FORTRESS – PART ONE

Eric dropped the man, watching as he swayed on his feet. Eric caught his chin, forcing the man's eyes to lock with the pale blue of his. 'You don't remember your time here. You will go home, live a normal life without prejudice and never pay any attention to the Fellowship of the Sun ever again. Am I clear?'

'Yes,' he answered in a monotone.

'Now, walk up the road until you find a town, call some family and have them pick you up.' Eric released him, watching for a moment as he stumbled, absent in his movements.

He couldn't kill the boy. No matter how much he had deserved it for the attack, he just couldn't do it, not when he'd have to go back to Sarah with that blood on his hands.

He turned, calling to Pam as he sprinted back to the house, marked by the ever growing plume of smoke. Sarah had been right about the werewolves; their scents made it near impossible for him to pick between the various trails. Combined with the stench of fear and the smoke that filled the air and burned his nose, they really did need Elliot's help.

He came through the trees, swiping blood from his lips with the back of his hand. He could feel his strength returning, the warmth of the blood he'd consumed filling his body until he was nearly drunk with the sensation. After being drained and burned with silver, he vowed never again to feel such weakness, not when it could prevent him from protecting Sarah.

Even if she had enough power to protect him.

He smiled, picking his walk into a run, desperate to get to her. He'd always believed he would be saving her, protecting her, not because he doubted her powers but because she always seemed so small and fragile to him. She tucked so perfectly in his arms, was engulfed by his t-shirts and always had to stand on her toes just to kiss him, and even then she wasn't quite tall enough.

He had to remember that size was no indication of power, not just in terms of vampires, but when it came to Sarah.

Standing in front of the house, she was silhouetted by the flames that shone so bright they seemed to chase away the night. Standing close by, watching the massive flames as another explosion of glass sounded was Elliot and Alcide.

A very naked Alcide.

He growled, sprinting over to stand toe to toe with the werewolf, fangs out as their gazes locked. 'Where the hell are your clothes?'

'At the car.'

'Get them.'

'No.

'Get them or lose your–'

'Eric!' Sarah said and both of the massive males glared at her. She shook her head. 'Geez, you can feel the testosterone…'

Eric narrowed his gaze on Alcide again. 'He should be clothed.'

'Yeah, well, it's nothing I haven't seen before.'

That earned her an arched eyebrow from that turned into a glare before Eric had Alcide's neck in his hand, cutting off the werewolf's smirk. She rolled her eyes. 'He's a werewolf Eric. He can't exactly keep his clothes on when he changes,' she said, stepping behind him. She ran her hands over his shoulders before reaching along his arms, trying to sooth the tense muscles.

Alcide's eyes bulged as Eric tightened his grip.

'Eric, his nudity really doesn't matter. You know he won't make a move on me and you know that I have absolutely no interest in him like that, so please put Alcide down before he turns into a Smurf. A blue wolf won't exactly be intimidating to the Newlins, will it?'

Eric released his grip slowly, uncurling his fingers before he placed Alcide back on his feet with another low growl of warning. 'Where's this other building?' he asked, throwing a meaningful glare at Alcide. 'I need to kill something.'

Sarah went to Elliot, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder, turning him away from the scalding flames. He met her gaze reluctantly, tears in his eyes that she carefully wiped away. 'This is almost over,' she promised, running a hand down his arm. 'Take us to the building, and then we'll get you home to your family.'

He nodded weakly, pulling away from her grasp to follow the line of trees, the heat of the burning building flaring until Sarah doused the flames, leaving only a shell of black wood that was slowly flaking away, clouds of the white ash bursting into the air when beams and sections of the building fell away.

Eric took Sarah's hand. 'This will be over soon,' he said. 'All of it.'

They followed Pam, Alcide and Elliot along the line of the trees, keeping them in sight.

'You're going to kill the Newlins.'

'As soon as I found out that they were the ones who'd been hunting you and Sookie, there was no other choice,' he growled. 'They've gone too far, not only against us but against the vampire community, against everything that matters to me in this world. I can't let them live.'

'We can't have anyone finding out,' she whispered. 'While you were hunting, Elliot said something. I didn't really pay attention to it at the time, but he said that he'd imagined he would see the house burn.'

'Why would he say something like that?'

'One of the people in the Soldier's of the Sun was an arsonist. He'd gotten out of prison, and the church had taken him in, a reformed man,' she said, glancing to the smouldering ashes. 'It's not like he couldn't have a lapse.'

'That's a big lapse.'

'Not when you have a certified violent mental state.'

'I don't want you to help me in this,' Eric admitted, eyes on the ground as they walked. 'You shouldn't have any more guilt hanging over your head.'

'The people you love aren't the only ones who were threatened.' She looked up at him, needing him to see the honesty in her gaze, the unflinching decisiveness. 'If this is what has to be done to stop the Newlins, then it has to be done.'

He stopped, pulling her into his arms, feeling hers coil tight around his neck as he took all of her weight, lifting her off her feet as he buried his face in her neck, breathing in the comforting scent of her skin. 'What did I do to deserve you?' he asked. 'How can you be so perfect, so understanding and strong, like you were made only for me and I only exist for you?'

Eric pulled back, gently setting her on her feet, though he refused to relinquish his hold, staring straight into her eyes as he reached up to stroke her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

She placed a hand over his, keeping it on her cheek, warm from the blood he had just taken from those who had chosen to run. She held his pale blue gaze. 'I could ask you the same questions.'

