Warning! The following chapter ends in a horrible cliffy! I explain why below but I though you should be warned in case you'd like to wait until I can get the next chapter up, though I'm not sure when that will be. I'm so sorry!

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or anything else here. I'm writing purely for shits and giggle purposes. Please don't sue.

One last thing, big shout out too my totally awesome Beta, slcurwin, for putting up with me. She laughs and all the right places and makes me feel so smart. Thanks! Also let's not forget my growing number of helpful interpreters, 94larkla for the Swedish and my Scottish sweetie Senga!

I'd like to acknowledge the following for you name suggestions. They all made Pam's list in one form or another. I hold Pam fully responsible for her snark in regards to a few of them. Thanks go to: B-Rock525, Evensmomforever, Treewitch703, Kelpie169, Ncmiss12, Absolutely Cullen, Maya Stormborn, Jbnorthman, Murgatroid-98, Michele E Volpe, Suzyq59, and slcurwin.

Chapter 25

It happened so fast Adele had no time to react. One moment she was listening quietly to Sookie's brilliant idea and enjoying the look of confusion on her face when she got bamboozled into writing those stories. The next, she was staring at the faces of a dozen hungry vampires. It was like looking down the barrel of a gun while playing Russian roulette. You knew one of them was going to get you; it was just a matter of when.

There was only one vampire in the room that didn't lose his mind at the smell of Fairy. Eric had Sookie in his arms and out the window before Adele could blink. Unfortunately, she was now staring at all those sharp fangs alone. She backed up as slowly as possible. With most predators it was the quick movements that got you killed, like facing down a rattlesnake ready to strike. She managed to make it to a door before a set of milky eyes found her. While the others fought over the puddle on the floor, drunk on the bloodlust induced by the smell of the mostly fairy amniotic fluid, a pair of firm hands grasped her shoulders just before everything went dark.

XOXOXOXO

Pam had completely enjoyed her night! First her queen was found innocent, which honestly she really didn't care about, except Sheriff's rarely 'live' through regime changes and she liked her Maker more than that spoiled bitch. Second, speaking of Makers, her's had not only perfectly upstaged everyone that night by pledging to his fiery fairy, but solidified her safety and that of her 'buns in the oven' before the entire clan's monarchs! Then, during the ball, to add to all the James Bond-like intrigue, the Pythoness had spirited Eric away to some super secret 'hidey hole' so that she couldn't snoop on their conversation, which was wise because if she was listening she knew all the others were too. What made her nervous had been when all the Stackhouse's turned as one and marched toward the same space not five minutes later, and boy did they look pissed! But not even the chance for good gossip would make her enter that spelled area and risk the wrath of Eric and the Oracle. Not after good ol' Stevie boys 'Come ta Jesus', as Lafayette had called it. Damn! When the Oracle of Delphi punishes you, she doesn't joke around about it. No way in hell, did Pam want that shit storm blown in her direction! It was almost as bad as getting scolded by Gran. After that whole 'Target Fiasco' a few years back, she learned to be weary of the ol' broad, especially when she found out Gran had given Eric the idea in the first place.

After the children had come out she managed to get a little bit out of them, albeit in Swedish, and all they would tell her was 'Miss Pythia' wanted them to rename Steve Newlin. Pam was so excited she began making a list. The children helped, a little, but names like Fido and Spot just weren't going to cut it for the new pet of the Ancient Pythoness. So Pam was busy making out a list of all the names she could think of before turning to the internet and asking her faithful minions on her fashion blog what names they could come up with. So far the list was interesting if not predictable.

Potential Pet names:

Holy Roller – (She knew she forgot one when she suggested Bible Banger and Jesus Creepy.)

Weasel – (Fitting if not bland.)

Num-nuts or No-nuts – (Oooo perhaps she could talk the AP into making it a permanent condition.)

Fink – (Nah, the only one he ratted out was himself, really.)

Louse – (Might as well call him rat.)

Douche Bag – (Too common, needs to be more creative.)

D.O.G. – (Dumbass of God)

Zero – (Yes, he was nothing. OH! And wasn't that the name of Jack Skellington's dog in that movie Sarah made her watch last Halloween? Hmmmm….)

Leech – (Pam refused to even acknowledge this one; it was almost as bad as vampires being called Parasites. She preferred the term mutualism. Yes, vampires provided sex, money, protection, and humans provided sex and food. In Steve's case however, he was being given an education in exchange for blood and not just his own.)

Kalbum – (This was one of her favorites because it meant DOG in Akkadian.)

Mustela – (Yet another weasel suggestion but with a little flair.)

Skawgn - (Pronounced 'sk-ow-n' with emphasis on the 'ow', means moron in Na'vi. Pam had no clue what the Hell this was….maybe some Demon language.)

Seeker – (As in Seeker of Truth, fitting for the situation, Pam thought.)

Sorrow – (Sounded like something the old bird would like.)

Lumpy – (HE wasn't but Pam was sure it could be arranged.)

