Disclaimer: I own nothing related to True Blood.
Present Day…
Paige took a deep, courage-building breath before yanking the door open. Out of expectation she turned her eyes upward, expecting to meet the stony, spiteful gaze of her ex-lover Eric Northman. She blinked in surprise and dropped her eyes, however, when she realized that it wasn't Eric that had come calling on her, but rather a much shorter, pretty, blonde-haired woman.
"Sookie? What are you doing here?" Paige asked her.
Sookie offered her a megawatt smile. "Turns out we're all staying on the same floor. Bill and I are just around the corner." She informed Paige, jerking her thumb in the direction her own room must be in. Paige's heart jumped at the knowledge and she looked around quickly, half expecting Eric to jump out at her at any moment – surely if he had arrived with Bill and Sookie then his room would be near theirs as well. "Anyway, I was listening out. You know, making sure everything was copasetic." She said, pointing to her own temple.
Paige quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms, smirking in amusement. "You mean you were being nosey?" She asked knowingly.
"…maybe just a little." Sookie admitted with a sheepish look. "I could hear you thinking about calling me, so I decided to just go ahead and get everything rolling, you know?" She said before looking around casually. "So…I heard something about the bar and drinks?" She asked with raised eyebrows.
Paige shook her head, both bemused and wildly intrigued by Sookie's gift – she made a mental note to be mindful of what she thought about in her presence. "Well, Sookie, normally I wouldn't be so quick to talk to a complete stranger about my problems, but it's been a rough night and you seem harmless enough…plus I could really use a drink or two." Paige explained to her. "So if you think you can handle it, I've definitely got some things I need to get off my chest."
Sookie snorted and raised her eyebrows at Paige. "Trust me, after all the crazy shit I've gone through since Bill and I met, I think I can handle just about anything." She said confidently. "Now…bar?"
Feeling satisfied that she'd made the right decision, Paige nodded her head. "Absolutely." Paige said before going in to grab the room key she'd angrily chucked just a handful of minutes ago. She debated trying to talk to Gary one more time but decided against it, choosing to let him have his space instead; Gary didn't get upset very often, but when he did he most definitely liked to be alone to sort though his own problems.
There wasn't much conversation between the two women as they rode the elevator down to the ground level – neither seemed to know what to say to one another, so other than some brief, idle chatter about the hotel and a few awkward smiles, the short trip was spent in relative silence. Once they were out of the elevator Paige immediately did a quick sweep of the lobby, keeping a sharp eye out for Eric. If she was going to be revealing private details about their former relationship to Sookie, she certainly didn't want him around while she was doing it. To her relief it seemed that the coast was clear and she breathed a bit easier, allowing Sookie to lead her through the lobby and towards the bar in the left wing of the hotel.
Since it was nearly midnight the bar was fairly crowded when they arrived, but they still managed to grab a few empty barstools at the counter and settled in.
"What can I get you ladies?" The bartender asked as he came over to serve them.
"Gin and tonic, please." Sookie ordered before turning expectant eyes on Paige.
"Long Island for me, thank you." She ordered. "Put it all on room four-seventeen."
While the bartender nodded and began preparing their drinks, Sookie turned to her with a frown. "You sure?" She asked uncertainly. "You don't have to pay for my drinks…"
Paige waved a hand. "The company is paying for all of this, not me." She said with a wink.
"I see." Sookie said with a slow nod before falling silent as they waited for their drinks.
They had their drinks in hand only a half a minute later and both took a moment or two to take a few sips from them. Then, after Sookie cleared her throat, she turned on her barstool to face Paige. "Okay, I have to ask…" She started slowly. Paige braced herself, knowing there would be no going back once they went down that road. "What I heard from your thoughts…" Sookie pried gently. "…is it true?"
Paige flashed her a small, nervous smile. "I guess that depends." Paige said as she took another drink. "What did you hear from my thoughts?"
