Disclaimer: I don't own Eragon or anything associated with the Inheritance Cycle.

Claimer: I, SussieKitten, own this plot and the story. Borrow or steal my plot, my original characters (Aksel or Eragon's kid) or story and I will report you. I also own my version of Saphira/Thorn's human appearances, and the universe and versions of the creatures I use in this story (hydras and chimeras in particular).

Warnings: Slash/Shōnen-ai – meaning mild guy x guy action. Femslash/Shōjo-ai – meaning mild girl x girl action. Swearing or strong language. Supernatural creatures – there will be mainly elves, dragons, vampires and werewolves in this. Mpreg – meaning male pregnancy people! Disturbing dreams. A little gore – vampire's are not nice people. A little horror – death and corpses aren't pretty. If any of this disturbs you, click on the "back" button. I won't tolerate any flames.

A/N A huge thanks to everyone who reviewed and to those that still reads this story.

A huge thanks to my beta Illyric for being there for me.

Word – word written in my language Andelan


OBSESSION

Part Twelve; Deep Inside

::January to February::

Eragon looked at the new form in front of him. He traced his name over and over. There it was, his full name, specie, other information he assumed were important and the fact that he was a mother. Further down the form was almost blank.

Father's Name:

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth: Urû'baen, Alagaësia

Species: Vampire

Father's and Mother's Relationship:

The brunet forced himself to look away.

"Are you sure about this?" Dr. Carn asked softly.

Eragon looked up. Carn was holding up the form he had filled out last night. He nodded softly. He had thought about it before he had gone to sleep and when he had woken up. He was sure.

"Yeah," he repeated out loud. "Besides, I only know his first name. What good would that do, right?"

Carn nodded solemnly.

"And you're sure about this part right here?" he asked and pointed a little higher on the form.

Eragon bit his lip.

"Yeah," he sighed. "Or do you want me to write half-vampire? If what Brom told me is right, it won't matter. It's not like it'll show."

The doctor nodded again. He pressed a seal to the paper and scribbled something else on it.

"Alright, then we're good to go," he smiled. "You can pick up a copy of the certificate later today or tomorrow."

Eragon thanked him softly and left the office. Saphira greeted him eagerly as he stepped out. Eragon just smiled. His eyes were locked on Brom and Dr. Carn. They looked to be in a semi-serious discussion.

"Eragon?"

He shook his head.

"Would you like to take over or not?" Saphira crocked an eyebrow.

Eragon smiled. He positioned his arms as Saphira gently passed him over. Eragon felt his smile soften as he cradled his son gently. Ren's eyes were closed, though his little mouth was moving slightly.

Brom joined them then. He placed a hand on Eragon's shoulder and guided them out of the hospital.

Eragon hesitated by the doors. He looked back and found Dr. Carn with his eyes.

"Dr. Carn?" he called out.

The man looked up and nodded to show he had heard him.

"Can...I can change it whenever, right?" Eragon asked.

Carn smiled.

"If you want to, just stop by my office and we'll have it arranged."

Eragon smiled hesitantly and walked out of the hospital.

::OBSESSION::

Thorn looked at the mess in front of him. He had found Murtagh unconscious the night before, and the vampire hadn't shown any signs of waking up. Somehow he had gotten his shoulder dislocated, a few scratches here and there and a large cut in his calf. Of course, the scratches had healed by now and the cut was thinning to the point where it almost looked like a scar. Thorn had been forced to put the shoulder back in position, though Murtagh had just groaned from the pain. He was completely knocked out.

Thorn had watched over him the entire night. Something was not right. He feared for his rider's health.

The hydra stared down at the phone in his hand. He had almost called Saphira a dozen times, but had put it away before he could hit the call-button. He sighed.

It seemed that Saphira didn't have any trouble calling him, however. Thorn put the phone to his ear.

"How are things?"

"Eragon just got home from the hospital," Saphira replied softly. "He was a little hesitant with the forms, but he seems alright."

"Seems. Right," Thorn sighed. "What forms were those?"

As he spoke, he kept his voice soft and his eyes never moved from his rider's form. He needed to know the second Murtagh woke up.

"Ren's forms."

Thorn stiffened. The kid?

"Ah..." he paused. "He wasn't sure whether or not to put the father's name down?"

Saphira hummed in reply.

"He ended up not doing it?" Thorn asked quietly.

"No," Saphira said sadly. "He just wrote down Murtagh's specie and place of birth."

"He knows that?!" Thorn blinked.

"Brom knew," she said sheepishly. "Apparently Brom had a little run-in with Murtagh and his dad when he was younger."

"Tag might have mentioned that," he mused.

"Mhm," Saphira hummed tiredly. "How is he, anyway?"

Thorn paused. He pursed his lips and sighed.

"I found him late last night. He fell unconscious somehow. I've contacted Vanir just in case. He just appears to be sleeping, but..." he winced. "I'm starting to wonder if I did the right thing yesterday."

"Thorn, you got him to react! You've been waiting eight months for that to happen!"

"Yeah, and now he's not reacting at all," he drawled.

"He'll wake up," Saphira said confidently. "He has to."

Thorn agreed, but only because he ached to smack Murtagh around.

"He wasn't...he wasn't trying to kill himself, was he?" she whispered almost frightened.

"There are better and more effective ways of doing that and I don't doubt that he knows them all," he sighed. "So I'd like to think that he wasn't."

Thorn perked up suddenly. His gaze had moved away from Murtagh without him noticing it. He eagerly looked back at the vampire, but he remained as still and unmoving as he had done for the past few hours. Thorn frowned and turned his head around.

