A/N: Hey! I don't have another chapter ready yet, but meh. It's half done. That's close enough, right? Next YnB should be up tomorrow or the next day, too. Also half done or so. :P I am tired and slightly incoherent. Always great for writing. Thanks to ilovemysteries for betaing and stuff.

Chapter 4

What in the fuck was he going to do about this? He didn't have the time or patience to deal with a newborn of his choosing, let alone a seventeen year old runaway orphaned newborn vampire who had attachments to Weres from two different packs. He had to admit that she was definitely his type, but she also looked timid. Although, to be sure, timid was not Pam's usual type.

Pam...

What he should do is turn her over to Sophie-Anne. After all, she was made and orphaned in Sophie-Anne's area. This should be her problem to deal with, not his. Sophie-Anne could find her a suitable foster. And the fact that this was obviously Pam's progeny… It should make no difference. He had his own problems to deal with. His own losses to work through.

But first he needed to find out what in the fuck had happened Sunday night. She and Pam had left the rave around midnight, and he had felt Pam's final death sometime before 2:00 Central. That left such a small window. Obviously, the girl was turned sometime between, and couldn't have killed Pam after she'd been turned; she was dead at the time. Theoretically, Pam could have bled into the girl's mouth as Sookie was dying before Pam turned to ash, but there would be much more blood in the room, and Pam wouldn't have been able to wash up and change afterwards.

He had so many questions, he had no idea what to ask first. He decided to go with a classic, even if he was almost certain of the answer.

"What is your name?"

"S-s-sookie." She was trembling so hard he was afraid she was going to shake the light fixtures loose from the ceiling on the floor below.

He sighed in exasperation, "Well, S-s-sookie. Can you tell me what in the fuck happened here?"

"Um. I went to a rave at a warehouse on Tchoupitoulas last night. This girl, Pam? She danced with me and then took me to a really nice room in the warehouse. She didn't want my guys to interrupt us, so then she brought us here. Um. We were dancing? And… and…"

She was leaking again. "And what?"

"And she bit me. She was so strong... And I thought that maybe I was just having a bad trip? But…" She wiped her eyes with her hands and then looked at the blood. "What is the matter with me? Am I dying?" She burst into tears.

Fuck. He was going to need to figure out how to get her fed. He walked back into the bedroom and picked up the phone to order room service, but how in the fuck was he going to keep her from draining the porter without a maker's command? And a pint was hardly going to keep her calm enough to walk through a lobby full of people. And he needed to check the security footage before they left. He really did not have the time or patience for this. He noticed the fairy smell again, much stronger in the bedroom. He put the receiver back down on the cradle and walked back into the bathroom.

"Why do you smell like the fae?"

But she was wrapped in a ball in the bathtub again, this time with her head bent down so he couldn't even see her face. "Girl!"

She jumped, and then seemed to shrink back into herself, never looking up.

He grabbed her arm and yanked her up, slamming her against the wall of the shower. He roared, "Why do your clothes smell like Fairies?"

She was sobbing now. "I don't know! I don't know anything! I was dancing with Pam and we were kissing and then she bit me. I guess I passed out, and then I woke up on the floor by the bed when I heard the elevator coming. And then I hid in here! That's all I know! I swear! Please don't hurt me."

Fuck. He knew he was being a complete dick, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. He set her down on the floor and walked out of the room, closing the door behind himself. He needed time and space to get himself together.

Sookie's knees buckled when Eric let her go, and she fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. She was so scared. What had happened to her? Who was the tall man and why was he so angry and mean? Was he going to hurt her? Rape her? Kill her? Where was Pam? How could she get away? She really wanted her wolves. Needed them.

After a few minutes, she managed to pull herself together a bit. She washed her face and hands and then looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin looked so pale it almost seemed to glow, the way Pam's had. The way the big blond guy's did, too. She pulled the elastics out of her hair, and bent upside down, massaging her scalp and combing through her hair with her fingers. When she stood up, it fell down her back in waves. Pale and bleeding out of her eyes or not, she was having one hell of a good hair day. At least she'd look good if she died of whatever this was. Trying to find the good in life was how she had managed to survive and keep her sanity.

But what was the matter with her? Bad Ecstasy? She looked at her throat in her reflection and saw no marks at all. Maybe it had all been a bad trip. Maybe she had imagined the whole thing. But the bleeding... Had she been poisoned? What happened to Pam?

