Spellbound

I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter but life has been hectic and things have been a little hard for me but I'm back. I hope that you all enjoy the chapter. The characters aren't mine but the story idea is.

Sookie sat there and stared at them; never taking her eyes off of them. They wanted to know what she is. They wanted to know how she took that gun apart and crushed those wooden bullets. They wanted to know how she moved so quickly without anyone ever seeing her get up from her chair. They wanted to know if she was human. She couldn't be a vampire. She was tanned and she didn't look like any vampire they'd ever seen. They wanted to ask her but they were too afraid to. Oddly enough, they had the strangest feeling that she knew that they were afraid. She wanted them to be afraid. So they said nothing. They went on with the meeting as if everything was normal.

"First off, there are a few things that link the girls to one another. The one major link is their association with vampires." Alcee eyed Eric as he said that. "Those vampire buddies of yours seem to have a way with the women; especially the young ones. Do you guys use your mind tricks on these girls or is it the cold, creepy skin that gets 'em going? Maybe it's the way you guys viciously bite into their necks." He waggled his eyebrows as if he'd said something clever. "Can you give me a hint on what it is that they like?"

Eric looked at Sookie. She looked at him and then at Alcee. "I can help you with that, detective. It's their sense of self. They don't feel the need to put others down in order to feel good about whom they are. Maybe you should consider being turned. You might become a little more tolerable … likable even. You might even begin to like yourself. You wouldn't have to keep so many secrets."

Alcee's eyes were the size of plates when he heard the word secrets.

Eric chuckled. "Who do you know that would turn him?"

Sookie looked at Eric and laughed. Her laugh was the loudest, the harshest. "No vampire that I know would. He's not as forthcoming as he likes to pretend to be, as he expects everyone else to be. He's sneaky. He hides things." Smiling at Alcee, she asked, "Isn't that right?"

Alcee glared at them both; all the while ignoring Sookie's question. He didn't appreciate being the butt of anyone's joke and he didn't like where she was taking this. "Enough of that," he said. "We have work that we have to do. We don't have time for playing games." Glaring at Eric and Sookie, Alcee took a seat at the table.

The lovers laughed.

Andy stared at Alcee. He noticed Sookie's comments about the secrets and the withholding of something. He especially noticed that Alcee didn't comment on it. His partner has a smart answer and comeback for everything. Why not that? Why didn't he argue with her and say that he doesn't have any secrets to hide? Andy sat down beside him; wary of his partner.

Sookie noticed the sudden change in Andy. She wanted to get into the heads of both men but she couldn't risk it. The baby is weakening her abilities and she and Eric may need them for later. If she could get them to do the work for her, she could conserve her energy. She stared at the one that was going to help them. In time, she would get what they needed and she was going to get it from Andy. She looked at him and smiled.

Sheepishly, Andy returned it. He ran his hand through his thinning hair as his blush traveled from his face to the top of his head. He is going to help them. He is going to be their inside man.

In a tone that only Eric could hear, Sookie said, "I'm going to have to do something that you're not going to like."

He quickly looked in her direction. She could hear the grumble building in his chest. She focused on the boxes.

"But I'll only do it, if you agree to it," she added.

Eric continued to stare at her.

"If I have to go out during the day without you, I promise that I'll have my guards with me the entire time."

He squeezed her thigh gently.

"I need to meet with Andy … alone … without you."

Eric's body stiffened. He stared at Andy and his fangs clicked into place. The man looked at him through hooded eyes and swallowed deeply. He quickly put his head back down and continued removing files from the boxes.

"No," Eric replied.

"Please, baby," she said. "He can and will help us. You'll see. Will you just watch him? Listen to him, for me? He's not going to do anything to me. He's not going to try anything with me. I promise. He's too afraid of you." She finally turned to look at her husband and when she did, she looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please," she repeated.

Eric sighed as he looked at her. How could he say no? Why would he say no? If Andy could help them figure this out before it's too late, he would be more than grateful. Anyone that could help keep Sookie and the baby in this realm was his friend ... for now. He gave Sookie a quick nod.

She leaned in a kissed him lightly on the lips. She then lovingly placed her hand on his cheek and smiled at him.

