Chapter 22: Hurtful

*Warning: Contains strong language*

At Stackhouse home, Sookie stared at Summer for what seemed like several minutes. She was shocked and baffled over the news her sister just told her about having a son. Summer noticed the surprised look on his sister’s face and decided to explain everything to her. After ten minutes, Sookie decided to make her way over to the couch and plant herself on it. As she plopped down onto the couch, she stared directly ahead still in shock.

Sookie: Were you ever going to tell me?

Summer: Probably not.

Sookie: You should have told me. We usually tell each other everything. I would have kept your secret.

Summer: Trust me, I have contemplated several times on whether I should tell you or Jason, but I was scared of what you might think of me.

Sookie: My opinion of you wouldn’t have changed. Yeah, it was a stupid mistake but everybody makes mistakes.

Summer turned around and stared down at the floor where Katarine was now a puddle of blood and flesh. Bill stepped into the living room and noticed all the blood. He glanced over at Sookie sitting on the couch and noticed her arms and legs splattered with blood. Quicker than the blink of an eye, he was sitting on the couch next to her. Sookie hugged him and planted her lips onto his. Eric appeared next to Summer and placed his hand on top of her shoulder.

Eric: What happened here?

Summer: It’s a long story.

Eric: I have time.

Summer: It’ll have to wait. I have to make a phone call.

Summer walked passed Eric, out of the living room and stepping out onto the front porch. Eric watched her through the front window and noticed her pulling out her cell phone out of her back pocket and dialing a number. She placed the phone up against her ear and began speaking with someone on the other end. Using his heightened Vampire hearing, he heard exactly everything she was saying. Eric heard her asking about friends of Katarine’s and where she could find them. He then realized that she was speaking with his maker, Godric. She then asked him about where someone lived and then hung up the phone. Eric strolled out onto the porch and waited for Summer to explain herself. Summer knew that he wanted to know what was going on, but she really did not want him involved. This was something she had to do on her own. Before he could react, Summer was in her car and speeding out of the driveway.

Eric: Damn it, Summer.

Two nights later, Summer was in New Orleans strolling down Bourbon Street watching as young college drunk college students partied on the streets and on the balconies. A man approached her and blocked her from moving any further down the street. He glanced at her up and down and gave her a flirtatious smile. The drunk male was probably with those other drunken frat boys that she had passed not too long ago.

Summer: Move, please.

Man: You are smokin’ hot.

Summer: Seriously, move.

Man: What are you in a hurry for?

Summer: Listen, shit-head, I asked you nicely to move.

Man: Chill, sweetness. I’m just making conversation.

Summer: Are you going to step out of my way or am I going to have to make you move.

Man: You’re a feisty little fire cracker aren’t you.

Summer: Okay, I warned you.

Summer grabbed him by the upper arm and yanked him to the side. Since she yanked him so hard, he flung out of her grip and flew back a little bit until his back hit against the wall of the building they were standing in front of. She formed a satisfied grin on her face and continued on walking down the street. A few of the other frat boys rushed to their friend’s side to see if he was okay. Summer then came upon a club and stepped foot inside. Glancing around the room she noticed a crowd of people standing in front of the bar and a larger crowd dancing on the dance floor. Summer slowly walked further into the club, pushing through the people until she noticed across the room, against the wall, an older male in his early 40’s with dark brown hair sitting in-between two younger women. As she approached him, he immediately glanced at her and began ignoring the two females sitting next to him.

Man: Well hello (flirtatiously).

Summer: Are you William LaBeau?

Man: Yes.

Summer: I need to speak with you. (Looking at the women) Alone.

William: I think I can arrange that.

He tapped both females on their knees and they quickly got up and walked away. William then began patting his hand on the seat next to him. Summer knew that this guy was going to be a hassle but if he knew anything about the whereabouts of her son, so she was willing to do whatever it took. She sat down next to him and he leaned in closer to her. He placed his hand on top of her leg and she bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at him.

William: What did you need to speak with me about?

Summer: I heard you knew Katarine.

