Trouble Maker

A/N: Hey, everyone, I'm back with the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy. This chapter was written/proof-read/edited by me, so please, be kind in grammatical/spelling/continuity criticism!

-Andi

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Water

Sookie's teeth were chattering violently. Eric could not throw enough logs into his fireplace, or get his Bonded close enough to the hearth to warm her, it seemed.

"I-I-I lllll-llliiiked Er-Earth bl-blood b—b-b-bet-better," she stammered around her trembling jaw, her hands rubbing briskly together.

"More heat!" Ludwig barked to the two other vampires who were running back from the kitchen with water warmed by the microwave. Sookie's feet were splashed into a tub of the steaming liquid, and she clutched the blanket tighter to her. "Tough it out, Little Girl!" Ludwig snapped at the shaking woman, "After the first few hours you will acclimate. You passed out during the last one, that's all!" The doctor seemed to be trying to convince herself that Sookie's unconsciousness during the last transfusion was why she had not succumbed to such side-effects. The telepath was unconvinced though, as she began to cough, and clear, cold water sputtered out from her lips.

"I-I'm d-dr-drowning!" she panicked, coughing harder in distress and sending more water cascading to the floor.

"You are not drowning," Eric shushed her gently. "You can breathe perfectly fine," his timbre was soothing, and assured. "Water Fae can breathe underwater. You cannot drown, Lover." He kissed the side of her head, nudging her with his entire body towards the fire so that she would stay warm. "They can survive in great depths, under great pressure, and your body is learning to do this right now. That is all. There is nothing to be scared about."

As much as his words sounded convincing, Sookie could feel her Bonded's underlying anxiety. He was scared for her.

"B-but I-I'm sssssssoo c-cold!" She grasped the front of Eric's shirt, holding it to her tightly as her body wracked with another case of shivers. Another hiccup of water soaked the front of his shirt, and the woman sobbed her apologies.

"Shh, Sookie, it is only water. You need to calm down, though." Eric kept running his hands over the top of her head, soothing back her hair, and crooning calmly against her crown.

Ludwig stood further back in the room, watching the scene unfold, debating whether she should even broach the subject of Fa, the last remaining member of the Fire Clan, clipping his wings. A disbelieving part of the doctor was concerned that the hybrid could not take the blood. Not with her response to the Water Clan's. Was it worth the risk? Was it worth Fa's sacrifice?

"Shut up," Sookie seethed around clenched teeth. "I will make it," her voice became firmer, more determined. "I can do it!" Ludwig's eyes snapped to the girl, shivering in front of the fireplace, ladened with blankets, feet soaking in near boiling water to stave off the frigid blood coursing her veins. Had the telepath heard her thoughts? "Damn right I did," Sookie grunted, clutching the blankets tighter around her body. "And in four weeks, you better have that blood for me!" Her shoulders stiffened as another wave of trembling consumed her. "I will finish what I started."

"My Sookie." Eric hugged her tightly at the assured declaration.

"Eric, I need to try and fall asleep. I can't stay awake like this," she told him gently.

"I will go put some warmers in your bed," Godric offered, rising from the seat he had taken after bringing the water. "Bring her over in ten minutes," he suggested, zipping off to his Child's bedroom to put some heat pads in the bed. As long as they monitored them, it would not pose a fire hazard.

"Thank you," Eric called gently. Turning to look at the Supe doctor, he said, "We will alert you if you are needed. Thank you for your assistance." Dr. Ludwig nodded before disappearing from the house. "She is gone... Could you hear her mind just now? You never have before."

"I think the extra supe blood is increasing my telepathy," she responded, aghast. "Not too thrilled with that. The last transfusion might give me the ability to hear vamps next." She shook against him at the prospect.

"Eric, you can bring her up," Godric's voice called from the bedroom. Eric scooped up his Bonded and carried her to their room, where she was quickly nestled under the covers.

The woman moaned as she was slipped between the warm sheets, and she immediately cocooned herself in the inviting heat. "So much better," she groaned, shrugging her shoulders until the blankets bunched thickly about her neck, almost toppling over her head. "Eric, Godric... What are the physical traits of the water clan?" she asked worriedly now that she could finally focus on something other than overwhelming cold. Sookie had forced herself not to ask before the transfusion, fearful that the answer would give her cold feet, other than in the literal sense.

"Well, they can breathe underwater," Godric began. "They tend to have long and wavy hair. Although, the length could just be a status symbol. I do not think your hair will grow just because you have the water clan's blood," he laughed.

