Disclaimer: Because Eric Northman wakes me up every morning in all his naked glory… NOT.

A/N: Sorry for the lateness! There was a lot I had to deal with this August and September. My father passed away August 31st, so my life's been kind of hectic since then. But I'm back on track with this as a gift to my faithful readers!

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Another Way to Die

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Now move I'm gonna come dry
I dropped my musings out of sight
I drank until the waters dried
It's all cute 'til someone dies

Shoot my name up every vein
You can't get hurt, you can't complain
No feet, no hands, no tail, no lies
He's got youth on his side

- Kiss Kiss, by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

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Chapter 6: Treize Heures

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I remembered falling asleep in the corner, sobbing until my tears ran as dry as a river in drought and my shoulder shook. I awoke in bed, eyes puffy and my face sore. There were two aspirin on my table and a glass of water. Sitting up, I stared at them. Eric must have left it there. I hesitated; debating if taking the medication was a good idea. My very skin ached and my head was beginning to throb, so I fucked propriety and tossed them back. Just because our different frequencies scared the shit out of me, didn't mean that I couldn't take his moments of chivalry. I decided not to dwell on it; it would only increase my headache.

I looked at the clock. It was one in the morning. I decided to go see Janvier. It was better than sitting around in the stifling room, waiting for Eric to come back. If he came back. No… He would. He was too above me to be petty and avoid me. He was a vampire; he could do whatever the fuck he wanted. Somehow, that thought made me mad. I angrily tossed my sheets aside and practically ripped my clothes off before dressing in an off shoulder, wine colored shirt and black, pinstripe shorts. If he got to do what he wanted, then I would do what I wanted. Fuck his rules. I made sure to slam the bathroom door behind me when I was done and slammed the door to the hallway for good measure.

Stomping down the hall, and probably resembling an overgrown, sullen snot of a kid, I found the door into the bar. My hand hovered over the steel handle when I heard a scritch-scratching. I was close to the office I was taken to the night before and the black door marked 'Employees Only' stood stark against the white wall. I chewed on my lower lip, feeling my curiosity uncurl inside me, interested in the noise. The bar door swung open, knocking me flat on my ass. Janvier towered over me, shocked,

"Rochelle! Mon ami, are you alright?" He swiftly pulled me to my feet, brushing me off and readjusting my clothes,

"Yeah," I breathed, "I'm fine,"

"You'd think we wouldn't be busy on a Monday night, yeah?" He shook his head, annoyed, "But of course, people still flock here like flies on a corpse," His lip curled in disgust before his demeanor changed like mercury, "But no matter, chéri!" Janvier's smile lit up his hazelnut skin like a hundred watt bulb, "My time is better spent with mon petite!" I smiled and followed him back to the bar,

"What were you planning on doing before slamming me in the face with the door?" I asked conversationally as I took my regular seat,

"Ah, just wanted to take a break," He replied smoothly, shrugging as he busied his hands cleaning a glass. What was it with bartenders constantly wiping cups? Was it a nervous tick they all developed? "So, tell me," Janvier began. I stiffened, hoping he wouldn't broach the subject of my hysterical fit from the night before. How was I supposed to know what Eric told his employees?

"Yes?" My mouth was dry,

"What are you doing out of the room without Eric?" He frowned, hopefully more so out of curiosity than disapproval. I almost sighed in relief,

"I didn't know he had me on a choke chain," I quipped sardonically. Janvier gave me a bemused smile,

"Care for a drink?" He offered in his placating way,

"Sure," I admitted, "Same thing as last time," He poured away, starting easy conversation to move the night along. There was another bartender working, so Janvier focused his attention on me. I didn't see Eric. Pam passed us a few times, slipping in a few words but we were left to our own devices. We broached the subject of vampire integration,

"You take all this very well," Janvier complimented me, "Has glamoring kept your fears at bay?"

"First of all, glamoring doesn't work. Second of all, fear of what?" My brow furrowed,

"Vampires. You must admit, we are rather terrifying," And he teasingly produced his fangs,

"My mémère still puts a broomstick in her doorway to keep the witches away at night," I shrugged with a lopsided smile, "So vampires and shapeshifters and whatever else is out there don't scare me. It's the individuals who can scare me," I polished off my third virgin Mojito,

"So, you'd leave a child alone with a vampire?" He asked curiously, instantly making me another,

"My mémère left me alone with vampires," I pointed out, "Vampires were some of her best friends,"

"Well, most people wouldn't agree," Janvier replied, a secretive smile on his face. I sniffed,

"Well, most people are jackasses," Shifting in my stool, I felt that cursed, dying need to pee. I had a bunch of drinks, so this wasn't surprising, but it was annoying, "I'm going to go the bathroom," I excused myself and slipped to the ground, "And I should probably let you get back to work,"

"Au revoir, chéri!" He waved as I tripped to the bathrooms. After finishing my business, I stood by the sink, washing my hands. My night's rebellious activity was going rather well. I went into the bar; I hung out with Janvier for a while and had several drinks I didn't pay for. A little serpent's voice in my ear told me that the one thing that would make this night better would be the cool air on my face. I turned the faucet off. Sounded like a plan. Why should Eric care? And why should I care if Eric cared?

