What Matters Most is True...

(Blood that is.)

Chapter 1

Disclaimer:The usual really...I don't own any of the characters or else they would have been doing my dirty deeds a lot sooner, muah ha ha!

Jessica

Jason couldn't help the name that dashed across his mind once Sookie ran out of the room. Eric Nothman's voice rang around the house spurring Jason to do one thing. Run.

Jessica

Jason ran. Ran faster than any football game had urged him too. Ran faster than when he heard the news of Sookie's disappearance only a year ago. He ran with the only the thought that Jessica could die. Would walk out into the blazing sun that Jason had always enjoyed and despised now at this moment.

His breath blew out harsh through his chest as his body moved faster, eased by the vampire blood coursing through him or something else he hadn't accepted.

His heart leapt as he spotted the house, hearing shots for him to stop. He didn't. He couldn't. He wouldn't bare the thought that Jessica, the girl who had comforted him in his hour of need, the girl that saved his life and held his best friends heart could die. He shouted at them, still running for the white doors in his gaze before he was met with sudden collision. The ground met him harshly as he looked over to the man that tackled him.

'Wow', thought Jason for a moment, 'I haven't been tackled like that in years.'

A gun was pointed directly at his face, the man's face stony and resistant to any swaying. Jason for once knew that if he did something stupid, he would most definitely die.

Jessica

But Jason had to. If there was anything Jason knew he could do, well, it was be stupid. So he did. He didn't think for a second. He flung his body up, intending to throw his body over the soldier-dressed man and gain the upper hand. For a moment Jason wondered how he managed to gain such speed before his body crashed into the other man, a gunshot ringing through the air and part of Jason's shoulder. He winced and bit harshly through the pain. He remembered the pain of the panther's teeth in his chest, biting over and over and over.

The bullet? The bullet was nothing like that. Almost relieved with this thought, Jason swung a hard fist at the man's held, jerking it to the side suddenly. The man was silent. Breathing but not moving anytime soon. Jason blew out a breath, for a moment forgetting everything other than the fact he was straddling a man with one fist still in the air and a bullet hole in his shoulder.

Jessica!

Jason's head whipped up to gaze upon the doors, swearing that he saw the slightest movement in the door handles.

"No!" Jason screamed, leaping forward and running the short distance from the doors.

The sun.

They opened. Jason was only ten feet away when the white painted doors burst open to reveal Jessica. Her eyes were glazed and wild but bright. They shone blue and radiant, just as her red hair, which cascaded down her shoulders. Jason didn't stop running, urged even more to not let the sun burn this vision. He threw himself with all his strength to push the fledgling vampire back and away from the sun just as it started to burn her white skin.

"Jessica!" This time, Jason screamed it.

Both bodies flung to the floor with a crash. This time Jason did think. He hauled himself up and pulled Jessica further into the house. A leg kicked him hard. No. HARD. His body flew threw the air and crashed into a wall, his breath leaving him with a jerk. He lay there stunned for a moment before looking up. Jessica was crouched on the floor gazing at the open doors. Most of her body was shielding by an overturned table but her revealed shoulder burned brightly, blood and skin pealing and bursting into flame. Jessica's head turned to Jason and she screamed. Jason wasn't sure if it was by the burning sun or his efforts to stop her walking into it. He couldn't help it though. He flinched and whispered, "Jessica…stop."

Her head and body that had turned to the open doors stopped.

Jason.

Jessica stopped and looked to Jason's injured form, a momentary flicker of her old self coming back. Jason saw it and took advantage. Springing to his feet, he grabbed Jessica's unresisting arm and dragged her to an open door leading to darkness.

They both tumbled and crawled down the stairs until they reached the bottom. Jason, panting for breath from exhaustion and pain looked over at the sound of whimpering. Jessica lay they there, silver still bound around her ankles, causing them to bleed.

Jason hastened over there but jumped at the sound of a violent snarl.

"Jessica!"

Jason, panting for breath, turned his head to see Bill Compton tied tightly to a bead in the corner of the room.

"Bill?" he whispered.

"Stackhouse!" Bill yelled. "Release me from these chains!"

Jason couldn't help but stare, having never seen Bill Compton, much less a vampire become so rabid and crazy.

'Well accept for that one video that girl showed me to get me hot', he thought, shuddering at the thought.

He quickly knocked that out of his mind and turned to Jessica still lying on the floor.

"Jessica? Are you okay?"

"…Jason?"

Jason sighed with relief.

"Yes, I-I came to save you…Are you okay?"

"I-I…think so. My head hurts" Jessica turned her head as if to hear something far away. Her eyes started to glaze but snapped back as Jason laid his hand on her arm.

"Jessica?" Jason looked at Jessica, briefly glancing at Bill Compton as he once again yelled. "Let's get off the floor okay?"

Jessica looked to her maker with sadness before grabbing Jason's outstretched hand.

"Yeah…okay", she said, climbing to her feet and hissing at the still remaining silver anklets. She stared down at them for a long while before looking up to Jason's concerned eyes.

"Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"…Thank you."

Jason smiled. "Hey…what else was I gonna do?"

Hope you enjoyed it so far ;-) Please Review and let me know if you'd like me to continue. Any suggestions? I'm all ears.