Chapter Text
Chapter One: There’s A Bad Moon on the Rise
Prologue: By the Pricking of My Thumbs
London, England 5:06 am
Buffy Summers dreamed.
If she were capable of analyzing her dreams while asleep, she would have found the prospect of a Slayer dream to be a nice respite from always having to relive Spike’s last moments and final death. Seeing him burst into flame had been a nightly ritual for years now, and she always woke up with feelings of longing, guilt, and sadness. Only Dawn had noticed this trend, but she never spoke to her sister about it.
In Buffy’s dream, she saw a vial of red blood. The dream scene expanded to show the vial being held by a blood-soaked, dark-haired man. There was a pool of gore next to him, and on the far side of the room stood two other figures—a tall blond man all in black, and a blonde woman. They were pleading with the dark-haired man, and Buffy could hear every word.
“So, Lilith appeared to you as well?”
He had a Southern accent. Buffy didn’t know who the guy was, so she decided to name him Rhett Butler.
The blond man spoke. Let’s call him Steve Rogers.
“Only to savage and obliterate my maker.”
Fuck, Buffy thought, inside her dream. Vampires.
Steve Rogers continued. “She’s a mad god, Bill—” God, Buffy thought, WTF? “She’s nothing but destruction. So don’t do it.”
Buffy knew how this scene would play out. Whatever Steve Rogers didn’t want Rhett Butler to do, he was totally gonna do it, but she was in a slayer dream and couldn’t control it.
“So you can?” Rhett said.
“Pour it in the fucking fire,” Steve replied. #TeamSteve, Buffy decided.
“You’ll never stop me,” Rhett insisted. This being a slayer dream, she could already predict she’d have to be the one to stop him. Her dreams were formulaic like that. It always came down to Buffy saving the day. After so many years, having to save the world from imminent doom had become cliché.
Steve: “So why’d you authorize our entry, then? You knew we would try.”
Rhett: “Because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get Salome on my own.”
Finally, the woman spoke. Let’s call her Jennifer. “Bill, this isn’t you.”
The vampire’s name is Bill? Buffy found herself actually disappointed. How lame is that? If it were her choice she'd continue to call him Rhett Butler, but if she were honest Bill had absolutely nothing on Clark Gable. He really was just kind of meh.
Bill: “What the fuck do you know about me? For all you know everything I did was an act, calculated to elicit a particular response.”
Jennifer: “I know that’s not true!”
Jennifer was crying, but Bill didn’t care. Steve Rogers was standing still, steadfast, just like Captain America would.
“Why, because of the light you bear?” Bill sneered. “Did you ever consider the possibility that it’s a handicap? One that blinds you to the most obvious of truths: that you are an abomination, just like the Vampire Bible states.”
Whoa, harsh! Buffy thought. And what the fuck? There’s a Vampire Bible? Had Giles been holding out on her? Not that she’d actually read the books, she conceded.
Jennifer was pleading with Bill, but he wouldn’t listen.
“I have spent my entire life as a vampire apologizing, believing I was inherently wrong somehow, living in fear. Fear that God had forsaken me, that I was damned.”
Shit, Buffy grumbled to herself. He’s monologuing. And she didn’t want to engage in the introspection that was shouting at her, YOU KNOW WHO HE SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE?!?! She wasn’t big on introspection, even in her dreams. Especially not this introspection.
“But Lilith grants us freedom from fear. Vicissitudes 9:24. ‘Fear not, for my blood is beyond fear, fear of sin, fear of mankind, fear of retribution, for thou art begat by God. And this world is but a spring to slake thy sacred thirst.”
This Lilith chick sounds crazy. Again, Buffy ignored the introspection that told her who that sounded exactly like.
Jennifer tried one last time. “If I ever meant anything to you at all—”
“I told you the first night we met,” Bill told her, full of disdain. “Vampires often turn on those they love the most.”
Buffy watched as Bill drank the blood in the vial. He began to convulse, and Jennifer backed up while Steve Rogers moved her behind him in a protective gesture. Bill began bleeding from his eyes and his mouth, and Buffy watched in repulsion as the blood poured over his body. Suddenly his head imploded, and he quickly dissolved into a puddle of scarlet blood and gore.
