| THIRTEEN |
WHEN YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL
A week had passed and the serial killer had finally been caught in Bon Temps. It had been René. He had attacked Sookie and she had killed him in self defense.
She couldn't quite believe the killer had been so close. Arlene kept apologizing over and over because she felt partially to blame as she felt like she should've known but Eira assured her it wasn't her fault. But Eira was just glad that it was over.
Bon Temps was now safe for her to be in alone without Eric. But she still didn't go back home. She wasn't ready to step foot in the house that felt so empty without her mother.
So, instead she would occasionally visit Merlotte's during the day (and she noticed Lafayette was nowhere to be found). But mostly she would come to Bon Temps to visit the grave where her mother was buried. She liked to just sit at her grave and say all the things she would've told her in life.
It was what she was currently doing as she sat on the ground with her legs folded beneath her when she felt a presence behind her. She looked to see her blond Viking vampire with his hands in his pockets and she let out a small smile, "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see what you did during the day," he said as his eyes assessed the situation, how she was in a cemetery talking to a grave, in confusion. "Should I be worried?"
"No," she shook her head. "I just feel closest to her here. I feel like she can hear me. So I like to tell her all things I would've told her if she were now."
Eric had crouched down behind her. She was wearing a tank top so the skin of her arms and shoulders were bare. He lifted one hand and ran his fingers ran up and down her right upper arm as he pressed a kiss to her shoulder. Goosebumps formed on her skin and her heart raced from the nearness of him before she felt him utter next to her ear, "Like what?"
She turned her head to look at him and found his face so close to hers. His blue eyes were so brilliant in the sunlight; she never wanted to look away from them.
"Anything," she answered before smiling. "But mostly about you."
"Ooh, really?" he smirked. "And what do you say about me?"
"I'm not telling you. It was private," she blushed before she pushed him playfully as she got up. "Come on. We should leave before you try to seduce me at my mother's grave."
"Seduce you?" he questioned as he followed after her through the cemetery. Her hair was long and flowing behind her as they walked; it shined in the light and he couldn't but reach out and twirl the ends of her hair as they walked. "I didn't even kiss you."
"You touched me," she argued.
"Barely."
"That still counts," she stated as they exited the cemetery and reached her car.
He chuckled, "Is that all it takes?"
"No," she stopped at her car and turned around to him with a pout as she crossed her arms. "I don't know. Maybe."
"Can I find out?" he stared at her intensely with suggestive eyes and a little grin. He almost resembled a pleading puppy and she found him hard to resist. He looked so beautiful in the daylight. His eyes were enchanting and she found herself nodding slowly.
"Wait, really?" he said in surprise.
His words were ignored as she quickly grabbed his shirt and pulled him to her. She kissed him and then he pushed her against the hood of the car. She could feel him smirk against her lips before he teased, "So this seduces you?"
"Shut up," she blushed and kissed him to make him actually shut up. It worked wonderfully and they ended up making out with her sitting on the hood of her car. His hands roamed everywhere over her clothes and it was more than she had ever done with him.
______
The next day she came to Fangtasia later in the night as she had been in Bon Temps. She didn't find Eric on his throne so she went to his office. She stopped in the hallway though once she heard the voices talking inside.
"Did you really tell your little pet that you'd make her a vampire?" Pam asked. "Her? Really, Eric?"
"It sounds like it bothers you."
"She would not make a good vampire," Pam argued. "She has morals for one."
"I tell her what I need to tell her," Eric said blankly.
"So you lied?"
Eric stayed silent for a moment, "What do you think?"
Eira shook her head as tears built in her eyes. She'd heard enough and she quickly turned around before leaving. She got in her car and drove away.
She still refused to go home so she drove to some hotel and stayed there for the night. As soon as she got into her room, she immediately went to take a shower. Her skin crawled with the ghost of his hands she'd let touch her and she wanted the feeling gone. Once in the shower, her tears mixed with the water and the presence of tears still lingered once she got into bed.
Eric sent her a series of texts asking where she was. Then it delved into calls. She ignored each one and wanted to set the phone on fire. She then started to think how Eric would definitely come and find his pet if she didn't answer so she sent him one single text to satisfy him. Fell asleep. Sorry. Staying with Sookie. He didn't bother her after that but it didn't matter as he was still on her mind as she cried.
She used to think that meeting Eric was some miracle. Now she wished that she never did. She felt stupid for ever thinking of him in that light. She felt stupid for loving someone that only thought of her as a pet, a prize. Eric Northman was no miracle in her life; he was her calamity.
______
After a night filled with crying, she pulled herself together as best as she could. Even though her chest ached so fiercely and she looked awful with red-rimmed eyes and tear stains on her cheeks, she didn't really care. Eric could see the disaster he created.
It was daylight and she headed to Fangtasia. She decided that instead of trying to ignore him, she'd confront him. She'd remove him from her life like ripping off a band-aid. It would hurt terribly but she needed to get it over with.
When she walked in, no one was around except Ginger. Eira formed a small, barely there smile as she sat at the bar, "Hey, Ginger."
"What happened to you?" Ginger gasped before stating. "Eric is gonna be so angry."
"I'm sure he is," Eira said sadly in a sarcastic tone that Ginger didn't pick up on. "Is he sleeping?"
"Yes," Ginger said. "It's daylight. What else would he be doing?"
Eira smiled tightly before she sighed, "I'll guess I'll just wait for him."
Eira didn't really want to confront him quite yet. After all, she'd be breaking her own heart. So waiting a few hours was preferable.
