Chapter Forty Five: This Is War (Part 2)
"Before you say anything, I just want to say that..." I slowly began retreating to the porch, hoping that I could just shoot into the house and rescind Eric's invitation if things got out of hand. But just as I turned to do just that, Eric suddenly flashed before me, causing me to jump back in surprise. As I stared into those rage filled eyes, I couldn't stop my body from shaking in fear. I had seen Eric Northman in the angriest forms. And I knew just how crazy this vampire could become when he lost his temper, when he had lost his mind. "Eric, I..."
"Don't." He stepped forward, his nearly black eyes narrowing into slits as he closed the gap between us. I couldn't move away, I could only stare up into those furious orbs, hoping Eric wouldn't do anything he might regret.
He wasn't saying or doing anything however. He just stood there towering over me, staring down at me with those narrowed eyes. It unnerved me to no end. I was expecting yelling, maybe some breaking of furniture or even my bones. But he did neither, and just stayed there in that spot, perfectly still. If I hadn't been staring directly at him, I would have thought he wasn't even there. There were no intakes of breaths, there were no grunts or growls. Eric was just perfectly silent.
And I think that scared me more than anything.
"Eric, please say something." I pleaded in a whisper. "Please just say something."
"How could you?" his voice was steady and sounded calm. But I didn't believe that for one minute. His eyes betrayed him. He may have sounded alright, like this was just any other conversation. But those eyes said everything I needed to know. "You promised me, Ellie."
"I know, and I'm..."
"You promised me you would keep yourself safe. You promised me no more stupid stunts."
"I'm really..."
"You promised me you would not run off and get yourself killed." He growled finally, a sound I had been waiting for. I heard the distinct click of his fangs extending, but his lips were in a thin forced line, as if he didn't want me to see his fangs at all.
"I'm sorry, Eric, really I am." I tried to reach out to him.
He stepped back like I was the plague. I frowned as I tried to step closer, but he only backed up until his back hit the closed front door.
"Eric, please, I'm sorry. I just...I wanted to end this. I wanted this to be over once and for all so we can finally be happy." I tried to reason with him. "I'm sorry; please forgive me for being stupid."
"I can smell the Weres on you. I can smell your blood." His muscles began to tense, his hands curling at his sides. "You could have died."
"I know, and this was all incredibly stupid. But if you were in my place..."
"If I were in your place, you would be here, where I am standing, yelling at me for being idiotic."
"Okay, that's true." I nodded, knowing he was right. If the roles were reversed, if he had gone out to kill Victor without telling me, I would be giving him an ear full. "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you. Sex all the time?"
"How can you be making jokes?" he finally snapped, all of his self control vanishing. He reached out and grabbed onto my arms tightly, and I knew there would be bruises there in the morning.
"How can you be treating this like it's nothing? This is about life and death, and you're making fucking jokes." His fangs were baring down at me now.
"I'm sorry, really I am, Eric. This isn't the time for jokes, your right. Can you let me go?"
"No." Eric growled. "Because If I let you go, you're going to run into that fucking house and ensure that none of us can touch you. And then you're going to do something stupid, isn't that right."
He was right.
That was exactly what I was planning on doing.
"You can be here Eric. Please, just go. I don't want you or anyone else to get hurt. Victor will be here soon. You can take off and kill Bill; I know how much you want to do that." I stood there pleading with him. "Please just go and let me do this."
"No. I will not leave you. I promised you from the start that I wouldn't leave you. I won't go." He refused, his hands loosening on arm enough so that it wouldn't hurt, but as I tried to pull away from him, I found that I still couldn't budge. "I will not let you die. Not again. I can't let that happen. I won't."
"I won't die, Eric. I'll just come back." That was a lie. I could very well die, and I may not come back. But I couldn't let Eric know that, because the moment he knew of my potential mortality, he wouldn't leave my sights. And I needed him to go. Because what was about to happen, he couldn't be anywhere near him. I needed to kill Victor; it was the only way we would ever get peace. I didn't want to die, but I didn't plan on letting that happen tonight. I was going to fight the bastard and I was going to win. That was the plan.
"I don't care." Eric was acting stubbornly. "I won't go."
"Godric, please talk some common sense into your progeny." I sighed.
"I'm sorry Elizabeth, but Eric is right. You're fucking stupid." Godric spoke from the yard.
"Pam?"
"Eric is my maker; do you honestly think I would side with you?" She snickered.
"Quinn?" I was getting desperate now.
"I didn't want to leave you earlier." He pointed out.
"Crap. Bill by chance isn't conscious, is he?" I was really looking for any help I could get.
"Nada." Pam answered. "You're all on your own."
"Fuck." I cursed, staring back up into those enraged orbs. "Eric, I really didn't want to have to do this."
"Do what?" he questioned.
"I'm sorry." I whispered to him before pushing my hands up against his chest. I used my powers to throw him right into the front door, knocking it down as he went flying into the house. Before Godric or the others could stop me, I shot into the house after Eric. He was on his feet in seconds, but I knew it wouldn't matter at all; there were only four little words that I had to say.
"I rescind your invitation."
I would never forget that look on his face as he was magically forced from the house. There was a mixture of horror and betrayal in those beautiful eyes of his as he was tugged out the front door, and it broke my heart to witness it. I knew this was putting a wedge in our relationship, and I hated myself for it. But we would have an eternity to work passed this. I couldn't guarantee that we would have forever together if Victor didn't die. This was a necessity, no matter how angry and pissed off Eric may be.
