Chapter Twenty-Nine:

"I don't know who you are," Mackenzie glared at the strange woman beside the bed she was bound to. "You are not my aunt. I've never seen you before in my life."

"Oh sweetheart," the woman grew closer, a smile plastered across her bright pink lips. "But I am. I'm your mother's sister."

"My family is dead," Mackenzie insisted, tugging at her binds once again. She didn't believe this woman, whoever she was. As far as she knew, her entire family had died in some tragic house fire. If it hadn't of been for Eric and Pam, she too would have met the same fate. Whatever this woman thought he knew, she was dead wrong.

And yet, the slight resemblance terrified her.

Why did she look so familiar?

"Is that what those monsters told you?" the woman raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. "They lied to you, sweetheart."

"I'm not your sweetheart," Mackenzie spat. "I'm not your anything. You're delusional!"

"Look at what those horrible beasts have done to you," the woman sighed heavily. "But it's okay; we can fix their brainwash."

Mackenzie stared at her in horror. What was wrong with this woman? What was wrong with these people? Steve Newlin was a lunatic, set in his prejudice ways. But this woman was absolutely insane. Maybe Eric had been right to send her away.

"They glamoured you, but it's alright, sweetheart," the woman reached her hand out, her impossibly long finger nails coming too close for Mackenzie's comfort. She tried to brush a strand of hair out of her face, but Mackenzie scooted as far away from her as the binds would allow. She would not let this woman touch her. "We can fix that."

"They didn't brainwash me," Mackenzie defended the vampires that had raised her for the majority of her life. They had never been perfect, but they had never harmed her, never laid a finger on her. And they hadn't glamoured her. "I think you're the brainwashed one here."

The woman smiled sweetly. "We'll see."

"What does that mean?" Mackenzie frowned. She didn't like the look in this woman's eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"We just want you home, Mackenzie. We've been looking for you for a long time. The Newlin's have helped fund the cause that allowed us to save you."

"Kidnap me, you mean. They helped kidnap me."

The woman laughed, the sound causing Mackenzie to shudder. It wasn't a true laugh. It wasn't gentle or kind, or held any ounce of warmth. It was a victorious laugh, like she had just won a long and hard fought battle. It was a laugh that Mackenzie would never forget.

"Save you, Mackenzie. We rescued you."

"You're crazy," Mackenzie struggled, though she knew it was useless. She refused to just sit there, however, and allow this woman to spurt lies out of her mouth. Who knew what these people had planned for her. She may be sick, but she wasn't a willing victim. She was a Northman, after all. Even if only in name. "You aren't my aunt. You aren't my family. You have the wrong girl. You're all just delusional lunatics."

"It's unfortunate that you see it that way," The woman shook her head as she brushed imaginary dust from her dress. "But that's alright, sweetheart. We'll help you. You're safe now."

With a twist of her heel, the woman began towards a door. Mackenzie began to struggle even harder, not liking the prospect of being utterly alone in this mysterious room in god even knows where.

"Where am I? What do you want from me? Why won't you just let me go?" tears sprang to her eyes. Maybe she should have just listened to Eric. Maybe she should have just trusted the Viking from the beginning. She could have been happily at home, safe and sound, if she had only allowed the vampire to protect her like he wanted to. "You can't just keep me here tied up like a dog!"

"You'll see the error in your ways soon, Mackenzie," the woman called from the door, a sickly sweet grin spreading across her lips. "I've been waiting a long time for this day. I will not have you ruining this for me."

"You're nuts! You're all crazy!"

She only laughed as she drew the door open, light flooding into the room. "Gabe, keep a close eye on our guest, won't you?" she spoke to a figure standing just outside of the room. "Don't hesitate to use a little force if she gets a bit uncooperative."

"Yes ma'am,"

"Perfect!" her grin widened as she shot Mackenzie one last glance. "I'll be seeing you again real soon, Mackenzie."

She slipped from the room without uttering another word, only to be replaced with another. Mackenzie swallowed hard as a large man stepped into the room, his arms as wide as her waist. Her eyes widened as she placed herself on the very edge of the bed, glancing up at the binds that restricted her movements.