The detectives saw they kiss between the vampire and the 'human'. Alcee didn't understand it. Andy was jealous but neither of them said anything. They continued pulling folders from the boxes. They were the folders of the missing girls. The folders contained every aspect of their lives; their birth dates, their favorite color, even their favorite pair of pajamas. They left no stone unturned and it had nothing to do with Copley Carmichael or his ultimatum. They were hell bent on finding those girls.

Once the folders were out of the boxes, they slid them across the table to Eric and Sookie. They didn't open them. They waited. Alcee began speaking. "As I said earlier, there are several links to these girls. From what we've been told, they frequented the same vampire bars and they all had relationships with vampires. They're all in their twenties. They're all beautiful and they were easy to get to. Someone knew their every move; their every thought was no longer their own. They began doing things that they never would've done without someone telling them to. They began going places they'd never gone before. Someone had gotten into their minds."

"We have no proof of that," Andy interjected. "We just know that whomever took them, knew when and where to do it. We're not here to make assumptions, Alcee, isn't that right?" Andy stared at the side of Alcee's face.

Alcee rolled his eyes at Andy and said, "Right but we have to look at the obvious."

"And we will," Andy said. "As we all know, Amelia was a very fond of the fang. She's well known in the vampire community as being free with the goodies." Andy had an embarrassed look on his face before he spoke again. "Forgive me for saying this Mrs. Northman." He cleared his throat and said, "She liked to have sex with them any and all kinds of ways and she let them drink her blood."

Sookie smiled at Andy. "It's okay, Andy. I understand."

The redness in his cheeks slowly faded away as he smiled at her. She's a good woman. She's not all that scary. If I can just keep my eyes on her, she doesn't scare me at all. He then looked at Eric. He's not all bad but he's scary. He's not like the others. I can tell that she's not just something for him to eat. Alcee is trying to ruin everything. The vampire could've left a long time ago with all that shit Alcee's been saying but he stayed. He must really want to help find these girls. I can see that. Why can't Alcee? What is he hiding from me? What secrets does he have?

Sookie placed her hand on Eric's and squeezed. She looked at him and smiled before turning back to Andy. "Thank you, Andy. Your kindness is overwhelming to us."

He blushed and fanned his hand at her. "Awww, it's nothing. It's what any descent man would do." He then looked at Alcee from the corner of his eye.

"If you're done flirting with Mrs. Northman, we can proceed with this meeting," Alcee sneered.

"I'm not flirting with her," Andy said, his voice going up two octaves as he stared at Eric. "I wouldn't do that." He was shaking his head rapidly.

Eric knew what was going on. He could tell through the bond that his thoughts were pleasing to Sookie. Andy had nothing to fear; though he didn't know that. He pulled his lips back in order for Andy to see his fangs.

"Stop that," Sookie said to Eric.

He smiled at Andy as his fangs slowly faded from view.

"Okay," Alcee said. "As my partner stated, Amelia is a very good friend of the fang. Do you know if any of your colleagues have tried her, Mr. Northman? I don't know if you all share blood and snatch but that seems like something vampires would do." He looked at Sookie when he said that; a smirk on his face. "Have you tried her, Mr. Northman? I know that the little woman is in here with you but you do want to help, don't you? So if you've had a little taste …" He waggled his eyebrows at Eric.

Eric and Sookie ignored his sarcastic remarks. Instead, they carried on as if Alcee had never said a word. "Have you spoken with any of her vampire associates?" Eric asked Andy.

Grabbing a folder, Andy said no. "But we did speak with a Lindsay Aubert. She works the door at The Coffin. She and Amelia became associates over time. She said that the night that Amelia went missing, she left with some guy she'd met at the bar. It's assumed that she left with a vampire; the same vampire that she'd been seen with many times before."

"But there's no proof?" Sookie asked.

Alcee eyed her carefully. "She was in a vampire bar. Vampires frequent the bar. Vampires own the bar. She's known for sleeping with lots of vampires. I'm under the impression that's all the proof that we need."

"I can't stand stupidity," she said as she smiled at Alcee.

"What?" Alcee asked; his voice filled with surprise.

"You heard me. I can't stand stupidity. Answer me this, Detective Beck. Is Amelia a vampire?" she asked.

Alcee didn't like her question and he didn't like where this was going. "I don't understand the question."