Sookie bit her lip and fiddled with her straw for a moment. "Well…I heard…" She finally heaved and stopped playing with the straw in her drink as she squared her shoulders. "It was all about Eric." Sookie finally blurted out, looking cautious in approaching the subject despite the fact that they both had known that they'd be talking about him tonight. "But, you know, I could have heard wrong." Sookie quickly added, clearly giving Paige one last chance to back out.
"No, you heard correctly." Paige told her with a small, sad smile. "Eric and I used to be together." She clarified before resting her elbow on the counter and propping her chin up on the heel of her palm, swirling her straw around in her drink with her free hand so that she had a reason to avoid Sookie's incredulous gaze – sure enough, when Paige finally chanced a look in her direction, Sookie was looking at her as though she had lobsters crawling out of her ears.
"When? And for how long? And why?" Sookie asked rapidly, her voice taking on a note of pure amazement. When Paige shot her a slightly amused look, Sookie clocked herself on the forehead and laughed. "God, I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound insensitive, I'm just…I'm so surprised 'ta hear that Eric was actually in a relationship with a human." She admitted. "I mean, from what I've always seen an' heard Eric detests humans." She explained quickly.
"Yeah, well, there had to be a reason behind Eric's hatred for humans, right?" Paige asked with a helpless shrug. "And I'd bet my bottom dollar that I probably have something to do with that." She finished before taking a long sip from her drink. "To answer your questions," Paige continued, quickly changing the subject when she saw the sympathy-slash-pity on Sookie's face, "we only dated for six months. And I was with Eric because I was in love with him."
Sookie slowly nodded her head. "How did you meet him?"
"We met two years ago at a casino called DiamondJacks." Paige recalled. "Though I did learn a little bit later that he'd actually seen me in Shreveport more than once before we officially met…only he didn't actually approach me until the weekend of my friend's bachelorette party." Paige shook her head to herself as she remembered how terrified, yet also how intrigued, she had been when she first met Eric. "It was just business at first – he asked me to help him butter up the casino's owner so he could become an investor." She explained.
"You know…" Sookie interjected, looking thoughtful. "I think I remember Bill mentioning something about Eric being connected to that casino." Then she looked to Paige with a frown. "Him and Eric have known each other for a while, but Bill has never mentioned anything about Eric being in a relationship with a human..."
"I'm not surprised." Paige said with a short laugh. "Eric and I were very secretive." Sookie made a sound of understanding and nodded her head. "The ever-delightful Pam knew, of course – " The look that crossed over Sookie's face led Paige to believe that she too knew Pam and wasn't overly fond of the vampire. " – and so did all of the workers at Fangtasia. I eventually told my brother about him, too, and my parents once I joined the C.A.V.D." Paige explained. "But other than that it was all very hush-hush. Given Eric's position within the vampire community, he didn't want too many people finding out about me…you know, in case someone decided they wanted to try and use me against him."
"So what was it like?" Sookie inquired, her eyes trained on Paige with rapt attention. "Was he a good boyfriend?"
"Yes, he was." Paige said with a nod – Sookie raised her eyebrows, looking a little unconvinced. "Oh don't get me wrong, he could be a complete ass if he wanted to. And trust me, I thought he was an ass when we first met...the most attractive man I'd ever seen in my life, but an ass no less." She clarified, making an unsurprised Sookie laugh a little. "What you have to understand, Sookie, is that public-Eric and private-Eric are two very different creatures. He was very loyal, he was very caring, and was actually very affectionate with me behind closed doors. I never once doubted his feelings for me." Paige paused to take a drink. "Of course, there were some things that we didn't quite see eye to eye on." She continued. "But we got along pretty well most of the time – we balanced each other out, you know? I think it helped that I didn't put up with his shit, either. Because, well…if you're friends with him then I'm sure you know how Eric can get."