"Let me in the fucking house." Eric growled, trying to force his way in, only for an invisible barrier to shield him from entering.
"No."
"Godric, Pam, do something." Eric demanded.
"I rescind both of your invitations." I was pressed against the base of the stairs, hoping it had worked. And it had. There were now three very angry vampires standing on the porch. I knew that if I took one step outside, I was just about doomed. Forget about Victor, I think those three would tear me to shreds.
"Quinn, normally I would tell you to go the fuck away but..." Eric paused, his gaze never leaving mine. "Get her the fuck out of the house."
"With pleasure." Quinn began up the stairs of the porch. Eric didn't budge, but Godric and Pam moved to the side to let the shifter pass. My eyes grew wide as he easily stepped into the house, coming towards me with a purpose. "Ellie..."
"Stop." I held my hand out, and was pleased when Quinn came to a complete stop, his entire body frozen to the spot. I sighed as my heart began to speed up, my thoughts running a mile a minute. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry."
"Ellie, don't do this." Quinn tried to reason with me. "Let me go. Let us take you away from here."
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that." I swallowed the rising lump in my throat as I moved my hand, Quinn's frozen body slowly moving backwards until it reached the door. Eric had to move this time, as Quinn's body was thrown right out the door and into the front yard. He was unfrozen for only a second before I halted him for a second time. "I hope you can all forgive me for this, but this is something I have to do, for all of us."
"Please don't do this, Ellie." Eric was trying a different approach now. His expression had softened, and I could see the fear in his eyes. "Please don't let me lose you again. I can't...I can't take that, not again."
"You won't lose me Eric." I wanted to run into his arms. But I couldn't do that. I was on a mission, I had to kill Victor. Even if that meant hurting the man that I loved.
"Don't do this, Elizabeth. Let us in." Godric tried to reason with me. "Please do this for us. Don't go to war on your own. You were almost killed by those Weres."
"I know, and that was very stupid of me. But I'll do better when Victor shows up." I stepped forward, not too close to the door, but close enough. "I'm not going to let you inside. I won't. So you might as well leave."
I thought that's what Eric did. I had to blink to refocus my eyes to realize that Eric was no longer standing before me. For a moment, I thought I had been able to convince him to go, but then I turned my attention onto the front yard where Eric was standing over Bill's unconscious form. I watched with wide eyes as Eric pulled the vampire to his feet. There were no words to describe what happened next. With all of his rage and anger directed at me, he wrapped his hand around Bill's neck, his other holding his body steady, and then just like that, he pulled. I let out a yelp of surprise as Bill's head was just torn right off of his body. They remained whole for only a brief moment in time. It felt like everything had just paused, silence filling the air. And then the body and head exploded, blood splashing everywhere over the yard. Eric was drenched in Bill's blood from head to toe.
"Well, at least someone got to rip his fucking head off." Pam mused, only for Godric to shoot her a dark look. Pam rolled her eyes, shooting me a glance. "I hope you know he was envisioning that to be you."
"I figured." I whispered out before Eric suddenly appeared before the door again as if he had never left. Except, he was dripping with another vampire's blood. "Holy fuck, Eric, what the hell was that?"
"Let. Me. in. now." He growled so low, I almost wanted to invite him in out of fear. But I stopped myself. I couldn't let him intimidate me.
"Or what, you'll rip my head off too?" I raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you in, and I'm not taking a step outside of this house."
"Ellie..."
"You might as well leave, Eric, you all might as well leave." I crossed my arms stubbornly over my chest. "I'm sorry if this hurts you. I'll understand if you won't forgive me for this. But I'd rather have an eternity of working through this with you Eric, than to lose you because Victor just won't die."
"I will not go."
"Yes you will. You have to. I don't want you here to get hurt." I sighed. "You need to leave Eric. You all just need to leave."
"Oh no, please stay. The more the merrier."
My stomach just dropped as Victor's voice sounded from the front yard. I risked a peek around the tall Viking and the blood drained from my face as I spotted the vampire slipping out of the woods much like the werewolves had done earlier. I noticed their gazes darted to the carnage awaiting them, and even a few of them froze and looked like they were about to bolt. But not a single one did, and that didn't surprise me. All of those vampires knew what would happen if they defied Victor. Bu they also must realize the fate that might meet them tonight. They were in a lose-lose situation, and I honestly couldn't have cared. Because they chose this fate, they chose Victor as their leader. They had signed away their immortal lives the moment they stepped foot in Louisiana behind Victor. I was pleased to find only a few vampires from the area, and those were the ones that looked nearly scared to death to come face to face with their former Sheriff. Most of them knew of what I could do, and the others, well they knew first hand just how violent Eric Northman could be when provoked.
And he was certainly being provoked right about now.
"Victor." Eric growled lowly, slowly turning around to face the onslaught of vampires. I lost count after the first handful, and decided it would be easier not to know just how many vampires I would have to kill tonight.
"Mr. Northman, is that my Sheriff's blood that you're wearing?" Victor questioned, his smug smile faltering only slightly.
"I will be wearing yours soon." Eric vowed.
"Not if I can help it." I muttered under my breath, though I knew every single vampire had heard me. Eric shot me a dark look from over his shoulder while Victor looked only smugger at the situation.
"Does the impressive Phoenix doubt the abilities of her vampire? Wonderful, perhaps you'll just let us kill him now then." Victor raised a hand and those with guns attached to their hips raised them.