She took a deep breath, and something nagged at the back of her brain, but she couldn't quite grab hold, so she let it go. She took another deep breath for good measure, and opened the door to the bedroom. Eric wasn't in there, and the door to the rest of the suite was closed. There was a phone on the bedside table, and she ran to it and called their cell. It was answered on the first ring, and Sookie was immediately crying again.

"Hello?"

"Alcide!"

The door to the bedroom bounced against the wall with a sound like a gunshot, and the big guy was filling the doorway. He looked way more pissed than he had before, even, and Sookie couldn't help but scream. Alcide was yelling on the phone and, even though she dropped the receiver, she could still hear him clearly over her shrieks of terror, asking where she was, what was the matter, and then yelling her name. The big guy had fangs and his eyes were glowing and he was coming for her and he looked so angry. She hoped so hard that this was just a terrible dream. Or maybe this was still part of the bad trip. She hoped that she wasn't just going to live her whole life in an endless bad trip now, like an urban legend come to life.

"Hang up the phone." His voice was flat and so cold. Her eyes darted all over the room, looking for a place to run. Instincts she didn't understand and couldn't recognize were warring with her common sense, and her body was momentarily paralyzed. And then, for just a moment, instinct won and she jumped through the penthouse window and started to fall.

Of course, he had to follow. There would be questions when she survived a twenty story fall. He jumped out the window and flew down to catch her in mid-air, putting his hand over her mouth before he flew her right back in through the broken window. What a nuisance she was turning out to be. He had a mind to just stake her. She was panicking, struggling and trying to bite and scratch like a hellcat.

*snick*

She immediately stopped fighting and he took his hand off her mouth. Her tongue snuck out from between her lips and she probed the strange new shape of her teeth. And Eric felt the confusion. The calculation. The disbelief. The dawning realization. Then the horror, terror, and sorrow. They shared some kind of a bond. That had been the fear he had felt before he tore open the shower curtain. He had been too keyed up to notice it again until now. As if he needed this to get even more complicated.

This time, he loosened his grip and just held her gently as she wept. It was quite unforgivable how he'd treated her, and he didn't know how to go about fixing it. He hadn't even explained that she was Vampire before she was met with so much incontrovertible evidence that she had figured it out on her own. Or even that vampires exist in the first place.

She was definitely going to need to feed soon. She had been crying so much that the bedroom, bathroom, and both of them were smeared with blood. Plus she'd been cut in a dozen places when she jumped out the window, but those had healed, at least. When she calmed down and realized how hungry she was, she would get even more out of control. He needed her wolves to come. They were big men, they were Supes, and they cared for her. And they were strong enough that, with help from Eric, they would hopefully survive. And hopefully their familiarity would be enough to overcome the aversion. Honestly, he didn't know who else to call with Pam gone. He thought again of calling the Queen, but he really didn't want to bring any other vampires into this until he found out what had happened to Pam. Were puppies were bad enough.

Still holding the girl with one arm, he called the Wolves' cell phone with his own and hoped Alcide hadn't already called the police. Fortunately, it had only been a few minutes. Alcide picked up the phone almost before the first ring started.

"What the fuck did you do to her, you son of a bitch?"

"She is just very very scared. Can you come? We are in the penthouse suite of L'Hôtel Acadien. I will call down and have someone ready to escort you up."

There was a long pause. "Is that her crying?"

"Yes."

"Can I talk to her?"

"Yes. If she is able." He pulled the phone from his ear and spoke to her gently. "It is Alcide. Can you speak?"

She was very tense, but she was able to nod, and he handed her the phone and stepped away from her to give her some semblance of privacy.

With a hitch in her breath, she said, "Alcide? Please come and get me. I want to go home to you guys."

Eric closed his eyes. This was going to make things even worse, but it had to be done, and it would hopefully kill two birds with one stone; they needed to be informed, and she needed to feed. And hopefully it wouldn't kill a couple of wolves, too. Of course, she would burn to a crisp sleeping in a van. Not that her wolves would be interested in cohabitating with a vampire if it had been possible. That was going to hurt her even more. And he hadn't even warned the wolf. Fuck. What was he going to do with her?

At least he could have the Weres sniff the bed and floor to see if they recognized the scent. Maybe a fairy had followed them from the rave. He went to the hotel phone and called down to the front desk, asking to have his guests escorted up when they arrived. He supposed he would need to clean up Pam's remains in the interim.

