A/N: Continuing on with season two. Maryann wasn't my favorite storyline, but I like the dance Eric and Darcie are still doing with each other.
Chapter Sixteen
Darcie awoke and checked the clock at her bedside. She saw that she had slept almost all day and that it was very close to sunset. She was wearing the shorts and tank top that she had fallen asleep in after telling Eric about Godric. She got up and walked through the darkened suite to Eric's room. She paused in the doorway and gazed at the sleeping vampire. The comforter was thrown off and just a sheet covered him from the waist down. He was lying on his side facing her and his chest was bare. Darcie was sure that the rest of him was bare as well. She walked towards him and sat on the edge of the bed. Lying there asleep, he looked almost innocent and Darcie found that he was a temptation that she could not resist and one that she did not want to. She trailed her hand through his hair, tousling it. As her hand caressed him, he opened his blue eyes and gazed at her with surprise.
"Should I be alarmed at finding you here in my bedroom?" he asked.
"Only if you value your virtue," said Darcie with a smile. "Because my intentions are not honorable in the least."
She trailed her hand down to his throat and over his chest. She noticed that he felt cool to her touch, but it was not an unpleasant sensation. Her eyes watched the path of her hand as she moved it down to his abdominals. As her fingertips glided over his muscles, she felt them tense slightly. When she reached the edge of the sheet, she looked back into his eyes.
"I would say that my intentions are very wicked, indeed," said Darcie with a slight smirk.
She slipped her hand underneath the sheet and began to touch him, softly caressing and teasing him. She watched in satisfaction as he closed his eyes in pleasure. With a gentle nudge from her, he rolled onto his back and arched into the pillows as a soft moan escaped from his lips. As she continued to arouse him, he sighed her name as his fangs appeared. Darcie watched him and enjoyed this moment of power and control over him. She leaned in and trailed her tongue up his throat to his lips. She kissed him and gently ran her tongue over his fangs. She smiled as he responded just the way that she wanted.
When her head nodded, Darcie awoke with a start. She looked around, her eyes wide in alarm, until she realized that she was in the backseat of the car with Jason. Mr. Turner was driving them back to Louisiana after leaving Dallas early that evening.
Jason looked over at her, curiously, and said, "What were you dreaming about?"
"Nothing," said Darcie, embarrassed.
Darcie looked out the window and thought about that dream. She felt a small shiver of fear as she remembered that she might have come into contact with Eric's bloody tears as she had kissed him after telling him that Godric was alive. She had thought those tears were dry, but his eyes had still been wet, as she remembered. Did she get any of his blood on her lips? Or, was she just having an erotic dream of her own about him? That wouldn't be so unusual since she found him attractive. And if he was manipulating her dreams, it hardly seemed likely that he would send her a dream like that, where she was the one in control.
As they drove into Bon Temps, they found the welcome sign defaced with profanity and obscene graffiti.
"What the hell?" said Jason.
Darcie's eyes took in a scene of an abandoned looking town with litter lining the streets. Shop windows were broken and glass littered the sidewalks. The few people that were out were behaving weirdly, to say the least, she thought. Had the townsfolk gone completely crazy? What had happened in the fews days that they had been in Dallas?
"Hold on," said Mr. Turner.
He swerved the car trying to avoid the people that ran out in front of the car. As Darcie and Jason looked back, they laughed and rolled around in the street. When Mr. Turner reached the outskirts of town, he slowed down.
"Where to?" he asked.
Jason attempted to call Sookie on his cell, but it went straight to voice mail. He shook his head at Darcie.
"Sookie's house," said Darcie. She gave Mr. Turner directions.
As the car drove down the driveway, the headlights illuminated a large sculpture in front of the house. They parked the car and got out. They stood before it and examined it. It was a solid structure that seemed to divide into two appendages, or horns, at the top. It was built out of all kinds of things; like meat and dead animals, flowers, fruit and things that looked like they had come from Sookie's house. It reeked with decay and flies buzzed around it.
