CHAPTER 16

I stood in the middle of my living room, alone and confused. Eric had sent me home alone as he said he needed to tie up some loose ends at Fangtasia. The club was damned near destroyed when the were's had taken Antonia, Marnie, whatever the hell her name was. I still had no idea what the hell Eric and the guy from the AVL meant. What were they planning?

I looked around, wondering what the hell was I meant to do until Eric got there. I looked around and grabbed the tv remote. I may as well watch some mind numbing shows to take my mind off my life. I aimed the remote at the tv and was about to turn it on when I heard a creak on the floorboards. I hesitated and cocked my head, trying to listen for any sounds. I heard nothing and figured I must've imagined it. I turned to the tv and as I did something was pulled around my neck.

I screamed and my fangs dropped at the white hot, blinding pain. What the hell was this? I tried to pull it off but it burnt my fingers. I felt drained, weak and helpless. It must be silver. I thought briefly to myself. I was dragged out of the house, down the proch steps and shoved into a van, the same van that someone had tried to put me all that time ago in Shreveport. When was that? Only a few days ago? It seemed like a whole other lifetime ago.

I lost track of time and location. I had no idea where I was being taken. I assumed that I had been taken by the witch, she had wanted me before, but I had no idea why. If she thought I still had fairy powers then she had another thing coming. Finally the van screeched to a halt and the side door was slid open. Someone dragged me out of the van and into a small shop. This must be the coven.

Once inside I was unceremoniously shoved to the floor. A shadow fell over me and I gazed up, into Bill's eyes. "Sookie, you let Eric turn you?" He asked sadly. I was too mad and in too much pain to answer. If I had of been coherent enough I probably would have hissed out some comment about how at least Eric had given me a choice as to whether I wanted to turn. I heard another voice and turned my head enought to see the owner. It was the woman, Marnie, Antonia, the witch that Eric had kidnapped and put down in the basement.

"You are now just like them." Marnie said. "You let one of them make you into an evil creature."

"From what I've seen you're just as evil." I replied as best I could. The pain was incredible. It seemed weird that something as innocuous as silver could cause such a reaction on the flesh.

"You must be in so much pain." Bill said softly as he knelt down beside me. I looked at him and almost laughed at the stupidity of it. "I am sorry to do this to you."

"Sookie?" I heard Tara's voice and I turned my head to look at her. She took one look at me then she saw Bill. "You fucker!" She snapped. Tara stalked over to him and slapped him as Bill stood. The sound of her hand slapping his cheek rang out the room. The was silence for a time. Bill said nothing but slowly turned back to Tara.

"Someone restrain her." He ordered and one of Bill's guards grabbed Tara and held her by the arms.

"You are a fucking asshole!" Tara continued with her tirade. "Look at her! You're hurting her! I knew you never fucking cared about her!"

"She let Eric turn her!" Bill snarled as he turned on his heel to face her.

"At least he cares about her!" Tara snapped back. "He never lied to her! He never gave up on her! He also didn't turn her against her wishes. He offered it to her and let her make her own fucking choice."

"It is not Sookie I want." Bill said. It all made sense in that moment. He wanted Eric, this had always been about Eric. Bill still had issues with me and Eric, even though Bill was the most untrustworthy one here, maybe aside from Antonia.

I heard the door open and more voices. I turned to see Jason, Pam, Lafayette, Alcide and lastly Eric, pulling along a nervous Jesus with him. "Sook?" I heard Jason say and Eric's eyes fell on me. He was furious. I knew the moment he lost his shit because he let go of Jesus and snarled at Bill.

"You have gone too far, Bill." He snapped.

"Remember who is king." Bill said. Eric smiled evilly.

"Not any more. It seems your gig with Nan Flanagan is up. I have orders from the heads of the AVL. Let me tell you I will thoroughly enjoy ripping out your throat." Then in a blur of speed Eric attacked Bill. Everything happened all at once then. I saw Alcide and Jason shift and it was a little unsettling to watch as Jason became a black cat and streak across the floor after a witch. Tara, Lafayette and Jesus ran to hold each other and Pam snarled as she went after another werewolf.

There was so much commotion that everyone seemed to have forgotten me. Not that I was usually one to get all 'Poor me' but honestly? Did someone want to help me get these awful burning pieces of silver off my body? I was sure I could be more help without being hindered by the silver.

I saw another shadow fall over me and I looked up, finding myself looking into Marnie's eyes. She looked evil and angry. Marnie smiled at me but for some reason I felt less than appeased by the smile. She reached down and grabbed me by the neck, pulling me so I was on my knees. "You will die first, you had sex with a vampire, let him drink your blood and then let him turn you. God will punish you for all your transgressions." She said.

Marnie let me go and took a step back. She placed her hand on top of my head and she started to chant. If I had thought the feeling of silver on my skin was pain then what Marnie did was torture. I couldn't think or feel anything other than what toll the spell was having on me. It was as though I was being pulled apart from the inside out. My blood was on fire, my skin burnt and it felt like electricity was being shot throughout my whole body using my veins and very blood as a conduit. I didn't even have the strength to scream out. I started to feel the first tendrils of fear as darkness crept in around me.

