Wake Up....Wake Up Dead Man

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Wake Up…Wake Up Dead Man

One Week Later

Bill was finally released from his silver bonds. He said very little and drank the Tru:Blood without complaint. We tried to treat Bill normally, but that was sometimes hard to do. We were often at a loss for words and he would usually squelch some conversation by mentioning something about Lilith. Though we had seen his death, transformation and regeneration, he did not stalk around the House and rage about being “god”. If anything, his lack of doing just that was unnerving.

He spent much of his time reading the Blood Bible. He was often found in a quiet corner reading and not saying much. Jessica was resuming her magikal training. Nora, Eric’s sister, didn’t think much of it and often voiced her opinion. Eric would shrug at her or take her outside to discuss (read quarrel) with her that would end with Eric telling her to mind her own affairs and keep her opinions to herself. Bill watched us teaching his progeny but he said nothing.

All the while we were watching VNN, keeping up with the news. It was bad but truthfully, there were not that many sanguinistas and there were only a few out there making Vampires so the attacks were lessening though there were also a lot of Vampire deaths.

Finally Bill closed the Blood Bible with a snap. Renee looked at him warily. She had tried to talk to him about how happy she was he had not met the true death and his response was more or less: “Of course you would be happy, I am Vampire and you are only human.” It didn’t help he had given me the same answers, it still stung. Whenever he said that, Renee had moved to leave the room and Eric stood up and reached out to her and pulled her to him and held her as he told Bill to stop being an ass.

Late at night, after Bill had gone to day rest, Eric would meet with us in the secure magik room. Bill, I suspected, was leaving before dawn to escape our surreptitious observations of him. Eric was upset and he was at loose ends about what to do with Bill.

“Just give him more time,” said Aolani. “He just finished the Blood Bible, let him digest it, compare and contrast it.”
“I’m afraid,” said Eric. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to give him the true death. I’ve done all the damage control I can. I’ve had Desmond disseminate the news that Russell Edgington and Steve Newlin did the planning to blow up the Tru:Blood factories.”
“Are they buying it?” I asked.
“I keep waiting to hear of it in the news, but nothing has come up yet,” said Eric. “There is a chance they don’t believe it.”
“Who else knows what really happened?” asked Aolani. “I mean between you and Nora and Jason Stackhouse and the rest when they finally got freed, you killed most of the Vampires who were at the AVL.”
“Most, not all,” said Eric. “What I am counting on is there may only be one of two left who will lay low because they don’t have the back up of the AVL and the Chancellors and they will just clam up. Self preservation.”

“Be patient with Bill,” said Aolani. She looked thoughtful. “Aslinn you have read those two books haven’t you?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Enough to have theological discussions with him?” she asked. I shrugged. “I have an idea, I think we should give Bill a place to pray.”
“I beg your pardon?” asked Eric. “Aren’t you throwing gas on the flames?”
“It might work. It says faithful followers are supposed to worship at least three times a night: At rising, at midnight and before dawn. I haven’t noticed Bill doing a lot of praying,” I said. “It would show we aren’t totally against Bill believing in something so long as he didn’t use it as a reason to hate and despise us.”
“And what is that supposed to do?” asked Eric.
“Open up a dialogue with him. He will know it is to try and get him to argue with us of we just come out with it. If we tell him we are clearing a place for him to pray, then maybe we will be able to approach him with innocent questions and then ask him even bigger questions, debate with him,” I said.

“I don’t know Aslinn. I would worry about your safety,” he said. “And Nora..she misses her old routines, her old prejudices. She doesn’t understand why I would make Pam a Vampire or care about Bill and why I care about you, the group.”
“Do you think she and Bill will sort of feed on one another metaphorically speaking?” I asked. He shrugged.
“This has to be killing you, Aslinn, you and Renee,” said Eric.
“It hurts,” I admitted. “But I’m not through with caring about him just yet. I love Bill and I will not abandon him.”

“I hesitate to mention this, there is something going on in New Orleans, something to do with those Christian Vampires. You have read about them?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Something about some murders. I think it is very likely the Fellowship.”
“Bill and I were investigating them before,” he said.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” said Aolani. “You aren’t telling me that we are going to have hustle this version of Bill into another vampire church thing are we? In the state he is in, he will never get well enough to clear his own head.” Eric looked at Aolani. He wasn’t necessarily looking worried but he was a little concerned.
“Well, we can always use this situation to our advantage too. If they are weird and fanatical, we can show him extremes in any ism is a dangerous thing,” I said. I reached up and pecked Eric on the cheek. “Have a good rest Eric, I am going to bed.”