|Ding, Dong, the Vampire King is Dead|

[chasinghumanity]

The thing about life as a human that Mitchell was realizing was that the bumps in the road turned out to be a whole lot more stressful from this end. Not that he hadn't had his fair share (less than, really) of heartache, stress and worry as a vampire back home. But through all that, every heartbreaking, earth-shattering, life-changing thing, the

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[justsookie]

If there was anything that Sookie had come to rely on when it came to the island, it was that Tabula Rasa had a tendency to carefully space out major events. Rare was it that the entirety of the island would be hit with more than one catastrophe in a given month, and even council elections and speeches remained largely uninterrupted by any strings pulled by whatever nebulous power held the island in its grasp. So the last thing that Sookie had expected, that week, was for anything to come out of the woodwork. The start of a school term always came with butterflies in her stomach, slight reminders of her own difficulties in her schooling years, but it was a manageable level of stress. Practically a breath of fresh air, compared to the dark depths of Rapture, of Sarah being thrown around, of suddenly being reverted to all of eight years old, and certainly compared to her entire body changing at a laugh or a smile.

What she should have remembered was that the island, while seemingly never pressing the island populace beyond what they could handle, certainly didn't hold back on any individual. Russell Edgington's disappearance was, while far from the most upsetting disappearance, still one of the most unsettling, uncertainty gnawing at her stomach and a vague sense of regret at not having tried harder to learn what his motivations were. She was in the process of laying out clothes and a list of things to do the next day when she heard a knock on the door, and then Mitchell's voice quietly filtering through.

Glad for any break from her thoughts, she made her way quickly over to the front door and pulled it open with a smile. "Well, this is unexpected. To what do I owe the visit?" she greeted, leaning coyly against the door frame.

[chasinghumanity]

He had no reason to visit, not really, not one that didn't border on the existential and require a short philosophical treatise to explain. But Mitchell wasn't one to let that stop him, nor to expound on those soul-searching questions out loud without a few good pints in him. And, thankfully, he was completely sober as he leaned against the opposite frame, a careless smile on his face and hands dipping into the pockets of his jeans.

"Can't a guy go see the girl he loves without some kind of pretext?" he asked, lifting his free shoulder in a shrug. "I'll make one up if you like. But it's gonna be some soppy sounding variation of I wanted to see you. I trust that's alright?"

[justsookie]

Her expression lit up immediately, Sookie unable to contain herself as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders, fingers tracing down the length of his jaw as she pulled him closer for a kiss. Maybe a part of her had long since grown accustomed to the rockier elements of a relationship- even now, thinking back on Bill sometimes left her simply tired- but now and again, Mitchell would remind her of the ease that all of it could have. There was very little she found herself more grateful for.

"No, no, it's okay, I was just... wondering," she smiled, before the expression faded a bit, Sookie's brow furrowing in thought. Did she want to break the news to him right then? There was something so tempting about an afternoon spent together, careless and carefree, like they could ignore all other troubles and just find each other in the moment.

Though the thought of keeping it all from him any longer also knotted in her stomach. "So if I've got, like... good news, but good news that kinda reveals bad news, is that something I should hold off on for now?"

[chasinghumanity]

Mitchell settled a hand high on Sookie's hip as he leaned down to return the kiss. Short, simple, sweet: everything a greeting kiss should be. No reticence on his end or questions on hers. It felt good, especially after something of a forced exile over the weekend, and Mitchell was eager to step inside, settle himself and while away the hours talking about nothing and cuddling enough that his clothes would catch her scent before he left.

But that hope faded readily when he caught the way her brows drew together. He checked his memory quickly, like a guilty man, searching for anything that he might have done to upset things, or how Sookie could have found out about the train. Her question relieved him only somewhat; there was still something off, obviously, even if it weren't Mitchell's fault.

The worry wasn't an easy thing to shake, so he frowned as well and shook his head. "No, no," he said. "Say what you need to say, I don't.. want you holding back because of me."

[justsookie]

"Well, I- y'know, I don't think it's really that big of a deal, I don't think it has to be that big of a deal," Sookie replied, words coming out in a rush before she exhaled slowly, arms lingering around his shoulders for just a moment more before she dropped one so that she could lace her fingers with his, backing into the hut and hoping to guide him along. "I might be making a mountain outta a molehill, to be honest, but you know me. Get caught on a line of thought, can't stop thinking, it's worse for everyone unless I get it out and someone knocks sense into me."

Glancing over her shoulder, there was a hint of apprehension in her eyes, worried- even suspecting- that he'd be angry at the very mention of the attack. "There's someone who disappeared today," she began, lips thinning. "Or, well, we just noticed, since all his stuff up and disappeared with him."

[chasinghumanity]

He followed her without complaint or struggle, the worry growing the more she spoke. His fingers laced with hers hardly registered though he did not break that point of contact. He was too busy trying to guess what she was on about to skip ahead to angry, frustrated or any other emotion he could or should be feeling at the moment.

