Chapter Twenty Six: Love The Way You Lie
"Are you sure this a good idea?" Godric glanced at me as we stood within the cemetery at a good distance so Bill couldn't hear or see any of us, but yet, still close that we could keep an eye on things.
"Yes." I nodded. "Or well, I'm pretty sure it is."
"You don't sound very convincing." He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Nothing bad can happen; we're going to know what happens at all times." I pointed to the ear piece in my ear. "There are three vampires out here, waiting to attack even if something does happen."
"Just as long as you're sure." Godric sighed but nodded, turning his attention onto the house as Sookie slowly her made her way onto the porch and to the front door where she knocked.
"I feel like I'm in some sort of spy movie." She whispered into her microphone.
I chuckled at her statement and opened my mind to her, knowing that this was the only possible way we could communicate with Sookie.
I know right. Just don't worry, we've got you covered, 007.
"So not the time for making jokes Ellie."
Sorry, Sook. You're doing great.
Sookie fell silent after a moment, and as I strained to see, Bill had appeared in the doorway, a look of surprise on his face.
"Sookie, what are you doing here?"
"You wanted to talk to me, didn't you? I'm tired of you popping up whenever you feel like it. I just want to put this all to rest once and for all." Sookie's voice was surprisingly level as she spoke, and I knew partly, that's exactly what she wants to do. She wanted a piece of mind so she could completely move on and be happy with Sam.
"Of course, please, come in." Bill stepped to the side, and within seconds, we could no longer see the blonde telepath.
My heart just about jumped out of my chest and I tried to assure myself that this plan was the right one, that nothing would happen. But even I had my doubts and fears. Because this was Bill Compton. He may be a douche, but he was an unpredictable douche. He had fooled us all the first time. All we could hope is that he was alone, and wouldn't try anything too drastic.
Like killing my best friend.
I shuddered at the thought and settled back on the tombstone I was sitting on. Though, in my defence at my blatant lack of respect for the dead, it was Bill's tombstone, so I couldn't be blamed at all.
"Please, have a seat."
"I'd rather stand, thank you." There was an edge to Sookie's voice, and I knew Sam would be proud of her if he was here right now. She wasn't going to fall for his tricks, not like she did the last time. "Is Jessica here?"
"We're alone, she's with Hoyt tonight." Bill answered, and from the tone of his voice, it was safe to say that he was telling the truth. That at least gave me hope. If there were any Weres or any other human around, Sookie would be able to pick up on it and give me some sort of signal. I waited, and waited, but she said nothing to cause any alarm, relieving at least one of my worries.
"Bill I..."
"I wanted to apologize, Sookie, for how you perceived me when we were last together."
I rolled my eyes at the pathetic line.
Don't listen to a word he says Sook, he's lying through his teeth. Just play along.
"How I perceived you? You made it pretty clear the reason you had come to Bon Temps in the first place"
"I...I regret following my orders, I do, you must know that. But I had no other choice." Once again, he was lying through his teeth. You always had a choice; he just chose to do the wrong thing.
"You always have a choice, Bill." I snorted, realizing that we had the same frame of mind. "And you chose to manipulate me into making me believe I loved you. You were going to hand me off to whoever would give you the sweetest deal. That isn't love, Bill. That isn't something you do to the person you care about."
"I did love you, Sookie. At first it was only just an order but I...I came to truly care about you."
"Then why were you about to hand me off to Russell?" she demanded to know, her voice rising. "You claim to love me, and yet you go and do that?"
"I was...I was hoping to give him Ellie instead, so he would leave you be."
"So you were willing to hand over my best friend? That doesn't make it any better." Sookie sounded appalled, and I didn't blame her one bit. If Eric hadn't come along when he had, then he very well could have handed me over to Russell. I had been in no shape that night to fight, not after I had already battled that half demon. I might have won, but I had paid the price for it.
"I know now that I shouldn't have done it, and I'm sorry. But I loved you, Sookie. I would have done anything to keep you safe, even if it meant betraying Ellie."
"You can't just expect me to forgive you for that. That's just too much."
"Eric has done worse things than I have to protect Ellie, and yet you don't criticize him." Bill pointed out and I frowned, wishing I could just set him on fire from afar. And I probably could have, but I knew that wouldn't have gotten us anywhere.
"Eric loved Ellie, Bill. He loves her more than anything."