Sookie turned away from Alcee and focused on Andy. "Detective Bellefleur, is Amelia Broadway a vampire?"

Andy shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "No, ma'am, she is human. As far as we know she's human," he added

"See," Sookie said when she returned her focus back to Alcee. "It's not a hard question. Now, let's see if you can answer it this time. Is Amelia Broadway a vampire?"

"No," Alcee snapped. "She isn't a vampire."

"So, you're saying that she's human."

"Yes," he answered. This time he looked at her as if she was lost.

"Humans frequent the vampire bar, male and female. Not just vampires; is that correct?" she asked.

"Correct," he said through clenched teeth. It angered him even more when he saw the smug look on Eric's face. "What's your point?"

"My point is that you don't know who she left with, do you? You say it was a vampire because she went to a vampire bar that vampires frequently go to and more than likely own. You don't know, however, if she left with one. Please, Detective Beck, if I'm wrong, let me know. I'm open to thinking outside the box." With a frown on her face, she looked at Eric and asked, "That is the correct saying, isn't it Eric?"

Eric nodded and gave Sookie the thumbs up. "I think you're right." He smiled at how proud Sookie had made him. His smile broadened when he noticed how uncomfortable Alcee had become.

"Detective Beck," Sookie repeated.

"Okay, Mrs. Northman," he started. "I understand your line of questioning but …"

"There are no buts," she said. "You just seemed determined to think the worst about the vampires in this area. You won't listen …"

Eric continued to listen to his wife as she put Alcee through the wringer. He took that time to walk over to the whiteboard and study the pictures of the missing girls. He saw nothing extraordinary about them. They weren't what a vampire would risk losing everything for. He could only think that their disappearances were questionable at best. He wanted to believe that his kinsmen weren't involved but the girls are missing and they were involved with vampires. No bodies have been found. They could have been turned and sent away. They could have been drained and gone forever.

"Detective Beck, you are quite closed minded if you want to know the truth; especially for you to be a police officer." Sookie's dig caused Eric to laugh as he studied the girls' pictures.

"He's always been like that," Andy interjected.

"Fuck you, Bellefleur," Alcee said.

"And he's rude," Andy replied. "I've been saying that there's no reason to automatically assume that vamps are involved. There's too much there but he's so damned sure about the vamp angle that he won't listen to reason."

Sookie smiled at Andy. "That's all I'm saying. There has to be more to it than the fact that they frequented a vampire bar. You have to see it."

"He won't," Eric said as he continued to look at the pictures. "He's content with his flawed theory." Whatever Beck said to him, Eric tuned it out. He was looking at the picture of the first girl that had gone missing.

Her name is Connie Babcock. She was twenty years old, blonde, blue eyes, and petite. She was a receptionist at the Dead Ever After Hotel. No reputable vampire would ever stay there. The place catered to the dregs of vampire society. She was a student at New Orleans Community College. She'd been enrolled there for a year and she was a part of the nursing program. She'd worked at the DEA Hotel for two weeks before she went missing. She was also a frequent visitor at The Coffin.

Elizabeth Henderson was the second girl to go missing. She was twenty-two, blonde hair, green eyes, and quite tall. She was a college student at NOCC. She was a freshman. She decided to go back to school in order to better her life. She'd been clean for three years and she'd finally regained custody of her son. She'd moved back home with her parents after getting out of rehab. She was tired of dead end jobs and dead end men. She was determined to become a teacher but she could only afford NOCC. After getting her associate's degree, she was going to transfer to LSU. She, too, frequented The Coffin.

Cecile Parker, twenty years old and she'd moved to New Orleans from a little town in Virginia. Her skin was the color of caramel and she was a brunette. She wanted a new life, a new beginning. She couldn't find the adventure that she wanted in her hometown. She needed to go out and discover the world; find herself. She couldn't stand being in that small town any longer. She didn't want to spend her life working at a factory. She wanted more. She'd made plans to register for college but she never got the chance to. She'd been in New Orleans for six months before she went missing. She vanished last week.

"The Coffin," Eric whispered. "She went to The Coffin." The pattern was clear but there were no clues as to who'd taken the girls. As he studied the pictures, he decided to join in on the conversation. "Each girl went missing two weeks apart." He turned and looked at the detectives. "Did they know each other? Run in the same circles?"