"Well, I'll make you a tube top sandwich. I'm sure that'll cheer you up," Ginger smiled before stating absentmindedly. "I have to give one to the man in basement anyways."
Eira frowned, "What man in the basement?"
"Oh, uh..."
Eira immediately got up and rounded the bar before going down into the basement. She gasped once she saw who it was.
"Lafayette."
She ran to him and knelt next to him as she analyzed him. He was in chains and covered in filth.
"Eira? That you?" Lafayette blinked as his eyes adjusted to small bit of light coming in.
"Yes," Eira said as clenched her jaw. "And I'm getting you out of here."
Eira raised her hand and used the magic she had in her blood. The chains on Lafayette burned to ash in instant and Ginger started screaming from behind them.
"Ginger, shut up!" Eira shouted.
Ginger stopped but argued, "Eric said I was supposed to make sure he didn't escape."
"Well, he's not escaping," Eira said as she helped Lafayette to his feet. "I'm setting him free."
"But Eric is going to be so mad?"
"Then when he wakes, send him to me," Eira commanded as she left with Lafayette.
_____
Eira took Lafayette to his home. She wanted to take him to a hospital because his leg looked pretty bad but he insisted. So she did what he said and after she helped him inside, he said he just wanted to be left alone. She agreed and left but she told him she'd be back tomorrow to check on him.
She didn't know quite where to go after as she still didn't want to go home. In her mind, she thought it would be a good idea to go to the one person who could understand loving a vampire: Sookie.
So that's where she ended up. Sookie was in shock when she saw the poor girl who looked like she went through Hell. Eira only told her about Lafayette and the first thing that popped out of Sookie was how she was right.
"Eira, I told you that you shouldn't have been around him," Sookie lectured as Eira laid on her couch in despair. "He's no good."
"I know what he is," Eira snapped. "And he probably had a reason."
"He tortured Lafayette, Eira! What reason could there be that excuses that?"
"It could be anything. You don't know," Eira defended. "But he's a vampire, Sookie. They do monstrous things; it doesn't mean they're always monsters."
"How can you even think that?" Sookie argued. "Bill doesn't do anything like that."
"Really? What about your uncle Bartlett?" Eira asked after remembering what Eric had told her about Bill and some of the things that he'd done recently. "I know he wasn't the greatest but it was still murder."
That shut Sookie up.
_____
When it hit nightfall, Eric was at the house immediately. Sookie opened the front door and glared as Eric spoke quickly, "I want to see her."
"I don't know who you're talking about."
"I know she's here and she is mine," Eric said before he bared his fangs. "Bring her to me."
"She doesn't want to see you," Sookie crossed her arms. "And since you're not invited in, I guess you won't. Ever."
"You think I can't get around this?" Eric formed a deadly smirk. "I will burn this house to ground if that's what it takes."
"Wow, real charming," Sookie stated. "What does Eira even see in you?"
"I don't know. Why don't you bring her to the door and ask?" Eric suggested as he glared at the human he couldn't glamour.
Eira had enough of all their arguing and quickly stepped outside, "I'll talk to him, Sookie."
She kept walking towards him forcing him to take steps backwards as she said angrily, "Stop threatening my friends."
"She was keeping you from me," Eric argued as he stood off the porch after he was forced to step off it.
"Because I asked her to," Eira crossed her arms.
"If this is about your friend you found at Fangtasia, he was selling vampire blood which is a very grave offense," Eric explained as he assessed her hostile stance. "But I didn't expect you to be so mad. I've done worse before but you know that. Because it was for you."
She remembered the Rattrays and how Eric had killed them to keep them from talking about her. Her eyes teared up because she had always thought he was doing these horrible things because he cared about her and her voice came out in a painful whisper, "I know."
Eric went to reach for her but she flinched, "Don't touch me."
"What's wrong?" Eric asked cluelessly.
She huffed and moved off the porch. She stormed past him so she could talk to him more privately without Sookie and her watchful eye. He followed behind her and she brought him into the cemetery where dead things were buried. This time, that dead thing was the belief in you and I.
She stopped and it took her a moment until she turned around to face him. She stared at him before she swallowed the lump in her throat, "I have a right to be upset about my friend but I'm not. I'm not because I love you. But I don't want to love someone that only thinks of me as their blood bag."
"Who said that? Sookie? Bill?" he said angrily.
"You said it," Eira stated. "I heard you with Pam. You only tell me what you need to tell me, right? So you can keep around like a prize to keep?"
"Eira, that was...it wasn't..." Eric was tongue-tied. "It wasn't real."
"So what you say with me is real but not with your progeny?" Eira stated. "Your progeny who's known you for a century. Not even she believes that you care about me."
"Pam doesn't understand!" Eric shouted before quieting a bit. "Why does it matter what she believes?"
"It won't if you can tell me I'm not just a prize to you," Eira pleaded. "Tell me I'm wrong."
Eric was silent. He barely understood what he felt for Eira. All he knew was that he wanted her always whether that was because she was the greatest prize a vampire could have or something deeper, he didn't know. But he wouldn't lie to her now just to keep her; she deserved better.
So he stayed silent and his silence spoke a thousand words. Silent tears ran down her cheeks before she spoke, "I don't want to see you again."
"As you wish," he looked at her painfully before he disappeared.
Once he did, she started to sob. She walked to the grave of her mother before she collapsed to her knees. Her heart felt like it was ripped out of her chest and she really needed her mother who would never be with her again. The thought only made her cry harder.