She looked over her shoulder and his stomach clenched in real fear. "Who?" he asked. Mitchell reached up to cup her cheek, directing her attention to him and him alone. "Sookie, what are you trying to say? You're starting to worry me here."

[justsookie]

"Russell Edgington," she blurted out, blinking before nodding her head and trying to backtrack, trying to figure out the best place to start. The hand on her cheek and fear in his eyes were enough to tell Sookie that she hadn't gone about breaking the news to him in the right way. Ideally, she would have been able to leave it alone. Just have a day that was relaxed, where they wouldn't have to worry about tiptoeing around one another. Apparently, her nerves wouldn't allow for that today. "I think he's from my world, I think he's somehow important to my life, 'cause clearly he had to have some reason for attacking me all those months ago, but I never did figure it out and now he's gone."

Belatedly, she breathed, catching her breath.

"It's probably not a big deal or anythin', not here on the island. I didn't want you to get too angry before I figured out why the hell he came after me in the first place, so I kept his name to myself, and now he's... gone."

[chasinghumanity]

"Wait, he attacked you?"

Wracking his brain for every interaction he had had with the older man, Mitchell came up with instances few and far between. He had shown up in Bristol with the rest of them the once, but Mitchell couldn't recall any significant interaction with him other than that. Why would he have attacked Sookie? He didn't seem like the type to dirty his hands like that.

"But he was-- Why would-- Argh, Sookie." Teeth grinding together, Mitchell clenched his jaw and raked his fingers through his hair, trying to curb the sudden flare of frustration. He of all people understood wanting to leave things lay, but this was different. Mitchell knew how things would turn out if people knew his dirty little secrets. He knew nothing good came of telling some stories. But they didn't know anything about this and that was dangerous.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. Under the frustration, there too was a note of helplessness. Above all, he needed to protect the people he loved, and that wouldn't happen at this rate. "I could have talked to him. We could have dealt with this. It was obviously big enough of a deal for him to attack you. That's a big fucking deal, Sookie."

[justsookie]

Raising both of her hands defensively, Sookie shook her head and backed further into the room, feeling her legs bump into the mattress before she sat herself fully down, letting out a small sigh. She'd known, of course, that Mitchell was bound to react negatively to the information. Never mind that things hadn't really changed since the last time they talked over the matter- Sookie had let him know that she wasn't comfortable revealing the name unless she could somehow prove that there was a chance it'd happen again. There were simply certain issues that always seemed to trigger tension between the two of them, always the secrets kept hidden, always one trying to protect the other from whatever thoughts continued to swirl in their minds. If there was a negative side to relationships, Sookie thought to herself, this was definitely it.

For a friend, Sookie could have opened up. As a friend, she would have pestered until all hell blew over, making sure she was aware of every last detail that plagued him. But as a girlfriend, Sookie was afraid of driving irreparable cracks in the relationship; her eyes grew bright with the fear that something would happen now.

"'Cause I don't know why he attacked me at all, Mitchell. I mean, he didn't exactly seem like he was in his right mind, and... gosh only knows what I might've done to him back home, I don't know," Sookie stammered, running her fingers nervously through her hair, pulling it all over a shoulder, glancing nervously after Mitchell. "All I know's that before he suddenly snapped, he was perfectly nice to me. I mean, yeah, I'm still kind of suspicious of the fact that he didn't tell me that we were both from home, but he never did anything again. And he wasn't exactly forthcoming with information when I talked to him, so I don't see why he would've opened up to anyone else."

[chasinghumanity]

"Oh, what could you have done?" he scoffed, disregarding the thought out of hand and strongly. Not that Sookie didn't have her rough edges, impenetrable pieces in her armor, an angry streak, but even with all those things taken into account, Mitchell had a hard time believing a waitress from Bon Temps could have done anything worth getting attacked by someone as seemingly put together as Edgington. No, much more likely he had some issue, some mad belief or misconception that made him violent. And now they would never know.

"I still say, he snapped once, he could have snapped twice." Mitchell set his jaw and shook his head slowly. He had been resigned to the issue when it seemed like there was nothing to be done. Sookie had been unmovable on the subject. But opening it up again, and telling him that there truly was absolutely nothing to be done about it now, was just rubbing tonnes of salt into a wound. "I could have talked to him," he muttered again. Now the definition of "talking" had wandered more towards "intimidating" than anything else. Mitchell could have taken Edgington in a heartbeat. "I should have talked to him. At the very least watched him in case of something."

[justsookie]

Raising a brow immediately at his reaction, Sookie crossed her arms and pushed herself further back on the mattress, toeing her shoes off and propping one leg on the other knee. "What could I have done?" she asked, blinking in slight surprise. Not that Sookie thought herself especially violent or vicious- even as a voice sounded in her head, lilting and teasing, recognizing the bloodthirsty streak in her, the part of her that was ruthless when it came to protecting the people she loved- but there was still something which didn't sit right about the statement. The flippant air Mitchell had taken. "Well, I don't know, Mitchell, it isn't exactly like I haven't killed a man before, and there's already been plenty of other humans and vampires alike killed in my name."

