Chapter Five: Somewhere Trouble Don't Go
"Great." I muttered to myself as I slowly turned and stared at the angry mess of a Were. She was storming over to me wearing even less clothes than the young girl had been earlier. Of course, the girl was peeking around the bar with a wide smirk on her face, probably hoping Debbie would fuck me up and she could watch. Seriously, what was wrong with this generation? "Well hello to you too, Debbie."
"Get the fuck outta my bar!" She screeched in my face as she stomped right on up to me, her terrible breath falling on my face.
My nose scrunched up in disgust. I wasn't one to appreciate the smell of alcohol as a perfume, so I took a step back, trying to keep the peace. I had already caused enough drama tonight with Rolland. I didn't need any more. I wanted to get back to Alcide's apartment, sleep the rest of the night away, and then just head on home in the morning. It had been a mistake coming here. But I didn't regret it. How was I supposed to know? What if I hadn't come here and I missed something? At least now I knew what a colossal waste of time this had been.
"I'm talking to you bitch." She thought it would be a good idea to push me backwards, causing me to lose my balance and stumble. I was just glad Quinn happened to be directly behind me and steadied me before I could have fallen flat on my ass. "Don't make me fuck you up, bitch!"
"You need a better vocabulary." I rolled my eyes. "I don't want any trouble, Debbie. I was just leaving."
"That's right; you get your skanky ass out of here. You don't belong in here you dirty fangbanging whore!"
"You're one to talk." I shook my head. I should have just shut my mouth and walked away. But I had never been the brightest in the world. "Aren't you a V addict, Debbie?"
"Shut your fucking mouth!" She screamed.
I tried looking around for Alcide, and was disappointed to find him still at the bar, his head hung as he tried not to pay us any attention. He was the only one, however, as every single patron in the bar was now turned and watching the scene before them. A few of them whistled, calling for a cat fight, and I shot them dirty looks. I didn't want any trouble. I swear, Weres brought on more fights than vampires did.
"I'm just speaking the truth." I sighed. "Now if you'll excuse me."
"Take that back, bitch!" she shoved me again, though she only managed to piss me off even more.
"Take what back?" I narrowed my eyes. "You are a V addict. There's nothing dishonest about that."
Her eyes narrowed into slits, her hands clenching at her side. I was lucky I had enough sense to duck as she tried to swing one of her fists right at my face. she stumbled forward when I ducked, but was able to catch herself and actually was able to catch me by surprise by tackling me down onto the dirty ground. I grunted at the initial impact, but immediately began fighting back. What was it with me and cat fights? Couldn't I just avoid these little incidents? It didn't help that Debbie was much stronger than that slut of a dancer I had tried to fight, and was actually able to give me a run for my money. But unlike that last cat fight, I wasn't about to play fair. So without hesitation, and as Debbie was trying to claw at my face, her eyes turning an eerie amber colour, I concentrated on the power from within. The familiar tingling in my fingertips came immediately, the warmth spreading from my chest to my hand in mere moments. Without thinking about it, I pushed my hand into Debbie's face in an attempt to push her off of me. I was actually surprised when I heard the sizzling above me, the smell of charred skin immediately meeting my nose. Debbie yelped, but remained on me even though I had just burned her face. So I used my telekinesis and threw her right across the bar, her body smashing into a wood table, wrecking it completely.
"What the fuck!" Debbie screamed, her voice echoing in the bar. "What the fuck did you do to me?"
As I was trying to scramble to my feet, a hand flew out in front of me and I was relieved to find Quinn standing above me. I smiled up at him and took his hand, and in seconds, I was back on my feet. I stared at the Were-Bitch, pleased to find a nasty burn on her face, her hands trying to cover the charred skin. She would heal, I knew that. Maybe not as fast as a vampire, but she would eventually heal. I felt no remorse for what I had done to her. She had attacked me, not the other way around. I was only using my abilities for self defence.
"You brought it on yourself, Debbie." Amanda shook her head as she walked over to the Were. "I've told you I don't want you in here. All you do is cause fights."
"That bitch burnt my face!"
"And I'm sorry about that." I surprised myself by saying as I stepped forward. "But you gave me no choice. You attacked me."