In that moment, she feared for her life.


"I'm disappointed you had all the fun without me," Pam pouted as Eric entered the house, the front of his shirt stained with blood. "I was at least hoping you'd save some for me."

Eric ignored her as he walked as calmly as he could into the kitchen, sensing his maker in the room. The only ounce of relief he could feel was seeing his maker healed and healthy, drinking the last of a second True Blood pack.

"Do you have any news?" Godric was off of the island stool the moment Eric entered the room. He moved slower than he would have liked, his body still aching from the silver, but he refused to acknowledge his pain. Mackenzie was all that mattered in that moment.

"I know where she is," Eric nodded, eying his maker closely. "Are you well?"

"I'm fine, my son," Godric assured with a short nod. "Where has she been taken?"

"Dallas," Eric began pacing. It was all that he could do not to fly to Dallas and barge into that church. He wanted to rip them all apart. But he needed to bide his time. Sookie had been right; Mackenzie's safety was what mattered now, nothing else. He could kill them all after she was safe and sound. And he would enjoy every moment of it. "She's in Dallas."

"I thought as much," Godric sighed. "They're been growing in strength in the last few months. I should have known they would have taken her there."

"So what now?" Pam leaned against the doorway. "I'm very attached to the idea of killing them all."

"No," Eric surprised her by growling, sending her a look of warning. "Not a single drop of blood will be spilt."

Pam raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me?"

She was relieved when a dark smirk crossed his lips, his hands curling into tight fists at his sides. "Not a drop of blood will be spilt until Mackenzie is safe. And then you can kill as many as you like, darling."

"Fantastic," she sent him a matching smirk, her fangs aching to extend at the mere thought. "We're going to kill them all."

"Every last one." Eric agreed with a hiss before glancing at his maker. "And I will not be convinced otherwise. They will all die, Godric. Every single one of them for taking her away from me."

"I will thoroughly enjoy joining you, my child."

Eric was taken back by his maker's statement. Godric had once been the most ruthless vampire he had ever known. But in recent decades, he had begun to change, to evolve. Eric had never understood why his maker would do such a thing; they were vampires. It was in their nature to destroy all that stood in their way. But Eric understood now to a degree. Mackenzie had changed his way of thinking. If it had been anyone else, if it had been for any other reason, Eric wouldn't have even hesitated in his attack against the fellowship. But her safety was all that he could think of. He had already hurt her enough; she had endured enough pain. He would do all that he could do ensure she would never be harmed again.

However, to see the dark glint in Godric's orbs, to feel the blood lust in their bond, it excited Eric. His maker, for the time being, was the vampire that had turned him over a thousand years ago. Not a single soul in that church would survive, Godric would make certain of that.

"Excellent," Eric's smirk widened. "Sookie will be arriving in Dallas tomorrow evening. She's offered to infiltrate the Fellowship to locate Mackenzie before we attack."

"She is the telepath Pam spoke of?" Godric questioned. "She can be trusted?"

"Completely," Eric assured. "She suggested this herself. She is very strong. I'm impressed by her bravery."

"You are not so easily impressed by breathers," Godric nodded in understanding. "Then she will find Mackenzie and we will extract her the first moment that we can."

"And then we get to kill them all?" Pam asked eagerly.

"Yes, Pam." Eric snickered, licking his lips with desire. "Then you get to kill them all."


Eric couldn't sleep. He couldn't just lie back and rest, not when he was so close to getting Mackenzie back. So instead, he wandered around the house, pacing the length of each room multiple times before moving on to the next. No matter what he tried to do, no matter the distractions he considered, he could not erase Mackenzie from his thoughts. Was she still sick? Had the Fellowship harmed her? Were they mistreating her in any way? Did she still hate him? Did she wonder if he would come for her? Or did she think he didn't care?

"Stop it," Eric growled to himself, running his fingers through his hair, tugging at his locks roughly. He was doing nothing but angering himself further. He needed to keep his judgment clear, at least until Mackenzie was safe.

And only then will he destroy every single one of them.