"Just what in the hell is that?" asked Jason.
"An offering," said Mr. Turner. "I think that we should leave, now."
"We need to find out if Sookie is here, Mr. Turner," said Darcie.
They cautiously stepped inside and saw that the inside as well as the outside of the house had been defaced with mud, dirt, branches and all sort of things that did not belong indoors. As Darcie stared at the mess, a tall woman with long, dark hair appeared. She was wearing a long dress that crossed over one shoulder reminiscent of a Greek or Roman style. Flanking her was an attractive man who was holding Sookie in his arms. The man's eyes were totally black.
"Now, what do we have here?" said the woman.
Jason stepped to Sookie, but Darcie held him back.
"Who are you?" asked Darcie.
"I'm called Maryann Forrester," she replied. "But, I have had many names over the ages. This handsome man is Eggs. And of course, you are familiar with your cousin."
The woman stared at them and studied them.
"The two of you are similar," said Maryann as she stared at Darcie and Sookie.
She turned her eyes to Darcie and studied her and said, "You both seem to have an affection for vampires, go figure. But, you are different. Your family had a taste for the unusual, didn't they? Your vampire suitor doesn't have any idea of what he has managed to catch, does he?"
"Let me go," said Sookie, struggling in Egg's grip. "You guys need to leave, now."
Jason shook off Darcie's hand and took a few steps towards Sookie. Maryann rounded on him.
"Not so fast, little boy," she said with a smile.
"Leave them alone," said Darcie.
"How sweet," said Maryann. "I just adore the dynamics of family love. Take their place and I'll let them go."
"No," said Mr. Turner.
"I see you have your own bodyguard," said Maryann. "But, there's no need to worry, I won't hurt you. You can be a handmaiden since I haven't found anyone worthy in such a long time."
"Is there anything else that you want?" asked Darcie.
"Sam Merlott will do," said Maryann. "Bring him and I'll let your cousins go."
"I think you mean cousin," said Darcie, as Mr. Turner yanked Jason away from Maryann.
When Maryann took a step to Mr. Turner, Darcie moved beside him.
"Fine, take him. He isn't as interesting as you two girls are anyway," she said.
Slowly, Mr. Turner, Jason and Darcie backed out of the house.
"We'll be back for you, Sookie," said Jason.
"Yes, come back any time that you want to play," said Maryann.
They got into the car and drove away.
"Why isn't Bill there?" asked Jason. "Every time before that Sookie has been in trouble, he always came for her."
"Good question," said Darcie.
They drove the short distance to Bill's house and found Jessica seemingly alone.
"Where's Bill?" asked Darcie.
"He's been poisoned," said Jessica, upset.
Jessica led them to the couch where Bill was lying. He looked even paler than he usually did, thought Darcie, and he seemed to be in a comatose state.
"I brought him up at sunset," said Jessica. "But, he is not any better."
"What happened?" asked Jason.
"He attacked Maryann and bit her," said Jessica. "Her blood must have poisoned him."
Jessica looked at Darcie, hopefully, and said, "Maybe, you could let him feed on you?"
"No," said Darcie. "I don't think so."
As Darcie looked at Bill, her phone rang.
"You're late," said Eric.
"I'm a little tied up, right now," replied Darcie.
"I'm expecting you here," he said.
"There is something weird going on here in Bon Temps," said Darcie. "Everyone has gone crazy, Sookie is a hostage and Bill has been poisoned."
There was a long silence and then Eric said, "What is causing the problems?"
"Hold on," said Darcie.
She turned to Mr. Turner and asked, "Do you know what that was?"
"It's a guess, but I think she's a maenad," said Mr. Turner.
"We think that she's a maenad," said Darcie. "Do you know how to defeat one?"
"No," said Eric. "And I don't want you doing anything foolish. I will call Godric, but I want you to come back here."
"I can't," said Darcie. "She is holding Sookie prisoner and threatening her and Jason."
"You talked to her?" asked Eric. "What does she want?"
