Chapter Thirty Seven: That's Where It Is

Sookie sighed as she lay in her own bed for the first time in too many days. She hadn't had enough energy to leave with Sam to the trailer, and instead, the two had remained at her home, hoping that a miracle would occur and Ellie would come waltzing through the front door. But that wouldn't occur, because for a second time, Ellie was dead. The one person that Sookie considered a sister, to be dearer to her than perhaps her own brother, was gone. She knew she would come back; she was a Phoenix after all. But just knowing that she had died at all, it chilled her to the bone.

"She'll be fine." Sam assured her as Sookie rested in his arms. "She'll come back, I promise you."

"I know, I'm just scared, Sam." Sookie curled up against her fiancé. "This is why I want to get married to you. Life can just end so quickly, and I want to make the most of it while we still can."

"And soon, you'll be my wife." He laid a sweet kiss on her lips. "I never thought I would ever say that. I never thought I would ever find myself marrying someone like you."

"I never thought I would ever find anyone to ever love me like you do." She traced invisible designs over his bare chest. "I love you. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

Sam opened his mouth to respond when the door bell rang. He frowned as he glanced down at the blonde in his arms, wondering who could possibly be at the door at this time of night.

"Don't, what if..."

"I'll just go check." Sam assured her. "I'll be fine."

Sookie nodded, though she was hesitant to let him leave their warm and comfortable bed. But after a moment, he kissed her one last time on the lips before slipping from the bed and shuffled out of the room in only his plaid pyjama bottoms. He rubbed his tired eyes as he began down the stairs and to the front door. He peeked through the window, and when he saw not a single soul, he frowned and turned to head back upstairs and to the woman he loved. But something caught Sam's eye before he completely turned, something that caused the blood to drain from his face. He tore open the front door and the sight before him sickened him.

"Sookie!" Sam called out, rushing out onto the porch to kneel down beside the bloody and motionless form of Ellie. "You need to get down here!"

He could hear Sookie hurrying down the stairs before a gasp emitted inside the house.

"Oh god." Sookie stood in the front hallway with wide eyes, her hand hovering over her gaping mouth as she stared at the form Sam was kneeling beside. "Is she..."

"She's still gone, Sookie." Sam looked up sadly. "Go grab a blanket, it's freezing out and she's...well she's not in a very good state."

Sookie nodded as she robotically grabbed the blanket from the back of the living room couch and hurried it out to Sam who wrapped the lifeless girl in the material before lifting her up into his arms. Sookie couldn't stop the tears from falling as Sam brought her into the house, setting her down on the couch as he tried to keep his own emotions in check.

"We need to call Godric immediately." Sam glanced up at Sookie, noticing the terrified expression on her face. "Sook?"

"Someone should clean her off." Sookie muttered before turning towards the kitchen without another word spoken. Sam sighed as he brushed the hair out of Ellie's face before grabbing the cordless phone from the coffee table and pressed in the familiar numbers. It didn't take long until the call went through and Godric's voice sounded from the other end.

"Hello?"

"It's Sam." Sam sat on the edge of the coffee table as he stared at the form of his close friend, hardly able to believe that while she appeared to be dead, she would come back to them. "Godric...she's here."

"We'll be right there."

Sam sighed as he stared down at the phone in his hands before shaking his head and placing the phone back on the table and lifting his gaze up as Sookie entered the room with a wet cloth and a bowl of water.

"Sookie..."

"I can't just leave her like that." Sookie shook her head. "I can't. She's going to wake up and I don't want her to see herself like this."

"Just...prepare yourself, it's not pretty." He stood and squeezed her shoulder as she knelt down beside the couch. "Godric and the others are on their way. I'll wait for them on the porch and try and sniff out who brought her here."

Sookie just nodded as Sam left the room, leaving her to slowly lower the blanket off of her friend, another gasp emitting her lips. She couldn't believe the state Ellie was in. it was horrifying, to stare down at the gaping wounds in her chest and abdomen. She realized that the wound in her chest must have been what Eric had felt, and she could understand how she could have died from such an injury. Seeing her best friend in such a way, the vomit rose in her throat but she fought back her own emotions and instead focused on her friend. She slowly dabbed the wet cloth at the dried blood on Ellie's form, trying to do her best to clean her up. She tried not to stare at the open wounds, in fear that she would break down, and did all that she could to concentrate on returning Ellie to a better state.