Jennifer clung to Steve Rogers, sobbing while he stared at the puddle in horror. Buffy tried to wake up, but the scene wasn’t over: even as Steve tried to comfort Jennifer, something was happening to the puddle. A figure rose from it, re-forming Bill, but naked and covered in blood. Ew.
“Fuck!” Jennifer shouted frantically. Bill didn’t respond. He was now fully reformed with his body drenched in red, and he growled menacingly at the two in the room with him.
“RUN!” Steve shouted as he and Jennifer bounded down the hall.
Buffy bolted up in bed, gasping in terror. Dawn, sleeping in the room’s other bed, grumbled as she slowly came up from sleep. She reached for the bedside lamp and glanced at Buffy, whose heavy breathing was the only sound in the room.
“Buff, what is it?” Dawn asked with a yawn.
Buffy turned to her sister, still gasping, eyes wide and terrified. She took a few more breaths before she met Dawn’s eyes, her voice only a whisper as she spoke.
“Lilith.”
Day 1 – Part I: Bad Moon Rising
New Orleans, Louisiana 12:37 am
The thing that was once Bill Compton growled inhumanly.
There was only one thing to do.
“RUN!”
Eric grabbed Sookie’s hand, pulling her out of the stupor she fell in after seeing her first love turn into a monster. She slipped and fell on the remains of a vampire, and he swept her up into his arms, using vampire speed to get to the nearest elevator. Sookie was gasping when he put her down after setting the elevator to go up, and he caught his own unneeded breath as the doors closed. In the fluorescent lighting, Sookie looked incredibly pale.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded. He was about to question her further when he felt the elevator give a jolt and stop suddenly, which was quickly followed by the power going out. Eric reached across Sookie to the elevator buttons, trying to see if anything still worked.
“Fuck! Power’s out!”
Sookie quickly used her fairy powers to create a ball of light that illuminated the confines of the elevator. “Can we make it through the elevator shaft?” she asked frantically.
Eric was already clawing through the ceiling, only to find it welded shut. He began punching it repeatedly, using vampire force to pry the thing open. After several unsuccessful punches, Sookie decided to take things into her own hands and shot some of her light power towards the dented metal Eric had been working on.
“Nice,” he said, grabbing Sookie and lifting her up through the ceiling before following her out. Inside the elevator shaft, Eric picked Sookie up and flew towards the nearest entryway. She shifted in his arms and used her light beam to open the elevator doors, and Eric set her on the ledge before pulling himself through the open gap. They found themselves on the level where they kept the prisoners, dozens of naked, crying humans, and what appeared to be a young vampire.
“Eric!”
Molly, the techno-geek vampire, was still alive – or at least, undead. Eric raced to her cell, pulling Sookie behind him.
“What’s going on?” Molly asked.
“The Authority has fallen, Bill drank the last of Lilith’s blood, and now he’s… something else.” He looked towards Sookie. “Do you think you can use your fairy power to free her? She’s with us.”
Sookie looked at Eric’s solemn face and nodded. Her light hit the lock on the barred door, easily dispensing with the mechanism that held the cell closed, as the power outage had disabled every security device except for the physical lock itself. Eric pulled the gate open, and Molly came out, slow and weakened with silver poisoning, but still faster than a human.
“Eric! The prisoners!” Sookie demanded as some of the wailing humans began to take notice of their presence.
Eric sniffed, frustrated at what he considered a waste of time. “If you’re going to do it, do it fast!”
Sookie used her light, opening every cellblock and urging the liberated humans to follow them to freedom.
“I know a way out!” Molly said, and led the way through the cellblock, Eric picking Sookie up again so they could run at vampire speed, the humans following behind.
“Go up!” Sookie urged them as Eric rushed her up the floors, climbing for the surface, knowing Bill would be hot on their heels.
Molly led them to the garage, pointing out a giant SUV. After disabling another locking mechanism for the SUV’s doors with Sookie’s light, Eric began hotwiring the car while Sookie jumped in the passenger side and Molly hopped in the back.