"There is really only one trait I do not think you will appreciate, Lover." She could feel Eric's hesitation and worry, but he plowed ahead and told her, "Water fae have webbed hands and feet."

"NO!" she shrieked.

"The webbing only extends to the second knuckle..." he tried to sooth.

"Nooooo!" she moaned, pulling one of her hands free of her burrito blanketing method to examine it.

"It is only noticeable underwater," he added. "The skin usually holds tight to the muscle unless it is submerged, and then the tissue relaxes, expanding out to give a larger surface area to push against the water. No one will even notice they are webbed unless your hands or feet are in the water."

"Why didn't you lead with that!?" she demanded.

"The Water Clan also has a translucence to their skin. Nothing particularly noteworthy, it does give them a touch of "otherness", though," Godric added. "I believe it is meant to give the same sheen as fish scales."

"Am I going to get slimy, too?" she pouted.

Eric laughed, "The Water Clan are not slimy. They are not mermaids."

"Mermaids?" Sookie's eyes went round. "There are mermaids!?"

"Absolutely," Eric nodded, sitting on the hot bed and plumping up the pillows beneath Sookie's head.

"Are there mermen?" she asked.

"No."

"Then how do they...?"

Eric smirked, "Sirens and mermaids are the same thing. A siren sings a beautiful song, luring men of the sea over the sides of the ships. When a mermaid gets ahold of the man, she drags him into the water, mates with him, then drowns and eats him."

Sookie made a shocked face, "Oh, my God! And Ariel was my favorite princess!"

The vampire laughed, "There have been instances where Sirens gave birth to males, but they are usually human, and the siren eats its male offspring. Some abandon male babies on beaches, and they are either killed from exposure, or taken in by humans. There have been a few extremely rare occasions where they give birth to a male mermaid, but they cannot reproduce at all."

"But I'm not turning into a mermaid," Sookie made sure.

"No, you are just gaining some attributes that come in handy underwater. You would never be a match for a mermaid in the water, though," Eric explained. "They are the predators of the sea. One alone can take down a killer whale and they tend to travel in clans like gypsies."

"Wow, they sound pretty hardcore!" the woman gasped. "They make me think of a big ol' biker gang." She chuckled a bit to herself before asking, sarcastically, "Do they have tattoos too?"

"Actually, they do in a sense," Godric smirked. "They practice scarification, and in some instances add pigmentation."

"Ouch," Sookie blanched.

"Yes. Ouch," he grinned down at her. "Now, are you comfortable? Warming up at all?"

"I'm starting to feel a bit better. I just want to sleep right now," she assured.

"Then you sleep." He kissed her forehead gently before adding, "I will keep an eye on you."

"Oh, no!" she shook her head. "I'll be fine! Go do something!"

"I am not leaving you so soon after a transfusion. Once you are up and about on your own, then I will let you out of my sight." His body came to lie beside her blanket ensconced one, and Sookie turned her face into the side of his chest. "Get some rest, Lover. You will see me when you are well again," he crooned.

The woman needed little coaxing at that comment, and she soon drifted away to sleep.

"Eric?" Sookie asked groggily as she awoke again later that day.

"Yes, Lover?" Eric's voice was careful, and she could feel unease in the Bond.

"What's wrong?" she asked tiredly, rubbing her eyes until the blurriness was cleared.

"Sookie, I am going to tell you something, and I need you to remain calm. Okay?" he spoke quietly, evenly.

Her lip trembled, and she looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers to see if they were webbed. She could see a little extra skin, but as Eric had told her, it remained tightly tucked into the creases of her hands. "Is it that my hands are webbed now?"

"Well, no, but does that upset you?"

She shrugged, "Not as much as I thought it would... What's wrong?"

Eric continued, "You are absolutely beautiful. I love you so much-" Instinctively, Sookie reached for her ears, but Eric's vampire reflexes caught them as he blurted, "Your ears are pointed!"

Sitting, stunned, Eric's hands still shackled around her wrists, Sookie looked at him, mouth agape.

"H-how bad is it?" she whimpered.

"It is not bad. It is beautiful."

"How noticeable is it?" she restated.

"... Prominent?" he tested.

Unraveling herself from the blankets, Sookie ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She could hardly recognize herself. Her skin had turned a shimmering porcelain. Her tan was gone. Her eyes looked big and round like fish bowls with how blue they were. The hair atop her head had lightened so much that it was only a shade below white, and it had lengthened over a foot so that it grazed past the swell of her bottom. The point of her chin had narrowed, giving her head a heart shaped appearance. Finally, her ears. They were so long and pointed, that they almost were level with the crown of her head.