Sookie rolled her eyes dramatically. "I don't know that I can call him my 'friend', but yes, I know all too well how Eric can get." She confirmed in an exasperated tone. "And I'd pay big money to see him get put in his place for once." She added, looking completely serious.
They two shared a quick smirk at that thought and then took a few sips of their drinks. After a brief moment of silence, Sookie started speaking again.
"So if you don't mind me asking…" She continued, carrying on with the conversation. "What happened between the two of you? Why did you break up?"
Paige immediately frowned as her thoughts turned back to the events leading up to her and Eric's ugly breakup – she remembered their massive fight the week before that one, fateful day, remembered how utterly betrayed and hurt Eric had looked when she had said those terrible words…Paige knew that she was taking too long to respond and quickly shook her head, coming up with a response before Sookie grew impatient and decided to take a peek into her thoughts. "All I'm gonna say is that I made a mistake and had no choice but to leave him." Paige finally told her. "And if you could refrain from reading my thoughts right now, I'd greatly appreciate it – that wasn't exactly the proudest moment in my life."
Sookie nodded in understanding, holding her hands up in surrender. "I won't. I promise."
Paige smiled gratefully. "Thank you."
They fell silent for a long time after that. Sookie had a faraway look in her eyes, clearly mulling over everything that she had just been told, while Paige continued to be bombarded by old memories…
Two years previous…
In the months that followed, Paige's life became completely revolved around the vampire Eric Northman. Nearly every weekend was spent with him in Shreveport, while it had become a habit of his to frequently visit her home in Houston on weekdays – at first he'd started with just a short visit once a week, but by the end of their first month of dating had started visiting almost every single night, sometimes even spending the night with her and only leaving when there was just enough time to get back to Shreveport before the sun came up.
As much as she hated to admit it, after dating Eric for two months Paige had slowly turned into one of those girls, the girls that abandon all their friends the moment they get a boyfriend – a small part of her felt guilty, especially because her relationship with Eric had resulted in the loss of a few friends, but she was so madly in love with him by this point that she just couldn't bring herself to care anymore. She still had her family (who knew she was dating someone out of state, just not that that someone was a vampire) and she had Eric, who made her insanely happy. That was more than enough for her.
On one Saturday night, while it was still early and she still had some free time before Eric would be expecting her at Fangtasia, Paige decided to go to the casino DiamondJacks and see for herself how well the casino was doing now that Eric had been an investor for a few months…or at least, that's what she'd told herself when she walked through the doors and headed straight for the tables.
For the most part, being with Eric had kept her away from gambling. Since they'd met she had gambled maybe only three or four times. And up until that last weekend she'd been doing very well with her gambling addiction – she'd felt in control of herself, hadn't felt that burning itch to start risking her money, had actually had some money in her bank account for a change…
…and then last weekend had happened.
She'd come to DiamondJacks while Eric was away tending to some business and had absolutely blown it at one of the Blackjack tables, sending herself so deeply into debt by the end of the night that she'd actually had to push her pride to the side and go to someone for a little 'financial help' once she returned to Houston the following day…and that someone that she'd managed to track down in the depths of the shady underground in downtown Houston certainly wasn't your average, upholding citizen. Paige had, of course, considered going to Eric for the money instead of a loan shark, but the thought of him finding out about her little problem had damn near given her heart palpitations – what would he think if he knew about her addiction? What would he say? In the end, the idea of going to a loan shark seemed much less frightening than the possibility of disappointing Eric.
Besides, the loan sharks had been generous and had given her a more than acceptable time frame to pay everything back – she'd be able to get the money she owed them in no time and then be done with it. Eric would never have to know, right?
So here she was, exactly one week later, still afloat because of the hefty loan she'd taken out and gambling again to try and win back some of the money she'd have to pay back – before she even realized it, she'd been sitting at the same table and gambling for over two hours. Paige, who was doing quite well tonight actually, was just about to throw some more chips onto the table when the dealer in front of her suddenly looked a bit nervous.
