam. "Do whatever you witches do."
"I don't know," said Eric.
"Don't be silly," replied Payton. "We should at least try."
"What do you mean try?" asked Pam.
"My spell kept him from being harmed," said Payton. "Since, it manifested that means that the person who cast the spell over him wanted to hurt him. There are a lot of dark magic spells and they are very powerful. It doesn't sound like some kind of spell that a Wiccan would cast."
Payton moved to get a large candle and she placed it on the coffee table in front of Eric. She then lighted several other candles in the room and turned off the lights. She took a seat on the floor across from him. She stared at him for a moment and then turned her eyes to the flame. She began to weave her spell.
"Candle light flicker, Candle light burn bright
Take the darkness of the spell and bring it to the light
Remove the curse, the victim I ask to restore
I call upon the forces for good with all my core."
Payton held her hand over the candle flame so close that there wasn't any way that it could not have been burned. Eric raised his eyebrows, but did not attempt to stop her.
"Fire, of your touch, I shall not be afraid
Born of flames, like a dragon I was made
Turn this spell around, sink it's evil to the ground
If my heart be untrue, my flesh is gift to you."
Payton hovered her hand over the flame and looked over at Eric. She raised her hand and he tried to take her hand. She attempted to avoid him, but he was quicker than she was. He grasped her hand in his and turned her palm over. When he saw that her skin was unmarred, he raised his eyes back to hers.
"My heart must have been true," Payton said as she withdrew her hand. "Do you remember who you are, now? Do you feel any different?"
Eric shifted uncomfortably on the couch, "No."
"F*ck," hissed Pam.
"I tried," said Payton.
Payton got up and left the room to get Eric's clothes. When she returned back to the room, she found Eric exactly where he had been and Pam stood and watched him with a look of concern. She handed the clothes to Eric and walked to the door.
"I can't help you any more," said Payton. "As far as I'm concerned, we are even. Your problems aren't mine. I think that it's time for both of you to leave."
Eric rose and walked to the door with Pam at his heels. He looked down at her and said, "I'm sorry that I hurt you by putting you in the dungeon, even if I don't remember doing it."
He turned and walked outside and slowly seemed to meander down her flagstone path. Pam didn't say anything and quickly moved after him. Payton followed him with her eyes. He was still wearing her floral robe and the sight of a blonde Viking vampire wearing a pink ladies robe in her front yard was a surreal moment if ever there was one, thought Payton. She gripped the doorknob and felt something she wished that she didn't. Damn him, she thought.
"Wait," she called.
The vampires stopped and turned back to look at her. He waited patiently and didn't try to influence her. Wasn't there a Chinese proverb that said if you saved someone's life, you were somehow responsible for them? Because that was what she felt. She knew that she just couldn't slam the door closed and forget about him and his troubles. Perhaps, there still might be something else that she could try. She hadn't looked through all her books of spells and she did have those notorious black books, now.
"Temporarily, I guess, he could stay here," said Payton. "Just temporarily, of course."
Eric flashed a seemingly genuine looking smile and moved back to her door. "I'm grateful for this."
"Whatever," muttered Payton.
He came inside and Pam eyes followed him until he disappeared. She then turned those eyes to Payton and said, "You can't let anyone know that he is here."
"I wasn't planning on broadcasting that fact," replied Payton.
"Take care of him," said Pam and in a flash she disappeared from view.
Payton closed the door and found Eric again sitting on the couch. No time like the present to make sure that he understands his boundaries, she thought.
"Just so there is not any misunderstanding between us, we need to get some ground rules straight," said Payton. "No biting, understand? And no touching."
"Whatever you say," replied Eric.
"I mean it," said Payton. "Now, I need to know what type of Tru Blood you like."
"I don't remember liking any kind," replied Eric.
"Well, it's either that or you go hungry," said Payton.
"What's your blood type?' asked Eric.
"Um, B negative," replied Payton. "Why?"
"That's very rare," said Eric, with a glint in his eyes that he couldn't quite conceal. "B negative will do just fine."
Payton raised an eyebrow, "Don't get any ideas."
After Eric carried the mattress down from the guest room into the basement storage room, Payton did her best to make it comfortable for him. Clean sheets and a couple of soft pillows. She threw a colorful patchwork quilt on top and thought that it certainly beat sleeping in the dirt. He was back in his clothes and Payton realized that she would need to get him some fresh clothes to wear. She didn't think she could keep from cracking up if he wore her robe another time. There weren't any windows in this room and it should work for a vampire, she thought. She had already covered the other windows in the basement with aluminum foil to block out the sun. Payton looked up at him and patted the bed with her hand.
"All ready," she said. "It will be dawn soon."
He lowered his tall frame to the mattress and stretched out. Payton noticed how long his legs were and when she raised her eyes back to his, she realized that he was watching her. She also realized that he would have been all too aware of the fact that she was eyeing him. Payton turned her eyes away and quickly covered him with the quilt. She moved to get off the mattress and he reached out for her.
"Will you stay with me until dawn?" he asked.
"I...I don't know," muttered Payton.
"It's only a few minutes away," said Eric.
"How do you know that?" asked Payton.
"I just do," replied Eric. He gave her a small smile and added, "It must be one of my vampire powers."
"Like a spidey sense?" asked Payton returning the small smile.
"Spidey?" asked Eric.
"Nevermind," said Payton. "It would take too long to explain and even then it probably wouldn't make any sense to you. It's just a foolish human make-believe character."
"I don't think you're foolish," replied Eric.
"No?" asked Payton. "I'm here with a vampire that threw me into a dungeon."
"I've been told that you got your revenge for that," replied Eric. "Just what did you do to me?"
Payton smiled, "You don't want to know."
A/N: You shouldn't assume that because Payton's spell interfered with Antonia's spell that Payton is stronger than her. I think it was just a coincidence of both of them casting a spell at the same time. Plus, it was her first time to inhabit Marnie and maybe she was just getting used to using her. We will see more of Antonia in the story and as far as the show is going this season, she is sort of badass.
I couldn't leave out those red undies from book four.