Disclaimer: I own nothing related to True Blood.
When Paige woke up the next morning, it was to the sounds of the men around her rummaging around in their bags looking for food or holding light conversation as they prepared for another day. The sun was barely peaking over the tops of the trees as she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them. Kurt, one of the younger guys on her team, smiled over at her and tossed her a power bar.
"Morning, sunshine." He greeted before moving over to join George by the tree line. Paige looked down at the power bar before reaching over for a water bottle and drinking almost all of it in one go.
She'd dreamt of Eric all night, both good and bad. Some of the dreams had been of them how the used to be – still together, still in love, curled up on her couch, talking and kissing and just enjoying each other's company like they did in better days. Others, however, had been much like the one she'd had the night she confessed to still loving him, where Eric still hated her and usually harmed her in one way or another before the dream – or rather, nightmare – was over. The contrast between the dreams was a little bewildering, but Paige figured her subconscious only kept going back and forth because she still didn't know what was going to happen between them yet. Her conversation with Eric the night before had left her with the hope that he might consider giving her a second chance, but honestly, she wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he decided he couldn't go through with it in the end.
The conversation around her pulled her out of her thoughts, but as she went to stand and join the others, her eyes landed on the forgotten throat mic and earpiece she'd tossed away the night before. Paige reached down to scoop it up before placing the throat microphone around neck again and placing the earpiece back in her ear – she thought about contacting Gary for a second, but then decided against it. He would more than likely be mad at her for ending their conversation so abruptly the night before and for breaking communication altogether. Paige thought it best to give him a little more time to cool off.
Even though Eric had assured her that Sookie and Hugo were alright the night before, she started to feel the first tinges of worry as noon came and went without the reappearance of Sookie and Hugo. It was possible that they had stayed overnight to get better acquainted with the church and to look for Godric, but the fact that the two were still in the church as the afternoon continued to drag on while Paige and her team had zero information about what was going on made her a little nervous. She was starting to get the nagging feeling that something was wrong, and seeing as it was now daytime, if anything had happened to the two they wouldn't have Bill or Isabel to alert them of it or offer help. As frustrating as it was, there was nothing for them to do now but keep their eyes on the church and the training grounds and look for anything that might tip them off to what was happening on the inside.
"Paige, we have to do something." Rick, another one of the team members, said as he approached her about a half hour later. "This has gone on long enough, don't you think? We need to get them out of there. Something isn't right." He stated firmly.
A few others voiced their agreement and Paige sighed, turning to face her men with crossed arms. "And what are we gonna do? Go up to Reverend Newlin with our guns slung over our shoulders and ask for a tour of the church?" She asked snippily. The others shut their mouth at once. "Look," she started again in a gentler tone, "I know it's tedious and I know things feel a little…weird, but we have to be patient. Godric, Sookie, and Hugo are all still in there. We can't risk their lives just because you have a hunch and want to go barging in there like John Wayne and save the day."
She turned back to watch the training grounds and frowned to herself. There was just so much on her mind between Eric, Godric, Sookie and Hugo, not to mention Gary getting angry with her the night before – she thought her head was going to explode from the pounding headache she could feel coming on. Paige was starting to feel so tightly wound that if something didn't change soon with one of these issues nagging at her – and soon – it was possible that she was going to snap and lose her mind.
"Paige!" George suddenly hissed from his position by the tree line, instantly catching her attention. She craned her neck to get a look at him and saw that he was motioning her over with a frantic wave of his hand. Discarding the power bar she'd been snacking on, Paige snatched up her gun and quickly moved through the trees until she had joined George and Kurt by the lookout post, the rest of the team right behind her. "Look." He said, handing over a pair of binoculars and pointing to an expensive looking SUV in the distance.
"What's going on?" She asked in confusion, not quite sure why he'd motioned her over.