It wasn't too long before Godric and Eric came bursting into the house, Sam following closely behind them. Sookie slowly stood, watching as both vampires came to a sudden halt in the doorway to the living room. Both vampires grew completely still, their eyes growing wide as red bloody tears rimmed their orbs. She saw the pained look in Eric's face, and she pitied Eric having to go through this again. It hadn't been all that long ago that Eric had watched Ellie die in his arms. That had been brutal enough for the vampire. And now this time, he had felt her excruciating pain but could do nothing but sit back as Ellie died all alone somewhere where he couldn't be with her. And that must have destroyed him, to know that he couldn't have been with her in her last moments.

"I can't..." Eric shook his head, looking like he was about to bolt.

But Godric laid a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head at his progeny. "There is no running away this time, Eric. She's right there, she will return to us. We know that for certain this time."

"Look at her." Eric stared into the living room, taking in the sight of the woman he loved and found himself horrified. He had never seen a human in such a way before. All he wanted to do was be at her side, to force his blood down his throat, for her to come back to him. But he knew that wouldn't do much of anything, not until she was brought back to them. And he wasn't so sure when that could be. It had taken two weeks the last time. And while circumstances were different, and she had assured him she knew she wanted to live, Eric couldn't help but fear that she would choose death. He had felt her last few moments of pain. He knew by looking at the state she was in that Victor had tortured her beyond belief. What if it had been enough to send her over the edge, for her to choose death?

"She will come back to us." Godric assured him. "Go to her, Eric. Go to her side. When she wakes, she'll want you there."

Eric sighed but nodded, knowing that Godric was right. He didn't want to be anywhere but at her side when she woke up, when she opened those beautiful green orbs. He slowly strode into the room, his eyes never leaving the motionless form of his Phoenix. It tore his heart apart to know the pain she had been in but he had been helpless to save her. He hadn't been able to keep her safe, not like he had promised her he would. He failed her, yet again, and he would never forgive himself for it. If she returned to him, he wouldn't let her out of his sight. He would tie her up, chain her to him if need be, just to ensure her safety. Because if he lost her again, if he ever saw her in this state again, he wasn't so sure he could stay at her side.

"Come back to me, Ellie." He whispered so softly, Sookie and Sam had to strain to hear what he had said. He knelt down beside the couch, his hand reaching out to caress her cheek gently before he lifted up the wet but bloody cloth Sookie had been using to clean Ellie off and he continued the job. Once she was as clean as she possibly could be, Eric extended his fangs, biting into his wrist and ripping his flesh right open before holding the bloody wound over her own. He squeezed out as much blood as he possibly could, ripping into his wrist as many times as he needed to before the wounds slowly began closing. It may not heal her, it may not bring her back, but he couldn't continue to stare at her, to see her flesh destroyed in such a horrible way.

"My love." Eric sighed as he brushed his hand through her tangled hair. "You need to come back to me, lover. You need to open those beautiful eyes of yours. Please do this for me. You promised you wouldn't do this to me again, remember? We had a deal. You wouldn't get yourself killed just as long as I stayed. So bring that sweet ass of yours back here so I can keep my end of the deal. Please my sweet Phoenix, please do this for me."

Sookie couldn't help the tears that spilled down her cheeks as she watched Eric, touched at how sweet he could be when he wanted to be. He loved Ellie just as much as she knew Sam loved her. That would never change. He may run away, Ellie may try and move on, but they would forever love one another. You couldn't just forget your other half, your soul mate.

"If you come back to me, I promise you that I will try harder." Eric didn't bother to brush away the tear that slid down his cold pale cheek. There was no use in hiding his emotions, not when it concerned the lifeless figure before him. He didn't care about looking weak. He didn't care about looking pathetic, not like he had when he had run away. He didn't care about anything else but the well being of the woman he loved. And all he wanted was for her to come back to him, for him to hear her heart beat, for her melodic breaths to ring in his ears. "I'll become the man you wish me to be. We can be together, you and I. We can love one another for an eternity. I'll never leave you again, even if you beg me to."

"Sookie." Sam jostled the blonde telepath as he spied the softest glow on the couch. "Look."

Sookie's eyes widened as they watched a soft white glow begin to slowly envelope Ellie's body. Eric hadn't noticed, he was too focused on staring at her eyes, as if just waiting for them to open.

