Eric had done a great job of distracting her last night but today was going to be a different story. Sookie woke up next to Eric again this morning and the sight of him made her body ache, after kissing him on his cool soft lips she made her way through the sun filled halls for the last time.
She would be leaving tonight after Bills trial and her guilt was still eating at her no matter how many times Eric tried to place the blame somewhere else. She knew Bill had lost his mind when he told the Majestry they were married, there was a time when she had considered marrying Bill but so many things had gone wrong since then and even if he hadn't kidnapped and tortured her she could never marry him.
Though her love for Bill still lingered in her somewhere and she knew it always would after all He was her first everything, Bill was the one who made her realize she didn't have to spend the rest of her life alone. It's to be expected that she would hold something in her heart for him and even now that she has confessed her love for Eric and they are together it doesn't change the fact that Bill was a part of her life.
The differences in her two vampire lovers are many but without them Sookie would still be a timid little bar maid who had never experience anything. She now looks at her time with Bill as a learning experience; she learned that she can't always trust her heart and Even though Eric can be mean and cold he doesn't lie to her. If anything he can be brutally honest at times, Eric has kept things from me in the past but looking back those things kept her safe.
Once Sookie showered and enjoyed her breakfast there was nothing left to do but wait, she wondered how things would go tonight and hoped Eric's testimony would be enough. She never thought of herself as week but she knew she would never be able to stand in front of a crowed and lay bare the torture Bill had put her through.
It was less than three hours before sunset and her nerves were getting the best of her, she sat thinking over her relationship with Bill and realized they had spent more time saving each other's lives than they had loving each other. It was crazy how odd their relationship looked to her now at the time their love was the most important thing in her life and now she realized how blind she had been.
Her thoughts drifted to the present and she panic as memories of Bill raping and beating her filled her mind, Sookie curled into a ball not able to keep the tears from pouring down her face. She had been broken; ready to give in and obey she was ready kill herself to escape Bill because he had taken her will to live and twisted it to fit his goal.
Eric walked into the room to find her curled up like a child sobbing uncontrollably with tears streaming down my face; he walked over and cradled her in his arms there was no need to ask why she was crying he could feel her emotions as if they were his own. She lay across Eric's lap as he stroked her hair his presence was what she needed, they only had an hour until the trial started so Eric lifted her to her feet before pulling her robe off. If time hadn't been an issue she would have wrapped herself around him and let him distract her again before facing Bill.
Her body was running on auto pilot as they walked through the empty halls of the mansion, she could hear the deep voices echoing down the hall and on the other side of the double doors was Bill her first love and her rapist. Sookie's body stiffened as Eric lead her down the long hall everything in her body was telling her to run and Eric's hand tightened around hers.
She knew Bill was just behind those doors and he was determined to make her his and she had no way to know the outcome; she witnessed firsthand how badly Bill had lost it. Sookie pictured them letting Bill go free the whole room calling her a liar and telling her she had no choice but to be his, chills ran down her spine she didn't really know what was going to happen once she walked into that room but she was positive if Bill was set free he would come for her and emotionally or physically she would die.
Eric offered to relay my story to the crowd but she was told any questions would be left for her to answer so she hoped he was thorough, Sookie scanned the room for any other human minds and just as I figured there were none. He felt her fear as they walked into the room and Eric's hand clenched around hers this was it everything she was afraid was just a few steps away.
There were three silver coffins side by side at the front of the room, the Majester and four other Judges sat in faux thrones placed on a stage to the right and a crowd of vampires holding chains and sharpened tools were seated in a circular fashion on the left. The room seemed normal enough and the crowd was calm for the moment, Sookie started to relax until Eric directed her to the two rows of seats that resembled church pews in the center of the room.
He whispered in her ear and told her that was where we would be sitting, she hated that all eyes in the room would be on her and in such plain view but most of all she couldn't stand that the pews where so close to the coffins at the front. Sookie looked around again and she realized If Bill were able to break free he had a straight shot at her, Eric turned to her he knew what she was thinking.
"He can't break free" he whispered into her ear,
She looked around the room and noticed the the number of security guards in the room and turned to Eric
"Why do they need security?" his answer was anything but calming
"Some of the vampires may not agree with the judgment?"
Sookie and Eric took their seats and the proceedings began, the room became silent as the first case began and a young male vampire was removed from his coffin. He was tall with dark features and the blood was still fresh on his lips; he was charged with biting a human in public and his sentence was to have his fangs removed and to starve while waiting for them to grow back.
Sookie thought the punishment fit the crime but the crowd disagreed and she quickly understood the need for security, two large guards held the vampire while another removed his fangs. The room erupted with a mix of hissing and cheers as the young vampire gaged on the blood that ran from the empty space that once held his fangs, each case was more gruesome than the last and the crowed seemed to only want more.
The next case was a female vampire who liked to touch children in an inappropriate way before feeding on them, the crowd roared with excitement as her hands removed. The next vampire was whipped with silver that tore through his flesh to the bone when he confessed to selling V and stealing money from a vampire business in Dallas.
Their case was the last and the longest, they lifted the lid to bills coffin placing a silver net over him as he was removed. His eyes found her right away and she could see the death in them for the first time, Eric's body grew stiff she knew he wanted to kill Bill for what he had done to her he had told her himself all of the horrible things he had wanted to do to Bill the night he pulled the king card.
Bill stood across the room giving his account of their time together he didn't take his eyes off of her as he swore the two of them were madly on love, as he spoke she wondered if he had truly believed the lies he was telling or was he just trying to save his own ass. Bill smiled at her as he told them of our first night together, he described her body and the way she told him she loved him he even told them about the mole she hated on her inner thigh.