He didn't own me. His name was not tattooed to my ass. I could do whatever the hell I wanted. Fuck him and his goddamn need to protect his "investment". My head held high, I marched out of the bathroom and out the backdoor. A tantalizing and excited chill nipped at my spine. The club was a dull, muted roar and the sound of traffic was a modern symphony of aggression and frustration. It was exhilarating. I slipped out of the alley, throwing a glance over at the line leading into Fangtasia. A slow grin spread across my face as I practically skipped down the street.

My glee lasted about five minutes. A patrol car passed me before making a U-turn and slowing down to my speed. Bile building in my throat, I stopped. He rolled the window down to peer up at me. He was a white guy, skin more pink than olive with trailer trash side burns,

"Did you just walk out of that vampire bar?" The officer shined his flashlight in my eyes. I winced,

"Uh, yeah?" He peered at me with his small eyes. Something heavy dropped down into the pit of my stomach,

"Stay right there," I stood there dumbly as he got out of his patrol car, pulling up the back of his pants with one hand, "What are those?" He pointed at my skin, "Right there?" What was he- oh,

"These?" I repeated stupidly. Eric's voice drifted into my brain. You might not always have the chance to explain what those are. Shit, "They're birthmarks!" He raised a disbelieving, bushy brow,

"Uh-huh," Well, telling the truth certainly wasn't the right choice, "Have you been bitten tonight, young lady?" Have I been what?

"No!" I protested, but the skepticism was like a steel wall,

"Lemme see your ID," He snapped impatiently, his fat, fleshy palm held open to me,

"I don't have one," The officer stared at me for a few minutes,

"Excuse me?" An exasperated, disgruntled noise escaped my throat,

"I said, 'I don't got no ID,'" I strained. He sniffed, readjusting his pants. Why was my life suddenly a really bad episode of Cops?

"All right. Get in the back. I'm taking you down to the station,"

"What?" My jaw could've hit the ground and gone straight through the center of the Earth to China, "Why?"

"Because you just walked out of that vampire bar with these," he waved the flashlight around my birthmarks, "And there's probably more and you're clearly underage," His logic was flawless, "Get in the back of the car," I opened and closed my mouth a few times,

"You've gotta be kidding me,"

"It's illegal to allow a vampire to feed on you," He informed me. What was this, some public announcement video?

"Since when?" He ignored me,

"Get in the car. We're going to go to the station and we're going to call your parents,"

"I don't have parents,"

"So you're a hooker. Jesus, what is the world coming to?" How did he become an officer of the law? How?

"What the fuck! Clearly, clearly, if a girl doesn't have any parents, she's a hooker," But I got in the car nonetheless. I didn't have much of a choice. The officer calling me in only punctuated the otherwise silent ride to the station. I tuned him out to stare out the window.

I was royally fucked. Eric was going to have my head mounted on the wall at Fangtasia as a warning to future investments: If you don't listen and obey the rules, you get fucked. Big time. Rolling into the parking lot of the station, I wondered if he would even realize that I was gone. Would he even be able to find me? I waited for the cop to let me out of the car and let him place a hand on my shoulder to lead me inside. It was quiet. A receptionist with strawberry blonde curls piled on top of her head gave a wide, toothy smile,

"Evening, Booker,"

"Evening, Karen," He grumped back,

"Another fangbanger?" She asked kindly, totally and completely ignoring me,

"Looks like it," and I was pushed to another part of the blindingly white hallway. He sat me down to begin the paper work,

"Name?" He grumbled expectantly. Hesitation and fumbling wasn't going to add to my credibility so I resigned to answering truthfully,

"Rochelle Laveau," He snorted,

"What's your real name?" Was he fucking kidding me?! I just about screamed in his face,

"That is my real name!"

"Maybe some time in the cell will make you more honest," This had to be the worst night in the history of things gone wrong. How could I possibly explain this to Eric? How could he possible save me? My doubts settled in on my chest like a sack of bricks. I felt heavy with the sudden sense that Eric might not even care enough to come get me. I stopped short,

"I want my phone call," He turned to look back at me,

"What?" He demanded, a scowl fixated on his mug,

"I said I want my phone call!" I repeated snappishly, hugging my body. He glared before grabbing my upper arm, "I can walk by myself, you know!" If there weren't witnesses, I'm sure he would've shot me. He stamped his way to a pay phone,

"You have ten minutes," I twisted towards him,

"Can I have some privacy?"

