Chapter Ten
They drove about an hour outside of town. The sun would be rising soon, and she just knew that Eric would be having an absolute fit once he woke up. The towns they drove through looked like something out of a war movie. It was saddening to see all the destruction left behind. The world really had entered an apocalypse. Six months was all it took to end the world as she knew it.
"It's a lot to take in," Tara spoke softly as Sookie continued to look out the window. "When I woke up it had just gotten really bad. I thought it was some comical nightmare. People were killing each other on the streets and looting was everywhere." She held back the apparent emotion coursing through her body. "Pam told me about my mom, and I knew the world was as good as gone."
"Your mom?" Sookie barely got the words out.
"They embraced their religion when everything went to shit but it was also what got them killed." Tara wiped a lone tear as she stayed stoic.
"Tara, I am so sorry."
"Don't be. They were stupid. God can't save you from this. Nothing can." She spoke darkly as she pulled down another dirt road. The signs for the compound were up ahead. It was like Dejavu but this time they weren't in Texas.
"Is Godric alive?" Sookie felt a rush of excitement go through her body.
"We haven't seen him or heard of him coming back." Tara pulled in front of a large colonial-style home in the middle of the woods.
"Are we safe here?" They both got out of the car.
"For now," Tara spoke as people began to walk outside.
"SOOKIE!" Jessica cried out and ran to her quickly. She nearly knocked her down as they hugged. The reunion was an emotional one as they cried, and Jessica spoke of Hoyt and how his last moments were trying to save her. "I thought you were dead too." Jessica had tears streaming down her face.
"I am so sorry." Sookie cried as well.
"Damn, you don't even have time to say hello to your own brother?" Jason stepped outside and she began to cry harder. "Really, Sook." He jogged over to her as she nearly collapsed in his arms. She sobbed heavily as she apologized for their fight.
"I thought you would never talk to me again and that I lost you forever." She cried against him.
"Sook, look at me. It's fine. It was months ago. I'm not mad anymore." His voice was soft and held an apology. "You know how hot-headed I get sometimes."
"I just really missed you." She hugged him tighter.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Jesus came walking out and she looked up at him. He looked just like she remembered and he wasn't alone. He had her cat Bella in his arms. He neared her and then looked at Lafayette as he got out of the other truck. There was a huge amount of tension in the air. He closed in the distance to her.
"I am so happy to see you again." Sookie smiled with tears. "And Bella. How did you?" Her words trailed as Tara walked over.
"You can thank Eric for that. He held onto your furball for you. I took Miss Bella with me after I went to Fangtasia." Tara smiled and Sookie was so grateful to have her cat back. She picked up Bella and covered her in kisses until she escaped Sookie's arms and jumped on the ground. The grumpy cat walked back toward the large house.
"Oh, come on. Hugs all around." Jesus embraced her.
"We's going to need to hurry the fuck up before this mother fucker wakes from his dead sleep." Lafayette broke the mood as he yelled out. They all turned and looked at him as other people came out to help. Sookie saw Charles from the butcher's block and Sandra from the florist. The whole town was really there. They looked at her cautiously and then went to help remove Eric from the truck.
"Let's get you inside." Jason put his arm around her shoulder. "Thanks for the heads up, Tara."
"Anytime." She sighed and then went to help.
"I have someone I want you to meet." Jason snapped her out of her staring as she looked back at him.
"I just can't believe that so many people are back when you lost so many." Her voice was filled with sadness. "I am so sorry about Bridgette."
"Me too, Sook. Me too." He brought her into the large home that looked like it was under construction. It had been looted heavily.
"Oh my gosh, let me go get her!" Jessica called out excitedly as she ran past them with vamp speed. Moments later she was back with a small baby in her arms.
Sookie's eyes got wide as she looked at the bundled-up baby.
"They were able to save little Adele." Jason picked up the small baby and closed in the distance with a wide-eyed Sookie. "Want to say hello to your new niece?"
"Oh my god, Jason." She couldn't help the tears that fell.
"Do you want to hold her?"
"Yes." Sookie wiped her tears and then held the sleeping baby. "You named her after Gram." Tears fell as she kissed the small head of the baby. "She is beautiful."
"I hate to break this up but we're going to need to have a talk with you, Miss Stackhouse." Nan walked over. She looked like she had seen better days. She was no longer in her expensive suit but in a wrinkled shirt and jeans. Her hair was longer too and pulled back in a ponytail. Sookie almost didn't recognize her.
"Sure." She swallowed hard as she handed the baby back to Jason. "I will be right here when you come back."
"Follow me. I am sure you have a bunch of questions and so do I." Nan spoke matter-of-factly as she walked down a long hallway and then stopped at a door. Two large guards walked out and then they walked in. It was set up like an interrogation room. Nan took a seat across from Sookie. "The only reason why you are not chained in silver like you maker is because Tara vouched for you so let's not forget that." She was all business and it made Sookie uncomfortable.
