Reviewers: To all those of you who reviewed this latest chapter. Thank you! I am so glad you are enjoying it. It really does motivate me to update quicker. Once again bold text is Swedish. Please enjoy this one.
Chapter 12
"Oliivi?" I heard it from behind me. It was filled with sadness and confusion. I wanted so badly at that moment to hold him again. I turned slowly and saw my viking standing there. "Oliivi?" He said it again as if asking if I was who he thought.
"Eric." I said calmly as possible. And then we just stood there a moment taking each other in. He was taller then I remembered but his hair was much the same. He wore a black wife beater and black dress pants. Casual.
"Your dead." He said not believing what he was seeing.
"No." I answered. I couldn't think of the words that would make this all okay. It seemed my brain had shut off, leaving me with silly one word answers.
He came towards me so fast I couldn't think straight, grabbing my arm. Instantly my scent escaped. I lost all control over myself. I could tell right away he noticed it, his fangs came out and his eyes looked hungry.
I pulled myself away, "I have to go home." I whispered pulling my scent back. I turned around and fiddled with my keys again. Why was it I couldn't find the right damn one? I knew he was reaching for me again this time so I leaped to the side, "You can't touch me!" I was sobbing now. I never cried but here I was crying like a small child. I loved him, he was here and he couldn't touch me. This was a huge mistake. I should have stayed in Fairy. Eric still stared at me sadly took a step back as if understanding a small part of what might be happening. "I have to leave." I said again.
"Will you come back?" He asked, almost pleading. I could tell he was in pain watching me against the car.
"I need time. I need to think." I wiped the tears away and finally located the key to the door. "Sookie has my address. For now I need to go." I said in English this time. I didn't wait, jumping into my Chevy and slamming the door shut. After all this time, all these years I had found him. But it was useless if every time he touched me I lost all control. He would drain me in a second. I drove a while toward Bon Temps stopping only to text Sookie back. She had been super worried.
Sookie: Hey you alright?
Me: Yah no worries. Just ran into the only man I ever loved. No big deal.
Sookie: Eric Northman? Seriously?
Me: Yah long story. If he asks for my info I said it was alright.
Sookie: Okay well drive home safely. Bill and I will Taxi home.
After that we didn't talk for a few days. I had shut myself away in my giant house. I hadn't gone out to water the plants. I hadn't gone out to feel the sun on my face. I hadn't gone out to put my feet in the water. It felt as if my whole body was on fire and I couldn't put it out. My heart ached.
Three days after seeing him I decided enough was enough and I finally had Sookie over. "I cannot believe you shut yourself up here alone! I waited around for you to call me Oliver!" Sookie scolded pulling a few articles of clothing off the floor and throwing them into the laundry bin. "It is a right pigsty!" She continued to clean my house while I sat having tea at the table.
"You don't have to yell geez. I just needed some time okay. no big deal." I tried to calm her. I knew I had been a terrible friend. "I never explained everything to you and for that I am truly sorry. But I really never expected to find him." Tears fell down my cheeks against my will. "It has literally been a thousand years Sookie." I looked at her sadly. She stopped cleaning and sat next to me.
"Tell me. And no bullshit Olive." She said understanding I was upset but still showing that she was as well.
"He found me. I was left alone in the forest by Mab and he found me, I must have been only about twelve years old. But really I wasn't I hadn't existed before that forest Sookie." She smiled and rubbed my back as I went on, "He took me to his village and his parents took me in as their own. He is my brother." I leaned my head against her, "He was so full of life then. He was always teasing and playing and laughing." I said inching closer.
"That doesn't seem at all like the Eric I met last night at Fangtasia." Sookie said knowing I had noticed it.
"Yes well it has been a long time. People change." Moving away and pulling myself together I finished the story, telling her of him asking to marry me, me turning him down even though I loved him. I told her of me and Drott trying to escape death only for me to be whisked away to another realm, leaving them alone without me.
"Well shoot. Why did you run last night?" She asked me confused, "If you love him still why not go to him?" She didn't get it.
"I saw him Sookie but I didn't see him, you know? When he looked at me it was different. At least until he came to me in the parking lot. I saw sadness there. But when he touched me I lost control of my scent." I said hoping she would get it. It was easy for her. If she lost control it wouldn't matter because her scent was half what mine was.