"Don't even try it, Victor." I stepped forward, though I made sure to keep inside the house. "I swear to god, I will kill you all."
"Ah yes, like you've killed my witch." Victor took a step forward, and it was only then that I realized Quinn's form was still frozen in the front yard. I quickly waved my hand and the man stumbled slightly before he stepped up onto the porch, putting as much distance as possible between him and the opposing vampires. "I was hurt that you went to such extremes."
"What, you mean burning her alive? Maybe you shouldn't piss me off. Go run along Victor; you're not going to win this."
"Ellie stop." Eric ordered.
I ignored Eric and kept my gaze locked on Victor. "You will all die if you don't stand down, and I say that with certainty."
"The only ones dying here tonight are you five." Victor shook his head, that stupid smug smile widening. "I would offer you a deal, but it seems as if I cannot trust any of you. Men, if you will..."
My eyes grew wide as the trigger happy vampires prepared to shower us with silver and wooden bullets that would surely injure at least one of the vampires, along with both Quinn and I. And that was the last thing I wanted.
"Eric, Godric, Pam, get in the fucking house now!"
The three vampires and Quinn didn't need to be told twice as every hurried passed me and into the house the moment the triggers were pulled. Much like I had done at Bill's house, my hands shot up in front of me out of instinct, my eyes squeezing shut as I silently prayed to god that my powers wouldn't fail me now. Maybe it was from relaxing my powers long enough to argue with Eric, but as I slowly drew my eyes open after a moment of no cries of pain, I was relieved to find the array of bullets completely frozen barely even a foot from where I stood. My heart was racing as my eyes grew as wide as saucers. I could have reached my hand out just a little bit farther and would have been able to grab a bullet right out of the air. It was almost frightening to think that a split second later, and I may not have been standing there, multiple bullets instead piercing my body.
"Again!" Victor ordered, the guns firing once again.
I braced myself as my hands curled into fists. The first set of bullets fell to the ground with a light clink while the next round came flying towards the house faster than I could even see. I heard the shouts from behind me in the house but I ignored them as I kept myself rooted to the spot. My powers worked quicker this time, the bullets stopping midair over the yard, falling to the ground to join the others. The front lawn was now covered with werewolf carcasses and bullets.
"I can do this all night, Miss Cole."
"Bring. It On." I retorted lowly, my attention focused on those guns. I didn't want to overuse my powers, but I also knew I couldn't wait until these vampires ran out of bullets. They could move faster than light, they could easily replenish whatever bullets they wasted.
"You know you will all die, Miss Cole. Why don't you just give up now, it will save the bloodshed. You've already killed enough of my men tonight."
I ignored Victor, holding my concentration on those guns. I squinted as I focused on a single gun before expanding to the others. My hands outstretched, my palms facing the vampires as I slowly rose them up into the air. And following suit, were the guns themselves. The vampires shouted, trying desperately to grab them right out of the air as they slowly rose up until they were just out of reach. I couldn't stop the smirk from crossing my lips as I suddenly clenched my hands once again, the guns collapsed on themselves, scrunching into unrecognizable pieces of metal scraps. I heard the hisses and the growls, fangs extended as a few even darted forward to attack. But as I let the guns tumble to the ground, I threw the vampires backwards, sending them flying into the ground of vampires behind Victor, acting like bowling balls, knocking them all over. Within seconds, the vampires were on their feet, ready to strike once again.
"Stop!" Victor raised his voice, stopping the vampires instantly. "I said stop it now."
There were complaints amongst the vampires, and more than one appeared to want to rip my head off. Well the feeling was mutual, that was for sure.
"We can play this game all night, Victor. But you might as well just stand down." I advised. "Before I start killing every single one of you one by one. And it won't be pretty, you can count on that."
"I've found myself relying on modern advances too much." Victor turned his gaze back onto me, his smug look still plastered across his face. "Perhaps more...medieval methods will be successful."
I wasn't sure what he meant at first. But then the first torch came into view, the flames roaring as it was suddenly sent flying right through the living room window. The glass shattered across the living room floor, causing me to jump in surprise. I took a step back, my eyes widening as the fire caught the edge of the carpet, the fire spreading over the old and worn fabric quickly.
"Fuck." Pam hissed, taking a step back from the living room doorway. "Do something, Ellie."
"What the hell am I supposed to do?" I looked at her incredulously.
"You're the fucking Phoenix, put it out." She glared down at me.
I swallowed the rising lump in my throat as I moved my hand towards the living room, trying to do everything in my power to stop the fire from growing anymore. I was thankful when the flames began to flicker before dying completely, though the carpet and part of the couch was completely destroyed. I cursed under my breath as I turned my attention to the vampires outside of the house and my breath was caught in my throat as I watched the vampires slowly striding towards the house with gas cans in their hands.
"Oh no." I whispered in horror.
"What is that smell?" Godric questioned, moving towards the front door. I held my hand out however, halting him.
This wasn't going to turn out well at all.
"Gasoline." Quinn breathed behind us. "They're going to burn the house to the ground. With us inside."
"That's right, shifter. Though, I'm intrigued as to how you escaped my clutches. Why don't you come outside and we can have a chat. I could still use a fighter like you." Victor offered, trying to entice Quinn.
