I woke with my face stiff from blood tears that dried on it the previous evening, not the most pleasant feeling, but certainly not the worst that I was experiencing at that time. I probed the bond as soon as I arose and was able to fool myself for a second. In that one second, Sookie was there beside me. Sookie was safe in that moment. She was feeling great happiness. With the mixed up feelings I received through our bond, I was able to delude myself.

Then my delusion crashed when Sookie soon felt thousands of miles away and no longer felt as though she was happy. I no longer wanted to remember what I felt after I was unable to delude myself. At that feeling, the delusion was not the only thing that crashed.

I quickly scanned through the emails sent with the updates regarding our situation. No evidence was discovered that Sookie had been taken out of the country. That was a positive note. However, there was also no evidence that told us whether Madden had taken her out of the state. That information was actually less promising. I could not have imagined a scenario where Madden might keep her in Louisiana, despite the control he and de Castro had over the state. If signs were missed that she removed from the state, then any proof that existed they had taken her out of the country could have been missed as well.

The only other explanation was that Madden was even more arrogant than I had given him credit for and he stayed local.

There was one person from whom I did not receive an update. Desmond Cataliades had yet to contact me. I had no idea in which realm he might be nor did I know how time worked where he was. I might get word from him in seconds that would be like more like several nights to him, or it could be only seconds for him and nights for me. If I did not get any word from him by sunrise, by the next night I had planned to start searching for him.

With the daytime search party's primary reports for the evening, I sent updated directives for those who were taking over the nighttime search. Alcide refused to stop looking through the night. I persuaded him to agree to a short break so that they he would be of some use tomorrow during the day. He was one of the only ones whom I trusted to lead the daytime search, especially with Cataliades out of reach. He may have wanted more than Sookie was willing to give him, though that would never happen, but I still knew he would do whatever he could to get her home.

I went to Fangtasia after my shower. It seemed that throughout the day, the search party for Sookie had used it as a headquarters of sorts. That was fine with me. I was relieved to find the information was centralized and that the different Supernatural and human groups had worked together. It gave the false sense that we had accomplished something, as we still had no real meaningful information.

Amelia had come to the bar after having had called Pam to give an update on Tray's condition. He was more coherent of his current situation, but remained unclear over the events of the past. Amelia asked if I had any information, and the disappointment was clear on her face when I had to tell her I had none. She did surprise me when she said, "You'll get her back. You will make sure she comes back to us safely."

I was aware that the witch had never been fond of me, going as far as even encouraging Sookie to have nothing more to do with me. I had no clue what to make of her sudden shift although it was something that I could appreciate.

Cataliades still had not called.

That thought was the one on my mind when my phone finally did ring. I was so astounded finding that the attorney was calling. I had all but given up on the phone call, preparing to send someone on a search for him.

"What took you so long?" I growled once I answered his call.

"I just received the message and returned your call immediately," he replied. His answer did very little to console me. With Sookie's kidnapping, I needed the demon accessible. I needed him to help me now more than ever.

I needed to hold on tightly to whatever I could that might help me to feel that all was not lost. The moment I succumbed to that feeling was the moment it would prove truthful. I refused to believe it. I adamantly refused to believe Sookie was lost to me, no matter her form.

"Victor took Sookie," I told him.

"What!" Cataliades exclaimed. It was not a question although being absorbed by my own anger left me with having a hard time in even distinguishing the words that came out of my own mouth. "How?" he asked, and I understood that word was actually a question. I explained the little that I knew.

"Scents were completely muddled by the time anyone located where the abduction took place. We were unable to ascertain how many actually attacked the group. Alcide said he recognized a scent or two from dealings with Nevada, but Tray would certainly know more. Unfortunately, he is still not cognizant enough to answer our questions with any type of clarity."

In truth, with his head injury, he was fortunate to be alive, even when Pam gave him her blood. It was enough to stabilize him, to assist him in regaining consciousness, yet not enough to have healed him to the point where he could give us the crucially needed answers to our questions over all that had gone wrong. Pam would be giving him more of her blood later in the evening under the care of Dr. Ludwig. With any hope, that might allow us to get the answers we so desperately needed.

"We must get her back," he told me.

"That much is obvious," was my sardonic response to his ludicrous sentence. Of course, we needed to get my Sookie back! All I had to do was to determine a plan in which I could manage to find a way that would not be detrimental to her, not hurt her in any physical way, and most importantly, not hurt her in her current fragile state.

"I could allow myself to be captured," he suggested without hesitation. Though I greatly appreciated his willingness to do just that, it made me question his motivations behind it. Was it really that he was simply close to Fintan, or was there something more than that driving him? I had to leave that thought for another night, however; my only concern was getting Sookie back safely.

