A/N: Sorry this is going out so late in the evening, but this one took awhile. Curve ball, anyone? ;)
As always, thanks for the reviews!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or stories from The Southern Vampire series. I can only hope that Ms. Harris does not mind me taking them out to play with.
___________________________________________________________________________________
"Sookie... Sookie wake up."
I swatted at the hand shaking my shoulder.
"Sookie, wake up!" the shaking grew more vigorous.
I rolled over on my side, groaning, "Just five more minutes, Eric..."
Wait... Eric??
I shot straight up, my eyes flying open, but it was still dark. I rubbed at them, trying to focus, searching the darkness. For a moment I thought I was dreaming again, but then I felt it... or rather him. The bond... emotions...
"Eric?" I whispered, afraid my mind was playing tricks on me.
His cool hands cupped my face, thumbs gently brushing across my cheeks. "Sookie..."
"Oh my God... Eric..." I breathed, throwing my arms around him. "It was just a nightmare... you're really here..."
My Viking pulled me in close, one hand softly caressing my hair. I clung desperately to him, "Eric, it was so horrible... there was a tribunal... and I thought I'd lost you forever..."
"Sookie," he said firmly, pulling back to return his gaze to mine. "Sookie, how did you get here?"
I blinked at him, "Uhh... I live here?"
Eric arched a brow at me, "Sookie, we are not in Bon Temps. We're not even in the United States. So I'll ask again, how did you get here?"
"Eric, please don't tease me," I admonished, dropping my hands from his hair. They landed on a cold, hard surface. This isn't my bed...
Slowly, hesitantly, I turned my head. My vision had adjusted a bit to the dark, and I could see enough to realize this was definitely not my bedroom. There were no windows, only walls that looked like cinder block. I seemed to be sitting on some sort of metal table or counter. My breath hitched in my throat, and Eric pulled me back into his embrace.
"You have no idea how you got here, or where we are, do you?" he said softly, probably sensing my confusion through our bond.
I just shook my head against his shoulder. At the moment, I hardly cared about the answers. His arms were around me... we were together... he was still on this Earth. I felt a myriad of emotions pouring from him through the bond, so many simultaneously I couldn't begin to pick through them. I may have been feeling nothing short of bliss, but Eric, was in absolute turmoil.
"I have to find a way to get you out of here, Sookie. Do you have your cell phone?" he asked, a definite edge in his voice.
A quick pat down of myself told me I was still only wearing Eric's t-shirt and my sleep bottoms. "No. Eric, what's going on? Where are we?"
"Romania," he said, getting up and moving to the door, staring at it like it was some sort of puzzle.
"As in the country?" I gasped, quickly joining him by the door.
He held a finger to my lips, "Sookie, be quiet."
I might've snapped at him under other circumstances, but the growing fear I felt through the bond told me to obey, and I nodded in understanding. I watched him tentatively extend a finger to the door, which I noticed had no handle. There was a sizzle and a tiny waft of smoke when his skin made contact, causing him to quickly withdraw.
"Oh God..." I whispered.
He ran his other hand through his hair, "The whole room... there are silver bars behind the cinder block."
"We... we're in a prison?" I croaked.
"More like a holding cell. My trial begins tonight."
I felt my knees going slack, and Eric quickly caught me, depositing me back on the metal counter. "So... it wasn't a nightmare... the tribunal..." I whispered.
He only nodded. It was then I noticed just how pale he was. He looked worn... gaunt, even. "Eric... you haven't fed..."
I immediately raised my wrist to his lips. He glanced over at me for just a moment, but he was in no position to refuse. I wasn't sure how long it had been since he'd had blood, but he wasn't fighting for control over himself the way Bill did. I didn't know if that meant it hadn't been too long, or if it was his age that allowed him to go much longer without sustenance. Given his appearance, I was guessing the latter. He gently grasped my arm, his fangs penetrating my flesh. It stung a little, and he drank more deeply than I'd felt from him before, but he still took far less blood from me than Bill would have.
"Thank you, Sookie," he said in that husky voice, licking my wounds closed. The wave of lust that shot through the bond was undeniable, and I felt both of us fight to tamp it down. Now was definitely not the time.
Before either of us could speak again, there was a sound of metal clinking outside the door. Eric was up like a shot, pushing me behind him. I felt his whole body tense and knew he was preparing to fight his way out. I shut my eyes, pressing myself against his back. Was this going to be it? Would we both die right here in this cold cell? The door swung open. I held my breath.
A deep, gruff voice said something in a language I couldn't understand. Eric kept me tucked behind him, responding to our captor in, what I could only assume, was the same language. Great, just great. They could be discussing the weather or our impending torture for all I knew. It was another vampire, of course, so I couldn't even try to gauge his emotions with my gift. There were a few more lines exchanged between them, and Eric didn't seem to be getting any more or any less tense.
"Come, Sookie," he then said softly, tucking me against his side.
