PART FOUR

Chapter 9

The woman broke through her bindings, laughing all the way. "I am better than what I was, stronger than what I was…..did you think that would hold me for long?" Selena said with a laugh, heading straight for the Viking, still clad only in the towel from earlier. She took a last look to the two stunned in the weeds and slowly recovering and then she shot a glance at Holly, who seemed to be working on something. Not threatened in the least by the wiccan, Selena shoved him hard to the ground and she forced herself on him. Frowning, she then sensed the slightly rekindled spark. "So….she managed to get you away long enough to try to bring that spark, that bond back to life. Seems to me I had best finish the job now then. Such a shame." she pressed her self close to him and at the same time, with one of her hands, removed the towel from him and thought there was resistance, some struggle at first, it wasn't long before her nearness to him, her aura and power had rendered him helpless to her charms and as she kissed him and did…other things, he was blissfully unaware of the life ebbing from him. Then came a blast of light as a recovered Sookie and Hadley joined forces to send the woman flying off of him.

"Holly….are you ready? I know we can't kill her yet, but I have got to reestablish the spark before we use that stuff." Sookie called as she crouched beside the startlingly weak looking Eric. They had, before they had gone their separate ways, uncovered another clue in the book. That they had to reestablish the bond between the couple before they could kill Selena. As it was, if they killed the bitch now, it was curtains for him as well. There had been more to it than just getting the water from this place and Holly grabbed on to her friends hand and without a word of warning to Sookie, channeled their power together, creating something of a shield around them. "I am going to go after her with this…..a blade imbued with the water. It won't kill her, unless I plunge it deep into her. But if I knick her, or use my own power, I can keep her at bay. Again. Long enough for you two to hopefully get more than a spark going again."

"I don't like this….." Sookie said, stealing a glance at Selena, who looked as if she was hoping to get a little messy with them both. "She's tougher than we thought she would be."

"Yeah, well I have some tricks up my sleeve…also, this shield I have around us at the moment, its soundproof. For all she knows we are talking about a good jumbo recipe." winked Holly.

"If anything happens to you, I don't think I will forgive myself. Too many people have helped me out and some of them…..didn't make it." replied Sookie with a sigh. "I would hate to see you-"

"I ain't dying. Not tonight or for some time. I've got a family to get back to and so do you. And you know how much juice I have in this little frame of mine." Holly said as she squeezed her friends hand. She passed something on to her as well. "Ireland was beautiful and the map in the book didn't lead me wrong. I found the place and it was unreal….maybe after this is over, we can take a trip there and-"

"No time to chat about travel plans…what is that?"

"This should weaken her, not kill her." Holly revealed a syringe of a water that seemed to have a glow to it. And in her other hand, she revealed a bottle of the same water. "This couldn't have worked out better, winding up by the water because with this water, it is said a small amount will turn any ordinary water into a supernaturally powered spring like the real one in Ireland. Get the bond back, even a little more and we knock that witch in the water and badabing, we got this. There was no way we could have lured her to Ireland, no doubt she knew what we were trying for. So go to him. I got this."

Chapter 10

The shield had dissolved, leaving the two vulnerable to Selena's attack, thought the woman looked almost bored as she lounged lazily on a large overturned tree trunk. "About time you finished your little hen party….now if you don't mind, can I get rid of you two before I get rid of him, tragic as it will be? I can't leave a job unfinished, after all." she said but didn't get a response. At least not a verbal one. She headed for him, brazen as usual but this time she was stopped once more by a flash of light and she and Holly had begun to spar, the bottle of water safe in Holly's pocket, no doubt the syringe there as well. Seeing the flashes of light from Holly and the lightning from the siren, Sookie knew she had to get him somewhere a little safer, if only a few yards from where they were congregated.