Sookie handed him back his phone, the connection severed, but she wouldn't meet his gaze. He supposed he should try to have a conversation with her.

"Sookie, I am Vampire. Pam was my child and I was her maker. I turned her Vampire almost 150 years ago. Sunday night, Pam turned you into a vampire as well. She was your maker, but she was finally killed shortly after. I must find out what happened to her."

She was staring at a spot on the floor. She didn't react at all. He had no idea if it was where she rose or not, but she still wouldn't look at him. He probed the bond, and he couldn't really name what she was feeling. It was so indistinct, and felt incredibly… tenuous. Like a radio signal just out of range that would almost come in clear before dropping away completely at random intervals. He was starting to get very afraid that she was close to losing her grasp on sanity. He might have to just fly her to the palace anyway, and then come back to investigate on his own. Surely Sophie-Anne would have some donors that she wouldn't mind sacrificing if the girl was unable to stop feeding.

And wouldn't that be a fun aftermath to deal with. After all, she was described over and over as so sweet and gentle and how she couldn't hurt a fly. Fuck, what a nightmare!

"Please stay in here until I call you. I don't want you to hurt anyone accidentally." He didn't want to speak of the hunger directly if he could avoid it, but he also wanted her to realize what the consequences of her actions would be if she didn't obey. A command would be so much easier!

He left the bedroom and closed the door. If she called the wolves again, it would be of no real consequence. He gathered up Pam's belongings from the pile of ash. He set the stake aside, after smelling it intently. It triggered… something in his brain, but he just couldn't place it. The smell was too faint under the smell of Pam and death.

He walked out on the balcony to shake the robe and trousers free of ash before neatly folding them. Pam was always very tidy. He stacked her slacks with the rest of her belongings alongside the stake, and put the robe in the hamper in one of the guest rooms. Housekeeping would take care of his laundry, as always. He called a Supe cleaning service to get the blood and ash cleaned up and the window replaced. He called the front desk again and advised them of another visitor they should be expecting. He certainly didn't have the patience to deal with cleaning up this mess himself.

He heard the elevator coming and opened the door to the small penthouse lobby. The elevator doors opened and Alcide and Jake were there, along with a porter and a female Were he hadn't yet met. The shifters got out and the porter went back downstairs.

Alcide said, "Where's Sookie?"

"She's in the bedroom. Come in." They all looked at Pam's remains as they passed.

"I'm Maria-Star. I am so sorry for your loss. Pack Master Flood told us what happened. Or all he knew, at least."

"Yeah, have you figured out what all went down? Why didn't Sookie just leave if she was here all this time. Did someone hurt her?"

Sookie opened the door and ran to them. Eric should have known she wouldn't have been able to resist seeking comfort. Hell, he didn't even know if she'd understood him when he'd spoken to her. He'd felt no real change in the bond.

She threw herself into Alcide's arms and the Weres all froze. "Oh, Sunshine… Oh no."

Their nostrils were flaring, and they stood wooden. Alcide instinctively started pushing her away, trying to keep as much space from her as possible. Until she looked up at him sadly and he just melted into her.

Her fangs dropped, and her eyes filled with tears again. She covered her mouth with her hand and started to cry in earnest. Eric looked at them.

"She needs to feed. Pam was her maker, so there is no one to command her to stop in time if she cannot control herself. She has lost a lot of blood crying."

"It's ok, sweetheart. Go ahead. Eric will help you to stop before you take too much. And then Jake can have a go. Right, Jake?"

"Yeah, Sook. It's all good. You need to eat, Baby."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"It's, ok, Doll. It would be my pleasure to be your first meal."

None of them were even angry, at least not in the moment. Eric would have expected them all to attack the nearest vampire, since Pam was no longer available. They were all completely focused on her.

"Alcide, sit on the chair. Sookie, maybe try standing between his legs. Now lick the side of his neck until you find the vein, and then ease your fangs in. When you hear his heartbeat slow, you must let go. And then lick again to seal the wounds. I will help you to stop if you need me to."

She was trembling. When her face was at Alcide's throat, she buried her face in his neck and cried. He held her, rubbing her back and soothing her as best he could. Eric was very surprised to find that he didn't like it at all.