We were walking down a long, narrow corridor, following the dark-haired vampire. He was tall, though still a few inches shorter than Eric, and dressed all in black. There was some sort of crossbow slung over his shoulder, and I noticed its ammunition was wooden. Lovely. I tried to look up at Eric for any sign of reassurance, but his eyes were too busy darting around, probably scanning for any signs of danger. I hadn't had time to consider much of the predicament we were in, much less how the heck I'd wound up here. The last thing I knew I was falling asleep after that crazy nightmare...
We rounded a corner, headed up some steps, and were walking across an outdoor courtyard. I realized we had been underground. The wind was biting and chilly, made worse by my thin pajamas. I huddled deeper into Eric, even though he didn't really provide any warmth. I felt him trying to soothe me through the bond, despite his own tension.
A few minutes later we finally arrived at another building. It looked like some sort of giant, concrete bunker, with no windows and only one set of doors that I could see. The vampire in black held the doors open for us, and fell back in step behind us after we'd entered. Eric seemed like he knew where he was going, and for some reason that comforted me a bit. I ventured a small look around. The interior was just as sparse as the exterior. It reminded me of some super secret government spy building you'd see in the movies.
We came to a set of double doors, benches lining the walls just outside. The other vampire knocked, and I vaguely heard someone respond from inside. Our escort swung the doors open, and I steeled myself against Eric. His grip tightened around my shoulders, and we proceeded. I half expected to hear a voice call out 'Dead Man Walking'.
The room we entered was completely different than the starkness of the rest of the building. It was paneled in a rich, mahogany wood. The matching wood floor was covered with a large, oriental style rug. All the furnishings looked old, and very expensive, sort of a mish mosh of styles. The focal point was a floor to ceiling, stone fireplace, with a large desk in front. Okay... a judge's chamber, maybe?
The doors closed behind us, and I realized we were alone. Eric leaned down to me, grasping both my shoulders with his hands. His eyes fixed on mine, a look of seriousness I'd never seen.
"Sookie, listen to me, and do not argue. Do not speak unless you are asked a direct question, and then, answer as briefly as possible. Keep your eyes down at all times. You must not cry, under any circumstances. Do your best to follow my lead. Do you understand me?"
Eric's tone let me know this was not the time to do anything other than follow instructions. I nodded, doing my best to calm my trembling hands.
"Good girl," he said, and placed a soft kiss on my cheek.
A door at the side of the room opened, and Eric looked up for a split second. I immediately felt him tug at my hand and we were on our knees, heads bowed, as a... presence... entered the room. I felt a power like I'd never experienced fill the room. It was overwhelming, nearly sucking the air from my lungs. Only the 'void' told me this was, indeed, a vampire. Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea...
"My Lord," Eric spoke low and reverently. I remembered his words to me and said nothing, though I'm not sure I could've, even if I'd wanted to. I kept my eyes glued to a spot on the rug.
After a few moments of silence, I began to suspect any conversation was occurring between them by means of their vampire telepathy. I tried to keep my breathing as quiet as possible, willing my hands to stop shaking. Every second became more agonizing than the last. I dared not try and probe the bond, and it seemed as though Eric was somehow shielding me from his emotions. I hadn't realized that was even possible, but I wished like hell that he would cut it out. If he felt it necessary to 'block' me... that could not be good.
This is it, we're going to die. I can't believe I'm still breathing at all. If this vampire 'lord' doesn't kill me, this terror probably will. How did this happen? What horrible being or power sent me here? I'd had a plan, dammit! I was going to save Eric and Pam and Bill... and everything would go back to normal. Now it would be impossible. Why... why bring me here? Who hated us this much? Was this revenge?
My head was beginning to ache. My fists were clenching, jaw tightening... why do I feel so angry? Because I'm being robbed, that's why... robbed of Eric... robbed of happiness... robbed of life. We'd had so little time... Hallow's curse had brought us together... brought us to the brink... then stolen it away. Dammit, Sookie, why didn't you just pursue him when he couldn't remember... why didn't you just tell him! I wasted so much time with my stupid pride... and fear. I'd been afraid. I didn't think Eric would or could love me once he'd gotten his memory back... or maybe I was just afraid to let him.
The ache in my brain began to sear into the back of my eyes... what is this? I've felt this before... I know I have. I looked down at my fists, clenched so tight my knuckles were white. Eric was staring at me now, I could feel it, but I couldn't look back. I think I heard him say my name. Why is it getting so bright in here?
I'm doubling over onto the floor... Eric is moving to catch me. What happened to his vampire speed? He's moving so slow... wait... everything is slow. God that light, it's so bright! I squint against it as it grows... I realize it's coming from me... from my clenched fists... I hear a whisper coming from somewhere...
"Sibyl..."
My eyes are flying open... the guard is leveling his crossbow at Eric... oh God, the stake! I hear a shriek coming from my throat... I'm diving in front of Eric... I'm faster than they are... the light explodes from me... engulfing everything....
.
.
The pain is gone, the light dimmed. I'm back on my knees... and I slowly open my eyes...
I'm in my kitchen, knelt on the floor... there's a pan of water in front of me and a rag in my hands. The water is slightly tinged with red.
"S... Sookie?" I hear Eric's ragged voice.
I look up. He's seated on the chair in front of me, wearing only a pair of red, bikini briefs. My white afghan is wrapped around his shoulders.
TBC