I own none of the characters in this fan fiction. They are based on the Sookie Stackhouse series. This story is located somewhere between "Dead as a Doornail" and "All Together Dead". It takes parts from the whole series, but there is a twist I promise. I was devastated when the author did away with the blood bond and ultimately ended the relationship which I think defined the series. This is very Team Eric / Sookie. This is rated M for sexual content and violence.

Chapter 5

"She is on the top floor of the warehouse. At least I think she is. Lights keep going on and off on that floor. I know she's in the building. I picked up her scent and it's definitely her. "

"Pam will be here by tomorrow night with reinforcements. We have to get Sookie out first. Take her back to Shreveport and hide her until you hear from me. We have some other business to attend to here. The King is not happy that I am gone and he will make a move I'm guessing. I will watch her for a couple of hours. Get some sleep." He stood there staring up at the building, imagining her lying there motionless and he wished at that moment that he was beside her.

Right before dawn, Alcide showed up and took over for Eric. He glanced at Alcide, "There are about twelve vampires guarding the entrance of the building and at least seven weres." Alcide nodded and took Eric's place in the bushes.

Eric decided to go to ground near the warehouse but out of sight from Alcide. He didn't want to be too far from Sookie, not that he could do anything during the day, but it made him feel better.

The second the sun went down he was out of the earth. He was covered in dirt but it didn't even matter to him right this second. What mattered was getting Sookie out. Pam joined him in a matter of minutes after he sent to her.

"Eric. We are here. There are about twenty five of us at various points surrounding the building."

"We go in five. Text everyone."

Eric scanned the building. He could clearly make out two vampires on the top of the building and three at the front entrance. He looked at Pam and they started to move silently and deadly towards the warehouse. He caught the first vampire completely by surprise, taking him down and using his iron sword to decapitate him. He could hear fighting all around him as he fought to get into the warehouse. He heard a growl, he turned around the face one of the biggest weres he had ever seen. His fangs were fully extended. He crouched down in a fighting stance. The wolf jumped at his head. He reached up, the wolf caught his arm in his teeth. They tumbled to the ground. He reached up and grabbed the wolf's head and broke his neck with lightning speed. He ran up the stairs searching the dark hallway. When he reached the fifth floor, he cracked open the door. Two weres stood there, poised for battle, one on his cellphone relaying information about the fight that was ensuing all around him.

Eric waited for his moment and moved quickly behind the two were's, in one movement he stabbed the one creature in the back and grabbed the cell phone and threw it against the wall. The other were was on him in an instant, biting into his shoulder. Eric went down on one knee, all the while trying to reach behind him and grab the creatures head. His sword fell in the scuffle but he detached himself from the were and shoved the creature with all his might. He reached down grabbed his sword and sent through the were's heart like it was butter.

He could hear scuffles all around the perimeter of the building. He concentrated on the bond and trying to find Sookie. Most of the fighting was done by now. Pam joined him several minutes later. They started breaking down doors, one by one. When they got to the last one, he could feel her. He kicked the door in and there she was. Her arm was hooked up to an IV, which was what was no doubt keeping her heavily sedated. He removed the IV and applied pressure to the wound. He raised his wrist to his mouth and sank his fangs into it to release a flow of blood. "Lover, I'm here. " He was gently shaking her. Realizing that this was not working, he put his wrist to her mouth until she started coughing and sputtering. "Swallow, Lover. Swallow. We have to go now. You are in danger. You have to wake up." Slowly she started to open her eyes.

"Eric. Eric where am I? What happened?"

"Sookie, I don't have time to explain right now. Alcide is here. He is going to take you somewhere safe. Get your strength back and wait for me."

"Eric NO! Do not make me leave you. I won't leave."

"Sookie!" His voice pierced her delicate senses. "Sookie, you have to go! This is not open for discussion. These are dangerous people and they will kill you." He glanced up at Alcide who had appeared moments before. "Alcide, get her out of here. Get her somewhere safe that no one knows about. Go now!"

"Eric! Please don't do this." She was pleading with him. He turned to her, grabbed her in his arms and kissed her as gently as he ever had despite the blood lust raging through his veins.

