Disclaimer: I own nothing related to True Blood.
Present day…
Seeing Eric again made every old feeling, every memory that she had tried valiantly to push into the recesses of her mind come rushing back like a river bursting its way through a battered, broken dam. As she remembered the way they used to be, of how much she still loved him now even in spite of everything that had happened, her heart began to throb painfully at the harsh reminder that he was no longer hers. Paige watched, her heart breaking a little, as his eyes turned from shocked to hateful, and she had to turn her eyes away and look at something else – anything else – because she couldn't stand to see such a look in his eyes, especially when it was directed at her.
As Paige looked around the room, desperately trying to keep herself together, she finally took a second to survey the other occupants – not so far away from Paige stood a dark-haired female vampire that she could only assume was Isabel. Standing near Eric was a stiff, stern looking man who Paige instantly knew was a vampire, and in between the male vampire and Eric was a blonde-haired woman who looked to be around Paige's age. Paige started when she realized that the blonde had been staring at her with confusion and disbelief written on her face, the stranger's wide eyes sliding back and forth between her and Eric as though she already knew they had once been together.
There was no way she could know about them, Paige tried to convince herself, only vaguely aware of the fact that Gary and Stan had joined them in the room by this point. She and Eric had kept their relationship very hush-hush, entrusting only their closest friends or family members (in Paige's case) with the truth. The only way the blonde could know is if Eric himself told her, which Paige supposed wasn't too far fetched now that she thought about it. Obviously Eric and the blonde had come to the hotel together as she had seen them arrive together, so she figured at the very least that they had to be friendly with one another, if not more…
Paige dutifully closed her mind to the torrent of emotions that thought brought up.
"Ah, you must be Ms. Collins and Mr. Newman." Isabel greeted smoothly, pulling Paige from her thoughts as she stepped toward them. "We have been expecting you." Then she gestured towards Eric and his two companions. "I hope it isn't an inconvenience that our meeting isn't as private as you might have hoped."
Gary shook his head with a friendly smile, moving close and resting a supportive hand on Paige's shoulder as he chanced a look in Eric's direction. Paige did as well and saw that Eric's gaze had dropped to where Gary's hand was before slowly moving upward until he could glower at Gary himself. "Of course not." Her partner said in a polite tone. "I assume we're all here on common purpose anyway, so the more the merrier." He added with a shrug, picking up on the tension in the room and trying to ease it. "I'm Gary Newman." He continued as he extended his hand to the one standing closest to him, which happened to be the stern looking vampire.
He looked at Gary's hand for a moment before offering a courteous smile. "Bill Compton." He introduced himself. "And this is Sookie Stackhouse." He added, motioning to the blonde girl on his left.
The blonde smiled widely, shaking Gary's hand for a quick, enthusiastic moment, before immediately turnings toward Paige. "Hi. I'm Sookie." She introduced herself again, reaching expectantly for Paige's hand.
Trying very hard to ignore the feeling of Eric's unwavering stare on her, Paige shook Sookie's hand. "Paige Collins." She introduced herself – Sookie didn't immediately release her hand, but rather tightened her grip and stared intently into Paige's eyes. Paige leaned away from her warily, not entirely sure she knew what was happening. Sookie finally released her when Bill cleared his throat.
Paige didn't get the chance to ponder over the blonde's strange behavior, because all of a sudden Eric was in front of her and extending a hand in her direction with a small, but cruel, smile on his lips. Paige eyed his hand uncertainly, then turned an untrusting look on him – what exactly was he playing at?
"Eric Northman." He said slowly, putting on a show for the others and making it appear as though they were meeting for the first time. It took a second but she finally found the courage to shake his hand, pressing her lips together when the familiar feeling of his hand around hers made fire course up her arm. "Have we met before?" He asked with a tilt of his head, not allowing her to pull her grasp from his just yet.
"Perhaps..." She responded lamely when she finally found her voice.
His eyes narrowed as Paige jerked her hand free of his grasp as though she'd been burned. Gary, noticing her dilemma and discomfort, decided to be her hero and stepped forward to intervene. "Hello, you said your name was Eric Northman?" Gary asked in a friendly tone – Paige, who had a good deal of experience when it came to reading Eric, knew what the gleam in his eyes meant as he sized Gary up. "I'm Gary Newman, nice to meet you."