Their eyes met as they stood so close to the shore, she trying to ignore the scuffle taking place behind them, a scuffle that was brewing further away as they took to entering the woods. "Hey….this can be over so soon….fight her, please. I know you're tired and….that she has all but taken you from me but I know the fighter you are. You and I…need to reconnect. Your life depends on it. My life….the life I sorely wanted….it depends on it too. Find your way to me." eh held her arms out pleadingly to him, hoping for a embrace, a hug, something that would give her hope. And she saw something, something that was so rare with him and yet, she knew that it happened from time to time. There came the single tear down his cheek, the streak of blood marring his weary face and she knew it was a struggle, but he stepped closer to her and fell to his knees at reaching her, allowing her to comfort him as she got to her knees and they touched their foreheads to one another. Hearing her friend Holly scream angrily, hearing her and the siren's powerful lighting crackle around them, Sookie wasted no time and kissed him, at first, she felt resistance but then she felt it. She felt the bond beginning to return, strengthen. And he too started to feel it as she felt himself come back to life in a way. The timing couldn't have been more perfect as she saw Holly emerge from the woods, victory in her eyes as she dragged the battered siren by the hair. Tossing the bottle of water towards the pond, she nodded at Sookie, who understood. Using her light, she blasted the bottle open, the water falling into the pond, which turned a crystal blue, a eerie glow hovering at the surface. The syringe had clearly been used and Holy was at the edge of the water, ready to take the siren out.

The bond, Sookie felt instinctively, was at a point where she felt comfortable enough that they could, in fact do what was needed now, that enough was returned to keep him from his doom. True, he still looked horrible and was fading fast before her but now, they could destroy the siren and her grip on him, thus saving him. "You really think I would go without leaving misery in my wake? That is what my kind does!" Selena took her past ounce of energy and with her black lightning, send the Viking backwards, tossing him straight into the water. "Remember, the water destroys dark magic…..dark beings and what, may I ask is-" she was stopped by a shove by Holly and before their eyes, they watched the woman dissolve in a rather grizzly manner, her skin peeling off, her bones turning to dust before their eyes, but not before a final, insane sounding cackle permeated the night sky. Neither could take any joy in that which they saw and though both knew without a doubt the bitch was dead and gone, the fact remained that the woman may well have taken him with her after all.

Chapter 11

The water didn't remain enchanted for long and had returned to its normal state. And while the situation seemed dire, knowing what the water had had the power to do to those creatures born from dark magic, there was something she reminded herself as she dove into the water, clothes and all. The waters were supposed to destroy things of darkness, of dark magic and though it was true that was likely where vamps originated from, surely, there had to be exceptions. Many she knew had been good hearted and had done good things along with the bad. And as for her own vamp, she knew her blood was in him forever and that was from light magic, of the good. Though she never thought it was fair that vamps were in general, thought to be evil. Damned. Wicked. At least hers, she hoped, had been protected by having a little of her in him. She did, after all, feel something there, something that was stronger now that that woman was out of the picture. Still, it was weaker than she was sued to and as she sped through the water, her eyes ablaze with worry and bravery, she hoped against hope she could and would find him.

Going to the bottom of the pond, she used her enhanced abilities and was able to see through the murky water, seeing something on the bottom that was clearly no fish nor debris. Her hands reaching out, she felt and saw him and though lifeless, she knew he was alive. Manner of speaking. Grabbing his clothe less form, she brought him to the surface where a relieved Holly helped her out of the water and together they flashed using Sookie's light right to the second house on the property where a larger tub was on hand in the bathroom. Three times the size of a hot tub, she wasted no time drawing the bath and after getting Holly's help getting him into it, Sookie left the room for a moment, taking her friend with her. "Thank you for everything but I think I can manage this from here…I am so relieved that…things worked out."

"Any time, are you sure you want me to leave? Just in case-in case you need help getting him out of the tub?

"I think I can manage to do that myself….though I did enjoy you two ladies' hands everywhere." a voice called from the bathroom and to their relief, they returned to the bathroom to find him still looking weary but there was also that smirk there that they both knew was more than a good sign. Holly stood back with relief on her face as she watched her friend throw herself into the tub, her clothes already wet anyway and as they embraced, the Viking stroking her hair with relief on his own face, he nodded at Holly. "I thank you for your help in this little adventure…I am grateful in more ways than you could imagine."

Holly arched a brow and even from this distance, even with the froth on the surface of the water, she smirked right back at him. "I can see just how grateful you are….unfortunately I am a married woman and you a married vamp…so….." there was a laugh shared amongst the three and using her magic, Holly bade them a good night with the hopes of a relaxing evening, leaving the two to soak in the warmth and peace with one another.