"Ah, good evening, Mr. Northman." He said at the same exact time that two arms slid around Paige's waist from behind.
Paige jumped in her chair and then gnawed on her lip with a cringe, embarrassment flooding her at being caught gambling by Eric. "I wasn't expecting you…" She started to say but he simply kissed her on the cheek and glanced down at the table in front of them, looking at all the cards and chips already laid out.
"Checking up on my investments, min fireytema kvinna?" He asked with an amused smirk.
Paige quickly nodded, feeling incredibly guilty but still melting a little bit as he used his favorite term of endearment for her – min fireytema kvinna, words that she now knew translated to 'my fiery woman'. "Of course." She half lied.
He nodded once as he unwound his arms from around her waist, holding a hand out to her instead. "Come. Let's return to Fangtasia." He encouraged, either not noticing or just not caring that they had gained a good deal of attention from nearby patrons.
Paige nodded again and gathered up her chips, figuring she could exchange them later. She then slipped her hand into his and stood from the chair, smiling widely and forgetting all about her embarrassment as he placed a hand on the small of her back and began to lead her through the casino. Many people stared at them in shock as they passed by but she followed Eric's lead and ignored them, moving a little closer to him and smiling happily when he placed a chaste kiss against her temple – the move surprised her some since he wasn't usually very affectionate in public (he claimed he still had a reputation to maintain), but she didn't dare say or do anything to discourage the affectionate action.
Once they were out of the club Eric led Paige directly to his car, which was being watched by a young, frightened looking employee. Eric helped Paige into the passenger seat, tossed a wad of cash to the valet, then rounded the car at vampire speed so that he could slide into the driver's seat.
"How did you know I'd be here?" She asked sheepishly as he started the engine and then started off for Fangtasia.
Eric smiled over at her and reached for her hand, brushing his lips over her knuckles. "I have seen how much the risk of gambling thrills you, darling. And when you did not show at Fangtasia when you said you would, I thought it would be wise to start my search there." He then flashed her a smile, instantly letting her know that he wasn't upset about the fact that he'd had to come and collect her.
"You could have called…" She pointed out to him in amusement.
"But then it would have ruined the surprise." Eric shot back, smirking mischievously.
Paige nodded in understanding and smiled as she pulled her hand from his. She let her fingers run through his hair instead, which made him sigh contentedly – was it just her, or did he look exceptionally handsome tonight? "I missed you." She told him in a gentle voice, her eyes greedily taking in the sight of his handsome face, long hair, and broad frame.
"Though it has only been two days since we were last together, I missed you too." Eric said in return, his eyes gazing into hers intently for a moment before he looked forward again to pay attention to the road.
Maybe it was because they were in a confined space or maybe it was just the way he looked right then, but there was a different feeling in the atmosphere around them tonight. Hell, if she were to tell the truth, there had been a different feeling surrounding them for the past few weeks – and Paige knew exactly what it was, knew what was building between them with every kiss, every touch, every look…
Feeling bolder and braver than she had ever felt in her whole life, Paige unbuckled her seatbelt so she could scoot as close to him as the car would allow. Eric looked back and forth between her and the road, obviously wanting to focus on what he was doing but also curious to see what Paige was up to. When she leaned towards him and started pressing slow, leisurely kisses along his jaw, she had to smile triumphantly to herself as his foot pressed down harder on the accelerator, forcing the car along a little faster towards their destination.
"Eric…" She said in his ear, one hand sneaking to his front and running along the expanse of chest.
"Yes?" He asked a bit hoarsely, his eyes intent on the road now as his hands tightened around the steering wheel.
Paige pulled back far enough so she could look into his eyes, wanting to see his reaction to what she was about to say. "I'm in love with you."
