As I drove down the dark highway I began to feel at ease. Yes, Athenodora gave birth to me, but no, I didn't trust her one bit. As my thoughts rolled on in my head I found myself staring at a tall, extremely white man running shirtless down the road. It took a second to realize it was Eric. It just seemed like something he would never be caught dead doing.
I slowed the car and rolled down my window. "Eric!" I yelled, he didn't stop. I sighed and pulled over getting out. He was still jogging uncharacteristically down the side of the road. "Eric, what the fuck?" I yelled as he slowed looking at me curiously. "Who are you?" He asked me. I stared wide-eyed at him, he was being completely serious. I knew my day had been to damn normal.
"I'm Ella." I said quietly as he approached slowly. His eyes held an unseen before softness, and a raw animalistic glare. "Why do you smell so good?" He asked, his eyes glowing brighter. My hands started to tingle, I shook the feeling and moved back a little.
Eric moved a little closer giving a soft sniff to the air in front of him. His bright blue eyes darting around as he spoke. "Like wheat, and honey, and sunlight." His large fangs flipped out, the moonlight making them gleam white.
"Don't do that, Eric." I warned, still backing up to the car door. As I hit it I stopped and hoped he'd stop as well. He flashed in front of me pinning me against the car door. I shook with fear as he inched closer to me.
I drew my right hand back still feeling the tingling and punched him in the face. He stepped back and looked down at me like a scolded child.
"What'd you do that for?" He asked seemingly on the verge of tears. I was so taken aback by just his tone. I kind of felt bad for hitting him. "You broke my nose." He persisted looking appalled that I'd do such a thing. I held back the urge to mutter an apology. In my defense, he did try to bite me.
"Y-you're a vampire, I didn't hurt you." I defended myself folding my arms across my chest. "I know I'm a vampire." He sounded angry.
I looked up to meet his glare, and I immediately echoed it, shooting an offhanded glare back. "Well, fucking good for you." I muttered as I turned back to the car. "I just don't know who I am." The pitiful tone made me halt and turn around in the same second.
"What happened to you?" I asked him. "I don't know." Eric scoffed, he was just so unlike himself. I stepped forward grabbing his hand.
Eric stepped on a candle in front of him. Continuing after a long second of glancing at the women that surrounded him. "I'm told your leader's name is Marnie." He said starting to pace in front of everyone.
A woman looked forward. "Really? Who told you that?" She asked gingerly, holding no contempt in her voice. "Let's just say, a little bird did." Eric flashed a lovely and sarcastic smile to the woman who questioned him.
"So, which one of you lovely ladies is Marnie?" Eric asked seductively looking over everyone once more. "I am, I-I'm Marnie." An older woman stepped forward awkwardly. "Excellent, thank you for coming forward." Eric turned professional again with a switch.
"Now here's the deal Marnie this is the last time your coven convenes." He made himself completely clear. "And before you even think about agreeing and then meeting behind my back, know this. There is no behind my back. I am everywhere." Eric gave Marnie a charming smile as he finished speaking.
"What's in it for me?" Marnie asked. "I said it was a deal not a negotiation. Lafayette, do I negotiate?" He asked, anger thick in his voice. Lafayette looked from Eric to Marnie with panic. "I'd listen to him Marnie, he tends to get his way." He said.
Marnie looked at Eric evenly hardly showing fear, Eric continued to stare her down. "Join hands." Marnie breathed to her coven. Not a second went by before Eric had her by the neck and sinking his fangs into her flesh.
The coven began to chant while Eric only dug his fangs in deeper into Marnie's neck. Eric turned grabbing Tara by the neck before she staked him.
A blast of wind swept through the small shop. Eric looked at Marnie as she became something else dropping Tara to the floor. Everything went black for him.
As I came to I realized that what I had seen wasn't in his memory, it was more like a dream that he just had but could not remember for the life of himself. He was being truthful. All the memories that he ever had were gone.
I stumbled back a little at the horror I felt. Eric was looking at me with the face of pure agony and fear. I shook my head rubbing my eyes for a short second. I was exhausted from a long day and I just wanted to go home and sleep.
"Get in the car." I demanded. He looked at me blankly for a moment. "If you try to bite me again, I won't help you." I muttered walking to the car. I opened the drivers door and got in. Eric walked slowly to the passenger side and got in awkwardly.
