When Eric awoke the following evening, something felt off. He couldn't quite place it but when he opened his coffin, he decided it was probably because Pam and Tara were still missing. Perhaps he was getting used to the three of them all waking up at the same time in the same room. He'd somehow inadvertently started a nest, and it made sense that he'd miss that small sense of vampire family upon waking.

Still, the feeling didn't leave him, even as he made his way up to his office to find a set of clean clothes to wear for the night. Yet again, he chose something more befitting his charismatic and well-dressed boyfriend than what the patrons of Fangtasia were seeking. Although those options were dwindling, considering he only had so many shirts hanging behind the door. Maybe Lucifer was right. Fangtasia wasn't his home. It was time to find new digs again.

He was just zipping up his fresh pants when he realized what seemed so off. There wasn't any music playing in the club. Usually Ginger had opened the bar by now, letting patrons in even before vampires rose with the setting of the sun. But tonight? There was no sound of the bass seeping into his office, which was always the soundtrack to his doing deskwork.

Tucking in his shirt and shoving wallet and keys in pockets, he headed toward his office door, concerned by the silence. What greeted him when he swung open the door into the bar surprised him. And annoyed him.

Ginger was at the bar, wringing her hands nervously, clearly not knowing what to do. Otherwise, it was completely deserted. When she saw Eric, she nearly flung herself at him, skinny hands wrapping around one forearm as she looked at him with her big eyes with the overdone makeup. "Eric, thank God you're awake! The police are here and I don't know what to do! Are they here to arrest you? Where is Pam? Why am I all alone? The DJ ran out as soon as that detective started waving around her badge!"

Eric blinked, trying to process everything Ginger had just said. "What cops?" he finally asked.

Ginger flung an arm out, hand shaking as she pointed to one of the standing tables closer to the door. Eric immediately recognized Chloe Decker and . . . Amenadiel. He suddenly felt chilled, seeing the twin looks of concern on their faces.

Where was Lucifer?

He'd said he'd be here when the sun went down—and instead, Eric was met with the two people who treated Lucifer like an annoying child instead. "Only one of them is the police, Ginger," Eric said in a soothing tone, knowing that Ginger was on the verge of freaking out. It didn't take much for that to happen, honestly. "And she doesn't have jurisdiction in Louisiana. She can't do a damn thing." He extricated himself from her grip.

Chloe set her glass of water on the table and headed toward Eric and the bar. "Mr. Northman," she said warmly enough, but there was a frown on her face and clear suspicion in her eyes. "Have you by any chance seen Lucifer?"

"This evening?" Eric asked, guardedly. "I'm afraid the sun has only set, Detective, and as you can see, the bar is hardly open. Although I suspect you had some help in keeping the place closed." What was she doing here? Did she finally realize what she'd been missing and come to win him back? With Amenadiel as an approving chaperone?

Eric didn't like either of these people. And he didn't like what their presence in Shreveport might mean. Would Lucifer choose Eric or would he abandon the vampire in favour of his special Detective, when push came to shove? It seemed Lucifer wasn't the only one who worried he wasn't enough, and that new flaw greatly annoyed Eric.

Eric settled his gaze on Amenadiel, Lucifer's brother. He shoved his hands in his pockets and contemplated the angel. "You look a lot like your father, don't you?" he asked, trying to catch the man off his guard. Seeing someone else squirm would make him feel better.

"Actually yes, I do," Amenadiel said, sounded pleased with the fact. His chest seemed to puff out with pride for a second before he realized the hidden meaning behind Eric's words. "But how would you know that?"

Eric gave him a toothy grin, satisfied that he'd jarred the angel's confidence, even just for a moment. It put him on higher footing than the angel, and he needed that at the moment. "Seems I had him come into the bar last night," he told the angel.

"You did?" There was a bit of awe and a whole lot of eagerness in Amenadiel's voice. A far cry from Lucifer's reaction the night before. "What did he talk about?"

"That's not why we're here," Chloe interrupted, putting herself between the two men to force Eric to look at her. "We've got more pressing matters to discuss."

Eric frowned at her, not liking that she was here. "Such as?" he asked.

"Such as where Lucifer is," Chloe said. "He just up and took off three days ago—which, you know, is sort of typical of him when he's not getting his way. But as of this morning, he's stopped returning everyone's texts. And that is definitely not the Lucifer I know."

"Including mine," Amenadiel added, a frown on his face.