Thankfully it was only Vanir. The magician nodded before walking over to Murtagh and started his check-up.

"Thorn? Thorn?!"

"Ah, I'm sorry, Saph. I got distracted," he said sheepishly. "Vanir just arrived."

"I see," she let out a relieved breath. "You had me worried there."

He smiled softly.

"I can tell you're busy, so...call me back?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he breathed. "Miss you."

"I miss you too."

He hung up and looked back at Vanir. The magician was holding his glowing hand over Murtagh's forehead.

"Well?"

Vanir grunted.

"This guy is almost more trouble than he's worth," he drawled. "Mating without meaning to, going on a near rampage, getting himself captured by vampires, actually going on a rampage, and while still being in denial he dives off a cliff?"

Thorn smiled sadly.

"That's Murtagh for you. Though, I'm not sure about the denial part anymore."

Vanir looked up sharply. He pulled his hand to himself and straightened.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" the magician asked suspiciously.

"I took a huge chance last night," Thorn laughed almost hysterically. "I lied and told him Eragon was dead. He went nuts. First he was murderous, then he was in full denial, and then he turned pseudo-suicidal on me."

Vanir blinked. He crossed his arms and frowned.

"I never expected you to take such a huge risk," Vanir said. "But Eragon isn't in fact dead?"

"Nope," Thorn shook his head. "He and the kid are fine. There were some complications and internal bleeding, but they both made it out just fine. I wanted to see how Murtagh would react if I told him that Eragon had passed away."

"Obviously he didn't take the news too well," Vanir drawled.

"No, but I think I got through to him. I think he's beginning to understand, Vanir!" Thorn exclaimed.

"Well, it would certainly explain his mental state," the dark haired man shrugged.

"What state?" the hydra frowned.

"Murtagh's currently asleep, though his brainwaves are very alike to those in a coma. It may come from the fall or from when he hit the water..." Vanir crocked an eyebrow. "Or it comes from the fact that he now has some very disturbing news he'd like to process in private. What's more private than inside your own head?"

"So, he's in a coma?"

"No," Vanir sighed. "But I can't say for sure when he'll get out of the...shock or whatever. It could be a day, it could be two. No more than four, I reckon."

"He's been out for almost twelve hours already," Thorn told him.

"Then you can start waiting for him to wake up in twelve hours," the blue eyed man replied. "It's my best estimate. And when he does wake up, I suggest telling him that his only life source is still alive."

Thorn snorted. He wasn't stupid; of course he was going to tell Murtagh.

"How are you coping with all of this?" Vanir asked suddenly.

"With all of what?" Thorn blinked.

"Eragon giving birth and Murtagh going around the bend on the same day."

"Alright, I think," the redhead muttered.

Vanir snorted. Thorn sent him a tired and annoyed look.

"You're allowed to be a little freaked out. There are few vampires that display suicidal tendencies," he said dryly.

"Murtagh's not suicidal," Thorn said with narrowed eyes.

"Well, he doesn't exactly love life either," Vanir gave a one-armed shrug.

"If Murtagh knew what was best for him, he wouldn't be half as miserable as he is now."

"But it's in his blood," Vanir said sombrely. "It's in his blood to hate this connection that has been forced on him. He's so against the whole ordeal he's forced down his will, biological and mental, to procreate. That's not something one does easily."

"I know that," Thorn snapped. "He hated his father so much he's begun to hate himself; because he sees his father in himself. And because of that, he doesn't want to carry on his 'so called' fucked up genes."

Vanir nodded.

"That's why it has taken you so long to get him to see that he's mated. Mated to him means the ability to have kids, a thought he forced out of his head ages ago," he sighed. "It doesn't matter that a child in a mated bond won't be a vampire, he'll still worry. Violence doesn't just come from your specie."

Thorn frowned. What was Vanir saying?

"Murtagh comes from a long line of unmated vampires. His blood is one of the 'purest' in vampire existence," Vanir said with a small scowl on his lips. "While he may not care about ending that blood line, there are vampires out there that will. But that's an entirely different issue."

Thorn cursed. Vanir was right. Getting Murtagh to open up to the bond was a two-edged blade. If Murtagh somehow got used to the idea of having a kid and being mated, then soon enough he would become protective and possessive. If the coven found out about his mated state, they would be out for blood. Literally. If he didn't, then blood would be shed anyway; the only question was whose. Eragon's and his kid, or Murtagh's?

"You should be prepared to not see Saphira for at least a year," the magician said sadly. "It took you over eight months to get to this point. How long will it take to get Murtagh to change his entire belief system?"

The hydra closed his eyes.

"Damnit. Why are you always so fucking right?" Thorn asked hoarsely.

"...I don't know," Vanir said uncharacteristically softly. "I wish I wasn't at this point, but I am."

Thorn knew that, and he hated it.

::OBSESSION::

Eragon startled awake. He blinked blearily and tried to make sense of what was going on. What had woken him?

Soft cries echoed from the other end of the room. Eragon rubbed a hand over his eyes and sighed. Ren. Of course. He got out of bed and padded over to his son's crib. Eragon leaned down and cradled Ren gently while he started to swing him gently from side to side.

Eragon had been home for only two days so far and Ren had started screaming multiple times last night and one time that night already. Eragon wasn't sure why, but Ren seemed distressed. They had taken him to Dr. Carn, but Carn hadn't found anything wrong with him. So Eragon was forced to deal with his son when he woke up.

The brunet sat down on his bed and shushed his son softly. He had had a very strange dream, but he couldn't remember what it had been about. He focused his gaze on his son and smiled softly.