Andy opened his mouth to speak but Alcee cut him off. "No," he said. "We questioned their known associates. We showed them pics but they seemed oblivious. Why?"

Andy stared at Alcee. Liar, he thought.

"Is there something more?" Sookie asked Andy.

Alcee answered instead. "No, there isn't."

Eric and Sookie looked at each other. They knew that something was wrong. Eric decided to dig a little deeper. "That can't be true, Detective Beck. They all went to NOCC or planned to go. They all went to The Coffin. Are you telling us that these girls hung out at the same bar and attended the same school but they never crossed each other's paths? Their friends have never seen any of these missing girls in passing or on campus?" He shook his head. "Someone's lying or either they're hiding something. Or is it you that's lying and hiding something?"

Andy, again, opened his mouth to speak but Alcee stopped him. He walked over to where Eric was standing and looked at the pictures. "I said the exact same thing but there's nothing there. Each person was pretty insistent that they didn't socialize with each other. I didn't get any bad vibes from them." He looked at Eric and said, "They all seemed pretty honest to me."

Resting her arms on the table, Sookie leaned forward and stared at Andy. She could see the connection in Andy's head but he would have to say it. She'd terrified them once this evening. She couldn't risk scaring him off. If she is going to get Andy to help them, she needed to take baby steps with him.

"What do you know, Andy? What is he not telling us?" she asked.

"Nothing," Alcee stated firmly. "I'm not hiding anything."

"Amelia," Andy retorted. "The connection with all these girls is Amelia Broadway."

"Andy, stop." Alcee's hands were in fists. "Don't do this. We're not supposed to do this. Commander Rice said …"

He thought about it for a few seconds before speaking again. "I don't care what he said. If we are going to find these girls, we have to tell them everything. Ambroselli said to give them whatever they want. They want to know this, Alcee. They need to know this. They all knew Amelia. They knew her or knew of her. Everyone that you see on that whiteboard has a connection to Amelia Broadway."

Sookie thought of Pixie. She sat tall in her seat and stared at Andy. "The missing girls or their friends?" she asked.

"All of 'em." Andy rested his arms on the table. "The missing girls knew her. The friends of the missing girls knew her. Amelia is the connection."

"How?" she asked him.

"You're going to fuck us up, Andy."

"You've already done that." He gave his partner the finger and continued talking to Sookie. "No one will tell us anything. When we tell them that we have proof that they all knew each other, they look at us as if we're crazy. We have the proof but they will tell us nothing."

Alcee sighed as he decided to join in. "That's why I think vampires are involved. I believe that the friends have been glamored." With raised eyebrows, he looked at Eric and asked, "How is it possible that all of these girls don't know that they know each other? It's not possible. It's just not possible. Something has happened to keep them from remembering each other."

"We need to talk to them," Sookie said to Eric.

"Yeah," he answered. "We have connections and we can probably find out a little more than you all can."

"Sure," Andy said. "I'll get you a list …"

"No, you won't. You won't be giving them anything dealing with those girls. They're frightened enough as it is." Alcee moved to stop Andy from getting the list of friends from the one file that they didn't slide across the table to Sookie and Eric.

"Get out of the way," Andy ordered.

Alcee had a surprised look on his face. He couldn't believe that Andy was going to do this. He'd never gone against him. He'd always been the type to follow along. "What are you doing, Andy?" He had a tight grip on the folder that he didn't want the Northmans to have. "We promised them that we wouldn't send any vampires to question them."

"You shouldn't have promised that. I'm doing what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to give them whatever they need." Andy's demeanor suddenly changed. "What the fuck are you trying to do, Alcee? Are you trying to keep us from finding these girls? You have been hindering this case since Mr. and Mrs. Northman have come on board. You act as if you don't want the girls to be found. Is that it? Are you in on this? Do you know who has them? We need them," he said as he pointed at Eric and Sookie. "They can help us. We promised the families of those girls that we would do all that we can to bring them home. We promised," he repeated with emphasis.

Eric was now watching the detectives. He was just as surprised as Alcee at Andy's behavior. He certainly didn't expect Andy to be so vocal in his willingness to help them. The detectives didn't know it but even if they hadn't given them the list of names, they would have gotten the information anyway. Nothing was going to keep them from finding out what happened to those girls; especially since they now know that Amelia is the key.