That uneasy feeling that had been in the pit of Eric's stomach since he woke up seemed to grow bigger. That was definitely not like Lucifer. He'd only known him a short while, but the man was a chatterbox. His own phone was back in his office, charging—but he'd had no texts throughout the day either. He'd just assumed that Lucifer would keep his promise and meet him when the sun came down. But avoiding talking to his friends from Los Angeles? That was not the Lucifer Eric had grown to love.

"Do you know where he is, Mr. Northman?" Chloe asked again.

Eric shook his head and then cut a look to Ginger. "Go get me my phone, Ginger," he told her and his most loyal human subject rushed off to do as he said. He turned his attention back to Chloe. "If he only stopped talking to you this morning, how are you here so quickly?" It was at least two days drive, more like three from Los Angeles.

"We flew," Chloe said, giving him a cold assessing look.

Eric blinked in surprise, turning to look at Amenadiel. "You flew?" But hadn't Chloe refused to believe Lucifer in that he was the devil? You'd think she wouldn't believe Amenadiel either. And why risk showing her wings if she'd only flip out?

"Yes," Amenadiel nodded, giving Eric a warning look. "We took a direct flight from Los Angeles. Allegiant Airlines." He grimaced. "Economy."

"Yes," Chloe said, her patience seeming to wear thin. "The seat was very uncomfortable. I get it."

Ginger came rushing back, shoving Eric's phone at him in her haste to be as quick as possible. He grabbed it before it fell to the ground, turning it on to see if there were any messages. Not a single one. He frowned, not liking that. He found Lucifer's number and tried calling, but it went directly to voicemail. The unease deepened.

Where were Pam and Tara, for that matter?

"You say he's been communicating up until this morning?" Eric asked, putting the phone back in his pocket.

Chloe nodded. "I assumed he left because I continued to refuse to let him help on the vampire case. But he kept bugging me about it, even while he was gone. I knew he was coming here. To see you for some reason."

"And now that he's not bugging you, you only start to care?" Eric accused. To see Eric for some reason. What the hell did that mean?

Before Chloe could defend herself, the door to Fangtasia banged open, the metal door slamming against the wall with an obnoxiously loud crash. In walked Sookie Stackhouse, Alcide in tow. Eric scowled at the approaching waitress. Did she not fucking understand goddamn boundaries? Hadn't he tried setting that last night? And yet here she came in, heedless to the fact the place was clearly closed. What the fuck did she want with him?

"Eric," Sookie said, rather breathlessly as she rushed up to him. "Bill is missing!"

Eric growled at her as her words sunk in. "What do you do? Keep tabs on all your exes?" he sneered at her. "How would you even know? You can't have gotten from Bon Temps to Shreveport since the sun set. It's only been a half hour, tops."

"His staff called me this afternoon," Sookie said. "They're freaking out. They said someone came early this morning, shortly after sunrise. Seemed it was a pressing matter so Bill let him in. Then not a half hour later the house was stormed, all of the staff were knocked out. And when they woke up this afternoon Bill and his guest were gone."

That uneasy ball of worry in his stomach was turning into an anxious energy. Lucifer wasn't answering his phone. Bill's house had been overtaken. Oh dear fuck. "I don't suppose you know who his guest was," Eric asked, his words clipped with the worry he was feeling.

Lucifer. He knew it was Lucifer. The man had said they'd find a way to get Eric to Los Angeles. And what better romantic gesture than to go ask the fucking King of Louisiana for permission to take Eric away? And now he wasn't answering his phone.

Sookie was shaking her head, clearly unsure of who had disappeared alongside Bill. "They told me it wasn't the first time the guest had visited, but they didn't give me a name. Someone Bill was willing to accept to meet even though it was daylight hours."

Even Bill Compton wasn't stupid enough to turn the devil away if he was seeking a meeting. And Bill had believed Lucifer.

Fuck.

Eric squeezed his eyes shut, determined to find Lucifer and make sure he was okay. He could feel Sookie's anguish clear as day, but it was so easy to just brush her emotions to the side. He'd been doing it for a while now, and even though she was right there broadcasting them so close to him, they didn't matter to him much anymore. But Lucifer . . . the man he'd just made love to the night before? He should be easy to find, his bright emotions a beacon to wherever the man could be.