William: Of course I knew her. I made her. Why is she being a problem?

Summer: Not anymore…she’s dead.
William: Oh, well that’s too bad.

Summer: You don’t seem too upset.

William: My relationship with Katarine is a bit on the complicated side. Yes, I’m disappointed that she’s gone, but I will move on. I have a position open now if you want it (with a smirky grin on his face).

Summer: No thanks.

William: You’re new aren’t you?

Summer: What makes you think that?

William: I can spot a newborn a mile away. Although, you seem very different than most newborns. You seem more in control and tamed. Who is your maker, if you don’t mind me asking?

Summer: I do mind.

William: I did not mean to pry. I am just curious. Since you know my name, may I know yours?

Summer: My name is Summer Stackhouse.

William: A very pretty name for a very pretty woman.

Summer could feel his eyes glazing up and down every inch of her body. She wasn’t sure if she was being evaluated as a new potential mate or maybe as a disgusting one night stand. She had to focus her mind on the main issue at hand and not worry about where his hands might end up next. He seemed very handsy and she knew if Eric was there he would rip the limbs off of him.

Summer: Has Katarine been in contact with you recently?

William: Why don’t you come with me to my place where we can finish this conversation in private.
Summer: I would rather stay here if you don’t mind.

William: I’m sorry but I have to ask. Is it me or are you ready to rip my throat out?

Summer: You are correct.

William: What did Katarine tell you about me?

Summer: She didn’t tell me anything.

William: She must have done something or else you wouldn’t be here looking for me.
Summer: Maybe it is better if we go to your place.

William: (snickering) I like you. You remind me of Katarine.

Summer: Don’t insult me.
William stood up and extended his arm out with his hand open, waiting for Summer to place her hand in his so that he could help her up. Summer sighed and extended out her arm and placed her hand in his. He pulled her up off to couch and he gripped her hand tightly, flashing her a smile and leading her out of the club.

Meanwhile, in Shreveport, at Fangtasia, Eric was pacing back and for worth in his office while on the phone with his maker, Godric. He wanted to know everything that he told Summer over the phone a few days ago. Pam opened the office door and noticed that he was getting angry.

Eric: Damn it!

He then tossed the phone across the room and as it hit the wall in front of him, it shattered into pieces. Eric turned and noticed Pam standing in the doorway with a grin on her face.

Eric: What? (Sounding angry)

Pam: That is the third phone you have broken this week.

Eric: I can get another one.

Pam: What has angered you? Is it Summer? That girl has been nothing but trouble since you turned her.

Eric: Can you run Fangtasia for me while I’m away?

Pam: Of course I will. You know that. Why, where are you going?

Eric: New Orleans. I’m leaving right now and I should be back in a few days.

Pam: Is that where she ran off to?
Eric: Thanks.

He quickly walks passed Pam and out of the office. Pam rolled her eyes and closed the office door behind her.

Later in New Orleans, at William LeBeau’s colonial style mansion, Summer was sitting on the couch in the main room. William sat next to her with his hand on her leg once again. A woman in her late twenties wearing a short pink skirt and white tank top stepped into the room with two empty glasses in one hand and a bottle of, what appeared to be red wine, in the other hand. Summer noticed the girl was nicely tanned but her face lacked some color. It appeared as if the girl hadn’t slept in days or had been drained of her blood. Then Summer noticed several fang marks on her neck and arms. The girl placed the glasses on the table and opened up the bottle. She poured the red substance into each glass and then handed one to both Summer and William.

William: To new friendships.

William’s glass clinked against hers and he quickly drank from the glass. Summer could smell that there was blood in the glass and not red wine.

William: Do you not like your drink?

Summer: I’m not hungry.

William: Of course you are. Now drink it or you will offend Stella. She spent all day preparing that.

Summer glanced at the girl and she noticed how she would not make eye contact with anyone in the room. Summer could sense her fear and could also hear every thought running through her head. The girl was basically screaming out for help in her own head. Summer didn’t have time to save her; she had to first see if William knew anything about the whereabouts of her son.