He claimed her lips, fingers coiling into the rebelling strands of her gorgeous hair at the nape of her neck as his arm wrapped tight around her waist, crushing her against his chest. 'I love you,' he whispered against her lips.

'I love you too.'

'When we get home, there's something I need to ask you,' he said, brushing his nose against hers. 'But only once we're home.'

'I guess we should go deal with the Newlins then,' she said. She sounded confident, but Eric could feel the anxiety thrumming through her, caused not by the prospect of killing the Newlins, but by his words, having only sparked after he'd spoken.

Did she believe it would be something bad, a question he was trying to hold off from asking and not the question he'd earlier believed he'd never have a chance to ask?

She would be surprised.

They walked quickly, catching up to Pam, Alcide and Elliot as they made their way into the thick trees, dodging low hanging branches and bushes that threatened to tear at their skin as they pushed through them, relieved when they broke through into a clearing beside a small cottage. They'd never have found it on their own, not before dawn.

'I hear them inside,' Eric growled, his fangs flashing.

'Are there any traps?' Sarah asked, tightening her grip on Eric's hand, making him pause and listen rather than charge ahead. 'You said that the Newlins thought it could ward off vampires.'

'I think they have supplies of weapons in there.'

'That means lots of silver,' Sarah muttered, looking to Eric and Pam. 'You'll need to be careful in there, especially if the weapons are stored out in the open and not in separate containers or anything.'

'They won't have a chance to use any of them,' Pam said, her arms folded over her chest as she stared at the unassuming structure, head tilted just slightly as she listened. 'I think the couple are having a little…discussion.'

'Let's join them.'

Sarah stalked forward, flame igniting over her hands as Eric joined her, fingers entwining with hers. He did not fear her fire, knew that she would not burn him but gain strength from his support, so he gripped tightly, feeling the answering squeeze as they progressed toward the house.

She was ready, waiting for any traps that might spring, but nothing came from the earth or the house, only the steady footfalls of her feet and of Alcide's behind her. Eric and Pam were silent, stealthy, but she could feel the anger and excitement rolling off of them. They were ready for the kill, ready to finally destroy the Newlins, the people who were so intent on wreaking havoc in the world in the name of a God that they also preached wanted peace, love and unity, claiming that the creator of all life abhorred vampires and other higher beings that were not humans.

What was she then?

She shook her head, forcing the thoughts from her mind. One day she would answer those questions, would find a way to learn what she was, but for now she knew two things; she loved Eric, and he loved her.

She would never let that go.

She stepped onto the porch, heading straight for the door, only stopping when Eric tugged at her hand. She turned. 'What is it?' she asked, moving straight to him when she saw pain darken his gaze. He couldn't still be weak, not when she knew that she'd fed from the ones who had chosen to run.

He looked to his feet, the slow movement seeming to be agony as he stared at the wood of the porch…

…that was glinting in the light of the flames that coated her hands.

She pushed him back, hearing his flesh sizzle as she pulled him from the porch, setting him down.

'You have got to be kidding,' he growled, fangs biting into his lips as the skin on the base of his feet slowly knitted back together.

Sarah spun around, seeing that Pam was still intent on the door. 'Pam, stop.'

She turned, rolling her eyes. 'What? Unlike some barbarians, I have shoes. I'm not afraid of a splinter.'

'Look at the rest of the house.'

She arched a carefully plucked brow before finally looking at the rest of the cottage's frame. 'And? It's just wood.'

Sarah held up her hand, sending the flame from it floating toward the structure, watching the faint glint that shone from the wood. 'I wouldn't touch anything,' she said, standing and helping Eric to his barely healed feet, seeing him flinch for only a moment.

'This must be what they meant when they said it could ward off vampires,' Elliot said, reaching out the run his fingers over the wood. 'It must be sacred.'

Eric and Pam snorted.

Alcide reached to run his hand over a beam on the porch the brought his fingernail against it, scraping at the paint, eyes widening when he stared at what he'd revealed. 'They've got silver wire all over the wood, beneath the paint. It just looks like decorative carving.' He looked to the door, then to Sarah. 'We're the only ones who can get safely inside.'

Eric grabbed Sarah's wrist. 'No.'

'You can't stop me.'

'I believe I can.'

He was forced backwards, pinned to the earth with a current of air, just as he had been when he'd fed from her. 'I believe you can't.' She stood up, carefully easing some of the pressure to see what he would do. When he didn't strain to get up, she said, 'Alcide and I will go in. Once I'm inside, I'll find a way to make it safe for you and Pam to come in. For now, keep Elliot here, okay? I don't want him getting caught in the battle.'

'Besides, you have to be invited.'

Sarah shot a silencing glare to Alcide as she dropped to her knees. 'We'll get you in,' she said placing a kiss on Eric's lips before she joined the werewolf on the porch.

Alcide stood by her side, rolling his head on his shoulders before he transformed into the white wolf, his fur almost glowing. He looked up to her, giving a quick nod before he dropped a little lower, ready to sprint into the house.

Sarah raised her hand, sending a gust of air at the door that ripped it from its hinges, sending it into the darkened entry. Eric stood up when she followed Alcide inside, pausing before the steps to the porch, fists clenched at his sides. 'Find a way to get me in,' he growled.

She paused in the doorway. 'I will.' She walked in, hands blazing, but only after she blew him a kiss that carried with the air, caressing his cheeks, making him all the more desperate to be able to stand with her.

Next update: Saturday the 2nd of October.