His version didn't include her rape or torture but instead there were tails of love making and gentle caresses, their time together was spent in beautifully decorated bedrooms instead of the dank dark holes in the ground. By the time Bill finished explaining how they were married she felt like she would be sick, his tale ended with him professing his love for her as he reached for her pushing his body forward into the silver net that was being held down by two large guards.
Eric shifted in his seat readying to pounce, when she noticed Bill didn't react to the pain as the silver cut into his flesh causing smoke to seep from the wounds, he smiled an eerie smile as he looked into her eyes she could see that he was truly insane.
Once Bill was fully restrained it was time for Eric to plead her case, He positioned himself between her and Bill carefully keeping his back to her as he spoke. Eric began by telling them of Bills lies during their time together working his way up to the night she and Bill showed up at Fangtasia.
Sookie was surprised at how he managed to tell the whole story without making her sound like the villain she felt she was, Eric grew angry as he spoke about the days Bill held her captive; he talked about their bond and how he could feel her pain and fear every night that she was missing. Sookie cringed as she listened to his account of her torture and the crowd let out low hisses and giggles when he described her repeated rape in detail.
Eric had told her he would have to keep his feelings for her hidden during the trial but she could feel his love for her radiating from him as he talked about rescuing her from her nightmare. When Eric finished speaking he came to sit next to her his hand finding her and holding on tight, Sookie wiped at her face removing all signs of her tears before she looked up at him.
They sat waiting for the Majestery to pass judgment while Bill stood staring from her to Eric his eyes wild and dangerous, he noticed Eric's hand wrapped around her and he started to scream. Bill continued to leap forward pressing his flesh into the silver again and again; his screams were not from his pain caused by the silver sinking into him but from the rage he felt toward them.
The guards paid no attention to him they were confident the silver net was enough to hold him, Sookie turned to Eric wanting to look anywhere but at the screaming mad man in front of her and she only caught a glimpse of his face before all hell broke loose. A flash burst through the room and the two guards holding the net over Bill fell to the floor freeing him, Eric leaped to his feet catching Bill in midair as he dove for her his hands flailing and clawing at the wooden desk just inches from her chest.
While the guards lined the stage where the Majester was seated Sookie stood frozen watching as her worst nightmare come true, the blur continued to work its way around the room leaving the occasional dead vampire in its wake before a large pair of hands with silver gloves was able to reach out grabbing the blur by its throat. It was Jessica she couldn't believe her eyes; Sookie had just assumed the young vampire died in the house that filled with silver or by the hands of the men who had rescued her.
The man squeezed cutting of her screams and her body went limp and she understood why there were no humans at this hearing; the sound of her being cried out turned her attention back to Bill and Eric. Sookie watched as Bill lunged again trying to break free from Eric's grip; Sookie could hear her name crackling through the air as Eric slammed Bill to the floor hovering over him. He held Bill down Eric's fangs out and ready to tear her name from his throat,
"Eric" Sookie yelled as two guards approached them wearing the same silver gloves that were wrapped around Jessica's neck.
Eric backed away slowly keeping his eyes on Bill refusing to turn his back to him until he was sure the guards secured him, Eric made his way back to her his eyes searching her body for any signs of damage. When he was satisfied that she was in one piece he took her hand pulling her into the seat next to him.
Her body was numb and her mind was on the verge of cracking into pieces, Sookie was sure she couldn't take anymore when Eric placed his hand on her lower back and started tracing tiny circles with his fingers. She concentrated on his touch and the calming effect it was having on her was a relief, she felt more herself when Eric was close and she was able to listen when the Majester stood to speak.
"Mr. Compton has made a mockery of our courts with this little show he and his progeny have put on for us tonight" his voice echoed over the hushed room.
"What he has put the human through is a travesty, it is clear he is a danger to himself and others" it seemed the sentencing was no longer about the crimes Bill had committed against Sookie but more about causing a scene and making the Majestry look weak.
Sookie couldn't bear to look at Bill as the Majestry spoke but she could hear him whispering her name, she was sure Bill was completely gone, no longer the man she once loved but her guilt flooded over her.
"I hereby sentence Mr. Compton to face his true death he will be staked at once" Bills screams made her head snap up and she regretted it immediately, his eyes burned into hers as the men spread his arms exposing his now bare chest. A female vampire approached with the stake in her hand and Sookie's name was the last word Bill spoke as she plunged it into his chest.
The room erupted in cheers covering the sounds of her and Jessica's screams, Sookie's body was shaking when Eric picked her up carrying her out of the room, the puddle of red goo on the floor that was once Bill seemed only disturbing to her. She heard the Majestry say Jessica's name and was glad they were leaving so she wouldn't have to witness another vampire death.
They made their way through the mansion with ease, the cool night air was wonderful on her skin and it was the first time she had really felt free in days. They climbed into a car that was waiting outside where Eric told her they were headed back to Shreveport, He suggested they go to his house and she agreed knowing that the sight of her house would only remind her of what she had been through.
When they pulled into his garage he lifted her from the car and carried her inside where he handed her two small white pills and a glass of water telling her to take them. Eric could see that Sookie was done for the day her body was still shaking and he could feel her mixed emotions through their bond.
Sookie stood completely silent as he undressed her and placed her in the shower, he mumbled something about her being in shock as he washed her intently hoping he could somehow find a way to ease the pain of what she witnessed.