A/N: Ok. I lied. :P There was just too much to cover. But now we're looking at one more chapter and an epilogue after this. I swear. I know because I'm halfway done 45. :P

Thanks, ilovemysteries!

Chapter 44

June 13, 1996 - June 16, 1996

When they got back to Shreveport, Eric carried Sookie to Pam's room and laid her on the bed.

"I thought you had to bury yourselves in the dirt."

"No. Many vampires still do go to ground, especially the older ones, but I like my nice clean sheets and not ruining another outfit. I will stay in here with her until Sunday evening, though."

The alone was implied, and Eric got the message, but chose to ignore it. He leaned down and kissed Sookie's forehead. "I wish…"

"No, you don't. Being her equal is much better. She would hate you having dominion over her like that. And you are too young. She never would have risen." And, Pam thought, Sookie was meant to be her child.

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess so." Eric sat down at the edge of the bed and took Sookie's hand. It was so strange for her to be the same temperature as him again. And she was so pale. He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

"Eric?"

He looked up at Pam.

"I know this is hard. And I know that you hate the idea of her being mine instead of yours. But this is for the best, for all of us. And I have no intention of keeping you apart. After she rises."

He sighed and kissed Sookie one more time before he left her alone with her maker.

Pam took a shower, put on a nightie, and laid down. She wrapped Sookie in her arms and waited for her to rise.

…

When Godric got back from Bon Temps, he found Eric lying on his bed with his arm over his eyes.

"It's been an eventful evening."

Eric snorted, but didn't move his arm.

"It's difficult to know how to feel, I can imagine."

Eric sighed and sat up. "I hate that she was hurt and that she…" He trailed off.

"She died."

Eric swallowed. "Yeah. But I'm also really glad, because now she won't get old and die, so I won't lose her. And I know that's selfish because I know how much she didn't want it, so I feel guilty. And I'm so fucking jealous of Pam that I can't stand it, but I'm also so grateful. And I'm worried that Sookie won't want me after she rises. And I've never fucked a vampire. What if…?"

Godric smiled. "Sex between vampires is very very good, Eric. I don't think that's anything you need to worry about."

"But the bond…"

"Will be able to be renewed. It will be a little different, but you will still be connected. You will be able to exchange blood as much as you like. You will still need to feed from humans, but you don't need to have sex with them if you choose not to."

Eric rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. "I hate that I'm going to miss what she tastes like. What if she can tell I'm disappointed? The last thing I want to do is to hurt her again. I've hurt her so much already."

He looked up. "She read my mind the first time I kissed her, when we were kids. I knew she couldn't help it; she can't shield at all when she's touching someone. And I knew how she felt about me, but she had no idea how I felt about her. That wasn't how it usually worked with Sookie." He smiled a little. "She was so smart and sweet and funny and beautiful, and I was already in love with her, I just hadn't really admitted it to myself yet. The kiss was amazing, and she felt so good, but everyone thought that she was crazy or stupid or both. I was afraid that people would find out. I was embarrassed of her, and she heard it. It was about the worst thing I could have thought. She didn't talk to me for a year and a half. Worse, she completely withdrew from everything and everyone for months."

"Her life has been very hard."

"Yeah."

"Do you love her, Eric? Really love her? And not just the idea of her, or because she tastes good?"

"Of course. More than anything."

Godric nodded. "She loves you very much, too. Forever is a very long time, but you didn't love her any less after you were turned. And, if anything, she loved you even more. I think that you will be fine."

Eric took a deep breath he didn't need and let it out, and then nodded. "Yeah. Ok." He did feel a lot better.

Godric sat down on the chair across from Eric's bed. "Tell me what happened."

Eric told him everything - escaping from the silver, flying to Bon Temps, what happened in her bedroom, and what he could remember about killing Bill Compton.

"Do you know how extraordinary that was, Eric? He was more than one hundred times older than you are. You were able to best him at hand to hand combat and keep both yourself and the baby alive. It was remarkable, and I am very proud of you."

Eric's human father was extremely demanding and didn't really believe in praise. Eric was expected to get excellent grades and excel at every sport he played, and his Far saw no reason to make a big deal out of it when he did. Eric was just doing what he was supposed to. Oskar Northman had bought his son just about everything he wanted, and a bunch of things he didn't, but he was never affectionate. Even though Eric had desperately needed some affection after his Mor died. No wonder he had spent so much time at Sookie's house.

