Weeks had passed, and there had been no sign of Bill. Well, there had, he was just a little late with his return to Bon Temps. And when Bill Compton was late, that rose a red flag to both Eric and Kennedy. When Eric hadn't received a phone call from Bill, telling him he would be back in town that evening, ready to come to Fangtasia with news from his trip, they knew something had gone wrong. And they'd been right, something had gone wrong. As far as they were concerned, Bill had fallen off the face of the planet, and that meant someone had kidnapped him. And that meant they needed to go find him. The only problem? Bill was wasn't within Eric's area, which meant Eric would have no control over their plan. That's where Sookie was to come in.
"Chow, Pam and I are going to tell Sookie the news. Stay here, after the last visit I'm not so sure your one for breaking bad news." Kennedy smiled sheepishly at Eric, leaning back in his office chair, ignoring it's squeaks of protest. She threw her legs onto his desk, barely kicking over a few bottles of True Blood that sat at the edge. She ignored Eric's frown. She waved in a saluting way, placing her hands behind her head. She had plans while Eric was out.
"Have fun with that then. Tell Sookie I say hi, and try not to make her cry? I may not be able to keep quiet, but your not he most compassionate person around." Eric ignored her comment, straightening out his grey suit jacket and leaving the room without another word. She waited a good five minutes before poking her head into the club, her eyes scanning the crowded room for Ginger. When she spotted her behind the bar, she made a mad dash across the club, making sure not to startle Ginger. She had a habit of screaming when she was scared, it quickly got on Kennedy's nerves.
"Well hey Kennedy, how ya doing?" Ginger asked cheerfully as she popped the cap off a beer bottle, handing it over to a nervous looking man who seemed to be nearly twitching. Kennedy shook her head, looking Ginger up and down. She felt bad for Ginger, who had been glamoured so often she wasn't all there upstairs. The many bite marks on her neck made Kennedy's stomach turn, or gave her a feeling similar to that. Her boney frame, covered in barely there clothes only made her look even weaker. All in all, Kennedy found Ginger sort of pathetic, but loyal all in the same.
"I'm gonna need to run out for a bit Ginger. If Eric comes back before I do, tell him…that I went to go check on Jessica." it wouldn't be unbelievable. Since Bill had disappeared, Kennedy had taken responsibility over Jessica, making sure she stayed out of trouble. She visited her often enough for Eric to believe that she was really there. Ginger nodded, a dazed smile on her face as she nodded. Ginger always agreed to pretty much anything she was told, it made her pretty useful. Sort of like a dog…only just a tad more clingy.
"Sure thing. You be careful out there Kennedy. Eric'll have my neck if something happens to you." Kennedy nodded quickly, taking off and out of the club before anyone could notice what exactly was going on. If Eric had known where Kennedy was really going, he might not have agreed. Then again, he didn't know the entire story. But she would be out of town for a few days, headed for Jackson to help find Bill. She was going to need clothes, because she was pretty sure Pam wouldn't be around to lend hers over. Plus, she found Pam's clothes fit a little more baggy than she'd like seeing as Pam was a few inches taller.
She had an odd feeling as she headed towards her maker's home. She wasn't sure if she was feeling happiness, or if she was afraid. The closer and closer she got to her home, the stronger that feeling got. She slowed only when she saw two men in black suits, standing outside almost like they had been waiting for her. She nodded to them, knowing they wouldn't give her any trouble. She knew that because she knew each of them personally. The tall blond was Steve, and the short, sort of squat looking brunette was Phil. She'd known them for longer than she could recall. Steve and Phil both nodded in return, their eyes staying focused ahead of them at all times. She walked passed them and up to a large home built with crème, marble looking stones. The two pools that sat on either side of the walkway had usually calmed her with their tranquility, the lights from inside the house always reflecting in their crystal clear water. They did nothing for her now as she walked inside.
She stepped into the entry way, the pale, teal colored walls making her feel right at home. She could hear voices from inside the sun room, that sat on the other side of the entry way. She walked in with her head held high, feeling a wave of relief when she only saw Hadley and Ludis. "Kennedy!" Hadley said smiling widely, waving wildly as her legs waded in the long pool in front of her. Hadley Hale was Kennedy's first human friend. She was Sophie Ann's partner, and the sweetest person Kennedy had met up until Sookie. Ludis, a tall, tanned man with a very strong accent, was what most vampires referred to as a blood bag. He was simply there because Sophie Ann liked the taste of his blood, and what Sophie Ann wanted, she got. She was the queen of Louisiana after all.