Eric's expression went stoic as he shook Gary's hand. Gary grimaced a bit, which made Eric sneer at him for a second, then took a moment to nurse his hand once the vampire had released him.
"Well, now that we're all acquainted…" Stan piped up to catch the attention of the room. "Why don't we get down to business?" He then focused his attention on Paige and Gary, crossing his arms as his eyes darted back and forth between them. Getting right to the point, he asked, "So what exactly has motivated two agents of the C.A.V.D. to call a meeting with us on such short notice?" There was almost a note of suspicion in his voice, though Paige just chalked it up to him being a typical, paranoid vampire.
Bill and Sookie both seemed confused, even looking to each other in silent question – Eric's eyes, on the other hand, flashed over to Paige's in exasperated disbelief. "C.A.V.D.?" Both male vampires asked at the same time – Bill sounded dumfounded, as though he had never heard of it; Eric sounded as though he were appalled to know that she was apart of it.
"Citizens Against Vampire Discrimination." Gary quickly explained to Bill with pride in his voice. "Maybe not the best name, but 'The Good Guys That Fight Against Dickheads Trying To Kill Vampires' was a bit too long." He added with a laugh. Sookie joined in with a giggle – even Isabel gave a little titter. Paige couldn't help but flash her partner an approving smile for his ability to diffuse tense situations.
"Isabel…" Eric interrupted sharply, bringing the brief, humorous moment to an abrupt end as he commanded the attention of the room. "I assume my companions and I were called into this meeting for a reason – can we get on with it?" He asked impatiently, crossing his arms and scowling deeply. "Time is not on our side, in case you do not remember."
"Yes, yes, of course." Isabel immediately agreed, looking a bit unsure of why Eric was acting the way he was. "Please continue." She urged Gary and Paige with a wave of her hand.
"Not beating around the bush anymore, we know that your Sheriff has been kidnapped." Paige stated bluntly, ignoring the way Eric's scowl deepened even more as soon as she'd begun speaking – she honestly couldn't say she was surprised; Paige had already known that Eric would not have welcomed her with open arms should they ever cross paths again. "But," Paige continued, "we also know who has him. And you're going to need a bit of help if you want to get him back without starting a war."
Isabel and Stan shared a quick look. "What kind of help could a bunch of mortals have to offer us?" Stan shot back at her, shifting a challenging gaze back on her. Then he smirked. "And who says war isn't what we are looking for?"
Paige couldn't help but look at him in disbelief. "You want to risk sending the entire country – maybe even the world – into war with each other simply because you're too proud to receive help from us measly mortals?" Paige retorted just as quickly. "That sort of close-mindedness is what resulted in Godric being kidnapped in the first place and will result in the deaths of thousands of innocent people, human and vampire alike." She flashed Stan a meaningful look. "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want that kind of blood on my hands."
She could have said more, but Gary's hand on her arm made her shut her mouth. Stan, however, didn't seem to have anything to say in response this time and simply narrowed his eyes at her, apparently disapproving of the attitude in her voice.
"When you called this meeting," Isabel quickly spoke up, drawing the attention back to herself. "We were fairly certain that we knew why you were coming here. But you should know before anything else is said that we have a lead already and have a promising plan to rescue Godric underway should the lead prove accurate."
Paige and Gary shared a look. "A plan?" Gary asked curiously. "What plan?"
When everyone else in the room immediately turned their eyes on Sookie, who smiled sweetly and twiddled her fingers in a girly wave, Paige quickly put the pieces of the puzzle together. "You're going to send her into the Fellowship alone?" Paige asked with a note of incredulity.
"So it is the Fellowship that has Godric, then?" Bill asked quickly, a serious expression on his face as he took in the information they were providing.
"Of course it is." Gary answered with a snort. "A whole church full of bible-thumping vampire haters? My money's on them every time."
Stan was the next one to speak up. "How do you know the Fellowship has Godric?" He asked, not looking entirely convinced.