"Lover, I will return to you. I will. You have to trust me. You have to know that this is best." She looked into his eyes and understood. It wasn't some overstuffed macho pride, it was just the only acceptable option. She nodded and kissed him back.

He looked at Alcide. Alcide looked back at him with a look that verged almost on understanding . "Sookie come on. We have to go." Alcide picked her up in one movement and started down the hallway. As the footsteps got fainter and fainter, Eric surveyed the vampires that were left standing. "Pam, who is left?"

"Master we lost five vampires in the battle. We stand at twenty vampires."

Eric took a long look around at those standing. "The King of North Carolina is trying to take over Area Five. He kidnapped Sookie and he has Bubba on his estate. I am convinced that he is doing this without the knowledge of the council. Pam, get the King on the phone."

Pam began to relay the situation to the King. "I find myself in a precarious situation. I surrendered and did not last fight because I felt it was the right thing to do to save the lives of all those in my area that would have been sacrificed otherwise. However, I believe this situation is different. The King has committed treason. The King is trying to forcibly remove Eric and upset the King of Arkansas."

"Master…the King for you."

"King. I hope that Pam has filled you in on the circumstances. I apologize for not letting you know sooner, however I was not aware of the situation until last night when I arrived at the King's beckoning. I then learned that he had kidnapped my human and planned to take over your Kingdom. I sent Pam to assemble a small contingency of vampires." He paused for a moment as he was listening. "Yes King, I understand that. However, I did not want to start a needless war unless it was true that he was indeed planning to attack." Again, a moment of silence…"King, I believe we have enough support to take down Bertrand." Listening intently, he hung up the phone.

He again turned to the remaining troops. "It is the King's wish that we storm the palace and remove the King from the throne. Who is willing to fight with me?"

No one turned away. "Fine. Pam, take ten of the remaining vampires and move around the back of the estate. Take out everyone that will not surrender. I will take the other ten and we will enter through the front and demand his surrender…" he paused "or his death. In any case, be prepared to fight." He turned and walked through the door, his sword still dripping with blood from the previous fight. She nodded silently and the group split off into two smaller groups, one following Eric and the other following Pam.

As they approached the guarded gate, Eric crouched down to survey the best alternative. He nodded at Matt, a relatively young vampire, barely a century old. He pointed to the side. He raised five fingers to indicate to the others to wait five seconds. He went to the left, Matt went to the right. They came upon the guards with barely a sound and they were dead before you could count to two. The others were closely behind. As they walked down the long winding driveway, there was an air of foreboding about the place. Eric was in the lead and he was ready for battle. The look on his face would have scared any normal person and most vampires. As he reached the front door, he paused for a moment, thinking about the best way to draw Bertrand out. He peered in the windows of the door. His huge frame almost matching the size of the entryway. He turned around. He did not even need to say anything, as he opened the door, the vampires spread out like a thick blanket of death canvassing the palace. He searched from room to room. Max, the kings Assistant appeared before him brandishing a sword and spitting profanities. Eric looked at him carefully. "Boy, you cannot even be twenty years old, surrender now and I will let you live." With that Max charged him, kind of stabbing with the sword, looking really inexperienced. Eric lunged forward and was able to pluck the sword out of his hands while simultaneously slamming Max to the ground. "Do you surrender?!" His cold blue eyes burned right through the vampire. In one movement, Max reached up to grab the sword and Eric brought the cold steel down into his chest. Max sputtered for a moment, his eyes wide with his impending death. In another moment, Eric stood over the boy, lifted him by his hair and sliced his head off as if it had been a loaf of bread. He turned to a pile of ash.

He began searching again from room to room. "Bertrand!" As he entered what must have been Bertrands "throne" room. He saw the King sitting in his throne with his hand to his head. "Bertrand. You are ordered to surrender." He walked straight up to him, sword extended at full length. He put the tip to his throat. "Do you surrender?" He stared down the King. He wasn't sure how to register the Kings intentions. The King looked up into his eyes.