"Why are you crying, huh?" he whispered.

Ren didn't answer; only continued to scream. Eragon sighed and got up to check the usual causes of distress.

A half hour later Eragon wanted to scream. The diaper was clean, Ren wasn't hungry, he didn't need to be burped and no amount of shushing and rocking worked. He was just happy no one had come to ask what the racket was about.

Eragon sat down and continued to rock Ren gently.

"What's wrong, Ren? Why are you crying? Or are you doing this just to spite your..." he paused.

Well, what would he call himself? Father? No, that was his title. Dad? Well, it was better than mom he supposed; even if that title too belonged to a certain vampire.

"These are the times I wish I had someone to nag at," Eragon said deadpanned. "But no, I had to get mated to a good-for-nothing vampire."

He looked down at Ren. He freed one of his hands and stroked the small cheek softly.

"Consider yourself lucky you don't look like your father," Eragon said dryly. "You may have been gorgeous then, but..."

Eragon blinked. Ren's eyes were open and his screaming had turned to soft distressed mutterings.

"What? What did I do?" Eragon muttered. "I just mentioned..."

He wanted to slap himself. That was a silly thought. Ren couldn't have stopped screaming just because he was missing his father, could he? Ren had never met him!

"Alright, don't scare me like that, okay?" the brunet said softly. "For a minute I thought you were missing your father! That would be the day, huh?"

But Ren had fallen completely silent.

"..." Eragon swallowed. "Either you like to hear my voice because it calms you down, or - well, of course that's it! You can't understand what I'm saying yet."

Eragon let out a relieved breath.

"Because, you know, I'd rather not talk about your father. He's a right - he's irritating. Yeah, that's the word; irritating."

Eragon wanted to slap himself for nearly cursing. Ren was not even a week old, and he was going to start cursing around him already?!

"See? Your father only gets me into trouble," Eragon nodded. "He's not even here and he's causing me trouble. And distress. I only have to think about him to get distressed."

Ren started to squirm and let out a soft cry. The brunet winced and made a mental note not to make his voice sound distressed. Obviously Ren could tell when he was calm and when he wasn't.

"Oh, it's alright, Ren," he murmured softly. "I'm alright. I'm going to stop talking about your father now. You can hear about him when you get older."

Eragon forced the thought away as he uttered the words. The thought of Ren never getting got know his father was a disturbing one. Could he really do that to his son? ...To Murtagh? He winced.

Damn confusing world.

::OBSESSION::

Murtagh woke up slowly. He made sure his eyes were closed and that he wasn't moving. He didn't want to alert Thorn that he was awake. Ever since he had woken up the day before, Thorn had been very edgy around him. Something had obviously happened, seeing as Vanir had been there when he had woken up. Vanir simply scanned him, talked quietly to Thorn before addressing Murtagh himself briefly. Then he left as quickly as he had come. It couldn't have taken more than an hour. Murtagh was of course glad to see the magician gone, but now that it was only him and Thorn in the house, the tension was all too clear.

The vampire forced himself not to stiffen when Thorn's bed squeaked. He listened to Thorn get up and walk out of the room. For some reason, he had a feeling Thorn knew he was awake.

Murtagh opened his eyes. They hadn't spoken since he had woken up either. Vanir had told him he had been out for nearly two days, but hadn't said anything else. Murtagh knew what had happened, so that hadn't bothered him. Vanir and Thorn could keep their theories to themselves.

After he had checked him, Vanir had shoved a flask into his hands. Murtagh had to admit it had taken him a while to take the first sip. The first few minutes he had tried to listen in on Thorn and Vanir's conversation, but that damn magician must have cast some sort of charm; because he had only been able to hear buzzing.

From then on Murtagh had just stared at the flask. Usually he wanted to know whose blood he was drinking if he wasn't drinking it directly from the source, but knowing the source of that particular blood disturbed him. He had mulled over what Thorn had said for at least a half-hour. Could it really be Eragon's blood? He could only remember the sweet, sweet smell and addictive taste. When he had opened the flask he had found Thorn's words to be true. He should have been able to recognize that smell anywhere. Of course he had been drinking Eragon's blood. He truly was a moron.

The rest of the day had passed slowly. Thorn had only spoken to him to ask if he wanted anything, and Murtagh had replied non-verbally. He was a little afraid that if he spoke, Thorn would attack him and make him confess.

Ah, confess. He was a greater moron than he had ever thought he could be. How had he not seen the signs? He had watched his own father wither away after being separated from his mate, and he had been completely unable to link it back to his own illness. Murtagh had not had any pleasant dreams after coming to that conclusion.

He glanced out of the window. He estimated that it was close to ten in the morning. Thorn was most likely eating his breakfast. He slipped his arms behind his head and sighed.

The news had startled him horribly when he first had gotten them, but now, now he was almost calm. He supposed he just had to accept his fate. That didn't mean he was happy about it. Damn him for somehow managing to trip over his mate. There were billions of other people on the planet; why the fuck had he had to drink off of his mate that one night?!

Murtagh smirked softly. Because Eragon had smelled so sweet, of course. He had practically smelled like heaven, if heaven smelled sinfully good, that was. It was no wonder he had been ready to rip the chimera to pieces.

His mood turned sombre. And now Eragon was dead. What was he supposed to do? He estimated he had about two months before the hunger would become too much and three or four months until the insanity took him. If he only drank enough blood to keep himself satisfied, he could perhaps keep the illness at bay for another month. If Vanir still had some blood left, then he could last a little longer. Not much longer, of course. He doubted he'd live to see his next birthday.

