CHAPTER 13
"May I have a word with you?" Sam asked Alice as she was just about to leave as her shift was through.
"Sure" she said perkily. "What's up?" she said while siting on the couch in front of Sam's desk.
"Just wondering if everything is okay, you know after what happened the other night" he meant about when he had had to give her blood.
"I'm doing great, thanks for asking, and thank you for what you did"
Sam was as kind as they came, and she knew it, he couldn't fool her, she know knew everything about him, whether she wanted to or not. Having both exchange blood, she felt whenever he was around and how he was feeling, she also knew whenever he changed, which was quite often.
"Any time cher, now you may go I wouldn't want to take the rest of your evening" though he did want to…
"C'ya on Monday Sam, have a nice weekend" She said by the door.
She arrived at the Stackhouse's place in less than a minute. She was exited about tonight. Eric had said that he would be there as soon as the sun went down.
She took a shower, she changed and then waited, and waited, and waited…
It was ten to one when she decided to put on her Pj's and go to sleep. She wandered what had happened, she had listened to his thoughts (privilege reserved only to vampire faes) so she knew that he wanted it, badly.
Then it struck her, perhaps something had happened to Eric, but again she dismissed the alternative. Eric was by far one of the most powerful vampires in both Shreveport and Bon Temps, and was miles away from being week.
So what the fuck had happened to him?
As if summoned by the question, Alice felt a presence by her side, standing next to the bed. Her eyes were closed as she was between dreams, but she didn't need to see him to know who he was.
"Hey Bill" she didn't even bother to open her eyes as she was still kind of groggy.
"Hey" He had missed seeing her so peaceful. He had missed her.
"What's going on?" She was stretching as she always did while she asked the question.
"I'm sorry to wake you, but I need you for some paper work"
"Paper work?" She opened one eye only and cocked the brow above it.
"Yeah I need a brief of the whole Marnie thing, Eric and Pam are almost finish and I need you as well"
So that's what happened to Eric, she thought about letting it go but she wouldn't, she could have way too much fun with him like this, besides he owned a cell-phone, he could have called, hell with his speed he could have told her personally and be back before anyone would notice.
"Sure, whatever you need Bill" She smiled at him and put on some clothes.
Bill watched as the woman who had once stolen his heart and taken away his sleep sat in front of him, reading forms that the representatives of the authority had sent. Almost two hundred years had past and to his eyes she was the same. She had always been strong, but he could tell that the circumstances she had had to go through had enhanced that trait of hers. Her honesty and kindness had remained intact besides her being a vampire and physically she was as perfect as he could remember. He could swear he had stopped breathing the moment he had met her, even at age 10 she was as lovely as they get. Her smile still lacked a few teeth but it had charmed him all right. Few where the nights in which he hadn't stayed up late talking with her, behind their parents back of course, watching the sun rise by the lake. His heart had broken when he had been told she had died few days before their wedding, and his un-dead heart would have skipped a beat if it could have when he saw her entering his office a month ago by Sookie's side. In his life he had loved few people the way he had loved Alice, his wife, his children and Sookie, but still with both of his women he had felt as if something was missing, something that had never missed with Alice.
"Bill, finally" Bill was hoping it to be the woman who was on his mind but was disappointed to find Katerina entering the room, her eyes fixing immediately on Alice in the contiguous room. "What the hell is she doing here again?" Her voice sounded over displeased, it sounded even disgusted.
"She is a close friend of mine, you will have to get used to her being around" His voice was gentle but not caring, he thought of Katerina as nothing more than a fangbanger and there was no room for this kind of discussions in their relationship.
"I just don't like her, she is so-" she was interrupted by Bill's stare, his fangs were now down, and not for the reason she hoped.
"Be careful there, I don't appreciate people who talk down on my friends Katerina"
"Fine" she said displeased
"You may leave now" His fangs retracted and his sight parted from her.
"But-" her voice wasn't over a whimpering whisper, but Bill shot her a glance that made her go.
He entered his office.
"I appreciate the defense, but you didn't have to do that" Said Alice with a playful smile.
"If you hadn't done that you'd probably be in another room in a different situation, a more pleasant situation, I may be a riot at times but my company can't outdone that"
"Please, I'd rather be here with you" He smiled at her as he sat on his chair.
"Oh my dear, you've always been a terrible liar" His heart nearly stopped as she addressed him in the way she had when they were in love.
"Then you must know I wasn't lying" He got closer and lowered his gaze at her with a smile as he spoke.
Their laughter was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in" Bill said grumpily
"Your majesty the package you sent me to get awaits in the garden" Said a voice Alice had now known a little too well.