Captain V – (Now this was just funny. It sounded like a mascot of something.)

Luggie - (Wasn't that some gross bodily fluid humans could produce?)

Edward - (Wasn't that the name of that sparkly vampire in that new children's book, 'Twinkle' or something?)

Snuffy – (This one made Pam almost snort the blood she was drinking through her nose.)

Mr. Cuddlekins – (Hmmm, maybe this could be paired with the Zero suggestion?)

His Honorable Shithead – (Well the latter was just a given and there wasn't an honorable cell in his entire being.)

-oxoxo-

While Pam was busy compiling her list, she was unaware of the drama headed in her direction. Eric was heading straight for the safe house but he was having difficulty focusing on flying with the pain he was feeling from Sookie through the enhanced bond. He tried to block it but it was not working. He was no stranger to pain after the many years he spent with Ocella and various injuries in battle, but he'd never experienced this type of agony before.

'Eric we need to get Gran! Please put me down'…"Ahhh!" Another contraction rippled through her womb.

'The Pythoness will see to her safety now that she has claimed her. My concern is getting you somewhere safe and quiet for you to have our children. I'm sure Dr Ludwig will find us soon.'

The moment Eric entered the house with Sookie, Pam's head shot up. She inhaled deeply and her eyes dilated so much the blue of her irises were barely noticeable. She shot out of her seat so fast she left a small breeze in her wake as she zipped through the house and appeared in Eric and Sookie's room just as he was laying her on the bed.

Fortunately for everyone, Eric barked out a Maker's command before Pam could step foot any closer. "I command you to stay out of this room. I also forbid you from harming anyone in this dwelling. You are under the influence of the Fae scent Pamela. You will fight it or you will leave. Do you understand?"

Pam fought for control of her impulses. After sharply expelling all the Fae tinted air from her nose and then plugging it up with tissues from the hall bathroom, she took in a breath through her mouth in order to speak. It was more manageable but she still had to concentrate. What many people didn't realize was that with a vampire's heightened senses they could taste scents in the air because smelling and taste were so closely linked. It completely made up for the inability to actually eat, especially when one could detect everything they inhaled. It explained why most vampires avoided human bathrooms and eating areas (or at least inhaling around them.)

"What happened? Why isn't the inhibitor working?" Pam finally managed to get out through ground teeth.

"Sookie's water broke during the meeting. I barely got her out of there," Eric responded as he began ridding Sookie of her beautiful gown. He was afraid to tell her they'd have to burn it. He doubted they'd be able to wash out the scent. "Where are the children?"

Just as he asked, Pam seemed to notice someone was missing and said simultaneously, "Where's Gran? Oh, Fuck a Zombie! Eric you left her there?! You left her, in a room full of rabid vampires?" It was more of an accusation than a question.

"I had no choice! Adele was on the other side of the room next to the Pythoness! We can only hope she retained enough clarity to protect Adele, even from herself." He spoke this last part in barely a whisper to spare Sookie the added stress but it hadn't worked.

"Eric, I can't do this without her! I need Gran! Please go get her! Please!" Her sobbing became uncontrollable as she repeatedly begged and called for Gran, while she moaned through yet another contraction.

"No. Lover, I cannot, I will not leave you!" Eric was sure she could hear the pain in his voice. It was taking all he had not to give in to her pleading. He'd give her anything he could but not at her expense and he simply didn't trust anyone else with her now, especially with Dr. Ludwig still MIA.

"I'll go."

In all the confusion, no one notice that Bubba had entered the room. He had the hand of a child in each of his, but to Pam and Eric's complete astonishment, he didn't seem to be the least bit affected by the smell saturating the area. "If Miss Adele's in trouble, I want to help. She's my friend after all and it is why I came, right?"

It took a second but Eric finally came to his senses. "Bubba, can you smell what's in the air?" Eric wasn't sure how he was unaffected but his damage affected him in odd ways.

"Sure can." He wrinkled his nose a bit. "It smells like sugar plums. I never did like plums."

Ridiculous. Amazingly ridiculous, it was a good way to describe Bubba to begin with. "Yes, go retrieve Adele and Dr. Ludwig if she's with her from the Pythoness' suite, Room 302. You should be aware that there may be some difficulty getting to her. Sookie's water broke during the meeting tonight and all the monarch's were in attendance. Try not to harm any of them too much and do not give Adele any blood unless its life threatening, she was claimed tonight by the Pythoness."

Bubba gave a quick nod and vanished in a blur out the door. A few seconds later they could hear the front door slam shut.

"I hope he's quick. There's less than an hour before dawn," Pam stated.

"Take a car and follow him. Do not be seen leaving the hotel, Pam," Eric ordered. She was out the door in a flash before he finished the last sentence.

Back at the Hotel…

"We're lucky that little girl didn't spring a leak downstairs."

It took Adele a few moments to realize who the voice belonged too when Amy Ludwig began speaking again.

