A/N - I own nothing.
Eric woke. The same grey concrete walls greeted him. He lay on the cot, staring up at the ever grey and featureless ceiling. He wondered if he'd ever see the night sky again.
The faint tapping started a few moments later. Russell was awake as well.
Even if Eric hated the bastard, the self aggrandizing prick was proving useful. If only to help keep Eric on his toes. They quickly exchanged status updates. Eric told of the lab room, and Russell relayed information about his interrogations.
Guards?
Sometimes. Same small room, with different interviewers every time. Mostly weres. Being fed questions by someone outside.
None of yours?
All Northerners. From DC. Your standard bureau crap.
Eric nodded, knowing the type. Wolves ran in packs, were protective, and respected hierarchy. The FBI probably had more wolves in it than ran wild. Russell's tapping interrupted his thoughts.
Pam?
Still nothing. It was the damn silver, he was sure of it. It had been luck that she hadn't been with him that night. She would have known right away that something had gone wrong.
Talbot? Eric asked in return.
Nothing. Russells taps sounded resigned. Hopefully he is still in Greece, feasting in the chaos as the government falls.
Eric knew, just knew that Pam had to be working on a way to get him out. Even if he had told her never to try anything that would endanger herself. She was a stubborn child, and he was proud of her. She would find a way. And if they managed to get Russell out as well, he would owe Eric a debt that could prove useful.
His thoughts bubbled with excitement at the prospect. Having one of the world's oldest vampire, if not the oldest vampire, be in his debt was a strength he would have to use wisely.
Bloodlust began to rise, but Eric forced it down. He didn't have the energy, he reminded himself bitterly.
Eric's daily food rations came soon with a creak and a thud. Either he had been there too long, or they were using a new version of True Blood, because the bottle tastes suspiciously like real. Eric swallowed it without reservation.
Eric's reflection in the glass bottle was pale and faded. He looked more gaunt that he cared for. And Pam would give him hell over his hair.
He sat back down on the thin and inadequate bunk. Waiting. Listening. Planning. But how did a vampire escape from a silver box?
Hours passed, before the guards came for him once again. A polyester blindfold was part of their routine tonight. Eric hesitated, before letting the guards slide it over his eyes. Instead, he focused on his other senses. Ever since they had started bringing him to the labs instead of the interrogation room, their steps were quicker, lighter. Eric filed away the change, and listened closely to the concrete and metal hallways. Busy activity in the distance, the smell of weres, the cries of young children, men and women. What was this place?
The doors to the labs squeaked open with the same, annoying whine.
"You really should put some WD-40 on that hinge before you grease it," he admonished them, his pride surfacing to taunt them. If he couldn't fight, he could at least mock them. "Just think of the poor dogs here. You're probably causing permanent hearing damage."
No one answered his comment. Six heartbeats pounded in front of him. And the movement of another being without a heart beat stood off to the side. Eric smirked as he realized who it must be.
"Ah, Bill. How nice of you to host me again this evening. And might I thank you for the blindfold - you always knew how much I hate seeing your face. Nice that southern manners haven't been lost in this day and age." He heard Bill huff, and resisted the urge to smile at his reaction.
"As you have probably guessed, Eric, I had wanted them to simply blind you completely. It would help the cause of vampire research if we could have an intact eyeball which to dissect. Perhaps we still might get a chance."
The smell of chlorine and detergents assaulted his senses. The cold of the metal table. Running water in the background as someone washed their hands.
Once again Eric was strapped down, and padded silver cuffs were put around his wrists, his legs, and a cage over his chest. He tried his strength against it, without using any real force. He didn't have enough energy for any real force.
Heartbeats speed up close to him. Heartbeats, signs of warm, fresh blood. He could practically smell their nervousness. Their youth. Their mortality. His fangs ached.
"Now, now Eric. You know as well as I do that there is no way you can break through these restraints for a snack. Not in your condition."
Bill was right. Eric stayed silent and still, defiant. A familiar heartbeat entered the room, accompanied by two weres. It was slowed, as if the human was almost asleep. She smelled delicious. Had she smelled like this last time? Against his will, his fangs descended. They cut his bottom lip and Eric forced his mouth closed. A small trickle of blood flowed down his throat as his lip healed.
Bill's phone noticeably buzzed. Based on his hesitancy to answer, Bill must have looked down at the caller ID and frowned in a microsecond before returning to his calm, collected manner. Bill was a young vampire, and Eric knew for a fact that he had not yet managed to contain his reactions.
"Excuse me gentlemen. I have to take this. Dr. Spencer - proceed with the treatment as scheduled." Bill's leather soled shoes clicked away against the linoleum floor, and Eric felt a small surge of relief to be the only vampire in the room.
A prick in his left arm signaled that they were drawing blood again. Really, he couldn't understand why the humans hadn't started doing it earlier, if all they were going to do with him was to use him for medical experiments. Then again, he much preferred them to leave him alone.
He knew that human and vampire researchers had been itching to find out more about vampire blood and physiology. After all, vampire blood's effect on humans and weres was still largely unknown. Like Godric, Eric had never shared his blood unless to create another vampire, and hadn't felt predisposed to do unnecessary experiments during his past 1000 years. Given how few vampires there were in this modern world - a couple of thousand at most - and the ridiculous rumors that surrounded it thanks to the internet and local legends - an aphrodisiac, performance enhancer, weight loss, that it change your sexual orientation - useful information on the properties of blood was hard to find.
If vampire blood could do even half of what was promised, it was no wonder that the humans were willing to whatever they could to get their hands on it. Eric still couldn't understand why Bill was involved though. What did a vampire have to gain from all of this? And why hadn't the humans just drained him.
Another prick, this time in his right arm. Eric felt how his blood slowly drifted away from him. A twinge in his chest ached, as if his blood was calling out to him. Damn it. He wanted it back. It was his. They had no right.
The heart of the young woman increased. As if she could feel his discomfort, she whimpered.
"Dr. Spencer?" one of the young technicians asked.
"Oh, she's probably just having a dream." The click of a small flashlight sounded. "Normal pupil reactions. No REM - to be expected with this sedative. Poor girl is probably just having a nightmare. Nothing to worry about. Have you prepared the samples and injections?"
Glass vials tinkled as they were lifted behind Eric. He could smell the girl's blood. Delicious. His fangs ached with hunger. Just one small sip...
"Dr. Spencer. You have an urgent call on line 1. Dr. Spencer. Urgent call on line 1."
"Oh fiddlesticks. Here," a tray was shoved at someone else, and Eric barely heard how the technician scrambled to catch the vials. His blood, her blood - the sensations were drowning him. Every pulse point in every body seemed to beat too loudly.
"Its my wife," Dr. Spencer whispered harshly. "Gabe, you do the injections. We can't get behind schedule. I'll be a minute."
"Fuck," Gabe whispered. "Luke - do you know which ones we are supposed to inject?"
"Idiot. I'll do it." The technician named Luke grabbed a syringe and quickly injected the first one into the young woman. Eric felt like shuddering. His blood. His blood. His blood was in her. He hadn't been able to register it before, but now he knew. It was like what he had with Pam, but completely different at the same time. He could feel her.
Another prick in his arm, and he felt a glorious elixir enter his body. Not the usual blood substitute injections they gave him after these sessions. No. He knew this was her. It was like fibers of her were inside of his, caressing him, touching him.
Fuck. If he didn't keep it in check, he was going to get a hard on.
A/N - Remember kids - blood exchanges should only be done by willing participants in sterile conditions. Who knows what might happen otherwise?