"Thank you Eric I'll be there in a minute, Alice please feel at home, but don't leave I have something important to talk to you about"
As Bill left the room Eric approached Alice and sat by her in a matter of seconds.
"I believe you and I have pending issues" He said with a knowing smile
"Yes, we did, about-" she glanced at the clock "five hours ago" she smiled nonchalantly at him. She knew that he had had to do something for Bill, but she wouldn't let the fact that he hadn't called her pass easily, it was far too amusing.
"You know I had to leave" he said in a pleading tone.
"What about a phone call?" She cocked her eyebrow suggestively. He got closer to her, almost ending the distance between them and placed a hand on her cheek.
"Alice I-" He was interrupted by her.
She could swear she smelled something in him, no, not something someone.
"Eric where were you today?" Her tone had changed completely.
"I told you I had to-" he was interrupted again
"Eric I'm not kidding any longer, was what Bill sent you to get a werewolf?"
"How did you?" He was completely baffled, but before he could answer any more questions Alice had already ran for the garden.
Security had tried to restrain her from running to Bill but they couldn't, she out-powered them, and when Bill saw her he made the guards leave.
"Alice what the-" He asked thinking she was running towards him, he was shocked to see her running towards the man behind him.
"Luke!" She yelled at him before leaping on him in tears. He was handcuffed so he couldn't hold her back, but pulled towards her as much as he could and inhaled the scent he had missed. "I thought he had killed you"
"You really should think better of me dearie" His husky Irish tone was unique, the term of endearment he had used made Bill and Eric, who had recently appeared, flinch.
"Alice?" Alice turned around to find Bill waiting for an explanation.
"What is he chained for? What did you do?" the first question was addressed to Bill, the second back to Luke.
"A warning was shot that a runaway werewolf who planned to murder vampires was on the loose, and he is the only one the local pack didn't recognize as one of his own " Bill said in a serious tone getting near to Alice
"Not vampires, I only wish to see one vampire dead, and trust me he is not in your kingdom" Said Luke.
"He was on the pack that answered to the King of Alabama, and he is a dear friend of mine, he is no threat I swear" She eyed Bill trying to convince him to release Luke.
"Fine" He said annoyed and handed Alice the keys, she set him free in the blink of an eye and found herself trapped in his arms.
"Why don't we continue this conversation inside?" Bill motioned for everyone to enter and dismissed the guards. Both him and Eric observed as Alice and Luke caught up with an annoyed expression plastered on their face due to their proximity.
"I can't believe you found me"
"I'm sorry but I was the second in command in the pack, my tracking skills are almost as good as yours dearie, you should have had more faith in me, after all we were partners for eight years"
Alice remembered Luke when she had first met him. She and Ethan had just set down and had been introduced to the vampire king when he made them part of his circle, letting Ethan accompany him to any affair of his and making Alice his eyes and ears during the day, partnering her with Luke, who was just twenty at the time. His cinnamon eyes were as caring as she could remember and she noticed a few gray hairs in his brown and golden recently cropped mane, but besides from that he hadn't changed a bit in eight years.
"I'm sorry I didn't introduce you, Luke this is Eric Northman sheriff of Shreveport and this is Bill Compton vampire king of Louisiana"
He had nodded respectfully at both when it hit him. "Not the Bill Compton?" He asked Alice who looked a little awkward but still nodded. " Mate I've heard everything about'ya, why didn't you tell me he was the vampire king of Louisiana Ali?"
"I didn't know, I thought he was dead remember, not undead"
"Right"
"You look exhausted. Bill do you need him?" Alice asked at Bill who was now looking her in a different way.
"No" he sounded almost awestruck.
"Come I'll take you home to sleep" She motioned at Luke so as to move. Eric sounded disappointed; he was now sure he wouldn't have a shot with her alone tonight.
" Great. Oh I almost forget" He begun searching for something. "I couldn't let you leave this behind" He took out a necklace from his pocket and handed it to Alice. It was an emerald incrusted iron ring attached to a thin black velvet sting. "He had it locked in his bedroom, the git, but I snuck it out knowing how much it means to you, after all I've never seen you without it"
Bill recognized it immediately.
"You kept it after all this time?" He asked quietly. Alice smiled weakly in return.
"Of course" She could feel Bill's confusion as if she were touching it.
Eric had already left the room and so had Luke so it was just her and Bill. He took the necklace from her hand and went to her back. He slowly took of the hair from her back and tied the string carefully.
"See you later" said Alice as she left the room.
"Bye" said Bill almost as a whisper as he saw Alice leave his office, playing with her engagement ring.