I looked around the room. There were vampires fighting vampires in blurs of speed, a vampire fighting werewolves and almost being out numbered, werewolf fighting werewolf, and a werepanther ripping witches into shreds. Jason was scary and awe inspiring all at the same time. I'd be damned if I didn't still carry some kind of torch for the man. He was handsome, strong and had always protected me. I held tightly to Lafayette, watching the commotion. I frowned as I realised I couldn't see Sookie. Where was she?

I scanned the room and my eyes fell on the most terrifying sight I had ever encountered. Sookie was on her knees at Marnie's feet. Marnie didn't look like Marnie anymore. She was some younger woman. This must be the spirit of Antonia. Antonia had a hand on Sookie's head and was chanting. Sookie wasn't making a sound but the pain in her eyes was evident. Antonia was doing something to Sookie and it was bad.

The colour, what little was left, in Sookie's skin was draining from her. It was almost as though her muscles were shrinking and her body was becoming shallow and gaunt. I knew instantly that Antonia was killing her. I tugged Lafayette's arm.

"Now what the fuck is wrong with you Hooker?" He said.

"It's Sookie! Oh my God Lafayette, Antonia is killing Sookie!"

"Oh hell no." He breathed. I turned to face him, feeling the tears roll down my cheeks.

"Do something, please!" I begged.

"The fuck do you want me to do?" He asked.

"You're a witch do something! Anything! I don't know."

"You want us to save a vampire?" Jesus asked. I was crying and I saw Lafayette glare at Jesus.

"She ain't just some random psycho fuck vampire, runnin' 'round to tear shit up and eat poor motherfuckers!" Lafayette said. "She been a part of this family longer than you have boyfriend."

"Are you serious?" Jesus said. Lafayette sighed and grabbed the container of rock salt and started to draw a circle on the ground. "You're really going to help her? She's a vampire."

Lafayette straightened up to glare at Jesus. "Sookie is like my sister! I'm gonna save her. If you ain't helping then you can get outta here." He pointed to the door. "Marnie gone and fucked us for the last motherfuckin' time. If Sookie dies Eric Northman and Jason Stackhouse are both gonna go mental as bat shit. You can sit in the corner and come with some catchy phrases to go on your tombstone."

"Hurry Lafayette." I sobbed. He finished the circle and stood in the middle, calling on the Goddess and started some chant. I frowned as I watched him. Antonia stopped her chant and looked at Lafayette, angrily. "What's he doing?" I asked. Jesus bit his lip.

"A banishing spell. I think he's trying to rid Marnie of the spirit of Antonia." Antonia smiled and then turned back to casting whatever spell it was she had been casting before. Sookie was in a bad way.

"It's not working!" I cried. Jesus shifted his weight.

"He's not strong enough." He replied. I looked at Jesus pleadingly.

"Please, help him."

Jesus looked at me then back at Lafayette. "Ah, shit." He said. Jesus grabbed the salt and cast his own circle. He tugged me into his circle and told me to sit. "You'll be safer in here then out there." He informed me. Then he began to chant the same words as Lafayette. Antonia dropped her hand and looked at the boys. I saw Sookie's eyes close and she slumped to the ground in an unconcious heap. I wanted to go to her but I knew I had to stay in the circle.

Antonia started to yell and scream obsceneties at the boys but they simply continued to chant. As the chanting got louder Antonia started to stumble and it was a surreal experience to watch the face flicker from Antonia to Marnie and back as Antonia struggled to regain control of Marnie's body. It took a few more minutes but eventually the spirit of Antonia disappeared and Marnie dropped to the ground, unconcious. Lafayette and Jesus both sat on the ground, exhausted from the spell.

"Can I go to Sookie now?" I asked and Jesus nodded.

"It's safe now. Antonia is gone." He sighed. I stood and ran to Sookie. She was in a bad way I noticed as I pulled her limp form into my lap. I shook her lightly, pulling the silver off her neck and wincing as it brought skin with it, leaving awful, nasty red burns in her neck.

"Come on, Sook. Don't you give up on me. Don't give up on Jason. Don't give up on Eric. We need you." She didn't respond, didn't move, make a sound or anything. "Fuck you Sookie!" I snapped. "Don't you die, I will lose my shit." I cried. I looked around the room for help but everyone was so busy they hadn't even noticed us. Sookie was dying and nobody could help me. A thought occured to me and even though it scared the hell out of me and it disgusted me I knew that I had to do whatever it took to save her.

"Lafayette do you have a knife?" I asked. He cocked his head at me.

"Hooker, why the fuck would you need a knife?"

"Do you have one or not?" I snapped. He staggered over to me and handed me the knife. I tilted Sookie's head back and forced her mouth open. Then I sliced into my wrist and pressed the bleeding wound to Sookie's mouth.

I prayed it would be enough.