"One of the trainees just tried to leave." George explained. "At least I think he was – he had his bags with him and he looked like he was trying to get the hell outta dodge. He didn't make it very far before that SUV pulled up and cut him off. They wouldn't let him leave and just forced him into the truck." He looked over at her with a serious look on his face. "I'm pretty sure Steve Newlin was the one driving."
Paige immediately frowned and raised the binoculars up to her eyes, focusing in on the SUV just as it took off again, heading toward the road that led out of the training camp. She was able to get a good look through the windshield and saw that Steve Newlin was indeed the man driving, his expression that of a man on a mission. "That's him alright." She said, lowering the binoculars again. Then she looked to George with confusion. "Why would Steve Newlin be going out of his way to make sure someone from the church couldn't leave?" She asked, turning her eyes back toward the SUV as it continued up the road.
Paige suddenly frowned deeper, looking at the stretch of road that was only thirty or so feet away from their position before looking back at the SUV, then back to the road again. When she shared another look with George, this time a wary one, he too seemed to realize what she just had. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked.
Paige immediately turned to the rest of the men. "Everyone back up and get the hell out of sight - we've got enemies headed our way!" She instructed sternly, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Steve Newlin himself would be driving right past the very place they had set up camp. When she glanced back, the SUV was making its way up the hill towards them "Stay low and don't move a muscle – Steve Newlin is the last person we need spotting us right now." Then, as she and the rest of the team retreated further into the foliage, she pressed the small button at her throat. "Gary, come in." She said into the microphone.
"Oh, now you want to talk?" Gary asked, his tone bored but with an undertone of irritation.
Paige immediately rolled her eyes. "Not now, Gary. Steve Newlin just forced one of the guys training over here at the camp into his car and is coming toward our position as I speak. I don't know why he snatched up his own guy, but it doesn't seem like anything good." She explained to him quickly while the others ducked behind trees or lay flat on the ground to hide themselves – Paige herself crouched down and pressed her back against the trunk of a tree to conceal herself from sight. The SUV was getting closer now, to the point where she could hear the tires rolling over the gravel of the road.
"What?" He asked, forgetting to be angry and immediately sounding concerned. "What do you think's goin' on?"
"I don't know." She answered just as the SUV came around a bend in the road.
Though Gary continued to ask her worried questions, Paige tuned him out so she could focus on what was happening. When the SUV suddenly came to an unexpected halt not far from where they were she felt her heart stop, positive that Steve Newlin had seen someone from the team and was about to come bust them. Paige held her breath and slowly peaked around the tree to see what was going on, watching as Steve Newlin stepped out of the SUV and glanced around. He didn't come to bust them, though, instead turning and nodding to whoever else was in the car – a small amount of relief flooded her as she realized that they hadn't been found out yet, but it was quickly overshadowed by a strong feeling of loathing for the Reverend; she'd never seen him in person before, but knowing what he was trying to do and what his organization was all about made her hate him already.
When a highly concerned Gary demanded to know what was happening, Paige raised a hand to her throat mic again to answer him. "They've stopped right by us." She whispered quietly, trying to see what Newlin was doing through all the foliage. When she couldn't get a good look she decided it was worth the risk to move in closer – Paige looked at the others and motioned for them to stay put before she began to slowly make her way toward the road, ignoring the incredulous looks her comrades shot her in response. "I'm moving in to get a closer look." She whispered again before raising her gun defensively and moving slowly and stealthily through the trees, Gary's words of protest sounding in her ear the entire way.
Paige had made it within fifteen feet of the road when the backdoor to the SUV suddenly opened and a blonde haired man was shoved out of the car. She instantly recognized him as one of the workers that had been building the platform by the church the day before. Paige tensed as a much larger man stepped out of the car after him and grabbed him in a tight hold, suddenly producing a knife and holding it against the man's throat. Paige cursed under her breath and slid her finger onto the trigger of her gun, ready to interrupt if need be.