"Sam Merlott," said Darcie. "Maybe, me."
"You will obey me and return, now," said Eric.
Darcie stepped outside of Bill's house for privacy and said, "You can't tell me what to do."
"Yes, I can," said Eric. "Remember our little arrangement?"
"If she kills Sookie or Jason, you won't have anything left to blackmail me with," said Darcie.
She did have a point, thought Eric. Why does trouble always seem to follow Darcie's cousins? Eric decided to try a different tact.
As Darcie was waiting for Eric to reply, he hung up on her.
Mr. Turner's phone rang and he looked at it and answered it.
"How did you get this number?" he asked.
"Nevermind," said Eric. "You will bring Darcie back here, now."
"I don't answer to you," said Mr. Turner.
"I'm not exactly sure just what you are or what your connection to Darcie is; however, I suspect that you are somehow related to her," said Eric. "But, your task is to protect her, is it not?"
"Yes," said Mr. Turner.
"She is in danger there as long as that maenad is in Bon Temps," said Eric. "She will be safer here."
"What, with you, vampire?" said Mr. Turner. "She will never belong to you in the way that you want."
"She already does," said Eric. "She is just too stubborn to realize it."
Darcie stepped inside and saw Mr. Turner on the phone.
"Is that Eric? Why is he calling you?" she demanded.
Mr. Turner hung up the phone and said, "He does have a point. It would be safer to get out of this town. Unless, you want us to give her Sam Merlott."
"Why does she want him?" asked Darcie.
"I suspect that she wants to sacrifice him," said Mr. Turner.
"That is some seriously messed up shit," said Jason.
Darcie was not such a monster that she would give up an innocent man to that creature.
"We can stay with Jason," said Darcie. "That should be safe enough."
Darcie looked down on Bill. Even though, she didn't really like him, he would try to protect Sookie.
"Do you want to try to heal Bill," she asked Jason.
"Isn't that kind of gay? Why can't you do it?" replied Jason.
"I...I'm Eric's human, it's against the rules for another vampire to feed on me," said Darcie, or at least, she thought it was.
Reluctantly, Jason held his wrist to Bill's lips.
"He's too weak to drop fang," said Jessica.
Darcie looked over to Mr. Turner and he pulled out the switchblade and stepped to Jason. Before Jason realized what he was doing, he cut his wrist and held it to Bill's lips.
"Hey, man, that hurt," said Jason in protest.
Bill began to latch on and after a few seconds, his fangs came out and he bit into Jason's wrist.
"Son of a bitch," said Jason, wincing
Bill fed and his color returned. When he realized that it wasn't Sookie, he let go of Jason.
"Where is Sookie?" he demanded.
"Maryann has her," said Darcie.
He got up and said, "I can't defeat her, I tried. But, I know another vampire who might know how. I need to leave now if I am to make it before dawn."
"We will be staying with Jason if you find anything out," said Darcie.
At Jason's house, Jason brought out his weapons for Mr. Turner to look over. They locked all the doors and windows. They decided to sleep in shifts, with Darcie taking the first sleep shift. As she got ready to lay down, her phone rang again.
"You are at Jason's and not on your way back here," said Eric.
"How do you know where I am?" asked Darcie, suspiciously.
"If you aren't with Sookie, then that only leaves Jason since I know you dislike Bill too much to stay with him," said Eric.
Maybe she was getting paranoid, thought Darcie. She was sure that kiss could not have transferred any of his blood to her. Well, almost sure.
"Since you insist on being difficult, will you at least try to stay out of trouble until tomorrow evening?" asked Eric.
"Alright, but you aren't going to expect me to do any more favors for you, are you?" asked Darcie.
"You could stop pretending that you don't want me and engage in hot, passionate sex with me," said Eric.
"Dream on," said Darcie.
"I have been doing just that," said Eric. "But, a better question might be whether or not you have been dreaming about me."
Darcie hung up the phone and back at Fangtasia, Eric smiled. She wouldn't be so sensitive if he had not guessed the truth, he thought.