"I will get you back," he muttered under his breath as he stormed down the hallway. He came to a stop, however, just outside of the library, his gaze betraying him. A sigh escaped his lips as he turned into the only room he hadn't paced in. He had been keeping his distance from the room, knowing it would lead his thoughts astray. But as he stood in the doorway, he had never wanted to be in this very room more than in that moment.

Knowing he would regret it, Eric stepped into the room, his gaze falling immediately onto Mackenzie's favourite chair. She had loved this room, and spent more time in it than her own room. On more than one occasion had he found her curled up in that chair fast asleep, book after book covering her lap. There was nothing she loved more than reading and the escape they provided. Perhaps it was an escape from him, from the life he had poorly provided her. But it had been hers, and the longer he stood there, surrounded by the memories, the harder it became to control his composure.


"Can I open my eyes yet?" Mackenzie huffed in annoyance, her arms crossed her chest as Eric directed her to a sudden stop. "I'm going to walk into something."

"Stop being so melodramatic," Eric snickered. "And yes, you may open your eyes now."

"Finally," the eleven year old muttered under her breath as she opened her eyes. She wasn't sure what to expect. Eric had suddenly swept her out of her room, in the middle of a good book, for some mysterious reason. He had demanded that she closed her eyes as he helped her down the stairs and in some unknown direction on the first floor. She didn't know why this couldn't wait for later, whatever this was.

Mackenzie, however, was left speechless the moment her eyes opened. Before her sat an entire room filled to the brim with every book she imagined in existence. Her eyes grew as wide as saucers as her jaw dropped in complete awe. She had never seen so many books in one place before in her life. Eric rarely let her go out with Karen or even Pam, and usually the latter led her to some clothing boutique instead of a bookstore or library. Usually Godric or Karen would come baring books for her pleasure, or the school library would offer something exciting. She was almost overwhelmed to see so many books in her own house.

"W-what?" she tore her gaze away from the room and up to her guardian in confusion. "I don't understand."

"Well what does it look like?" Eric rolled his eyes, motioning for her to enter the room.

"But I…" she was still at a loss for words, for the first time in her life Eric noted. He was caught between wanting to smirk at the notion and wanting to grin at her reaction.

"You've been driving me insane begging me for new books," Eric shrugged. "So here."

"So here?" her eyes nearly bugged right out of her skull. "But this is…there's so many!"

"I'm aware," a chuckle sounded from the Viking. "But if you'd rather I turn the room into a personal spa for Pam…"

"No!" she shook her head wildly, her ponytail whipping from side to side. "No I…I like it."

"Good," he couldn't help the small smile that threatened to spread across his lips. "I'm glad."

"But why?" She wondered as she walked further into the room, turning as she took in every bookshelf, every corner filled with more books than she could count.

Eric shrugged, not wanting to explain why he had transformed the boring sitting room into a library for the girl. She would ask questions, questions that he wasn't prepared to answer. Pam had already teased him over it during preparation. He had to ban her from the house for days just to stop her annoying laughing. He just wanted Mackenzie to accept the gift and move on.

"Is this…is this because Godric can't come for my birthday this year?" she wondered, chewing on her bottom lip as a frown settled on her young face. Godric had broken the news just the other week, and she had been heartbroken. He had promised to send her extra gifts, but it just wasn't the same. And now with her birthday in only a few days, Mackenzie felt like not even celebrating the one day out of the entire year she could have sweets. Nothing felt right without Godric.

Eric's face fell at the mention of his maker. It had partially been due to Godric's absence. He had felt the need to make up for his maker's presence, and had hoped this would be enough. He couldn't, however, understand why he felt the need to do so. It only made him crabby to think about, not wanting to delve into why he had grown more attached to the girl with every passing year. It was not a train of thought he wanted to have.

"He wanted to come, Mackenzie, you know that," he shifted uncomfortably. He didn't enjoy seeing a look of disappointment on her face. The whole reason he had transformed this room was for her to enjoy it, not to sulk. "Just accept the damn gift already or else I really will give the room to Pam. She had plenty of ideas of decor."