Once the car was running, they sped out of the underground garage, but were followed by the building going up in flames behind them. Eric drove the SUV towards an alleyway where he could feel Pam, though he could tell she was frantic with worry. He slammed the breaks once he saw the others, and Pam, Nora, Tara, Jessica and Jason piled in. He heard Sookie breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of her brother and friends.
“I think it’s time to ditch this party,” Eric drawled once everyone was seated, and he peeled out of the area surrounding the now burning building.
“The humans!” Sookie worried, but Eric didn’t spare a moment.
“We gave them a chance,” he told her, “but we know Bill’s coming for us.”
In the rearview mirror he could see a figure covered in red storm out of the fire, untouched, and take to the air. Looked like Bill made it out safely. He’d have to contemplate what that would mean later.
“I don’t think he’s following us,” Tara said, looking out the SUV’s rear window.
Jason sneered. “Unless he’s flying over our heads like an evil, naked Superman!”
Sookie looked back at her irritated brother, then turned to Eric. “I think that if Bill or... whatever that was wanted to kill us,” she reasoned, “we’d be dead already.”
It was a possibility that set Eric’s mind to his years of traveling with Godric, and the nights when his Maker would teach him the game of chess. Always protect your queen, Godric taught him. He gave a wary look at Sookie, then began making moves and counter-moves in his head as he turned the SUV towards a safe house he had set up on Lake Pontchartrain.
“Yeah, she’s right,” he warned Nora. “He let us get away.”
“For now, maybe,” his sister conceded. “But if Bill’s been reborn in Lilith’s image—”
Eric cut her off. “We don’t know that. We don’t know what he is.”
They drove on in silence. Eric turned on the radio to a news station. A report on Governor Burrell’s anti-Vampire speech earlier that evening did nothing to ease the tension within the vehicle, so Eric quickly turned it off. Next to him, he could hear Sookie start to sniffle quietly, trying to keep the tears at bay. Without glancing at her, he reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it reassuringly, and holding it for the rest of the drive.
“Eric?” Pam asked, interrupting the quiet. “Who the fuck is Mary Poppins and can I please kill her?”
Eric rolled his eyes, knowing this was coming. His eyes met Nora’s in the rearview mirror, and she gave him a “told you so” look that could only be shared between siblings.
“She’s my sister.”
Pam scoffed. “In over a hundred years you never thought to mention, ‘Hey, by the way, I have this super irritating sister. Wait ‘til you meet her. You’re really gonna hate her guts!”
“I had no reason to.” Even if breathing were unnecessary, Eric tried to calm himself with deep breaths, but there was no stopping Pam.
“Other than the fact that I’ve shared my entire life with you and all you do is lie to me and—”
This wasn’t the time for Pam to throw a tantrum. “Bill is out there, and he could be coming for us. The State of Louisiana basically just declared war on us. This is not the right time.”
“Why? Don’t you trust me?”
Eric curbed the behavior of progeny. “Get over it and have my back or get out of my face.” Pam slumped back into the seat in a huff. Eric could hear Tara’s muttered “asshole,” and he was man enough to admit he deserved it, but he didn’t care. He continued to drive, stewing in his seat.
Eric was drawn out of his thoughts by Sookie’s quiet voice. “So, where are we going? What are we gonna do now?”
He turned to look at her. “I have a safe house near here. It’s light-tight, safe, and has one hell of a security system. Bill won’t be able to get in, and we need time to regroup and see what’s left of vampire society since the Sanguinistas took over the Authority.”
Sookie merely nodded.
“Whatever is left of vampire society?” Nora interjected from the back, leaning between the two front seats to join the conversation. “Last time I checked, regents were grabbing for all the territory they could manage, fighting amongst themselves, squabbling like children without a parent to mediate. That sort of chaos would have pleased Salome, but it does nothing to help us now.”
“Thank you, Nora, for that update,” Eric deadpanned. “Do you have a better idea?”
Nora rolled her eyes at her brother. “No, but informing you of the situation seemed necessary.”
“The kings and queens are fightin’ each other?” Sookie turned towards Nora, making eye contact with the mysterious woman she knew only as Eric’s sister for the first time. The two sized each other up, feeling an antipathy between them that originated with their roles in Eric’s life.
