I woke up alone. Eric had stayed with me for as long as he could, holding me tight until I had fallen asleep, stroking my hair until my dreams were sweet, and placing soft kisses on my cheek and neck to let me know everything was going to be alright.

Never before had I felt so safe as in the arms of Eric Northman. He was like a cast-iron fence that protected me from my surroundings. I felt untouchable, and I wanted the moment to last for forever and ever.

But reality kicked in. Dawn was here, and Eric was gone. My body still ached from the night before, but it was a good kind of ache. I treasured the memories in my mind, replaying the way we made love over and over again until I felt myself growing hot. I bit my lip. I never thought I would be saying this: but Eric was the best lover I had ever had.

I prepared myself for another day of waiting. There wasn't much I could do while Eric was away, and he knew he wouldn't appreciate it if I started roaming around Shreveport. Our prisoner was still safely at Fangtasia, and Pam informed us that no one had tried to come and get him.

Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, pancakes, and fruit. With unlimited amount of time, it was the best meal I had in time. No rushing to get anywhere, no stress of the fear of being photographed again. Everything was peaceful, and everything was quiet.

But I regretted my culinary creation when I realized I was out of food. I had eaten much of it for dinner, and waiting all day caused me to snack a lot. Only the blood was left, and even though I could perhaps convince myself it was just tomato juice, I doubted it would be very nutritional and fulfilling for a non-vampire.

Since yesterday's trip home went as planned, I figured a trip to the supermarket couldn't hurt.

Shreveport was uncharted terrain for me, so I spend the next five minutes looking up the nearest supermarket. I put on my sweater, and pulled the hood over my head before adding a pair of sunglasses to try and conceal my identity a bit. I didn't know many people in Shreveport, but it would be just my luck to run into someone.

I let my phone guide me to the nearest store. My plan was to quickly get in, grab what I needed, and get out. I could always return again later.

As I was about to grab a pint of milk, someone cleared his throat behind me. I couldn't help but to look over my shoulder, and I almost dropped everything I was holding when I saw Sam standing behind me.

I cursed under my breath before regaining my composure. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Sam responded.

I suddenly became very aware of my surroundings. My eyes scanned everyone in close distance, and it was then that I decided that I wasn't going to have this conversation with so many eyes on us.

"Not here," I hissed. "I'll meet you outside."

We walked around the store and went to the back of the store. Here, we were surrounded by dumpsters and general trash. No one could hear us, and no one could see us. If anything, people would probably think this was a drug deal and leave us alone.

"You can't tell anyone I'm here," I began. "It would compromise everything we have been working on?"

"We?" Sam responded. "Are you still working with that vampire? What are you getting yourself into?"

"Yes, I am still working with the vampire," I clarified. "But we have a plan. Everything is going to end soon."

Sam shook his head and let out a long breath. "You should've gone to the police, like I advised you to."

I curled my fists into balls. Why didn't he understand this? He was a supernatural, like me, why was this so difficult to grasp? I needed to end this on my own terms, not on that of the police. Besides, how was I going to convince them those supremacists were just making up lies about me. How could I prove the pictures and video they took of me were fake?

"I can't, Sam. I don't want to move away again. This is necessary."

Sam took a step forward and it almost looked like he wanted to grab my arm to shake me back to my senses.

"That vampire and his little plans is going to get you killed, Serena. You have to stop all this madness, or I have to fire you. I can't stand by watching you walk to your death."

His comments shook me to my core. I couldn't deny it hurt me. I enjoyed working at Merlotte's and didn't want to give that up. That job made me feel normal for the first time in years. I never had another supernatural before to work with, and I felt disappointed that he didn't understand the need to do this. I couldn't let it become public knowledge that I was perhaps the last mermaid on this planet.

"Then consider me fired," I replied, doing my best to look him in the eyes. "I have to finish what I started, Sam."

And on that final note I spun on my heel, clutched my groceries to my chest, and walked away as fast as I could.

My mind was spinning as I tried my best to remember where Eric's apartment was. Did I just got fired? I couldn't believe it, and I didn't want to think about it. After this ordeal was over, I would return, admit my defeat and apologize. I didn't want this to ruin everything I had in Bon Temps.

Lost in thought, I continued to walk. At least the fresh air did me good after spending the day before cooped up inside. I could only hope the supremacists would come for their guy, because I had no idea how long I could keep up with doing absolutely nothing.

But little did I then now they were already coming for me.

Someone gripped my tightly by my upper arms, causing me to drop my groceries and my phone on the ground. I wanted to scream, but a hand covered my mouth and I was pulled back into a dark alley right behind's Eric's apartment.

Another pair of hands grabbed my other arms, as they continued to drag me away. I did by best to bite, scream, and kick them as hard as I could, but as soon as I became too much to handle for two people, someone else appeared and grabbed me by my legs, lifting me up off the ground.