As I pulled up to the house I saw Sookie's car in the driveway. I sighed wondering of how angry she'd be when I walked in the house with a half naked, amnesic Eric Northman.
I got out of the car waiting for Eric to follow, which he did. Silently and slowly. I walked briskly up the porch hoping to catch Sookie in a fantastic mood. I left the door open to see Sookie sitting in the living room reading a book.
"Oh hey, Sook." I said glancing back to see Eric still on his way to the porch, watching all around himself cautiously, so much unlike himself. "Hey Ell, what is it?" She sat the book down and stood. "Don't get mad, but I found Eric on the side of the road and he has lost his memory." I rushed as Eric inched the doorway.
Sookie looked wide-eyed from him to me and then back to him. Her surprise turning into the look of anger. "You can't believe that." She said quietly still looking at him. "No, it's legit, I swear." I mumbled with a slight shrug. "Why is he just standing there, he owns this house, he can just come in." Sookie was whispering to me. "Sook he doesn't remember that." I said, as soon as she realized that a wide smile spread across her face.
"As it's your first time in my house, obviously you need an invitation." She was being so very sincere that I had to hold back my giggle. "Eric, won't you please come in?" She said looking down as he stepped forward. "Don't step on the rug." She gasped a second to late. I gave a weak smile to Sookie and looked up at Eric's apologetic face.
"Sorry." He muttered moving awkwardly around the rug. I sat him on the couch and placed a towel under his muddy feet. I got up and walked to the kitchen grabbing my cell-phone out of my pocket. I scrolled down the contact list and found the number to Fangtasia.
"Good evening, Fangtasia northern Louisiana's most fantastic club, what do you want?" Pam rushed in her annoyed voice. "It's Ella." I muttered grabbing an old pot out of a cabinet and filling it with water and soap. "Oh goody." Pam said sarcastically. "What do you want?" She asked bluntly. "Eric is here right now." I said picking up the pot and carrying it into the living room.
"And what do you want me to do about that sweetheart?" She sighed uninterestedly. I sighed and sat the pot next to his feet. "He's lost his memory." I said, after a minute of silence, I hung up.
Eric was sitting on the couch looking expectantly at me as I slid my cell-phone back into my pocket. "I'm going to wash your feet, so Sookie doesn't blow anymore of a gasket." I said, he just nodded. I bent down to grab the rag and started to scrub his big dirty feet. I grimaced at the job I was doing, it reminded me of changing my cat's litter when I was seven.
"Who is Snookie?" Eric asked. I chuckled a bit before I could answer. "Her name is Sookie, and she's my cousin." I said nodding. Eric smiled and looked down as I washed the top of his feet.
Eric jerked his foot out of my hand with a small giggle. I was in so much shock that I simply couldn't laugh at this situation, I had never heard him laugh like that before. "It, it tickles." He said sitting back and letting me have his foot again. "Sorry about that." I smiled and continued my objective. I glanced up once more to find him staring intensely down at me, he looked as if he was trying to find a way to put something.
The front door behind me busted open which reminded me of Debbie. But instead there was Pam standing tall and strikingly in a short red dress. "Who the fuck is she?" Eric asked quickly jumping up from the couch. "Fuck!" Pam huffed. I backed up a little looking at Eric as he looked worriedly back at me.
"Sorry, sorry. That was rude, I'm sorry." He apologized to me and Pam. I watched as Pam saw just how different he was. She had the same expression of shock as Sookie and I had.
"What do you know about what happened to you?" Pam asked, she seemed desperately confused. Eric looked from Pam's face to mine. It seemed almost as if he was begging me to keep her away from him. Sookie came down the stairs looking at Pam and me and Eric all in her living room.
"You have to hide him." Pam said urgently to both me and Sookie. "Not a chance Pam." Sookie scoffed. "He's in danger." Pam glanced at me this time. If it was up to me I'd agree, just because of how lost and scared Eric was right now. He was different and he really was in danger. "I'm sure you'll be able to protect him much better than we could." Sookie said.
"I'll be the first place they look." Pam seemed desperate and was seemingly pleading Sookie for Sookie's mercy, all of the vampires in sight were acting so weird tonight. "Sook, Eric was attacked by witches they did this to him." I said, giving her a pleading look. "Witches?" She was unbelieving.
"Witches, no not my problem." Sookie said. "Actually you're living in his house, so it is your problem." Pam retorted placing a finely manicured hand on her hip.