Eric had been angry at Godric for most of the time he'd known him, but there was just no way not to respect him. And now he realized that he wanted to please him. And that he did think of him as his father. His maker. And having his maker be proud of him and say so meant a fuck of a lot.

Godric stroked Eric's hair and then left him alone in his room. Eric laid back down and put his arm back over his eyes, but he finally was able to relax a little bit. And start looking forward to his future with Sookie and Leif.

…

Godric knocked on Pam's door and went inside. He smiled down at her. "I think you look even happier than I was when I turned you."

"She's very special, Godric."

"Yes. But so are you."

She rolled her eyes, but he could feel how much it had pleased her.

"I was so sure that she was going to be mine, but at the same time, it doesn't feel real. I just can't wrap my head around it."

"Are you going to stay with her?"

"Yes. I thought the idea of a pull was nonsense until I felt it for myself. Maybe those crackpots are right, that makers who lie with their new children have a stronger bond. I don't really want to chance it."

"You are going to be an excellent maker."

Pam smiled at him. "Did you take care of her grandmother?"

"Yes. She arrived back around one. She expected Sookie and Leif to be gone with Bill Compton. I told her what I could and glamoured her not to worry."

"Good."

Godric leaned down and kissed Pam's cheek, and then Sookie's. "I'll leave you two alone."

…

The next evening, Eric and Godric drove back to Bon Temps. Jason's truck was still parked out front in Adele's driveway and Godric pulled in beside it.

Eric hadn't really seen Adele in almost three years, even though they'd lived under the same roof for a week and a half. He took a deep breath when he got on the porch, blew it out, and knocked. Sookie's grandmother came to the door. Her voice was colder than he'd ever heard it. More formal.

"It's nice to see you, Godric. Eric. Come in."

It kind of broke his heart a little. He'd loved her like his own grandmother when he was human, but he had knocked up her teenage granddaughter, abandoned her, and then hurt her badly. He knew that this was going to be hard. He followed Godric inside.

Godric said, "Adele, I'm going to stay here to talk with you and Jason. I know I told you a little bit last night, but it's time you knew the truth. Eric is going to take Leif for a little while."

She looked both reluctant and suspicious. Eric hated that she felt that way about him.

"Mrs. Stackhouse, I had no idea about the baby. I swear. I did hurt Sookie, but she's forgiven me, and I will never do it again. I love her and Leif, and we're going to be a family."

Her face softened a little, and they all went into the living room. Jason was standing in front of the couch holding Leif. Jason had been his best friend for pretty much his whole childhood. They'd grown apart, and they had nothing in common any longer - other than their past and now his family - but he hated this tension between them.

If he were still in University and had come home for a visit, they would have just gone back to being best friends. While they were together, at least. But a lot of things had changed.

Jason walked over to Eric and handed Leif to him, and then crossed his arms. He looked pissed. "You need to treat my sister right."

"I will."

"You better." And then he smiled and clapped Eric on the arm. "Welcome to the family."

Eric smiled back at him. "Thanks, Jason."

"And I'll work on Gran. She always liked you better than me anyways. I'm sure she'll come around."

Eric went outside and headed up the driveway. He had walked this route at least a thousand times. It was a couple of miles, but it didn't take him long, and soon he was standing outside his father's house holding Leif. There was a dog barking inside, and he could hear kids playing in the back yard. He had never been allowed to have a dog. He saw his father through the living room window, holding his little brother. Something must have caught his eye, because Far looked out and saw him. Eric took a deep breath and went to the door. His father opened it.

"Eric."

"Far."

"I'm very glad to see you."

Eric nodded. "This is my brother?"

"Yes. This is Josef. We call him Joey." He looked down at Leif. "The Stackhouse girl's baby. He is yours."

"Yes, he is. His name is Leif."

His father nodded. "I think I knew as soon as I saw him. He looked just like you at the same age."

Eric shrugged. "He looks like Sookie."

"Are you going back to school?"

Eric shrugged again. "No. Someday, maybe, but not right now. I have a family to take care of. I have lots of time."

After Eric had pretty much broken off all contact when he went away to school, Oskar Northman had regretted the way he had raised Eric. He swore to do it differently with Joey and his step-children, and he was. But he couldn't seem to carry that over to his relationship with Eric. He just fell back into the same old groove. "You're going to give up your education and your future for that poor white trash and her baby? I'll pay her enough child support to keep her in Bud Lights and Marlboros until he turns eighteen. You don't need this weighing you down for the rest of your life."