“Yes, everything’s a mess,” Nora continued, “the sheriffs don’t know what to do, and vampires are hungry and attacking humans at an alarming rate. It’s a gigantic clusterfuck, and you have Compton to thank for that one.” Nora’s disdain for Bill was like ice in her voice.
“What did Bill do?” Sookie looked at Eric this time.
“Bill decided it would be a good idea to bomb the Tru Blood factories,” Eric explained with derision. “That was before he began killing Chancellors because he thought he was the Chosen One of Lilith.”
“If the reformation of his body is as you say, Bill very well could be Lilith reborn,” Nora reasoned. “There would be truth to the Book of Lilith.” Her eyes widened as the idea that the vampire holy book was right.
“If it is true, Lilith is an idiot and should be ended all the sooner. What kind of god is she that she would think that turning humans against us at this time would be good for vampires?” Eric sneered at the thought “It’s likely to get all of us killed.”
“Love the strategy meeting, Captain,” Pam interrupted, pushing Nora aside so that she could look at her maker. “But don’t you think the theology debate you and the Queen Elizabitch here are having isn’t at the top of our priorities?”
“Our priority is deciding what we’re to do next,” Eric told his prickly child. “If that discussion includes mention of a would-be god, then yes, theology is part of it. Now sit back down, Pam, unless you have something worthwhile to contribute.”
“Don’t you be talkin’ to her that way!” The outrage in Tara’s voice carried through the car. “You released her; you can’t order her around no more!”
Jason Stackhouse decided this would be an opportune moment to add his input to the conversation. “Fuckin’ fangers!” he said. “Why the fuck would y’all want to raise some vampire god if it were only gonna make things worse?”
“I’ll be sure to ask Compton that next time I see him,” Eric snarked.
“Bill’s dead, isn’t he?” Jessica’s voice was small in the silence that followed Eric’s response to Jason.
Sookie turned around in her seat to look at the baby vamp. “I don’t know, sweetie,” she tried to soothe. “I do know that Bill isn’t the one in the driver’s seat right now.”
“Whole thing’s still his fault.” Pam was looking daggers at Sookie. “Think about it. He was Bill when he ordered the Tru Blood factories bombed. He was Bill when he chose to listen to Lilith. He was dear, sweet Bill when he drank the Lilith-flavored Kool-Aid. Billy boy is to blame for the shit storm we’re now in.” Sarcasm dripped from her lips as she crossed her arms in front of her, settling back into her seat with a pout. Jessica began crying harder, and Sookie sent Pam a glare.
“We’ll see what we can do to get Bill back, Jess,” Sookie reassured the baby vampire.
“If that’s even possible.” It certainly wasn’t a priority for Eric, and he didn’t sugarcoat the situation. He turned off the highway. “Right now we can’t worry about Bill. He may be a lost cause. We have to worry about ourselves.” He heard Sookie give a defeated sigh and noticed a single tear fall down her cheek.
He maneuvered the car past empty fields and into a more wooded area. Once Eric pulled the car up to a dilapidated antebellum mansion, Jason decided to voice his displeasure. “What the fuck? We’re gonna stay in that shack?”
“No, we’re staying under that shack. I paid a lot of good money to build an underground apartment in spite of the water table. Now shut up and follow me.” Eric exited the car, using vampire speed to open the door for Sookie before she could do it herself. He grabbed her hand again and led the group towards the staircase leading to the mansion’s main floor. Once there, he pulled up a ragged, mud-stained rug that sat in front of a collapsed fireplace to show a trap door with an electronic panel alongside it. He put his thumb on a screen in the panel, and the door opened.
Sookie followed Eric down the staircase leading to a modestly furnished apartment under the house. The main room was made up of a living area, dining area and kitchen separated only by a breakfast bar. The open space was inviting with comfortable couches set in front of a large television, and a solid wood dining table with six chairs set to the side. There were three doors scattered around the room, each leading to a bedroom with en-suite bathroom. Eric situated Sookie on one of the couches next to her brother and began giving orders as everyone else settled on the furniture around the open floor plan.
