Chapter 10 – Till Morning Comes

"Sookie, what exactly did the prophecy say?"

Of course Bill would want to go over the details with a fine tooth comb. He was the intellectual, over analytical type after all. I sighed as I set the pot of tea down. I just wanted this day to end. That somehow I would wake up in my bedroom at Gran's and it would be twenty years ago and this would all be a nightmare. But that wasn't going to happen. I didn't live there anymore, the other me did. She was home in my house and I was stuck in the kitchen with Bill until he was satisfied he knew everything about the prophecy. I guess the tea needed time to steep anyway.

"Finnley only told it to me once, but I remember it clearly," I replied. I leaned against the island in Bill's kitchen and visualized Finnley reciting the prophecy in my head. I remember how angry I had been at Niall's bigotry.

"Good, let me grab something to write it down with." My eyes followed Bill as he went into his office off the kitchen and came out a second later with a pen and a notepad.

"Do you like being human?" I asked him as he opened his notepad to a fresh sheet.

He looked at me critically for a moment before responding.

"Sookie, I saw the sun for the first time in over a hundred years today. I can feel my heart beating in my chest, I can appreciate the fragility of time. Karin and I ate old ramen noodles and crackers stored in the kitchen and they tasted amazing. If Finnley were here I would be on hand and knee thanking her."

I felt tears threatening my vision. I wonder if this is how the parents of organ donors felt when they met the recipients of their child's organs. The people who lived because their child died. I wonder if they were given the ability to smile through the overwhelming pain too.

"I'm sorry to upset you," Bill apologized when he saw my tears. You think after one hundred years a man would stop being scared of a woman crying. "No Bill. You didn't upset me. I'm grateful to know someone appreciates it. Eric seems like he doesn't like being human at all."

Bill shot me a sympathetic glance. "Eric has not been human for a very long time Sookie. He may not even remember what it feels like. At the moment all he sees is what he has lost, his daughter, his abilities, his bond with Karin and Pam, his powers. And he's probably worried that he's losing you all over again too."

I nodded at this. "Anyway, you wanted to know the words of the prophecy?" I stated, not feeling like discussing my relationship with Eric with Bill any more. Bill had twenty years to put everything behind him, to marry someone else. But it was all a bit fresher for me. So I took the paper from him and wrote down the words Finnley had said to me.

Born of darkness yearning for light

A half fae taken to her kin

Coupled with a male of the eldest line

Though parted when magic's done

Their hybrid child the key

To make the vampire race disappear.

Bill took the notepad from my hands and studied the words for a few minutes, underlining a few words here and there. A few grunts and ahs later he beckoned me to look at his findings.

"Sookie, as I suspected this prophecy is quite ambiguous in places, and I suspect full of double meanings."

I nodded, trying to care about what seemed to have Bill so animated.

"Born of darkness yearning for light. That line could refer to Gwendolyn and Gareth's love for each other, Eric's love for you, or a vampire's longing for daylight, or even for faery blood," he pointed out. "The love and blood that started the vampire race and ended the vampire race. …." he mumbled to himself.

I smiled a fake smile and nodded my head pretending that any of that mattered at this point.

"Also, a half fae taken to her kin is an interesting way of putting things. Hafling would be the usual description. But I think this is a reference to you actually being split in half."

I looked at Bill studying the rest of the lines eagerly. It wasn't much of a consolation to me that I was destined to be split into two people but I guess Bill liked a world he could explain, even if the explanation was crappy fairy magic.

"Look at this," he said, circling the word key. "Finnley was made to be a key. The prophecy precedes that with parted when the magic is done. Perhaps you thought it meant you and Eric would be parted after using the cluviel dor, but I think it is also refers to Finnley. To fulfill her purpose, to be the key, she was going to have to be consumed. I don't think Eric killed her, I think…..."