Murtagh blinked when Thorn suddenly entered the room. He hadn't even heard him walk over.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

Murtagh just shook his head. Thorn nodded to himself and sat down heavily.

Thorn had to be happy. In less than six months he would be free to live with the love of his life. Murtagh wondered what the chances were of shaking Thorn off his tail, to send him to live with Saphira before he died. It was better to cut the bond before Thorn started to pity him.

"I..." Thorn's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "There is something I want to tell you."

What? Would Thorn take the initiative to leave? Murtagh crocked an eyebrow.

"I lied to you earlier, before you dove off the cliff."

Murtagh blinked.

"What?"

Thorn flinched. The hydra actually looked guilty.

"I did this for you, you need to know that," Thorn said softly. "It would have taken me ages to get it through your thick skull if I hadn't taken the risk and lied."

Murtagh was confused. Lied about what?

"I have to say this now before you seriously get suicidal," Thorn laughed bitterly. "The thing is...Eragon's not dead."

Murtagh felt his eyes widen. If he had been able to feel his heart beat, he was sure it would have skipped a beat.

"Eragon is alive?" he hissed.

"Yeah. I wanted to see if I could get a reaction out of you, something I obviously did. I just wanted you to stop living in denial!"

Eragon...Eragon wasn't dead? Thorn had lied? Murtagh didn't have to ask to know if the anger was showing on his face.

"Hey, I got you to open your eyes and realise the truth!" Thorn defended himself.

Murtagh didn't care. He had been lying here, mulling over how long he had left to live; and Thorn had just been jerking his chain?!

"You selfish son of a bitch," Murtagh growled. "Were you trying to kill me?!"

"I was trying to help you."

"By trying to kill me?!?" Murtagh roared. "I was thinking about killing myself to get it over and done with, you bastard!"

Thorn scowled.

"Don't be so melodramatic, Murtagh," he said gruffly.

"I wasn't being melodramatic," Murtagh snarled and jumped out of bed. "I was seriously thinking over how I could end it the quickest."

Alright, so he hadn't gone that far yet, but if Thorn had left him alone for only a few more minutes he would have started to think about it.

"Don't overreact -"

"And here I thought you wanted me to react!" Murtagh practically roared. "Wasn't that why you lied to me?!"

"I didn't know what else to do!" Thorn exclaimed. "After the coven, you've been acting weird. I was afraid I was going to lose you!"

"BULLSHIT!"

"You weren't acting like yourself," Thorn snapped. "I was afraid you were going to do something stupid if you figured it out on your own. I gave you eight months to realise the truth, but obviously you needed a little push."

"A push? I dove off a cliff! That's more than a fucking PUSH!" Murtagh screamed.

"You need to calm down!"

"You need to shut up!!"

Murtagh caught Thorn's fist just before it made contact with his face. Thorn leaned down and glared at him.

"It's not that big of a deal. Yes, I lied to you. Yes, it's my fault you dove off that cliff because you weren't thinking clearly. Yes, I deserve to be screamed to. But I will not shut up," Thorn growled. "Not until we talk."

"Talk? I'm sorry; talk?!" Murtagh tightened his grip around Thorn's fist. "What if I don't want to talk, hmm?"

"Then that's too bad, because we're going to," Thorn snapped and ripped his fist out of Murtagh's hold.

"No, I really don't think so," Murtagh sweetly.

Thorn didn't even have time to react before Murtagh grabbed onto his neck and threw him onto the nearest wall; never letting go of him as he did so. Thorn grunted. Murtagh tightened his hold until he could hear Thorn choke. His pulse was beating rapidly under his palm, and if Murtagh didn't have as much self-control as he did, he would have bitten him then and there.

"I am sick of talking. I really should have seen through your scheme earlier," he said and smirked nastily. "You were trying to butter me up; trying to make me see that having a mate wasn't such a bad thing. I was suspicious of you after that little midnight confession of yours, but when you didn't mention it again..."

Murtagh looked deep into his eyes and sneered. Thorn glared back at him even as his face started to turn purple.

"Shame on me, huh?" his sneer deepened. "I don't care what you say, how you spin it; being mated is the worst fucking thing that has ever happened to me. I feel sorry for the kid, for what I now have to do."

Thorn trashed under his hold. Murtagh loosened his grip for one second to jam his elbow harshly into Thorn's stomach while he also moved out of the way of the two fists coming his way. The hydra groaned loudly and fell forward. Murtagh slammed him back up against the wall and smashed Thorn's hands into it so hard that a dent was left behind. The vampire then leaned up and breathed on Thorn's exposed neck.

"You do realise I'll have to take him down with me, right?"

Thorn stiffened.

"You wouldn't," he snarled, though it came out more as a croak.

Murtagh chuckled darkly.

"It's against my nature to be mated, you know," he said innocently. "Everything in me screams that it's wrong, and I agree."

"Why not just kill yourself?!" Thorn hissed.

"That wouldn't be nearly as fun," Murtagh drawled.

"Are you really going to kill Eragon in front of his kid? His newborn kid?"

For some strange reason, that stung. Murtagh shook the feeling away.

"So? It won't even remember anything. You know what? I'll spare that damn chimera, so the kid will have one parent to grow up with. Aren't I generous?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Murtagh saw Thorn open his mouth angrily. He waited, but Thorn shut it a second later. Murtagh frowned. What now?

"You are a sick son of a bitch," the hydra snarled instead.

Somehow, that didn't quite do it for Murtagh. He was curious now.

"Why can't you just leave him alone and -"

"And what? Die slowly of insanity?" Murtagh spat. "No thank you. I'd rather die with a sane mind and with his blood on my tongue."