Summer: I will drink it later (sitting it down on the table in front of her). I need to ask you if Katarine contacted or met with you recently.

William: Possibly.

Summer: Did she have anybody with her?

William: Not that I recall.

Summer: Before Katarine was killed she told me that she kidnapped my son.

William: That sounds like Katarine. She is insane but that is my fault.

Summer: Did she have a young boy with her or not?

William: Shhhhhh…..lets just calm down and enjoy each other’s company.

Summer: You are really starting to piss me off.

William started snickering and grabbed Summer’s glass and quickly took a drink out of it. He then turned to her and within a second he had Summer pinned down onto the couch with his hand around her throat. Summer noticed his fangs and knew that he if she made another mistake that he would snap her neck within seconds. The girl in the room was so startled that she ran out of the room.

William: Now are you going to behave and do as I say or am I going to have to hurt you?

Summer: I’m sorry.

William: Now that’s what I like to hear.

He then leans down closer to her face and plants his lips onto hers. Summer wanted to stake his ass but she had to play for now in order to find out where her son was hidden. After he kissed her for a few minutes, he lifted his head up slightly and formed a satisfied grin on his face. He then sat up and his fangs instantly retracted themselves back into his gums. Summer slowly raised herself back up and was thought about what her next move should be.

The next night, in New Orleans, Eric meets up with one of his human private detectives at a small café and the man slipped him a manila envelope. Eric opened up the envelope and noticed pictures of Summer inside a club dancing with another man. He recognized the man in the photo and tossed the photos into the garbage can next to him. He glanced at the piece of paper before also disposing of it. Eric then reached inside his trench coat and pulled out some money, handing it to the private detective and then started walking down Bourbon Street.

Meanwhile, at William’s colonial mansion, Summer was snooping around in each room to see if anything would point towards where her son was at. She came upon his office and quietly stepped inside. As she walked over to his desk, she sat down and tried logging into his computer. As she tried that, she glanced around the top of his desk at the paper work, but didn’t notice anything helpful. Finally she got into his computer and looked around at his schedule to see if he did meet with Katarine recently. She heard a noise and quickly bolted up out of the chair and turned off the computer. William opened up the door and realized that she had been snooping around.

William: Someone is a bad girl (waving his index finger back and for worth).

Summer: I’m sick of playing these games with you. Where is my son?

William: (snickering) If I had him, then wouldn’t he be here?

Summer: I know he’s not here, but you could have hidden him somewhere else.

William: You are a clever girl. I underestimated you.

Summer could hear that he was going to try to attack her so she knew that she had to act fast. William made a move and faster than the flash of a camera, he was at her side. He hit her with his arm, really hard, causing her to fling forward up and over the desk. As she landed on her side, she quickly scrambled to her feet and faced him. Her fangs protruded from her gums and she waited for him to try to attack her again. This time she would be ready. He dashed around the desk towards her and she extended out her arms to brace for him. Once he reached her hands, she quickly flipped him over her shoulder. He flew towards the double doors and slammed into it, causing the doors to fly open. William hit the wall and scampered back onto his feet. He looked around for Summer but she wasn’t anywhere in sight. Her scent was still within close distance but he was not for sure where she was at. Suddenly he was knocked down and Summer had him pinned down to the floor. She was on top of him holding down his arms tightly.

Summer: You are going to tell me where my son is right now or I’ll make sure you suffer.

William: (with an evil grin on his face) Go ahead. Show me what you got.

Summer then yanked his arm quickly causing his radial and ulnar bones to snap into several pieces. He flinched in pain but he did not scream out.

Summer: Now are you going to tell me.

William: You think torturing me is going to get me to talk, but it won’t. It only turns me on. Punish me some more (with a grin on his face).

Summer: You are one crazy dead bitch.

