A/N: All of my writing-going-well mojo took a hike. Sorry! But here is a chapter. CTD 4 has been started. So, someday? Soon, I hope.

Chapter 15

Sookie lay in his arms. He was stroking her hair and kissing her temple or forehead or ear now and again. She was playing with the hair on his chest. He felt content. More than content. Happy and proud and… pleased with himself. He was making her feel happy and content, too. Both because of the bond and because of the way being with him made her feel.

It was scary. All of this was. But it was also exhilarating. Just looking at him made her want to fuck him. And to please him. And, God help her, to love him.

If she kept following this train of thought, she was going to spiral out of control again. She needed to get her mind off of her feelings. And sex with him was one hell of a distraction. And pretty much whenever she thought of sex these days, she felt like she needed it. And now that they were officially fucking…? She reached down and began to stroke him. "Do we have time?"

Really, they didn't. They needed to stop somewhere to pick up some clothes and they were already running behind. But he wanted her again. Badly. Especially now that she'd slid down his body and was sucking his cock like she was born to do it. Niall would just have to be patient.

She was looking him dead in the eyes as she took him deep into her mouth, hollowing out her cheeks. And then when she pulled back his foreskin and sucked lightly on the head. He was already close when she pulled away, stroked him hard and fast with her hand, ran out her fangs, and bit his inner thigh.

It was spectacular. He'd done it countless times, but he had somehow never been on the receiving end himself. He yelled out and came so hard that he lost himself for a bit. It took him another minute or two to recover. She was still drinking when he did, and he reached for her. "Come."

"And a whole lot of it." She giggled and crawled back up his body, stopping to lick his chest and abdomen clean.

This was the first time she'd been herself with him. Happy and playful and carefree, the way she was with her wolves. She felt nearly buoyant. He felt smug. And possessive. And lucky.

When she made it up to his face, she kissed his nose and smiled. "Hi."

He grinned at her and then scooped her up and pushed her against the barn wall, sliding into her. All at vampire speed. He kissed her nose, too. "Hi."

The speed startled her, and she threw back her head and laughed. He kissed her throat and started to move his hips. He whispered in her ear. "You really are incredible. And not just because of what you did today."

She looked at him, and he kissed her hard and started fucking her harder. And somehow it turned from playful into primal. He could feel how good he was making her feel, and it fed into how he felt about her. She was panting his name and he was sucking on her throat, wanting to bite but not just yet, as he pounded into her. By the end, the need to bite had become imperative. For both of them. They struck at the same time and lost themselves in each other.

After, with her back still pressed against the wall, he lazily licked the punctures on her neck as they healed. He looked at her and kissed her forehead. "We need to go."

She sighed. "I know."

She put on the hoodie, which had gotten pulled off at some point, and he pulled on the sleep pants. He drove the Cadillac out of the barn, and he was once again amazed at how she had saved them.

"How did you get us out?"

"Oh. I went upstairs first to map out an exit and to see if I would start to burn. It hurt my eyes, but my skin seemed ok, so I went back and got you. I figured that I could at least get you far enough away to be safe from the fire and curious cops with crowbars before I burnt up. I had to rip the garage door off to get us out, but I made it away before they saw us. I didn't start to burn, so I just kept going until I found something that looked right."

She'd saved him at great risk to herself. Would have even sacrificed herself for him. He leaned over and kissed her hard. She squeaked in surprise, but the car didn't swerve at all. He thought again how lucky he was to have her.

He drove to Pam's house in Shreveport. He had clothes there, and they would surely find something for Sookie to wear, even though she was much curvier than Pam had been. He knew that going there would hurt, but time was at a premium.

They got dressed and he ignored the pain in his chest until they got back into the Cadillac. Sookie was wearing a tracksuit that Pam had never worn, and he was pleased that seeing her in it didn't hurt at all.

He decided to check out what was left of his house on the way to meet Niall. It was almost on the way, and he slowed down as they drove past. There were still a couple of firetrucks and a police cruiser parked out front, and crime scene tape wrapped around the perimeter. There was little left of the house, and he could see part of his bedroom in the rubble. He would have certainly burned, either from the fire or the sun. The garage had burned as well. The Corvette tires had melted and it stood on mostly-exposed rims. He was surprised that the gas tank hadn't exploded. He saw the garage door tossed carelessly on the lawn. She reached over and took his hand. He squeezed hers a little before kissing it and then lacing his fingers through hers.