"And I loved you, I still do. Eric he...he ran off like a coward, and you still defend him?" Bill spat in disgust.
"Eric was scared and instead of hurting Ellie more by staying, he left. I'm not condoning his actions, and it's not even the reason I came here." Sookie's anger was growing.
It's okay, Sook. Let him talk all the smack he wants to. Just remember why you're there.
"Why are you back here, Bill? You know I will never forgive you. You know I'm with Sam now. So why are you here?" Sookie questioned, moving on with why she had gone to Bill's in the first place.
"I had been hoping that you would..."
"That I would what? that I would see you and fall back into your arms. I'm not that kind of girl. I'm not the naive telepath that you manipulated the first time." I could hear the strength in her voice, and I couldn't help but smile in pride. "I love Sam; I love him more than I could ever have loved you."
"Because he isn't a vampire?"
"Because he isn't hiding anything from me. Because I know he won't stab me in the back. You did, Bill. You manipulated me. You didn't care about me at all."
"That's not true, Sookie, I love you."
"Don't Bill, don't touch me." Sookie sounded agitated, and my body grew tense. "You think you loved me, but I think it was just my blood that you loved. It was why you came to procure me in the first place."
"Sookie, I do love you. I always have and I always will. You're mine." Bill's voice was beginning to sound possessive, and I didn't like that one bit. I caught Godric's gaze, sending him a look of worry. He sighed but nodded, whispering to Pam and Chow to prepare themselves.
"No, I'm not yours. I never have been. Maybe I thought at one time that it was good for my safety, but now I realize that it was just all for your benefit. I'm my own person, Bill. I'm not yours, I'm not Sam's, I'm just me, that's it."
"I've claimed you. You'll forever be fine. You have my blood, and I have yours. We're bonded."
"That means nothing to me, Bill."
"But it means everything to me." I could have sworn I heard some shuffling, and after a soft yelp from Sookie, I knew he had grabbed her roughly. "You are mine, Sookie. Your body, your soul, your blood, it's all mine. I won't let you go. I will complete this bond, so we're forced together forever."
"What are you talking about Bill?" Sookie was beginning to panic, and she wasn't the only one. I had hopped off of the tombstone, kicking it as I did so, and signalled for Godric and the others.
"We will be together again."
"No we won't. I love Sam. I'm with him now." I could hear her struggling, and my heart began to race in my chest.
"You'll never be his, never." Bill growled lowly.
It's okay Sookie, just keep calm. Nothing will happen, I promise.
"Let me go Bill Compton!"
"You're mine." He hissed. "Once this is over, we'll be together for the rest of our immortal lives."
The blood drained from my face when I realized what he meant when he said they would be together forever. He planned on turning her. He didn't care that she didn't love him, or that she hated him. Because once he turned her, he could command her to stay with him, to love him, to do whatever the hell he wanted. And that was the last thing we could let happen.
"Godric." I looked at the vampire in fright. "He plans on turning her."
Godric's fangs clicked out in an instant, his hands curling into fists.
"When can we rip his fucking head off?" Pam hissed, her eyes narrowing as she glared at where the house laid on the other side of the cemetery.
"Just wait." I held up my hands as I listened closely to what was going on inside the house.
"Let me go, Bill. Please. I don't love you; I don't want to be with you. Don't do this." Sookie was softly crying now.
"You'll be mine forever, Sookie; we'll always be...what's this?"
I frowned as suddenly I began hearing static, as if someone had...
"Oh god." I whispered. "He found the microphone."
"What the hell is this, Sookie? Have you been spying on me? You'll have to be punished for that, my love."
"Oh fuck, go go go!" I shouted at the vampires, hearing the microphone being destroyed to the point that I had to rip the ear piece out of my ear to save my eardrum from the loud ringing.
The vampires didn't need to be told twice. One minute they were there, and the next minute, they were gone. I followed quickly after them in my human pace, but found myself outside of Bill's house quick enough. I didn't waste a minute as I hurried up the porch stairs and slid into the house. I came to an abrupt stop, however, the moment I slid into the front hallway, my eyes growing at the sight before me. Bill held Sookie firmly around the waist, the top of her dress having been ripped open as he had discovered the microphone. The shocking sight, however, was the small ancient dagger that was being pressed against Sookie's neck, Bill threatening to slice her throat right then and there if any of us moved even an inch. My heart just about stopped as I looked into the face of my best friend, silent tears running down her cheeks. I tried to catch her gaze, to silently assure her that everything would be alright. But it was a pretty hard situation to try and talk her out of panicking over.
