A/N: Okay, I finally got back to working on this. I know, I know, blame the Professor. Hell, half of you told me you were perfectly fine with the delay as long as it was because of him. LOL! You will have to bear with me a bit, because some of these upcoming chapters have been hard to write, and are going to be hard to write, so it may take bit longer to get them out to you. Then again, if the Muses decide to be really nice to me, I may get some divine inspiration and tear through them . . . yeah right! Well, I suppose it can't hurt to hope, so maybe you guys could like try to placate them? I dunno, leave them offerings or something? Just please, please do a better job than Eric did with the maenad and the bull, okay?

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. We, unfortunately, have the stomach flu running through our household, and I spent all day in bed yesterday. Of course, that's how chapter 21 got written, so if you hate it later, you can blame the flu!

Once again I must thank my awesome Betas, Kristin and Gallathea. Honestly, they keep you all from wanting to tear your hair out. Of course, it is quite possibly they will be bald by the time I'm through with this. *wonders if she should be buying Rogaine or something*

Chapter 19

True to her word, Amelia had us on the plane as soon as she knew where we were going. The little witch, for all her attempts to distance herself from him, was definitely her father's child. She knew how to make things happen, which was critical, since we could no longer rely on Felipe's people to make those arrangements.

Even Felipe, who was livid to discover that they had not ferreted out everyone involved with Sutherfield, insisted on utter secrecy. They discovered their leak, a bribed employee who had no idea of exactly what she was involved in, but Felipe did not want to risk the possibility that this conspiracy had even more players. He personally contacted a friend, outside of his organization, who would see to our needs when we arrived in London.

Amelia had the plane ready at the airfield Sutherfield used. All we needed was the location. Sookie was really something else. I realized, as I studied all the people in the room while we waited, that she had an uncanny ability to draw people to her. Unfortunately, it often drew danger as well, but the loyalty and ferocity her friends exhibited toward her was staggering.

I stayed with Amelia until the sun threatened the horizon. All the others had gone to their beds or coffins. I watched as she prepared her spell. Finally, I could no longer resist it, and went to my day time rest, and as I drifted off, I heard her words.

Therefore, when I awoke, a small part of me was quite aware that I was aboard the jet, racing toward London, and that it was still daylight and unsafe to leap out. Another part of me was desperate to do just that. Her pain was unbearable. That it could once again, wake me from my daytime rest was proof enough, but to feel it? There was nothing I would not do, nothing I would not give, to change places with her.

I could endure this. I would endure this. For her.

I tried to absorb what she was feeling, to draw it from her into myself. I did not know if it worked, but perhaps? Maybe I felt a slight reduction in her suffering. I sent her strength. I do not know if you can send strength across the bond. It is not an emotion, but I sent the feeling of it to her, and she endured.

After several hours, I called to Amelia and asked her to make sure the windows shades were closed. The sun had not fully gone down, but it was enough for me to rise safely, if the windows were covered.

I looked at my watch. The sun would be setting in London shortly, although we still had a couple hours of flight time. Alcide and Sam had both fallen asleep, but Calvin was digging around the galley for something to eat.

I looked at Amelia and said, "You should rest as well."

"How do you know I haven't?" She replied.

"For one thing, you look like hell." She raised an eyebrow at me, but I continued, "For another, I heard you crying."

She looked at me as realization dawned on her. "You've been awake this whole time?"

"No. Not in the beginning." I looked away, knowing I would see horror in her eyes. She understood what my wakefulness meant.

"How is she bearing this, Eric?" She asked.

I could not answer her. I did not know how.

A little while later, I found myself thinking that if I were human, I would want to throw up. The feelings coursing through her were horrible, and left me perplexed. It was alternating bouts of pleasure and pain, but it felt wrong somehow and it was relentless.

As we flew into darkness, one by one, the other vampires rose. No one spoke as the tension of what was facing us grew. We had no idea what to expect, or who else we would find. Based on the events in Brazil, we had to assume that we would be heading into another battle. I could feel the excitement and anticipation humming around the vampires. Battles meant blood, and just thinking about it tended to excite us.

When we landed, there were cars waiting for us, along with some human personnel. The door of one of the cars opened, and two vampires emerged. I approached the older one.

"You must be Northman." He stated. "Alair Barton. I am the sheriff of London and its surrounding area. Felipe has filled me in on the situation. I am at your service."

