Predictably, I should have been more worried. I should have been more concerned. I should have put my foot down, as the saying goes, and insisted that Sookie stay inside my house where she was safe, or at least relatively safer. As I looked back on my decisions, I knew that would not work. I could not unilaterally make decisions, at least not when it came to Sookie's happiness. I had to yield on some decisions that allowed her to live her life, a life she had craved since vampires had entered hers. That was a lesson that I learned.
It was a lesson that I hoped would not cost me, would not cost my Sookie, and would not cost us the life I would try to ensure we had once this situation ended.
It had just become much more dangerous and much more complicated.
I knew that something was not right the second I regained my life as the sun set. Though I could not comprehend what it meant, something about the house seemed wrong. It was quiet, much quieter than it had been since my Sookie had moved in, since I had taken her in after learning what had happened.
I immediately looked inside myself to search the bonds that I shared with Pam and Sookie, those who were physically close to me. Pam's was filled with trepidation, which told me that she also felt that something was wrong. I was uncertain if she had more information than me, but I would find out after I searched my bond with Sookie.
That was when I punched the first hole in my wall.
My bond with Sookie told me nothing. It felt as though she was everywhere, like she was all around me. I felt that I could reach out and touch her, yet it also felt as if she was miles away, oceans away. She felt happy and content, and then it felt as if she was in deep despair. The bond that I created to save her, the bond I had begun to cling to would not give me any information on Sookie, on the one I loved.
A second hole soon found a place in my wall.
That was when I realized I was not alone in the house.
I quickly made my way to the kitchen knowing whom I would find there. Jason Stackhouse was in my kitchen. It appeared that he was trying to make himself something to eat, but I could smell the apprehension pouring off him. Even he was intelligent enough to sense that something was wrong. I just wondered how he knew.
"Where are they?" I asked him while I attempted to contain the anger in my voice. I was not angry with him, but if I was not careful, he would receive the brunt of it and he would not have survived.
At my question, Jason dropped whatever it was that he was holding. His head soon dropped as well. "I don't know," he said. Ordinarily, I did not think that Jason usually cared where his sister was. It seemed I had miscalculated something when it came to my wife's brother.
"What happened?" I asked him as I gripped a chair and forced myself to keep it on the floor. It matched Jason's position as he collapsed on the floor while he told me all he knew.
Sookie and Amelia had left with Tray and the other Weres soon after Sookie had finished her lunch. They had informed Jason that they would return no later than two o'clock. Jason had wanted to go along, but Sookie wanted her purchases from the art store to be a surprise.
All he knew was they had never returned. They never called; they never answered their phone calls after Jason started calling them when they were an hour late. Between Sookie's predicament and me in my day rest, Jason had no idea what else he could do. He considered calling the police, but hadn't been sure what to tell them. As much as I hated that nothing had been done for hours, I conceded that not calling the police was a wise decision. There was far too much information that we would not have been to give them.
With that news, I felt an uneasy chill wash over me. I heard everything and I saw everything, but it was as if it was miles away instead of right there before me. I knew that there was so much that I could do with this information, but it still did not stop me from feeling as if I was moving at a snail's pace.
I had chosen the worst possible time to be in a haze…
When I heard Jason mention a potential phone call to the police, it occurred to me that I should have checked my own messages. I internally berated myself for my own ignorance after I saw one missed call after another, all coming from members of Tray's Pack. A message was left by one of the members.
The only reason that my phone survived once I heard the message was, at the time, it was my form of communication of trying to determine what the hell had happened, and how the hell I could rectify it.
The message informed me that the group had been attacked, and it had been an ambush while they were driving, which meant someone knew where they were and where they were going. I had no idea if it occurred while they were driving to the art store or if when they were on their way home. I had to put that in the recess of my mind so I could use the forefront of my mind to focus on just how to locate Sookie and bring her home, to return her to me where she belonged. It was a simple battle strategy. They were outnumbered. Two of the Weres were killed, while the two others including Tray, were in the hospital, and were not expected to survive. Amelia was in dire straits as well with a head injury. It appeared as though she had fought hard, but was overpowered.
Sookie was unaccounted for, and though the Pack knew there had been a child involved, they did not know who it was. Tthey had even tried to locate said child. It became impossible, as it appeared Sookie was moved into the attacker's car. Her scent could not be followed. If any of Tray's Pack had recognized Sookie's scent, they intelligently kept it to themselves in the message.