Quinn didn't say a word, but I could hear him shuffling towards the door. I shot him a surprised look, but was relieved when Quinn sent me a reassuring nod. It took me a moment to realize what was going through that head of his, but by the time I realized what he was about to do, Quinn had already shifted into his tiger form and was leaping right out of the house.
"Quinn no!" I tried to rush after him, only for Eric to grab me around the waist and pull me back.
"If you leave this house you'll die." Eric whispered harshly into my ear. "We should have left when we had the chance."
"Let me go!" I tried to struggle against Eric's grip, watching helplessly as Quinn paced before the group of vampires, waiting for the right moment to pounce.
"Now now Quinn, is this any way to talk business?" Victor taunted him. "Why don't you shift so we can strike a deal. Or better yet, you can drag that pretty little Phoenix out here. All can be forgiven."
Quinn didn't waste a moment as he leapt at the vampire, his teeth bared as he pounced for Victor's neck. I wanted to look away, to tear out of Eric's grasps. But I was forced to watch as Victor caught the tiger as if he was merely catching a ball, and without a second thought, Victor grasped Quinn around the neck and twisted. The lifeless form of the shifter I considered to be a close friend just slipped to the ground, joining the lost lives of many others. A scream sounded, filling the silence in the house, and it took me a moment to realize that the scream belonged to me. A cruel smirk slid across Victor's face as he simply kicked at Quinn's motionless form, the tears slipping down my cheeks without hesitation.
"No!" I shook my head, not able to believe that the life of such a close friend had been taken so easily. "No no no no no."
"Ellie..." Eric's arms tightened around me as my legs were unable to hold myself up any longer and I felt my body falling to the ground. Eric didn't stop gravity taking a hold of me as he gently lowered me to the floor, his arms still wrapped securely around me as if he was expecting it to be my life that would be taken next. "There's nothing you can do for him now."
"No." I felt like I couldn't breathe, like the air couldn't fill my lungs as I started to hyperventilate. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. This had to be some horrible nightmare, one that I would wake up from at any moment. This couldn't be reality. Quinn couldn't be lying there dead. I wouldn't believe it. I couldn't. "No please god no."
"I'm sorry." Eric whispered in my ear. "I'm so sorry."
I couldn't stop the sobs from racking my body as the tears blurred my vision. He was dead. Quinn was really dead. The shifter who had thrust himself in a war that hadn't involved him in the first place, all because he was intrigued by me, was really gone. Why? Why did this have to happen? None of this was supposed to happen. I was supposed to kill Victor. I was supposed to end this and we were all supposed to be fine. But I would never be fine, because Quinn had died right before my eyes, and a part of me died right along with him.
"We need to go. Now." Pam insisted. "They're going to kill us all if we don't leave now."
"Pam." Godric stopped her.
"We don't have time for this!" Pam growled. "I for one will not die tonight."
"Pamela." Godric hissed. "If you step out of this house, you will die just as easily as you may if you remain in here."
"We're sitting ducks, Godric. We're just waiting for them to kill us!"
"What do you propose we do?"
"Get the fuck out of here!"
"Stop it now!" Eric roared, my form shaking in his arms. "Both of you, stop it now."
"Well isn't this touching?" Victor's voice caused my eyes to blink away the tears. I felt a sudden surge of rage shoot through me, tearing right through my body. Victor had killed Quinn like he was nothing, like he wasn't a human being, like he didn't even matter. But Quinn did matter, he mattered to me. And I would not let his death be in vain. I was going to kill the man that had twisted the neck of one of my closest friends, the one man who had been there when no one else had been. I was going to cause him to suffer like I was now. He would feel the torture, the suffocating pain. He would wish he had never stepped foot in Louisiana.
Victor was as good as dead.
"Now, let's move this along, shall we." Victor waves his hands and the vampires holding the cans of gasoline began splashing it on the house.
"You bastard." I snarled, my body beginning to shake, but not out of despair, and instead, from the pure anger that was overtaking my entire body. "You cold hearted bastard."
"I told you nothing good would come of tonight, Phoenix. You should have listened to your vampires and left." Victor locked his gaze on mine. "And now it's too late. You seem to favour fire, Phoenix, let's see how long it takes for you to burn into absolutely nothing. I'd like to see you come back then."
"I'm going to kill you." I vowed as I fought to pull Eric's arms from around me. "I'm going to kill you."
"I'd like to see you try." He winked before turning to his followers. "Burn it down. Completely."
"We have to get out of here now!" Pam was screaming from behind me.
"Ellie, we have to go." Eric tried to pull me up to my feet. And he could have done so so easily. But I was staying there, frozen to the ground, unable to rise no matter how hard Eric tried. "Ellie damnit we're all going to die!"
"No." I growled so low, I was surprised it even came out of my mouth.
"Ellie we need to go now!" Eric was tugging at my form now, but to no avail. "Fuck Ellie, snap out of it!"
But I couldn't. I couldn't just snap out of it. My friend, my good friend, had been murdered right before my eyes. It was a sight I would never forget. I would be haunted from this day forward. And it was for that reason that I couldn't leave, that I couldn't just abandon my mission. I had come here tonight to kill Victor, to end this war. Many lives had already been taken tonight, but only one mattered to me. Quinn was dead, he was never going to come back, and that I would never forget. Quinn's blood was on Victor's hands and I would not be able to rest until he was sent to hell. And that's exactly what I was going to do. I couldn't just leave; I could just let him walk away after murdering Quinn so quickly, so suddenly as if it hadn't even happened at all. No, this was going to end tonight, once and for all.
