Title: the blood of Eve

Pairing: Caroline/Eric; One-sided Caroline/Bill; Pam/Tara

Rating: M

Warnings: Language, violence, and sexual situations

Author's note: Sorry for any OOCness. This is only my second time writing for True Blood, but my first time writing for the characters: Sookie, Eric, and Bill etc.

Holy water cannot help you now

See I've had to burn your kingdom down

And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out

I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out

Seven Devils, Florence and the Machine

The dream—it had startled her awake. It took a few steady breaths to get her heart to cease its incessant pounding in her chest, hot flesh cooling under the rotation of her ceiling fan. She closed her eyes, recalling the way blood had poured from his eyes. A shudder run through her as she pushed the sweat drenched sheets back, freeing her legs and turning to sit at the edge of her twin mattress.

Breath in….breath out…breath in…brea—she bit her tongue, blue orbs darting to the small clock resting idly on her nightstand. 3:00 am. She cursed, running a hand through her matted blond curls, before getting up. Her feet shuffled against the hardwood floor of her apartment, cursing whatever god had been giving her these dreams. More like nightmares. They were beginning to scare her…stirring up memories—terrible memories of the past. Of a life not her own. A life that had been filled with blood…so much blood and carnage.

She crossed into the bathroom, hand searching the wall for the light switch, flipping it up and illuminating the tiled space. The blond hovered over the sink, shaky fingers turning the crystal knob of her medicine cabinet. Her eyes skimmed over the various bottles littering the small shelves—where had she left the aspirin? She could feel the coming-on of a headache…the pulse in her temple throbbing with a dull ache.

"Fuck." She grumbled, remembering she'd taken the last of it the night before…after a particularly gruesome dream. She shook the memory of it from her mind, closing the cabinet door in defeat.

A bloodcurdling scream escaped her lips, eyes widening in fear at the appearance of the man standing behind her. His skin was sopping with blood, mouth set in a revolting smile as he stared back at her through the reflection of the mirror lining the cabinet door. The tiny hairs at the nape of her neck stood on end as he leaned forward, nose running along the curve of her neck. Without warning she felt the intrusion of pain—sharp pain—as he sunk his pearly white fangs into her unblemished neck. Another scream.

Her eyes snapped open, hand flying to her throat as she sat up in bed. Nothing. Her fingers traced over the pale expanse of skin, noting that there were no fang marks to be felt. It had been a dream. She turned on her side, allowing her hand to travel down, over her still drumming heart. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes in thought.

They were getting worse. The dreams seemed too real to be anything but. Even Bonnie was starting to get worried. Imagine that, a witch worried about the unexplainable.

The dreams hadn't started when she was young. No, she'd begun experiencing them after her near brush with death. She'd almost died on the eve of her twenty-first birthday. Almost two years ago.

She'd been driving up to a local bar, with Bon and their friend Elena, in celebration of the night. She hadn't seen—he'd run out onto the road so fast…she barely missed him. The car skidded across the gravel and she pressed on the brakes in shock. And that was the last thing she remembered before waking up in that white hospital room with wires coming in and out of her.

The doctors had said it was a miracle she'd lived. By some divine right, she'd survived…and Elena hadn't. She hadn't understood why…until she had the first dream.

It felt like more of a memory. Like something she'd locked away in the back of her mind and was only now just recalling how events had unfolded. It had frightened her how familiar the faces—faces she'd never seen before—seemed to her.

The things she had seen…murder and the utter devastation of civilizations. It was if she had been there, had been someone else. And what scared her most, more than the violent dreams and the out-of-body experiences, was the fact that she didn't know what else was to come.

:}{}{}{}{:

She'd met a couple vampires before. They'd been passing through Mystic Falls, on this whole nostalgia kick—as Damon had explained. He had been one of the first to arrive, bringing with him a younger brother, Stefan, and an amusing blond named Lexi that surpassed them in both years and wit. She'd taken one long look at the trio and deemed them the most badass vamps she'd ever met, though they were the only ones to ever set foot in town.

She recalled the moment she first set her sights on them, as they sauntered into Mystic Bar & Grill. For some people, especially those who'd never seen a vampire up close before, it would be hard to tell them apart from a living, breathing human. But for some reason…the instant her eyes locked on Damon's icy, blue orbs she knew. There was a magnetic pull behind them, almost as if they were urging her to come to him. The blond stared at him for a moment in silent wonder, noting the minor twitch of confusion that crossed his face before its quick disappearance. He'd been trying to glamour her; she'd realized later that the night as she lay in bed. That was when she realized that something was seriously wrong with her.

That had been more than a few months ago, though, and the trio had continued on, leaving her with a sudden feeling of emptiness. It was strange…that she'd never felt more alive than in the company of the undead.