"We have very reliable sources." Paige reassured him – Stan started like he was going to pry further, but Paige cut him off. "I can't say anything more than that, I'm afraid." She told him regretfully – information about the company's informants was top secret, because if anything ever went sour between the C.A.V.D. and the vampires, that sort of information could end up being a huge liability. "Now, for the second time, you're sending her in alone?" She asked again, wanting clarification.
"Of course not." Sookie answered with a small smile, moving a step or two closer. "I'll be going into the church with Isabel's partner, a very kindly gentleman that I'm sure will keep me perfectly safe." She went on to explain, sounding perfectly content with this plan. "We're gonna disguise ourselves as an engaged couple lookin' 'ta have our weddin' at the church an' see if we can't find Godric while we tour the grounds."
Gary and Paige shared another look.
"Then what?" Paige asked, seeing a huge flaw in this plan.
Sookie frowned. "What do you mean 'then what'?" She asked, clearly perplexed.
"Well, how do you intend to get Godric and yourselves back out of that church?" Gary asked with a frown. "Lord only knows what they've been doing to Godric, and you two alone are not gonna be able to take on an entire blood-thirsty group of vampire-hating psychos. Not without getting yourselves kidnapped or worse."
Sookie quickly shook her head. "No, no, no. We're not trying to take on the entire Fellowship by ourselves." She clarified. "We're simply going to go in and find out where they're holding Godric. Then we'll leave." She said, apparently not seeing anything wrong with this plan.
"It might not be that easy, Sookie." Bill immediately reminded her with a solemn expression on his face.
While a quick conversation about Sookie's plan broke out, Paige took the opportunity to sneak a glance at Eric. Not to her surprise, he was staring at her with pure loathing in his blue eyes, the tall vampire not looking at all pleased that Paige was currently in the same room as he. She gulped and quickly turned her eyes away again, trying to focus on the meeting taking place, but found it difficult to concentrate on anything but the vampire currently glaring at her – what would she say to him if they actually had a moment alone? Should she try to explain what had happened? Should she try apologizing? Hell, after the way they had left each other would Eric even want to hear what she had to say?
"So what do you propose then, since the C.A.V.D. clearly doesn't approve of Sookie and Hugo going into the Fellowship without them?" Stan was asking spitefully when Paige finally tuned into the conversation again.
Paige let Gary pull her off to the side a little so they could talk quietly for a moment, discussing all of the options before them before presenting the idea to the vampires. Once their plan was straight, they rejoined the group. "Let's combine the plans," she proposed. "The original idea was to sneak a team onto the Fellowship grounds – you know, do a little recon and try to find out where Godric was." Paige started to explain. "But if Sookie and this Hugo are willing to go in, we can just set up camp around the church grounds to keep an eye on things while they search for Godric and make sure nothing goes awry while they're inside. After they find him they can get the hell outta dodge, then we can go in and grab him as soon as night falls."
Though Bill, Sookie, and Isabel looked approving of the plan they'd just heard, Eric's expression remained stoic as ever. Stan, on the other hand, suddenly moved towards Paige in the blink of an eye, only stopping to scowl down at her when they were standing nearly toe to toe – Paige thought she saw Eric take a few steps in their direction from the corner of her eye and could have sworn she heard a low, warning growl sound deep in his chest, but she didn't dare take her eyes off of Stan to gauge her ex-boyfriend's reaction.
"And why should we let you be the ones to rescue Godric?" Stan hissed menacingly. "Now that we are certain the Fellowship has him, who is to say we won't go in tonight and collect him ourselves? We would be much quicker and far more efficient than you, mortal."
To Paige's surprise, Eric was the one to speak up next.
"Because, you imbecile, they're trying to avoid causing a rift between our two species." Eric growled at Stan. Paige finally turned her attention to him and saw that he stood only a few feet away, hands fisted at his sides and eyes glaring directly at Stan – had he moved to protect her from Stan, or did he simply dislike the vampire that much? "War between our two kinds is the last thing we need right now," Eric continued, "Godric would want things to remain peaceful."
Stan snorted in a very un-vampire sort of way. "And what if the humans can't find Godric?" Stan asked, not directing the question at anyone in particular. "Better yet, what if the Fellowship finds out what Sookie and Hugo are really there for or they happen to stumble upon this little militia setting up camp around their home base? What then?"