She didn't really know what had made her say those fateful words. Paige had known she was in love with Eric for a while now but had vowed not to tell him until she was sure that he felt the same – he just seemed to have this power of her though that had her saying things she normally wouldn't…
The car came to a quick halt and Paige glanced around in surprise, only just now realizing that they'd reached Fangtasia in what had to be record timing. She then looked back to Eric, who had yet to say anything in response and was staring at her with wide, amazed eyes. "Um…Eric?" She asked uncertainly, wondering if she'd just made a catastrophic mistake by confessing her feelings to him.
But then he was leaning over and catching her face in his hands, his lips pressing against hers insistently. A small moan escaped her before she could stop it as she returned his kiss, but he pulled away only moments later so he could peer deeply into her eyes.
"I am in love with you, too, Paige." He finally said, his eyes dark and serious.
Though Paige knew Eric cared for her, she hadn't expected him to say those words back. But as realization sunk in – Eric Northman, the Viking vampire Sherriff of Louisiana Area Five who could literally have anyone he wanted, loved her, a regular, human woman – and the initial shock began to wear off, she flashed him the biggest smile she could and kissed him again. He returned her eager kiss just as fervently, one of his hands tangling into her red hair as the other locked onto her waist. Paige let out a breathy laugh as he pulled her, rather ungracefully, across the armrest and deposited her in his lap so they had better access to each other's lips. When the need for air became too urgent to ignore and they finally separated, Paige pressed one last lingering kiss against his lips before whispering four words that had his eyes turning black with desire and his fangs instantly appearing.
"Make love to me."
With a devilish smirk, Eric pulled her in for a quick, toe-curling kiss before he hastily opened the car door. Somehow, she wasn't really sure in her hazy, lustful state, he had her inside the club and in his private quarters within a matter of moments. She was only vaguely aware of the pumping music on the other side of the door and the sound of chatter amongst Fangtasia's patrons - as Eric carried her into the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them, he was all she could concentrate on, all she cared about.
His lips were on her neck, kissing and sucking and hungrily licking. And as they collapsed on his bed, his hands began roaming freely over her body, skimming along her curves and molding themselves to her breasts as she whimpered underneath him. Paige gasped when he nipped gently at her neck and tangled her fingers into his hair, pulling his lips back to hers to she could kiss him with all the desire she felt. Eric moaned loudly as he returned her kiss before he finally tore them away from hers.
"I love you, Paige." He told her once more, his eyes smoldering and burning with both desire and love.
"I love you too, Eric." She told him breathlessly.
Then they were kissing again, this time with an even more fiery passion, before they soon became lost in one another...
Paige shook her head to clear away the memory of her first time with Eric, finding that it made her sad to think about it now (even if her nerves were tingling with longing). "He was my first, you know." She told Sookie slowly, trying to distract herself from her own thoughts. "My first lover, my first serious relationship…the first man I ever loved." Then Paige frowned into her drink. "The only man I've ever loved…"
Sookie gazed at her in silence for a long time before finally placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know that look on your face, Paige…" She said slowly, knowingly. "You still love him, don't you?"
Paige looked to her sharply, wondering if the girl was reading her mind or if she really was just that perceptive. She then closed her eyes for a second and rubbed her forehead, sorting through all of the thoughts flying around in her head, before letting her arm drop to the bar with a heavy sigh. "I can't believe I'm admitting this…" Paige said slowly, seeing no point in lying since Sookie would probably be able to see through it anyway. "But yes, I still love him." The words made her gulp audibly. "And…and I always will – Eric Northman is the love of my life." She paused before shaking her head. "The fucked up part is that he definitely doesn't love me anymore, and I only have myself to blame for it."
And with that Paige finished the rest of her drink before raising her hand and waving the bartender back over. "Two shots of tequila please." She ordered, noticing that Sookie cringed out of the corner of her eye – as soon as the shots were in front of her, Paige knocked both of them back and then winced as the liquor burned all the way down to her belly. She'd probably regret that come morning, but right now it was the perfect way to numb the ache starting to spread around the region of her heart.