The front door slammed open and I heard Jason, who was still in the kitchen, react to it, but I had no need. I knew who it was, and a second later I found myself both wrapped in her arms and she wrapped in mine.
"Do you know anything?" she asked after we had offered each other comfort for a minute.
"Only news of the casualties and that no one has any knowledge of what happened to Sookie," I had some ideas along with some thoughts that were likely to be proven correct.
"I am going to go to the hospital for just a little while," she told me.
"For Amelia?" I asked her, and I knew she heard the bitterness in my voice, even if I did my best to contain it.
"To see her and to give her some of my blood," she told me, which caused me to stop and give her a long look. That was not something Pam did lightly. In fact, I would not need my whole hand to count the number of times she had done so in the little over a century since I turned her. Pam shrugged as I did so, and informed me it would not have been the first time.
I had surmised as much, but had never asked my child to confirm it. "You wish to ensure her survival," I said.
She nodded and told me, "She is also our only lead we have to tell us who took Sookie. If there is any information she may be able to offer, we need her alive and conscious." I nodded, not able to deny any of her words. "I will return immediately after obtaining any information she can give to tell us what happened," she told me.
"Call first," I told her. "I may have more information and you might be of more assistance elsewhere," I explained.
She embraced me once more before she left. "This was not your fault, Eric. You tried to do the right thing. You tried to make the right decisions. That was all we could do."
"It was not enough."
"It will be. You will continue to make the decisions, the decisions that are good for her, and it will be enough."
I wished that I had my child's confidence in myself. As she left, I started to work on finding whatever information there was to find. I had the vampire I employed as a hacker looking through all surveillance that might have captured any visual footage of them today. Another was going to the art store to try to determine if they had ever arrived there. I was just about to call Thalia when my phone rang.
I will admit that a glimmer of hope flashed through me. I knew the probability of the call bringing any type of positive news concerning Sookie was low, practically nonexistent. That did not mean I still hoped I would hear her voice, either her adult one or the child one I had come to know, when I answered the phone.
Instead, I was greeted by the not so dulcet voice of the shifter and I groaned at the thought of having to tell him what had happened. My last remaining hope was that he might have some type of good news, perhaps even better at least, given that he hadn't had much to tell me the last few times he called.
I certainly had no good news to tell him.
"The scent is all over town," he told me. He never even took the time for a greeting. That was not a surprise since our calls had remained strictly professional. "It's obvious she, if it's the woman I think it is, is still in town. That makes the trails harder to follow."
"I will send help," I told him. He could help them choose the correct scent and possibly point out the freshest trails. The demon needed to be found and soon. I hated the idea that my Sookie, whatever form she might be in, was taken, but it hurt more so knowing how fragile she was currently.
"It is not needed," he replied with a growl.
"The situation has now changed," I told him. "We need this demon found as soon as possible. Yesterday would have been more than fine..."
Merlotte was quiet for a few seconds while he took in my words and pondered their meaning. "What happened?"
"Sookie was taken," I told him as I explained the little I did know.
"Do you know who has her?" he asked, and I heard the unspoken accusation in his voice.
"I have a good idea," I told him, which was the truth. I remained surprised that there had yet to be any contact with whoever had Sookie, but after I was off the phone with Merlotte, I made two phone calls. The first was to Cataliades' niece. I prayed that he was correct and that she did truly have a way to contact him, no matter where he might be.
The second was to Victor Madden in order to find out just what the fuck he thought he was doing in taking my wife. I was certain it was he. It no longer mattered to me de Castro's role in all of this. It did not matter if he had ordered it, or if he simply passively allowed Madden to make the move. Both of them would be blood on the floor after she was returned anyway.
"We need this demon found," Merlotte said to me, and I was shocked that he was not yelling, using cruel words to show his belief that all the blame for this lay with me.
For once, I would have agreed with him.
"We do. That has not changed."
"You better be doing everything to make sure she's found."
"Everything."
He hesitated before he sighed and said, "Send your help. We need to find this demon."
"Let me know of any leads you might find."
"You just better do the same," he said, hanging up on me.
The call to Desmond's niece was simple. She would relay the information to him, but warned me that although the situation was dire, I might not hear from the lawyer until tomorrow night due to the time differences among the different realms. It was a simple phone call though it left me with nothing. I considered calling Niall, but I was uncertain if that might help or hurt the situation. I would rely on Cataliades opinion for that once he was able to return my call.