Newlin was already talking to the blonde but she couldn't hear what he was saying, so she slowly moved closer, making sure to keep quiet. The blonde was breathing hard when she was finally close enough to hear what was being said, and she crouched behind a tree, watching intently as the scene unfolded in front of her.
"And you know what burns me the most, is that I brought you into my home. I treated you like family." The reverend was saying, making Paige frown. The worried voices of various comrades filled her ear, each asking if she was insane and telling her to back up before she was seen, but she merely turned and held a hand up, signaling them to be quiet so she could hear the conversation taking place.
"I know an' I'm so sorry." The blonde said quickly as she returned her attention to the trio on the road. He seemed to struggle over his next words, choosing them very carefully. "I'm weak."
"Yes, you are." Newlin agreed. "I gave you a chance at salvation, a chance to live in his holy light…and you chose them?" He asked, making Paige frown in confusion. Them? What was this lunatic going on about? Had the C.A.V.D. gone undercover without telling her? No, she decided. She'd have known if they had.
The blonde made sounds of agreement. "I know I was wrong –" Then he stopped short, looking at the reverend unsurely. "…wait, who are them?" He asked, sounding as lost as Paige currently felt.
"Oh please, cut the act." Newlin countered at once, looking unconvinced and impatient. "I know who you are and who you're working for."
There was a moment of pause where the blonde thought this over. "The road crew?" He finally asked dumbly.
Newlin laughed and Paige quirked an eyebrow, feeling more and more lost with each passing second. "That's funny." Newlin said. "Oh boy, I didn't think you were the sharpest tool in the shed…good at taking orders but not too bright. But boy was I wrong. You are snakier than a snake in the grass."
"Steve, buddy…whoa." The blonde said, moving forward a bit as the man holding him loosened his grip, only to be jerked back again when the man grabbed his hair, pressing the knife to his throat again. "You're making a mistake, okay?" He tried to reason, his thick accent ringing clear and, for some reason, sounding very familiar to her. Where had she heard that accent before? "You're confusin' me with somebody else or somethin'."
Paige peered at the reverend and watched him close his eyes as he took a deep breath. "Say a prayer." He instructed before looking at the blonde with loathing. "You're going to hell. And you are going there today." He said.
Paige held her gun a little more firmly, not sure if she should jump to the defense of this church member or not. On the one hand, he was a member of the church holding Godric captive. On the other, he was obviously doing something to betray said church – he could be an asset, he could help them.
"Steve…" The blonde said as the reverend walked back to his SUV. He was ignored.
"Take care of him." Newlin instructed his crony while Paige hid herself a little better, just to be on the safe side.
She heard the car door open and then shut as Newlin got in the vehicle before he started it up. Paige sucked in a steadying breath, her heart starting to beat a little faster, and peeked out through the leaves again. She was torn – should she help this guy being held captive or let him face whatever was waiting for him? Could she risk the entire operation for a man that she didn't know and who might not even be on their side?
"Yes sir." The burly crony said to Newlin through the open window on the driver's side. "Start walking vampire lover." He then gruffly instructed before pushing the guy ahead of him, scowling the whole time.
Paige's ears perked up at hearing those words. Vampire lover? So the blonde was trying to help the vampires as well? She watched them start to walk away, ducking her head for a moment to hide when Newlin drove off and the SUV passed quite close to her position, then looked toward where the rest of the team was waiting as she contemplated her next course of action. Obviously this guy was on their side so they had to help him out, but it would be way too obvious if they all went.
It didn't take her long to make up her mind about what she wanted to do.
"George." She said, pressing the small button at her throat.
"What's going on down there Paige? We couldn't hear a thing. What happened?" George responded almost immediately. She hesitated and glanced back over towards the two men walking further and further away from her. "Paige?"
"Listen, the guy they have is helping out the vampires too." She told George. "I'm going to follow them and see if I can get him away from Mr. Clean. You take the others and rendezvous with Gary. I have a feeling some serious shit is about to go down and we need to get together for this one." Paige explained quickly as she finally stood and began to follow after the two men, making her way through the trees and using them for cover.