"Look." Sookie started determinedly. "Obviously if you had to break up with Eric when you clearly didn't want to then there had to be a good reason." She stated matter-of-factly. "Have you at least tried talking to him about it?"
Paige snorted. "No way." She said with a shake of her head. "Before tonight Eric and I hadn't been in the same room at the same time in almost a year and a half. Hell, I never thought I'd even see him again, let alone actually get a chance to explain myself."
"Well, isn't now the perfect time?" Sookie countered. "You're both here, you'll be working together…I'm sure once you explain it to him the two of you can clear the air a little bit."
Paige shook her head again, knowing things would not be that easy. This was Eric they were talking about – when he felt truly betrayed it literally took an act of God to make him find it in himself to forgive. "Unfortunately that's easier said than done." She said with a note of resignation. "I know Eric very well, probably better than most people. And believe me when I say that Eric won't want to hear a word I have to say to him, not after the way we left things."
But Sookie, apparently, was not going to be easily deterred. "Paige, it's pretty damn obvious that you're still madly in love with him, and not just to me – I bet everyone in that room could tell." She argued, making Paige cringed and pray to God that she wasn't that transparent. "And yes, you probably know Eric way better than I ever will…but I saw the way he reacted when you came into that room and I saw the way he was looking at you – there might still be something there. Now I don't know what the hell happened between you two, but even I can tell that there's some unfinished business – you need to talk to him."
Paige blinked at the blonde for a second, taken aback by her stern words, before she recovered and then adamantly shook he head. "No, I can't." She protested, waving her hands in front of her.
"Yes, you can." Sookie stressed, challenging Paige's argument.
"No." Paige said firmly. "I didn't come here to make amends with Eric, Sookie – I came here to find Godric and make sure the bastards going around kidnapping sheriffs are dealt with, okay?" Paige paused to make sure Sookie had gotten the point before continuing. "I'll be cordial to Eric if I see him, but I'm not gonna make things worse by forcing him to talk about something he probably doesn't want to – there's no point in opening up old wounds."
Sookie sighed and looked around with a thoughtful expression, probably trying to think of something to say in response – quite suddenly the blonde sat straighter in her seat, her eyes trained on something behind Paige. Before Paige could turn her head to see what it was, Sookie was sliding off the barstool and grabbing her clutch. "I-I'll be right back." She excused herself hastily, making Paige look at her oddly. "I'm just gonna use the bathroom real quick."
"Okay…" Paige said slowly before frowning to herself as Sookie turned and disappeared into the crowd – she shook her head, dismissing Sookie's odd behavior, then sighed and flagged down the bartender again to order one more drink.
Paige did have to admit that she felt a little better, a little more centered now that she'd vented her problems to a fresh set of ears. But now that the truth was out in the open and she was, yet again, harshly reminded of the fact that Eric would never be hers again, she couldn't help but begin to feel like a helpless little animal caught in a trap – what was she going to do? How was she going to survive this mission knowing that Eric would be nearby the entire time? He hated her, he simply had to…what if he decided to make this task as hard and as miserable for her as he possibly he could? If that ended up happening then she supposed she would deserve it; all of this was her own fault and now Paige was left to deal with the consequences.
She was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that, at first, she didn't realize that someone new had claimed Sookie's abandoned seat. The bartender returned, handed her a drink, then turned to help the newcomer. "What can I get you, sir?"
"Nothing for me."
The all-too-familiar voice cut through Paige's thoughts like a razor sharp knife, making every muscle in her body go rigid. She gulped, heart suddenly pounding, then finally turned her head to see if it really was him or if the alcohol was just playing tricks on her – she felt her heart skip a beat the moment she spotted his large, muscular frame and blonde hair, immediately knowing exactly who was next to her.