Summer then pulled out a silver cross necklace from inside her jeans pocket. Her hand began to burn and smoke emanated from off her skin. Quickly she opened up his mouth with one hand and shoved the necklace inside his mouth. She held his mouth shut and his body started to squirm violently underneath her. Suddenly he broke free from her grip and pushed her off of him. She flew backwards, falling onto the floor and watched as he yanked the cross from out of his mouth. The cross necklace fell onto the floor and blood trickled down William’s mouth.

William: Enough foreplay.

Summer quickly gets back up onto her feet and darts off down the hall with William following closely behind. She decides to change directions and turns left into the next room, slamming the door shut behind her. William charges through the door and Summer tackles him into the wall. As his back hits the wall, Summer jabs a piece of the broken door into his chest, missing his heart. William begins laughing and Summer backs off away from him. He pulls out the piece of wood and throws it to the floor. His wound begins to heal and he flashes her an evil grin before charging towards her. Suddenly William is lifted up in the air and thrown across the room, landing onto the dining room table, shattering it underneath him. Summer realizes that Eric was now in the room with her. Eric’s fangs were showing and stood anxiously waiting for William to get back up. As William staggered back onto his feet, he noticed Eric standing before him.

William: Well, well, well, if it isn’t Eric, the Viking, Northman. (Looking at Summer) He’s your maker isn’t he? I should have known.

Eric: Tell her where her son is (calmly).
William: And what makes you think I have him?

Eric: Because I know you. Who else would Katarine take after?

William: I’ve always liked you, Eric, but you underestimate me.

Eric: And you of me.

William made his move and darted towards Eric. Eric braced himself and snatched William as he reached him. Eric then slammed William into the wall. As his back hit against the wall, Eric grabbed William’s head and began slamming it violently against the wall several times. Eric let go and backed away from William, as he fell onto his knees, spitting up blood. Summer noticed blood splattered all over the wall from where Eric caved in the back of William’s skull. Already, William started healing. You would have never known his head had been bashed in. He scampered back onto his feet and started laughing in an evil fashion.

Eric: Do you give up?

William: Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy our physical abuse but you’re a horrible listener. I don’t have the little runt.

Summer: He’s lying.

William: Think what you want, babe.

Eric: You are lying and I will make you confess.

William: Like I told her…go ahead and give me what you got.

Eric: I will.

Eric pounced on top of William, knocking him down to the floor and drove his fist into William’s chest. He began flinching and squirming under Eric’s body as Eric drove his fist further into his chest. William could feel his ribs crunching and could feel Eric’s hand squeezing his dead, unbeating heart. Eric leaned in towards William’s face, his fangs out and gave him an evil stare.

Eric: If you want me to stop, all you have to do is tell us where the boy is.

William did not respond he just stared into Eric’s eyes. Summer could tell that William was not going to give in. William was an old Vampire, but not as old as Eric. Eric began to squeeze William’s heart tighter.

William: He’s at my club on Bourbon Street. One of my girls is taking care of him.

Eric: I knew you would give in.

Eric yanked out his hand from inside William’s chest and stood back up. Eric’s arm from the elbow down was covered in blood. His fangs retracted and he walked over towards Summer. Summer and Eric quickly left the mansion and into Eric’s rented Prias.

Later, at the “Always Eternal” club, Summer and Eric entered the club looking for one of William’s girls. Summer spotted a young female at the end of the club sitting on the couch where she first met William. She quickly took off into the crowd towards the female. Eric followed. As she reached the young lady, she noticed the girl flirting with a younger gentleman. Her leg was lounging over the man’s leg and she was kissing on his neck. Summer made a noise in her throat which caused the woman to glance up at her.
Summer: Where is he?

Woman: Where is who?

Summer: You know exactly what I am talking about.

Man: Is something wrong?

Eric: Leave.

Man: What?

Eric: I said leave.

The young man noticed the seriousness on Eric’s face and the evil in his eyes. He quickly shot up off the couch and scuffled away from them and back onto the dance floor.

Summer: William told me that he hid the boy here.

Woman: He told me about you.

Summer: I know he’s here. It’s only a matter of time before I find him.

Woman: Are you sure?

