Disclaimer – Yeah I forgot to do one of these at the beginning of the story. No monetary gain was made from this, blah, blah, blah. I own nothing but the awkward plotline. All characters used from Newsies belong to Disney, all characters used from True Blood belong to either HBO or Charlaine Harris. Obviously.

AN - Anyways, if I owned Skittery and Eric, there's no way I would be spending my time in bed with a laptop. C'mon, let's be realistic here, people. As always, enjoy, and for those of you reading this (I know there's some of you, FF told me so) please review! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, flames will be used for a bonfire, to which I will invite all of my nice reviewers.

The first thing the newborn vampire noticed as he struggled to open his eyes was a hunger, unlike anything he'd ever felt burning the back of his throat, demanding to be satiated.

The second thing he noticed was the sudden onslaught of his senses. He could hear strange and unfamiliar sounds, unlike anything he'd heard before. From every point in his body he could feel tingling sensations making him wonder if he'd ever known touch before this night. He could smell the dampness of the dirt that surrounded him. Wait, what?

The third thing he noticed was that he was, in fact, buried under ground. A panic rose in his throat, temporarily replacing the unquenchable thirst, as he clawed frantically at the earth that was all around him. As he dug his way out, his hand grasped that of another creature, which yanked him out of his burial spot with ease.

Wild eyed, and jumpy, proving once again where his nickname came from, Skittery stared at the tall, imposing man before him. He slowly backed up, until he bumped into the sturdiness of a tree trunk behind him.

"W-who are you? W-what do you want?" Images darted in and out of Skittery's head, leaving before he could get a complete grasp on them, and understand what they meant. The same man who was before him now pinning him against a wall in an alley. Fangs, where teeth should have been. A fleeting moment of pain in his neck. The man shoving a bleeding wrist in his mouth.

Uneasily, Skittery placed his fingertips against his neck, feeling for the gashes that should have been there. He felt nothing. His mouth began to water as he remembered the taste of the blood the man had forced down his throat. Skittery shoved that thought out of his head, wondering if the drugs he'd smoked had been laced with something more potent than just opiates.

Eric took a cautious step towards the frightened boy, holding out his hands to show he meant no harm. "Everything will be explained in due time, my son. But first you must feed."

The sound of the man's voice brought upon an assault of fresh memories, and suddenly Skittery found himself inexplicably angry at the man.

"I asked ya ta kill me! An' ya didn't!" He accused the man, his voice hoarse from days of not being used. He sank to his knees, tears filling his eyes. "Why didn't ya kill me?"

Softly, Eric defended himself. "I did."

The boy rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes, embarrassed to cry in front of this man. When he pulled his hands away a new fright rose in him as he saw blood beginning to stain the parts of his hands that had wiped at the tears.

Eric could sense the horror in the boy, and he gently explained, "Vampires cry blood."

"Vampires." The boy repeated in a voice that didn't give a hint as to what he was feeling now.

Suddenly Skittery found himself laughing a little hysterically. That explained everything. The man in front of him was crazy. Unsteadily, Skittery stood back up and moved around the tree that had blocked him earlier, as he began to back away. "Listen, I gotta get back ta da lodgin' house. I got papes ta sell in da mornin', an' we get up real early." He turned to run, but the man swiftly appeared right next to him, grasping his arm in his hand.

Skittery made a frivolous attempt to free his arm from the strong hand that held it. Eric let the boy struggle, knowing it was something he needed to get out of his system.

When he finally gave up, Eric loosened his grip, though he still didn't let go completely. Repeating himself, he told the boy, "You need to feed."

"Yeah, well, I'll eat soin' back at da lodgin' house, all right? I appreciate ya concern an' all," He trailed off with a half hearted shrug of his shoulders, once again trying to turn and leave.

"You can't go back to wherever you were living before. You can't go back to your old life. Ever." Eric tolerantly explained.

After a few strained, silent minutes, Eric felt the fight drain out of the boy, and he released his grip on the boy's arm entirely. "Come with me." His voice left no room for argument.

Falteringly, Skittery followed him, taking in the sights around him and trying to figure out where he was. It looked familiar, but something was off. Everything was clearer, more vivid. It was the pitch black of night, and yet he could make out his surroundings perfectly.

Even his movements seem more fluid, as he easily managed to keep up with the long strides of the crazy man in front of him. Frazzled, Skittery ran a hand through his dark brown, uncontrollable locks. He brushed the dirt off his clothes best he could, pulling his hand away and staring at it in wonderment when he was positive he could feel every piece of thread that stitched his clothes.

"What's happenin' ta me?" He broke the silence in a voice that betrayed the fear he felt deep in his chest.