I tried to actively search for water, but right in the middle of a concrete jungle there was nothing here. Even the sewerage was too far down in the ground for me to reach, and I realized there was nothing I could do.

Sam was so close. Could he hear me? Could he feel my struggle, from one supernatural to another? Of course, he couldn't. The sun was still high in the sky, and I was searching for replacements for Eric who could help me in the meantime. But I was alone.

My panic increased when they put me in the trunk of a beat-up car hidden in the darkness of the alley. They taped my hands and feet together, and put a strip over my mouth so I couldn't make any sound. I didn't recognize any of the men, but I knew all too well who they were.

Like Eric had predicted, the supremacists had come, but they hadn't come for their guy, they had come for me.

We were driving for a long time. At least, that's what I thought. It was hard to guess with no surroundings to help you. We were out of Shreveport, that was the only part I was sure about. Louisiana was big, and there were a lot of places for people like this to hide. How was I going to let Eric know where I was?

I hit my head when the car came to an abrupt halt. The trunk opened, and two men helped me get out. I forgot to resist, figuring it would be more important to take in the environment.

My eyes fell on a trailer, but we were heading in the opposite direction. There were cars everywhere, both in working and non-working condition. Was this some sort of scrap yard? We passed a fire, burning on what looked like rubber. It created a think plume of smoke into the air, and I made sure to remember it.

They continued to carry me further away. I turned my head to see some sort of shed. It looked shabby, the wood rotten and moldy, and I had no doubt that was where they were going to lock me up.

There were no windows, and when they left me behind, shackled to a concrete block in the ground, I was engulfed in darkness. The only sound I could hear was my own breathing, and the rapidness of it was freaking me out even more. What the fuck had just happened? Did I just get kidnapped?

The guys doing all the work hadn't told me anything, but I could already guess this was retaliation for the fact we had one of their guys. We hadn't anticipated they would do something like this, we figured they were stupid enough to just come for their guy, but we had underestimated them. Severely, underestimated them.

Again, I had no idea for how long I was left alone. Every second felt like a minute in this place. I got on my knees and tried to crawl towards the door, pressing my chest against the ground to look under the door. But the chain didn't give me much room and the door was too close to the ground for me to get a good look.

I couldn't reach the side of the walls either. The chains was specifically designed to be too short for me to reach anything. The shed was old, and if I knew that if I could reach it I could kick my way out as the planks were damp and soft. But as hard as I tried, I couldn't get close enough. Instead, the chains only cut in my skin and when it really began to hurt I gave up.

They had prepared this. I tried again to find water to influence, but I wasn't advanced enough to get it from the ground and apart from that, I could find it anywhere. They had deprecated me of all my powers.

I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep until I was woken up by the sound of footsteps approaching. As soon as I found that I wasn't in a horrible nightmare, I moved backwards as far as my chains allowed me to, my chest heaving up and down as I could control my breathing.

As the door of the shed opened, I noticed how it was dark outside, and that lifted my spirits and gave me hope.

A slightly fat guy stepped forward with a phone in his hand. He leaned down on one knee before ripping off the piece of tape that had been covering my mouth. I breathed in as much air as I could and then I began to scream.

The response was a fist against my cheek. I coughed, spitting out a little bit of blood on the ground. My anger was growing, and there was nothing I could do about it.

"You are going to call that vampire," my captor said. "And you are going to tell him we want Daniel in exchange for you."

It took me a moment to comprehend who Daniel was, but I quickly pieced together that that had to be the guy stuck in a dungeon beneath Fangtasia.

I nodded in silence before telling him he should call the bar. He then held the telephone up to my ear, as I waited for numbers to dial.

"Fangtasia, you are speaking with Pam," a disinterested voice on the other side of the line said.

"Pam?" I said, grateful to hear a familiar voice. "I need to speak with Eric."

"Serena? Oh my god, where the fuck are you? We have been worried sick."

"Pam," I said, my voice now stern. There were about four pairs of eyes on me as I was making this call, and I wanted to get as quick to the point as possible.

The line was dead for a mere second and then I heard Eric's voice. He sounded worried, and my heart skipped a beat when he spoke my name.

"Where are you?"

It wasn't until now that the tears began to stream down my cheeks. Now I had to say it out loud, I finally realized what the hell had happened.

"They've kidnapped me," I spoke, trying my best not to sound too scared. "They want their guy in exchange for me. Please come soon, Eric."

Before I was able to plead another time, the phone was taken away from my ear.

"You can find us in Willow Chute. You have one hour to deliver him."

He hung up.

A/N: Woo! Things are getting serious! Please let me know your thoughts and until next time! 3