It was impossible to miss Lucifer's emotional state. It would be there for a long time to come, brushing up against Eric's own feelings. That was the entire point of feeding Lucifer some of his blood—to always feel him there. But much to Eric's surprise there was . . . nothing. Where there should have been something—fear, anger, cheerfulness—instead there was a deep, devoid lack. It wasn't like when Sookie had disappeared to Fairy for a year, or when one of his humans' lives would be snuffed out over the centuries. This lack of emotion was different than both and something he'd come across before in his long vampiric life.

Wherever Lucifer was, he was knocked out. Gassed or poisoned into submission. Which didn't make much sense to Eric, considering the man was supposed to be invulnerable. . .

Except last night he hadn't been. The taste of Lucifer's blood was practically still fresh on Eric's tongue. Had showing their love made him more susceptible to danger? The idea scared Eric—it meant his immortal lover wasn't quite so immortal, making him just as fragile as a human. Eric did not like that idea at all.

Regardless of why, it remained that Lucifer was unconscious—and that probably meant he was not in Shreveport or Bon Temps any longer. He'd gone to see Bill Compton and gotten caught up in the King's bullshit drama. "Fuck. Fuck. He's gone." The unease that had been dogging him since waking was turning into full on terror now.

He couldn't lose Lucifer. Not after only just finding him!

Chloe was the first one to respond, suddenly all serious detective. "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

Eric glared at her. "It means I can't fucking feel him!"

"Bill?" Sookie asked, clearly not following Eric's train of thought.

"Why the fuck would I be able to feel Bill?" Eric sneered at her, not having time for her and her petty worries about Bill fucking Compton.

"I don't know," Sookie snapped back. "It's not my fault you seem to be having two different conversations at a time, Eric."

Eric growled at her, which resulted in a deeper growl from Alcide, who was clearly there as her bouncer and nothing more. Alcide cared about Bill just as much as Eric did. But the dog would protect Sookie with his life, Eric was sure.

"Enough!" Chloe yelled. "God, you're all a bunch of kids, aren't you?"

This resulted in everyone glaring at her. But it seemed that's what she wanted because she folded her arms and looked at everyone. "I don't know who you are," she addressed Sookie, "but I assume by Eric's reaction, that your Bill and our Lucifer have both gone missing at the same time. In the same abduction." Chloe gave Eric a weird look. "And that you can feel—or apparently not feel—where Lucifer is."

"That seems to be it," Eric said, but he was still focused inward, desperately trying to feel for a man who wasn't awake enough to feel anything. It was terrifying for Eric. He hadn't realized until this very moment just how much in love with Lucifer he was. He turned on Sookie, his fear in his eyes. "What did Bill's staff say exactly?" he asked.

"Who is Lucifer?" Sookie asked then shook her head. "That's the man hanging around Fangtasia last night, right? The one who . . ." She trailed off and then gave Eric a pointed look, her eyes big.

"What?" Eric ground out, not having the patience to read her bad body language.

"The one who was having inappropriate thoughts about you," Sookie hissed, her eyes sliding to the right to see if Chloe and Amenadiel were listening.

Chloe coughed, and it was clear she was holding back a surprised laugh.

Eric glowered at Sookie. "It's only inappropriate if it's not welcome," he snapped at her.

Sookie nearly gasped, not expecting his answer. Sometimes she really could be completely oblivious. "I—I just thought . . ."

"You thought what?" Eric asked. "That because I've slept with you, that I must be as straight as the stick up your ass?"

Sookie scowled at him. "Eric, you shut your dirty mouth."

"Why?" Eric growled. "And why is my sexuality of any importance to you? Why do you even keep coming to my fucking bar?"

Sookie gave him a disgusted look. "Well excuse me for caring, Eric. But I didn't exactly expect your rebound to be a man."

Eric's fear for Lucifer mixed with his annoyance at Sookie's words, and the vampire surged forward, fangs bared and anger bubbling out as he seethed at the waitress, "Lucifer is not a rebound!" he nearly roared, but a second later he found Alcide in front of him instead of Sookie, the other man growling back at him and his eyes lighting with a promise of a fight with a wolf, not a man.

He backed down, just barely.

"Can no one in this town contain their anger?" Chloe asked, her tone suggesting she was only half kidding. "Clearly we're got two people missing. Instead of fighting each other why don't we work together to help the people who've been abducted?"

Eric glowered at Alcide but the two men backed away from each other. Sookie stood with her arms folded, a hurt frown on her face. But Eric didn't have time to worry about how he'd hurt her feelings. Chloe Decker, as much as he didn't like her, was right. They needed to find Lucifer, and they needed to find him now. Eric didn't know why Lucifer was suddenly susceptible to being harmed, but the taste of him was still fresh and if Eric could drink the man's blood, someone could undoubtedly harm him, too. He needed to find Lucifer and he needed to keep him safe.