"Oh no. That can't be good. So you ran?" She asked worriedly.
"Yes I guess I did. I can't touch him. If I am made to be around him I am sure I would screw it up. I am not ready to die yet." I whispered to her. She only smiled in return. What the hell?
"Look Oliver you can't just hide away here. You love that man so you must pull it together! If you cannot touch so what? Suck it up and talk to him. Maybe he still loves you? If he does then all you are doing is hurting the both of you." She said, "Eric has asked Bill and I to come back to Fangtasia tonight. He knows about my telepathy. I would rather not create a habit of assisting him whenever he wants so you will come okay? I will let you work it Fae style and then you can talk." I glared at her, seriously hadn't I just said I couldn't see him? Although she may have a point. After a thousand years I did owe him an explanation. "No ifs ands or buts! You are going. Pull it together and go get dressed." She told me pushing me out of my chair towards the stairs.
Well shit. I had to go back. I dug through my closet looking for something casual finding a small black summer dress. Pulling it on I also pulled on some knee high black socks and my motorcycle boots completing the casual Olive look. I didn't wear makeup so I worked my hair up next, pulling it up into my usual messy bun. Grabbing my keys I ran back down the stairs to Sookie.
"Alright lets get this over with okay?" I said following her out to my car in the drive way. After picking up her outfit and Bill we headed to Shreveport once again.
Once there we were greeted by Pam at the door again, "Well ain't this a party." She said looking at me and back to Bill again. They hadn't known I would be coming.
"Sookie and I have had a long day Pam. let us just get this over with." Bill said pushing past her.
"Yes sir." She saluted him sarcastically. I sort of enjoyed her.
"Eric! Sookie and Bill brought guests." She hollered towards a closed door down the hall way. Turning to the bar I asked Long shadow for a whiskey again. My drink. Handing it to me I drank it down quickly and turned back towards Pam.
Instead I found we had been joined by Eric. I coughed a bit trying to right myself.
"Oliivi?" He asked questioning Sookie and Bill.
"Yes we brought Oliver okay? I am not interested in being your slave. Since you two know each other I figured she would help you instead." Sookie said standing her ground. We all noticed Eric and Pam looking at Sookie like she was crazy, "What? She taught me all I know. Plus she is way more powerful then I am. You need her not me okay. Leave Bill and I alone." I laughed a bit jumping down from the stool.
"So why are we here then?" I asked acting like it wasn't a huge deal that I was here. Eric put his hands in his pockets and looked at me.
"Pam, Long shadow and I are partners in this club. And we recently noticed that sixty grand has gone missing from our books. And Bruce..." He said putting his hand down on the man in questions shoulders, "Is our accountant. Perhaps you can listen to him." He said looking back to me. The man in front of me was shaking badly as I sat next to him at the table.
"He isn't saying anything." I said trying to get the guy safely out of the situation.
"Don't be coy. It's humbling enough to go to a human for help." He was different...Also I was sure he had figured out I was human.
"We know what you can do." He said.
"Yah? And I know what you can do too. Why not just glamor him?" I asked cheekily.
"Don't you think we tried everything before summoning Sookie here?" He asked getting pissed off with me. Sookie was grinning. I knew she didn't care much for Eric. "It would be a great favor to me, and to Mr Compton if you help us." He said coldly looking toward Bill and back to me. This certainly wasn't my Eric anymore.
"If I find who did this you will do what with them?" I asked. Fae like me were sworn to bring people to justice but in some cases I found killing wasn't necessary.
"We'll turn that person over to the police and let the authorities handle it." Long Shadow spoke up. I laughed inside, turn them in? Yah right. There were so many things I could do to them that would be more effective.
"Hundreds of years old and Your still a horrible liar." Sookie laughed from beside me. I spoke up, "I'll make you a deal. If you let me deal with them then I will agree to help you anytime you want." I said pulling my leg up and setting it on the table crossing my other over it, very unladylike.
He smiled falsely, "Alright. Why not?" He said looking back to the small scared man before me. I reached out and took his hand trying hard to hear anything to help us,
'Shit, what's this crazy bitch doing? Why did I agree to work for vampires?'