Sighing, she leaned back against the wall, momentarily raising a hand to rub one of her temples in a circular motion. "Look, I'm just saying, in the end, I'm fine, nothing else happened, and frankly I didn't want the whole island going and either angering him more or terrifying him out of his pants," she reasoned. "And besides, it's not like the IPD wasn't looking out for me and anyone else that Russell could've snapped around."

[chasinghumanity]

He didn't stop himself from rolling his eyes at her protestations that she was capable, that she was dangerous. He should have; Mitchell knew that even as he went through the motion. But small part of him had stopped caring about the little things at that moment, the tiny shows of restraint that could save a moment from tumbling out of control. He'd been wound so tight over the last few weeks, something a little out of control almost felt good.

He probably wouldn't think so a couple hours after this.

"That was once and there were extenuating circumstances," he replied in a rather pedantic tone of voice he might have picked up from George. Or George from him. "It's not like you cause trouble and earn enemies wherever you go, Sookie. Having someone attack you isn't something someone like you should just accept as.. natural cause and effect. And it's not the whole island," he said, shifting gears with a strain in his voice. "It's just me. It would have been just me. This was something that could have been taken care of, dealt with. It went away because he disappeared, not because of anything else. It didn't just fade out itself because no one touched it."

[justsookie]

Leaning forward almost immediately, Sookie raised a skeptical brow, hand pressed into the mattress, fabric puckering under the weight. Much as she loved Mitchell, much as she would have been concerned if he didn't fret in the slightest, she couldn't help feeling a strong sense of déjà vu- the sort that twisted unpleasantly in her gut, caused her brow to furrow. The feeling of being told what was right and wrong for her was certainly familiar.

The feeling of being told to rely on a man's protection, equally so.

"Would've been just you to do... what, exactly?" Sookie asked, incredulity in her voice. "Threaten him? Reason with him? 'Cause I've gotta say, I don't need anyone fighting my battles for me. Battles which, let me remind you, were nonexistent, and when I talked to him later on he was completely civil. I don't see how having someone else talk to him, least of all my boyfriend, would have helped anything." Sighing, she threaded her fingers through her hair, dropping her forehead to her knee.

[chasinghumanity]

"No, it wasn't a battle. It was an assault!" he snapped back, eyes blazing. God, this was infuriating. All he wanted to do was help and she was twisting his words and concern into something bad. He would have walked away by now if it weren't concern and love that kept him rooted in place. Well, relatively rooted, as he took up a short pace now, pushing his hands through his hair again, as if the action would soothe him in some way that it hadn't before.

"He attacked you, Sookie. Why would he deign to really talk to you? Obviously he didn't respect you, so why should he tell you the truth? This isn't about me being your boyfriend. This is about me being someone other than you who wouldn't have walked away without some kind of answer. And, you know what," he said, stopping suddenly and fixing her with an injured, frowning look, "this is about me being your boyfriend. I love you. I have a right to be involved. I'm supposed to be-- to be your support. When you hurt, I hurt. Someone hurts you, they hurt me. I could have helped. I should have helped."

[justsookie]

Even with the his voice washing over her, angry and sharp, Sookie managed to hold her gaze steady. Once, just the slightest raise in volume would have sent her running, would have driven her to tears right in the middle of her workplace- and there was no small pang of yearning as she thought of Merlotte's, of Sam and Tara, of everyone getting along and enjoying the time they had with one another- but she'd changed. Life itself had, between Bon Temps and the island. Though her confidence wore away slightly at the fringe, still she found herself sitting tall and refusing to give way for the mere sake of smoothing the situation over.

It would have been a disservice to them both, some part of her knew, even if she hadn't consciously acknowledged it as such.

"Kinda sounds like what I said to you a couple of weeks ago, doesn't it?" she asked, raising a brow. "But you and I both know that just 'cause we love each other doesn't mean we'll tell each other everything, all the time. I thought I could handle it- no, I wanted to handle it myself, Mitchell. I'm not gonna apologize for making a decision."

She drew in a shaky breath. "But I'm sharin' now, 'cause... he's gone now. I only kept it to myself 'cause I didn't want anyone leaping to conclusions- which you're still doing, by the way."

[chasinghumanity]

She fired back and Mitchell shook his head, refusing to let the shot hit, be any more than a glancing blow. He was right in what he had done. Keeping that article from Sookie -- from all of them -- was the only thing he could have done. It had been the only way to protect them and himself. And, most importantly, there was nothing anyone could have done about it. No amount of talking would wash him clean, fix what he had done or heal him. Not talking to Sookie, anyway.

"That's different," he said. The words came out with a brusque kind of finality, not backed up by the fact that he continued to justify his actions, voice rising to an almost pleading note. "This isn't a memory, Sookie. It's not a bad feeling to shake off. This was an actual person who hurt you. I mean, you're only telling me now because you thought there wouldn't be any consequences. Because you thought I'd just take it and thank you for it. When really you should be apologizing. Not for making a decision, but making the wrong one."