"Do you think someone set the fire?"

"Yes."

"Do you think it was because of me?"

He kissed her hand again. "No. It is far more likely that this is related to Pam's final death. But we need to be vigilant. I am sure that word has already gotten around that I have a new child. A telepathic child. Vampires love to gossip, and there were many at the palace."

She nodded, but felt very anxious. He hated to add more to her plate, but it needed to be done.

"Sookie, you cannot tell anyone about what happened today. No one can know that you were able to do what you did."

"What will we say?"

"I don't know yet."

"Ok."

They drove the rest of the way to the warehouse in silence. When they arrived, there were lights already on inside. Eric scowled. "Of course, Niall. Make yourself at home."

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"Yes. I don't think I left any loopholes for him to crawl through. And I will protect you. We will be safe."

He opened her door for her and took her hand. She was grateful and leaned into him as they walked inside.

Niall was sitting on the couch in Eric's office. He stood when they walked into the room.

"You're late."

"And you are in my office."

Sookie couldn't help staring at Niall. He was just so beautiful, with long white-blond hair and elegant features on porcelain skin, complete with a crackle glaze. The fine lines of age enhanced his beauty rather than taking away from it.

He looked at her, and his face softened. "Truly remarkable…"

Sookie squirmed a little under his gaze. Niall smiled at her.

"I am so sorry, my dear. I am Niall, your great-grandfather. And you are extraordinary."

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Daddy's father was Mitchell Stackhouse."

"Mitchell Stackhouse was unable to father children of his own because of a childhood disease. It's called the mumps, I believe?"

Sookie nodded.

He continued, "My son Fintan was very beautiful, and could charm the birds from the trees. Quite literally! And your grandmother wanted children very much. It took little convincing."

Eric didn't want to interrupt, but they also needed answers. And Sookie felt overwhelmed enough that a temporary change in subject might help. Although, since the conversation would be about her, maybe not. "Niall, do you know of any other hybrids who were turned? What can we expect?"

Niall couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her, but he answered. "A few, but none with a spark nearly as bright as hers. Half breeds still turn to dust at death and cannot be turned. And yet those who are one quarter fairy often have no spark at all, and live a normal human life, like Sookie's father and aunt. Even so, they smell very good to vampires, and are occasionally drained, but the turning rarely works.

"Sookie is only one eighth fairy. I am guessing that she smelled and tasted delicious before, as well?"

"Yes, according to her Weres. Like sunshine and honey. Except under the influence of the drug. It was pure fairy then."

"Her spark is very strong. And it survived the turning. She is very talented indeed. It is possible that somehow the drug made the spark burn much brighter for a time, and some of that carried over."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "Talented how?"

"She is like a pitcher plant. She attracts everyone. Her scent is enticing. She's beautiful. Nobody will really be able to see her as other. She is Vampire, and yet I don't fear her. I can't. Instead, she draws me to her."

"The Weres she lived with before. After just a moment, they accepted her again as if nothing had changed." His jaw set. "They have had sex with her and allowed her to feed."

Niall smirked, but didn't reply. After a pause, Eric said, "She passes easily as human."

"Yes, of course. And it makes her appear non-threatening. The ability to draw people in will compound that. She is well protected by her defences, and will have great advantage in an attack. No one will see her coming."

"Anything else?"

"Stay back, Vampire." Niall stopped suppressing his essence, and Eric's fangs snapped down and his mouth began to water. Sookie didn't seem to notice. "Can you not smell me, child?"

Sookie looked surprised. "Yes, I can. You smell really good."

Niall nodded and started suppressing his essence again. "And now?"

She looked confused. "Yes...?"

Niall said, "You can smell me even when I'm hiding my scent, but you don't find it intoxicating."

She shrugged. "You smell real nice. Kind of like Hadley, but not really. And much much better."

"And yet, you don't want to drink."

Sookie shrugged again. "Well, yeah. But I drank from Eric a little while ago and I'm not all that hungry. Besides, you're my great-grandfather." She obviously found the idea distasteful.

Eric frowned. "Fairies smell good but not abundantly so?"

Niall shook his head. "No, it's just remarkable control. Inherent. She wants it, but she doesn't feel as if she needs it. And it's easy to just pass it by."

Eric nodded. "She lost a lot of blood the night she rose. The circumstances were… unfortunate. She had to be convinced to feed, and she was able to stop on her own."