“Nora, turn on the television and see if there’s any news of the fire in the Authority building. Molly, you’ll find a laptop in the first room to your left. See if you can find anything online about Burrell’s speech and how people are reacting to it. See if any connection has been made between the AVL and the bombing of the Tru Blood factories. This place is wired with wifi, so you shouldn’t have a problem. Stackhouse,” he said, looking towards Jason as Nora and Molly moved around to start their assignments, “get something for yourself and Sookie to eat. There’s human food in the kitchen. Jessica, Pam and Tara, there’s also Tru Blood in the fridge if you need it. All of my houses have a supply. We’re going to need all of it, I think.”
He glanced at Sookie’s desolate face. It was as if finally sitting down had released all the emotions she’d been holding back, trying to put on a brave face. “Do you want to take a shower?” he asked gently, demeanor completely different from the Viking chieftain ordering his people around of the last five minutes. At her nod, he held out his hand for hers and led her towards one of the rooms, closing the door behind them.
Sookie collapsed on the end of the large bed, overwhelmed with the goings-on of the past evening. Bill, her first love, was gone, and now some sort of monster had replaced him. His words had shocked and hurt her, and she felt lost, not knowing what was going to happen next. She tried to keep herself from seeking the comfort she knew Eric would offer, but it was, as always, hard to resist him when he was determined.
Eric had settled her on the bed before going into the bathroom and starting the shower. Once the water was at a comfortable temperature, he went back to Sookie, who looked absolutely devastated, and began to undress her. He didn't give his usual leering and innuendoes; in fact, there was barely anything sexual about his removal of Sookie’s clothing. Right now was about reassurance, comfort, doing for her when she couldn’t do for herself. He still cared deeply for her, was in love with her, in spite of his dalliances with Nora, and Sookie’s continued silence worried him no small amount.
He carried her into the bathroom and stood her in the shower, hoping the water would wake her from her stupor enough so that she could wash the blood and gore off herself. He had calls to make, but Sookie was still his top priority.
“Do you think you’ll be all right by yourself?” He asked her. She hadn’t indicated any discomfort at his undressing her, something so out of character for the girl who wore her modesty like a mantle.
Sookie didn’t answer, wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Sookie?” he asked again.
After a few moments of silence, Sookie gave way to a sob.
Eric toed off his boots, removed his jacket and threw it on the counter. Fully clothed, he stepped into the shower and held her as she cried. It sounded as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders, and he suspected that she was already blaming herself for any wrongdoing Bill would cause because she had been unable to reach him before he swallowed Lilith’s blood.
She rested her head on his shoulder as she cried, and he held onto her waist as if giving her a lifeline. The shower pounded into his back, soaking his remaining clothes as he allowed Sookie to cry, his hand stroking her naked back in reassuring movements, the gentleness of his touch belying the rage he felt towards Compton for putting her in this mess.
As the sobbing ebbed, she was able to look up into his face. Her eyes were red and her nose was running, but she looked as beautiful to him as she always did. He fought the urge to kiss her, instead pressing his lips to her forehead in a sexless gesture of comfort.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked, meeting her eyes. She nodded, and he let go of her waist, letting her stand on her own. He left the bathroom to grab a towel and one of his large shirts for her to wear, placing them on the counter next to the sink.
“I’ll be in the next room, making phone calls,” he told her, and only received another nod in response. Realizing there was nothing else he could do for her at the moment, he left the bathroom for the bedroom. He tore off his clothes and grabbed a clean pair of jeans from the closet he always kept full in case of emergencies and grabbed his phone.
As he scrolled through his contacts, he thought back to Godric’s words in his last vision of him.
It is not I who must fight her.
He recalled watching Lilith end his maker. It is not I who must fight her. Godric was always right. Eric had decided he needed to call on the one person who could possibly fight a vampire god.
During the drive to the safe house, Eric had come up with a tentative plan that could keep them all safe for the foreseeable future, even if it might not stop Bill from whatever devious machinations he had in store for them. Recalling Godric’s words, he knew he was doing the only thing he could. He dialed his contact, knowing he would likely be just waking up in London at this hour.
A young man with a lisp and an American accent answered. “Slayer’s Council. Rupert Giles’s cell phone, Andrew Wells speaking.”
“This is Eric Northman. Get me Rupert Giles immediately.”