"Happened." Eric corrected him. "Not happening, seeing as the transformation is already complete. That's why you awoke."

"Look, happened, happenin', I's don't really give a shit, but what da fuck is goin' on? Why da hell do I feel so weird. All me senses, dey's heightened or soin'. I'm cryin' blood for Chrissakes!" The heavy New York accent of the newsboy got more pronounced as his vice rose, and he got himself more and more worked up.

Eric sensed that he had stopped following him, and he slowed, turning around to face the boy. "You're a vampire now. I drained you're blood, killing you. Then I fed you my own blood, to turn you. The change completed in you when I buried you underground for a few days." Eric could feel his previous patience with the boy wearing thin. "And as I have already told you multiple times, you need to feed. Now come on." He turned, expecting the boy to follow again, and lost his temper when he didn't hear footsteps behind him. "I said let's go!"

"No! I don't know what I smoked da other day, an' what ya've done ta me since den, but ya fuckin' crazy! Vampires ain't real. I may not be educated, but dat don't mean I's stupid." The boy struck a defiant stance, crossing his arms over his chest, and matching Eric's murderous look with one of his own.

Eric cast a glance around him, throwing out his senses, checking that they were still alone in the street. Putting his wrist in his mouth for the second time in a week, he ripped a hole in his flesh, slowly walking towards the boy, with his wrist held in front of him as evidence. The boy's eyes widened in surprise as the wound healed itself, and in seconds there was no sign of the previous abrasion.

In case the boy needed more proof, Eric slowly levitated off the ground, hovering a few feet in the air for a couple seconds before lowering himself back to the ground. "Can we go now?"

Skittery nodded, not trusting himself to speak just yet as he trailed after the man. He followed him through the streets, and into an expensive looking office building.

Eric reached behind himself, once again gripping the boys upper arm as they walked passed his office boy, for fear that the unfed newborn vampire would lunge.

In actuality, the thought didn't cross Skittery's mind, as he was too overwhelmed with everything else going on right now, to do much more than notice the pleasant scent in the air. The man led him through a set of oak doors, before he released him, motioning to a couch against the wall.

"Sit there, and wait. Do not move. I will be back," Eric fixed him with a steely gaze to show he meant business before he strode back out the doors, shutting them behind him.

He made his way back to Pam's office, giving her the same lack of respect she showed him as he entered without bothering to knock.

I have someone you might be interested in meeting waiting in my office," he informed her, relaxing into an arm chair, and smirking.

Pam looked up at him warily, not quite trusting the evil smile that played on his lips. She knew that smile, and in all the time she'd known Eric it had never meant anything good. It usually ended up meaning more work and stress for her.

"Who?"

"A new vampire to join us," his smirk turned into a full-fledged grin, and Pam could see he was quite pleased with himself as her brows furrowed, and she rubbed her temples.

"New to us or new to our lifestyle?" She hoped for the first one.

"Both."

"So after I told you to keep a low profile, you went out and changed someone?" She guessed correctly.

Eric lost his smile, and stood up, towering over her. He placed his hands on her desk, leaning down close to her, with a menacing look on his face. "You do not tell me what to do."

Pam avoided the urge to roll her eyes, since they both knew Eric would never get anything done without her here, and they also both knew he'd never hurt her. He still wasn't the first person she'd choose to mess with, though.

"Who did you change?"

"One of those orphaned boys who walk the streets all day selling newspapers. An older one," He added, seeing the look on Pam's face and reassuring her it wasn't a child. As an afterthought he let her know, "I didn't actually mean to. It just sort of happened. But the boy was unhappy anyway. Now he can rejoice at his great fortune." Eric looked very proud of himself.

"This doesn't make you a hero," Pam responded, making a silent promise to herself that she would not get stuck babysitting the newborn.

Eric, who was already on edge and short tempered to begin with, pounded a fist on her desk, causing a crack to form down the middle. This was the third desk he'd destroyed this year.

"And God forbid it would! I didn't do this to be heroic, Pam. I did it for reasons beyond my understanding. For reasons I'm not even aware of yet."

Pam didn't reply right away, for she was too troubled about the look hidden deep in Eric's eyes. "You care for this boy," she realized out loud.

"I care for no one but myself," Eric looked appalled at the thought, but Pam noticed he did not deny her statement.

"How well do you know him?" She wondered.

"I do not know this boy at all. But just as you were years ago, he is now my child. And he needs to feed. So go find someone and bring them back. A girl, please. Around his age. It'll be easier on him that way. Then I'll need you to acquire another coffin for him to sleep in." Eric commanded, making a move for the door before stopping and adding, "Oh, and before you ask, yes, you will be the one to clean up the body."

Pam made a face at his back, but even she knew better than to outright refuse a demand Eric made.