Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Layla and a few of the plot twists. Sorry I've been away so long. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few more chapters out very soon :)
"Godric!" Layla heard distantly, like from the other end of a tunnel. "Godric!" she heard again. This time, closer. Her eyelids fluttered open. Sookie was at the edge of a fenced in room, shouting for the hostage vampire. Layla sat up slowly pressing a hand to the back of her head.
"Glad to see you nursing me back to health, Sookie." she said wryly. The blonde threw her an apologetic look.
"How are you feeling?"
"Shitty. Especially since I did nothing helpful at all when they grabbed us. I'm sorry, I really am-"
"Don't you dare apologize. You did the best you could and then you were thrown down a flight of stairs." Sookie said. Layla smiled up in thanks. Sookie really did have a good heart. It was refreshing. Layla tried to tune out Hugo's complaining. Apparently he really was claustrophobic. Sookie was quickly calming him down, getting him to breathe. After a minute they were back to where they were at Godric's place with trying to figure out who betrayed them. Layla ignored that too. Her head was still throbbing and she was just pissed. Anger seemed to occupy every corner of her body but she was too exhausted to do anything about it.
"Bill must have sensed my fear." Sookie was saying. "He's gonna come storming through this church any second."
"Well, Layla's here too. Maybe Eric will get here first. He must have sensed her fear as well." Hugo said. Layla laughed bitterly but stopped short because it made her head pound.
"Two problems with that theory, Hugo. One, I was never scared, I was pissed off. Eric is used to me being pissed so there's no reason for him to suspect anything. Two, even if something had tipped him off to our present situation he wouldn't come running to my rescue. He's a jackass and he's nothing if not consistent." she explained. Sookie sighed and Layla groaned.
"I should have brought weapons. Strapped a knife to my thigh or something. I underestimated them." Layla said quietly. She was furious with herself, for getting caught and for endangering Sookie. The girl was annoying at times but she didn't deserve to be locked in here with crazy people.
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Eric could feel Layla's annoyance, but emotion was fairly constant and he knew she didn't agree with the Fellowship and chalked it up to that. Earlier, Isabel had asked him about his interest in both Layla and Sookie. He had denied interest in either, but in truth he couldn't decide who he wanted, and Eric liked to keep his options open. As he settled into the hotel bed he felt a strange emotion from Layla. Regret. He shook it off and went to bed.
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Steve and Gabe came down in the morning, tossing them water bottles for breakfast. In the back of her mind Layla wished she had Eric's blood instead. It was much more filling. Sookie threw out the cliched,
"They're coming for us."
Apparently, Steve was planning on it. There was a slight back and forth between Steve and Sookie before Steve took a seat.
"Now things got a little out of hand last night-"
"Gee, you think?" Layla asked sarcastically, still holding the back of her head where in pounded.
"- and I'm sorry for that." Steve continued. To top off his bullshit he promised them a hot breakfast and a easy way out if they answered a few questions. Layla's pride kicked into high gear again. She wasn't going to turn traitor just to get out of here. Hugo seemed less noble.
"What do you want to know?" he asked.
"Shut up!" Sookie hissed. Layla simply threw her water bottle at his head. Before either woman could shut him up Hugo was giving Steve their real names, but Steve seemed most interested in Sookie.
"From Bon Temps?" he asked.
"How do you know where I'm from?" Sookie asked. Steve had gone pale.
"You're Jason Stackhouse's...sister." he said, swallowing. Sookie was confused as she stared at him.
"You know Jason? He has nothing to do with this!" she tried to tell them, but Steve had already stood.
"C'mon, Gabe."
When the duo had left their three hostages in the basement again Layla turned to look at Hugo.
"Nice work, asshole." she said, walking over and grabbing the water she had thrown eariler.
"I'm going to do what I can to get us out of here!" he argued. Sookie was sitting at the opposite end of the 'cell'.
"Hugo, do me a favor, and just shut the fuck up." Sookie said quietly. Layla had never been so happy to be friends with Sookie.
