A/N: Two more chapters after this one, guys. For me, it is super bittersweet. I really love these kids.

Chapter 43

June 13, 1996

Godric called her again, and Pam's car swerved over the yellow line. It was so hard not to turn around and go to him, and she would never forgive herself if he was injured, or worse. Sookie was worth a hundred Clancys or Chows, but her maker was another story.

Pam was turning onto Hummingbird Road when pain and then love joined the fear. She got out of the car and ran when she felt acceptance. She hadn't even put the car into park, and it ran off the road at the next curve and hit a tree. She had never been more angry that she couldn't fly.

She thought she heard a panther screaming in the distance, and automatically looked up at the moon, but she knew that it was just a crescent. The new moon was just days away.

She ran inside and found Sookie on the floor of her room with her head in Jason's lap. He had thrown Sookie's robe over her because he knew she wouldn't want to just lie there naked. He was crying and apologizing and was reaching for the stake to pull it out of her neck. Pam grabbed his wrist.

"If you do that, she'll be dead in seconds. She's already lost far too much blood."

The smell of the blood was overwhelming, and it took all of the control she had not to go into bloodlust. She kneeled next to Sookie and stroked her hair. Sookie turned her head to look at Pam.

"Sookie, please. I promised I wouldn't turn you before, but you are dying. It's too late to save you. You've lost too much blood. I need you to say yes."

"Leif?"

Pam looked at Jason.

"Some guy with big sideburns took him. Eric went after him. What do you mean turn?"

Pam couldn't put that together, and had no time to answer foolish questions. How in the hell had Eric…? Nevermind.

"Eric will get him back, Sookie. I know he will. You need to be here to see the baby grow up. Please say yes."

Could she just do it against Sookie's will? She had promised, and Sookie might not ever forgive her if she did. Especially since Pam was almost positive that Leif wouldn't survive the night. And if Eric found Bill before the baby died, he wouldn't either.

Sookie lost consciousness, and Pam slapped her cheek, hard. Sookie had lost so much blood that her skin didn't redden from the blow. Her eyes opened slowly and she looked up at Pam. "Love you."

Pam was trying so hard to keep herself together. Godric called again, and she had to close her eyes to hold herself still. They didn't have time for this. "If you love me, dammit, say yes! You are almost out of time."

Sookie closed her eyes, and Pam was about to slap her again when Sookie took a breath and opened her mouth to speak.

…

Bill had no idea how the newborn had gotten there so fast. Some gifts manifested early, but flying wasn't usually one of them. Maybe Eric could just run very fast. Either way, Bill was afraid that as soon as the girl died, the boy would be after him, and he wouldn't stop at just rescuing the brat.

Bill knew that Eric had given the baby his blood. Bill had seen him do it himself. There was no running from him, especially since the boy was almost certainly faster. But Bill was still so much stronger, and should have no trouble getting the best of an eleven month old baby vampire.

Bill was running west through the woods. He would decide whether to head Northwest to his maker or South to Peru after he crossed into Texas. When he hit a clearing, he laid the screaming child in the middle, and left scent trails coming and going all the way around. He climbed a tree with plenty of coverage, snapped off a branch, and waited.

…

Eric could feel Leif and was flying as fast as he could to reach him. For Sookie. He couldn't lose them both. As he got closer, he could hear Leif's cries, hoarse and weak after crying for so long and so hard. He almost never cried; Sookie knew what the baby needed almost as soon as Leif did.

Eric landed in the middle of the clearing and turned around in a circle. He could smell Bill's trail leading away in every direction. He knew that it was a trap, and that Bill would almost certainly be able to beat him. Eric closed his eyes and focused just on his nose and ears. He heard a branch above and behind him creak, and Eric flew forward and then shot ten feet into the air.

Eric looked down at the sharp branch sticking out of his abdomen. Bill had jumped from the tree and staked him through the back, but had missed his heart by inches. Eric grabbed the branch and pulled it through his body, groaning at the pain. It was nearly two feet long - more spear than stake.

He almost dropped it, but kept hold. He knew just the dirty murdering son of a bitch to use it on. His wound started to heal. He looked around, trying to find Bill. He wanted to go to Leif and soothe him, but he couldn't leave himself open like that again. He didn't care if he died, but he was going to take William Erasmus Compton with him. He needed vengeance. And he wished so hard that Bill was rotting under his gravestone like he should have been for over a hundred years.

Eric tried not to think about what would happen to Leif if Eric didn't make it. Nobody would ever find him in the middle of the forest, and the baby would be left to suffer and die alone. He should have grabbed Leif and flown back, but he had been too out of his mind and set on revenge to even think. He flew up a little higher and turned a circle in the air, trying to find Bill. The baby's screams had turned to whimpers and Leif felt totally alone and abandoned. Eric felt it in his blood, and it made his chest ache even more.

"Come out here and fight me like a vampire, you chickenshit baby-stealing son of a bitch."

Eric saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head just as his bond with Sookie seemed to snap. She was gone. He started to fall.