"No," He sneered. I pulled a quarter out of my pocket and slipped it into the machine. I dialed 411 and waited as the phone rang. The cop stepped to the side to speak with another passing officer, sending me a few nasty looks. The operator picked up,

"City and state," She droned, clearly tired and bored at four in the morning. I shifted so that he couldn't see what I was saying. Not that he was smart enough to try and lip read,

"Shreveport, Louisiana. I'm looking for Fangtasia,"

"Please hold," There was a brief silence before the ringing resumed. After about fifteen seconds, someone picked up,

"You've reached Fangtasia, this is Janvier speaking," Relief flooded through my veins,

"Janvier, it's Rochelle,"

"What are you calling for?" He asked curiously, "Aren't you in Eric's-"

"I'm at the sheriff's office. This is my one free phone call,"

"I'll tell Eric," Smart boy, that Janvier. We hung up without saying goodbye. I had to trust him to bail me out of this hot mess. Obediently, I followed Officer Booker to the holding cell and began my wait lying down on a bunk, staring up at the ceiling. I counted the tiles, missed two and went back to recount them. I stopped trying after a few more minutes. It was hard to concentrate with my nerves writhing around in my stomach like a bunch of snakes. What was Eric going to say when he found out what happened? He told me not to leave the club. He told me. Guilt and regret clocked me like a baseball bat. I should've listened. I shouldn't have been so selfish. I should've told him what I dreamt about. I should've told him so that we could have talked about it, so that- so that- I….

So that I what? I didn't know what I wanted from Eric. Or did I?

"I'm here to collect my daughter," Came a strong, Southern drawl. I whipped my head around. Eric stood by the desk, thumbs tucked neatly into his pockets. He couldn't be serious. I snapped to attention and quit my gaping when the officer turned to me incredulously,

"I thought you said you didn't have parents," In my one shining moment, I burst into the biggest alligator tears I bet anyone had ever witnessed,

"Oh, daddy!" I sobbed, burying my face in my hands, "It's been so long!"

"I'm sorry, baby," Eric had gone right up to the bars, smooth hands reaching through to grasp my shoulders, "I got here as soon as Janus called," The officer let out an undignified, confused,

"What?" The blonde vampire turned his shining features to the other man,

"You see, officer," He began, his voice sounding a lot like some heartbroken country singer, "I was just passin' through town like a tumbleweed when I heard my baby girl was in trouble. I haven't seen my sugar pie in ten years!" I swear to God, that motherfucker's eyes got all teary, "So please, officer," and he took on softer, far more coaxing sound. The atrocious Southern accent was dropped, thankfully, but I knew what was happening, "Won't you let my baby go?" The man blinked a few times before slowly walking over,

"Of course, sir," The room grew cold, almost as icy as my seascape dream where Eric devoured me. Remembering his teeth in my flesh, I flinched away from his touch. If he noticed, he didn't respond. The officer unlocked my cell door and I scrambled up and out, slipping past Eric to stand by myself. I heard him murmur,

"Now, none of this ever happened,"

"Yes, sir," And I was abruptly whisked away. I didn't realize that I was holding onto Eric until the air screamed past us. My breath caught in my chest, the pressure easing down on me before we stopped and I forgot that I was suffocating,

"How did you get there so fast?" I gasped, tumbling out of his arms onto the pavement. He stared down at me,

"I flew," I wasn't sure if that was sarcasm I detected in his voice. I got up, brushing myself off and heading towards the door. The line was nonexistent and more people seemed to be leaving, "Not even a 'thank you'? What happened to your manners, Rochelle?" I stiffened,

"Thank you," I couldn't bring myself to look at him,

"What happened?"

"Nothing," The officer's grip on my arm was nothing like Eric's. I tried to shake him off, "Lemme go,"

"What happened?" He repeated, an edge to his voice I'd never heard before. The violence in my dream came back with a vengeance. I swallowed, freezing up on the spot,

"I-" I could feel my lips trembling. Was I truly this terrified of him? "I-" No. I shouldn't be. He's a vampire. I'm a human. He's the predator, I'm the prey. That doesn't mean I have to be scared. I squared my shoulders a little, "I got arrested for walking out of Fangtasia," I replied shortly, "Happy?"

"No," He frowned, dragging me into the empty club. I sighed,

"He didn't believe me when I gave my name, I don't have an ID and you glamoured him. I don't really see the problem here," Eric looked down at me for a moment,

"Go to your room," My eyes probably bugged out of my head,

"What?!" He released me, elegantly folding his arms across his chest,

"You heard me,"

"What am I, twelve?" I demanded,

"If you insist on acting like a teacup human, I will insist on treating you like one," He retorted coolly. I opened and closed my mouth like a fish. He had to be kidding,

"Fine," so I turned and tramped to the bedroom. I was back to feeling how I did at the start of the night. Angry, frustrated and confused. I threw my clothes around more forcefully than necessary after kicking the door shut. I stared at his dress shirt I wore to sleep before tossing it on the ground. I'd rather sleep in my underwear. I debated on pushing a dresser in front of the door but I didn't want to provoke him into actually eating me. I compensated by taking up the entire bed.

When my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep to screams.

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WHEW! Here you go folks!

Reviews are Love,

The Author.