It had only been a few days since her last dream. The same one she'd been replaying again over and over in her mind. The one of him—whoever he was, being reborn. It was like she was in the room with him, watching on as he exploded, blood and flesh falling into a puddle where his feet had been. And then…he'd slowly begun to raise again, body covered in the blood of Lilith—whatever that was.

She shuddered at the image. She'd been unable to shake the feeling that something was headed her way. That was why she had to leave town. She didn't think she'd be able to live with the guilt if any of her loved ones were put in danger because of her. Couldn't stand the thought of losing anyone else…not after what happened to Elena.

Her eyes trained ahead of her, on the road, narrowed slightly as a sign came into view. Welcome to Bon Temps.

"Where the hell am I?" She muttered aloud to herself.

"Caroline." The sound of her name in the wind caused her to jump. This could not be happening, she thought as her eyes flickered to the empty passenger seat that had been beside her. Her eyes widened at the all too familiar apparition that somehow seemed to be occupying it. It was the man from her dream.

"Wh—who are you?" She stammered, recoiling in her seat from him as he leaned over to touch her. Her knuckles whitened under the intense pressure of her clutch on the steering wheel. She refused to look away from the man. Afraid of what may happen if she did.

He tsked, a far from pleasant smile gracing his countenance. He tilted his head, eyes intense with a vile gleam in them. He flashed a set of pearly whites before speaking up.

"You really should pay attention to the road my dear…" She flinched, eyes reflexively snapping back to the road. She gasped, catching a glimpse of a figure—a man running out of the woods. He'd paused, caught under the glare of her headlights. She reacted quickly, turning the wheel sharply, hoping to avoid the man completely. The car dipped under the sudden shift, falling on its side as it skidded along the empty highway. Her head collided into her side window with a loud thump, an unexpected wave of pain developing in her left temple. She felt limp, dangling from the restraint of her seatbelt. The material dug into her bare shoulder in an almost painful way. She craned her head, expecting to see the man hanging beside her. He was gone and in his place, a pair of dark shoes, standing before the passenger side window. She suppressed the urge to scream as the owner of the boots crouched down, revealing a pair of dark slacks and a light brown button down shirt, the first few undone. Then a face peeked into the car. A sigh escaped her as she took in his appearance. It was a cop; she realized catching a glimpse of his badge.

"Are you alright ma'am?" He inquired worriedly. She squinted her eyes at him. He hadn't been the figure from the road she'd swerved to miss. When she did not answer right away a frown began to etch its way onto his face. She had a feeling she did that a lot. Frown, that is. "Ma'am?"

She nodded her head in response, a groan escaping her lips at the stinging pain at her temple. "I'm fine…just a bit rattled."

She managed to get her eyes to focus long enough to memorize the man's aging face. Already he was beginning to show signs of balding, frown or worry lines permanently engraved in his forehead.

"Who are you?" She got out, eyes following his movements as he worked to pry the passenger side door open.

He paused for a moment, staring down with that habitual frown. "Sheriff Bellefleur."

:}{}{}{}{:

She accepted the icepack graciously, pressing it to the side of her head as the Sheriff—or as she'd since been referring to him, Andy—took down her statement on the accident. It seemed the man she'd narrowly avoided was a suspect in a murder investigation. She was glad to hear she hadn't simply been seeing things.

"May I ask what's brought you to Bon Temps?" Andy asked hints of suspicion in his tone. She was beginning to think it was a regular attitude toward strangers that he'd simply developed over the years. She remembered her mom being the same way as Sheriff of Mystic Falls. She'd always been uneasy around out-of-towners that came poking their noses around.

"Just passing through," Caroline offered with a soft smile. Truthfully she didn't know what she was doing in a place called Bon Temps. She'd simply been running from whatever evil was doomed to befall her. Somehow, she'd ended up in Louisiana.

The older man gave her a skeptical look, raising a brow before jotting down her response. She did her best not to roll her eyes at the grunt that left his lips.

"Do you know where I could find a hotel?" She inquired, reminding herself of her lack of boarding. She couldn't very well sleep in her wrecked car. She shifted the ice to the cut on her cheek, a soft hiss escaping her lips.

Andy looked up, countenance giving nothing away as he answered gruffly. "Ma'am, there ain't a hotel for miles around here. The only one we had closed down a few months ago."

The blond wondered if this was what hell was like.

A voice broke the sudden silence that had washed over them. It was another cop, though this one was younger and far more attractive in a way that was hard to describe. The instant she laid eyes on him she knew. It was the same feeling she had gotten when she'd first seen Damon. This tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach and like the vampire this man was different. He wasn't quite human. There was a sort of glow about him that Sheriff Bellefleur lacked. It was a cool yellow hue that drew her attention.

"Damn Stackhouse, where have you been?" Andy bit out at the appearance of the man.