He would have punched his father in the face, but he was holding a baby and his father was holding a toddler. Joey was looking up at Eric with something like awe, and Eric wondered if he could tell that he was different. Not human like the rest of them. Eric looked into his father's eyes and used his glamour. "I am no longer your son." His father blinked, and then turned around and went inside.

He regretted not getting a chance to know his brother. He had always wanted a younger sibling, and he hoped that his father treated the kid better than he had Eric. The dog barking inside and the happy sounds coming from the kids in the back yard made him think that Josef might be Ok. But his relationship with his father wasn't salvageable, and this way was easier.

Eric took Leif back to Adele's. Sookie didn't go anywhere without the baby if she could help it, and she was going to hate not being able to care for him full time. If she could stand to be near him at all.

The baby had fallen asleep on the walk back, and Eric kissed his head and laid him gently in his crib, which had been moved into the living room. Sookie's door was closed and Godric was going to have someone come and replace the carpet the next day.

Adele was sitting in her chair reading. She put her open book down on her lap when Eric turned around. "Godric told me just about everything, I think."

Eric nodded.

"I suppose I should be scared to death, but you were almost like one of my own. Somehow, I just can't do it."

"You really have nothing to be afraid of."

"I know." She sighed. "She has loved you for a very long time, Eric. I really didn't think that it would ever work. You were always a good boy, but it would have been too hard for the both of you."

Eric shrugged. "I wanted to try."

"I know you did. And you were so good to her, which is why it hurt her so much when you weren't."

"I know." He did know it. He'd seen that look of hurt and disappointment in Sookie's eyes more times than he cared to think about.

Adele just rocked for a minute or two. "Sookie and I have grown apart. I blamed you for a long time, for getting her pregnant and making that come between us. But that wasn't fair. It was my pride that did that. I'm glad that you're together, and I hope that the two of you can make it work."

"You'll watch Leif until we figure it all out?"

"Of course."

He put some money on the end table beside her chair. "For diapers and formula and stuff."

Adele smiled. "Sookie isn't going to like that one bit. She was told that nursing him was best, and that was that. There wasn't any other option." Despite the smile there were tears in her eyes.

"She really loves him a lot."

She nodded. "I just couldn't believe it when she told me she was pregnant. I expected it from Hadley and Jason, but Sookie? Not in a million years. I knew that she would take good care of him, because she's stubborn as an ox, but I was worried. She is very mature for her age, but she is so young, and she was always so adamant that she didn't want children. And she was just so unhappy all the time. I thought it would be a disaster and that she would resent him. I was so wrong. She was meant for motherhood, and maybe this was her only chance. I hope that's something that carries over."

She stood up and walked over to Eric and wrapped him in a hug, just like she used to. It was warm and familiar and she smelled like home, and the ache in his chest eased a little bit. He hugged her back. "Thank you."

…

Godric took Eric flying on Saturday, just to get him out of the house. They visited Leif, and arranged to pick him up early Sunday evening. Godric would make sure to protect him, just in case. Eric was thankful for dawn; he didn't think he would have been able to sleep. Dying was better.

The next evening, he got a shower and spent too much time on his hair and picking out his clothes. Anything to keep himself busy. Godric was on his way to Bon Temps to pick up the baby, but Eric wouldn't go in case Sookie rose before they got back. He sat on the couch and went into downtime, hoping it would help pass the time.

…

When Pam rose Sunday evening, she was full of anticipation. She got a shower first thing, and then made sure everything was ready. She had bagged blood on the warmer, and there was a silver chain and gloves in the drawer that she hoped she wouldn't have to use.

She was propped up on the bed paging through a magazine when something inside her seemed to fall into place. The bond opened, and she could feel Sookie so much more clearly than just with the blood tie. Of course, Sookie was different now, but Pam would have recognized her anyway. So far, Sookie just felt inquisitive, confused, and more than a little bit overwhelmed, but Pam remembered those first few minutes trying to make sense of so much stimulus. It was incredibly disorienting and it had taken her quite some time that first evening to go from awareness to opening her eyes and greeting her new existence.

Pam put the magazine down and walked around the bed. Even though she had agreed to be turned, Pam was so afraid that Sookie would have a hard time with the transition. So far she didn't feel angry or upset, but she was possibly too distracted by all of the new sensory input to have gotten there yet. Pam didn't know whether or not she should say something. She stood by Sookie's side, wringing her hands, when Sookie opened her eyes.