"Another day, another crisis averted." she said as she sat on his lap, stripping her drenched clothes off her as she became clothed in only suds, the jets she turned on in the tub now keeping the water frothy as she added more bath gel to the water. Sandalwood, she had chosen, in a rush. "How are you feeling? Do you need some-" she had seen the hungry look on his face and without warning, she felt him bite deep into her neck and though she winced with the pain of it, she soon relaxed and let him do what he needed to, knowing, trysting that he would not lose control. She hoped he wouldn't, anyway. With what the siren had done to him, she was hesitant in some ways to keep this going and she started to feel weak, weary. Even for being as super powered as she was. But she needn't have worried as she felt him pull out of her neck, healing her wound with his blood. Looking at him, she saw already a marked improvement taking hold, though there was a haunted look in those eyes of his.

"I…..that was rude of me, I…Didn't think you'd object. I should have asked, especially after what I did with….with her. What you walked in on." he paused. "And here you are with me, how is it possible you can be here after seeing what you did, knowing what I did?"

There was a silence. "I know its not a easy thing to live with and if I could take it from your memory and you could take it from mine, I think we would jump at the chance. Because truth be told, I was sick to my stomach. Seeing you and her….and feeling you literally being taken from me in every way possible….it was the worst thing I could have….. " she couldn't finish her sentence, her throat was constricting too much. Her head was leaning against him and he looked down at her, glad that she wasn't looking at his face, though he knew the game would be up when she saw the tears fall into the foamy surface of the tub, tuning the foam a pinkish color. And sure enough, she looked up and at him and saw the honest truth of it all. That it was clear that this had devastated him. She could count on one hand with spare fingers how many times she had seen him cry, though she knew the heart he had was so much more sensitive and caring than it had been when she had first met him. She took a wet washcloth and proceeded to clean the blood from him and she tried to hold her own sorrow back, wanting to be the brave one. So many times she had tried to be brave and though she was clearly relieved that another incident had passed, she was too overtaken to hold anything back. "I fingered the chain around his neck where his ring was securely resting on. She fingered it as she leaned against him. "I wish I could say I hope to never endure anything like that again but…..look at our track record, always some nit job out there trying something or another. And knowing that there are beings like Selena who exist…its frightening."

"I would say we have a excellent track record in the way that we always manage to overcome what we face." he replied, staring into space as he comforted her. "I like to think that we keep getting tougher with each little adventure and that being said, I do not wish to encounter another rogue faerie turned siren anytime soon."

"Me either…..my cousin sent me word that she has destroyed every last bit of magic that was found in her home that was used to force her evolution. So hopefully, any other sirens out there…well…..I don't think they would be a threat, Selena was clearly out of her mind…then again, some humans are too. Nice to know crazy isn't exclusive to once certain race."

"Nope, it isn't….." he replied. "I am feeling much, much better. And once again I have to thank you for saving the day. My sweet little heroine…." how about we dry off and head for-"

"if you are talking about bed, I am not getting into that bed until I get new sheets and thoroughly clean everything in, around and on it after she defiled it. At least we've got the cubby….."

"True…very true." and with a playful pinch to her rear, he soon had them out of the warm water, dried, barely dressed and in the cubby and as much as he savored being able to move fast, the next several hours, he wanted to take things slow and steady and she reciprocated in kind, clearly having forgiven him for the transgressions that he had himself inadvertently committed. And yet, he wouldn't admit it to her, he felt nonetheless ashamed for his actions and vowed not to let anything like it happen again. He couldn't; afford something like this to happen again, knowing the toll it had taken on not only him, but her. And for what it was worth, if he had only known what was going on in her mind at that moment, he certainly wouldn't have rested as easily as he was and even then, it wasn't very much, having some of her magic and abilities permanently flowing within his veins, he could attempt to look into her mind, though he could only get flashes at best and even then, it was spotty at best. Most likely because of him being what he was. But what he knew for sure was he certainly didn't want to violate her privacy after everything she had endured. He turned over and their backs were to one another. Sookie, for her part, had pretended to be fast asleep. And she knew she needed to make a move, that she wasn't entirely ok with the events that had transpired. And before he rose later on, he would find her gone. With nothing more than a note in her wake. This separation was going to test them more than anything else had in their lives and this was saying quite a lot.

THE END

AUTHOR"S NOTE-having trouble coming up with new story ideas! Not sure when I will be back with more but be patient, I will be! Thank you!