"Ellie!" Eric was desperately trying to pry me off of the ground. His fingers were digging into my arms, bruises forming. But I hardly noticed. I felt numb. I couldn't feel pain, both physical and emotional. All I could concentrate on was my anger, my rage, the revenge that I sought out.
"No." My gaze never left Victor as he slowly turned back towards the house, the vampires behind him holding flaming torches, growing closer and closer to the house soaked with gasoline. "This ends tonight."
"Ellie don't be an idiot, you're going to die, we're all going to die!" Eric wouldn't give up, he wouldn't just leave me there on the ground while the vampire began setting the over a century old home on fire.
It was slow at first. The vampires had left a trail of gasoline across the grass and the torches were dropped, flames erupting instantly. Some were thrown at the house, falling onto the porch and catching the wooden planks on fire quickly. I watched out the corner of my eye as the grass in front of the house was engulfed in flames, as if ensuring that we were trapped in the house. I could smell the smoke growing closer as the flames flickered along the path of gasoline before meeting with the house. It only took mere moments for the house to feel the heat of the flames.
"We need to go. Please Ellie, please come." Eric was begging me now, kneeling down before me. He cupped my cheeks, trying to catch my gaze. I noticed the bloody tears threatening to spill as he pleaded with me. It felt like I had lost my hearing, Eric's lips moving but I was just unable to hear his begs, his pleas. I was lost in my own little world, and no matter how much I loved Eric, he was just not able to change my mind. I was going to kill Victor, even if I had to sacrifice my own life to do it. I was no longer doing this for myself. I was doing this for Quinn, who had died trying to protect me. "Please don't do this, Ellie. Please just come with me. I cannot lose you. Don't do this."
"Get out." My eyes rose to meet his. I wished I could have felt affected by those pained orbs. I wished I could have let him sweep me up into his arms and whisk me away from here. I wished I didn't have to be the one to do this. But this was ending tonight. I couldn't endanger another soul. One good man had already died tonight, and I couldn't let anyone else die for me. I had to do this. I had to do this alone. I had begged them all to leave, and I now wished I had taken extreme measures to ensure that happened. Maybe Quinn would have been alive right now if I had. "Get out now."
"Elizabeth..." I felt Godric's hand on my shoulder. "We need to..."
"Get out get out get out!" I was screaming at them. "I rescind your invitations now!"
And just like that, the vampires once again were standing on the porch. Only this time, flames were crackling around them, threatening closer with every passing moment.
"Ellie!" Eric roared, clutching onto the door frame. "Let me in!"
"I'm sorry." I slowly began to rise to my feet. "I'm so sorry but I can't let anyone else die."
"Ellie don't do this!" He begged. "Please don't do this. You don't have to. We can leave."
"I can't." The tears were silently slipping down my cheeks as my legs shook beneath me, but were just strong enough to hold me up. My sheer will and determination was keeping me going, was keeping me from curling up in a ball and crying. "You need to leave. You all need to go. Now."
"We have to go." Pam nodded, her hand on Eric's arm. "Or we're all going to die."
Eric looked conflicted. I saw it in his face that he didn't want to leave me, that he didn't want to abandon me now, in this time of war. I wished he would just go, run away like he had both of those times. Maybe a part of me wished he never had come back. He wouldn't be here right now if he had just stayed away, if he had just not loved me. His life, and the lives of both Pam and Godric's would not be in danger if he had just forgotten all about me, if he hadn't fallen in love with me like I had with him.
"Go." Eric turned his head just the slightest towards Pam, though his eyes never left mine. "You and Godric, you need to go."
"Eric..." Godric shook his head, looking between Eric and I. "I will not leave you."
"I will not let Pam die. She is my child and I can't do this knowing that she may die. She cannot run out of here, Godric. You need to fly her to safety. Please." Eric pleaded of his maker. "You and Pam have to go. You can make it out of here alive."
"And what about you two?"
"I will not go." I refused, the smoke starting to enter the house as the side of the house began crumbling, the flames forcing their way through the old worn wood. The flames on the grass below the porch were nearly so high, Victor and his vampires were nearly impossible to see. They could have been threatening us, and we never would have known. But what could be possibly worse than this? They were burning down the house, with all of us trapped. But Eric was right. Pam couldn't make it through the flames, and even if by miracle she found a break, she would have to fight off all of those vampires. And I knew that not even a great fighter like Pam could take down every single one of those vampires by herself. She would be dead, and I couldn't let another soul be lost tonight. "Godric take her."
"Elizabeth, no." Godric glared into the house. "I don't know what you think you can do, but you can't. Please, just come with us. We can leave. We can go elsewhere. But please, just don't do this. Don't make me lose you too."
"I'll be fine." I assured him, lying to his face. But he needed to go; he needed to take Pam and leave, hopefully with Eric at their side. If I had to lie, if I had to tell Godric exactly what he needed to hear, than fine, I would do it. "Go. You need to go. I don't want you to die. Please just go."
"Godric." Pam shook his arm. "She's telling us to go; we need to go. We'll die if we don't."
"Eric?" Godric looked up at his progeny. "I cannot just leave you..."
"Go." Eric instructed. "Please just go. I will not leave her. I need you to go."
"Eric please just..." I tried to persuade him to leave with the others. "I can't do what I need to if you're here. Please just go. Please."