"I'll tell you whatever you want to know."
"When I saw you at Fangtasia you didn't have your powers. I would have sensed it."
"It's a delayed fairy thing, I think."
"You think or you know, Sookie."
"I don't really know. Warlow abducted me. He said it takes a while for the full transition."
"And what else did he tell you? Do you know what Lilith is planning? Did he glamour you?" She stared harshly at Sookie.
"I wasn't with him very long."
"And how exactly did you escape him?" Nan asked suspiciously.
"Eric saved me."
"And how did Eric know you would be there?"
Sookie wasn't used to being interrogated like this. "I don't know."
"Are you working with Eric or Warlow?"
"Working with them? One of them is my maker and the other kidnapped me!" Sookie was getting frustrated at the questioning. "Where is Eric, is he ok?"
"You really need to worry about yourself right now." Nan sat up straighter. "Tell me what Warlow is planning?"
"I said I don't fucking know!" She yelled and a ball of light shot up out of her hand. Sookie gasped and Nan moved quickly to the door.
"Get me some reinforcements, NOW!" She yelled.
"No. It's not like that. I'm still new at this" Sookie tried to make the ball of light go away but it flew into the wall instead and left a hole. She gasped loudly. "Oh my god."
Two guards rushed in and began to silver her as she screamed out.
Jason came running back over as Nan got in his way. "What the fuck are you doing to my sister!" He yelled.
"She is a danger to herself and others," Nan spoke sternly as Tara came running over as well.
"What the hell is going on!" Tara tried to look in the room but Nan blocked her.
"You know we need to do this Tara. It was always going to happen." Nan warned her.
"Like hell it is. That is my sister in there!" Jason yelled as he went to get in front of Nan but now Tara stood in his way.
"They need to at least assess her first ok." Tara looked at Nan and then back at him. "They won't hurt her. Isn't that right, Nan?" Her voice held a threat.
"We don't want to hurt anyone but we also want to make sure that everyone here is safe." Nan sighed. "That's including your daughter, Jason." Nan walked back into the room as Sookie could still be heard crying out.
"She will heal. Let them do their job." Tara tried to reassure him.
Jessica came walking back over cautiously. "Is everything ok?"
"Just protocol." Tara continued to stare at Jason who visibly released tension.
"I don't like it one bit." He stormed away as Jessica looked at Tara.
"She is going to be ok, right?"
"I hope so." Tara added and then they all dispersed.
Sookie tried to calm her body movements as the silver bit viciously into her skin. She had seen many vampires silvered but she never imagined the pain that came with it. It was barely tolerable.
"I didn't want to do that but we can't have you destroying the place or hurting others." Nan sat across from her again. The guards stood in the room now on either side of her.
"I would never hurt anyone."
"I want to believe that, but you have six months unaccounted for."
"I was kidnapped!" Sookie snapped and then immediately regretted it as she moved her arm and the silver dug into it.
"And you were with Warlow the entire time?"
"Yes, he wouldn't let me leave and for your information, I wasn't even with him long. The time there is different."
"Are the others fairies planning a war?"
"The other fairies? Listen I was with Warlow and it only seemed like maybe an hour. He is crazy and he will be looking for me."
"Exactly and that is not the issue we are prepared to deal with. Our numbers are dwindling. Lilith has an army."
"And I can help. I want to help you." Sookie winced from the pain of the chains. "Just take these off, please."
"I want to believe you but until we know for sure. This is what we must do." Nan stood up. "Bring her down to the cages."
"What? But I didn't do anything wrong." Sookie panicked as the guards neared her.
"Don't make this harder than it has to be. Right now, we're just keeping a close eye on you." Nan walked over to her. "This is for the safety of all those you care about."
Sookie finally calmed down and shook her head. She would do anything to keep those around her safe. Even wear silver chains if it helped. One of the guards grabbed her arm roughly and it took everything in her to not react.
They brought her to the basement where cages were set up. They opened one of them and she glanced at Eric laying on the floor in the next cell.
"Oh my god, Eric." She rushed into her own cell and over to the bars, even as the silver bit into her skin. "Eric, wake up." She couldn't reach him through the bars. The silver was restraining her movements. He began to groan slightly as her door got locked and the guards walked away. "Eric, please." She pleaded with him as his eyes opened slowly and then he was jumping up. He looked around with confusion.
"What the fuck!" He ran to the bar and grabbed them. His hands immediately sizzled, and he let go. His eyes darted to Sookie as she stood in the cage next to him. "Who did this!" He yelled angrily as he ran over only to be stopped by the bars. "Let us the fuck out!" He yelled.