He indicated the cars, and as we started getting settled, his eyes found Ian. "Holcroft!"

Ian nodded his head, "Barton."

"You always were ready to join a cause."

"We are who we are." Ian replied with a shrug.

I made a noise, and everyone resumed their preparations. She was so close now. I could feel her life thrumming through the bond, along with her suffering. It took everything I had to maintain a mask of calm.

In no time we were racing to her. Barton looked at me as I guided his driver to her location.

"She's had your blood?"

"We are bound."

Barton was surprised. "Yet she has the king's formal protection? And she is a human?"

"She is . . . unique." Unique, and beyond price.

We pulled up to the gates of a small estate, and Barton hissed.

"Do you know this place?" I asked.

"I know its owner. He is a vampire, but he has not lived here long. He only recently sought my permission to move here. He also came with a lot of cash. I always perform background checks on new arrivals, and I remember thinking it was interesting that he did not have everything tied up in various off-shore or Swiss accounts, but it did not seem to pose a threat at the time."

I clenched my teeth as I felt another wave of pain and terror through the bond. Through my teeth I hissed, "What is his name?"

"An unusual one, Hot Rain."

If I had breath, it would have been knocked out of me. Hot Rain. Of all the people on my lists, I did not even consider him. I should have. He had already sent someone against Sookie once, but I foolishly believed that my additional payment to him, and my talk with his sheriff, had assuaged him.

Even more galling was the realization that some of the cash he arrived with, even if it was a small part of what was clearly an enormous outlay of cash being used to fund this operation, was the money I had paid him for Longshadow's death.

"You know him." It was not a question.

"Yes."

"I cannot enter with you and get more personally involved; however, I have no issue with your mission here. You have my permission to do what is necessary to rescue your bonded. I will not have my area used by strangers to engage in conspiracies against others with whom I am aligned."

We were all out of the cars now, and armed. Calvin, Sam and Alcide had shifted, and Amelia stood by Barton. She was angry that we were forcing her to stay outside, but although a powerful witch, she would only be in the way during a battle.

The plan was for Pam, Ian, and I to form a wedge, and punch through the opposition. Bill, Sandy, Sam, Alcide and Calvin, were to keep them off our backs, and hopefully eradicate them altogether. The important part was making sure that the three of us got through to the house, so we could get to Sookie. If we were caught up too long outside, it would give Sutherfield too much time to drag her off again, despite our surprise attack. I was not going to let that happen.

I stepped forward and ripped the gate from its hinges, and ran in.

The melee was brutal. These were not armed peasants in the hills of Brazil, being forced to fight or lose their families. These guards were well trained, there were Weres, and a couple of them were vampires. I saw that we were taking casualties. Calvin was circling one of the vampires, but he was limping and I saw Alcide take a shot. Bill was nowhere to be seen, and I could only hope he was not out of the fight yet. Ian, however, was still at my back and I could sense Pam close by.

The fighting was close, but Ian wielded his sword as though it was an extension of his arm, and I had trained Pam myself, although she still managed to surprise me from time to time with the ingenuity of some of her attacks. She was an opportunistic fighter, and I watched as she engaged in a fight with a first opponent. Then, an attacker came at her from the rear, but she feigned ignorance, and at the last millisecond, feinted and allowed the second attacker to decapitate the first, before grabbing his head, twisting it, and breaking his neck. Soon, however, I was inside and ceased thoughts of the battle in the courtyard. That was for the rest of our group now. I was flanked closely by Pam and Ian, and I ran toward her. I could feel her so closely now. The pain had stopped. Now I felt determination, and something else . . . warning? She was warning me, ever selfless. I slowed down, came to a door and listened.

She was in there. I could feel her, and I could hear him. He was yelling at her.

"I want to know his suffering!"

I inhaled. I could only pick up three scents: Sookie's, Sutherfield's, and Hot Rain's. I looked at Pam and Ian, and then we burst through the door.

A/N: ARGH! Yes, I know, how could I possibly stop there?! Sorry, but the next bit needed to come from Sookie. Really, she told me so.

So, Eric trained Pam, and Ian obviously has some mad skills. I trained in martial arts (Krav Maga) for years, but now I'm a totally out of shape mother of three. One day, I hope to kick ass again. What is your preferred method of self-defense?