"We can do what we've been doing so far," Thorn said throatily. "Bring you his blood. You won't ever have to see him."

"I will not go around living off of blood from a fucking drinking bottle."

"Then make a deal with him," Thorn stressed. "You get blood once a month and he will stay out of your life."

Murtagh narrowed his eyes. Thorn's pulse was still beating rapidly. The hydra was keeping something from him.

"Why are you so gung-ho on keeping him alive? And don't say Saphira; it can't just be about her. Not anymore," he said huskily.

"It never was," Thorn admitted. "It was because of you. I wanted you to live. Is that such a crime?"

"Didn't I just tell you I want to die?" Murtagh drawled.

"Fine. Just leave him alone."

"No. Never," he hissed. "He's like a drug to me; I cannot leave him alone."

Murtagh didn't know when he had slacked his grip, but he must have, for not even a second after he had finished his sentence had Thorn thrown him around and pushed him against the wall. He could see Thorn's injuries more clearly now; the slowly bruising neck, the splinters in his hands, the scrapes from where he must have clawed at the wall.

"I don't care," Thorn said slowly. "We're going to do this my way. You're mated; deal with it."

"Your way?" Murtagh leaned his head back.

"Yeah. We're not leaving this damn island until you've sworn to me, and mean it, that you won't kill Eragon."

Murtagh let out a loud and insane laugh.

"We're going to be here for a long time, then."

"We have all the time in the world," Thorn smirked. "And I will win."

Murtagh seriously doubted that. Nonetheless, he wished the hydra good luck. The next couple of months were going to be interesting.

::OBSESSION::

When Eragon came down the next morning, he instantly knew that something was wrong. Saphira was wringing her hands and Brom was talking quietly to Vanir in the kitchen. Aksel was nowhere to be found.

"What's going on?" he asked softly.

Saphira looked up. She bit her lip and gripped her hands tightly. Eragon felt his heart tug. He placed the baby monitor on the table and sat down beside her. He was really glad that Ren was asleep for once. He opened his mouth to ask again, but was cut off.

"We got some disturbing news this morning," Brom said gruffly.

Eragon felt his eyes widen. Brom and Vanir walked over, but only Brom sat down. Eragon had only seen the magician a few times, but he had never seen him look so haggard.

"I visited Thorn and Murtagh two days ago," Vanir said simply. "I got here as fast as I could."

Had something happened to Thorn?

"Thorn's fine," Vanir continued. "I can't say the same for his rider. At least, those were my assumptions until Thorn called me today."

Saphira let out a soft whimper. Eragon took hold of one of her hands. What the hell had happened?!

"Eragon, Murtagh knows."

His heart stopped. Suddenly it was Saphira that was holding his hand; not the other way around. He opened his mouth and suddenly found himself breathing again.

"Wha? But, but how?" he asked weakly.

Would he have time to run? He didn't need much; he could replace most of it in Surda. Fuck, how much time did they have?! He was not losing Ren to that maniac!

"Thorn -"

Eragon didn't want to hear the rest.

"Thorn blabbed?!" he shrieked.

"No," Saphira said sternly. "He didn't. Not like you think."

"Thorn told Murtagh he was mated. To you," Vanir licked his lips. "Murtagh didn't respond well. He seemed suicidal at first, and when Thorn called me it seemed like his mental state hadn't changed. He wants to come here and kill you."

Suddenly he was breathing too much. It was starting to hurt, but he couldn't stop.

"It's not going to happen," the magician assured him. "I left a ward around the house. No one but me exits or enters that house. Even Murtagh can't magic his way out of there."

"What? Magic?" Eragon asked weakly.

"Because he's a rider, like you, there are certain things he can do by taking advantage of the bond. I'm guessing you've never tried to explore your magic abilities."

Eragon just shook his head.

"Oh well," Vanir sighed. "Thorn's determined that he can change Murtagh. I am not so sure. He's gotten him to accept that he's mated, but that's only half the job."

"A vampire's first instinct when he's told that he's mated is to kill his other half," Brom said quietly. "There are very few vampires that have gotten past that state. A few kill themselves, but most of them kill their mates and then die a few months later. Karma, if you will."

"But there is hope," Vanir crossed his arms. "If anyone can turn him around, it's Thorn."

"But you said..." Eragon muttered.

"While I'm not sure that Thorn can do it alone, I didn't say he couldn't change him at all," Vanir raised an eyebrow.

"In February I told you I was going to take you to see a couple," Brom said and folded his hands before him. "If it's possible, and I can get his and his mate's consent, I think that Murtagh should see the same couple. The vampire half of it, that is."

Eragon flinched in surprise.

"You heard me right," Brom smiled weakly. "I know one of the few vampires that manage to settle down after he mated. If he consents, I think that it may do Murtagh good to see him."

"Why are you telling me this?" the brunet whispered.

"Because you're giving up hope," Saphira whispered. "We can all see it. That's why Brom was going to take you to see them. But we don't want you to give up, because we don't know what would happen if you did."

"Ren deserves to know of his father. Right now we cannot ask for more, but think Eragon, just think!" Brom paused to chuckle softly. "Think if he could get to meet his father one day and live to tell the tale."

No, Eragon couldn't entertain that thought. It just seemed so impossible.

"Right now it seems impossible, we know," Saphira whispered softly. "But people don't get mated out of nowhere. Somehow Murtagh picked you. Or fate picked you two; whatever that makes you feel better. You two...maybe you aren't meant to be, but it's worth exploring."

"No. I-I can't. He'll-he'll kill me. And Ren. And Aksel!"