"I'll fuck your shit up." She threatened.
"Debbie that's enough." Alcide was the one to speak this time, though his back was to her as he continued to sit at the bar.
"I'm sorry for creating a scene, Amanda, that wasn't my intention." I spoke to the owner of the bar. "I'll be leaving now."
"You're welcome here any time." She assured me as she sent Debbie a dark look. "You on the other hand..."
I didn't waste much time leaving. I didn't even give Alcide a second glance as I strode right on past him and out the front door. I shivered as the cool night air hit my arms but I didn't care. I couldn't believe what this night had brought me. And to make it worse, my phone was going off in the pocket of my dress. I groaned, knowing that it was probably Sookie. She would have realized I was gone by now, and would be wondering where in the world I was.
"Hello Sookie."
"Where are you?" She demanded to know immediately. "I came home tonight after work and you're nowhere to be found. It didn't even look like you slept in your own bed last night. Where are you Ellie?"
"Okay, don't be mad." I chewed on my bottom lip nervously. "Promise you won't be mad."
"I promise."
"Alcide came by last night and I might be in Mississippi right now." I blurted out, knowing it would be best just to get it out.
"WHAT!"
"You promised you wouldn't be mad." I reminded her, wincing at the lecture she was already giving me on the other end. I sighed as I held the phone away from my ear, already knowing what she was going to say. I was acting reckless. I wasn't thinking straight. I should get Alcide to drive me home immediately before I got into any trouble. I knew it all. And I knew she was right. I was acting reckless, and I wasn't thinking straight. But who could think straight when they're best friend was missing, or potentially dead? It just wasn't possible.
"Look Sook, I'm trying to keep out of trouble." I promised her. "I'll be back sometime in the late morning or early afternoon, alright?"
"Your ass better be here by the time I get home from work."
I couldn't help but smile at Sookie's tone. "I will be, I promise. I'll even stop by Merlotte's so you know I'm alive and well."
"You better."
I shook my head as we hung up, slipping my phone back into my pocket.
"That was mighty impressive, Ms. Cole." Quinn's voice sounded from behind me.
I turned to find the Were-Tiger escaping the tense atmosphere of the bar, slipping into a sports jacket over the button up shirt he was wearing.
"Thanks, though I didn't exactly want to have to do that." I had to force my gaze up to those dark pits. "And call me Ellie, everyone does."
"Well that was quite a display." He grinned down at me. "I would not want to get on your bad side."
"Oh that's nothing; I've burnt a witch alive before." I shrugged as if it was no big deal, but of course, burning someone alive was a pretty big deal.
"Yeah, definitely would not want to piss you off." He chuckled. "Though the Were-Bitch deserved it."
"Oh good, I'm not the only one who calls her that." I couldn't help but match his grin. There was just something about this guy that made me want to smile like I've never smiled before.
"Just calling it like it is." He winked before the door to the bar opened once again and Alcide stepped out. And he didn't look one bit happy.
"Let's go." He grunted, storming right past us towards the alley leading to the parking lot.
I raised an eyebrow at his mood but shook my head and looked back up at Quinn.
"It was really nice to meet you." I smiled at him.
"The pleasure was all mine, Ellie." The way my name just rolled off of his tongue caused me to blush. I don't know why I was reacting this way. I was in love with Eric. And even if I wasn't, I didn't act like this around men. It just wasn't who I was. Or at least I thought it wasn't. Quinn was just in a league of his own though. He was a gentleman, and just downright gorgeous.
I had to mentally slap myself as I quickly turned and hurried after Alcide, trying to rid my thoughts of Quinn.
"Look, I know you're angry with me but..." I grabbed Alcide's arm to pull him to a stop. I knew he was angry with me for what happened with Debbie in the bar. But what was I supposed to do? She attacked me. If I hadn't of done anything, then I could be the one hurt, not the other way around. And I had one too many problems on my plate right now, I couldn't add fucked up by a Were-Bitch to the list.
"Just drop it." He grumbled, shaking my hand off as he stomped towards the truck.
"Oh come on Alcide, she attacked me for no reason!" I rolled my eyes and followed him.