…

Godric called for Pam again, and opened the bond to see where they were. They should be getting close. But she was still well more than fifty miles away to the Southwest, maybe South of Ruston. Bon Temps. She was nearly frantic. The Disco Triplets and drainers forgotten, Godric flew to her as fast as he could.

…

Bill had quickly climbed another tree and was watching through the leaves. Eric fell nearly to the ground, but then caught himself. He lowered himself the rest of the way. It was nearly impossible to defend yourself against a flying vampire, no matter how young he was. Especially one carrying a giant stake. Bill needed to keep him on the ground, and hopefully goad him into dropping the weapon. He hoped that Eric would go to his son. Bill needed a diversion.

Eric's hair hung loose to his shoulders, matted with blood, and his face and clothes were streaked and smeared with it. He threw down the branch, ripped off his torn and tattered shirt, clenched his fists, and roared. And, for the first time that night, Bill was truly afraid. Eric obviously hadn't gotten any bigger, but suddenly he looked massive. And when Bill looked down from the tree and met Eric's eyes, he knew that he had made a terrible mistake. This wasn't a weak and nearly helpless newborn vampire. This was a Norse berserker, insane and full of rage and needing to kill. Bill needed to do something to regain the advantage.

"I didn't kill her, you know. You were the one with the stake. You killed her yourself. It's your fault."

Eric grinned. His fangs looked impossibly long and his eyes were flat and cold. And Bill, who fancied himself a cunning predator, suddenly felt like prey. He was caught frozen, somewhere between fight and flight, and that hesitation sealed his fate.

Eric launched himself at Bill and sent him hurtling through the air. He collided hard against a tree and fell to the ground. It felt like more of his bones were broken than not, but he tried to pull himself to his feet. He stumbled and fell to one knee.

He felt a cool breeze against the back of his ear, and then heard a hoarse whisper.

"You are mine."

Eric ripped off his head.

…

Adele took the first exit for Monroe and stopped at a Denny's. She didn't want to go back home until after midnight and she was hungry. For some reason, she had missed supper.

Sookie and Leif were going away, but she knew that it was the very best thing for them. And she was just so happy for them.

Something niggled at the back of her mind, but she just couldn't quite catch hold. She hoped that Jason had been able to find everything on her list. She wondered why she had been so adamant that it had to be done today.

She had a long time to wait, so she pulled her book out of her purse and pushed her coffee cup to the edge of the table for a refill.

…

Eric very gently picked up his son. Leif had exhausted himself and was more unconscious than asleep. His breath was still hitching in his chest from crying. Eric knew that Leif had been injured back at the house - he'd felt the baby's pain through the blood tie. And then Bill had been so rough and had moved very fast without giving Leif any real support. Eric was scared that more serious damage had been done. He tore a deep gash on the pad of his index finger and put it in the baby's mouth. Leif suckled on it in his sleep.

Eric didn't know how he was going to do this without her. It wasn't like he could just be a single parent and rest when the baby did. He was at the mercy of the sun.

He kissed Leif's head and carried him back to Sookie's house to say goodbye.

…

Pam leaned in closer. Sookie was breathing in short quick gasps and her heartbeat was slow and irregular. Soon it would be too late.

"Yes."

Pam sobbed once, but then pulled herself together. "Oh, thank fuck." She pulled out the stake as she bit her wrist and put it to Sookie's mouth. Sookie opened her eyes and started to drink before she slipped into unconsciousness. Pam bit her wrist again and massaged Sookie's throat to make her swallow. After a third time, Sookie just slipped away, and Pam hoped that she'd done everything right and that it was enough.

"Pam? What the fuck just happened?"

"I just saved your sister's life. In a manner of speaking." She smiled at Jason, and the fact that she had fangs finally registered.

He would have backed away across the room if Sookie's head wasn't still in his lap. His adam's apple bobbed and he closed his eyes. "Make it quick. I don't want to drag it out."

Pam rolled her eyes. "Jason, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. Probably last month when you grabbed my ass. I wouldn't recommend doing it again. But I did give your sister a lot of blood…"

And he did smell very good. And she hadn't had any of Sookie's blood before giving her so much of her own. She caught his eyes, leaned over, and fed.

He was delicious. And very attractive. And who cared if he was stupid as long as he was good in bed? She might revisit this in the future. Sometimes a change of pace was nice.

After she'd finished, Jason blinked a few times and came back to himself.

"Did you just turn my sister into a vampire?"

Pam smiled down at Sookie and stroked her hair again. "Yes."

"And Godric is a vampire, too?"

"Yes. He made me nearly 150 years ago."

"Jesus fucking Christ! So that kid with the tattoos is kind of like Sookie's grandfather?"

Pam laughed. "That kid with the tattoos is older than Jesus fucking Christ."

Jason just sat there staring at a mark on the wall while he tried to process this information. "Wait a second. Eric?!"

"Yes. He was turned the night Leif was conceived, actually."

"Does Sookie know?"

Pam smiled down at Sookie again. "Yes. Your sister is incredibly brave. She killed Eric's maker, a sadist who would have made Eric's first century a living - well, you know what I mean - hell. She built him a light proof space over there in her closet. She took care of him for days, all on her own, even though she knew how dangerous it was."