Paige released a shaky breath as her eyes locked on Eric, who was only sitting a mere few inches away. She should have known the instant she left her hotel room that he would probably make an unexpected appearance, especially seeing as the night was still young and it was unlikely that he would want to remain locked up in a hotel room all night – Paige understood in an instant that it had been Eric that had caught Sookie's attention and that her new acquaintance had purposefully bailed on her, clearly predicting that Eric would want to have a word with his ex. Paige hoped Sookie could read her thoughts right then so that she knew how badly she suddenly wanted to smack the woman for putting her in this predicament.
Paige stared at him in surprise for a long moment, but Eric continued to stare straight ahead, not daring to turn his eyes over to her. The look on his face hinted that he would rather be anywhere else but in this bar sitting next to the woman that had broken his heart…but, finally, he glanced down at her after a few seconds and raised a condescending eyebrow, not making a move to leave.
"Collins." He said in cold greeting.
"Eric." She said when she found her voice again, wondering at how very strange – yet so very right – it felt to be this close to him again.
There was a long stretch of silence where the former couple stared at one another, not speaking either because neither wanted to be the one to break the silence or because neither knew what to say in the first place. Finally, Paige cleared her throat. "How…how is everything?" She asked politely, trying to break the ice.
"I do not wish to waste my time with petty small talk, Ms. Collins." He told her sharply, not blinking even one time as his eyes continued to bore into hers. "That is not why I am here."
She bit her lip and watched him with careful eyes, not used to him treating her with such open animosity – she could practically feel his hatred on her skin. Paige nodded her understanding then sucked in a steadying breath. "Why are you here then?" She asked in a timid voice.
Eric stared at her for another moment before turning his eyes elsewhere. "I do not know why you have come here, I do not know why you want to help Godric, and I do not understand what prompted your decision to join that ridiculous organization…" He listed slowly, his words dripping with venom. "And I will tell you now that I do not care to know because I no longer care what you do with your time, Ms. Collins." Paige winced – that one definitely stung. "I only came to say that I will cooperate with you while we work to return Godric to safety. Once our task is complete, I do not wish to ever see you again."
Paige closed her eyes against the onslaught of pained emotions his words brought forth – if she hadn't known it beforehand she would certainly know it then; Eric Northman one hundred percent, completely and utterly hated her. After a second or two Paige managed to pull herself together and forced her eyes open, nodding her head in understanding as she turned her eyes back over to him. "I…I understand." She said in as steady of a voice as she could muster.
Eric continued to study her with a hard expression on his face. He looked like he had something else that he wanted to say, but apparently decided against it as he stood from the barstool and turned to leave. Paige stared at his back, hating that this was what had become of them when their time together had been so happy and beautiful – two words suddenly came tumbling past her lips before she could stop them.
"I'm sorry." She blurted out, making him freeze and his spine stiffen. And as if that wasn't enough, she continued. "You know, for everything that happened between us..."
Eric slowly turned to face her, the expression on his face unreadable but still icy. "I do not want to hear it." He told her in a low, warning tone. "Like I said, my only concern is Godric."
And with that he turned and stalked out of the bar.
Paige watched him go. Then, once he was out of the bar, she fought against the sob that rose up in her throat. As his hurtful words echoed in her ears she pressed a hand over her mouth, her heart aching so badly at that she thought she might actually be sick, before she finally stood and headed for the exit. Sookie stepped out of the bathroom just as Paige passed by, immediately reaching out to grasp her by the wrist.
"Paige?" Sookie asked in concern, trying to stop her.
Paige brushed her off and continued on, heading directly for the lobby so she could get the hell out of that hotel – she needed fresh air and she needed it now. She could hear Sookie pleading for her to slow down as she tried to catch up with her, but Paige ignored her and continued on, pushing through the double doors as soon as she reached them. Sookie followed her out and called for her, but Paige only sent a glare at her over her shoulder.
"Thanks for that, it really helped." Paige called to her sarcastically, knowing she shouldn't be taking it out on Sookie but too upset to feel guilty about it just then. "Have a great night, friend." She added before continuing on, leaving Sookie to stare after her with a deep, concerned frown.
A/N: Review!