The Road to Hell is Paved with the Best Intentions

“The first thing you better know, is this is our house. Eric built it for us and then gave us the deed, so it is by our will and pleasure that you or any Vampire comes into this building. Next, whatever goes on out there does not go on in here, we don’t care what grudges you may harbor, you don’t bring them in here. And you will check your smart mouth at the door, you are not a pet, and you are not a child. Is that understood?” asked Aolani, looking at Tara. She gave Aolani a sullen look.

“Answer her,” said Pam.

“Understood,” she said.

“You don’t have to like Jessica, she does not have to like you, but like Bill and Eric you will retract your fangs and put away your mean girl claws and you will both behave in this house,” said Aolani. “Jess? Clear?”

“Crystal,” she said.

“Hey, don’t piss Aslinn off, she will make you sit together and hold hands, even if she hears fingers snapping and knuckles grinding,” said Aolani. Tara stared daggers into Aolani. “I think you understand now. Tru:Blood anyone?”

Pam and Jessica and Tara said they wanted some blood. After everything that happened, we were very excited and worried. Bill and Eric would be here and so would Alcide. I got up from the computer and went into the dining room where Diantha Cataliades was drinking a Tab with a dash of Tabasco. I don’t know which was worse, Tru:Blood over ice with lemon and Tabasco or Tab.

“So what do you think?” asked Renee.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Bill left a message on my email and he said he wanted to talk to us witches in private and then Eric…man, he is in a sorry state.”

“Well, we have told him so,” said Renee. “No one ever listens to us, we are just human after all.”

“I feel sorry for Eric,” said Minnie. “I had hoped she would be okay and she would be his sister.”

“Same here,” I said. Aolani had three warm Tru:Bloods ready. We got up and joined the others. “Alcide has not shown up yet.”

“He said he was on his way,” said Len.

“So what do you think is going on?” asked Barrister.

“I don’t know, I think the Authority is a snake nest,” I said. “We don’t know what  for sure has happened to Roman. Was he really completely staked, has he absolutely met the True Death?”

“I don’t know, I almost believe he has, but if he has, that can mean only one thing,” said Pam.

“The entire Authority has turned to Sanguinistas and they used Bill and Eric to bring him in so he would be in the same room with Roman and he would assassinate him,” said Renee.

“Could be,” I said. “If that is so, then it is a good thing Bill and Eric are playing sort of weird. I mean, Bill acts as though he is sort of falling for their line of BS and Eric is confused and hurt and angry. Jesus, Eric.”

“Someone mention my name?” asked the Big Viking as he slid into the door.

“Yeah, how you doing?” I said as Minnie hugged him. He hugged her back and walked over and kissed Aolani.

“Okay,” he said. Bill came in a few minutes later. He stood there, that strange hooded look in his eyes and his arms crossed over his chest.

“Bill?” asked Renee.

“I’m fine,” he said. “What do you think?”

“You guys are unwitting pawns in a game being played without your knowledge within the Authority. This is crazy, you guys are in danger,” said Aolani.

“I suspected as much,” said Bill. “It just took some of us a little longer.”

“Fuck you Bill,” said Eric.

“Eric…you know the rules…no outside shit in the house. If you want to fight, you and Bill take it elsewhere,  crystal? I said.

“Clear,” said Eric. Bill nodded.

“See Tara, those are the rules, this is how it works,” said Pam. Tara snorted under her breath.

“So what are you boys gonna do about it?” I asked. “Is Roman absolutely dead?” Eric and Bill looked at one another and then the ground. “I see. Well let’s take the position he is dead. If he is dead, what happens next?”

“We still have a problem with Russell Edgington,” said Eric.

“Yeah, nice job Eric, you could have saved us a lot of trouble,” said Renee. Eric bared his fangs at her and Bill moved to stand between her and Eric.

“Enough,” said Aolani. “One more time Eric and out you go for 24 hours. I love you hun, but we can’t do this, we need you and Bill to hold it together.”

“Bill, who killed Sookie’s parents?” asked Barrister.

“They drowned,” said Bill. Eric turned his back to us. “Do you know something about it?”

“I have only heard rumors,” said Eric.

“Did Vampires kill Sookie’s parents?” asked Minnie.

“Yes,” said Eric. “That is something I have heard.”

“Bill?” I asked.

“I have heard these rumors as well,” said Bill. “But I never knew for sure.”

“You had a file on her,” said Len. “Why don’t you know for sure?”

“Vampires have been killing humans for centuries and I had no way of knowing for sure,” said Bill.

“What would you say, if I told you Sookie’s parents may have been killed by the same Vampire who killed Eric’s parents?” I asked. Eric turned around and looked at us. Bill looked at Eric. “So does that motivate you two to get along and make some sort of plan?” They looked at each other. Well they weren’t baring fangs at one another and hissing at each other. I would have to take that as a yes.

Alcide came in. “Sorry I am late,” he said. He looked at Eric and Bill. “Well, fight, fuck or run a foot race fellahs or stand down. You stink of rage.” He sat down and looked at us. “Am I interrupting? Because I am in real trouble.”

“No, you aren’t interrupting,” said Renee.

“So did you all get rid of Russell once and for all or did you fuck that up again?” he asked. Bill and Eric got fangy. I rubbed my eyes.

“We aren’t sure what is going on,” said Bill, retracting his fangs.

“You are responsible to take care of Sookie,” said Eric.

“Don’t worry about Sookie,” he said. 

