When I'm through with You

Thank you for reading and reviewing the story and making it one of your favorites. This is going to be the last chapter. I hope that you've enjoyed it and again, I can't thank you enough for your time and patience.

"Where is she? We will find her and we will end her." Eric said to Sookie. "Please, lover. Look at me."

Sookie shook her head back and forth. She couldn't say where Sophie Ann was. She knew but she couldn't speak. She was always forbidden to tell the hiding place of her maker. Sophie Ann's greatest way to rule was to always say to her children, 'As your maker'. That was how she kept them in line. Sookie and her now dead vampire brothers had no choice but to keep secrets and do what Sophie Ann said when she uttered those words.

Eric brushed her hair from her face and kissed her forehead. He could feel her despair as it filled the bond. "Please, lover. Don't give in to her. You can to do this. You said that you wouldn't give up on us."

Bill stood over Eric and said, "Sophie Ann has always had a hold over her. Sookie's fear of her maker has always made her susceptible to Sophie Ann." Bill's voice took on a sullen tone. "We will all fall under the rule of Sophie Ann. There will be no hope for any of us, vampire or human if she takes the throne. Evil will be forever rampant in Louisiana if Sookie gives in. We need for you to fight, Sookie."

"Don't worry, Bill," Eric said. "We will find Sophie Ann and we will end her. She will meet the true death."

"Blackness," Sookie mumbled.

"Has she gone to ground?"Eric asked. "Is that the blackness that you see?"

Sookie's eyes were opened but she could see nothing but blackness and hopelessness. She thought that she was going to be strong when the time came but she folded into herself. Over and over in her mind, she kept seeing her future. The future that Sophie Ann had in store for her. She was alone. She was alone and weak. She didn't want to be alone; not anymore. She couldn't live that way any longer. She wanted more out of vampire existence. There was too much that she had missed out on. She didn't want to miss anymore.

"Take me to bed, Eric." She looked up at him with sad blue eyes. She needed to think.

"Come lover."

Sookie nodded and wrapped her arms around Eric's neck.

Lifting Sookie into his arms, Eric carried her to their quarters. After placing Sookie into bed, Eric began barking orders to Bill and the guards that followed the vampire that was carrying their beloved queen.

"Bill, get the guards together and make sure that they cover the grounds. Anyone that they find that is not of the royal house, vampire or human, you bring them back to me. Once that's done, you and I will search every inch of this house. I'll get Sookie situated and I'll meet you in the courtyard in five minutes."

Without argument, Bill left the room and did as Eric ordered. He knew that Eric could possibly become his king and that they both had the same idea in mind. They would do what they had to do to protect Sookie. Even if it meant dying. Bill closed the door behind him as he left the room.

Once Eric had Sookie undressed and in bed, he pulled the covers over her and kissed her lightly. "I will return. This is our fight. You will not go through this alone." Within seconds, Eric was gone.

When the door to the bedroom closed once again, Sookie sat up in bed and looked at the door. She could feel Sophie Ann in her head. She was laughing at her. Taunting her. Sophie Ann had a crashing effect on Sookie. Her head felt as if it was about to explode. Her maker was taking hold of her and Sookie felt that there was nothing that she could do to stop it. Sophie Ann was so much older; stronger.

But you have the advantage.

Eric's voice played in her mind. It was soothing but the blackness didn't subside.

You have become a different person. You are the person that your father raised you to be. You're not the weak child that Sophie Ann used to know.

For the first time since becoming a vampire, Sookie had experienced the freedom that so many other vampires relished. She now had friends. She knew what love and passion was. She finally had a life of her own. The thought of Sophie Ann taking those things from her, filled Sookie with pure hatred and contempt. She couldn't give those things up so freely. She wanted to keep them. She needed them. She deserved. The laughter and the taunting were louder than before.

You won't give up. You won't give up on the life that awaits us. You have the advantage.

Sookie knew that Sophie Ann wasn't going let her go without a fight. Sookie then realized that Sophie Ann didn't need the bond to keep Sookie tied to her. She was telepathically connected to her. There was no letting go. They would be forever tied to one another. The only way to be free of Sophie Ann is to stay strong and to fight. She had to resist the urge to fold within herself and give in as she always did where Sophie Ann was concerned.

You can do it, lover. You can do anything.