"If he met you now, yes, he would," Vanir said bitterly. "But in a few months time, who knows?"

"We're not saying it will be perfect. It might never be," the older man rubbed his forehead. "But it might be better between you two."

"Maybe you'll never be a couple. He's done far too much damage to you for me to feel comfortable about that thought," the hydra frowned. "But acquaintances or maybe friends? Maybe someday Ren could actually get to see his father once a month, when he comes into town."

Eragon looked down. It sounded like something taken out of a fairytale; and not in a good way. It sounded so virtually impossible it was ridiculous!

"He and I will never be friends," Eragon said softly and stood. "I'm-I'm upset that he found out about our bond so soon, but if there's anything I can do to keep him away from Ren, I will. I'll keep donating blood, that's fine; but he is not allowed to see me or my son."

He felt more than he saw Saphira flinch beside him. Eragon lowered his head and gripped the baby monitor.

"If you change your mind -"

"I won't," Eragon interrupted, though he wasn't sure whom he was interrupting. "I need to go and check on my son now. You can draw my blood later."

He nearly sprinted out of the room before someone could do anything to stop him.

::OBSESSION::

Thorn was not happy. Two days ago he had finally managed to convince and get Murtagh to admit that he was mated. And where had that led him? Nowhere. Damn that guy! And as if that wasn't enough...

"And he isn't going to change his mind?" Thorn asked into his hands.

It was two AM and Murtagh was asleep for once. Vanir had dropped by with even more blood, even though he had dropped off more than enough for two months the last time Thorn had called. But Thorn wasn't going to turn it down, hell no. It was going to be rocky for a while, and if Vanir didn't have to drop by it was probably for the best.

"I doubt it," Vanir sighed.

Thorn rubbed his hands over his face. That was just what they needed.

The hydra heard the door to the fridge close. The kitchen had two, one for the regular food and a smaller one that Thorn had hidden inside one of the bottom cabinets. He did not want to store the blood and the food in the same place for two reasons; it was gross and Murtagh would probably drink it all up if he saw it. Thorn entertained the image of Murtagh drunk on too much blood. It was only mildly amusing.

"Damn," Thorn hissed.

"You weren't...expecting this?" Vanir asked and Thorn heard him close and lock the cabinet door.

"I was. I'm not that naïve," he let out a frustrated sigh. "But I had hoped he wouldn't be that freaked or that determined."

"Hn," the magician barely made a sound as he walked out of the kitchen. "Murtagh did rape him."

"I know, I know," Thorn gripped his hair tightly. "Twice even."

"Really?" Vanir drawled.

Thorn looked up.

"The first time, when Ren was conceived, might be called rough sex, but I doubt Eragon was very willing when Murtagh showed his true colours."

Vanir crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Fakan."

Oh, Thorn wasn't going to disagree with that.

"The second time it was definitely rape. That was when Eragon woke him up," Thorn laughed bitterly. "I'm truly amazed Murtagh managed to fool himself for five months when he woke up as soon as he tasted Eragon's blood. That's a serious clue right there that he completely overlooked."

"Bloyean does come from the words blo and yean," Vanir drawled. "Blo meaning blood and yean meaning eyes or sight."

"What's your point?" Thorn frowned.

"The word basically means blood-sight, meaning that all they can see is blood. So his ignorance partly comes from his specie and blood obsession. All he cared about was getting stronger. Eating makes you stronger."

"Partly," the hydra snorted. "He should have noticed when he went from snacking on the guy to jumping on him."

"True," Vanir rolled his eyes. "But then again, Murtagh always was the king of denial."

"Amen to that."

Vanir sat down on the couch's armrest. Thorn sighed.

"Has he improved?" the magician asked and nodded his head towards the closed bedroom door.

"No," the hydra looked down.

"He's still determined to kill Eragon and himself, then?"

Thorn just nodded his head.

"But he won't kill himself before he kills Eragon," Vanir snorted loudly. "That man is backwards."

"He isn't going to kill the chimera anymore, though," Thorn shrugged miserably.

"Oh really? Well, hang on while I rush off to tell Aksel the good news," the blue eyed man drawled.

"It is a good thing," Thorn stressed and glared at him.

"I know," Vanir said simply. "It means that the killing-spree phase is over. Now we just need to get him past the suicidal phase."

Thorn grunted. That was going to take a long, long time.

"There are times when even I wonder why I haven't given up on him yet," the redhead mused. "It can't just be this bloody bond we have. And I get more and more irritated when I can't find another reason."

"You knew him when he was a child. Maybe you're hoping to get that speck of kindness back?"

Thorn chuckled hollowly. That was probably why.

"Don't give up," Vanir said softly. "If anyone can do this, it's you."

"Yeah..." Thorn smacked his lips. "I could use some help, though."

"Brom needs to speak to the other vampire first, but I doubt he'll be turned down," Vanir shrugged. "I'm sure a meeting with a mated fellow will do Murtagh wonders."

"I'm not so sure," Thorn chewed on his bottom lip. "What if the rumours are true? What if they are harmless? Murtagh would walk all over him."

"Bah," Vanir stood. "You think a vampire can be turned into mush that easily?"

Thorn gave a soft laugh.

"Alright, maybe not," he admitted. "But I'm still not sure. Murtagh's one of the worst ones out there. Only his father's right hand is worse, seeing as Morzan is no longer alive."

"Then the vampire will just have to do his best. At least they speak the same 'language'."