"Let her go, Compton." Godric ordered.
"You were supposed to be dead." Bill narrowed his eyes at the older vampire.
"Well you did a crappy job at that." I rolled my eyes.
"And you...you're the one who caused all of this trouble." He pressed the blade of the dagger even harder into her neck, causing her to wince and barely even breathe in fear that he would kill her. "You're the reason for this!"
"No, you're the reason for this. You're the one holding the knife to the throat of the woman you supposedly love." I shot back, my hands clenching at my sides. "Let her go, Bill."
"I can kill him in seconds." Pam went to take a step forward, but as I watch Bill's arm tighten around Sookie, I quickly froze her in a blink of an eye, stopping her from moving from the waist down. She hissed as she flashed me her fangs, but I didn't apologize for stopping her.
"You might be fast, Pam, but the second you move he'll kill her." I reminded her. "No one move."
"But..."
"No one move." I looked between her, Chow and Godric. Godric nodded in agreement, knowing I was right. His body was relaxed, as it always seemed to when in these situations. But I saw the anger in his eyes. He may not be close with Sookie, but knew he just how much she meant to me. "What do you want out of all this, Bill? You can't force her to love you."
"I can."
"Oh right, once you turn her into a vampire against your will." I rolled my eyes. "She'll hate you for the rest of your life. She'll never love you. You can command it all you want, but she never will truly love you like she loves Sam."
"Shut up, you annoying little brat." Bill narrowed his eyes.
"Can I please just kill this mother fucker already?" Pam growled.
"Not yet, Pam. Maybe later." I kept my eyes focused on Bill and Sookie.
Just stay calm, Sook. Don't make any sudden movements. I know you're scared, but I promise you that the only one dying tonight will be him.
She slowly lowered her gaze down to me, and I saw the recognition in her eyes that she had heard me. I tried to smile at her, but decided against it, knowing that would give away to Bill that Sookie and I were communicating telepathically.
"So is this what you planned with Victor, Bill?" I questioned, knowing now that Bill was working with the Nevada vampires. "You help them and you get to keep Sookie?"
"You know nothing." He hissed.
"We're not idiots here, Bill." I crossed my arms. "You're working with the Nevada vampires, aren't you? They fooled you into thinking that you could keep Sookie for yourself."
"We have a plan." He growled. "They didn't need her. They didn't want her like they wanted you."
"So you believed that they would really let you have Sookie, a part fae?" I snickered. "That doesn't seem likely."
"Elizabeth." Godric shot me a look of warning, as if to tell me not to piss Bill off more than we already have. He was in control here; he was the one threatening to end Sookie's life. But I knew he wouldn't do it. He couldn't have her if he killed her. Because even if he gave her his blood to try and turn her, the moment he moved, Godric or one of the other two would be on him, tearing him apart limb by limb.
"All I had to do was hand you over. All I had to do was capture you and then we would be together, forever." Bill was just telling us all that we needed to know, just like I had hoped he would have. He wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and he never had been. He was blinded by his love, no, his lust for Sookie's blood.
"You were the one who sent the Weres, weren't you?" I accused. "You saw that we were home, and you gave them the go ahead."
"Godric wasn't supposed to be there." he flashed Godric another glare. "He was supposed to be dead."
"You might want to make sure of that next time." I pointed out.
"We did. There were no survivors. Everyone was supposed to be dead." Bill was growing frustrated, Sookie wincing as the smallest sliver of a cut appeared on her throat.
"Whoa, calm yourself down, Bill." I held my hand out to try and stop him from going any further. "If you kill her now, you can't turn her."
"She is mine." He growled possessively. "She's only mine."
"No, she was never yours, Bill. All you wanted was her blood; well you're not getting it."
"You should know that I've alerted others. They're on their way." A smirk crossed Bill's face, as if he was so smart that he had called in back up.
And maybe he was a little smart, but I wasn't about to admit that. I just shot Godric a look, but he nodded in assurance to me that everything would be fine. And I believed him. He was two thousand years old after all. If he foresaw a situation turning out in a favour, then I would believe him.
"Just let her go, Bill. You know you'll never really have her, even if you do turn her. All you want is her blood. Just let her go." I tried to talk him out of whatever crazy scheme he had planned.
"You will all die tonight." he warned, his arm tightening around her waist and causing her to cry out in pain.
