A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, it inspires me to write a better story for you. This is a darker chapter, mainly because Randall makes an appearance again. We see a glimpse into Darcie's power. And Darcie gets see a glimpse of another side of Eric's complex personality.

Chapter Seven

Pam came down the stairs to the dungeon and found Eric looking over the body of Randall. Eric had called after Darcie had left and had Joseph bring Randall to Fangtasia. Eric had chained Randall up last night before he and Pam had went to ground, just in case he revived during the day.

But, as Pam could clearly see, Randall was still catatonic. Eric had placed him on a table and was just staring at him.

"Is he dead?" asked Pam.

"No, he still breathes and his heart still beats, although at a slow rate," said Eric.

"That ability of hers is much more than just telepathy," said Pam.

"So, it would seem," said Eric.

"She's potentially dangerous," said Pam.

"We still would be immune to her power," said Eric.

Pam wasn't so sure. As she watched, Eric took out a long needle and pushed it's full length into Randall's thigh. It had absolutely no effect on Randall. After a moment, Eric withdrew it and continued to gaze at him.

"Is she coming again, tonight?" asked Pam.

"Yes, she is going to try to reverse whatever she has done to Randall," said Eric.

"Waste of time, if you ask me," said Pam.

"Normally, I would agree. But, I want to observe her," said Eric. "And I don't want her to feel guilt over what she did to him."

Eric smiled and said, "After all, she didn't agree to be my enforcer."

"Well, she seems qualified for the job, if you ask me," said Pam.

Pam decided to find out what was really going on with her maker and Darcie.

"Why haven't you even tasted her or tried harder to seduce her?" she asked.

Eric was silent, unwilling to answer her question.

"You like her, don't you?" she said.

"She deserves to be treated with more careful handling," said Eric, vaguely.

"It would be a smarter course of action to stop playing with her," said Pam. "Even with her sophistication and class, I don't trust her. She isn't exactly what she appears to be."

"That's what makes her so interesting, Pam," said Eric.

"It would be a smart move to force her to drink your blood," said Pam.

"She would be harder to force than you think," said Eric. "And she would never forgive me."

"Then, do it in secret," said Pam. "It isn't that hard to slip her something with your blood in it. The girl is unfamiliar with the ways of vampires. She won't realize what taking in your blood would mean."

"Maybe, but my blood is strong and the effects would begin almost immediately," said Eric. "Darcie would know what was done to her."

"It would be too late, then," said Pam.

"No, I don't want to do that to her," said Eric. "At least, not yet."

Pam studied him and said, "You want her to fall for you as you are. You would be wiser to keep your relationship with her as just business if you don't intend to bind her."

"Do you doubt my ability, Pam?" asked Eric.

"I never had before, but she is different," said Pam. "Why haven't you at least bitten her?"

"I intend to bite her, tonight," said Eric. "She needs a set of fang marks on her for Sookie to see."

"About time," said Pam, who began to leave the dungeon.

Eric watched her a moment and then returned his attention back to Randall. He again pushed the needle into another part of Randall's body and looked for a response.

Darcie came before the bar opened. The door was open and she tentatively came inside. She found Pam inside in the main bar. Pam was wearing a tight black skirt and had a royal blue top on with ruffles down the front. She looked very different from last night when Darcie had seen her in her Fangtasia attire.

"You look nice," said Darcie, honestly.

Pam paused. She had not expected a genuine complement and she found herself slightly irritated that it had pleased her so much.

"Well, I'll have to change before opening, but thanks," said Pam.

"Pity about that," said Darcie. "Blue is your color."

Was she trying to charm her? And it was working, thought Pam. Why won't Eric stop playing nice with her?

"Eric's in the dungeon with Randall," said Pam.

"Is he..." Darcie asked, slightly hopeful.

"Whatever spell you put him under hasn't worn off," said Pam.

Pam was curious now and asked Darcie, "Could you have killed him with your mind?"

Darcie grew uncomfortable and said, "I've never killed anyone."

"That wasn't what I asked you," said Pam.

When Darcie refused to reply, Pam said, "Go on. He's waiting for you."

Darcie descended the steps and found both Eric and Randall at the bottom. She walked over to Eric and looked at Randall.

Eric smiled and said, "Darcie, this is a very wicked talent."

Darcie looked nervous and said, "I'm sure that it looks worse than it is. He would probably come out of it on his own."

Eric knew that she wanted to downplay her abilities and make herself seem as useless as possible.

"Do you really think so?" asked Eric.

"Oh, alright, I'm not sure," said Darcie. "I don't exactly go around putting people in trances everyday."

"But, you know how to do it, don't you?" asked Eric. "How?"

"My grandmother taught me," said Darcie.

"Yes, the infamous grandmother," said Eric. "Besides teaching you how proper young ladies behave in society, did she also teach you how to dispatch your attackers with ease?"

"Well, you know, those types of classes are all the rage these days among the British upper crust," said Darcie.

"It's too bad that I'm never going to get to meet your grandmother," said Eric.

"You wouldn't have wanted to have made her acquaintance," said Darcie.

"And why is that?" asked Eric.

