Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I haven't been feeling well. Hope I don't disappoint.
I opened my eyes to heaven. I knew it was heaven because of the three angels looking down at me. One was a blond female, one a blond male and one a dark haired male; all of them unnaturally beautiful. Each had a halo surrounding their entire bodies. I smiled serenely knowing I had never before felt so at peace.
"Sweet lady, are you well?" The dark haired angel asked voicing his concern.
"Better than ever. Why wouldn't I be?" I countered.
"You were stabbed." He was gauging my response to such news.
"I know that. How else would I be able to get here, to heaven?" I asked serenely. He looked startled at my response.
"I'm sorry, my dear. You are not in heaven." He looked saddened to have to break such news to me.
"Of course this is heaven. Why else would you three angels be here?" I knew I could convince them I was right. The female giggled at my statement.
I shut my eyes and suddenly remembered my previous night. My girls night out with Pam, dancing with Eric, and the mystery woman stabbing me. My eyes flashed open and I looked around putting everything together.
"Pam? Eric?" I looked at the unknown man and made my eyes ask who he was.
"I am Godric, I am Eric's maker. I came to him when I felt his overwhelming sadness and rage." He stated simply, I could tell he was trying not to overwhelm me.
"Nice to meet you, Godric. I'm Sookie Stackhouse." My southern manners kicked into high gear before I had a chance to think twice. "Sorry to bring this up, but, why am I not dead?" I asked looking around at the three vampires I now recognize.
"I gave you my blood." Eric said and I knew he was holding back some pertinent information. I raised an eyebrow in silent question. He pulled in a deep breath, that he didn't need, and released it as a sigh.
"I went through the motions to turn you." He looked at me to see my reaction, I kept my face a blank slate and gave him a gesture to tell him to continue. "For some reason, you did not turn. I had heard of people dying during the process, but never for it to have little to no effect, especially when one is so grievously injured. We have been waiting for you to wake so we could find out what, if anything, did change about you." He has been watching me carefully through his entire recap. I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding.
"The woman who stabbed me had been glamored." I didn't notice while I lay dying, but in hindsight it was obvious. "My question is, by who?" They all three looked at me and then between themselves. They were silently communicating. Godric was the one to answer.
"We have tracked a vampire from your home across the cemetery. He seems to spend a great deal of time in a tree that has direct line of sight into your bedroom." He was still keeping track of every emotion I dared to show.
"Bill?" I asked. Eric nodded. "Is he dead?" He shook his head.
"How do you know Compton?" It took me off guard, Pam was the one asking.
I looked at her as I shared the story of the Rattray's draining him. They, all three, showed fang and let out feral snarls as I told them about my near death experience and Bill giving me his blood. My face gave away my shock and fear at their display. They quickly retracted their fangs.
"Sorry for scaring you. We are angry with William, not you." Eric explained in a voice that was too calm, I could sense his rage underneath.
"Why did you react that way?" I was thoroughly confused.
"Drainers are to be either killed or turned in to the area sheriff. Not allowed to have a second chance. They were not turned over to Eric nor killed." Pam explained.
'I'm going to fucking kill Compton.' I heard Eric think. I covered my reaction to hearing a vampires thought. "I'm hungry." I said and all three vampires looked at me with amusement. I shut my eyes thinking about what I wanted. I decided pizza sounded really good. I opened my eyes getting ready to ask if one of them would call and place a delivery order because I had no clue where I was. When I opened my eyes I saw, what looked like, a slice of pizza from my date with Eric. I looked up surprised, all three mirrored my look. I started laughing.
"Well, Ms Stackhouse, you sure are full of surprises." Godric noted.
"Did I do that?" I asked pointing to the pizza. I was dumbfounded. They nodded. I decided to put it to the test. I closed my eyes and thought about a glass of sweet tea. It was sitting next to the pizza when I opened my eyes.
"Okay, back to the original subject. Is Bill still alive?" I asked already knowing he was. I just wanted to change the subject.
