Hey everybody! Just wanted to say I am so excited about the positive feedback I've already gotten for Chapter 1 of Break Me Open. I have been working on this story for probably half a year or so and have just gotten the courage to start posting it on here, so thanks for reading! Here is Chapter 2, I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I only own Gemma Leland and part of the plotline. The rest of the plot and characters belongs to Alan Ball and Charlaine Harris.

Chapter 2

I could feel the vampire's cold stare on me as I cried. Tears rolled down my cheeks, dripping from my chin onto my shirt. The full pain and horror I had been feeling since I awoke in the grave surfaced and began to overflow. With each tear, though, I began to feel a little better. Not happy, but a little more able to process what was happening and rationally decide on where to go from there.

The vampire sighed beside me, obviously irritated with this show of emotion.

"You are making a fool of yourself," he muttered. I sniffed, knowing he was right, but the entire situation felt like too much for me to handle. My tears stopped and I began to wipe the wet trails from my face. Looking at my hands, I realized they were covered in blood. I gasped.

"Calm down," said the vampire coolly. "Vampires cry blood. Now, fledgling, what is your name?"

Getting to my feet, I looked the man in the face. Despite the blood drying on his chin, it was obvious he was very attractive. His face was pale and devoid of emotion, giving him the distinct appearance of a marble statue. His piercing blue eyes were locked on mine, waiting for my reply. Sighing, I ripped my eyes away from him, not wishing to embarrass myself any further.

"My name is Gemma Leland," I said quietly. Looking back up at the man beside me, I was suddenly overcome with thankfulness. This man, despite seeming very angry with me, was my savior, and he deserved my respect. "May I ask your name?"

Ignoring my question, he looked back toward his car. "Miss Leland, it would be best if we left before any more werewolves decided to come finish you off. Where is your maker?"

"I don't know," I sighed. "I awoke in a grave, but I was alone. Whoever my maker is, he left before I awoke."

The vampire pondered for a few seconds. Then, with a look of resentful defeat, he looked back toward me. "Well, Miss Leland, we need to get out of here. You may come with me until we can figure out what to do with you."

Leading me to the vehicle, which I now saw was a red convertible, the man was courteous enough to open the passenger door for me. I was touched by the action, until I saw him take off his jacket and place it on the seat. He looked to me, his face very serious.

"Please, try not to touch anything. I'd rather replace a jacket than the interior of my car.

Nodding my head, I carefully situated myself on the seat so I was sitting on the edge, my back and legs not touching the seat. The vampire shut my door before walking over to the driver's side, taking his seat behind the steering wheel. He turned the key in the ignition and stepped on the gas, sending the car shooting forward. Skillfully, he pulled the emergency brake and turned the wheel, sending the car into a 180 degree spin, throwing me back in my seat. Dropping the emergency brake, he stomped on the gas again and we sped down the highway in the way he came.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, I decided to take my chances and ask him a few questions.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"We are coming up to Shreveport," he answered monotonously, giving me the impression he thought that I was an idiot.

"I know, I can read the sign," I said, my frustration starting to bubble over. Taking a deep breath, I put myself in check. I had to remember, even if this guy was a jerk, he had still saved me. "I've just never heard of Shreveport, and I've lived in many different parts of Illinois."

The vampire turned his eyes to me, giving me a very strange look. "We aren't in Illinois. This is Shreveport, Louisiana."

"What?" I exclaimed, sitting bolt upright in my seat. "What do you mean Louisiana?"

"Look, Miss Leland, I'm not sure what is wrong with you, but I refuse to believe that you are so stupid as to not understand what Louisiana is."

I growled, my anger getting the best of me again. "I know what Louisiana is. I just don't know how the fuck I got here. I live in Illinois!"

"You have no idea how you got here?" he asked, his expression suddenly changing to that of intrigue. He risked a quick glance over at me, looking into my eyes. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Thinking back, I realized I couldn't remember much. The last thing I remembered was going to work on a Sunday. I remembered it distinctly because I normally didn't work on Sundays. They called me in that day because one of the employees had gotten arrested for driving drunk the night before and they needed somebody to cover his shift.