“So you have challenged this guy for the leadership of the pack. You need to know there are humans gunning for weres and shifters and Vampires,” I said.

“Yeah, I heard about Sam and Luna,” said Alcide.

“Be on guard,” said Len.

“I will be, you too, brother,” said Alcide.

“We witches need to have a chat with Lafayette,” said Aolani.

“He isn’t gonna like talking to us. He would not even speak to Ishee and Honey when we sent them to him,” I said.

“What about Terry Bellefleur?” asked Minnie.

“If we can help Lafayette, then he will be ready to help Terry too when the time comes,” said Aolani.

“Bill, you wanted to chat with we witches?” I asked

“Yes,” he said.

“May I join you?” asked Eric.

“This is a discussion Bill wants to have with us, if you want to counsel with us later, we will be happy to speak to you in private,” said Aolani. He looked at us and nodded and sat down in the seat Aolani had been occupying.

We took Bill into our private witch room, where the other Vampires could not hear what he said. We sat down on the bench there and Bill stood before us. “What is it Bill? You know our powers are limited in the matters of the summertime adventures,” said Aolani.

“What do you believe spiritually about Vampires?” asked Bill.

We all looked at one another. We knew the mythology of Lilith, even the Kabalistic belief in the Cain story and we had our own beliefs about their souls.

“That you have a purpose in this life that you are not lost to salvation or heaven or whatever reward there might be when you meet the true death, that you have a road to walk like the rest of us and it is up to you the path you take,” said Aolani.

“Do you believe that Aslinn?” he asked.

“Yes, I believe that,” I said. “I know you too well to believe otherwise, for any of you.”

“Renee?” he asked. “What do you believe?”

“I believe you are a good man Bill, the rest doesn’t mean a whole lot to me. Good men, good people are taken care of in the hereafter, and evil ones are done likewise.” Bill paced in front of us slowly. He looked at our altar and touched the cloth on it with all the totems we had made of our friends.

“So, if I do something, even if it looks wrong, you will know I am not doing it for any other reason but to keep Sookie and all of us, human and Vampire safe,” said Bill.

“Be careful Bill, a forgery for right is still a forgery and you may become confused about the reasons,” I said. Aolani shook her head. I was about to reveal too much we might suspect about the future.

“Do you know something?” he asked.

“Nothing concrete, just speculations,” said Aolani. “And that does not make it prophecy. Just use caution and let your good conscience guide you, you will know when you are going too far. Heed that voice Bill.”

“Thank you,” he said. There was a tap on the door. “It’s Eric.”

“Then go, and be careful,” I said.

He went out and Eric came in. He stood there, looking at the altar like Bill had.  “Most of the worst wars were fought in the name of one God or another.”

“That we know,” said Renee. “What can we do for you?”

“See…I don’t believe in any of this,” he said, waving his hand at the altar. “I believe in your ability to do certain things, but I believe it comes from you, whatever magic is in each of you. Whatever magic makes me live age after age. It’s like that. Not some great something else out there in the sky dictating who lives and dies and who gets saved and who stays lost.”

“We have never tried to convince you otherwise,” I said.

“No, you have not,” he said. “Does Bill believe?”

“We can’t discuss the counseling we give to any of you, especially in this room, it’s a place of secrets. You know the meaning of the word esoteric,” said Aolani. “And we will not discuss what you say to us to anyone else.”

“How come you have never tried to convert me?” asked Eric.

“I don’t do anything I can’t spell,” I said. “Besides, it’s okay if you don’t believe in God, He or She believes in you. So it is really out of your hands, and mine. I can’t save you. You can’t even save you.”

“Sounds like bull shit to me,” said Eric. “So if I crush my little talisman, does that mean I am doomed?”

“No, that little thing could be destroyed right now, but not what represents,” said Renee.

“And what does it represent?” he asked running his fingers over the hammer with the runes burned into it and the bits the sister wives had given to represent their desires for his happiness and safety.

“A lot of things, mostly love,” I said.

“Love?” he said. “Love is the weakest thing of all. Nora said she loved me.”

“Sometimes love is the only real magik,” said Aolani.

“Ask Tara if she feels love right now,” said Eric. He hefted the hammer and the ribbons that held the little charms jingled.

“Tara has to find love for herself in her own heart, one cannot have love from others if they do not love themselves,” said Renee.

“Ask Sookie,” he said. His face was shadowed.

“Sookie will make her own way, Eric, and whether her path leads to you or to Bill or someone else is not for you say. You do not move the chess pieces. But Eric, we need you. We need you to help Bill and we need you to protect each other,” I said. There was a loud popping sound and grinding sound. I looked at Renee and Aolani.

“I will do what I can, but please, tell me, how do I deal with Nora?” he asked.

“Eric…” began Aolani.

“Let me guess, she has her own path,” said Eric. He began to shake and at first I thought he was crying and then I could hear him laughing. He put his head back and laughed a sharp unhappy sort of laughter. “That is what I thought you would say, it figures. I must be one of the bad ones; I am being punished by the spirit in the sky.”

“Eric, you are not being punished,” I said.

“Whatever Aslinn,” he said, turning to me, a wide smile like those cold shark like smiles he gave Russell Edgington flashed at me. His smile did not reach his eyes. He leaned down and kissed my cheek and Renee’s and kissed Aolani on the mouth.  “Thank you ladies.” He walked out and closed the door behind him. 

“Oh hell,” said Renee. She went to the altar. He had crushed the hammer we had on the altar.

“Don’t worry, it is still there,” said Aolani. “All our intentions are still there.”