"Not for much longer, especially if he was the one who glamored that poor girl into getting herself killed in an attempt to murder you." His eyes showed the depth of his soul, it was endless. I reached out and touched his hand to comfort him. His thoughts began to flash through my mind. I knew his remorse for every life he had taken and of his vow to never again harm an innocent being. I saw the love he had for his child, Eric. I saw the passion that was buried deep down away from everyone. I gasped and snatched my hand back as though I had been electrocuted. I immediately regretted my reaction.
"Are you okay?" I heard Eric ask. I wasn't about to tell them that I just had a glimpse into Godrics mind. I nodded, doubting my ability to speak. "You are frightened. You have had quite a bit of my blood. You cannot lie to me." His voice was soft and soothing. I buried my face in my hands and started to cry. "Please, don't weep." Eric nearly begged. I managed to stop more of the tears that wanted to leak out. I thought really hard for a box of tissues. I looked up into his blue eyes and what I saw was pure shock cross his face. I grabbed one and wiped the moisture off my face. I was about to ask what was wrong when I glanced down and saw the pink tinted tissue and my face scrunched into confusion.
"Is this blood?" I asked offering the tissue out to Eric. He put it close to his nose and his nostrils flared out as he smelled it. He looked at me in awe.
"It is. Godric, can you explain? I don't understand how she is crying blood, like a vampire, but has a heartbeat." He looked at his maker who seemed as clueless as the rest of us. I distracted myself by eating the pizza and drinking my tea. It was just as good as I remembered.
"I have no idea, my son. Call Doctor Ludwig." he looked at Eric as he spoke, his voice was laced with calm. Eric did as told, whipping his cell phone out with vampire speed, I followed his movements easily. I shouldn't have been able to even see a blur.
"She will be here shortly." Eric said and I was wondering who this Doctor was and how she could help.
"Where are we?" I asked finally remembering I had no idea where I was.
"One of my homes, this has the best security." Eric informed me, it still didn't tell me where we were. He seemed to realize this and continued, "Monroe." I nodded.
I heard a nearly inaudible 'pop' sound. I turned towards the sound and saw a very short woman, who reminded me of a hobbit, standing where the noise seemed to come from.
"Why have you summoned me, Viking?" She asked in a husky voice. My brain told me that this must be Dr. Ludwig.
"I tried to turn my lover," he pointed to me. "when she was stabbed in the heart, but something isn't quite right." Understatement of the year. The pint-sized doctor looked me over. She pulled a pad of paper and a pen out of her black bag. She began professionally asking questions and I responded to the best of my knowledge. She wrote down everything, my weight, height, age, and date of my last period, much to my embarrassment. She took my temperature, blood pressure and drew a vial of blood. I told her about the tears and the food and tissues appearing out of thin air. I dared not let her know that I heard vampire thoughts.
"I will call you with my results at..." She glanced at her wrist watch. "...1:30." She popped out as fast as she had in. We all stared at each other all lost in our own thoughts.
"Do you know where Bill is? I want to find out if he was the one who sent the assassin to kill me. If he is I'm gonna fucking stake him!" I didn't mean to say the last sentence out loud. The three vampires looked at me, startled. My face burned hot with a blush of guilt.
"If he sent her, it would be your right according to vampire law." Pam supplied happily. "I'll hold him for you." She added with a wink and a wicked smile. Eric smiled at his child and Godric shook his head at Pam's offer.
"Thanks." I said a little sheepishly. I looked around the room for something that would indicate what time it was. I spotted an alarm clock on the night stand. It was 1:29. As soon as the minute was up Eric's cell phone started to ring. His hand flipped it open and put it to his face at vampire speed.
"I am here." He said and began to listen.
"Northman, I have finished my tests. I believe my explanation should be delivered in person. I am coming immediately, and I am bringing someone with me." I heard every word, though a normal human wouldn't. She hung up without a word.
There was another 'pop' sound and we all turned expectantly towards the sound. Ludwig stood there next to a tall man with long silvery blond hair. He carried a cane, but didn't seem to need to use it.
"This is Nial Brignant." Ludwig said.