I smiled he was right on that one,
'Goddam it, i knew this was a bad idea. I've been nothing but straight with these fuckers. Gotta be an idiot to steal from them. Jesus Christ, I was the one who reported it.'
I laughed again this time loudly, "Bruce buddy! It is okay. Take a deep breath, "Did you steal their money?" I let him go on. I could see Eric staring at the man. Anyone would be scared right now. "No..No you gotta believe me okay? I didn't do it." I reached out and shushed him, "Do you know who did do it?" I asked still grinning. I wouldn't show Eric or any vampire I was worried or afraid.
'No, I wish I did. I would turn that fucker in. Who was it? Couldn't have been Ginger. She's to dumb, Although shes hot as shit. I'd fuck her if I could.'
I stopped it there. Too much information for one day. "He's being honest. He doesn't know." I said to Eric.
"You trust this skinny human to clear the fat one?" Long Shadow asked angrily. Eric only sighed and brought in the next candidate. The woman was a bleach blonde around probably forty five. She was so thin I figured she was their dinner most nights. She was wearing a ridiculous outfit of black leather. I laughed again. Reaching out to her she jerked back, "Don't you touch me." She said sort of freaking out.
"Ginger this is Oliivi, She is going to talk to you a while. Hold her still!" Eric told Pam who proceeding to hold Ginger down.
"Ginger someones been stealing from the bar." I said, "really?" She asked. She really did have a dumb look about her,
'Don't look at me you fucking bitch. I didn't do nothing. I'll beat the shit out of you if you say I did. It wasn't me that took it. It fucking wasn't me.'
I smiled, this woman couldn't beat up an elementary student. "She didn't do it. But she knows who did. Don't you Ginger?" I asked smiling to her, "What? Fuck you!" She said trying to seem cool.
'Shit. How'd she know? I didn't tell anyone, I swear. Fuck he's going to kill me now.'
"Who is going to kill you Ginger?" I asked trying to get this over with. But nothing came other then a very quiet humming, "It's blank. Someone erased the memory." I said looking back to Eric.
"I don't know anything I swear." Ginger said looking to Eric and Pam now.
"Shes been glamored." Pam said to Eric.
At that moment I heard Long Shadow shoot across the bar towards me. Throwing my hands out I shot him directly between the eyes with my light. In response his body flew into the bar and knocked down a bunch of shit.
"Argh! It burns! What the Fuck!" He cried as his face sizzled and smoked.
"Well shit that's new." Sookie said to me smiling, "You going to teach me that?" She asked. I wasn't laughing at this. I didn't take kindly to being attacked by vampires. They could be so damn rude sometimes. I could never really handle rudeness.
Pam stared at me trying to figure out whether to attack or help Long Shadow.
"Pam take Long Shadow to the dungeon." He said looking to the mess of vampire still crying on the floor. As Pam headed for Long Shadow he went the other way flying towards Sookie full speed. This was really boring I thought. This time I used a stronger dose on him sending him to the floor before me.
"Now now Brother, You and I had a deal." I said to Eric as I got down and shot him through the heart. His body exploded around me sending blood flying in all directions. One of those directions had been me. I hadn't ever seen a vampire die before and hadn't expected the theatrics. I had pieces of Long Shadow in places I wished to forget.
"Ugh this night isn't going well for me anymore." I said as I stood calmly looking to Pam, "Bathroom?" I asked her smiling again.
"Come on I'll take you she said after getting a nod from Eric." As we headed off I saw Ginger vomiting onto the floor and I couldn't contain myself, laughter just happened sometimes with me. Although this time it was mostly giggling.
"Humans." I heard Eric whisper to Bill. "Honestly Bill I don't know what you see in them."
While I cleaned myself in the bathroom I realized it had been a great choice to wear black. Looking down I really only had blood on my skin so I washed it away down the drain. I even rinsed my hair in the sink. I could hear Ginger still screaming out in the bar. She was such an odd ball. All that wailing wasn't helping anybody. After I finished I joined the conversation.
"After Ginger is done cleaning the floor glamor her." Eric told Pam.
"Are you sure? She has been glamored one to many times already." Pam asked making sure, Who knows how much is left of her." Stepping further into view I grabbed my jacket off the floor and shook it off.
"Well I can do it I guess." I said still not looking at them.
"You? You can glamor?" Pam asked rudely. Of course I could glamor. I kept forgetting they thought I was human.