Bill kept on talking for awhile about prophecies and meanings and went right on circling letters. But I was focused on the part where neither of us was responsible for the death of our daughter. That it wasn't Eric feeding on her, or my digging her up, but the prophecy itself that was her demise. I wanted to scream and curse at the fae magic which could give me two lives but took away my daughters. But it had given me her in the first place too. And it had given the vampires their humanity back.

"Bill, what do you think parted means though? Does she still exist or is she just gone? "

"You'll need a much more intelligent man than I am to answer that question," stated Bill, smiling at me ironically as he handed the prophecy back to me. It was then that I realized that Bill had not asked to see it out of his own curiosity or interest. He had asked hoping he would be able to help me. But if he really wanted to help me, there was one more thing he could do.

"Bill, can you tell Eric what you just told me?" He nodded and I picked up the tea, and carried it into the living room. The formerly undead blonde trio had barely noticed our prolonged absence as they were lost in their own conversation.

"Eric, Bill wants to talk to you," I stated. Eric looked at me strangely, but got up off the couch and walked into the kitchen. I passed tea cups to Pam and Karin and then sat opposite them in the rocking chair Bill had claimed earlier in the evening.

"I missed tea," stated Pam as she picked it up and sipped it delicately. I smiled at her surprise at the heat of the liquid. Karin watched Pam and I to mimic our actions before picking up the tea cup and giving it a little swirl. "What were you and Bill talking about?" Karin asked as she sniffed her drink and made a funny face before timidly taking a sip.

"Bill figures that Finnley had to die, or disappear, or whatever to fulfill the prophecy. He didn't figure that anything Eric or I did could have changed that."

Karin nodded at this, and I think she noticed my tone implied some doubt in Bills interpretation. "My husband is a smart man, Sookie. You should listen to him about this." Pam was about to speak, no doubt in agreement, when we heard a knock on the door.

"Who is that?" asked Pam nervously, while Karin walked to the door.

"Sookie, hide," stated Karin matter of factly after looking through the peep hole. Bill and Eric came in from the kitchen in concern, standing behind Karin protectively as she opened the door.

"Sam Merlotte, what brings you here?" asked Karin, a friendly smile on her face.

"Umm, I…" he lost his train of thought as he noticed Eric and Bill standing behind Karin. I knew I should stay hidden but I could not help peaking at him from the other room. Sam had aged well; his hair was still strawberry blonde, with only a hint of grey. He had avoided the middle age spread so common to men of his age. The other me could have done much worse. Then I looked at Eric who looked the most relaxed he had all day after speaking with Bill. I guess she could have done much better too.

"Listen, I don't know what is going on in the vampire world, and frankly I don't want to know. But we found Bubba in our house this afternoon patting our cat and asking it for forgiveness. It freaked the hell out of our youngest son. Sookie's been trying to calm him down all day, so if one of you could come and fetch Bubba it would be doing us a big favour."

"I'll go," volunteered Eric and Sam visibly paled as the two men left together.

Pam, Karin, Bill and I spent the next half hour discussing the prophecy, humanity and where to get good takeout. I wasn't really plugged into the conversation as I was waiting for Eric to get back. Pam smiled at me knowingly when I looked at the door for the hundredth time. Finally there was the distinct sound of the door turning.

"Bubba, Thank God!" greeted Karin, jumping up to greet him as he and Eric entered Bill's house. Pam and Bill walked over to greet Bubba likewise. I was about to go and give him a hug when Eric's arm clamped down on mine.

"I think it would be too much for him to see another you," stated Eric, discretely ushering me back into the kitchen and out the back door. I felt disappointed for only a second that I would not get to give Bubba my best wishes.

"I don't know about you, but I have walked far enough today, so maybe we could sit?" asked Eric and I nodded my agreement as we walked into Bill's backyard. There was an ornate wooden lawn swing that looked like it was one of the few newer things on the property. Eric sat across from me, and I felt his eyes on me as I pushed the swing into motion with my feet as he stretched out his legs.

"The other you has aged," he stated after a few minutes. "Gracefully mind you. Why haven't you aged a day?" he asked Eric, looking at me in curiosity. I noted the worried look in his eyes.