Sookie said, "What about the telepathy? The change made it much easier to control."

Niall looked cagey. "That is not a fairy trait, so I'm not sure."

"Where did it come from?"

Niall sighed. "Fintan was good friends with a half-demon. I think they bonded over their half-humanity, as it were. Desmond gave your grandmother a thimble full of his blood to drink, and because you carry the spark, the demon trait was awakened in you."

She'd had a love hate relationship with her telepathy for a long time. There was no doubt that it came in handy. When she'd lived with her mother, it had saved her ass a million times. Hiding from Uncle Bartlett. Knowing which guys to get the hell away from and which ones to trust. Knowing when the clerk was really not looking so she could swipe a loaf of bread and some peanut butter. Hell, knowing which cops were safe and which ones were just as bad as the bad guys. Or worse.

It had also made her life a living hell, especially when it hadn't worked to keep her ass out of trouble. But, for the most part, it had been a useful tool, especially since she'd discovered pot and then met her wolves. She was just glad that she could control it better now.

"I think it works both ways now. I can hear their thoughts, and they can hear mine, at least when I glamour them."

Eric nodded again. "Yes. Usually we can make someone come to us or forget without speaking, but that is all."

"Very interesting..." Niall looked at Eric again. "You said that she also has sleep disturbances?"

Eric held Niall's eyes, but Sookie looked at Eric, a little bit panicked. Niall smiled.

Eric pushed calm at Sookie and said, "Yes. As I said, she slips between sleep and death throughout the day, and she dreams."

Niall's smile widened. "Is that all?"

They stared at each other. Neither moved nor blinked for what seemed to Sookie like an eternity. She was surprised when Eric broke first.

"There was a fire at my home today, while we were at rest. Sookie sensed trouble, rose, and drove more than thirty miles with me in the trunk to get us to safety."

Niall laughed gleefully. "A suspicion confirmed! There have been stories of daywalkers, of course, but I have never seen one for myself. The sun didn't burn you at all?"

"It hurt my eyes. A lot."

"But not your skin? And do you wake often otherwise?"

"No, my skin was ok, but I was mostly all covered up. And I wake a little early sometimes, but not too much. Usually if I wake during the day, I'm so tired I fall right back to sleep again."

Niall nodded. "A daywalker in theory, not so much in practice."

Eric corrected him. "A daywalker when it counts." His eyes narrowed. "Did you set the fire, Fairy?"

"What a ridiculous question! I would never harm my great-granddaughter."

Eric's eyes narrowed further. It was not a direct answer.

"If I'd done such a thing, which I can assure you that I would not, I would have ensured her safety, regardless."

"And to hell with the existence of her maker."

This time Niall narrowed his eyes. "Her maker is dead."

"My child is dead. But I am Sookie's maker now."

The office had suddenly gotten very tense, and Sookie was close to panic again. Eric was torn between wanting to kill Niall and wanting to calm his child. He at least needed to know the answer. Had Niall burned his home? Or had it done?

"Great-grandfather?"

Niall looked at Sookie, and then he popped out of sight. Sookie let go of Eric's hand and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.

"Sookie, what happened?"

It took her a long time to answer. "I told him to leave."

"And he just left on his own?"

She shrugged, and her voice had gotten very small. "I don't know if he listened or if I made him."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head and just held her for a few minutes.

He'd had an interior room converted to a bedroom, and he took her there. He undressed her and then himself and then just lay with her in his arms. They didn't speak for a long time.

Finally, she said, "I guess I'm kind of a lot of trouble, huh."

She had a half grin on her face. He gave her one back and kissed her forehead. "Yes. But at least it's the good kind."

She leaned over and kissed him for a while, and then swung her leg over and slid down on his cock. He put his hands on her hips and rocked her against him, slowly. She was happy to let him set the pace, and she smiled down at him. And he felt that she loved him. He sat up and kissed her hard while gently cupping her face in his hands. He let her feel that he loved her, too.

They moved slowly against each other. Making love. And when he was close, he pulled his mouth away from hers and bit her neck. He wondered again at how her blood could taste so warm and alive, even though she was neither. They both came together.

After, Sookie lay in his arms again. He was stroking her hair and kissing her temple or forehead or ear now and again. She was playing with the hair on his chest. They were both trying desperately to convince themselves that this was just how makers and children felt about each other sometimes. And neither could tell that the fear and happiness they felt wasn't only their own.