Again, while I appreciated Cataliades' offer, I did not believe it was the best course of action. "There would be no guarantee that you would be held in the same location as Sookie, no guarantee that you would even be in the same state as she," I told him. "I need you here. I need that demon found. I need someone who can communicate with the Fae. I need someone," I paused for a second to catch myself, "I need someone who cares for her, someone who cares, and someone who knows with what they are dealing." I may not have completely understood why Cataliades felt such a strong connection to Sookie, but it was not something I would deny, not when he could assist in returning her to me.

"Niall would want to be informed of this," Cataliades said once I mentioned the Fae.

"He will want to know only when he wants to know," I responded, and that was what seemed to be the truth. He had yet to contact either one of us in response to our initial attempt to reach him.

"You speak the truth of most situations. This is one, a move of what might be seen as an act against the Fae, and he would want to be informed immediately."

"He would attack; not necessarily showing concern for the life of his great-granddaughter, but to make it understood that a move against him would be a threat." There was no doubt in my mind that Niall cared for Sookie, however, the Fae are unique creatures. Though they will defend their kin to the death, it is only when it suits their own purposes, their own agenda. I had no doubt that should Niall discover de Castro and Madden had taken Sookie that he would launch an attack against them. I also had little doubt that he would make his point, that to move against the Fae is most deadly and at one's own peril, but the well-being of his great-granddaughter would not be his top priority when he did attack.

"Would he be able to launch something?" I asked Desmond. I knew that there was still recovery occurring in response to the Fae War. I was uncertain how that might affect his ability to attack Madden. I was hoping he would be crippled enough to need to contact me and we could go in together. My priority would be to ensure Sookie's safety; ending Madden and de Castro were secondary for me, a close second, but second nonetheless.

"It would be foolish of him to go in without support," was the demon's response. I felt marginally better once I had heard that. Niall was many things, but foolish was not a word one could ever associate with the Prince. He would turn to me, and together we would launch an assault on Madden. Niall and his people could lead the portion of the party that would focus on the violence aimed at Madden. I could lead my people on the quest to return my Sookie home safely. Any violence that happened along that mission would be a much-welcomed bonus.

"I will contact him directly though it may be another evening or two before I have a response for you in your time."

I was not happy when the attorney told me that, but unfortunately, I found myself left with no choice. Once again, my hands were tied. I had no way to interfere with a time difference between different realms. No one did. To even attempt such a thing could mean complete destruction for them all with the barriers being so precarious.

That fact only served to anger me more.

With little time left until sunrise, I needed to leave and return to my home. I trusted everyone who was assisting me, yet that did not suggest I wanted to be appear helpless with everyone coming in and out of the bar. Pam was going to her house, having convinced Amelia to get some rest.

When I rose the next evening, I went straight to Fangtasia. There I met with Pam and Thalia as we reviewed the little we knew. There was still no evidence that suggested Madden had left the state with Sookie, and he had yet to be seen in either Nevada or Arkansas. I doubted he had remained in the state. I just did not know where he could go that he would have the support he needed to succeed with this. The day and the majority of the evening's time provided no clues to where Madden had taken Sookie.

Tray's condition had improved, but he still remembered nothing specific about the attack. It was all a blur to him, as he described it. Ludwig was convinced that it was only temporary which came as a great relief to the wolf. It was not as great for Sookie's situation.

With nothing going my way, I had no good expectations in calling Madden once I returned home. I was certain that I would hear his snide words when he answered my phone calls. I should have known by then to not make any assumptions. They always seemed to be incorrect.

The truth was more catastrophic.

Instead of a gloating Victor, it was the voice of Sookie that I heard when the phone was answered. Sookie, however, did not sound the same as she had when I had spoken to her the night before last. That was a Sookie who was unaware that anything bad had happened to her. That was a Sookie who was joyfully making pictures for us.

This was not a happy Sookie who was on the phone with me.

"'Lo," she said. She sounded more like her brother than her usual jovial self.

"Sookie?"

"Eric," she said, but not even hearing my voice could completely restore her mood.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. I did not want to frighten her, but I needed to hear her response to my question. Had something happened? Had Madden dared to lay a finger on her? Or was she simply upset because he was not allowing her to color or because he wanted her to eat corn?

I hoped she was eating and I hoped she was eating healthy food.

"I want to come back home, Eric," she said. I could picture the way her lip quivered when she took on that tone. She was trying to hold in her tears. She was not the only one trying to do so. Her tears I could take; they would break a place inside of me, but I could take them for the duration of the phone call.

I did not want to make her suffer through mine.

"You will, Sookie. You will be back home with me before you know it."

"I knew I wanted to be home with you two nights ago," she whined, as she was no longer holding back her tears. "I already know it," she said, sniffling. I detested seeing the green substance that came out of Sookie's nose, mostly because I did not like she was so upset that she was crying. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked in the smallest voice I had ever heard coming out of her.

That was when I felt the tears running down my face. I could no longer hold them back, but I was determined they not be heard in my voice, not be heard by Sookie. She was going through her own pain; I would not put her through mine.