"It has been a few centuries, Nial." Eric said inclining his head to the man. "This is my child Pamela and my maker Godric." He said indicating each with a sweep of his large muscular arms. "This is my woman, Sookie." He added indicating myself. He never took his eyes off of the man while he introduced me. He was waiting for the mans response. What does this fairy prince had to do with anything. I fought hard not to blanch at reading Erics mind nor what his mind revealed to me. Fairies are real. I smiled at the man with curiosity in my eyes.
"Sookie, I am Prince Nial Brignant from Faery. I am father of Fintan, who is father of Corbet." He waited for me to catch up and watched me for some reaction, he didn't like the one I had.
"No, Corbet was my daddy and I know who his dad was." I said still denying what this man was saying. Every fiber of my being was telling me this mysterious prince was telling me the truth.
"I assure you, you are my great-granddaughter. I have come to tell you, to the best of my knowledge, what has happened to you." He looked me in the eye. I nodded to let him know I believed him, even though I didn't want to. "I am the prince of the sky Fae. You are one eighth fairy." He was watching closely, not wanting me to go into information overload. I nodded to show understanding. "When this Viking tried to turn you, your Fae side was awakened, as well as receiving some vampire gifts." I was numb. "We are a magical race. Magic is part of who you are."
"Does Gran know any of this?" I couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Yes, your grandmother knows. She did mate with my son, Fintan." I couldn't help but react like a five year old and scrunch up my face in disgust.
"Oh, hell. Does Gran know where I am?" I looked around the room looking for any answer as I guiltily remembered her existence. I saw Pam look guilty when I asked and she quickly made her face go back to a blank slate. "Pam?" I asked near panic.
"Don't worry. I went to tell her what happened, she freaked out. I then glamored her to forget my visit as well as think you went out of town on vacation with me. I called into work for you as well." She seemed pleased to have remembered that I work.
"Sam let you call in for me?" I was completely astounded. She looked at me and winked.
"I'm not feeling good. I'm gonna miss a few days of work. I'm sorry, Sam. I promise to make it up to you." She mimicked my voice perfectly, I couldn't help but gape at her. She giggled at the face I was making. "It's a gift." She said using her own voice.
"I need a minute." I said and ran off to the adjoining bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face as I tried to comprehend everything that I found out. Once I calmed down I walked out and sat down on the edge of the bed facing my great-grandfather.
"Can you explain the dos and don'ts of being a fairy vampire hybrid? That is what I am, right?" I asked unsure of anything and everything.
"As far as I know, you are the first of fairy lineage that a vampire has attempted to turn. I can give you nothing more than educated guesses." He said as if admitting a great flaw.
"I don't even have an educated guess. Anything is better than my complete lack of knowledge." I made my eyes beg for him to tell me everything.
"I would like to talk to my great granddaughter alone. Please leave." He said with an air of authority. Eric looked like he was going to argue, but Godric grabbed him by the arm and led him out of the room. Pam kissed me on the cheek before leaving, taking me by complete surprise. Dr Ludwig simply vanished with a 'pop.'
Once we were alone, he turned to me. "The first thing you must know is that we are very secretive of our ways. It is for the safety of our race." He looks me in the eye to reinforce his seriousness.
"I understand." I replied. "Is my telepathy a fairy thing?" I pondered out loud.
"Not all fairies are telepathic, but we all have our gifts." He informed me. "I wouldn't be surprised if you could hear vampire thoughts now." He added as though it were an afterthought. I looked at him with a guilty expression on my face, too shocked to hide it. "You need to know, that I have very powerful enemies. The best place for you to stay safe is with your vampire, his maker, and his child."
"Okay. I understand. What about Jason, is he different too?" I was curious if it was just me.
"Your brother has some talents that he hasn't tapped into. His attractiveness to the opposite sex, seems to be the only fairy trait he currently exhibits." He seemed lost in thought. "You should be able to fly, possibly your brother too. It is part of being sky Fae. Not to mention one of your vampire's gifts." He said it as though it were common sense.
"How?" I asked unable to keep the curiosity out of my voice. I bit my lip, hard, to keep from asking about pixie dust and happy thoughts.