"Please..." she whispered to Bill. "Please just let me..."
"No!" He roared.
We all tensed, afraid that he was just going to slice her throat right then and there. But he refrained from doing so. But I was still afraid for Sookie's well being. I hated myself for putting her in this position. She had offered, she had assured us all that she wanted to do this. But if I hadn't of been an idiot and just thought it all through, I would have realized how stupid this plan actually was. I wanted to fight back, get revenge, but I didn't want to lose my best friend in the process.
I couldn't panic though. Because if I started to panic, then Sookie would, and who knows what would happen then. We just all needed to remain calm, to try and ease Bill out of this plan of his. Or at least until I could think of another way to...
That's when it hit me. I had frozen Pam to the spot, which she was still grumbling about under her breath over. If I could do that, then who was to say I couldn't do the same thing to Bill? I would have to be careful of course, I didn't want to accidentally kill Sookie in the process, but I could easily use my powers to stop him, to free her. Even if it was just to use my telekinesis to pull that dagger out of his hands.
Sookie, listen to me. I need you to trust me, okay? I have a plan, but I just need you to remain calm.
She looked me dead in the eye, and I took that as a go head from her. I inhaled deeply as I tried to relax myself as best as I could in a situation like this. Godric shot me a look, and I knew right away he realized what I was going to do. He looked unsure, but I forced myself to ignore him, keeping my concentration on what I had to do. He must have realized this, as he took up the talking, distracting Bill and everyone else.
"You can end all of this, Bill." Godric slowly stepped forward, only to be stopped as Bill's hand tightened around the handle of the dagger. Godric held his hands up in front of him calmly, assuring Bill that he would remain in his spot and not take any sudden movements. I meanwhile, I stood perfectly still as my eyes began closing. I needed perfect concentration for this. If I was going to keep Sookie unharmed, I couldn't just let my powers have a mind of their own. "All you have to do is let Sookie go."
"No. She's mine. She will be mine."
"She'll never truly be yours, not like this, Bill." Godric tried to reason. "If you killed her, you'll never forgive yourself. I know what it's like to live with that guilt."
I tried to block everything and everyone out, but before I could, even to my human ears, I was able to hear the distinct howling of wolves. My eyes snapped open as I looked at Pam and Chow with a startled look. Bill hadn't been lying when he had said he had alerted others to what was happening. He did have backup, and they were in the form of Werewolves. Without hesitation, I flicked my wrist and Pam was free of her invisible binds. She flashed me a smirk, her fangs on display before she was out of sight, Chow following close behind. I glanced over my shoulder to the open door, watching as Pam and Chow faced away from one another in their fighting stances, Werewolves pouncing out of nowhere to circle around them. I prayed that they would be fine before I turned back to what was happening inside of the house.
Sook, I know it's hard, but do you think you're pissed off enough to work your microwave fingers?
The blonde telepath raised her eyebrow, as if asking if I really had just said that.
Sorry, not the time for joking around, I know. Just blink once for yes and twice for no.
I watched her closely, relieved when she only blinked the one time. Godric and Bill were still battling back and forth verbally, but I paid them no attention.
When I tell you Sookie, you're going to have to hit him with your powers.
She looked unsure, and I knew she was worried of what would happen.
Don't worry Sookie, I have a plan. Just trust me. On my count, okay?
She blinked only once, and I gave her the tiniest nod of my head before returning back to my concentration. I didn't close my eyes this time, needing to visualize the dagger in Bill's hands. Without second guessing myself, I froze him perfectly still. He was so focused on what he was saying that he never even noticed that he couldn't move much more than his mouth. I was glad for that, and sent my gaze back onto that dagger. He had a tight grip on it, and even with him frozen, it would be difficult to pull it out of his grasps mentally. But I was going to give it a try. And if all else failed, I was going to just set the bastard on fire and hope to god Godric could move fast enough to grab Sookie.
After a moment, I could start to see the dagger shake in Bill's hand, my attempt to telekinetically pull it out of his grasps slowly starting to work. Unfortunately, Bill began to notice, and didn't seem pleased at all.
"What the fuck did you do to me!"