"The chief said to give them what they needed and we're going to do it. If you don't like it, take it up with her." Andy snatched the folder from Alcee and turned to give it to Sookie but she was no longer sitting. She was standing at the whiteboard behind Eric. No one ever saw her get up from the table.

"Oh, my," Sookie whispered as she looked at the pictures.

Eric could tell that Andy and Beck didn't hear her. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at her. "My lover," he said.

Andy heard him and turned to give Eric the folder. Once he handed it to him, he noticed the look on Sookie's face. Frowning, he asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she whispered.

Eric knew the truth. He could feel it.

Sookie stared intently at each picture. She then touched each one. The pain in her heart swelled. Tears began to fall from her eyes.

Alcee reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. Eric eyed it suspiciously. He handed it to Eric. "It's brand new. My wife puts a clean one in my pocket each morning." Even after the shit he'd given them earlier, he felt sorry for Sookie. He wasn't surprised by her reaction. She came into the room all gung-ho but she was just a woman. Women can't handle the idea of murder and killing. They can't handle the blood and the gore that goes along with being a police officer. Women are emotional creatures. Hell, they cry during commercials. "You're going to be alright? Need some water or something?" he asked.

She shook her head no. After she touched the last picture, she turned to face Eric. She took the handkerchief from him and dabbed at her cheeks. She looked at the detectives and smiled. "We'd like to thank you for your time and your cooperation. If we learn anything, we will contact you." She glanced down at the Eric's hand and noticed that he was holding the folder. "Does that contain the list?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Are you ready to go home now?" Her voice was smaller than before.

"If you are ready to go then yes," Eric answered. He could see the energy drain from her eyes. It was almost as if she was still touching the pictures. Eric pulled Sookie into his body and held her. He lightly kissed the top of her head. "Are we done here?"

Beck and Bellefleur were surprised at how caring and attentive the vampire appeared to be; especially Beck. He assumed that Sookie was no more than something that the vampire could use for his pleasures. It never dawned on him that he could actually care for her. It didn't make sense to him. Eric's a vampire. He can't ….

"Are we done here?" Eric repeated. "Great." He didn't bother waiting for a response. He took Sookie's purse from the back of her chair and handed it to her. Gently and lovingly, he led her out of the office.

The detectives watched them as they left the room. "What do you think she is?" Andy asked.

"I don't know but she had a strange reaction to those pictures. Did you see that? Do you think she knew them?" Alcee asked.

Andy shook his head no. "I doubt it. She's not like that. I don't even think the vampire's like that. I feel that if they knew anything, they would've told us. I think that they want to find those girls just as badly as we do." He shook his head as he continued. "No, they don't know the girls but something is there. They're not going to tell us … not yet."

"Yeah," Alcee replied. After a few more seconds of watching Eric and Sookie, the detectives went back into the office.

As Sookie and Eric walked away, Sookie began speaking. "I showed weakness and for that, I apologize."

"There's no reason for you to apologize, my lover."

"Didn't you hear them? If I had kept …" Sookie leaned into Eric's side as they walked out of the back entrance of the police station. Eric scanned the parking lot for bodies. Sookie scanned for minds and voids. Nothing was there.

Once they were in the car that Pam had left behind, the lovers turned to face one another. Eric said, "You did an excellent job, Sookie. You are a caring person. You wear your heart on your sleeve. It's not a flaw. It's what makes you unique in our world. Don't ever apologize for that."

Sookie began to sob. She wrapped her arms around Eric's neck and sobbed as she never had before. It frightened him but he said nothing. He held her and he let her cry. If they had to sit there most of the night, then that's what they would do.

When she was done, she inhaled deeply and dabbed at her eyes once again with the stolen handkerchief. Eric kissed her forehead and placed his hands on either side of her face. He looked deep into her eyes and smiled. "Do you need more time?"

"No," she said.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes."

"Is it the baby?"

"No."

"What did you see when you touched those pictures?"

With her bottom lip trembling and her eyes welling with tears once again, Sookie answered his question. "The connection with the girls is so much more than vampires and Amelia. Those missing girls, they are my kinsmen, Eric. Those girls are part fae. Someone is killing my people."