The boy paused. Eric heard some interference as if someone covered the speaker on the phone, then a muffled “Mr. Giles—” followed by a far-away “not now” as the boy consulted the person Eric needed to speak to.
There was more interference as the boy put the phone back to his ear. “Mr. Giles is currently occupied, may I take a message?”
Eric closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. It didn’t exactly work, and his voice was steely cold when he spoke.
“No, you may not take a fucking message, tell Rupert that Eric Northman’s on the phone this minute!”
“Geez, no need to be all cranky about it!” The boy sniffed, affronted, but he did what Eric asked. He had obviously taken the phone away from his ear, but Eric’s keen hearing discerned what he said. “Mr. Giles! There’s a something-Northman on the phone for you, and he’s in a very pissy mood!”
“Northman?” Eric could hear Giles in the background. “Andrew, why didn’t you say so?”
There was the sound of a commotion over the phone as it was handed off, but the next voice Eric heard was that of the man he wanted to speak to.
“Eric? Eric Northman?”
“Yes, Rupert.”
“Good heavens, man, what is happening? The slayers have had dreams about a man covered in blood, Parliament’s declaring war on vampires, Tru Blood factories are going up in flames, and Buffy’s come up with the name Lilith. What on Earth is going on in America?”
Eric closed his eyes. He should be grateful that the Slayers had alerted Rupert to the problem, but he knew it would still be hard to explain this clusterfuck.
Eric had met Rupert Giles in New York at a summit shortly before Sookie had walked into Fangtasia, smelling of sunshine and summer days and turning his world inside out. The first anniversary of the Great Revelation had just passed, and it was two years after a spell had been cast that had activated all potential Slayers in the world, though this was not common knowledge outside the supernatural community.
Sophie-Anne had sent Eric as her representative to the summit, and he’d been seated next to Rupert for the length of the conference. Eric had respected the Englishman’s common sense as a settlement was arranged wherein the Slayers would spare all Authority-affiliated vampires, as long as they continued the mainstreaming movement. There were still plenty of demons for the army of girls to fight, after all. Both Rupert and Eric agreed to stay in contact, and the two men had formed a rapport between them over the intervening years.
Eric began, trying to be succinct. “The man covered in blood is named Bill Compton. He is a child of Lorena Krasiki, turned during the Civil War. Recently he was the King of Louisiana, part of the mainstreaming movement. He drank the blood of Lilith and then… became something else.”
He sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know what his plans are,” Eric continued, “but the Authority was taken over by a faction of vampires called the Sanguinistas, dedicated to ending the mainstreaming movement and bringing about the apocalypse spoken of in the Book of Lilith. They’re the ones behind the bombing of the Tru Blood factories, forcing vampires to feed on humans again.”
Rupert interrupted. “What!? The Book of Lilith? Surely Roman wouldn’t allow this madness to happen!” Roman Zimojic, the late Guardian, had also been at the summit, and Rupert Giles had appreciated his dedication to harmonious cohabitation.
“Roman has met the true death, Rupert. Russell Edgington was freed, and he killed Roman. It was a hostile takeover, and I didn’t know how to stop it. I had to play along, just to get us out of there.” Eric’s voice was low as he recalled the events that led to Bill ingesting the blood of Lilith. He wasn’t entirely innocent in the fall of the Authority, and he wasn't entirely ashamed of the mayhem he had caused in New Orleans, but it was almost as if he feared Rupert’s disappointment when the other man learned of it.
While he focused on his conversation with the Watcher, he could hear Sookie sobbing again under the sound of the shower. He greatly desired to go to her, but this conversation had to take precedence for the moment.
“Dear God, this is terrible!” Rupert was saying. “With Roman gone, there’s no telling what the Sanguinistas are capable of, even without this Compton drinking the blood of Lilith! It could be an all-out war!”
“Exactly, Rupert. That’s why I’m calling you. I need the Slayer here in Louisiana as soon as possible. I’m certain I know Compton’s first target ... a fae telepath named Sookie Stackhouse.” He heard the shower turn off, and a few moments later Sookie stepped out of the bathroom, hair wet and swimming in his large shirt. She gave him a small smile, and padded to the bed, sitting quietly next to him.