"Yes. It works a bit differently though so I wouldn't damage here further." I said looking to Pam and back at the pathetic girl moping and praying on the floor as she cleaned Long Shadow up.
"It is either glamor or turn her." Eric said to me.
"Well shit! Any of you that desperate?" I asked looking sadly to the crazy lady on the floor again. They both shook their heads, "Glamor it is then." I said reaching for the lady. "Alright then ginger look at me." I pulled her to me and slid my hands against her bony cheeks. "Ginger you had a good night. You tended bar a bit then Eric and Pam let you leave early." I said to her. I knew it stuck because she nodded to me. "The bar closed early for a vampire meeting and you were just leaving." I added pulling my hands back. She looked around confused.
"Uhm well I guess I was just leaving!" She said heading to the back room for what I assumed was her stuff.
"Alright well Sookie and Bill had a long day. Right guys? We should go." I said heading towards them. I could hear Sookie right away,
'No way. No you talk to him. We are leaving you here.'
"Nice seeing you guys. Best be heading off." I added pulling Sookie's arm towards the door.
"Actually I think we need to talk a bit don't you?" Eric spoke up. "Sit Bill I'll buy you and your human a drink while we speak in private." He looked at Bill. I figured it was an order. Bill nodded and took Sookie towards the bar. Shit! I followed behind him towards his office and inside. I sat on his giant couch across from him and waited for him to talk.
"You and Sookie. What are you?" He asked jumping ahead of my thoughts. Clearing my throat I glared at him.
"Thats it? Thats all you want to ask me? after all this bull shit?" I asked angrily. He only smiled cruelly to me.
"I am thinking it is an important part of how all this 'bull shit' happened Oliivi." He had a good point actually.
"Fuck." I said getting frustrated with him, "It's Oliver now Okay? Not Oliivi!" I needed him to be in the now. That way I knew which Eric I was actually speaking to.
"Fine Oliver what ever. What are you!" He raised his voice.
"Oh I dunno? Maybe just the thing that saved your human life a thousand years ago?" I had it with this. I didn't want to be near this vampire anymore. At vampire speed he flew towards me pushing me back against the couch without actually touching me.
"This is not a game Oliver. Answer my questions." He seethed. I smiled widely. I wasn't afraid of him.
"I think it best that you don't talk to me that way brother. I am not one of your humans." I said lifting my hand up in front of me, light shining brightly from it. His eyes grew wide as he grunted and backed off to the spot next to me, "Much better, Now we can talk." I had to figure out how much I would tell him.
"I am sorry." I heard him whisper beside me. It couldn't be? I turned to him, "You were just gone Oliver. Gone and Drott was all I had for fiver years until I was turned." He said looking to my eyes, "I thought you were dead!" he thought I had died. How could he not have? Sighing I let my light go out.
"Eric I had no choice. The lady in the water took me against my will. By the time I had come back fifty years had gone by, you were gone." I didn't know how to do this anymore, I fought back the tears.
"But you still look the same as the day you left me. How is that so? you are not vampire?" He asked confused. I shook my head.
"No I am not vampire. I am part of a long forgotten people who have hidden for Millennia. Vampires ran my people onto another plain." I said to him. His eyes still on mine I could see a sort of understanding in them. "I am not immortal but I can certainly be killed Eric." I said hoping he understood why he couldn't touch me, "Normally to your kind I smell really good. Where I went I learned to pull my scent back so I could survive longer on earth. But when you touched me the other night I lost control. I can't loose control Eric." I watched his face trying to see if he was okay.
"So I can't touch you at all?" He asked. I nodded back. I so badly wished to hold him right now. I knew I had many things to explain but for now this was all I could handle.
"When I saw you it brought all that past shit back. We weren't even speaking at the time when I was taken Eric. Then Mama and Papa were dead and I didn't get to say goodbye. I thought you would hate me." I truly did. He shook his head to me.
"I was just upset with you. We would have made up eventually. I am sure of it." I smiled at him, he may be right. "Yes well here we are. We can make up now?" I asked hoping he would agree.
"Well I should hope so. You agreed to help me whenever I want so you aren't going anywhere." He said certain I would stick around. And I knew I would. I wasn't going to leave my brother the moment I had found him.