Chloe, satisfied that no fights were going to break out, cocked a hip and folded her arms over her chest. "Mr. Northman, do you know where Maze is? Maybe she might have some insight. I know she left with Lucifer."

Eric shook his head, not having seen Maze since he and Lucifer had left the bar the night before, seeking privacy. Besides, it wasn't Maze he needed to talk to. No, if he wanted to get answers, the first step was to find out what really happened at the Compton plantation. They had cameras everywhere—if Lucifer had been kidnapped alongside Bill, there'd be physical evidence of it. And if Bill really had been abducted, Jessica was going to be their lifeline—as soon as Bill would be able, he'd pull her to him. And if Eric was there when it happened, all he would have to do was follow the baby vamp directly to the useless King of Louisiana—and to Lucifer.

Eric could feel another growl rising in his throat as he imagined what had happened. Lucifer going to see Bill, and then being caught up in yet more vampire political bullshit. What he'd give to just be free of the confining vampire law. None of this would be a problem because Lucifer wouldn't have been asking fucking permission for Eric to live the life he wanted.

Eric started to move toward the door, intent on getting to Bon Temps so he could demand to be let into Compton's house to look at the video evidence.

"Mr. Northman?"

"Eric?"

Both Chloe and Sookie, demanding he switch his attention back at the same time. What were the odds? High, Eric decided. They both enjoyed sticking their noses where they didn't belong.

Eric stopped and turned on his heel, seething. He didn't have time for this shit. "I'm going to Bill's," he said. "To see what really happened."

"What about Maze?" Chloe asked. Sookie just looked relieved, probably assuming his intentions included saving Bill.

Eric waved a hand in dismissal. "Maze is with Pam. I can have Pam meet me at Bill's, but I don't think Maze will have much to tell us. She was suitably distracted last I saw her." Eric's fists clenched, remembering taking Lucifer outside—and the wings that had lifted them skyward while he tasted the man's blood for the first time. "So were we." He turned back to the door. "I need to go."

"I'm coming with you," Chloe said, surging forward.

"Me, too!" Sookie exclaimed.

Eric growled as he nearly ripped the metal door off its hinges. "You're just slowing me down," he ground out at the two women that followed. "I can get there in minutes, and I'm not flying either of you anywhere."

"This is Lucifer's safety we're talking about," Chloe said. "I have a right to be there; to help find him."

Eric stopped stalking across the parking lot to turn on her. "Where were you the first time he came to Louisiana?" he asked. "Did you care then? What about when you told him he couldn't help with your case? Or when he left three days ago?"

Chloe's steps faltered. "That's not fair," she said.

"Isn't it?" Eric asked. "He's told me about you, did you know that? And then I met you and saw how you treated him." He glared past Chloe to the mostly silent Amenadiel. "And you—I see how you treat him too, and you're his fucking brother. So no. I don't think either of you have the right to be there. I'll find Lucifer. I'll get him back."

"Oh, just shut up, Eric, and get in your damn car. We're going to Bill's." It seemed Sookie had recovered from Eric's earlier words, her attitude coming back full force. Sookie nearly shoved Alcide toward his truck, and Eric stood in his parking lot watching everyone fucking ignore him as they clambered into trucks and rental cars, all intent on finding Lucifer and Bill—and no one giving two flying fucks that Eric could get it all done in a fraction of the time.

As usual, everyone but himself was absolutely useless and intent on wasting his goddamn time.

He headed for his Corvette, knowing he should just fly to Bill's place and do it all himself. But no, he was going to do this the way Lucifer would want and include all the dumbass mortals that they both were surrounded by. He flung the door open and folded himself into the driver's seat, stabbing the key into the ignition and bringing the car to life even before he'd closed the door behind him.

As he backed out of his space and headed for the road, he turned inward, finding that iron-like connection to Pam. He sent forth a request, calling her to him, calling her to where he was going. If she was alright, she'd come. And she sure as hell better bring Maze and Tara with her.

Because if he walked into Bill Compton's house as the only immortal who knew what the fuck he was doing, he might kill someone.

And he'd fucking enjoy doing it.

Well, I sure hope you didn't think I was just going to give them a happily ever after without some kind of problem arising. XD