"Paige! That's insane!" George immediately argued. "You can't go alone. If you're caught you won't have anyone to help you!"
"If push comes to shove then I'll get blondie to help out." She reassured him. "Now go. That's an order – I'll meet you by the church once I'm done. Tell Gary not to go anywhere until I get there." She said firmly before switching off her communication system and holding her gun up a little higher as she concentrated on catching up with two Fellowship members.
She followed them stealthily for a long few minutes, staying hidden in the trees and never once taking her eyes off of them. Something about the blonde haired man seemed very familiar to her, though she just couldn't figure out how – she knew she'd never met him before and had only seen him one other time, while he'd been working on the platform, but she still felt like she should know him some how. Paige also wasn't sure just where he was being led to, but figured it was a place where he could be 'taken care of' discreetly, something that she wasn't going to allow to happen.
They'd been walking for a while now and she was beginning to feel the anticipation of her possible rescue building, making her clutch her gun tighter. Adrenaline was starting to rush through her veins, making her feel antsy and on edge. That wasn't the only thing making her feel anxious though – in order to keep up with their pace she was having to move faster, which meant she was making more noise than she should have. The burly guy holding onto blondie had turned around multiple times as they walked along the road, his eyes searching the trees suspiciously each time. The possibility of being caught was becoming a bigger threat, but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't let the men get away from her.
The whole time they were walking Blondie had been trying to convince his captor to let him go, though his pleas seemed to be falling on deaf ears. "I'm a good soldier for Christ." Blondie was saying as she stepped over a fallen tree limb, beginning to sweat from the heat of the afternoon sun. "And I'm tellin' you, man, there's been some kinda mistake."
Quite suddenly, Blondie was pulled to a violent stop and his captor bent in close, seething with anger. Paige fell to one knee quickly, raising her gun up to aim it at the burly man should he attack. "You're damn right there's been a mistake, boy." He growled. "It started the minute your momma spread her legs and pushed out you and your whore of a sister."
The insult even made Paige look up in surprise. His sister? What did this guy's sister have anything to do with this? The insult was also enough to drive the anger through Blondie, because he quickly fought his way free, landing a solid punch on his captors face – Paige immediately moved closer, rather impressed that Blondie had already fought his way free. "Don't ever talk about my sister." Blondie yelled angrily, his face contorted with rage.
The captor spat one more insult and that was all it took for Blondie to tackle him to the ground, a quick fight ensuing. Paige's instincts had her wanting to jump in and help, but she quickly realized that Blondie was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. She watched, keeping her gun at the ready, as he landed plenty punch after punch – and even a few kicks – to the Fellowship guard's body and face. When Paige saw that the fight was coming to an end she stood up slowly, watching as Blondie landed one more kick to the man's groin, spat out some parting words, then grabbed the knife before turning to leave. She decided there was no better time than the present to make herself known.
"Hey, blondie!" She called out as she left the cover of her hiding place. He immediately froze and turned confused eyes in her direction, looking absolutely bewildered as he took in her attire and weaponry. "Nice fight. Glad I didn't have to intervene." She then complimented as she walked towards he and the fallen guard, who was barely conscious but now looking at her with confusion plain at day on his face.
"Who the – " He started to ask around a mouthful of blood, only to fall silent when Paige rammed the butt of her gun into his head and knocked him out cold.
Paige, satisfied with her handiwork now that the guard was motionless on the ground, slung her gun over her shoulder and turned her eyes back to Blondie, offering a friendly smile. Blondie watched her suspiciously, eyes trialing over her attire more than once, but when she stepped over the burly guard and continued toward him he took on a defensive pose, waving his newly won knife at her.
"Don't come any closer." He warned with a no-nonsense expression on his face. "I don't care if you're a woman, I will mess you up." He said, waving the knife again for added effect.