"You must simply think it is possible." He started to hover a few inches from the ground as he said this. I knew flying was possible, I had already flown with Eric. Great grandfather cleared his throat and I realized I was about to bump into the ceiling, still sitting cross legged. I smiled and willed myself to a slow decent, without any previous knowledge as if it were instinct.
"What else is there?" I asked eager to learn more.
"The tears of blood is vampire. You may crave blood as well. Some fairies drink blood, it is not very common and is not a necessity for the Fae. We need to test for both fairy and vampire weakness. Dr Ludwig will do that." He pulled out a business card and handed it to me. "I am needed elsewhere. Call if you need anything. Tell no one of our kinship, except your Grandmother, brother, and your vampires. The doctor already knows." With a faint 'pop' he was gone. I put the card in my purse and headed to find everyone.
I found them in the kitchen after I searched most of the house. The vampires were drinking True Blood and Dr Ludwig was setting up a tray with an odd array of items. When I walked in they all looked at me expectantly. I said nothing and kept my eyes on the small woman.
"Sit here." She indicated the chair in front of her. I did as she said.
"Nial said something about tests." I hedged.
"I am going to test your reactions to lemons, limes, garlic, silver, and iron." Her tone was professional.
She pulled out a few q-tips. The first one she wiped across a lime. "If this makes you uncomfortable in anyway tell me immediately." She said looking directly in my eyes. She then rubbed the lime juice covered q-tip across the back of my hand. It tickled a little, but didn't hurt. She wrote on her pad. She repeated the procedure with the lemon next. Still nothing. Then the garlic. It smelled bad, but no pain was caused.
"Now I want you to pick up the silver spoon." She held out a tray to me. I hesitated, expecting it to burn. My eyes got big when I picked it up and nothing happened. "Now the Iron rod." I reached down and picked it up. No problem with that either.
"Does this mean I passed the tests?" I asked with a smile on my face. She looked at me with pursed lips.
"There is more to be done. Hold out your hand, palm up." I did and she picked up a knife and cut across my palm before I could even flinch. I screamed at her and the vampires looked ready to attack. She looked at me with an inpatients in her eye not sparing a glance towards the vampires. She wrote on her pad. I looked down and saw my hand healed already, it took only a few seconds.
"I have a feeling that the sun won't harm you either. You seem immune to the major things that would cause harm to fairies and vampires. You have eaten food, have you drank any blood?" I shook my head. "Viking get her a bottle of true blood." Eric had popped it in the microwave before she finished the sentence. He handed it to me. "Drink it."
I took an experimental sip and it tasted great. It was like I had a craving for it without knowing until it hit my tongue. I chugged it down eagerly. Licking my lips when I finished. All three vampires were looking at me with lust filled eyes.
"Very good." She wrote on her pad for a few minutes before turning back to me. "Lets test your senses. Run as fast as you can and touch the wall and come back." I shrugged and ran to the wall and back. Judging by the gaping vampires, I was fast. "You move faster than a vampire." I have said nothing trying to soak in everything before I dare speak. "Do you teleport?"
"I don't know." I said stumped.
"Will yourself to be in the bathroom, then back." She instructed. I closed my eyes and heard a 'pop.' I opened my eyes to the bathroom. I did it again and was back in the kitchen. Ludwig was writing furiously on her pad of paper.
"Anything else?" I asked with wonder.
"Can you fly." She asked still in a business tone. I levitated up to the ceiling and back down. "Good." she said absentmindedly.
"In my best guess you will be immortal, like the vampires but you're heart beats so I'd avoid a stake if I were you. You were telepathic before the change, correct?" I nodded. "Could you read vampire minds?" I shook my head, I didn't want to tell her I could now. "Can you now." I let out a sigh.
"Not constantly." I said shyly and she made a note.
"Pick up the couch." I walked over and easily lifted it with one hand. "Can you hear me?" She barely breathed out from across the room. I nodded.
"Put your hand in a beam of sunlight to test your reaction when you can. I may be in touch." With that she 'popped' out, leaving me with vampires who may or may not want to kill me.