Thorn rubbed his nose sheepishly. He had tried that himself, and knew he had both failed and succeeded. He doubted he would have been able to subdue Murtagh so efficiently if he hadn't talked to him that night. He knew that if another vampire had talked to Murtagh about it, then his rider would have accepted the fact more quickly. Maybe. Thorn couldn't be entirely sure.

"Yeah."

Vanir nodded. He turned and started to walk away, but Thorn just had to ask a question that wouldn't leave him alone.

"Do you think that Eragon and Murtagh can ever be friends?"

Vanir stopped. Shadow fell over his eyes when he turned around.

"Friends...or something more?"

Alright, so he shouldn't have asked.

"Both," Thorn replied.

Vanir's mouth tightened.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," he answered.

"On either?" Thorn breathed.

"On the last part," Vanir slipped his right hand into his right pocket. "I'm not even sure about friends. Eragon doesn't even want him to meet Ren."

Thorn flinched.

"But that doesn't mean he shouldn't try," Vanir tilted his head and smirked softly.

Thorn watched him walk away. He heard the door lock behind the magician and felt the shield flare up. At least Murtagh couldn't run off again.

The hydra stood slowly. He nodded determinedly to himself and went off to bed. He would make sure Murtagh was going to try.

::OBSESSION::

Two weeks had passed. Eragon had tried his best to forget everything that had happened during that time. So far the year had started off with a lot more tears and horror than he would have liked.

It was very late, but Ren was awake, so that meant that Eragon had to be too, no matter how tired he actually was. Eragon yawned into his shoulder. He shook his head and looked down at his son. He smiled softly when he saw him drink out of the bottle. Ren's tiny hands rested against the bottle-top. Ever so often; soft sounds would come from the tiny form. Eragon was sure that he would wake up one day and be shocked to find that he now had a baby.

"Yo."

Eragon grinned softly. Only one person used that word frequently, and that was the one person he knew wouldn't mention a certain person he didn't want to talk about.

"Hey, Aksel," the brunet said softly. "Why are you awake?"

The blond covered his mouth as he yawned. Then he rubbed his stomach and sat down on the table. Eragon rolled his eyes. Why Aksel would rather not use one of the five empty kitchen chairs, he had no idea.

"I went to the loo, saw the door open and figured the little tyke was awake. Thought I'd say hi," Aksel grinned.

Eragon nodded softly and looked back down at Ren. They sat in silence for a few minutes while Ren ate.

"Not going to go back to sleep?"

"Nah," Aksel shrugged. "I figured I wanted to talk to you too."

Well, Eragon had been wrong in the past. He just hadn't thought that Aksel would have the guts to ask him about someone the chimera was now deadly afraid of.

"I just wanted to ask if you were sure that keepin' that guy out of Ren's life is the right thing to do."

Eragon looked at him and frowned. Aksel couldn't be serious.

"I am," the blond crocked an eyebrow. "I know the dude's a lunatic, but he's still Ren's dad."

"By blood only," Eragon said coldly and then winced.

He actually didn't like to say the word blood anymore. It reminded him of his least favourite vampire every time.

"How did you feel when you found out that your dad ran out on you?" Aksel tilted his head.

Eragon flinched. Aksel actually knew where to hit sometimes. It was no wonder he refrained from doing it.

"You know how I felt."

Eragon didn't like to talk about it, but he hadn't been happy when he had found out. He had never met his father, and didn't want to. The bastard had run out on Selena when he had found out she was pregnant. Selena hadn't written his name in her will, only that everything was to go to her newborn son when he turned eighteen and her brother Garrow. Eragon had therefore given up looking for his father, even though he had had a feeling that Garrow knew. Garrow had never told him though, and now he was dead.

"How'd ya think Ren is going to feel when he finds out you kept his father out of his life?"

"Oh, shut up," Eragon growled lowly. "This is nothing like that! Mom didn't keep me away from my father, he walked out on us. And he wasn't a vampire!"

Aksel sighed tiredly.

"Mom didn't tell me about my elf side until my ears started to grow pointed," the blond said sombrely and traced his left ear. "It hurt. I forgave her, of course, but that was a rough couple of months for us. I just don't want ya to go through that too."

"Thanks for the concern, Aksel, but we'll be fine," the brunet said and put the bottle away.

Aksel watched him silently as Eragon stood and put Ren against his shoulder so he could burp.

"You're handling that parent stuff a lot easier than I would have thought," the chimera said almost inaudibly.

Eragon let out a soft laugh.

"Yeah. Same here."

Aksel slid down from the table and slipped his hands into his pockets. Why Aksel had pyjama bottoms with pockets, Eragon couldn't understand. Then again, the chimera wasn't exactly normal.

"I'm just saying that you should give the guy a break, at least let him know about his kid."

Eragon pursed his lips.

"Are you suggesting that I tell him?" he asked accusingly.

"Yeah. You he'll believe, at least," Aksel shrugged. "I know that the last thing you want to do is to confront the dude and tell him, and I can totally understand that, but...don't you owe it to Ren at least?"

Eragon had to admit that he was seeing an entirely new side of Aksel. He had never known he could be so serious and grown up.

"Just give it some thought. If this vampire dude Brom knows can change, then why can't Murtagh?"

Eragon blinked. He watched Aksel turn and walk back into the living room. The door behind the blond closed softly. Eragon blinked again. Not only had Aksel said his name, but he had also made a good point.

For some reason, he didn't feel tired anymore.

::OBSESSION::

Murtagh stared down at his cold-coated hand. Kialandi's corpse lay at his feet, already on fire and was turning into coal before his eyes. He blinked and suddenly her eyes were alive again. They crackled with mirth and Murtagh snarled in surprise. She was supposed to be dead! She stood up and the flames that were eating at her flesh disappeared.

