The liquid stained the surface as it spread, slowly oozing away from the broken victim. It covered his fingers and she watched in morbid fascination while he sucked them clean.

"What?"

She tossed a napkin at him. "That's gross, Eric."

"What?" He grinned at her and wiped his dirty fingers, then dipped his toast in the yoke. "I like my eggs runny like this."

"Okay, but you don't have to lap at it like a kitten."

The waitress strolled over to their booth and refilled their mugs. Sookie grasped her cup and breathed in the steam greedily.

"Thank God this place still serves breakfast at noon." Eric grunted his agreement and Sookie watched as a family was seated in the booth behind him. Promptly, a little tow-headed boy popped up and began playing with racecars on the partition between him and Eric. His blurping and growling filled the quiet restaurant as his parents debated what to order. Making a sharp turn, one of the cars slipped down and fell on the seat next to Eric. Sookie took in the scene as Eric picked the matchbox toy up and turned to the boy. The child's eyes were wide with apprehension and Eric placed the car back on the partition. Slowly, he placed his index finger on the hood and, with a loud screech that made Sookie jump, he plowed his car into the boy's. The boy howled appreciatively and flipped his car over in an epic explosion, complete with sound effects.

"Zack!" The boy's parents looked mildly horrified. "Sit down!" The mother looked at Eric. "I'm so sorry he disturbed you."

"It's no problem," Eric smiled at the boy and Zack smiled shyly back at him before settling in his seat.

Eric went back to eating his eggs, but Sookie could not pull her eyes away from the boy. He was so full of life, so happy and energetic, and as he giggled and jumped around, tossing his blond head from side to side, she couldn't help but imagine that one day she and Eric could have that family's life.

Eric hummed a little under his breath as he poured syrup over his pancakes and Sookie marveled at how far they had come.

"What?" he asked again, feeling her eyes on him.

"Nothing. I'm just," she sighed. "I'm just thinking…wondering…" He looked up at her and raised his eyebrows. "Is it right for us to be this happy? I feel like we'll be punished for it."

"You think your God will punish us for happiness?"

"Not God, something else." She rubbed the back of her hand over her eyes. "We've both seen so much, and done so much. I'm not sure we're meant to feel this way. That family over there? They don't have much money. The parents' brains are buzzing with that worry. But they have love and it keeps their child safe." She met his eyes. "What will keep our children safe?"

"You are afraid my past will come back to haunt us."

"Both of our pasts. I've killed a man. I've done things, horrible things and you…" she trailed off. "What if all this running and fighting changes who we are? What if we lose ourselves in this? What if after everything, we can't succeed?"

Eric placed his fork down on his plate. "When I was young my mother would tell me a story before we men went out hunting, even after I was too old, even when my father decreed it ridiculous and told her to stop, she always told it."

His blue eyes grew unfocused as he looked into the distance.

"There once was a man who searched always for the way to the gods. He knew that the gods watched over all Their people and judged them, waiting for those who were worthy to join Them in Their rankings. The man became a fearsome warrior, killing all who opposed him. He built houses for his people and became their leader. His people were never hungry and their fields yielded many crops. He was the perfect leader and all among him were awed. But still, the gods did not touch him.

"The man grew frustrated. He conquered other villages and built shrines to prove his worth. He went on lone quests into the wilderness to display his dedication, but still, the gods were not impressed."

"One day a crazed man came to his village lusting for the leader's blood. The man was pleased because he thought that this could be his ultimate test: if he killed this man, the gods could no longer ignore his nobility. Before he could act, however, the outsider grabbed the man's son and held a knife to the boy's throat. The man knew that he could beat the stranger in a battle, but his son would be killed in the fray. He knew that the gods loved revenge and would delight in him killing his boy's murderer. He knew these things, but still he dropped his spear and spread his arms wide knowing that the stranger truly wanted his heart and not the child's. As his spirit left his body, the gods guided him to Their palace in the sky and breathed life into him. They honored him, for in his death he showcased pure love and sacrifice, traits beyond that of a mere human."