"I ain't got time to explain right now." The man—Stackhouse—informed him before disappearing across the room to a small desk, pulling out a draw and rifling through it.

"What the hell happened?" The sheriff asked, standing from his seat. Stackhouse was silent for a moment, eyes scanning the contents of his desk draw before he found what he was looking for. A key—it seemed. He pocketed the small item before turning to give his superior his attention.

"…Don't worry about it…just go home to Holly, lock your door and screw her like there ain't no tomorrow." He answered thoughtfully. Then he was out there, leaving behind a stunned Andy. That's when she knew. He was in trouble. Maybe even the same kind of trouble she'd been trying to run away from. But for some reason, she felt the overwhelming need to help him. She hated that fucking feeling.

:}{}{}{}{:

They'd ended up outside a white house that reminded her of the home she'd lived in as a young girl. She trailed after Andy as he trekked up the porch steps, bring a balled up fist to the door and knocking. They waited a beat

A moment later a blond appeared, peeking her head to see who was outside. When she saw that it was the sheriff she visibly relaxed. She pulled the screen door open, offering a gentle smile. Caroline's eyes widened slightly at the light emanating from around the woman…a sort of brightness that rivaled the one she'd already seen that night from Stackhouse—Jason, the sheriff had said his name was.

"Sorry to bother you, Sookie," Andy spoke up, clearing his throat before continuing. "But I needa favor."

Sookie looked between the two of them before nodding her head slowly, peeking over her shoulder for a moment before returning her attention to the man. "Whatcha need Sheriff?"

"Caroline is in need of a place to stay," He informed her, indicating the blond standing at his side. Before Sookie could speak up to decline he added as an afterthought, "She was in a pretty bad accident tonight. The car was totaled and I don't know where else she could stay for the night. And it would just be for the night."

Sookie's expression was pensive for a moment. She was definitely thinking about it. She stared up at Caroline, tilting her head as if she'd been expecting something else to happen. And when it didn't a sudden interest crossed her face before quickly disappearing.

"Why not?" Sookie sighed, stepping aside to grant the blond entry. "But only for tonight. I'm…going on a trip tomorrow."

Caroline turned to Andy, thanking him for his help before sliding past her warm host and entering the home without further invitation. She found herself wandering into the living room, the sound of the front door closing indicating the sheriff's departure.

She turned on her heel at the sound of a throat being cleared. It was the blond.

"I'm Caroline. Caroline For—"

She was cut off. "You're not a vampire."

Caroline had thought that was pretty obvious.

Sookie went on to continue. "So what are you? Who sent you?"

Caroline was suddenly riddled with confusion, and it seemed her expression showed it because an instant later the suspicious countenance was wiped clean from Sookie's face.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, running a hand through her blond tresses. "Let me find something for you to eat. You must be hungry."

Caroline watched as Sookie disappeared from the room, leaving her for the first time that night since her accident completely alone. She looked over the assortment of knickknacks and photos littering the countertop of a coffee table. She leaned over, getting a better look at a photo of the woman and a very familiar man. It was the man from the sheriff's station. Were the two related, she wondered, moving on to another photo. This one of children—siblings—smiling up at the person behind the lens. She smiled in turn gently.

"Who are you?" A smooth voice spoke up from behind her. A chill crept up her spine at the sound. Her head turned toward its source, eyes training on the mountain of a man standing only a few feet behind her studying her carefully. He was a vampire, of that she was certain. The cool blue of his eyes pierced through her.

"Caroline Forbes." She said, extending a hand out for him to shake. He stared down at it for a moment before his gaze traveled back up to her face. There was something about the way he was staring at her, as if he were trying to figure something out that both scared and intrigued her to no end. She dropped her hand back to her side, letting her eyes fall to her feet for a moment as silence filled the room. She could even hear the steady rhythm of her heart in her ears. It was then that it happened. He appeared, again for the second time that night. He stood right behind the tall, blond man. Her eyes zeroed in on the offending weapon in his hand as he raised it above his head. It was a wooden stake. A scream of Stop! escaped her lips as he brought the point down. And right before her eyes the man exploded in a rain of blood and skin.

She closed her eyes, willing the image away.

Her eyes fluttered open, slowly, taking in the worried expressions of the faces hovering over her. It was Sookie and the blond man, who cradled her body in his arms carefully.

"Careful." Sookie said gently from her place behind the man. "You fainted."

"He's coming." Caroline found herself muttering as the words echoed throughout her mind. What she had seen had been a warning. The man was coming. And it appeared that instead of avoiding the chaos of whatever impending evil was interested in her, she'd driven straight into it. She focused her attention on the man who'd caught her as she'd begun to fall. He stared down at her was a gleam of interest behind his lovely, blue orbs. His face fell at what she had to said next. "The man…the blood…he's coming."

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