"My child." Godric stepped forward. "Eric, look."

"Not now." Eric growled, sliding his hand over her still heart. It destroyed him to not feel it beating, to not hear the sweet beats of her organ. He found it so amusing to feel her heart beat when they were chest to chest. It was nearly enough for his own to beat. She made him feel like it was possible, like he could just suddenly become human. She brought out very human emotions in him, and he had once detested that. But now, as he stared down at the woman who was not alive in the least, he realized that he would rather feel human and in love with this woman than to not have her at all. "Please my sweet one, please open those eyes. I beg of you. Return to me. I need you. I need everything about you. Please."

"Eric, look at her. Just look." Godric urged his progeny.

"What?" Eric snapped, glaring up at his progeny before his eyes grew wide as he stared down at Ellie's form, the glow begging to spread over her chest and envelope her entire body. He almost pulled away when he felt the faintest tremor in her heart. The tears were slipping down his cheeks harder than they ever had before as that soft little tremor became faster and faster until a pounding heart beat was felt underneath his hand. "Ellie? Ellie can you hear me?"

A sudden gasp emitted from the once dead form, two closed eyes flying open as bright green eyes met icy blue ones.

"Lover." Eric sighed in relief, cupping her cheek, his thumb caressing her soft flawless skin. "Lover speak to me."

Ellie seemed disoriented as she suddenly began panicking, her breaths becoming too quick to calm. Eric realized this and hovered over her, cradling her head in his hands.

"Ellie, it's me. You're safe. Do you hear me? You're fine, you're safe now. Everything is going to be okay my love. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere, do you hear me, I'm not leaving you ever again. I love you and I will forever love you." He dipped his lips down to capture hers, her eyes immediately fluttering shut as her body slowly began to move against his, her warmth spreading through them, an electric shock ringing through both of their bodies. "Oh my love, you scared me."

"S-sorry." She whispered as he drew just enough away so she could breathe out heavily. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I never should have let you out of my sight. I never should have left you at all. This is all my fault." Eric pulled away guiltily, wiping the tears from his face with the back of his hand.

"Eric..." she reached out to him as he stood, her had grasping his. He stared down at her hand, at the feel of her soft skin against his, and he shuddered. "I...I love you."

Part of him wanted to run. Part of him wanted to just leave this all behind, to not feel these emotions, to not feel this pain. But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't do this to her again. He had destroyed her. He had ripped her to shreds. And for what reason? So he could feel better about himself? But had he? Had he felt better at all not having her in his arms? He had felt empty and detested everything around himself after he had left. The moment he had come back into her life, the moment he could feel her, touch her anyway he pleased, to kiss her, he had known he had been wrong at all. He had never truly lived before, because the woman he loved, the soul mate he had waited for for over a thousand years, she was the reason he continued on, the reason he fought against himself.

How could he possibly ever leave her?

She was the woman he loved, the woman he wished to spend the rest of his eternal life with.

And he would ensure that happened.

"I will never leave you." He intertwined his fingers with hers. "Never again, my love. I love you."

She sighed in relief as she slowly began to push herself up into a sitting position. Eric drew himself behind her, wrapping his arm around her perfect wait as he slid her into his lap. He securely kept both arms around her as she stared into his eyes, a small smile crossing her lips.

"I just want you to know, I plan on having mind blowing sex with you very soon." She leaned in close and whispered in his ear. And uncomfortable cough sounded from the other side of the room, and she knew Godric had heard her. She smirked as she kissed Eric on the neck, enjoying the shudders that were sent through his entire body at her touches. "I can't die again and know that I haven't slept with you in so long."

"You will never die on me again, do you understand me?" he cupped her cheeks and pulled her lips to his possessively. "Never again."

"As you wish." She gladly accepted his kisses, the passion flowing through them like it never had before. She would have deepened the kiss, and even began to when voices interrupted them.

"Sorry to break this reunion up, but we need to discuss some things." Godric, as always, interrupted their fun.

Eric grunted, arms clasped around Ellie's waist as she slowly turned to the rest of the room. She caught sight of Sookie's tear stained face first, and her expression softened.

"I'm honestly okay, Sookie." She assured her softly.

"You just went through so much pain. We were all scared." Sam squeezed Sookie's shoulder affectionately.