She looked around the room, before her gaze settled on a chair in the corner. She shot Eric a glance before trudging over and taking a tentative seat. It was the comfiest chair she had ever sat in, a chair she just knew she would be spending hours in from now on.

"So this really is for my birthday?" she risked a glance at her guardian. "You did this for me?"

"It was either this or buy you an entire bookstore. This was the easier option," he shrugged. "Well? Do I need to call Pam?"

"No," a smile spread across her lips. "I love it."

"Good then," he nodded, wanting nothing more than to hurry back to his office where he could busy himself with his sheriff duties and not take great pleasure in knowing he had made her happy. "I'll be in my…"

Before he could utter another word, Mackenzie was out of the chair and across the room, her arms wrapping themselves around the stiff Viking. Eric grew completely still, his arms dropping to his side at the unexpected action. There were very rare occasions he would show Mackenzie affection, and she him. They had an unspoken agreement to keep their distance from one another unless absolutely necessary. And there she was, ignoring all of that as she hugged him.

"Thank you," she murmured, her arms tightening around his waist.

Eric wanted to push her away. He wanted to walk away and not deal with this. He wanted to go back in time and decide against giving this library to her. He wasn't equipped to deal with this, to deal with her. This was supposed to be Godric's territory. He was supposed to embrace her and handle her affections. Eric was supposed to set rules and punish her. He was good at that.

This, this he was not good at.

"Mackenzie," he laid his hands on her shoulders, attempting to pry her away.

But as her arms tightened, he couldn't find it in himself to remove her from his arms. He sighed in defeat as he forced himself to relax. The sooner he accepted her affection, the sooner it would be over.

"Come on, now," he hesitantly raised his hand, his fingers toying with the ends of her ponytail. "It's just a gift."

"You're giving me a library!" she drew back just enough to sent him an incredulous look. "I feel like Belle."

"Belle?" he raised an eyebrow, his discomfort growing with every passing moment.

"From beauty and the beast," she rolled her eyes. "He gave her a library. Oh god, you're the beast!"

"I am not some hairy dog," Eric grumbled, his eyes narrowing at even knowing what she was talking about. He cursed Pam for even introducing the Disney princesses to Mackenzie. She had spent far too many years fascinated with them all.

"He wasn't a dog," Mackenzie snorted, pulling away from her guardian. Turning back towards the room, she never noticed his shoulders sagging in relief. "Thank you, Eric. Really."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." He grumbled. "Don't say I never did anything nice for you. Actually, perhaps you should tell Godric of this. He seems to believe I'm not capable of such things."

Mackenzie laughed, throwing him a grin over her shoulders as her fingers began the first of many dances over a stack of books. She plucked the top one and her grin only widened as she plopped down in her chair. Eric was completely forgotten the moment she cracked the cover open, escaping into the world the pages before her offered. Eric couldn't help but lean against the doorway, watching with the smallest hint of a smile playing on his lips. He never thought he would want to see her so happy. He thought he didn't care. But as he watched her so engrossed into her book, he found himself caring more than he thought possible.

Eric had an unfortunate feeling that this feeling would only continue to grow. He hadn't decided yet if he was happy about that or not.


Eric had to close his eyes as his hands gripped the armrests of her chair. He had felt comfort the moment he sat where she had only days before. But that comfort was slowly slipping away. He just wanted her back. He wanted to tell her that he cared, that he never wanted to send her away again. He wanted to take her into his arms, to never let her go. He had struggled for so long with his feelings towards the girl, and he still did. He was a thousand year old Viking; he would never completely accept these new emotions. But he would try for her. He would do anything for her.

"My son?" Godric's voice called from the doorway.

Eric sighed as his eyes opened, gazing upon his maker.

"Are you ready?"

He was. He was more than ready to have his daughter returned to him. She was his, and she forever would be. Not even her biological family would take her away from him.


A/N: I can't help the Daddy Eric flashbacks. they refuse to leave me alone, so write them I must! I just want to warn you all now that yes, this is following the whole Dallas fellowship storyline somewhat, but it will be majorly different. I mean, Godric doesn't seem all that suicidal (at the moment, you never know what might happen...)