I would have done anything to take it off her shoulders.

"What will we do after you return home?" I asked her as I tried anything to do I could to send her back to some kind of happy thought.

"Can we go flying?" she asked me, though her voice sounded no less depressed.

"Every night," I told her.

"And color?"

"Of course."

"And games?"

"Any game you want."

"Even Candyland?"

I despised the melted chocolate character, but I would play that game over and over again, night after night, if I were just given the opportunity. "Even Candyland."

"Can we go fishing? Jason and I came to this lake before with Daddy," She started to say something else, but the phone call suddenly ended. I immediately called back, but the call did not connect. Instead, it went straight to the recording that told me to leave a message.

I dialed the number again and repeatedly over the next five minutes. Every call ended in the same manner, a recording of the number I had dialed and the instructions to leave a message. No one was answering the phone call.

That made me nervous. That made me very nervous, especially as I considered what Sookie had said. She had given me an important piece of information. I could only hope that Jason could supply me with the vital piece of information Sookie did not.

I quickly moved to my living room where I knew the elder Stackhouse was. I immediately cornered him and demanded to know where he had gone fishing with his father and sister when he was younger.

"The lake. The lake in my backyard," he told me and I could sense that he was nervous. I had never approached him in this way before. I had never had good reason. Sookie was a good enough reason, but I would get no information from Jason if he were too nervous to actually communicate to me what he knew.

"Did you ever go on a trip to a lake that was further away? Did you ever travel to fish with Sookie and your father?"

"Yeah. We went to another lake for a weekend a few times. 'Bout four hours away. Why?"

I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck for not simply answering the question. I had to collect myself though as he did not know why the innocuous information was suddenly so vital.

I briefly told him why I was looking for the information. He immediately questioned me about the conversation, but I pushed my own question back at him. I would give him the limited information about the phone call I shared with his sister, but I needed to know where it was that Sookie might possibly be. The phone call ended as soon as she spoke the words, so she was not alone. If Madden believed I knew her location, he could have easily ordered that she needed moved. I had to ensure that did not happen.

There were a few major lakes in Louisiana spread out through the state. I would have set up my people at each one, but if Stackhouse knew at which lake they went fishing, it would have allowed me to focus on just that one.

Jason focused as soon as I mentioned his sister. I had to give him credit for that. The fact that he was thinking was evident on his face. "The last time we went was about a year before they died," he said, talking himself through his thought process. That was fine with me as long as he could tell me where they had gone. "I was probably 'bout eight or nine. Lake Cedo or… it was something with a 'C.' I remember a 'C' on the sign."

"Cedar?" I asked him as my mind quickly sorted through the lakes that fit his vague description. "Was it Lake Cedar?"

He smiled before he jumped up and said, "That's it. That's the one!"

With that response, I knew why we had not yet found Madden. We were not looking in the correct state. With that information, the list of those who would be finally ended once this was all said and done grew as well.

Lake Cedar was a lake about four hours from Bon Temps. It was a lake that was in the state of Oklahoma. The Queen of Oklahoma, Freyda, would not survive this either. I had no idea what her role in this was, but by simply having allowed Madden sanctuary, she had signed her own death warrant.

With that information, I very quickly placed several calls once Jason went to bed. I called only trusted vampires in the Area where the Lake was located. They could not confirm that Madden had been in the Area, but I trusted them to make certain he did not leave it if he was there.

When they asked if I wanted them to approach the lake, I answered no. Though every inch of me wanted to fly there immediately, the evening had gotten away from me. It was at least a thirty-minute flight and there was only fifteen minutes until sunrise. I once again cursed the dreaded sun.

Instead I began to put everything in motion. We would be launching an attack the following evening. It was an attack that I needed to be certain Madden did not survive and one in which I needed to ensure that Sookie would not suffer any injuries. If de Castro were present, he would not make it out alive or alive as one might classify a vampire. If he were not present, I would hunt him down and end him as soon as possible. They would both pay for this. Damn the consequences.

I had just placed my phone on my nightstand and was preparing for my day rest when it rang again. I immediately answered and was shocked when I heard the shifter's voice on the other line ask, "Did you find Sookie?"

"Sam?" I asked once I had determined who was speaking.

"Did you find her?" he repeated. I explained what I discovered that evening. "I have even more good news then," he told me.

"I found the demon."

And that's good news right? It's got to be, right? Well, I do hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Should be back to regular weekly updates as we start to wind this one down. Have a great week.

Thanks to MsBuffy for her help and patience!

Again, just want to remind everyone that I am getting chapters up as soon as I can. For reasons I cannot figure out, FF is hit or miss with allowing me to upload new chapter ever since I updated my OS. This one is almost over with 29 chapters and an epilogue and I will update here whenever I am able. If you cannot possibly wait it is completed - and my next one up and 21 chapters in - at wordpress. I am there under the same name.