Faster than the young woman could blink, Summer had yanked the girl off the couch by the straps of her dress and pulled her towards her face. The woman noticed Summer’s fangs and her heart began beating violently inside her chest from fear.

Summer: I am not going to ask you again. Where is he?

Woman: In the V.I.P room with the other girls.

Summer: If there is one scratch on him, I and my friend here are going to have ourselves a little midnight snack.

Woman: We didn’t touch him. I swear (now crying).

Summer pushed the girl back onto the couch and took off towards the V.I.P room across the other side of the room. There was big, muscular man in a tight, white, wife beater standing in front of the door. He noticed Summer and did not budge away from the door.

Summer: Move, please.

Man: Sorry, I can’t let you in, sweetheart.

Eric grabbed the man from behind and pulled him away from the door. Summer made her way towards the door and pushed the doors open. As she stepped foot inside the room, the girls noticed her and quickly ran out of the back door. Summer noticed a little bit sitting on the couch. He was about ten years old and had brown hair and blue eyes. The boy locked eyes with her and his heart began pounding.

Summer: I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to take you home.

Boy: I don’t have a home anymore.

Summer: What? (Confused)

Boy: The pretty woman killed them.

Summer rushed to his side and kneeled down in front of him.

Summer: What is your name?

Boy: Alex.

Summer: Hi, Alex, my name is Summer.

Boy: Are you a Vampire, too?

Summer: Yes, but I won’t hurt you. I promise.

Eric stepped into the room and noticed Summer speaking with the little boy. He stood by the doorway and watched as the boy reached out and hugged Summer. She rose up back onto her feet and extended her hand towards Alex. He grabbed her hand and slid off the couch. Summer, still holding Alex’s hand began walking towards the door. Eric, Summer and Alex then left the club together.

A few days later, at the Stackhouse residence, Summer, Eric, Bill and Sookie sat at the kitchen table while Alex was sitting in the living room watching TV.

Sookie: He is so adorable. I just can’t believe I’m an aunt.

Bill: So what are your plans?

Summer: He can’t stay with me. Not now anyways. I’m a new Vampire and it’s hard for me to be around humans as it is, yet alone a child. I called Austen earlier and explained everything to him. He should be here shortly.

Sookie: Does Alex know?

Summer: He told me that the family he was living with told him that he was adopted. So yes, I told him that I am his biological mother.

Bill: And how did he respond to that?

Summer: He took it very well actually. I was surprised.

There then was a knock at the front door. Summer got up off out of her chair and stepped out of the kitchen. She opened the front door and noticed Austen standing in front of her. She stepped aside and he stepped inside. Summer closed the door and stepped into the living room. Austen followed closely behind her.

Summer: Austen, this is Alex.

Austen noticed the boy sitting on the couch with a remote control in his hands. Alex noticed him and flashed him a smile.

Austen: Hi, Alex. My name is Austen.

Alex: Are you my dad?

Austen quickly glanced over at Summer and she nodded her head in response to the look that he gave her.

Austen: Yes, I am.

Alex: You don’t look like a dad.

Austen: (chuckling) What is a dad suppose to look like?

Alex: Not like you.

Summer: Austen, why don’t you go into the kitchen while I speak with Alex.

Austen: Take all the time you need.

Austen then began walking towards the kitchen. Summer made her way over to the couch and sat down next to Alex.

Summer: Do you remember what I told you?

Alex: Yes, but why can’t you come?

Summer: I can’t. Not right now.

Alex: Why?

Summer: Because I need time to adjust to my new life as a Vampire.

Alex: Will I ever see you again?

Summer: Yes. As soon as I can, I will come and visit you. I promise.

Alex immediately hugged her.

A half hour later, Summer was standing on the front porch with Eric, Sookie and Bill as they watched Alex climb into the front seat of Austen’s red Dodge truck. Austen closed the door and walked around the truck. He opened up the driver side door and climbed inside. The truck turned on and Alex waved good-bye to everyone. Austen slowly drove the truck out of the gravel driveway. Summer started to feel sadness and Eric wrapped his arm around her to comfort her.

The End.