"We should be safe in here for the moment, although I don't know how long that door's going to last." She had one ear against the door, listening intently to the commotion on the other side. "Sounds like that Senga girl has the others distracted for now but we won't be safe in here for long and I can't pop us both to safety. It's just too far."

After finding the light switch against the wall, she found herself in a bedroom but none like she'd ever seen before; it was twice the size of her living room at the farmhouse. There was an ornately carved coffin set up in one corner and a plain wooden one set up in the other corner. She figured one belonged to Pythia and she shuddered when thinking that the other might be for her. Adele heard moaning and whimpering coming from another door in the room and recognized that it was where they were keeping Steve Newlin. She was still attempting to puzzle out how she got into the room when she heard a noise coming from the other end of the room.

Amy was busy muttering into her cell phone at the door when Adele heard the small tapping coming from behind the floor to ceiling curtains on the west wall. She carefully peeled back the drapes to see Bubba clinging to the outside of the window. She wasn't sure how he was doing this but she flung open the fabric to let him in and noticed that the window wouldn't open. "Blast it all! These stupid hotel windows never open!"

"Stand back!" She barely got out of the way in time before the window pane began to glow and then suddenly disappear and the glass fell on the spot she'd just been standing in.

Bubba climbed into the room and thanked the diminutive healer for her help. "Mr. Eric sent me to get the two of you. Miss Sookie she hollerin' up a storm back at the house and I think them babies are gonna come any time now. Miss Pam is in an alley close by with a car. I can take you both one at a time but we need ta hurry. The sun's gonna be up real soon."

Ludwig peered out the hole and had Bubba point out exactly where Pam was waiting. "I can get myself to the car if you can take Adele."

"Wait, what about him?" Adele thumbed in the direction of the bathroom. "We can't just leave him here no matter what he's done!"

Amy rolled her eyes. "The sun will be up in about a half an hour and that redheaded vamp will have the others diverted until then. We need to go now or else you'll be stuck in this room until sundown. The human will be fine."

Sookie came by her stubborn streak honestly and it showed at times like this when Adele put her foot down and refused to leave him, vile human being or not. She opened the door to the small bathroom to find Steve curled up in the fetal position on the cold tile floor, wearing denim shorts and what appeared to be a harness and dog collar. A leash was attached to the collar on one end and to the towel rack on the other. She's happy that it doesn't have a lock on it of any kind so she begins by unwrapping it from the rack.

"Mr. Newlin? My name is Adele. We need to leave now, it's not safe."

He whimpered and muttered something Adele didn't catch. But when she reached down to touch his shoulder his reaction was so violent and sudden that she stumbled backward and nearly fell. If it wasn't for the quick response of Bubba catching her, she very well could have broken a hip by falling on that hard floor.

Adele may have been willing to forgive him based on the fact that he was acting like less of a man and more of a wounded animal, but Bubba was not.

Imagine Steve's surprise when he finally looked up into the very angry vampiric face of an exceptionally familiar and famous person. Bubba didn't even have to do or say anything. Steve had finally reached the end of what he could take for the night. He passed out. Bubba grabbed him by his harness, dragging him to the window, and dropping him in a heap just below the exposed hole. He took Adele, gently in one arm, holding her close and whispering to her to hang on. Bubba cold not fly like Eric, but he could jump. It was akin to a flying squirrel leaping from tree to tree. In less than a minute he had Adele in the alley and was helping her into the car Dr. Ludwig and Pam were already sitting in. Without a word he disappeared again, much to Pam's obvious irritation, and he returned a few minutes later to deposit the still unconscious Newlin into the trunk.

They could hear the panic of the entire household half way down the street. Ludwig 'popped' out the instant the car came to a stop. Adele hurried toward the house as fast as possible with Bubba's help not noticing that Pam avoided the house almost completely by taking the entrance that led directly into the light tight basement.

The children were in the hall outside Sookie and Eric's bedroom crying when Gran finally made it up the stairs. Lafayette was cradling Sarah like and infant while Amelia was trying her best to sooth Hunter. The entire household seemed to be holding vigil in the small space. Adele made a bee-line for the door. No one said a word. Adele was expecting it to be bad when she opened the door, but what she saw was so much worse.

There was blood everywhere. Ludwig was frantically working on a limp and pale Sookie that appeared to be completely unresponsive while Eric cradled a small baby in his large hands as bloody tears ran down his face. As she got closer she realized the baby was blue and not breathing.

A/N: Yep. That's where I left it. I'm just as pissed as y'all are because my muse, who has been singing like a canary for the past 4 chapters, has decided to make like a clam now. I can get nothing. I got a review that made her feel self conscious and stupid and now I'm stuck. I know I promised everyone a 'tease' for reviewing and as soon as I have something for next chapter I will fulfill that promise. However for now, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to post next week because I've got nothing written. I really am sorry. I'm hoping some music will help bring my muse out of her funk. Any suggestions? As you can tell from the title of the chapter the Kansas song had been working wonders up until now. I am sorry for leaving everyone with such a nasty cliffy that for once was unintentional.