Alcide started rocking her, singing Three Little Birds to her under his breath. "Don't worry about a thing because every little thing's gonna be alright…" Eventually, she calmed down and Alcide pulled her away so he could look in her eyes. He wiped the blood from her cheeks with his thumbs.

"You can do this, Sunshine. You're strong as hell. You're a survivor, Sookie, and you need to eat."

She leaned forward and slowly licked his throat. Alcide moaned, and Eric was surprised to see that Alcide still wanted her. His initial rejection had melted away. She sank her teeth in slowly and drank.

Alcide's eyes rolled back in his head, and he had his hands in her hair. She swallowed five or six times, very gently pulled away, and licked his neck again. She looked in Alcide's eyes, and he kissed her deeply.

Jake said, "My turn. Move it Herveaux. I need me some Sunshine, too." Alcide pulled back and kissed her nose, and then switched places with Jake. She and Jake hugged long and hard for a couple of minutes, and then the whole thing repeated. Eric was frankly shocked by the whole thing. Not just her control, which was suddenly incredible, but that it was like all of the instinct had gone away. Yes, she was feeding. But these were Weres. And they didn't treat her like a vampire at all after the first minute or two. They treated her like a very desirable woman. And like an equal.

After she and Jake kissed, Jake got up and Maria-Star sat down without any discussion at all. "Oh, Sookie. I love you. Everything is going to be Ok." They hugged, Sookie fed, and then they kissed.

Sookie took a big, shaky breath, but was definitely calmer than she'd been since she'd woken up.

"Can we go home now?"

The wolves looked at each other and then at Sookie. Nobody said anything, but Sookie was obviously upset. She looked at Alcide. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but then she closed it again. She looked at Jake. Frown lines appeared between her eyes and she crossed her arms. She looked at Alcide again, and then to Maria-Star. A couple of minutes later, her shoulders fell. What in the fuck was that?

"Somebody needs to tell me what in the fuck is going on."

Alcide called it using his inside voice, like they were kindergartners again. If they thought at her, she could hear them easily. They used it often in public to let her know where they were or to tell her things that shouldn't be overheard or to help keep her safe. They were so close that they could have whole conversations, and Sookie always seemed to look at the one who had the most important thing to think at her. The others would wait their turns.

As she'd fed from her wolves, they had told her how much they loved her, how sorry they were, and when they were starting to feel light-headed. The blood had been so good, and she'd been so hungry, but when they told her it was time, it was easy to stop. She couldn't hurt them.

After she'd fed from them, they'd told her that she needed to go with Eric. That he would take care of her. That they loved her very much, and they would visit and stay close, but they wouldn't be able to take care of her any longer. It was far too dangerous for her. And she needed to tell Eric about her telepathy so he could protect her.

Sookie took a deep breath. "I'm a telepath."

A seventeen year old homeless runaway orphaned telepathic newborn vampire with very strange attachments to Weres from two different packs.

"Explain."

"I can read minds. Well, not can. Do. I don't really have any choice. My wolves are harder. You and Pam are… were… silent. I'm sorry."

Well, at least she couldn't read other vampires. Keeping her safe would have been much more difficult, and likely not worth the risk to himself. But a telepath would be extremely useful, and he found that he liked her, even if he loathed crying, and she had done little else since he'd arrived. Or, at least he found her interesting, which, at his age, was infinitely more important.

"Did any of you see a fairy on Sunday night?"

Jake said, "I've never seen one, so I have no idea."

"They are very beautiful. Their ears come to a point. They smell absolutely delicious."

Alcide said, "Yeah, I have no idea."

"Come. You can smell it on Sookie, but there is some isolated fairy scent in the bedroom. See if you recognize it."

They all followed him in, and then smiled.

Alcide said, "That's just Sookie. She was on E Sunday night, and when she peaks… Yum."

"My ears aren't pointy." And she was actually almost smiling.

When she took Ecstasy, she smelled exactly like a full-blooded fairy? How could that even be possible? Surely she wasn't a full-blooded fairy, or she would have turned to dust when she died. A hybrid, then. Something about the chemical must have interacted with the fairy blood to somehow make it smell and taste stronger. It certainly helped to explain how Pam had come to turn Sookie. She must have drained her accidentally and then panicked. He was sure that he would have felt it if he hadn't been halfway across the country.

A seventeen year old homeless runaway orphaned telepathic fairy hybrid newborn vampire with very strange attachments to Weres from two different packs. Bonded to him.

Jesus fucking Christ.