My next call was not so simple. I dialed Madden's number and I did not know even for what I was hoping. If he had Sookie, he would not have hesitated to pick up the call. He would have wanted me to know; his pride would not allow it any other way. Meanwhile, if he was innocent in this case, whether or not I believed for a second that he was, he might not pick up the call.
He answered halfway through the second ring.
He said nothing, however. Instead, I heard the air as it moved over the microphone while he passed it to someone or at least that was my assumption. My assumption proved to be correct when the voice I heard coming from the phone was not the voice I had ever expected to hear.
The only reason that did not add a hole to my wall was that I did not want the person on the other side of the line to hear. I did not want to scare her, anymore than she already was.
"'Lo," she said in the way she did when she was distracted, usually due to her art.
"Sookie?" I said in more of a question than anything else. I had known. My instincts told me that Madden had taken her, but I did not expect him to allow me to talk to her. Though as I felt the ache in my chest grow stronger at hearing her voice, I thought he might have been on to something if this was designed to torture me.
If that was his plan, I was sorry to say that he was succeeding.
"Hi, Eric!" she said excitedly. I could tell that now that she realized it was me and . I had all of her attention.
"Where are you, Sookie?" I asked while I tried to keep my voice steady and calm. She did not appear frightened, which was a fortunate turn of events given what she must have witnessed hours ago.
"In a car with Uncle Victor," she told me. Her words made me shiver, not in a good way, not in the way I craved from her.
"Have you been in the car long?" I asked. I could have tried to gather a potential location with her answer. Of course, what was long to a five-year-old was something I could not possibly understand.
"Yes. This is the second car I been in. Uncle Victor took me from the men who took me from Amelia and Tray. He helped me get away from them. Are Amelia and Tray okay?" she asked suddenly, her voice filled with concern and worry.
"Pam went to go visit them," I told her. I was not willing to tell her any more, not when I was not there to offer her comfort. I hated the thought of Madden being the only one available to offer her any.
"I'm drawing them a picture. I already drewed you one. I think you're gonna love it!" she said with excitement. That was something that I could cling to. Though the situation was dire and though I hated every second of it, I could cling to the fact that she did not sound like she was in pain; she did not sound scared.
"I know I will," I told her just as I heard Madden as he asked for the phone back.
"I gots to go. Uncle Victor needs to talk to you."
I hated the fact that the phone call would end the small connection I had with her now. I had technology in my phone that was tracking the call and I held out some small hope, but I was not expecting it to be able to give me any pertinent information.
"I love you, Sookie," I told her quickly. I needed her to hear the words; I needed her to hear them from me.
"I love you too, Eric," she told me before I again heard the movement of air over the microphone of the phone. The words did nothing loosen the tightness that had taken over my chest. If anything, they made it worse.
"How sweet," Madden said snidely when he took over the phone call.
"You signed your own death warrant, Madden," I promised him; I was not even attempting to hide it. He had to know I would be coming after him aggressively given what he had done.
All I received in return was triumphant laughter.
"Children are quite impressionable at this age, don't you agree?" he asked. I remained silent while he continued speaking. "So impressionable and it is up to those who raise them to ensure they receive the correct lessons while they grow, lessons that might inspire them to please those who have raised them, and to be loyal to those same ones who raised them."
That fucking bastard! There was no way that he would ever spend enough time with Sookie, enough time with anything before I turned to him sludge and goo to teach them their lessons. I would make more than certain of that.
"If you dare to lay one hand one her," I began.
"I know, I know. You will make my end such a painful one. Can you hear just how nervous I feel? You are powerful, Eric, yet you are not and never will be powerful enough to take on a kingdom, to take on several kingdoms. You might survive this by relinquishing any misleading thoughts you still have of getting her back. All you need is to play the dutiful Sheriff and forget all about her. She need not ever have to suffer. She will grow into an adult who will be most loyal and grateful to our King. You might even get to see her again one day."
I had no idea if he believed his words might actually cause me to cease and desist with my plans, but the affect they made was quite the opposite. I would never permit Sookie to become fully grown in close proximity to Madden. I would find this demon and bring to an end to the curse. Then I would find my Sookie and return her to our home. I would do all everything within my power to make things right between us.
Madden's and de Castro's blood would be fertilizing the ground where it landed.
"Enjoy whatever time you might have left, Victor. It will not be as much as you might want to believe."