"If we have to we can take down the Fellowship by force." Paige told Stan in a firm voice, leaving no room for argument. "It wouldn't be the first time Gary and I have had to resort to that and it won't look nearly as messy if its humans fighting each other."
"Wait…" Eric spoke up again, grabbing everyone's attention. "We? As in you will also be partaking in this hypothetical battle?" He asked skeptically, gesturing back and forth between Gary and Paige – a different emotion had entered his gaze, trying hard to break through the hard exterior he was currently presenting. If Paige didn't know any better, she'd think it was concern.
"We're partners." Paige told him carefully, not sure what to make of the way he was glaring at Gary. "We're a good team. We can take care of it."
Both Eric and Stan looked as though they were going to speak up in protest (though probably for two very different reasons) but Isabel beat them both to the punch. "I like the plan." She interjected loudly. Stan growled and shook his head, looking irritated, and scowled down at Isabel when she clamped a hand around his wrist. "Stan, you know they are right. If we go in and try to take Godric back we will be met with resistance and a fight will ensue. This is our best option."
Stan stared down at Isabel for a second, lifted his head to glare at Paige and Gary, then, without saying a word, walked out of the room. Everyone watched him go until they heard the door to the hotel suit open and then slam shut with Stan's departure.
"I am sure he will admit it to himself in time." Isabel said with a quirk of her eyebrow.
"Well, I like the plan, too." Sookie spoke up in a chipper voice, making everyone return their attention to the task at hand. "They're right – it's dangerous for us to go in there unprotected. Besides, knowing we have someone watching our backs will make it a whole lot easier to find Godric.
"I agree." Bill said, nodding his agreement as well, then turned to look at Eric. "Eric?" He asked, clearly wanting to know what the tall, blonde-haired vampire thought on the matter.
Eric seemed to be mulling all of this over. Finally he squared his shoulders and jutted his chin into the air, his eyes on anyone but Paige. "I admit I am not fond of it, but if this is what it takes to get Godric back…" His eyes finally turned to her, making her breath catch in her throat. "…then so be it."
Their eyes held for another moment – his were expressionless and impossible to read while hers were guarded and filled with caution. She desperately wanted to know what was going through his head right then – was he remembering how they used to be, too? – but knew it would forever remain a mystery. She was no longer privy to such information because Eric Northman was no longer hers, a fact proven when he turned his gaze elsewhere, refusing to meet her stare any longer, and started for the door.
"If you'll excuse me…" Eric said in a gruff voice before disappearing from the room.
Paige stared at the spot that he'd just vacated, hating herself and wishing she could get her hands on a drink, until Isabel's voice finally snapped her back to reality. "When will your team be ready to go?" Isabel asked – Paige noticed that Sookie was staring at her with that same expression of curiosity and disbelief again. She was convinced in that moment that there was more to Sookie than what met the eye, though Paige couldn't put her finger on whatever it was that made her different.
"Soon." Gary told Isabel with a nod. "Now that we've got the green light we'll need to send for the team, get them on their way to Dallas. We've already got our hands on some layouts of the church grounds, now we just need to make sure we're all well versed on what the plan is and that we have everything we need to get Godric out safely."
Isabel nodded, seemingly approving of everything Gary had told her, then said something about needing to go and catch Stan before he got too far away and promptly exited the hotel room. Gary and Paige suddenly found themselves left alone with only Bill and Sookie and an awkward silence settled over the quartet. Finally, after a few seconds, Sookie was the first to speak.
"So…" She started conversationally. "Are you and Gary a…couple?"
Paige couldn't stop the snort that escaped her as Gary laughed and shook his head. "No, no. Our relationship is strictly platonic." Paige quickly clarified. "We joined the C.A.V.D. around the same time and became instant friends. I guess you could say we were brought together by, uh…common history." She added with a wry smile, her mind conjuring up a mental image of Eric before she could stop it.
While Bill nodded his head in understanding, Paige couldn't help but notice that Sookie suddenly seemed unable to meet her gaze. She quirked an eyebrow at the blonde, giving her a calculating once over that did not go unnoticed by Sookie, before finally crossing her arms over her chest.