"You provoked her."
"She came at me, yelling for absolutely no reason. I was just getting ready to find you so we could leave and she attacks me. What was I supposed to do, just let her? I'm sorry but no." I crossed my arms.
"What happened to not causing a scene?" He stopped at the door of the driver's side, his dark eyes meeting mine.
"It's not like I had it planned to fight with the Were-Bitch."
"Don't call her that." He growled lowly, his arms tensing.
I raised an eyebrow. For someone who claimed he didn't love Debbie, he certainly was defending her pretty heavily. "Okay, I'm sorry. But really Alcide, what did you think I was going to do?"
"You didn't need to burn her." He ripped the door open.
"Okay, so maybe not, but it just happened." I shrugged. "I'm sorry alright. But you don't need to be acting this way."
He muttered curses under his breath and just waved me to get into the truck. I sighed as I moved around the side of the truck to the other side. I climbed into the vehicle and watched as Alcide just sat there, gripping the wheel so tightly his knuckles were turning white. I shook my head at how he was acting, but I suppose in some way I did understand. It was evident that Alcide still cared about Debbie, and you know what, that was fine. He could try and protect the woman he loved; there was nothing wrong with that. But right now, I didn't want to deal with this drama. I had a best friend to find.
"Look, I know you're really pissed off at me right now, so you can just drop me off at the bombing site and then I'll find a way home from there." I suggested. It would wipe out a great deal of my bank account to get a cab from Jackson to Bon Temps but I don't think either of us really wanted to be in each other's presence right now.
"No. I'm responsible for you, I'll take you home myself. Tonight." He started up the engine.
"Alcide it's fine. I just want to check the site again, in case I missed something, and then I'll call a cab. Really it's no big deal. You probably want to make sure Debbie is alright, and I get that. So if you could just drive me to the mansion, then that would be great. I'll be out of your hair in no time."
He shook his head. "That's just asking for trouble."
"And I can clearly take care of myself." I nodded at the building. "Do you honestly want to drive me back to Bon Temps right now?"
He didn't say a word and I knew I was right.
"So just take me to the bombing site and you can come back here to check on Debbie, alright? Really, it's okay."
"It'll cost you an arm and a leg to take a cab." He pointed out.
"Well it's a good thing I have an arm and a leg to spare then." I tried to lighten the mood.
Alcide thought about it for a moment, and after a too long of a pause, he finally sighed and nodded. I offered him a smile before buckling up and waiting for him to pull out of the parking spot. The ride to the bombing site was absolutely silent. The tension in the truck was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. I was more than happy to jump right out of the truck the moment he pulled to a stop at the side of the road by where we had slipped onto the mansion grounds the previous night. I waved at the man, assuring him I was going to be alright, and watched as he drove away. Shaking my head, I turned towards the mansion and was again taken back by just how unreal it all was.
A sigh emitted from Eric's lips as he gazed around the wreckage one last time. For the third night in a row he had come here in hopes of finding something he had missed. But he had gone through the remains of the mansion a dozen times and still hadn't found anything new. There was no evidence to support his suspicions, no proof for him to conduct a further investigation. And he was no closer to finding his maker. He fought daily to search for the bond he held with Godric, but not once had he had even a flicker of life. He refused to believe Godric was no more. He couldn't be. He was too smart to allow himself to fall into this situation. He must have known something. He must have gotten out. But how? How could Godric possibly survive a bombing such as this? There was nothing left of the Jackson mansion, and he doubted there was much to look at in New Orleans. But it was his next target, his last hope in search of his missing maker. If he couldn't find a lead there, then all hope would be lost.
Shaking his head, Eric ran a hand through his slicked back hair before deciding on returning to his penthouse for the night. There was nothing else to look for, nothing else here that would help him. He would leave for New Orleans the moment the sun dipped below the horizon the next night. But for now, standing within the wreckage, it only brought Eric a sense of defeat and guilt. Had he not have left, Godric never would have been summoned to New Orleans. He never would have gone to the palace and he never would be been involved with the bombing. His maker would be alive and well and he would know exactly where he was. He wouldn't be searching for him in hopes he was still alive. He wouldn't fear that perhaps once and for all, his maker was gone and there was nothing he could do about it.