"Is Sophie around?" Kennedy asked, her eyes darting around the large room. It was a desperate attempt for Sophie Ann to get as close to humanity as she could. The room was surrounded by windows that looked out on a faux beach, making it seem as if it were always daytime. Kennedy didn't like the room as much as the others. Kennedy nodded, pulling her legs from the pool and rubbing them dry with a towel. She rushed over, hugging Kennedy quickly.
"She's in her bedroom. Should I go get her? She'll be so glad to know your back." Kennedy wasn't so sure about that. But if she left without letting Sophie Ann she had dropped in, things could only get worse. Kennedy nodded, grimacing as Hadley rushed off to find Sophie Ann. She smiled tightly at Ludis, heading for the marble staircase to make the trip to her room. She'd forgotten how many rooms there were in the house, and how easy it would be to get lost. She was grateful to get to her room quickly, shutting the door quickly. She had to get as much done as she could before Sophie Ann showed up.
Had her heart been beating, it would have ached at the sight of her room. She'd missed it more than she'd realized. The pale lavender walls, plush white carpet and large tarnished cherry wood bed were home to her. As she looked at the photos around her room, of her family as it had been when she was alive, of memories that had made her happy to think back on, she had to shut her eyes tightly, willing the horrid red tears from spilling out. She didn't expect to feel this strongly at seeing her room again, especially since she'd only been gone a month or so. When she'd recovered from her spout of emotion, she grabbed a bag from her closet, piling in as much clothes as she could, not sure how long it would be until she would be back.
"Well well, little Compton's found her way home." Kennedy froze at the sound of her makers voice. She stopped packing her things, turning to face Sophie Ann. She hadn't changed one bit. Her hair was still the same strawberry red it had been for the last century or so. She was still wearing an elegant dress, this one a deep emerald green, and flawless makeup. "Nice to see you again Kennedy," she said with a sigh, walking into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed, her champagne colored nails clashing with the black comforter. She eyed Kennedy's suitcase closely.
"Hey Soph…sorry I never called or anything…I was busy," she said with a nervous smile, her hands going back to folding her clothes so they'd fit into her suitcase. Sophie Ann smiled condescendingly, her nose scrunching up as she nodded. Kennedy's hands were beginning to shake.
"Oh I understand perfectly. How is Eric by the way? I haven't seen him in a few years." Kennedy's eyes shut tightly. She had a feeling her freedom hadn't been all it was cracked up to be. She should have known Sophie Ann would keep a close eye on her. She felt violated and betrayed. So much for thinking they'd been friends at one point. Kennedy smiled though, nodding slightly as she mumbled 'good'.
"Are you planning on going somewhere? Anywhere fun? I've been thinking of taking some time off myself…this queen thing can be very tiring." Kennedy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She didn't know how tiring it was. Sophie Ann did nothing but sit in her sun room, pretending she was tanning and bossing Kennedy around telling her to do all of her work for her. Kennedy was nearly both the brains and brawn behind Sophie Ann's queendom. "…I take it I'm not invited on this little trip." it wasn't a question. Kennedy almost felt bad when she saw Sophie Ann's hurt expression.
"Bill's missing Soph. Eric and I are going to Jackson to try and find him. I don't think it would be much fun for you. You might be happier going to Dallas…though with Godric gone things might not be the same." an actual look of worry crossed Sophie Ann's face so quickly she wasn't sure she'd actually seen it. So what Eric had said was true, Bill really was working for Sophie Ann. "What is he doing working for you? You realize his disappearance probably has something to do with that little project you have him doing. And why wasn't I told about this? I hadn't seen Bill for nearly two centuries, and I'm just now hearing your making him do your work for you? You couldn't have told me you'd been speaking with him? He's my brother Soph, how selfish are you?" if it had been anyone else, the consequences for speaking to Sophie Ann the way Kennedy had would have been nearly unthinkable. But being that it was Kennedy that had said it, Sophie kept her mouth shut. Pretending to be friends did come in handy every once in awhile.
"I was protecting you Kennedy. We both know you weren't ready to let Bill know the truth, your still not ready. You can't even tell Eric the truth and your in love with him, aren't you? It's sad…two vampires falling for each other. We weren't made for that Kennedy. We don't love." Kennedy sighed loudly, zipping her bag quickly.
"We're not all complete monsters Sophie. Some of us want to try and hold on to what little humanity we have left, if any. You should try it some time. And don't expect to get a call from me, I'll come back when I'm ready." and she walked out of her room, down the extremely long hallway. She'd shocked herself at her boldness. She'd never stood up to Sophie Ann, she hadn't seen much of a point in it before. But after spending time in the human world, seeing how some Vampire's, like Bill had tried to make their lives as human as possible, made her want to do the same. She didn't want to be the queen's pet anymore. She wanted to be her own person…vampire.
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A/N:I hope this wasn't too obvious. I tried to keep it sort of a seret who Kennedy's maker was.