"Why do I get the feeling you already know a little something about my history, Sookie?" Paige asked her bluntly.
Sookie blushed a little, clearly knowing she'd been caught, and shrugged at her. "It's sort of a gift..." The blonde answered slowly.
"What is?" Gary asked, looking a little confused with the direction this conversation had just gone.
Sookie shared a look with Bill, who nodded at her in encouragement. "I…can read minds." Sookie admitted, much to the surprise of Paige and Gary. "I've been able to do it since I was a kid." She continued, a guarded expression overtaking her face now that was she revealing such personal information about herself. "Not with vampires, though." Sookie added before sharing a loving smile with Bill.
"Oh, wow…" Paige said, quickly putting the puzzle pieces together as she looked back and forth between Bill and Sookie. "So you two…?" She trailed off, gesturing between them – both Bill and Sookie nodded. Even though she had no claim on him anymore and he was free to be with whomever he pleased, Paige could have jumped for joy knowing that Sookie wasn't involved with Eric. "I see…cool." Paige told them with a quick nod.
"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Gary spoke up, his eyes on his wristwatch, "but Paige and I have got a lot of work to do." He turned toward Paige with raised eyebrows. "We need to call headquarters, need to get the team out here, start preparing for the stake-out…" He listed off, reminding her of everything that still needed to be taken care of.
Paige nodded and turned apologetic eyes to Bill and Sookie. "Sorry to cut this short, especially since we'll be working together for the next few days, but Gary's right – we should get to work."
"No worries." Sookie said with a smile. When they all made their way for the exit though, Sookie gently grabbed Paige's arm and pulled her to a stop while Gary and Bill continued on. "I know we don't know each other all that well or anything, but if you get a free moment tonight would you like to go down to the bar and grab a few drinks?" She asked, giving her a pointed look. "You know, for a little…girl talk?"
The tone Sookie was using and the way she raised her eyebrows at Paige let her know exactly what she wanted to talk about – Eric. Paige pursed her lips, thinking it over for a second, then gently shook her head. "That's kind of you to offer, but I don't think tonight's really a good night." She told her regretfully. "Maybe we can do breakfast in the morning, instead?" She offered – girl talk wasn't usually her thing these days, especially if it centered around Eric, but she had to admit that she was curious to find out how much Sookie knew about her tumultuous relationship with the Viking vampire.
After Sookie nodded her acceptance, they hurried out of the hotel suite to catch up with Gary and Bill, who were waiting for them in the hall. While Bill and Sookie started down the hallway, Paige and Gary headed in the opposite direction and straight for the elevators at the end of the hall – she felt Sookie's eyes on her back until she and her vampire boyfriend disappeared around the corner.
"She knows." Paige finally said once the two were gone, running a hand through her hair nervously.
"About…?" Gary asked pryingly as the elevator car arrived and they stepped into it.
"Eric, of course." Paige said in exasperation, looking at Gary as though he had birds flying out of his ears. "God, she probably knew as soon as I walked into the damn room." She added in a mortified tone, running a weary hand over her face. "As soon as I saw him I just started thinking about the past and…" Paige sighed and trailed off, not having the heart to finish her statement.
Gary dropped a heavy, comforting arm around her shoulders, smirking down at her encouragingly. "If it makes you feel any better, he didn't seem very pleased with the fact that you and I are so close." He told her, trying to brighten her mood a little. Paige shot him a disbelieving look as the elevator dinged, signaling that they had arrived at their floor, and shrugged his arm off her shoulder before stalking out of the elevator. Gary was hot on her heels and immediately dropped his hands on her shoulders once he'd caught up to her, giving them a comforting squeeze. "I'm not trying to make you mad, P-Col – just calling it like I see it."
Paige grumbled under her breath as they reached the door to her hotel room and made quick work of unlocking it. She stormed inside once the door was open and immediately threw her keycard across the room, just to relieve some of anger and frustration and anxiety building up within. Then she went a flopped down on the couch, throwing an arm over her eyes and releasing a loud puff of air.
Gary trailed after her and shut the door behind him, frowning in concern when he saw her. "Paige?" He asked tentatively.