"I'm sorry father." Eric bowed his head, feeling the rising emotions at the potential loss of Godric.
But no, he couldn't think like that. Eric blinked away the bloody tears that were forming in his eyes, his expression hardening. He couldn't allow him to think like that, that his maker could have met the true death. Godric was very much alive, he had to be.
"I will find you." Eric vowed as he readied himself to take off into the night sky. But before he could, he was taken back by the soft voice that came wafting across the mansion grounds. His head whipped to the side, and though it was pitch black dark, he could still see her form clearly.
"I'll call you when I get back to Bon Temps so you know I didn't get myself killed."
It was Ellie. He could recognize that sweet voice anywhere. But why was she here? Why had she come back here? He had been able to smell her scent the moment he had arrived this evening. She had been here, to this site the night previous. He could smell her everywhere. But now she had return, only heightening the risk. Shaking his head, Eric sped over to the line of trees, keeping himself hidden as he watched Ellie closely. Every fibre in his being told him to leave, to let her take care of herself. But his heart, his still dead heart, froze him to the spot, not allowing him to leave his precious Phoenix all alone on this night.
It amazed him even after all this time how she was still able to take his unnecessary breath away. Her beauty was unheard of. She was not like the fangbangers he would carelessly drink from and fuck. She was much more than that. Every single one of her curves was desirable. That quirk of a smile, those bright shining eyes, Eric never wanted to forget those little things. But he must. He had to. If he did not, he would find himself as the same weak, pathetic lovesick puppy that he had been. He was Eric Northman, not some pathetic teenager.
Scowling, Eric watched with narrowed eyes as Ellie worked her way through the wreckage, her eyes roaming over everything. Her lips were curved downward into a frown, her forehead wrinkling as she concentrated on what was around her. As he watched her, he hadn't even realized that his scowl had turned into a small smile, his eyes unable to leave her swaying form. She was captivating, he could not deny that. And it wasn't merely because of what she was. She was a Phoenix, and as appealing as her powers and blood may be, it was so much more that drew him to her. It was her melodic laugh, her innocent view on the world, the way she saw so much more than a monster inside of him.
"That's all I am." Eric muttered to himself, shaking himself of those thoughts.
"Hello?" Eric watched as Ellie talked into her phone, pausing her search through the rubble. "Oh, hi Pam."
Eric raised an eyebrow. His child was calling Ellie?
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Ellie? Have you gone absolutely insane? It was one thing to annoy me in Fangtasia, but to go with that mutt to Jackson? Have you lost your mind?"
Eric smirked at his progeny, glad that while Pam may dislike Ellie, she was still looking out for her while he was away.
"Well you weren't around and I was getting restless." Ellie shrugged to no one. "Did you find Eric?"
"That doesn't matter. You're suicidal, you know that you silly little girl. Get your pretty little ass back here before I'm forced to drag it here myself." Pam warned her, earning a chuckle from Eric as he continued to listen.
"I'll be back by morning, I promise."
"If you are not here, at Fangtasia by opening, I will come find you. And you will not like it when I do."
"I'll be there." Eric caught sight of Ellie rolling her eyes. "Goodbye Pam."
She hung up on her before Pam could utter another word. Eric shook his head at the two as he resumed watching Ellie's form closely, ensuring that she didn't find herself hurt. After a good half an hour of absolutely nothing occurring, Eric found himself bored. He gazed up at the slowly lightening sky and knew he would have to return to his home soon. But he wondered why Ellie was still there, why she hadn't left yet. She was persistent, he would give her that. She just continued to search and search, dirtying herself as she pushed aside rubble pile after rubble pile. She was just as determined to find Godric as he was, and while he thought she was being idiotic for doing so alone, he did appreciate the fact that she cared so greatly about Godric. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to him. Ellie and Godric had always had a special bond, one that not even he could fully understand. And he found himself jealous of it. Ellie would run to Godric no matter the circumstance, even before she would ever come to him. She would speak freely to his maker, seeking his comfort in even her darkest days. He had never earned that trust over the years they had known one another.