Darcie looked at him evenly and said, "Because she would have killed you for daring to harm and blackmail me."

Eric stared at Darcie and wondered if she was indirectly threatening him with that statement. If she was she was being very fearless and, maybe, a little foolish."

"Go ahead, Darcie," said Eric as he nodded towards the prone body of Randall.

Darcie stepped closer to Randall.

She gazed at him and thought, did she really want to do this? She had locked Randall inside a maze in his own mind. He was in there still and was, no doubt, as angry as before. Only now, he had a day to grow more frightened and frustrated. She had never done what she had done to Randall before, nor had she ever tried to go back inside and remove the locks and release someone. There was a possibility that he could pull her inside with him and trap her there. But, she was stronger than him, she thought. Surely, it would be safe.

Eric had watched Darcie as she stood beside Randall, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

"Are you frightened, Darcie?" he asked. "Is what you are planning to do dangerous to you?"

Darcie looked up at him with troubled eyes. She was much too important to him to risk something happening to her, he thought. Especially over Randall, who he would probably kill anyway. One, for being a thief and, two, for trying to harm Darcie.

"Leave him alone," said Eric, as he took her arm and tried to pull her away.

"No, I want to try," said Darcie.

Darcie looked to Eric and said, "Maybe, if you would hold my hand. It would give me an anchor and draw me back here. To keep me from losing myself in the trap that I have placed in his mind."

Eric stepped to Darcie and held out his hand.

"But, if you feel yourself being drawn along with me into Randall's mind, you must let go. Do you understand?" said Darcie, looking at him intently.

Eric nodded and Darcie took his hand. He was surprised by the strength of her grip. Darcie then turned and faced Randall and placed her hand on his forehead. She closed her eyes and moved into the maze that was now Randall's mind.

Darcie opened her eyes and found herself in a darkened corridor. It was illuminated by the strobing of overhead fluorescent lights. The corridor looked dirty and dilapidated. There were missing ceiling tiles that exposed pipes and wiring that sometimes hung down in a tangled mess. There were puddles of stagnant water on the dirty concrete floor and an incessant dripping could be heard. Darcie heard a scuttling sound and whirled towards the noise. She saw rats running along the floor and gasped in fright and disgust. Yuck, she thought, Randall's mind showed what a cesspit he really was. She found herself at an intersection of corridors and as she looked down them, they seemed to go on into infinity.

She was sure that all these corridors would cross over and intersect each other numerous times. There were doors along the corridors. In one of these rooms, she would find Randall.

So, she began. Opening the first door, she gave a sigh of relief to find it empty. Relief because she knew that though she had trapped Randall here, this maze was built out of the darkness that resided inside Randall. This maze would reflect what was really at the center of Randall's cold heart. Darcie kept opening doors and finding them empty. When another corridor intersected the one she was in, she made a turn and headed down the other one. She opened a door down this new corridor and saw a room filled with rats who scuttled even across the walls. They appeared to be consuming some sort of carcass on the floor. Best not to look too closely, she thought, and she quickly closed the door. But, she thought that she must be getting closer. In the next room, she saw that all the surfaces of the room seemed to be covered with crawling bugs. She gave a gasp and looked down at the feet, only to see that the bugs were crawling out of the room and onto her feet. She gave a little scream and hurriedly shut the door. She began to stomp the bugs underfoot. Done with that gruesome task, she leaned against the wall and almost considered leaving.

She decided to keep on going since she was sure that she was getting closer to the room where Randall was. She opened another door to find a room that appeared empty. She heard a gurgling and stepped inside. The sound was coming from the sink and, as she looked into it, she saw dark, filthy water bubbling up the drain and quickly filling the sink. As she looked closer, she could detect things moving in the water. She stared, frozen in place, and a black form rose from the surface. It paused a moment and then slithered over the side of the sink onto the floor. It was a black snake. As Darcie glanced up to the sink again, she saw numerous black heads rising out of the water. She screamed and ran for the door and slammed it closed once she was through.

"It's not real. None of this is real," she whispered to herself.

She walked farther down the corridor and it became darker since some the overhead lights were broken. She came across a room that she could see light escaping from underneath the door. She went into this room. The light was coming from a swinging overhead light. It was a bare bulb that hung down from the ceiling. The swinging of the light caused the shadows in the room to move as if they were living things, themselves. Darcie tried to peer into the shadows without moving into the room. From a corner, she heard a soft sobbing and she moved towards the sound. She found Randall sitting on the dirty floor with his knees drawn up to him. His clothes were filthy and torn. He raised his head and looked at her. A look of anger and malevolence passed over his face. He slid himself up the wall into a standing position and wiped his eyes and nose of his shirt. That done, he faced Darcie.

"You bitch, you trapped me here," he hissed. "What are you? Some sort of monster?"

"I've come to get you out of here," said Darcie.

But, Randall smiled and said, "Really? I think that you are just as trapped inside here as me."

"Do you want out or not?" asked Darcie.

"I think that I would rather spend some quality time with you in here, Miss High and Mighty," he said.

He pushed himself off the wall and began to advance on her.