"What?" She asked helplessly, not looking at him.
"Are you going to be alright with all of this?" He asked unsurely. "With being around Eric again?"
Paige sighed and finally dropped her arm, opening her eyes so she could stare blankly at the ceiling. Was she going to be alright being with-slash-working around her former boyfriend again? She honestly had no idea. Part of her – the part that was still madly in love with Eric Northman – was beyond happy that she was at least connected to him in some way again, but the other was terrified to even be in the same room with him. When they had broken up it had been messy, brutal, and had damn near destroyed both of them, and she was terrified to relive those painful memories. But then again, that had been nearly a year and a half ago – she didn't know about him, but Paige did know that she had changed considerably since their breakup. She had picked herself up, brushed herself off, and had managed to somewhat move on…she could handle being around Eric for a few days, couldn't she?
"Paige?" Gary asked worriedly when she dwelled over these thoughts for too long and forgot to answer his question.
She knew Gary was only trying to help her, that he was just trying to be a good friend and be there for her, but the torrent of emotions ripping through her in light of seeing Eric again left her so unbelievably frustrated and on edge that she suddenly became angry with her partner for prying so much.
"I don't know, okay?" She finally snapped, hauling herself off the couch so that she could turn around and glare at him. "How would you feel if Christine suddenly came back into your life?"
It was a cheap shot and she regretted the words as soon as they passed her lips, especially when she saw the expression of shock and hurt in his eyes – about four years back Gary had begun dating a vampire named Christine and it had been very serious; Gary had once told Paige that Christine was the love of his life. Unfortunately, right before he'd joined the C.A.V.D. their relationship had taken a turn for the worst and fallen apart, though to this day Paige wasn't entirely sure what had happened to cause the breakup. All she knew was that it still tore her friend up to think about 'the incident' or about Christine, and right now she felt like a world-class asshole for throwing his ex-girlfriend in his face.
"I guess I wouldn't know how to feel either." He said quietly, raising a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. He then cleared his throat and turned to head for connecting bedroom next door. "I, uh, I need to call headquarters and let them know the vamps are in on our plan. I'll be back in a bit." He announced without shooting Paige another look. Then he disappeared into the adjacent hotel room and closed the door behind him.
Paige sighed heavily to herself and pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated with herself for letting her stress get the better of her and guilty for hurting Gary's feelings. She started for the door he'd just disappeared through with every intention of apologizing, but when she knocked on the door and called his name gently she received no answer. Paige frowned and leaned heavily against the door, wondering if this day could possibly get any worse than it already was.
Quite suddenly, time at the bar and a few strong drinks sounded very appealing to her. Paige glanced at her watch and knew that Sookie would probably still be awake (Paige knew she hadn't slept much when she was with her own vampire boyfriend). Even though venturing out of her room increased her chances of bumping into Eric again, Paige decided that she needed to get out of this hotel room and that a little girl talk with Sookie might actually do her some good – she wasn't usually fond of talking about Eric (and definitely not to strangers), but the opportunity to vent to not only a fresh set of ears, but also someone that actually knew Eric, was too tempting to ignore.
Having made up her mind, Paige turned and knocked on Gary's door. "Gary, I'm going down to the bar." She informed him quietly – no response. "Alright, don't wait up." She added lamely.
With another sigh she turned and headed for the phone so she could call down to the front desk and find out Sookie's room number. She was only halfway across the room, however, when a knock suddenly sounded on the door.
Paige froze, her mind suddenly racing as she gulped and turned slow, wary eyes in the direction of her door. What if it was Eric on the other side? It was still early in the night and she knew he would be awake for a long time yet...what if he had come to talk? Or, she fretted, what if he'd come to unleash his wrath and to yell and scream at her like he had the last time they'd seen each other?
Another insistent knock had Paige finally tip-toeing in that direction, walking towards the door and staring at it as though it might burst into flame at any moment. Once in front of the door she listened out for who it could be – another knock sounded right by her head and made her jump in fright. Finally she decided to stop being a wimp and just open the door. So, with a resilient jut of her chin into the air, she grabbed the handle and turned it, whipping the door open before she changed her mind…
A/N: Review!