WMHB chap 10

Isabel placed her call to Eric’s disposable phone, “Meet us Panarea, off the coast of Sicily, as soon after first dark as you can on Monday night.” She left her landline and cell numbers just in case and let the dawn take her.

Eric was ecstatic when he received her message. Now he could finalize their travel plans. His first call though was to Sam.

“Merlottes. Sam speaking.”

“Shifter, it is I, Eric. Sookie is ready to see everyone now, unfortunately there is much going on around here which could put her in danger. Would you be able to get her brother and other friends together for a trip to Italy, leaving tomorrow night? All expenses paid, of course.”

“Are you serious? Even after being turned she’s still a danger magnet?”

“Yes, she is although this one was none of her making.”

“I will call those who need to know and find out. I’ll let you know in a couple of hours.”

“That will be fine.” He hung up and Sam got busy on the phone to Tara and Jason who both agreed they could use a vacation. Lafayette was working in the kitchen that night so it wasn’t a hardship to get hold of him. He agreed as well.

“Eric, the four of us can leave any time tomorrow.”

“Only four? That’s all the family and friends she has?”

“I’m afraid so, unless you count her lost cousin Hadley but no one’s seen or heard from her in years.”

“Very well, be at the private airport between Bon Temps and Shreveport by 2:00 am Monday morning. Pack enough summer clothes for three or four days and bring things to do, it is a nearly eleven hour flight plus transportation time to where we will be meeting her.”

“We’ll be there. Will we be able to leave our cars there without rousing suspicion?”

“No, they would rouse suspicion. I will have a car at the bar for you at 1 am, make sure everyone is there, if they aren’t they won’t be going and make sure they have identification handy as someone will be checking people on to the plane.”

“They’ll be here.”

He called everyone back and arranged to pick them up at their houses so they could meet their ride at the bar.

Eric had booked a house for them on the island as soon as he heard Isabel’s message, now he just had to let them know how much human food to stock so they would be fed well. This was a surprise for her, a way to celebrate being back together and to let her tell them what had been happening in her life over the last months.

Godric would be leaving for Dallas that night as well and would meet them as soon as he wrapped up his business dealings.

Pam would be going with him so he had booked a spa treatment for both Sookie and Pam, as well as Tara, for the night after they arrived so they could have some girl time and he could discuss things with Isabel.

He was planning on spoiling his girls for the next while. They all deserved a break and he was going to give them one. Sookie, especially, needed it. She had been thrown into an unknown situation with an unknown vampire and had accepted it even though she didn’t really want to. Her freedom of choice had been stripped from her and she hadn’t truly faced that reality yet, there had been too much else going on in their lives for her to do so.

Pam had a treat planned for her sister as well. She was going to take her shopping and pay for it all herself, not even Eric’s money would be used, she would do this all out of her pocket.

Godric was planning something for all of them once they could all be together again. He was going to take them all through the former Roman Empire, Norway and Great Britain so Sookie could see their cultures and how much history she had in her family, how much wealth of information she had at her fingertips if she only asked for it.

The Queen had something planned as well, if she could only find the little bitch. The Northman was being quite secretive about where she was. Sophie-Anne didn’t believe for a moment that he didn’t know where she was. What Maker would leave a newborn free, on their own, if he or she was still walking among the undead? He was doing everything he was supposed to be doing, even letting her have Lorena to torture and kill, to prepare for his departure. She just didn’t know when he would be leaving or where he was going. His phone traffic was normal. There was nothing from her, or anyone else, that she could find that was out of the ordinary. If he had made travel plans he had done it with a name she hadn’t discovered as yet, and she made it a point to know all the names her Sheriff’s used, just in case.

If she could only get at Bill, he would at least have information on Ms. Stackhouse.

Maybe her Hadley had information, alas she was preparing to be turned and was not to be disturbed for any reason.

When was that fool Waldo going to check in? He was days overdue and she had no further information from him. She had felt a small disturbance a few nights ago, the night before Northman had shown up with his…Maker. DAMN! She had planted Waldo in Dallas, in Godric’s nest. Had he been discovered?

“Andre, have there been any problems in Dallas in the last few days?”

“Yes My Queen, I thought you had heard that the building Godric’s nest was using was blown up by FOTS. There were two vampires and four humans lost in the bombing.”

“Have you heard from Waldo since then?”

“No my Queen.”

“You knew I sent him there yet you neglected to inform me that the nest he was planted in had been blown up?”

He didn’t say anything. He just knelt in front of his Maker and looked at the floor.

“Guards, take him to the dungeons, strip him, silver him and leave him there until I’m ready to deal with his idiocy.”

They dragged him to the dungeons and did as instructed. Going easy on him would only mean their punishment would be doubled so they did exactly what she said to her exact specifications. There would be no slack in the silver chains which could allow him to maneuver himself into a more comfortable position. Whenever he moved the silver would dig in and burn. They didn’t even leave a pair of socks on his feet to lessen the damage to his ankles. They hung his clothes just out of his reach so he could see them and wish for them to be beneath the chains but there would be no reprieve until she deemed it so.

Why were all her plans going down the drain? She couldn’t even indulge in feeding since she had promised her Hadley that she would abstain from feeding on others during her three days preparation. She hadn’t fed in two nights now and she would until she drained Hadley tomorrow night and turned her. She could go and take her frustrations out on André but she wanted him to suffer through the anticipation first. A week of anticipation ought to do it. She might even allow Hadley to participate.

