Melanie:

“We left our clothes in the woods.” I giggled, laying under the sheets with Eric’s head resting on my stomach.

We had started making love in the moonlight and somehow found ourselves exploring each other all throughout the house, ending up in our bedroom. The sex was amazing. Passionate. Gentle. Rough. All at once. It all felt so familiar and so brand new all at once. It was strange. This man was my husband, but he was also a different person at the moment.

“Want me to go get them?” He asked, lifting his head slightly to look up at me.

“Don’t you dare move.” I smiled, running my fingers through his hair.

He closed his eyes as he rested his head again. Looking down I smiled at the relaxed expression on his face.

“You still there?”

“I’m listening to your heartbeat.” He whispered, with a smile. “I can feel it. Every pulse. Through your skin and into mine. If I lay still and think about nothing else…” His eyes opened and the smile faded through his lips. “It feels like my own heart is beating. It feels like mine is still racing.”

“At least there are some things you haven’t forgotten.” I offered, running my fingertips down the smooth skin of his back. “For now, we can share mine.”

He smiled again, lifting his head to lay it beside me on the pillow. I turned my body to face him, curling into him like I always did.

“Melanie.” He asked, wrapping his arm around me. “What happens if I can’t get my memory back?”

“Stop it. Of course we’ll get it back.” I hushed.

“Yeah, but let’s say we don’t. Would you still love me?”

I sighed, scooting closer into him, my hand resting on his cheek as I brushed it with my thumb.

“Eric, I’ll love you no matter what. We promised till death and since your a vampire that might mean until my death but nonetheless I’m yours until that time. We’ll make new memories. We’ll experience new things together. We have the rest of our … my life.” I smiled. “There’s no one I’d rather do this with.”

His eyes widened and he looked away. “That’s right. You’re not going to be around forever.”

“But for as long as I am, you’ll have me.” I smiled, leaning to kiss his nose. “So let’s just enjoy it.”

 

OOO

 

I made myself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. Eric was in the shower cleaning off. It allowed me time to think. What if Eric never did get his memories back? He might have feelings for me now, but what if they wear off? What if our connection isn’t that strong? What if …

No. Stop it.

I told myself.

It wouldn’t matter. We’d start from the ground up again. This relationship didn’t come easy and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be easy, our track record showed as much. We’d work on it. Just as we do now.

There was a knock on the door and I immediately reached for my shotgun. I’d grown accustomed to keeping it next to me at all times. Some called it paranoia, but they had no idea what was out there.

“Who is it?” I called, joined by Sookie who came out of her room.

“It’s Bill.” She said, pulling the curtain to see his face.

Awesome.

Opening the door, she stepped aside to let him in. I lowered the gun but kept it in hand. He wasn’t taking my husband. Not again.

“Your majesty.” Eric’s voice sounded behind us and he bowed his head.

“I don’t know why you let Eric go” Sookie said, looking between me and Bill, a small, grateful smile on her face. “but I’m glad you did.”

“It appears the reunion was, uh, a happy one?” Bill said, looking at me.

“Yes.” Eric answered, “very much so. Thank you.”

Bill nodded, taking a deep breath. He wasn’t able to look at Sookie for long. There was a sadness in him. Maybe in his undead heart he felt something for her. Maybe in Sookie’s small brain that was enough to forget all the fucked up things he’d done. But no matter what amount of good he attempted, I’d never forgive him.

“What’s in the bag?” I asked, pointing at the large black duffle in his hands with the shotgun.

He motioned towards the living room, setting the bag on the table. Taking a seat on the couches, he explained to us what he’d found out about the witches. What they could make vampires do. How they could control their every move if they wanted to. How many had died so far. The assassination attempt on his life.

“I can’t believe a witch could make vampires do that.” Sookie said, staring at the ground.

“Well believe it.” Bill answered. “Of course it would be safest if Eric were to come with me, but …”

“He’s not leaving.”

“I’m not leaving.”

Eric and I said simultaneously

“I thought not.” He nodded before opening the bag to empty out large heavy silver chains.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked, face scrunched in disgust and confusion.

“If we do not chain ourselves, then we will all meet the sun together.” Bill sighed. “I am going home, where Jessica and I will do the very same thing.”

I looked down at Eric who stared at the chains. My stomach churned at the thought of what silver did to him. If Bill was telling the truth, then this is what had to happen. I’d already seen what they could do with Eric’s head. Imagining them having control of his body enough to make him walk into the sun scared the shit out of me.