“Fae, you say?” Rupert was questioning. “But I thought they sealed themselves off in their own realms centuries ago!”
“Well, one of them returned to this realm, mated with a human, and a few generations later Sookie was born, telepathic and with some fairy powers.” Sookie looked at him nervously, not knowing whom he was telling her secrets to. Eric held out his hand to grasp hers reassuringly. He knew he was taking a chance telling Rupert about Sookie. It was a risk, but the Watcher wasn’t like Travers or any of the other leaders of the old Council. And Rupert knew the Slayer – the real one, the original one – and she was the only person he would entrust with Sookie’s safety.
“What is the relationship between Compton and this Miss Stackhouse? Why will he go after her?” Rupert’s question was innocent, but Eric still felt a pang in his heart as he was reminded of what Sookie and Compton had meant to each other. He himself had only experienced Sookie’s love while he had amnesia, and a part of him was slightly bitter that he never had the chance to be with her with all of his faculties intact.
“Compton... loved her, I think. But I also think he was obsessed with Sookie before he joined the Sanguinistas.” Eric met Sookie’s eyes again, half expecting her to come up with some defense of Compton. She always seemed all too ready to forgive him for the shit he pulled. Instead, she just lowered her eyes.
Eric continued. “I don’t know his next move, but Sookie is a target and I won’t have her harmed.” It pained him to have to rely on someone else to protect her, but he knew that he would be busy trying to salvage whatever was left of vampire society and the mainstreaming movement while trying to fend off the anti-vampire backlash stirring up worldwide. As much as he’d like to remain with her, Eric realized it wasn’t possible to stay with Sookie all the time.
Rupert hummed in thought before speaking again as if contemplating everything he had just heard. “My team and I will fly out of London this afternoon. We’ll probably land in New Orleans sometime tomorrow night. We can discuss this further once we’ve arrived in Louisiana.”
Eric nodded at the other man’s practicality. “I’ll have cars waiting at the airport to drive you to one of my estates. There will be plenty of room for all of you, and it's where I house the library I... inherited from my Maker.”
A small snort was heard over the phone line. “Casually mentioning Godric's library to sweeten the deal, Eric?"
Eric gave a rare smile. "If the prophecies and ancient vampire texts don't appeal to you, surely the Guttenberg Bible is enough reason to come and visit?"
“Yes, you certainly know my weaknesses. I’ll have my colleague Willow Rosenberg email you our flight information. There will be ... seven of us coming; myself, the Slayer, and a few of our associates.” Eric nodded at Rupert’s words, smiling at Sookie. “Once we get a plan of action in motion, I can activate more Slayers and have them come as backup, if necessary. The entire Slayer army will be available. Compton ... Lilith ... whomever this is, must be taken down before the Sanguinista movement expands any further.”
“If Burrell succeeds in his anti-vampire agenda, mainstreamers won’t have any choice but to join the Sanguinistas to protect themselves from humans. Human-vampire war would be inevitable.” Eric’s voice leveled as he contemplated the current shit storm, giving Rupert an indication of what he feared would be happening if Compton wasn’t stopped.
“Yes, exactly. This debacle mustn’t get out of hand. I will see you tomorrow. Goodbye, Eric.” Rupert hung up the phone.
“Who was that?” Sookie asked, quietly. She still held his hand.
“Rupert Giles, a friend. He’s coming here and bringing someone to protect you.” He set aside his phone and turned towards her, raising his empty hand to her cheek. “I promise you, we will get through this. I’m calling in all my markers, getting all my allies ready.”
“Is it really that bad?” Her voice wavered as she took in the severity of the situation.
“It could get very bad, but you will be safe. I’m bringing in the strongest warrior I know to protect you.”
“Who is it?” Her forehead wrinkled in question.
“The Slayer.”
He saw that the certainty in his voice reassured her, even though she wanted to ask who this Slayer was. Instead of questioning him, she kissed the palm of his hand, and it took all his control to keep from leaning in and kissing her at that moment. She may not be with him, but that changed nothing of his feelings, those dreaded emotions that had thrown him when he first started feeling them for Sookie.
He would protect her with every asset he had, every ally he could find; every bone in his very body.
Sookie would be safe.
The Slayer was coming.