Murtagh watched as the flesh repaired itself. The hair grew back and the hole in her chest closed slowly, so slowly that he could see the heart inside of it start to beat again.

'You will never save them,' Kialandi crackled.

'You're dead,' Murtagh said coldly and slammed his fist through her chest again.

Kialandi screamed. It sounded wrong. Her voice wasn't that low and husky. Murtagh looked up and felt his eyes widen. That wasn't Kialandi.

Eragon looked back at him. Murtagh had never seen that look on his face before, but recognized it from earlier encounters with the emotion. Fear. Eragon was afraid. The brunet opened his mouth, but no sound came. And before Murtagh could begin to read his lips, Eragon fell limply into his arms.

The vampire flinched back. His forearm somehow slipped out of Eragon's empty chest and the corpse fell to the floor. Murtagh could only stare in shock at the still beating heart in his hand. It was warm.

Murtagh looked back down, and this time Kialandi once again lay before his feet. Murtagh threw the heart down and lit her on fire. He didn't stick around to see if she rose again. Something was calling to him; he had to leave. So he ran. He ran and ran until he finally felt that he was coming closer. Someone was calling for him.

He slid to a stop. Formora. The white-haired vampire snarled at him.

'You're too late,' she mocked. 'They're already dead. You took Morzan and Kialandi from me, so it's only fair I that I get to take your loved ones from you.'

'I love no one!'

Formora laughed. She laughed and laughed until Murtagh debated whether to tell her to shut up or not. She was annoying him.

Suddenly she wasn't in front of him anymore. Murtagh turned around. Where had she gone?

Then there was pain; pain like no other on this earth. He looked over his shoulder and saw Formora's arm disappear into his back. Murtagh could barely hold in the scream.

'You should have saved them while you still had the chance,' Formora whispered hotly into his ear. 'Now you'll never have a chance with them.'

Murtagh never got a chance to ask who she was talking about. She turned his head around and suddenly there they were. Two corpses, one much smaller than the other, both horribly mutilated. For some reason he recognized them both.

The smaller one was a young boy. Murtagh figured he was about six years old. His chest had been cracked wide open and Murtagh could see that his heart was gone. There was blood in his dark hair and his skin looked so horribly and deadly pale, even paler because of the blood. And there was so much of it. How could there be so much? Bruises were all over him, as well as long and deep claw-like marks. There was a chain clenched tightly in his small hand. The deep brown eyes were wide open and terrified. His other hand was clasped in a much bigger and leaner hand. And there was something else; a small mole on his right cheek that was almost covered by the blood.

Murtagh didn't know who the boy was, but he knew him. He knew him.

The other corpse he recognized immediately. One arm that wasn't holding onto the boy's hand was broken and lay limply and in a sickly angle on the ground. Both legs were torn and clawed at; some places the claw marks reached the bones. The chest was mangled by claw marks. Murtagh could see flesh, hints of a few organs and the ribs practically stood out from the lashes. Chunks of the brown hair had been torn out and the eyes were at half mast. Even so, they were somehow filled with terror.

Eragon. Eragon was dead.

Formora clenched her hand around his heart and tugged. Murtagh screamed.

'Now you know my pain,' she hissed venomously. 'And now you shall die.'

Murtagh shot awake.

For a minute he didn't breathe. His breath was lodged in his throat and all he could do was stare. He opened his mouth and breathed in the first mouthful of fresh air. It hurt.

He tried to calm his shaking, but it wouldn't stop. It just wouldn't stop.

"Murtagh?"

Murtagh glared at him in shock. Thorn stood in the doorway, his pants only half-buttoned and with a towel around his neck. He must have just come out of the shower.

"You were screaming," Thorn said hesitantly. "Was it a nightmare?"

The vampire looked away. He tried to lift his right arm from the bed. It was shaking. He slowly lifted it until his hand lay over his heart. He closed his eyes and blocked out Thorn's questions.

His hand curled into a fist and tugged on his t-shirt. He could feel his heart beating.


A/N I am sorry for the delay of this chapter. Things are rather hectic, and despite the few hours I have at college, the work-load is massive. I may have to narrow it down to one chapter a month. That would be sad, not just to you but to me as well. I hope I won't have to do that.

Now, before you start asking why the heck Eragon is supposed to tell Murtagh anything (because I can imagine that many people will be asking this), let me tell you something. Aksel actually does have a point. Many people would consider having a child with another person and not tell them morally incorrect or just plain old wrong. Though it would be very dangerous to do so in this situation, that is what most people feel.

Also, I'm hoping that things in this chapter will make people realise a little more why Murtagh dove off that cliff. It was not because he suddenly realised "OMG, I'm in love with Eragon! Life has no meaning anymore. Goodbye cruel world! *cue suicide*". No, Murtagh is a little more complex than that. He views Eragon as a food-source. The end. He's beginning to realise that he needs to stop being a total idiot about it, but he doesn't care about Eragon. There is no love between the two.

Which brings me to something I'm going to mention briefly. I have gotten a lot of questions about how the story will end and if Murtagh and Eragon will get together. Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know. I have absolutely no idea. This story has four possible endings, and right now there's no telling which scenario it will be. Be patient with me. And even if I did know what would happen in the end, I wouldn't tell you. Hehe.

This chapter was brought to you on the eve before my birthday. I originally was going to wait even longer, but I felt a little guilty, so here it is. G'night and see you soon (hopefully).

Andelan Vocabulary:

Bloyean – The word for "vampire"

Fakan – The word for "moron" or "idiot"