Sookie began to let the fear go. She let the sense of panic go. She decided to focus on being the queen that she has been; the queen that she knew that she could be. She began feel several emotions at once; relief, contentment, longing, treachery, and vehemence. She was going to be strong. She was finally going to get her revenge. The pleasure that awaited her when her maker finally meets the true death was a pleasure she couldn't wait to bask in. The desire to see Sophie Ann suffer was as strong as the love that Sookie felt for Eric.

"I have the advantage. I've always had the advantage."

Sookie got out bed. She stood in the middle of her bedroom floor and she let the blackness go. She didn't bother to dress. In all of her naked glory, Sookie opened her bedroom door and began to take the walk to her where her maker was waiting for her. She wanted to tell Eric but she knew that he would have tried to stop her and fight Sophie Ann on his own. She would have killed him. She couldn't let that happen. She understood that Eric wanted to be with her but he couldn't. This was her fight. She knew that this was the only way she would ever be free of Sophie Ann. She was tired of being at her maker's mercy. Tonight, it was going to end. She wasn't going to let Sophie Ann continue to manipulate her. A smile threatened to dance at the corners of her mouth.

"I won't give up, Eric."

Sookie walked through the kitchen and out of the backdoor that led to the mausoleum that everyone assumed was a storage room when in reality it was the hiding place of Sophie Ann LeClerque. She hadn't been there long. She had arrived with Threadgill. Tonight was the night that they were going to take Sookie with them. She giggled. She wasn't going to go anywhere. As she walked through the backyard, she heard the voice of one of guards.

"My queen," he called out.

Sookie turned to face him and placed her finger of her lips as to quiet him. He began walking towards her but she shook her head no. He stopped dead in his tracks and bowed to her. He watched her as she walked into the mausoleum. He did as his queen ordered and kept quiet.

When Sookie walked inside, the room was filled heat and anger. In another time, Sookie would have flinched and fell to her knees but not this time. She didn't fall to her knees. She didn't run. She stood her ground. She watched as a dark figure emerged from blackness. It was none other than Sophie Ann.

"Hello, my child," she purred. "I see you've come ready for me. You're looking quite ...mmmm, tasty. Come and give your dear maker and hug. You know you've missed me."

"I'd rather drink liquid silver."

Sophie Ann stopped walking in Sookie's direction and giggled. "That can be arranged."

Sookie laughed with her; which caught Sophie Ann completely off guard. "You have no power here."

"Oh, dear child, I am your maker. I can take what I have given you. You are nothing without me. You need me."

Sookie could feel Sophie Ann trying to push her way into her mind. For the first time ever, Sookie stopped her. "Not this time," Sookie warned her. This time Sookie forced herself in her maker's head. She could see the images of their past in her maker's mind. "I see you for what you are. I didn't realize until tonight that you are the one that needs me. I have always been stronger than you are. That's why you turned me, right? You wanted what I had. I was a human and was stronger than you ever were. When I became yours, you broke me. I let you break me, Sophie Ann but no more."

Sophie Ann's fangs dropped from anger but her face was as emotionless as ever. "You will not defy me."

Sookie began walking in Sophie Ann's direction. Just then, Sookie heard Eric and Bill calling out to her. They were trying to get into the mausoleum. She ignored them. She kept her focus on her maker. "I am the queen. I am your mistress. You are going to whimper at my feet by the time I'm done with you." Her voice was strong and clear.

Sophie Ann retracted her fangs and laughed as if she'd just heard Sookie tell the joke of the century. "Oh, Sookie," she said she doubled over and continued to laugh. "What has the Viking done to you? Has he made you invincible? Has he made you think that you can take me? I heard that the Viking is a master at sex but I had no idea that he could make a vampire lose her fucking mind." Sophie Ann kept laughing. Eric and Bill continued to bang on the door; begging her to let them in.

Sookie didn't care about the laughter. She wanted her maker to laugh at her. She wouldn't be aware when she needed to be. "I don't know why it took me so long to see it but you cannot control me. I was told by a very wise vampire that you can't do to me what I don't allow. You can't control me."

Wiping bloody tears of laughter from her eyes, Sophie Ann said, "But I can. I am …"

"A fool," Sookie finished. She was soon filled with calm and strength. The banging and yelling had stopped. Eric was with her and she knew that there was nothing that she couldn't do. She sent him her love.

This time the laughter stopped. "How dare …"

"Silence," Sookie said in her calmest voice. For the first time ever, a glimmer of surprise shone in Sophie Ann's eyes. "You are a fool, Sophie Ann and quite stupid if I may say so. And since I am queen, I say so. You assumed that my fear of you would make it easier for you to reclaim your queendom. You were wrong. You should have staked your claim to me a lot sooner than tonight. You are my subject. You have no rule here."