Dissolving into sobs, Sookie sunk to the floor. She was finally the same freak on the outside that she had known herself to be on the inside her entire life.

"Sookie. Sookie, Lover, please, do not cry!" Eric fell to the ground beside her, pulling the distraught fairy into his lap. "I love you. You are beautiful! Please, do not cry..." He nuzzled his cheek against the side of her head, rocking gently to and fro as she hiccuped against his chest.

"I don't feel beautiful, Eric. I don't even feel like me. I don't!" She crawled out of his lap and began pacing the floor as she held herself. The vampire remained where he was and watched her intently. "I feel alien. I look in the mirror and a creepy stranger is staring back at me looking just as confused as I feel!"

"Sookie," Eric began slowly, cautiously, "you still have one more transfusion. There is a good chance that once you have finished taking the blood, your appearance will level out."

"Or it could get even more bizarre!" Sookie moaned. "Eric, look at me!"

"Sookie! Look at yourself!" Eric rose swiftly and spun her in front of the mirror. "Yes, you look different. Yes, it is extreme. But you are still beautiful. You are still mine!" He held her tightly now, "Once more, Sookie. One more time, and everything will be as it will remain forever. You will begin to know yourself again... And then you will get big and round with my children." He kissed the side of her neck, "And I will be rubbing your back and kissing your belly. I will carry you everywhere and never let you go."

Sookie sighed as he continued covering her throat in gentle kisses, "I'm overreacting, aren't I?"

"Absolutely not. It is not fair what they are putting you through all at once at your age. Your distress is not good for the babies, though, and I need you to be strong for them. Can you be strong for them, Sookie? Knowing that I think you are gorgeous? My own, personal Goddess? Is my devotion to you enough that you will not fret over silly cosmetics?"

Sookie looked her vampire in the eyes through their reflections and whispered, "Yes. You are more than enough." He smiled into her hair and squeezed her a little tighter, "Eric, I know I look... Well... Not quite human anymore, but can we get out of here? I think I'm feeling cooped up," she admitted.

"Certainly," he nodded. "I will have Pam fix your hair so that your ears are hidden. How does that sound?" She felt his words against her ears and nearly collapsed at the sensation it sent rippling through her.

"Uhh..." The arousal pooling in her underwear said it all. "I think I should do my own hair. I think if anyone touches my ears I might embarrass myself."

Eric laughed at her admittance, but nodded in understanding, "I would hate for anyone other than myself to cause you to react this way..." He raised his hand to run a single fingertip languidly against the shell of her pointed ear and ended up having to clutch his woman tightly as she cried out in ecstasy. "My, they are much more sensitized than last time."

"I told you!" she whimpered as her womanhood continued to throb. Eric set her atop the counter and went to leave her to prepare. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"

Eric frowned, "I was going to let you get ready..?"

She huffed at that explanation, "You think you can flood my panties like that and walk away?"

"Pardon?"

"Lose the damn pants," she growled, hopping off of the counter and prowling towards him like a jungle cat.

Eric grinned and caught Sookie on her lunge. Before the world had a chance to spin with the way he swung her, Sookie had been thrown upon their bed, and Eric was climbing between her legs.

"Mmm, maybe you should just fuck me after the transfusions," she nipped at Eric's throat as he reached between them to undo his pants. Her hands went to his shirt buttons and began opening them so that she could kiss his chest as it became visible.

"So far, that seems to be what I have done both times," he teased back, reaching under her skirt now and ripping off her sodden panties.

"Oof!" She jerked beneath him from the force he had freed her with, "I mean right after."

"You passed out the first time and were shaking uncontrollably this time. I was more concerned for your physical wellbeing than your psychological one," he admitted. "Now stop talking and let me fuck you." He shoved his length between her legs and Sookie arched as she felt him deep inside of her body. "Yes," he hissed, leaning down to suckle her ear.

"Ah, no, don't," she cried beneath him. "I'll come too fast." She swatted his mouth from her ear.

"You do not like it?" he asked, giving a particularly hard thrust.

"It's like buying a book and then reading the Cliff Notes. Why even bother with the formality?" she pouted.

Eric smiled at her and went for her throat instead, "They will not stay that sensitive forever, Lover. You just have not acclimated yet. Why not enjoy it while you can?"

"Eric..." she grunted as his hips picked up their tempo.

"Yes?"

"Shut up and just fuck me."