"Hm, she smells delicious."
Eric's eyes narrowed into slits as he heard the new voice. His head snapped to the side, watching as two figures began to approach Ellie from behind. She was so caught up that she never noticed the threat of vampires. Not that she would have. They were deadly silent, just as all vampires were when they were stalking prey. Eric straightened, his arms tensing as his hands clenched into fists. He was ready to pounce should either of the vampires touch even a hair on her beautiful head. He may have wanted to keep his distance, but he would always be there should she need him, should she need any shred of help. That would never change, Eric realized. He may try to forget her, to move on from the crushing feelings he felt towards her. But he would always ensure that she was safe, that she was not to be harmed. If nothing else, he could do that for her.
"Is she the one?"
"Smells like it."
"Do you think he would care if we took a quick taste?"
"He's not here, now is he?"
"This is going nowhere." I mumbled, wiping the dirt from my hands onto my dress, not caring about how I looked right now. I looked around at the wreckage I had been looking through for a half an hour now only to find nothing that would help me. There was just nothing here, nothing useful at all. Everything had been destroyed, including evidence as to what had occurred here. This entire trip to Jackson had been unneeded. I should have known this would happen. But I had just been so excited to possibly have a lead that I just didn't care. I wanted to find whatever I could, and I only ended up wasting both Alcide and my time.
At least I could go back and inform Sookie I kicked Debbie's ass. That was something right?
Sighing, I shook my head and patted my pocket for my phone, ready to just call a cab and head home. I had some of my things still at Alcide's but I wasn't about to try and head over there to grab them. Just my luck, I would run into Debbie and that was the last thing I wanted. He could send it to me for all I care. I just wanted to get out of this city, go home, and try and collect myself.
And figure out where the hell to go from here in my search for Godric.
"Do you think he would care if we took a quick taste?"
"He's not here, now is he?"
My blood ran cold as my eyes grew wide. I ceased any movement, my heart pounding against my chest. I had been so focused looking through the wreckage that I hadn't even heard others approaching. And not just anyone, they were vampires. Oh this was just fantastic. Like I needed anything else to go wrong. I didn't want to fend off hungry vampires that wanted to eat me. I just wanted to go home, was that so much to ask?
Trying to focus myself, concentrating on both the approaching vampires and my powers, I closed my eyes. They were growing closer, their voices growing louder, their feet crunching in the wreckage. Any sane person would have run. But I knew if I tried to do so, I wouldn't get very far. Just because I was a Phoenix, it didn't mean I could outrun a vampire. I was still much weaker in that aspect. So my best bet would be to just stay and fight. Or at least weaken the vampires enough to get away safely.
I was really starting to hate myself for coming to this damn city.
"We'll look what we have here." There was a gust of wind and suddenly one of the vampires was directly behind me.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt the hot breath of the vampire tickling my neck. He was so close that the sound of his extracting fangs rang in my ears.
"Looks like we're going to have a late night snack."
I was kicking myself even more for wearing my hair up, exposing my neck to this predator. The vampire grazed his fangs along the length of my neck as his arm came around my waist to hold me in place. That's when I took my opportunity and used my powers to burn his arm, causing the vampire to yelp in pain. He stumbled away from me and I twisted around, outstretching my hand and throwing the vampire across the wreckage with ease. The other vampire was before me in a flash, and for a moment, my mind just went blank with fear. Fangs were flashed as he growled and leapt at me. He never made it however, as suddenly he was yanked away from me. My eyes grew wide as I stood there, glued to the spot as the tall blonde who I could have recognized from a mile away, ripped the head right off of the vampire. The body immediately turned to goo, blood splattering everywhere. I flinched as a good deal of it flew at me, but I just couldn't look away as I stared at the vampire in shock.
There he stood, the former Viking, the once love of my life, the vampire I had thought to be in Sweden, never to be heard from again, covered in the previous vampire's blood, just staring at me in a way I thought I would never witness again.
"Eric?" my voice was barely above a whisper.
Before he could say a word however, I suddenly felt a new presence behind me. My eyes grew wide, and not even a scream could emit from my lips as a pair of fangs sunk deep within my neck.