A loud and feral snarl escaped Sophie Ann's throat. She tried once again to force herself into Sookie's head but could not. Instead, Sookie was inside of hers. The force of Sookie being inside of her head, almost bowled Sophie Ann over. This time she couldn't hide the look of surprise.

Trying to take control of the moment, Sophie Ann said, "I'm proud of you. You're no longer my puppet. You're much stronger than I thought you'd be. I knew that giving you the royal title would change you. It's okay. You don't have to thank me." Offering Sookie her hand, she said, "Come with me, my child and we shall rule together. Once we are one again, you still won't have to thank me."

Sookie looked at Sophie Ann through hooded eyes. Her face was no longer emotionless. It housed an evil that her face has never known. "But I do want to thank you." She began walking to Sophie Ann slowly. "Thank you for eternal life. Thank you for coming to my home. Thank you for not making me look for you. And I must thank you for my new found freedom and happiness. Thank you." She stopped just inches in front of her maker.

Sophie Ann tried to lunge at Sookie. Sookie raised her hand and her maker was unable to move. Sophie Ann couldn't move. She tried raising her arms. She tried lifting her legs but to no avail. "What have you done to me?" she spat at Sookie. "Release me!"

"No."

"As your maker …"

Sophie Ann's mouth was no longer able to form words. She had no tongue. Blood poured from the corners of her mouth and down her chin. She bore her fangs at Sookie. Without moving from her spot, the door to the mausoleum slowly opened and in walked Eric, Bill, and Sookie's faithful guards. They couldn't believe what stood before them; a bloody and scared Sophie Ann LeClerque.

"Shall we kill her?" Eric asked.

"No," Sookie said. "I want her to die but a quick death would be too good for her."

Suddenly a surge of hatred hit Sookie. She could feel Sophie Ann's need to cause pain. She could feel her maker trying her damnedest to get into her head. Sookie forced it back on her. "The life that I led before; a life of fear and solitude, it is over. I no longer fear you. You are nothing more than a coward and a bully." Sookie reached over and stroked her maker's cheek.

Sophie Ann was now the one that was terrified.

"Out everything that I've thanked you for, I forgot to thank you for the most important thing …my imagination."

Sophie Ann's eyes widened and her screams filled the mausoleum. Sookie closed her eyes and basked in the lovely sounds of Sophie Ann's fear. She'd won. She'd won and she was free. She was finally free.

When she opened her eyes and looked at her maker, Sookie smiled. "We're going to have so much fun." Looking at her guards, she said, "Get the silver chains and the tray, please."

Her guards' hands were soon covered in gloves and only seconds later, Sophie Ann was hanging from ceiling; silver chains adorning her wrists and her neck. The tray with the torture devices was rolled in front of Sookie.

Politely and sweetly, Sookie said to her guards, "Thank you."

They bowed to their queen. If she had asked them to kill the former queen, they would have but they could see that she wanted this and they wanted her to have it.

Choosing an ivory handled silver dagger, Sookie used the blade to trace from Sophie Ann's neck to the center of her breasts. With her fangs drawn and her lust for her maker's demise filling the air, Sookie said to her, "When I'm through with you, there won't be anything left."

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Later on that night, Sookie went on to tell Eric the secrets of her life; the day walking, the electric fingers, and the ability to get into her enemies minds. He didn't care. He loved her and he wanted her. Everything else was extra. They went on to get married in a lavish vampire ceremony and ruled the most prosperous state in the country.

Bill was offered the sheriff's position of Area Five but he declined. He wanted to stay near Sookie and continue as her second. After much convincing by Eric, Pam went on to take the position. She commands with honor and respect. Eric and Sookie would have it no other way.

The rule Arkansas was passed on the Jennifer Cater. Sookie didn't want to have any dealings with anything that had to do with Peter Threadgill. Jennifer could only take rule if she promised to never mention Peter Threadgill. As far as the vampire community knew, he ran after it was found out that he was facing the true death for his treatment of a queen. Arkansas thrived under the rule of Jennifer.

As far as Sophie Ann goes, in the middle of the night, her screams can still be heard in the mausoleum on the royal compound. There have been times when she has begged for the true death but her wishes have gone unanswered.

Needless to say, Sookie and Eric lived happily ever after.