Paige rolled her eyes as she neared him but continued walking, going right past him and ignoring the fact that he jumped away from her and raised his free hand in what appeared to be a karate pose, knowing he would follow her. A strange woman dressed in camouflage just appeared from the forest and knocked out the guy he'd been fighting? He'd most likely want answers. "Put the knife away. We're fighting the same fight, Blondie." She called back to him as she turned her communication system back on – only seconds later she heard his footsteps behind her and she smirked to herself in triumph, pressing the button at her neck. "Gary, I have the guy Newlin captured and we're headed in your direction." Paige informed him as Blondie caught up with her, his scrutinizing eyes trained intently on her.
"Good." Gary responded. "And don't ever turn your headset off again when you decide to do something solo, especially after ignoring your partner all night." He then scolded her angrily. "We're going to have a serious talk about our communication problems when all of this is over with."
Gary's voice ceased to sound in her ear after that. Paige finally looked over at Blondie, who looked like he was bursting at the seams with unanswered questions as they continued on. "Yes?" She asked patiently, raising her eyebrows.
That one word was all it took to make the dam break. "Who the hell'r you? What are you doin' here? Why are you dressed like that with all that camo paint on your face? Who's Gary? Why are you followin' me?" He asked rapidly, looking extremely lost.
Paige gave him a once over as he watched her expectantly, waiting for answers – even though she had the distinct impression that he wasn't very sharp, he wasn't a bad looking guy. "And why should I divulge all this information?" She asked him, crossing her arms over her chest as she came to a stop. "How I do I know I can trust you?"
He stopped right in front of her, mimicking her pose and giving her a challenging look. "Because those assholes just tried'ta kill me and I'm damned confused right now, what with people turning on me an' army girls jumpin' out of bushes at me. And quite frankly, I'm startin'ta get pissed off." He said, looking beside himself with exasperation.
Paige pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him before nodding. "Fair enough." She said. "My name is Paige Collins – I'm not an army girl, I work for a secret organization and came to find a vampire that has been kidnapped by this church. I'm dressed like this because my comrades and I were trying to remain incognito. Gary – who we'll be meeting up with – is my partner and is helping me lead our team, which is stationed all around the grounds and has been for two days now. And I started following you because I was pretty sure Mr. Clean was gonna kill you, and seeing as you're a 'vampire lover', I thought it wise to make sure that didn't happen." She answered quickly. "Answer all your questions?" Paige then asked, raising her eyebrows at him.
He made a face for a second then nodded, his entire demeanor shifting at once. "Well…yeah, ya did." He said with a goofy, lopsided smile.
Paige just shook her head with an amused smirk – definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed. They continued on after that, resuming their trek. "Any idea why they were trying to kill you?" She asked him, nodding toward where they had left the burly man behind.
Blondie snorted and shook his head, waving a hand around as he shoved the knife he'd taken from his captor between his belt and his jeans, his smile falling at once. "Hell if I know. Everyone here's gone bat-shit crazy...well, crazier than they already were, anyway." He said with a shake of his head. "I have no idea what Steve was talkin' about back there, but I have a feelin' something bad is about to happen." He said, frowning a bit now.
Paige nodded in understanding, then smirked at him determinedly. "Not if we have anything to say about it." She promised him – she thought he looked a little impressed. "What's your name?" Paige finally asked.
"Jason. Jason Stackhouse." He introduced.
Paige immediately froze, coming to a quick stop as she stared at him in shock, the name making the blood in her veins immediately run cold. That was why he had seemed so familiar to her and that was why his accent and face had stuck out in her mind – he was Sookie's brother. Suddenly everything clicked into place and made a lot more sense.
"Shit." Paige said at once, walking again but this time at a much faster pace. "Shit, shit, shit!" Jason followed her as she pressed the small button at her throat again, watching her with alarm and confusion. "Damnit, Gary – come in!" She urged desperately, knowing things had just taken a turn for the worst.