"Are you a fool?" said Darcie.
Her words fell on deaf ears and he kept moving closer. Darcie turned and ran for the door. She once again found herself in the corridor and quickly turned to see that Randall had followed her out of the room and was pursuing her. Darcie turned and ran down the corridor, her feet splashing in the puddles. In the flickering light, Darcie ran into a different corridor at the next intersection. She kept running with, the now probably insane, Randall hot on her heels.

Finally, she came to a dead end. She turned to run back to the intersection, but she heard Randall's footsteps. She retreated back down the dead end as she watched his shadow fall across the entrance. A moment later, Randall came into view. Darcie was trapped.

"Eric!" she cried out. "Please, wake me up"

Randall only smiled and Darcie screamed Eric's name.

"Oh, your loverboy can't help you in here," said Randall, as he once again began to walk towards her.

Darcie backed up a step for every step that Randall took towards her.

"Eric," Darcie sobbed.

She had never felt so lost. She heard a creak behind her and turned around to see that there was now a door at the end of the corridor that had not been there before. The door creaked open and Darcie could hear music playing inside. Knowing that this was the way out, Darcie ran for the door with all her speed. When she crossed over the door's threshold, she passed from the grimy world of Randall's mind into an amazing vision. It was a grand ballroom complete with a large orchestra that was playing a lively tune. She stood and turned around in a circle. There was couples dancing in a whirling kaleidoscope of bright colors. It seemed like she was in a different time since the clothing that the couples wore was old fashioned. Brilliantly colored gowns of silk with flowing trains adorned the ladies and their hair was styled into complicated waves and rolls atop their heads. The men were mainly wearing black tuxedos. She moved between the swirling couples and suddenly she saw him in the distance in front of her. He was wearing the same black as all the other men, yet something seemed to set him apart. He was all alone as if he was waiting for her. He looked so beautiful and she immediately remembered her that her clothes were filthy from running through the corridors. Self-consciously she touched her clothes and felt the soft sensation of silk beneath her fingers. She gasped and looked down and saw that she was wearing a red silk gown with beautiful beading and lace. She looked up to see him staring at her with amusement in his blue eyes. He held out a hand, beckoning her to him. This was the way out, she thought, and she ran to him. For a brief moment, she wondered if this vision had come from his imagination. As she fell into his arms, he pulled her close and she knew that she was safe.

She opened her eyes to find herself in the embrace of the vampire and they were in the dungeon again.

He petted her and said, "It's alright, Darcie."

Darcie slowly moved out of his grasp and wiped off her tears. She looked down at Randall and saw that he was stirring. He must have come through the doorway after her, she thought. Eric also noticed that and quickly, moving as a vampire could, dragged Randall off the table and chained him on a pole.

Eric took Darcie's arm and led her out of the dungeon. He brought her to the bar and poured her a shot of whiskey and handed her the glass.

"Drink it," he said.

"No, I don't want to," protested Darcie.

He put the glass in her hand and said, "Go on, drink it."

Darcie gulped it down and coughed as it burned her throat.

"Better?" he asked.

Darcie looked at him with haunted eyes and he knew that her careful self-control was gone. A part of him said that now would be the perfect time to take advantage of her since she was weak and vulnerable. Yet, another side of him, stayed his hand.

"Do you need another one?" he asked.

"No," said Darcie. "No thanks."

As he watched her, he could see her once again putting her armor back into place. Her eyes once again shielded her thoughts and emotions from him.

As Darcie stared into his eyes, he brushed a strand of hair out of her face and said, "I'll drive you home, tonight."

He expected her to protest, but she nodded her head in agreement.

"Can I have another drink, then?" asked Darcie.

Eric poured her another glass of whiskey. When Pam came out into the bar, he sent her after a blanket. When Darcie finished the other drink, he bundled her up and placed her into her car. He drove them both to Bon Temps. Sometime during the drive, Darcie fell asleep and Eric turned to look at her pretty face illuminated by the dashboard lights. Darcie was still asleep when they arrived back at Sookie's house. She did not wake up as he carried her inside. But, as he laid her on her bed, her eyes fluttered open and she gazed at him with heavy-lidded eyes.

"I think that you got me drunk, Mr. Northman," she softly said.

"Is it my fault that you can't hold your liquor?" he replied, with a smile.

"Should I be afraid at having a vampire in my bedroom?" she asked him.

"Although my intentions are not totally trustworthy, your virtue is safe tonight, Darcie," he said.

"You don't strike me as the type to show mercy," said Darcie.

"Maybe, I have rare fits of gentlemanly behavior," said Eric.

He sat on the bed and stared into those curious green eyes.

Darcie smiled and said, "I'll have to alert the media about that since I'm sure that it is an extremely rare occurrence."

Darcie looked at him and said, "Did you used to go to grand balls long ago? Perhaps, in the 1800s?"

Eric wondered what brought about that question and if Darcie was drunker than he thought.

"I imagine that I have been to many such balls, long ago," said Eric.

Darcie closed her eyes and said as she fell back asleep, "I would never have thought that, but that time suited you, very well."

Eric gave her a little smile and said, "Goodnight, Darcie."