He tried to tighten his grip on the dagger; he tried to move every single one of his muscles and limbs. But he just couldn't. Not entirely anyways, not right away. I knew that once I began concentrating on the dagger, the strength holding him perfectly still would start to fade. I couldn't do both, not all at once. It took a great deal of energy to freeze Bill, to ensure he didn't move. And now I was using all of my focus, all of my mental energy to rip that dagger away from my best friend's throat. I could see his body starting to shake, right along with that dagger. He was slowly starting to break out of the invisible binds, and that scared the hell out of me. But I also couldn't continue my attempt with the dagger, as it was coming too close to slicing Sookie right across her throat and sealing her fate.
I was shocked when I suddenly felt a wave of calm and support rush through me. Of all times, of all times Eric Northman had to feel he chose this time to do it. I appreciated that he must have known what was happening, at least somewhat, and was attempting to help me. But having to think of him, at a time like this, it didn't help at all.
"Stop." I softly ordered, though I knew it would do no good. I tried my best to block him out, but I was already using too much of my strength and power on Bill. All I could do was ignore him as best as I could and continue my focus on Bill and that dagger.
Sorry Sookie, I'm doing the best I can. Keep still.
I had to be able to do this. I was the god damn Phoenix after all. I had burned three Weres from the inside out. I could do this, I just needed to concentrate and try.
So that's exactly what I did. I closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly as I envisioned that dagger. I forgot about my attempt to keep Bill still and just focused all of my energy on that dagger. I felt the warmth beginning to spread through my body, starting from my chest and spreading to my fingertips and toes, enveloping me completely. I felt an odd sense of relaxation, and I knew that too was coming from Eric. I tried not to let myself focus on that however, and just continued to watch, in my mind, as that dagger shot right out of Bill's grasps and into mine. It only took a split second for my eyes to flash open and watch as that very same thing occurred. I held my hand outstretched as the dagger shook before suddenly shooting right into my hand. I grasped onto it tightly, fearing that it'll just somehow return to Bill if I didn't.
Now Sookie, NOW.
Without a hint of hesitation, I saw the soft glow in the palm of her hands. She began struggling against Bill's hold, the light growing with every passing second until all she had to do was press her glowing hands to his face and he suddenly went flying across the house, smashing right into a wall and falling in a heap to the ground. Sookie stood there, unable to move as she began shaking from head to toe. I was at her side in a flash while Godric hurried over to Bill, pressing his foot against the younger vampire's chest to ensure he didn't get back up.
"Are you okay?" I held her tightly.
"I-I'm fine." She nodded, though there was still a hint of fear in her eyes. "Thank you."
"Hey, you did all the fun work." I attempted to smile at her. "I told you nothing would happen."
We hugged one another before glancing over to where Bill was trying to struggle under Godric's one foot. It was almost humorous to watch. But it was just no laughing matter, not with the cries of pain that were emitting from outside. I shot Godric a look before I shot out onto the porch, my eyes growing wide as I watched the battle between vampires and werewolves. Except, there were now more vampires then werewolves, and unfortunately, none of them were on our side. I cursed under my breath, catching the attention of some of the vampires. In a blink of an eye they began surrounding me, but I didn't fear them for a single second. I just clenched my fists at my sides, the wind beginning to pick up, blowing my hair back from my face, and suddenly blazes of flames erupted on the porch. I couldn't help but smirk as I watched the two vampires burst into nothing but a pile of ashes before I set my concentration on the Weres. Pam and Chow had killed a few, and a few others were limping and bleeding. But they were all still fighting to the death. I watched as one pounced towards Pam, about to knock her to the ground from behind. I waved my hand in the air though, causing the Were to fly halfway through the forest before he finally landed and a soft whimper escaped from the line of trees. Pam sent me a look of shock before returning to the Were she had been fighting, grabbing the wolf by the jaw and ripping it in half. My eyes grew wide as the Were crumpled to the ground without another sound.
"There's more coming." Sookie pointed to trees surrounding Bill's house as she joined me on the porch. "There's too many of them, Ellie."
"Crap, we need to go." I nodded, waving at Pam and Chow as they finished off the Weres as quickly as they could. "Time to go guys!"
"What about Compton? Can I kill that annoying bastard already?" Pam joined us on the porch, her hands planted on her hips as blood stained her black leather outfit.
"No." Godric came storming out of the house, dragging an unconscious Bill behind him. "We'll need to question him further."
"And then you can kill him." I looked up at the blonde vampire. "And painfully I hope."
"Rip his dick off." Sookie muttered, shooting the unconscious form of her former boyfriend a dark look.
"My pleasure."