"Godric take Pam and leave. Now." Eric flashed his maker a pleading look. "Please."
Godric gazed up at his child for the longest time. It was only seconds, but it felt like an eternity as the porch was nearly entirely engulfed in flames, the kitchen window shattering as they flames fought through. I spied the back door had been burnt to a crisp, the flames slowly working their way inside the house. I could hear the wood rotting away, the flames eating at it from above. The second story was now weighing on a weakened first floor, and I knew that everything could cave in if the fire grew any worse. I knew the risks however, and I knew that I may not survive this. But this was something I needed to do. For Quinn. For everyone that I loved. For myself.
"Do not die, do you understand me?" Godric's gaze met mine. "Do not die, Elizabeth. You cannot die."
"I won't." I promised him. "Now go."
He sighed but nodded, taking hold of Pam. It didn't take longer than a mere moment before Godric and Pam were no longer in sight. I heard the shouts and yells, but there was just no stopping the two thousand year old vampire as he tore up into the night sky with Pam. Eric and I were now alone, the flames flickering behind him, slowing entering the house. The smoke was becoming denser, and despite covering my nose and mouth with my hand, I was starting to cough as I inhaled the dark smoke.
"You should have gone with them Eric." I forced out from behind my hand. "You can still leave."
"I won't leave you, Ellie. I won't leave you alone. I promised you I would never leave you again. I'm here until the end, my love. I will die with you if I must. But I will never leave you."
I was beginning to shake again, and I wasn't sure if it was reality of it all hitting me, or the sheer intensity of the power that I could feel beginning to form inside of me. It was like something had just snapped inside of me. One moment I was myself, I was just a girl who felt like part of her heart had been shredded by the death of a friend, and the next I could feel the strength surging through my veins. The warmth began growing inside of my chest, spreading to every inch of my body. My toes curled in my running shoes, my fingers twitching as the power enveloped me to the point that it was nearly too much. It felt like I could just simply explode. Like there truly was a ticking time bomb was inside of me. And maybe that was a good thing. Maybe that was what I needed right now. Because I honestly didn't care about myself. I couldn't. I felt too numb to possibly care. I did care about Eric, and I wished he had gone, that he would just leave now. Because I knew I wouldn't be able to control this power soon. I wasn't sure how this power had come to be, as I had felt weakened and defeated only moments ago. Maybe I had hit such a low, that something had snapped, that I had tapped into that power source that I couldn't even explain. Whatever it was, it was cursing through me with vigour, and I wouldn't be able to control it for much longer.
"Eric you need to go." I coughed out, my eyes growing blurry with tears once again. But this time, it was due to the smoke that was growing thicker and thicker inside of the house.
"Ellie, I told you, I will not leave you're..." the roof of the porch came crashing down around Eric and I let out a cry as Eric covered himself with his arms. My heart was racing as I watched the flames grow closer to Eric. I did what I could to try and keep the flames at bay, and I was surprised when I was able to put the fire out entirely on the porch. Eric straightened, watching as the flames flickered away entirely on the porch, his gaze turning to me in surprise. "Your eyes, Ellie, they're...move!"
I hardly even had the chance to take a step back before a beam above my head came crashing down, the fire forcing its way further into the house. The living room was practically hidden underneath a blanket of flames, and the kitchen was entirely destroyed. The front hallway had been perfectly fine, as if by some act of my powers, I was creating some sort of bubble of protection. But using my powers to keep Eric safe, it had distracted me, the fire now surrounding me. I scrambled backwards from the beam now lying between Eric and me, now completely enveloped in flames.
"Ellie!" Eric called out to me, the vampire barely visible through the flames.
"I'm fine." I assured him, shooting back onto my feet as I slowly inched backwards. Except there was nowhere to go as the fire had crept to the stairs, trapping me in a ring of fire. "Eric you need to go."
"No."
"Please Eric, just go."
"I won't leave you here to die." I could hear the splintering of wood and I knew he was nearly tearing the doorframe apart, trying to force his way into the house. "Let me in. Please just let me in Ellie."
"I can't. I can't let you die, Eric. I can't let anyone else die."
"I won't leave you. I won't. I will stay with you till the end, my love." Eric promised. "I love you, and that will never change."
"I don't want you to die." A sob escaped my lips and I tried to calm myself down. This was not the time for hysterics. We would all die if I didn't control these powers soon, if I didn't end this once and for all. I felt the power and strength surging through me. I needed to harness it now, I needed to use it all to my advantage, however that might be.
"And I don't want you to die. We can still stop this, Ellie. You can let me in and I can help you. We can leave here forever. I promise I will keep you safe. You don't need to do this."
"I-I have to." I tried wiping at my tears as a fit of coughs escaped my lips. I felt the smoke beginning to enter my lungs. It was growing so dense and dark that I was nearly unable to even see the flames. Perhaps I would die the simple death of smoke inhalation. Maybe I wouldn't burn to death at all.
"Ellie?" his voice sounded worried. "Ellie let me in, you're going to..."
"I need you to go, Eric." I pleaded with him, my voice raspy and hoarse from the smoke and coughing. "Please, I need you to go."
"No. I told you I won't leave you. I'm here. I will die with you."
"Please no. I need you to go. Please god I need you to go." The ceiling in the living room caved right in, the second story slowly beginning to collapse.