"I remember going to work on Sunday. I think it was the eleventh. What is today?"

"Miss Leland," the vampire began carefully, "today is Tuesday the twenty-seventh."

I gasped. My last memory was from over two weeks prior. Something had happened in between then and now, leaving me alone and without memory in Louisiana.

"I need to get home," I said with conviction, looking at my vampire companion. "You need to take me to an airport, a bus station, somewhere with a way for me to get back to Illinois."

"Look, I don't think you understand the severity of this situation," he said, not taking his eyes from the road. "You are a fledgling vampire with a missing maker. On top of this, for some reason a group of werewolves had a particular interest in you, and I'm convinced they were not the only ones. They were there to retrieve you. And Miss Leland-"

"Please stop calling me that," I interrupted. "Just call me Gemma."

"Gemma," he sighed, "I am fairly certain your maker is dead. If he were alive, he would be able to call you, alert you to where he is. Have you felt any pull to a certain place?" he asked as the car passed through the city limits, though he did not decrease his speed. Instead, he continued racing at breakneck speed down the streets, expertly maneuvering around other motorists. If I still had a heartbeat, it would have been thundering within my chest.

After thinking for a moment, I answered, "No, not that I know of."

"This feeling is very distinct. You would remember if you felt it," he said. "Do you know why those wolves were after you?"

"No, I have no clue. I didn't even know they were werewolves until after you killed them. I assumed they were just regular old wolves."

"There are very few, if any, wolves in this area. And even if there were any, wolves do not attack humans unprovoked like that, unless they are starving. Those werewolves wanted you specifically and we need to know why," he mused. I was unsure if he was talking to himself at this point or to me.

"Look, mister," I began, growing impatient, "I don't know who you are or where you're taking me, but I think at the very least a name is warranted if you want anything else from me."

The vampire sighed, giving me a sidelong glance. Even with his angered expression, his astonishingly blue eyes still captivated me. Looking back toward the road, he said, "My name is Eric Northman. I am the Sheriff of Louisiana Area 5. I am taking you to my place of business to speak with my associates about what should be done with you. Happy?"

"Not really," I answered truthfully, "but it's better. And to answer your question, I have no clue why those werewolves were after me. I dug myself out of the grave, ran to the highway, and suddenly they attacked me. That is the extent of my night so far."

A few moments of silence passed. I could tell by the look on his face that Eric was processing everything I had said. As for me, I was trying my best not to think about it, which was very difficult. To distract myself, I stared out the window, trying to memorize my surroundings. I wasn't sure why, but maybe at least knowing a little about where I was would help me remember how I got here. After a few minutes, Eric pulled the car off the road into the parking lot of a club. It was very dark, a sign on the front telling me the place was called Fangtasia. Obviously, it was one of those vampire bars I had heard about. When we stopped, both of us quickly opened our doors and stepped out of the car, as if trying to escape the awkward silence.

Without looking at me, Eric walked resolutely toward the front entrance with me following close behind. We walked inside, the building surprisingly empty. A woman stood beside the bar, her elbow rested on the back of a chair. She was thin, of average height, maybe a little tall, and wearing an obscene amount of pink. Nervous, I followed a few feet behind Eric, slouching down as if that would make me harder to see. As we approached, the woman gave Eric a tight smile before her eyes settled on me. It was like a cat looking at a dead mouse. The disgust was practically written on her face, it was so visible.

"Back so soon? I thought you needed to find Lafay…Where did you dig up this…thing?" she drawled, the last word dropping from her mouth like it tasted bad. Completely mortified, I shrunk down even more.

"Pam, I need to see you in my office now," he said, glancing quickly back at me. "We have some business to discuss."

Pam's nose wrinkled as I passed her. I wondered to myself if vampires could blush. If it is possible, I thought, I am as red as a tomato.

I followed Eric down a side hallway and into a spacious office. It was a typical office, though I wasn't sure what I expected. Organization was not just a human thing. Against the wall sat a leather couch that I was tempted to sit in, but seeing the condemning look on Eric's face, I decided it was not a good idea.