"I was in a lot of pain, but I'm okay now. I promise." She smiled in assurance before her gaze caught sight of the engagement ring. "Oh Sam actually did propose! I can't believe I forgot about it!"

"You knew?"

"Sam wanted to know my opinion, and obviously I told him..."

"Elizabeth?" Godric's tone was grim as he pulled her attention back onto the issue at hand.

Ellie sighed as she slumped against Eric's chest. She didn't want to talk about this. She didn't want to remember waking up in the basement of Fangtasia feeling scared and disoriented. She didn't want to remember the pain Victor had put her in, the torture he had done to her. She didn't want to remember his fangs piercing her neck, that dagger destroying her abdomen. And she certainly didn't want to remember that stake. It had killed Chow before her very eyes, and she was forced to witness her own death as the pain racked her body until she was just no more. She may have survived, and she may now be safe and in the arms of the man she loved. But she would forever be haunted by those memories. As she looked down at herself, she saw that the wounds were gone, not a single scar left on her body. But the scars were deeper than that. They were so much deeper.

"Does she need to do this now?" Eric asked, noticing the look on Ellie's face. "She just came back to us."

"I understand that, and Elizabeth, you must know how happy I am for you to be safe, for you not to be in pain." Godric stepped forward, and Ellie could see the relief spread across his face. "But we do need to know what happened in order to continue to keep you safe, for us all to be safe."

"I know." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she stared down at her lap. A finger clasped under her chin and forced her gaze up to meet Eric's. His cheeks were stained with blood, and it swelled her heart to see that he did care, that he did love her. And what amazed her the most, was that he had battled with himself and stayed here, at her side. He could have run away, and at one point, she thought he was going to. But he didn't. He stayed there with her, held her in his arms like he was doing now, and that's all she could ask for. Because she couldn't imagine being anywhere but here right now.

"My love?" Eric's voice was soft, the tiniest smile curving on his lips as he brought his lips forward to meet hers in a short but sweet kiss. "I know this is hard, but you're safe. I will not let him hurt you again, do you understand me?"

She nodded, knowing that Eric would do everything in her power to keep her safe. He had tried to when she had been taken, but Victor had just been too sneaky. But they wouldn't let this happen again. They couldn't. Because Ellie wasn't so sure she could do this again. That pain, that torture, it had been the worst thing she had ever experienced. And the only time she wished to ever feel that pain again was when she resurrected Kyra. Because despite the expected pain and agony she would be put it, she knew it would all be worth it in the end. Because Kyra would be back, she would be alive, and she and Godric could be happy and in love again. And that's all Ellie wanted for her best friend. She just wanted him to be happy, and that would never truly happen without Kyra at his side. It meant a sacrifice for her, and while it shook her to the core to think about on that night, she knew she would push through the pain to do it.

"You were in the In-between?" Eric voice lowered as I finished my story of what had happened with Victor. That sweet expression of his had vanished, and was now replaced with a look of anger. I knew he wouldn't be very happy to know that I was in the In-Between. The last time I had been there, it had caused a wedge in our relationship. If I had just known what I wanted sooner, maybe none of this mess would have happened. We could have been happy together much sooner than this. Hell, we could have gone on a nice long vacation and avoided all this trouble.

But this time had been different. I did know what I wanted, and I had come back. It had only been for a little while, but it was only to ensure that I was returned here to Eric. And I was thankful the Reaper had kept me as long as he had. Because now I knew how to resurrect Kyra.

"It was only for an hour or so, though I'm not sure how much time passed here." I assured him, cupping his cheek.

"That's too long." he growled.

"Hey, don't act like that." I lightly tapped his cheek while the others watched us without comment. "I knew what I wanted, Eric. I wanted to live. I mean obviously I needed to exact revenge, and I wanted to be with you. There was no question about it this time. I wanted to live. I chose life before I even showed up there."

"Why the hell weren't you alive when I got here then?" He demanded to know, his arms dropping down to his sides, no longer holding onto me at all.

"Eric, please don't be like this." I sighed, cupping both of his cheeks now. "There was a reason I was kept there for as long as I was."

"You didn't want to come back to me." he grumbled, trying to push me off of him.

I refused to move however, and stared Eric dead in the eye. "If the Reaper had sent me back right away, I would have been trapped in Victor's clutches. They would have tortured me and used me over and over again until one time, I wouldn't choose life. That would have been my fate, Eric."