"Dear god Ellie, please my love, please just stop this. I need you. I cannot lose you. Please don't make me lose you." I could vaguely see him through the flames and smoke, the bloody tears running down his cheeks. He was still protected from the flames. Whatever I had done, the flames weren't touching him at all. He wouldn't die, not right now, not like this. I on the other hand, I very well could die. I felt the smoke taking an effect on me. My legs were growing weak, my head swimming. My eyes were threatening to close to protect themselves from the blinding flames, but I forced them to stay open. I couldn't take control, I couldn't end this if I found myself unconscious before I did a damn thing. I just had to remember why I was doing this. I had to remember Quinn's face, remember that smile of his, those dark violet eyes, the way he protected me at all costs. That was all I had to concentrate on now.
"I need to do this." I tried to brace myself against a wall, only for it to erupt in flames moments later. The ceiling above me was a sheet of flames, and I was forced down to my knees as the smoke grew even denser. "I have to end this. I need to."
"Please Ellie. Just let me in. I can take you away from all of this." He was pleaded, begging me to stop this.
"Go Eric. You need to go. I need to do this. Please just go Eric. I can't do what I need to if your here." I used the collar of my shirt to cover my nose and mouth, but it didn't do a damn thing to help. I had inhaled too much smoke already, my lungs fighting back, fits of coughs emitting from my lips.
"Ellie! Please don't do this! Don't die on me! I need you. Don't do this to me again. Please Ellie. I love you. I won't leave you. We can be together forever. Just don't die."
"I won't." I croaked out the promise. "I won't die. I'll come back to you I promise. Please just go."
"I won't. I'll stay here till the end. I won't leave you."
"You have to!" I watched around me as the entire house was beginning to crumble before my very eyes. I was left in the front hallway, the fire engulfing everything around me. I was trapped. I was as good as dead if my powers didn't come through.
"Please Ellie just..."
Another beam came hurtling to the ground directly behind me, forcing me to scramble closer to the flame engulfed beam before me. I could feel the flickers of the flames dancing closer to my body, the heat radiating off of my skin. It was almost as if the fire was moving towards me on purpose. I was just staring at the flames, watching as they slithered towards me. When the first flame met with my arm, I let out a cry of pain. Was this my fate? Was I going to die a truly horrible torturous death by being burned completely alive? Maybe this was punishment for all those I had killed, for all those that had met this same end. Or maybe...
I watched through blurry eyes as the flames seemed to have a life of their own. They were circling around me, almost taunting me. The single flame that had burned at my skin, was now doing the most peculiar thing. It was almost as if it were wrapping around my wrist, becoming one with me. The smoke must have gone to my head; I must have been delusional and seeing things. But the flames around me seemed to grow closer, but yet I felt not even an ounce of pain as the fire started to slowly envelop my body. I squeezed my eyes shut, imagining this to be the end, that I would be waking up in the In-Between in mere moments with the reaper to tell me just how idiotic I was. But all I could hear were Eric's screams, his pleading growing louder as I failed to answer him. I tried to open my mouth to assure him I was fine, but no words came out as I felt a sudden burst of energy shooting through my entire body. It was like the fire was absorbing into me, its strength and vigour becoming mine. It was absolutely insane, impossible even. But it was happening. The fire was calling to me; it was becoming one with me, as if it knew that I was the Phoenix, as if it knew I was its owner, the one to call upon it in a time of need.
"Ellie!" Eric was screaming. "Answer me!"
"I-I'm fine." I choked out, the smoke still destroying me from the inside out. "Y-you need to go Eric!"
"No, I won' leave you!"
"I..." I tried to push myself to my feet, and was surprised when he flames seemed to scatter away from me, as if I was manipulating the fire in a way that I couldn't even comprehend.
And that's when it hit me.
That's when I realized what I had to do.
I had somehow tapped into these powers, the very same powers from my ancestors, those that preceded me as a Phoenix. Fire was our element to call on, we controlled it, we manipulated it in every possible way. Victor thought he could kill me by burning me alive. And while the house was crumbling down around me, and the smoke might just be the very thing to kill me, the fire refused to harm me in any possible way. Because I wasn't just some human, just some being that it could rip through and burn to nothing but ash. I was the Phoenix. I was the daughter of the sun, the most powerful being on this planet. I couldn't die, and certainly not by fire, not by my own gift. I was able to control, manipulate the flames in whatever way I wished. They were calling to me, absorbing the power into me because of what I was. It was why I was able to put that torch out earlier, why I was able to ensure that Eric was perfectly fine, not touched at all by the flames. And now, as I twitched my fingers, the flames starting to back away from me, creating a circle that was growing and growing until I was finally able to see Eric through the thick smoke.
"Eric..." I stepped forward, the fire sizzling on the beam before me before suddenly it just vanished all together. "I know what I need to do. You need to leave."
"No." He was looking me dead in the eye, and I could see just how stubborn he was. He wouldn't leave me. He would stay with me till the end if he needed to. And that just made me love the man even more. He wasn't running away. He wasn't about to just leave me, not in my greatest time of need. He was right here, at my side. "No, I won't leave you. I will die for you, Ellie. I will not leave you. I love you."
"I love you too and that's why you have to leave." I pleaded with him. "Please, I know what to do. I need you to go before you get hurt. Because once I start, Eric, I won't be able to stop."
"Stop what?"
"I-I don't even know." My eyes closed as I felt a wave of strength washing over me, the flames fuelling the fire that was within my chest.
"Ellie you're...you're glowing." Eric's voice sounded panicky.