"Ah yes, Mr. Northman. I considered this outcome when I was making my plans. Odds were in my favor. I assume you have rescued Ms. Stackhouse as I see vengeance in your eyes."

"Bertrand, do you surrender?" Eric's voice thundered through the room. Before he could register what happened, the King made a move, so fast that it rivaled his own speed and was standing behind him with a sword, a sword with a sterling silver blade. The blade lunged forward as if it had a mind of its own and pierced Eric's arm, he let out a piercing battle cry as his skin burned around the blade. He fell backwards into the throne. He raised his sword to deflect the next blow and regained his footing. He lunged forward, exchanging blows with the King. The King, while an excellent swordsman, could not stand long, as Eric towered above him, bringing his sword down with the strength of twenty men. The king staggered backwards onto one knee…he started to say something, but Eric brought his sword across the King's shoulders and his head detached and went spinning across the room. As his body fell to the floor in a thud and dissolved into ash, Eric muttered "Go to your maker."

He called out to Pam. He did not see her anywhere. He looked around. The palace had been bathed in blood and there were piles of ash strewn across the floor. There was silence all around. He saw Matt leaning against the wall near the front door. "Where is Pam?" Matt shook his head to say he didn't know. He looked out and saw a pale body with blonde hair lying on the ground. A sound escaped from his throat. When he reached her, she looked up at him. "Pam, are you okay?"

"Well I suppose I'll live, but that damn vampire ruined my jacket." She smiled sarcastically but her face had an air of relief that Eric had lived to find her. She was injured, although healing.

"There aren't many left. A lot of us died tonight. Did this all happen because I love Sookie?" He looked around the scene as if it was a battlefield.

"No Master. It happened because of one man's desire to have something that wasn't his to begin with. Your love has nothing to do with the politics of our world. Only when they try to make it have something to do with it." She said gently. She could almost swear she heard him sigh. "Sookie has almost died a number of times to defend us. I consider it an honor to fight for her and I would do it again."

Eric was contemplating Pam's words. He knew she was right. Now that Sookie's gift was known to the world, it was better that he was there to protect her. Then a thought came across his mind. "Did you find Bubba?"

Pam nodded. "I found him first and got him outside the gate as I promised I would."

On the plane back to Shreveport, Eric was quiet, thinking about all that had happened. He couldn't wait to hold his dearest in his arms again, tell her that it was okay and that he loved her. He zoned out thinking about her.

When the plane landed, he stepped off the plane into the dark night. "Pam, take my things back to the club. I have some business to attend to." With that he took off into the night sky.

He landed in a secluded area in the middle of the woods, where a broken down shack stood. He could feel her. He could feel her nervousness, but then he felt a sense of calmness wash over his body. She knew he was here. Before he could register anything else, the door flew open.

"Eric!" she practically yelled in relief or panic or something. There were so many emotions running through her head right then. She ran down the stairs at lightning speed, at least, lightening speed for a human. Throwing her hands around his neck which wasn't easy to do to a 6'5" vampire; she held on for dear life. He looked down at her, bent his head and kissed her hard, raising her up off the ground to meet his lips. He just held her there suspended in mid-air.

"Lover," it was if a thousand years passed until this moment. "I missed you. We have much to discuss, but not tonight. Tonight is just for us."

Glancing over her shoulder to Alcide, who actually looked happy for her, she yelled "I'm good. It's Eric. Thank you for everything Alcide." She waved at him ecstatically as Eric took off straight up into the night sky with her wrapped in his arms.

It seemed like only moments until they touched down in front of his house in Shreveport. He carried her across the threshold and right up the stairs to the Master bedroom where he laid her gently on the bed. It almost felt like he thought he would break her or something. He looked down on her, with more love than any one person should have to themselves, and then his mouth covered hers. She threw her arms around his neck and they stayed like that for awhile, just kissing and feeling each other's touch again. He rolled off to her side, with one hand caressing her stomach and the other propping his head up. She looked at him and there were no words. "Sookie. I love you. I will always love you. And…" he added with a smile…"you will always be mine." She knew that she believed him and she knew that she loved him too.