Pam went into the bathroom and drew Sookie a bath. After she'd gotten her clean and dressed (in a lovely dress that Pam had bought her), she laid Sookie on her bed and waited to see if Eric would come back.

…

Godric landed on Sookie's front porch and went inside. Pam was sitting primly on the edge of Sookie's bed. She looked up at him and smiled when he walked in the room.

"She's yours, then."

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"You know, I really have no idea." She looked away, pretending there was something interesting out the broken window. "She was terrified. I had to come. I'm sorry I left you alone, and I am very glad you're alright."

"You've been giving her your blood."

She looked back at him defiantly. "Yes. I have. And it's a damn good thing, too. When I got here she was clinging to life with a stake through her throat."

He smirked. "I thought blood was sacred."

"You were the one who said that you were wrong. Not me."

"Did she agree to be turned, Pamela?"

Pam smiled, and looked down at her child. "Yes. She did."

"You resisted my call." Pam looked back up at him. "I am proud of you."

Jason was still sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. "I don't know how Sookie got stabbed or why she was naked, but some dude with big sideburns took the baby and jumped out the window. Eric went after him."

Pam looked at Godric. "Eric?"

Godric smiled and nodded at the window. "He just arrived. He is outside. I think he's too scared to come in. He thinks she is gone."

"The baby?"

Godric walked to the window and looked out. "Eric has him. They are coming inside."

...

Eric stood in the yard with his eyes closed, his son cradled in his arms. He knew that he needed to go inside and see her one last time, but he wanted to pretend just a little bit longer.

He had so many memories here. He'd probably spent more time on Hummingbird Road than at his own house. Sookie had been a constant in his life for a decade. She was his everything. And he was the one who had killed her.

But he had saved Leif. And he knew that she would have gladly traded her life for the baby's. Eric just wished he could trade his own for hers. He climbed the stairs to the porch and went inside to say goodbye.

When he walked through the bedroom door, Pam stood up. Eric's eyes went first to the pool of blood on the floor where Sookie had been, and then to her bed. She just looked like she was sleeping, and he could almost convince himself that she was fine. He went to her and stroked her hair.

Pam reached out and lightly touched his arm. He turned his head to look at her.

"I made it here in time, Eric. Barely. She agreed. I feel the magic taking hold."

His eyes widened and his head snapped back to look at Sookie. Pam continued, "Of course, this means that she's mine now. But I suppose I can share her a little bit. Sometimes."

He turned back to Pam and pulled her into a tight hug. Leif squawked in surprise, and Eric pulled back a bit, but he didn't let her go. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. If you piss me off, I can command her to not sleep with you. And you're dripping blood all over me! Oh well. We'll call this one a warning."

Eric laughed and kissed her head. He didn't even care as long as he had Sookie back. Godric squeezed his shoulder.

Jason finally got up from the floor and Eric turned to face him.

"I don't know what the fuck you did to hurt my sister, and I should probably punch your lights out right now, but you're holding my nephew."

"I did hurt her, Jason, and I'm so sorry. But she's forgiven me. I'll never hurt her like that again. I love her and she loves me."

Jason looked uneasy. "And Sookie knows y'all are vampires and lets you around the baby?"

Eric looked down at Leif. "He's my son, Jason. I could never hurt him. And neither would Godric or Pam. They're Sookie's family now, too."

Jason frowned. "But me and Gran…"

Pam cut him off. "Are also her family." She looked at Godric. "We aren't going anywhere. She'll live with us in Shreveport, but she was going to do that, anyway."

Godric smiled at her and nodded. "I think that would be perfectly fine. But where is Adele?"

Jason reached into his pocket and pulled out Gran's note from the kitchen counter.

"Oak Grove, to make a phone call. That's kinda weird."

Godric looked at Pam and then called Malcolm on his cell phone. It went to voicemail. Godric waited to leave a message. "If Bill Compton told you not to answer my call, and you don't call me back within fifteen minutes, all three of you will be silvered for a month." Malcolm called back in less than five.

Pam said, "Speaking of Bill Compton, how in the fuck are you two still alive? And where is he? I would love very much to teach him a lesson."

Eric shrugged. "When I felt her die, I kind of lost my shit. I barely remember what happened, but when it was over, I was holding his head."

Jason agreed to take Leif for the day, and Eric insisted on carrying Sookie to her yellow coupe. Jason took out the car seat to put in his truck, and Eric placed her gently on the back seat. Godric went to dispose of Pam's wreck, and Pam drove Sookie's car to Shreveport with Eric in the passenger seat beside her.

Halfway home, Pam realized that Eric was crying again. She patted his leg. "I couldn't stand the thought of losing her, either."

"You love her."

"Yes. I knew she was yours, but she was mine, too. I could have killed you after you hurt her like you did, but I'm glad that she forgave you. And that you're my brother. And if you tell anyone I said that, I might kill you after all."

"Thank you."

She patted his leg again, and they drove the rest of the way in silence.