My eyes flew open and I was shocked to see that he was right. Slowly a light red glow was beginning to spread from my chest and to the rest of my body, enveloping me completely. I knew that it was time, that I needed to do this soon. Or else this power was going to leave me, and I truly may just die. And I couldn't let that happen, not when I was so close to killing Victor, to ending this all. This was going to end tonight; it was going to end right now.
"I love you. I love you so much. And I promise you I will be fine. So please just go. I can't hurt you. I don't want to but if you don't leave now then I won' be able to help it. Please Eric just go. I love you." The tears were still slipping down my cheeks as my hands began to shake at my side. The power was almost becoming too much. I could feel it crawling inside of me, just waiting to burst out of me. "I can't hold myself back for much longer Eric, you need to leave now. Please. I love you so much and I always will. I will come back to you. I will always come back to you."
Eric was crying, the tears sliding down his pale cheeks. He didn't bother to wipe them away as he fought once again against the invisible force keeping him on the other side of the door. He didn't want to leave me, I saw that in those pained orbs of his. And I loved him for it. I loved that he was willing to die to stay with me to the end, that he only cared for me at that moment. I loved him so much that I couldn't let him stay. Because this burst of power, when it was released, I wouldn't be able to control it any longer. Many vampires were going to die tonight, and I couldn't let Eric be one of them.
"Please." I whispered to him, knowing he could hear me crystal clear. "Please Eric. I love you too much to see you die."
"Come back to me. You better come back to me. I will never forgive you if you don't come back to me." his voice wavered. "Please come back. I need you to come back to me. I love you. I've never loved anyone like I love you and I can't lose you. Not again. Don't make me lose you again, Ellie."
"You won't. We'll be together forever, I promise you that. Now go."
His hands began slipping down the doorframe until they finally fell to his side in defeat. His gaze never left mine as suddenly, the fire around him was pushed to the side, creating a small opening for him to escape through. I was able to see Victor and the other vampires through this opening, and I felt sick to my stomach at the look of glee on his face. He was going to pay for this; he was going to pay for all of this.
"I will always love you." Eric slowly began to back away from me. "I will always love you Elizabeth Cole, till the day I die."
"Forever and always." I nodded, unable to stop the flow of tears. "Go."
His eyes closed for a brief moment, and I almost thought he was going to ignore my warnings and stay anyways. But after a moment, and a soft 'I love you', Eric was nowhere to be found. I sighed in relief, though a part of me felt utterly alone as I stood there in amidst the fiery hell. Sookie's house was destroyed, but my spirit however, that hadn't been destroyed. Victor had killed Quinn; he had murdered my friend right before my eyes. And I felt broken inside; I felt a piece of me missing. But my spirit, it felt more alive than it ever had before. Maybe it was the flames that were dancing around me, just waiting to be told what to do. Maybe it was the adrenaline I was working off of. Or maybe it was the sheer determination of getting revenge for what had happened to Quinn. But somehow, my power, my strength, my entire core, began growing to the point that I could no longer hold onto it any longer.
"Rot in hell Victor." I hissed under my breath, inhaling sharply before closing my eyes and raising my hands into the air.
I didn't want to watch what was about to happen. I didn't want to see if I failed. I didn't want to see if I succeeded. I just wanted to escape into my own little happy world for that brief moment in time while the world was destroyed around me. I envisioned Eric, the man that I loved more than anything else in the world, as the warmth grew in my body to the point that it almost felt like the flames were burning my flesh once again. A scream of pain racked my body as it felt like my skin was burning off. But I knew that it wasn't. I knew without cracking an eye open that the fire was hurtling towards me, allowing me to call on it, to absorb the power, the strength.
"This is for you, Quinn." I whispered to myself as I slipped deeper within my own consciousness, imagining Eric's arms around me as all those that I loved stood beside me, as if that image alone gave me the strength to finish this, to end this once and for all. "Oh great power, kill his mother fucker already."
And that's exactly what happened. My eyes snapped open of their own accord, just in time to watch as the flames suddenly flared, rising higher than I had ever witnessed before in my live before suddenly bolting forward. My hands curled into fists, the flames from around me bolting right out of the door and to the front yard. I gasped in surprised as suddenly, the house was completely free of the fire, only the smoke leaving traces behind as it grew so thick, I was unable to keep on my feet. I felt myself crumbling to the ground, the strength leaving me so quickly; it was as if it had just darted right out of the house along with the flames. I could hear screams, cries of pain and agony. It sounded so far away as my eyes began fluttering close. I was coughing, that was all that was ringing in my ear. The coughs were growing louder, the smoke growing so dense that I couldn't even breathe. It felt like someone had just grabbed onto my lungs, squeezing them painfully until my consciousness began slipping away. I felt the tug, but before I could go, before I met whatever fate was awaiting me in that dark tunnel of nothingness, I had to know, I had to know for sure.
My orbs opened into slits, and while I could barely see through the dark thick smoke, I was able to find the flames dancing across the front yard, enveloping the vampires, burning them to nothing but a pile of ash. It was Victor that I watched, that I found enjoyment in the flames enveloping so densely that I couldn't see him at all. All I could hear was his last few screams of suffering before I was pulled entirely away, my body growing limp on the burnt wood floor, my eyes falling to a close.
"I will come back to you." I whispered, as if Eric could still hear me as my consciousness was stripped away from me, only a small twinge of hope remaining that I would indeed return to the man that I loved.