"Why would the Reaper keep you in the In-Between?" Godric frowned in confusion and I had to turn my gaze onto the older vampire. "I remember he wasn't exactly considerate."

"He saved my life the last time, Godric. He pushed me into going home, into making me see the truth. If it wasn't for him, I might not be here. He might be an asshole, and he definitely is, but he still saved my life, twice now." I shrugged before my gaze returned to Eric, who was now refusing to look me in the eye. "Eric, please don't act like this, please? I was just put through the worst possible torture. I had to die alone, with only that asshole there. It wasn't like last time. There was no bright light; there was no one that I loved there, to hold me until I was gone. It was painful and horrible, and believe me when I say that I don't ever want to go through that again. And I didn't have to because the Reaper kept me there, to ensure that when I returned, it would be to you and not to anyone else."

I hadn't realized I had been crying until the backs of Eric's fingers began brushing the tears away one by one. He sighed heavily as an arm slid back around my waist, tugging me tighter against him. I dug my head into his shoulder as the tears continued to slip down my cheeks, now wetting his dark t-shirt.

"Please don't do that." he whispered to me in my ear. "You know I despise you crying."

My hands curled into the fabric of his shirt and just stayed there, as if I was clutching onto him for dear life. And I suppose a part of me was. I had been shaken by the events of the night, of being kidnapped and tortured until I had just died. One minute I was in the most excruciating pain, and the next I was just gone. But now I was here, and that was the only relief I could find. I was in Eric's arms, and that was really the only thing that mattered.

"The sun will be rising shortly." Godric reminded us all. "We need to leave, Eric."

Eric sighed as his hand halted on my back in an attempt to comfort me. "I'm not leaving her."

"I don't want you to leave me." I mumbled against his shoulder before I slowly drew up until our eyes met.

"Take her to your safe house, Eric. It will be safer for the both of you there." Godric suggested. "And Elizabeth, I'm truly sorry for what happened tonight. I wish I could have protected you better. I wish I could have..."

"There was nothing you could have done." I assured him. "It was my fate, that's what the Reaper says."

"I don't like this Reaper at all." Eric grumbled, causing the smallest smile to appear on my lips.

"You and me both."

"I haven't been exactly truthful." I toyed with the damp ends of my hair as I sat curled up in Eric's bed, the blackout window coverings descending as the sun began to rise.

"What do you mean?" Eric joined me on the bed, an eyebrow raised as he tugged me by the waist and to his side.

I sighed as I shifted closer to him as we laid together, my body pressing against his. It was amazing that his body was freezing cold and mine was so warm, and yet together, it just felt so natural. We fit together better than I ever could have imagined, and there was no doubt that we were meant to be together.

"I didn't tell you everything that happened to me tonight." I lightly drew my finger down Eric's naked chest, enjoying the shudders that emitted from the vampire as I did so. I wasn't the only one who enjoyed these touches shared between us. His body reacted to mine in the exact same way that my body reacted to his.

"What didn't you tell me?" he halted my finger, holding my hand in his just above his heart as he stared deeply into my orbs. "Tell me, my love."

I chewed on my bottom lip nervously. I knew Eric wouldn't approve. I knew Eric wouldn't want me to do this at all. If I resurrected Kyra, it would cause me a tremendous amount of pain, and after tonight, I knew everyone would consider it out of the picture. And even part of me thought I couldn't do it. But when I thought about it, when I really thought about it, I knew that I would. Because this wasn't just my life I was talking about, this was about two other people in my life that I cared about so greatly. Kyra was a part of me, and she always had been. And Godric, well I couldn't imagine my life without him. I had experienced loss before. I had experienced not being with the one that you loved. And while it hadn't been 1400 years like they both had to endure, it was still a painful experience that I would never like to have again. So if I could do this for them, if I could bring Kyra back, If Godric to have the woman he loved in his arms again, well then I would do this. Because even with the pain, I would do anything for family, and those two were my family.

Along with this man who I knew wouldn't be happy at all.

"The reaper told me something." I admitted.

"What did he tell you?" there was a slight growl to his voice.

"He..." I bit down hard on my bottom lip as Eric's orbs searched mine. "He told me how to do it."

"How to do what?" Eric frowned. "How to do what, Ellie?"

"I know how to do it now, Eric. I know how to resurrect Kyra. And I'm going to do it."