Soon after we entered, the door opened and Pam entered the room followed by a heavy, dark haired male vampire in a suit. Even before he looked at me, he looked like he had a permanent bad taste in his mouth, but when his eyes were able to take in my appearance, you would have thought he just ate animal droppings.

"Eric, what is this thing and why is it with you?" Pam asked. The way she drew out her words, it sounded like she was incredibly bored, though the irritated look on her face spoke volumes to the contrary.

"This is Gemma Leland, I found her in the road being attacked by a group of werewolves," Eric said as if I wasn't there, not even sparing me a glance. I might as well have been invisible. "She is a new vampire and, if I am correct in my guess, her maker is dead."

The fat vampire looked at me with a pinched expression. "So what are we supposed to do with her?"

Eric sighed, sitting down at his desk. "I do not know, Chow, I have never had to deal with a situation like this. We cannot just leave her to her own devices. She is ignorant of vampire laws and even how to deal with her own urges. Any situation involving her would make its way back to me. We need to find a pseudo-maker to act as a mentor to her until she is able to exist on her own."

"And who is supposed to do that?" Pam demanded. The look in her eyes as she glared at me seemed to scream "you will not be my responsibility."

"Eric, this should not be our problem. You found her at the side of the road, and as far as I'm concerned, she should have been left there," the fat vampire, Chow, spat. "Take her to the Queen. She should find some place for her."

"I already know what Sophie-Anne would say," Eric growled, his pale hand clenching into a tight fist. "I hate to get her involved in petty problems."

"I don't think we have a choice," Pam chimed in, giving me another disgusted look. That finally broke me. I could not take the passive-aggressiveness anymore.

"Look, I understand that this is a big inconvenience to you," I interjected, finally fed up, "but I am here, you know. Shouldn't I have any say in what happens?"

All three pairs of eyes turned to me, the same irritated expression in all of them. A few tense moments passed, making me uncomfortable. It's terribly intimidating to have one vampire staring at you, even worse three. Eric was the first to speak. "Well, Miss Leland, what is it you propose we do?"

"I want to go back home," I stated matter-of-factly. "I lived in Illinois my whole life. I have an apartment, a job, a life back in Joliet. I don't need to be any of your problem. Just help me get a bus ticket and I'll be on my way."

Eric looked to Pam and Chow, seemingly conversing with them only with his eyes.

"Leave us, please," Eric said gruffly. Without protest, both vampires exited the room, leaving me alone with the tall, blonde vampire. This made me feel exposed, even though I knew neither Pam nor Chow would protect me in any situation. Eric turned away from me, looking down at the papers on his desk, making me feel like I was being ignored. After a few seconds, Eric turned back to me.

"I'm afraid I cannot just contact the Sheriff of your area in Illinois. Though I would love to be rid of this responsibility, vampire politics is a complicated playground," he muttered, standing up so that he was looking down into my face. I felt like a child being told why the sky is blue and that no matter how much I wanted it to be purple, there was nothing I could do about it. "You were buried in Area 5, your maker is missing, and you are a liability to the vampire community as a whole. Since the Great Awakening, we have worked hard to make relations between vampires and humans as civil as possible. A baby vampire on the loose, unable to control herself would be detrimental. We will need to see the Queen, as much as I hate it, to see what will be done with you. If it were up to me, you would be staked to insure against any problems."

I swallowed, suddenly fearful of this vampire. Though he did save my life earlier, it was clear that my life was not valuable to him in the least. Eric stared off into space, obviously deep in thought. I wrung my hands, uncomfortable in this silence. Finally, I just had to break it.

"Then why did you save me from those werewolves?" I asked, unable to contain my curiosity. There had to be a good reason, I hoped.

I was wrong. With a smirk on his face, Eric looked down into my eyes. "I have been having a terrible week. I needed a good kill to relieve some stress."

With that, the tall, blonde vampire opened the door and walked out of the office, leaving me all alone.