"Eric, relax. I'm fine." Sookie called out to him.
"You're fucking silvered?!" He yelled with anger.
"It's fine. They are just taking precautions."
"They who? Is it Lilith? Warlow?!" He yelled again.
"No, it's Nan and the others."
His eyes got wide. "That fucking bitch! I will kill her." He ran to the other side of the cage and grabbed the bars again. "Do you hear me, Nan I will fucking kill you!"
"Eric!" Sookie yelled as he looked at her. "Stop. You're not helping the situation."
"Look what they did to you." He rushed back over. "I will kill them all." His eyes held truth in them.
"Eric." She softened her voice and tried to reach her hand to him. He reached through the bars and touched her arm before pulling it back as the bars burned against his skin. "We're going to be fine."
"I hate seeing you like that."
"It necessary."
"Bullshit. That Warlow fucker took you away!"
"I know. I know." She tried to calm him. "Look it doesn't even hurt that bad." She sucked in the pain.
"I shouldn't have fallen asleep." He began to pace.
"This is not your fault. You needed to sleep, Eric."
"I've gone days with the bleeds. I could have stayed up. Fuck!" He was inconsolable. "Nan! NAN!"
"I don't want to be a danger to anyone, Eric. Jason has a kid now." She called out and he looked at her. "Tara is back and so is Jesus. I just want to have my friends and family around me again without worrying that I am going to spontaneously combust."
He walked over towards her. "You would never hurt anyone, Sookie."
"But are you sure? I mean I don't even know what I am now." She was truly worried about the destruction she could bring.
"You are Sookie Stackhouse. A kick-ass vampire fairy and you are mine." His face softened now.
"And you are mine, Eric. We have to be smart about this." She sighed. "Why were you going after Lafayette?"
"Is he here too? I fucking knew it; those mother fuckers were hiding him from me!" He was back to being angry. "NAN!"
"Eric!" She yelled now and he looked at her. "He wouldn't have been able to help you."
"You don't know that."
"Witches and fairies don't mix."
"Are you siding with them right now?" He walked back over by her. "I was trying to find you. I would have done anything." His voice held a seriousness.
"You killed people." She whispered.
"I will kill everyone in this goddamn place if it means I get to have you back by my side."
The sound of footsteps made them both look as Nan came walking in. Eric hissed at her as he grabbed onto the cell and it burned against his hands but he didn't let go.
"Glad to see you're still in the fighting spirit, Eric." She walked up to the cell and then looked at Sookie.
"Let me the fuck out."
"Eric, calm down." Sookie called out.
"Stay out of this Sookie. This is between me and Nan." He kept staring as his hands sizzled audibly. He slowly pulled them back as the skin came off. "Let her go then."
"I warned you, Eric. I told you that you were going to get yourself in trouble and now look at you." Nan began to pace. "I had your back until the last ten witches you killed. Now I look like a fool!"
"You could have told me that you had Lafayette the entire time." Eric gritted his teeth. "If anything, you are as much to blame as I am."
"Just because the world goes to shit doesn't mean we behave as it did!" She yelled. "You have been through wars. You know how they turn out for our kind!" She walked back up to the bars. "The only way you will get any leniency is by showing regret or remorse. The witches are angry."
"Fuck them."
"Eric, listen to her." Sookie called out.
"You want an apology?" He ignored Sookie and got up to the bars again. "My only regret is that I didn't kill them all."
Nan sighed and turned from him and began walking to the door.
"Wait. He didn't mean that!" Sookie yelled out. "Eric, say you didn't mean that!"
He looked at her and then backed up from the bars. He didn't say anything else.
Nan left as the door locked behind her.
"Damn it Eric, why didn't you tell her!"
"Because she knows anything else would be a lie." He sat on the ground and groaned deeply.
"I know you don't mean that."
"I'm a vampire Sookie."
"So am I but I'm not killing innocent people!"
"Try having a thousand years' worth of experience in this world and you may change your mind."
"I'm not worth people losing their lives over." She spoke softly. She mourned for the lives lost because of his actions. She also felt awful for him because it was clear that he had been broken. This was raw, angry, and dangerous Eric, living purely by instinct.
"You know all these people you claim to love all want you dead." He looked at her. "Don't think you are safe here Sookie. You're not. None of us are." He leaned his head up against the wall and closed his eyes.
"I don't need you to fight for me, Eric. I'm right here."
"As long as I'm around you will always be protected."
"Well if you die because you are too stubborn to say you're sorry to them then what good is that to me?" She choked on emotion as she looked at him. "They will kill you, Eric. I can't lose you, again."
Authors note: Anyone wondering where Godric is? He was just another character killed off way too soon. I loved the dynamic he had with Eric and Sookie. Anyways I guess you will have to wait to see if he makes an appearance!