"As you wish." He pulled back onto his knees, taking Sookie by the hips until she was sitting in his lap. Using the new angle, he tugged her hips down as his own jutted upwards. The woman yanked away her remaining clothing until she was entirely naked and rocking feverishly against him. Eric enjoyed the sight of her large breasts bouncing before his eyes, and the feel of her soft bottom squeezed in his hands. Her newly luminescent skin shimmered brighter with the fresh sheen of sweat, and her round eyes were perfect "O's" as her thighs began to tremble with her pleasure. "Coming already, Lover?" he teased. "It looks as if I do not need to go anywhere near your ears." He captured the nipple of a bouncing breast between his lips and suckled it viciously until Sookie lost all control.

"Eric, Eric!" she chanted shrilly, her hands clasping the back of his neck as her spine arched. Her swollen bosom thrust against his face as she road out her orgasm, finally able to curl around his body, pressing against his chest as she embraced him.

The vampire leaned forward until he had Sookie lying down again, before slipping out and rolling her onto her side. Entering her swiftly, Eric held his Bonded's back to his chest as his arm hooked Sookie's knee into the bend of his elbow, pulling it upwards as he continued to ravage the woman.

Eric's mouth was right next to Sookie's pointed ear, and he blew taunting bursts of air against the shell, causing her to jerk violently against him. Once she was good and riled, Eric captured the cartilage, gently, between his teeth, making Sookie climax again. His tongue laved the imprisoned flesh over and over until he could not withhold his own pleasure any longer. As he came, Sookie was a panting, shrieking creature beside him.

As the pair began to calm, Eric released her leg and wrapped his arms around her shaking body. "Mmm, I love you," Sookie murmured tiredly.

"As I love you," he replied, kissing the side of her neck. One of the hardest parts about the transfusions, other than having to level his Bonded back out emotionally, was not being able to feed until the day of the next transfusion. Not that he needed it in the span of time. With Ludwig's recommendation of relieving Sookie of two quarts prior to the exchange, he was well gorged on blood for the month. However, he missed taking little sips during their love making. Her warm, lively blood on his tongue made him feel closer to his Bonded, as his blood made her feel intimate with him. It was a small sacrifice they had to make during the changeover, but it was difficult not to indulge.

When Eric had lowered Sookie's sanguine volume for the most recent transfusion, he had quickly realized, lightheadedly, that her blood was becoming more fairy than human. Where she had been sweet before, now she was becoming intoxicating.

"Eric?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you get me a True Blood?" she asked sleepily.

"Would you like it cold or warm?" he asked, giving her neck another tender kiss.

"Warm please," she yawned, reaching for the blankets, and Eric quickly helped her form a soft cocoon of warmth. After she was nestled away, Eric left for the kitchen, returning with a bottle of warm synthetic blood. The telepath guzzled it down quickly before snuggling back into her pillow, "Thank you," she smiled at him in tired contentment.

"How are you feeling?" he asked carefully crawling back onto the bed. Eric could feel a strange sensation of discomfort and panic.

"Nauseas, but, otherwise, fine," she declared.

"Are you still wanting to go out tonight?" Eric asked in concern.

"Yeah. I think I'm just starting to get pregnancy symptoms. Everyone knew I was pregnant before my body did," she laughed and Eric chuckled with her.

"Yes, I suppose we did," he agreed.

"Eric, tell me what you know about fire fairies? What they look like and stuff?" Sookie requested, squirming to lie on her side again. Nothing he said could have worse repercussions than the Water Clan, and she wanted to find something to look forward to.

Putting an arm beneath her head Eric stared up at the ceiling thoughtfully, "They were quite ethereal. You were more likely to see males than females. Especially during the vampire/fae wars. Their eyes are practically black, their skin very tan."

"Ooh, I hope I get my tan back on the last transfusion!" Sookie beamed.

Eric smiled down at her, "I hope your eyes stay this shade of blue. They are hypnotic," he purred. "I love how big and emotional they look. If I were not your Bonded, I think I could still tell what you were feeling by your eyes alone..."

Sookie leaned up and kissed his lips gently before prodding him for more information.

"Their ears are not as pronounced as the Water Clan. The Water Clan have particularly noticeable ears. Perhaps yours will become a little shorter, though probably remain rather pointed." Sookie let out a relieved sigh at the prospect, "We will need to see how your body rearranges itself after the final transfusion," he said contemplatively. "Like the Sky Clan, Fire fae are rather willowy and slight looking. I enjoy the curves you have now, though," he admitted.

"Well I was part Sky Clan to begin with, but was still curvy," Sookie pointed out. "I think that's my Southern gal part, though," she laughed and Eric smiled in agreement. "I guess we'll know in a month."

"I suppose we will."

TBC

PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW! -ANDI