Eric to Sookie: 1 more night my child then we will all be together again. 3

Pam to Sookie: 1 more night, then a treat.

Sookie smiled at her messages.

Sookie to Eric and Pam: miss u both. can’t wait. 3

Sookie to Godric: can’t wait for u to get here. Miss u.

“Izzy, where are you?”

“Heating up some blood Michelle, come on down.”

Sookie stopped, Izzy rarely called her Michelle when they were alone, she didn’t usually use a name at all.

“Thanks Izzy, I’ll be down in a minute.”

She crept back upstairs and launched herself off the bedroom balcony, slowly falling to the ground below. She peeked in the kitchen window and saw something she never thought to see in a million years. Bill Compton had managed to escape and find them!

She tried to call Eric to no avail. She darted quickly into Izzy’s room and got her phone, using it to call the Sheriff.

“Sheriff, this is Michelle Hale, I’m here with Izzy. Someone has taken her hostage and I don’t know what to do.”

“No, I don’t know where we are, she said we were at her villa. I was sent to ground because of the fool that has her and his Maker. Did she not register an address with you?”

She levitated to the roof. Bill wouldn’t be able to get her up here, he couldn’t levitate this high.

“Sheriff, I see the beach from here. Sailboats, no docks, mountains to the right if you’re facing the front door.”

“Yes, thank you, sooner is better.”

She stayed where she was, waiting for reinforcements to come, hoping they would make it in time.

She sent Eric a text: Bill is free. Has Izzy hostage. Have called Sheriff for help. Am fine so far.

Sooner than she could have hoped for she saw vampires flying in from the direction of town. They landed next to her.

“Ms. Hale?”

“Yes. An American vampire named Bill Compton has my proxy Maker hostage in the kitchen. Please, if you kill him tape it so I can send proof to the American Authority so he will know his security has been breached and so he can do what needs to be done with the estate. His Maker is dead so there will be no repercussions.”

“That’s all we need to know.”

They floated to the ground and stormed the house, taking Compton by surprise. He was soon under silver. Unfortunately Isabel was ashes on the wind.

When the authorities came out Bill was in silver. The Sheriff himself floated up to her, “Ms. Hale, I would like to offer you a haven until you can get in touch with your Maker. My day person can contact him or her during their night time to make the arrangements to get the two of you together.”

“Thank you. I will gladly take you up on the offer. My Maker is due somewhere tomorrow night. We were to meet him but I have not been told where. If you can give me the name of your day person I can let him know to expect the call. Although if we wait until closer to sunrise I’ll be able to talk to him myself. We have a set time we contact each other.”

“That is acceptable. I would like a chance to talk to him as well.”

“He is in Louisiana in the United States so you’ll have to figure out the time difference and when sunset is there. His name is Eric Northman.”

“Ah, yes, the Norseman! It is an honour to meet one of his progeny.

Come, let’s go get you fed. I can see the need in your eyes and hear it in your voice.”

“Thank you!”

They levitated to the ground but the Sheriff picked her up and carried her to his office where he ordered two donors for her and stayed with her while she fed just to be safe.

She spent several hours in his office, most of it in down time, until he told her it would be okay to call her Maker then.

“Sookie? Is everything okay?”

“Eric! Yes, I’m fine. Unfortunately Izzy was sent to her final death by the fool. They have him in custody. The Sheriff here wants to talk to you.”

“Of course, put him on.”

“Northman, as you have figured out I have your progeny with me until you can come claim her. The closest airport is Olbia, Italy.”

“Can you have her at Palermo tomorrow night for 8:45 pm? I already have a flight booked to arrive then.”

“I can and I will. Does she have money? What do you want us to do with Compton?”

“She does. She has a European bank card although she will need help reading Italian on the machine. As for Compton, it’s a bit complicated. I haven’t had a chance to speak with her about this yet so under direct silver and well guarded, day and night. He managed to escape our authorities here some how, we don’t need him escaping again.”

“Very well then, until tomorrow night. I will put your child back on the phone.”

He handed the phone back to Sookie, “Master, what the heck has happened? They weren’t supposed to know where I was and what haven’t you had a chance to discuss with me yet?”

“I do not know Sookie but we will discuss it tomorrow night. The Sheriff there will give you a place to stay for the day and make sure you get to our meeting place safely. If there is anything you need until then let him and know and it will be provided for you.

As for what we need to discuss, when Lorena met her final death all her assets were passed on to you. Her assets include Bill. The Magister has offered to bond him to one of us to be kept as one of our children, to do with as we will. You don’t need to make a decision right now, just think on it and we’ll discuss it tomorrow night.”

“I know Master, I guess I’m still a little shaken and without you here, well, the comfort just isn’t available.

I’m not sure how I feel about that Eric, having Bill as a sibling? The possibilities are endless though. Yes, I’ll think about it. Now I have pleasant thoughts to fall asleep to.

How are Pam and Godric?”

“We will be together tomorrow night my love. Pam and Godric are better now that they know you are safe.”

“Good. I’ll be glad when we can do away with the stealth crap. I want my Maker.”

He laughed, a sound she was delighted to hear, “I want you too my child, it is less than 24 hours now. Shortly after first dark for you. Dream of me and it won’t be long.”

“Dawn is approaching, I need to go to a safe place. I will see you tomorrow night.”

“Be safe my love. Until tomorrow.”

They hung up and she hurried to the safe room the Sheriff kept there for emergencies like this.