“It’ll be dawn soon.” Sookie said, looking at the grandfather clock.

“I should get going.” Bill stood, looking me in the eye. “If you care anything for him, you will do this or it’ll be his last day on earth.”

I swallowed hard, not realizing how dry my mouth had gone, but I nodded.

Sookie went to walk out Bill while I took the chains, throwing them over my shoulder before taking Eric’s hand to lead him back down to the cubby. He sat on the edge of the bed and I sat next to him.

“You’re scared.” He said, “I feel it.”

“It’s a scary situation.” I replied, looking at the ground. “What if it doesn’t work and I lose you?”

“Then we- “

“No.” I interrupted, bringing my lips to his and kissing him softly. “I can’t let either of us think like that. This will work. You’re the strongest vampire I know. No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to. We’re going to fight this.”

All we could do was try. No matter what. We had to try. Thinking negatively wasn’t going to help anything.

He nodded, kissing me back before he laid.

I draped the silver across his ankles, tying them to the feet of the bed, the smell of burning flesh filing the room. He muffled his screams but gasped in pain.

“Need any help?” Sookie came down. “Grabbing one of the chains.”

“Get his wrist.” I motioned.

“It feels like I’ve been drained.” He whimpered as the cold metal was laid across his stomach. “Fuck.” He groaned.

“I know.” I replied, holding back tears. “I’m sorry. I’ve lost too many people in my life. I can’t lose you too. ”

Sookie looked down, placing a hand on mine to give it a comforting squeeze before picking up more chains.

“I understand.” Eric nodded, taking a deep breath as Sookie neared him with the chains to place around his neck. “Okay.” he said, lifting his neck for her to lower them.

He screamed when the metal touched his skin and I closed my eyes at the sound. My heart hurt. I could feel his pain in my soul.

“The sun should be coming up.” Sookie said. “I hope … no, i’m sure this is enough. We should get upstairs.”

“I’m not leaving.” I shook my head, kneeling on the ground next to the bed watching as Eric’s skin was being burned off by the chains.

OOO

 

“What time is it?” Eric asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

By now I was covered in blood. He’d gotten the bleeds from being awake this late in the day. Plus his wounds from the silver were open sores.

I was going to kill the witch that did this. Limb from lip I’d make her suffer like she was making him suffer.

“Must be past noon by now.” I replied.

Sookie had brought me breakfast a few hours okay, mentioned at that time it was 8 in the morning.

“The spell hasn’t come.” He said. “It may not come at all.”

“Maybe not.” I replied.

“Melanie.” He looked at me. “Remove the silver.”

I shook my head. “I can’t take that chance. There’s still half a day of sunlight left. If i let you meet the sun, I’d never forgive myself. ”

“King Bill said the witch is very powerful. So who knows. I may meet the sun anyway. I’d rather you didn’t remember me like this.”

“The last time you were under this much silver, we were at a church where you were going to give yourself up to save Godric, and my sister and I. Even before we were anything, you were willing to die for me. But even then I was by your side, making you realize how stupid you sounded.”

He laughed but choked back pain. “You loved me before we were even together?”

“I did.” I nodded.

“I must’ve been pretty special.” He smiled, weakly, but in comfort.

“We’ve – me, you, we’ve always had something special. Something that pulled us together. Somehow we’re always in a predicament like this, but we don’t leave each other’s side. We don’t abandon each other.”

“Memory or no memory. I’m perfectly happy as long as I’m with you.”

“Me too.” I smiled, wiping a teardrop of blood from his face.

A breeze hit my back and I sat up. This cubby was airtight. There were not windows.

It got stronger, I could hear it howling from outside when all of a sudden, Eric screamed.

“The sun!” He started chanting, his body in pain as he started trying to lift himself up. “To the sun! The sun!”

It was happening. Fucking christ. It was happening!

“No!” I yelled, pressing down on his chest to keep him down.

The doors opened and then shut quickly as Sookie ran down the stairs, helping me keep him down.

“Eric, you have to hold on!” She yelled. “Hold on!”

“The chains!” He hissed violently at us, fangs dropped. “Take the chains off! Take ‘em off!”

“Listen to me!” I begged, screaming over the howling wind. “You’ll die if you go out there!”

“I DON’T CARE!”