"What? It's my house?" Eric asked me, I shrugged biting my lip with frustration. "Thanks a lot Pam. I'll just go to Bill." Sookie said with a simple tone. I looked at Pam as she rushed forward. Eric flashed in front of me in the same second. "Tell Bill and I will rip you to pieces." Pam threatened Sookie before Eric pushed her away.
"Be nice to her, she's Ella's family." Eric said sternly to Pam. Then he looked back to me with a small smile. Pam nodded with an abashed expression as she stood and smoothed her red dress and pulled her hair out of her face.
"Sookie." It was the best falsely nice tone I had ever heard Pam use. "I believe Bill set Eric up and sent him into that coven in Shreveport knowing it was a trap. It wouldn't be the first time he tried to get rid of Eric." Pam flashed another fake smile.
"Well yeah because Eric tasted Ella. So, Bill really did it for me." Sookie was standing up for me which forced a smile to my face. "Oh I did?" Eric smiled at me. "Yeah against her will so technically you fang-raped her." Sookie said with acid in her voice. Eric looked from Sookie who was scowling at him then to me while I was blushing at the phrase fang-rape. "Oh I'm sorry." Eric was sincerely sorry. I shrugged and looked back to the conflict going on between the two blondes.
"Promise me you won't go to Bill. I'm sure he'll use this as an excuse to get the AVL to sign off on assassinating Eric. I know he wants to. Eric has to stay here with you and no one can know." Pam said, I could hear the sincerity in her voice this time.
"Sook." I grabbed her arm and looked at her. "Please." I whispered before letting her loose. She looked back at Pam. "Okay." She said. "But, you are gonna have to pay me for babysitting him. If ya'll are just gonna keep messing with my life I should at least get something out of it goddamnit." The last word in her sentence most likely had gran rolling in her grave but, it made Pam smirk.
I watched Eric as he moved from foot to foot. I smiled at him without thought. He was undoubtedly adorable in this state. No one could deny that, not even me. After Pam left Sookie drug me into the confides of the kitchen alone.
"He's your responsibility Ell." She made it sound as if he was a stray puppy, which was kind of a great analogy for this situation. "I hope you know what you're getting into." She said before leaving me. I walked slowly back into the living room looking tiredly at Eric. I turned to the wardrobe and unlatched it climbing down. He looked inside timidly.
He came down and looked around at the concrete room. "Wow this really is my house." Eric said flashing a goofy smile my way. "It was Sookie's house, before." I muttered shrugging, I felt like I was just meeting a stranger and offering them refuge in my house. This man was no Eric Northman, not suave, mysterious, asinine, or incorrigible. He seemed kind of nice and ignorant, which wasn't that bad in my opinion.
"You live here? In my house?" He asked me. The expectant smile that he held made me want to smile back. "Are you mine?" He asked raising a brow. I felt a jolt inside of me. "Not exactly." I said easily moving to lean against the wall. I was just so sleepy.
"Do you belong to another vampire?" He asked losing his smile. "No." I peeped smoothly. "Would you like to be mine?" He asked, in a way that he hadn't asked before. I suddenly thought that maybe if had asked me this way before, I would've agreed. Though he was sick now, under a curse of some kind, this wasn't the real Eric Northman.
"Um, you've already asked me that before." I said shrugging, I felt like I hadn't the heart to turn him down, but in all reality I had to. "And you declined." He assumed with a frown, I shrugged weakly. "It's kind of complicated." I said moving towards the ladder.
Eric flashed in front of me and suddenly the room seemed smaller than before. I looked at Eric with seriousness. "What are you?" As he asked my memories shone with the first time I had truly met him, tall, blond, and overly egotistical. "I'm an Ella and I'm very tired, so would you please excuse me?" I asked in the nicest way possible.
"Of course." Eric held the look of deflation as he moved out of my way. I nodded as I moved slowly past him trying to keep my space in the small box of a room. His fangs flicked out, I winced at the sound. Eric placed his hand over his mouth with a remorseful stare back at me. I moved past him quickly and up the ladder, closing the doors and latching it.
As I laid in bed looking up at the ceiling I could feel something well in my chest. I felt like this could be a rather beautiful mess. It didn't seem as scary as any other thing that had happened to me. Or maybe I was getting so used to the feeling of worry and fear I had grown a tolerance for it.