"Oh, I have a feeling I will be enjoying the little blond before me for much longer than you ever had the chance," he said in response before he ended the call. That was a conversation ending that my phone, unfortunately, did not survive.
I went immediately to my office, contacted Bobby, and informed him I needed a replacement phone immediately. As Jason would have said, I needed it like yesterday! I then made a few more phone calls. I had a call into Pam who was still at the hospital. Amelia had regained consciousness after being given Pam's blood, but she was still somewhat confused over the events. She remembered being attacked. She remembered she started a spell, but could not recall anything more. That would change, with hope, as Pam's blood worked in her system.
Amelia also asked Pam to give her blood to Tray. I knew that however casual my child was with the witch, it was not an easy decision. She did it, however, and though his vitals were stronger, he had not yet awakened.
The other Were had passed away about an hour ago.
Pam asked if I needed her at my house, but I sent her to Fangtasia instead. I wanted her and Thalia to review every second of security video we had when Sookie was reading those two men. That was a vulnerable time for her; it was also a vulnerable time for us. We had to have missed something.
How had Madden known where she would be?
He had not seemed the least bit surprised that she was in the form or mindset of a child. How was that possible?
If there were a traitor, he would meet the same fate as Madden and de Castro. If there was no traitor, I needed to discover just how Madden was receiving all of his information. I doubted we would see her again, but Pam and Thalia had the instructions to capture Madden's spy should she appear. That was where we would start when or if the moment presented itself.
Once Pam had received her directives, I placed several more phone calls to contacts I had in Arkansas, and my contacts I had in Nevada. I had to know where they stood once I made my move. I would be acting regardless; I simply needed to know how many might be standing in between De Castro and me. There was no question they would all be finally dead before the king. I was going to end him and those who stood in my way.
I made plans with Alcide and his Pack, as well as Tray's who sought revenge, and they would be my eyes and ears during the day. I gave them what little I had to start with and they had a plan to retrace their steps, find out where the abduction had taken place, and to work from there.
I had accomplished much this evening, but it still felt as if I had done nothing, and what I had done had not been enough. My Sookie would not be in my arms tonight, in either form. Still, my time was limited and for this evening, it was nearly complete.
I cursed the sun while I felt it rise. It prevented me in my task of continuing to attempt in finding my Sookie. It prevented the hunting down of Victor Madden to send him to his final death. I felt as though I was being held a prisoner by that glowing orb of fire in the sky.
That was when the third hole in my wall appeared.
I had to focus on what I did have, little as it was. I did have those who would be working to locate her throughout the day, even as de Castro and Madden had those who could work in the sun as well. They had proven so today. Something would have to go my way; it just had to. One of my allies would discover something most important, and I would have my target upon arising that night. Those were the thoughts I needed to concentrate on at that time.
As much I tried, I just could not keep the negative thoughts from creeping into my mind. The situation would have been terrible enough if Sookie was her age-appropriate self. She was a child, a five-year-old little girl with no information regarding what was going on around her. She had been ripped out of the only life she ever knew. I did not even want to consider what they might have been attempting to do with her at that moment.
Nevertheless, of course, that was where my thoughts traveled.
And those produced the fourth and final hole in my wall for the evening.
I did not punch anymore because in the last few seconds before the sun rose I could not stop the tears that streamed down my face. It seemed as if the fog I had to work through all night was lifted, and all that was left was the truth of the situation. What a painful truth it was! Tears that I had kept holding in all night fell uncontrollably. Tears for what the little girl who was my wife was going through. Tears at the thought of the tortures my wife, the woman I loved, might be suffering.
The tears came and I could not stop them. I never even tried while the sun forced me to day death.
About my wordpress account, I am there under the same name. FF doesn't allow outside links but if you search wordpress and jc52185 or wordpress and any story titles you should find it. This one is completed there and it has my previous stories and my next story. If you find me there, let me know what you think. This will most likely be the last story I post in it's entirety here simply because it has gotten so difficult to upload work here.
We knew Victor was up to something. Now, we just have to hope that Eric can figure out how to get her back, unharmed. I hope you enjoyed it.
I don't know if I'll be able to get another one up next weekend. Getting a bit closer to the end on this one and trying to finish it for you without too many breaks.
Much thanks to MsBuffy for her work and her patience.
About my wordpress account, I am there under the same name. FF doesn't allow outside links but if you search wordpress and jc52185 or wordpress and any story titles you should find it. This one is completed there and it has my previous stories and my next story. If you find me there, let me know what you think.