Sookie took his hand. "That's beautiful," she paused. "But what does it mean? It means we'll die for our kids and that will keep them safe? Not a very reassuring moral there."

Eric laughed.

"It means that love is most important. My father did not believe that, but my mother taught me it. I forgot for a time but you have revived it in my soul. Those who know love and share their love will always beat those who know only hate, as our enemies do."

"You sound awfully confident."

He grinned and wagged a finger at her. "Listen to me, I am your elder."

"Listen old man-"

Her words caught in her throat as he grabbed her hand across the table and slipped a cool, silver ring onto her finger. She stared in astonishment at the jewelry, and then looked back at him.

"This is my promise to you," his voice was deep and low, with all traces of humor vanished. "Just as the circle of this band never ends, so my love for you remains eternal. I will love you until I die and I will protect you and our children. There are those out there who do not understand our bond, and who wish to end our union and break our spirits. Do not fear the darkness; our love will conquer those who wish to kill it."

The ring on her finger seemed to draw in all the light around them and gleam it back out at her. Sookie swallowed.

"It's beautiful," she said hoarsely. There was an inscription on the inside of the metal, and she slipped the ring off to get a better look. It was in a different language and she looked at him in puzzlement.

"It says," he hesitated, and when he looked back at her his eyes were so tender so almost cried out from the pain of it. "It says, 'finally complete.'" A tear slipped down her cheek. "Just as in the story, Sookie, I was nothing without love, and you showed me that. Our love will breathe life into our spirits. No one can break who we are."

She wiped her tears away and smiled feebly at him. "You really believe that?"

He nodded. "I believe in us."

Later, as they crouched in the dirt behind some trees, Sookie tried to recall the feeling of that café: the smell of coffee in the air, the feel of his touch, the sound of the child's laughter. To her dismay, all she could sense was the beat of her heart and the stitch in her lungs as she attempted to control her breathing.

They had a good view of the clearing from where they hid, but the distance Eric had insisted upon made her wonder if they would be able to see what happened.

"You're sure we have to be this far away?"

"Yes," he hissed, keeping his eyes trained ahead. "Felton is a werepanther, Sookie. He will have an incredible sense of smell and the last thing we want is him detecting us and attacking before Pam gets here."

As they watched, Carl stepped into the clearing, looking around suspiciously. Bruises covered his face and one of his eyes was still swollen shut. Sookie turned to look at Eric, whose own battle scars had faded to a light yellow and green tint on his serious face.

"I guess you won that fight after all," she joked, although she knew there was nothing funny about any part of their situation.

Carl paced around the clearing, kicking dirt and obsessively checking his watch.

"Thank you for this," Sookie felt Eric look at her, but she didn't meet his gaze. "Thank you for all that you're doing for me. It means everything."

Before he could say anything, a worn-down pick-up truck whirled into sight. It screeched to a halt a few feet away from Carl, blanketing the area in a cloud of dirt.

As Felton hopped out of the vehicle, Sookie sucked in a breath. She watched as he bounded over to Carl and grabbed the man in a hug, slapping his back enthusiastically. Jason was nowhere to be seen, but she knew. Somehow, she just knew Felton was the key to her brother's whereabouts.

She closed her eyes tightly against the scene. Her hand gripped tightly to Eric's wrist although she couldn't remember reaching for him. She could feel his heart pounding rapidly and she sent a silent prayer up into the sky. She pictured Jason's laughing face and sad eyes. She thought about all the people Eric had killed in his many years and their grieving families. Rene's face flittered across her closed eyelids, and then Gran's; Gran laughing, putting a band-aid on Sookie's scraped knee, cooking dinner, her body on the kitchen floor. She pictured the children she could have with Eric, blond and laughing and strong-willed. She imagined him swinging their son onto his shoulders and tickling their daughter as he reached down to kiss her lightly on the lips.

A breeze rustled the leaves around them and sent a chill down her spine. Nothing would ever be the same after this. Slowly, she opened her eyes.