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After a few hours of nothing, Hugo was now attempting to play nice.
"I was like you once. Thought I was a real emancipated thinker. Especially after Isabel took me to bed-"
"Ew. You're done." Layla chimed in, spinning the cap of her now empty water bottle.
"Well, you both know what it's like." Hugo continued, but after a scathing look from Layla he decided it was only Sookie. "At least, you do. It's addictive to be desired by something that powerful."
"I'm no addict." Sookie said with disgust.
"I guess you wouldn't know how your life changes to suit them. You start missing work, and you can't stand to leave them after sunset. Before you know it you're someone you don't even recognize."
As Layla listened to Hugo she wished hard that she had a pen to jot some of this down. It was just the kind of thing she could use in her book. Instead she took mental notes.
"So that's why you went to the Fellowship? Because you can't control yourself?" Sookie asked. Hugo started talking about how Vampires don't want them to be equals, and how Isabel had refused to turn him. Sookie made the argument that he didn't know Bill and Layla was inclined to agree. Bill was too sweet to use Sookie or consider her a telepathic trophy. Eric on the other hand, well, he looked like he had shelves upon shelves of trophies and Layla had the feeling he wanted her to be his latest collectible. Fat chance.
"If the Fellowship cares about you so much then why are you here?" Sookie asked. Hugo stood and called out to Gabe, saying how the girls now knew everything, but no one came.
"Oh, look at that. No one's coming. Looks like you're stuck with us." Layla said sarcastically with a bitter smile.
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It was a few hours before Gabe finally did appear, with a large bruise on his eye.
"What happened to your face?" Hugo asked. "Listen, they know everything, which never would have happened if you hadn't locked me down here with a god damn mind-reader. Okay? I hope the Reverend knows that I'm going to need protection now."
Gabe hit him so fast Sookie and Layla both jumped back in surprise. Though Layla felt a bit better, she was far from able to take on a man as big as Gabe.
"You want protection, you fang-banging sack of shit? How's that for protection, huh?" the man said, kicking Hugo hard in his side. Layla thought she vaguely heard the crack of a rib breaking. Gabe continued to beat the crap out of Hugo until finally Sookie couldn't stand it.
"Stop it!" she screamed, leaping onto Gabe's back and trying her hardest to take him out. Layla's jaw dropped. Gabe easily threw her into the metal shelves.
"Sookie!" Layla screamed, going forward and picking up where the now stunned blonde had left off. Gabe had his hands wrapped around Sookie's throat and the girl was choking and gasping for air. Layla used her fist and pounded the back of Gabe's head as hard as she could, but it was like she was in water. Her actions felt sluggish and useless.
"Don't you dare touch her you pig!" Layla screamed. Gabe released Sookie who dropped to the floor unconscious. Gabe spun and now had Layla against the chain-link enclosure.
"Get off me!" she demanded.
"What? A human not good enough for you? Maybe I'll show you what you've been missing!" he said. Layla, felt fury rise up inside her and she let out a blood-curdling scream that could have been mistaken for a war cry.
"That's right, scream for me." Gabe said, slapping Layla hard across the mouth and tossing her carelessly on the floor. She scrambled and fought to get the huge behemoth of a man off of her. He began tearing at her clothes and saying the most disgusting things. She screamed louder, now with an edge of fear creeping into her voice and for a desperate moment she wished Eric were there.
Suddenly the weight on top of her was gone. Layla looked up to see a young boy holding Gabe by the neck.
"Godric, it's me." the man sputtered. With a simple flick of his wrists Godric snapped Gabe's neck and he crumpled uselessly to the floor. Layla swiftly readjusted her clothing and crawled over to Sookie, who thankfully was still breathing, but there were harsh black and blue marks appearing on her neck. When the blonde opened her eyes Layla let out a sigh of relief and hugged the girl close.
"Never scare me like that again." Layla said. Sookie only coughed a bit in response before turning and seeing the young man...or rather very old Vampire, who had been their savior.
"Godric?" she asked, her voice scratchy.
"You should not have come." he said simply.