"Being around other faeries kept me young," I explained simply. We sat in silence for awhile, but for the first time all day it was a comfortable silence. "I believe Bill, everything that happened; I think we were just pawns. It's not either of our faults," I told him after a few minutes. Eric nodded, but I could tell by the look in his eyes he didn't quite believe it.

"Let's agree to blame Niall," I stated and Eric's eyes smiled. Maybe he wouldn't believe it tonight, but with time he would. I could help him. He could help me. But I did not want to think about it anymore tonight. "How much did you terrify Sam?"

Eric smiled for real this time, the cocky smile I didn't know how much I had missed until that moment. After a few minutes he answered me in words.

"I think he thought I was going to snap his neck for marrying you. Then when he realized I was human, it scared him even more. He really loves you Sookie." Eric looked up at me and held my eyes. I wanted to ask him more about the other me. But I didn't know how comfortable he would be taking about it, especially her relationship with Sam since she had left him for Sam. I did not want to give Eric more bad memories to stew over, but I was curious about her. Luckily for my curiosity, Eric was the one who seemed to be the mind reader this time.

"Sookie, the other you is happy. She loves Sam, and I hate to admit it but he's a pretty good guy. They have a nice family. I told her I was happy she got the happily ever after she wanted. She told me she hopes I find what I deserve. I don't know if she meant that in a good way or not. We didn't leave on the best terms."

I nodded, noting the pain creeping into his voice.

"Sookie, tell me about Finnley," he said, changing the subject abruptly.

I spent the next hour telling Eric everything I knew about Finnley. He smiled when I told him how she had worn his crown and got the upper hand with Pam. I told him how she said she felt like she knew him from reading my mind. I described as best I could her boldness, her nerve, her power.

"She sounds like us at our best," murmured Eric and I gave him my hand from across the swing. We sat like that for a few moments until Eric pulled me over to sit beside him.

"Tell me more," he whispered and I complied. I told him about my pregnancy and how I wished I could find a way to let him know what was happening. I told him how I never stopped thinking about him. Then I got brave and talked about the cluviel dor, and about my feelings when everything went to hell in our relationship. How Kim Rowe and Freyda came between us, but really it was us who came between us.

And then finally Eric opened up to me. He told me more about vampire politics and the sanctity of maker contracts. He told me about being a Viking and losing a child to disease while away. How the worst part of being human was having to watch people die and being powerless to stop it. He told me how Freyda treated him, and how he felt when I didn't save him from her with the cluviel dor. How he wanted me to wish for him, how he thought there had to be a way for us.

"Is there a way for us?" he asked me as the sun rose above us.

"Maybe," I replied, smiling at him. At the sincerity in his eyes. "I think we'll have to see. But you've told me more tonight than in our whole relationship."

Eric pulled me closer into his arms to warm me from the chill of the summer night. Then I realized he was trying to warm up as well and I smiled to myself.

"We usually have better things to do with our time," he whispered into my ear sexily and his deep laugh warmed me more than his hands massaging my legs. We both must have been exhausted though, because the next thing I remember is Pam waking us up a few hours later.

"I'm heading back to Shreveport. You two coming?" she asked matter of factly as we rubbed our eyes and stretched out after spending the night on a lawn swing. "I don't really have anywhere else to go," I answered truthfully.

"Can we get food on the way there?" asked Eric, and I had to laugh at the excitement on his face. There was hope he would get used to being human with time. He might even learn to like it she thought with a smile.

"That sounds good. With some hot coffee, I'm cold from sleeping out here all night," I agreed.

A twinkle formed in Eric's eye, "I can think of a better way to warm you up Lover."

End Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks to all my followers and reviewers especially. This is the penultimate chapter and I'm going to miss my little story... Also, does anyone out there do fan videos? I have this image in my head of Sam & Sookie after their married, working in the bar together and Sam's looking at Sookie sadly and Don't Close Your Eyes is playing in the background. It's an image I can't shake but I can't make it fit into a story either.