"What's wrong?" Jason asked at the same time that Gary did through the earpiece. Jason seemed very concerned with the alarm radiating off of Paige.
"The guy Newlin took is Jason Stackhouse." She informed Gary quickly, holding up a hand to silence Jason as he tried to send another barrage of questions at her. He frowned grumpily and crossed his arms over his chest, watching her impatiently. "Do you know what that means, Gary?"
"Shit." Gary responded at once, echoing her sentiments. "If I'm thinking what you're thinking, it can only mean one thing." And that one thing was that Sookie and Hugo had been discovered and they were in serious trouble. "Does he know Sookie is in there?"
"I don't think so, but the Fellowship sure knows who she is. That would explain why they tried to kill him and why we haven't seen or heard from her in a day." Paige responded, her mind reeling. The Fellowship just had to know about Sookie and know that she'd tried to infiltrate their church for the vampires. They wouldn't be hurling out insults about her if they thought she was legit, nor would they have attacked Jason. All signs were pointing to a bad outcome.
Jason, who could only hear one side of the conversation, was starting to get annoyed with the lack of information. "Goddamnit, can you tell me what's goin' on?" Jason demanded, pulling Paige to a stop. She looked down at the hand on her arm and he did too – when she quirked a warning brow at him, he quickly released her and held his hands up in surrender. "Something is goin' on and I want to know what, especially if it concerns me." Jason justified with a resolute frown.
Paige sighed. "We'll talk when we get there, Gary." She said as a goodbye before ending the conversation and looking up at Jason with a frown. "Jason, when was the last time you saw your sister?" She asked him.
Jason immediately looked as though he were on alert, his brows coming together as he eyed her suspiciously. "How do you know Sookie?" He countered. Paige tilted her head at him, letting him know she wouldn't answer his question until he answered hers first. Jason rolled his eyes and threw his hands up. "Fine. I don't know…a while? All the days kinda run together here." He answered. "Now how do you know her?"
"She's been helping us find Godric, the vampire the Fellowship kidnapped." Paige answered, watching the wheels turn in Jason's head. "She's in the church as we speak." She added.
It took a few second, but Jason finally seemed to figure it out – he suddenly snapped his fingers in her face, making her jump a bit, as realization overtook his features. "Do they have Sookie?" He demanded to know, immediately looking livid.
"I can only assume that they do." She answered with a nod.
Jason immediately grabbed her by the arm, forgetting that she hadn't liked that the first time around, and began to pull her with him as he let out a string of colorful curses. He was walking at such a fast pace that she had to jog to keep up with him. "We have to get in there. She ain't safe with them, especially not if they're already tryin'ta kill me." Then he looked up at the sky as though judging the time and cursed loudly again. "We'll never make it there before nightfall. We'll have to follow the road which means we'll have to skirt around the patrol." He said before cursing yet again.
Paige pulled her arm out of his grasp and righted herself. "Calm down – nothing is gonna happen to your sister. We have plenty of people waiting to bust down those doors if we have to." She assured him as they continued on. "Let's just get to the rest of my team and we'll figure it out from there, alright?" She suggested. Jason nodded but then stopped again, holding his hand out to her with expectant eyes. Paige also stopped, staring at his extended hand uncertainty. "What?" She asked, not sure she knew what he was doing.
"I should probably man the gun." Jason said, pointing to the gun on her shoulder. "I'm sure you're alright with that an' all, but I grew up usin' those bad boys. I know guns like the back of my hand."
Paige instantly scoffed and turned on her heel to continue on. "You're absolutely nuts if you think I'm giving you my gun." She called over her shoulder. Jason began to protest but she ignored him, breaking into a jog. "The quicker you stop yapping the faster we can get there, Stackhouse."
Jason just heaved and quickly followed after her.
A/N: Review!