Chapter 22

"Eric! OH MY God. OH MY God. I thought I was going to die."

"You would have." He landed and placed me on the ground gently, but didn't let me go. He pulled me closer to his chest as I sobbed. I was safe, Eric had me and I was safe. I heard Dermot screaming in the woods, and I heard someone else growling as well.

"I'm sorry, I should have listened to you."

"Why would you ever start now?" He took my face in his hands and kissed me over and over. "Are you all right? Did he hurt you badly, lover?"

"No, I'm, I think I'm okay. But I wrecked your car."

"I don't care, I don't care, I have you now."

"You saved me. Thank you, Eric. You came and saved me." I dropped the statue, clutched at his arms and held onto him tightly. I knew that he understood that I had been hoping for this moment since I'd been kidnapped; I could count on him to be there when I needed him. Eric would always be there for me. I heard footsteps approaching and I turned my head quickly to see who was coming towards us. Eric wasn't worried and I calmed down slightly.

"Sookie, there is something that I must tell you." He looked into my eyes and stroked my cheeks with his thumbs as I'd seen him do with Fallon. "Do not be alarmed."

I turned to see who was standing behind me and looked up at Jason. My heart leapt up as I did and threw myself into his arms. He caught me with ease and kissed me. I pressed my cheek against his chest and held onto him.

"Jason? Jason, Oh, God. What happened?" Eric stood then and came to our side.

"I sent Pam to give him blood the night we got the call. She decided to turn him rather than see you lose your brother. She said that she did it for you. I suspect that she did it for herself as much as you, however. I will reprimand her if you'd like, but I think I shall leave that up to Jason."

"Little Bit, I've been in the ground for the last two nights. I was in the hospital one minute, then she was clawing me out of the dirt the next."

"I didn't want this for you, you'll be ostracized."

"I don't care what those ratty old panthers think, I didn't want to die. I'm grateful to Pam. And yeah, she's my maker now, but there are worse things than having sex with a beautiful woman for a few hundred years."

"Where is Dermot? Did he get away? What happened to him?"

"I took care of him for you, Sook. You never have to worry about that guy again." Jason winked at me, and I had the feeling that Dermot had been Jason's first vampire dinner. Jason floated up above me, testing out his skills of flight. He'd inherited Eric's abilities apparently.

I felt my legs go and Eric swooped me up into his arms.

"I promised Niall that I would call him as soon as I had you. I'll call him after we get you home. Meshra, Marius and Fallon are worried sick about you."

"They're here?" I really had put everyone to a lot of trouble.

"Great Granddaughter, are you well?"

I heard Niall before I saw him, but when I did, the moonlight shimmered around him making him look holographic. He was masking his scent so that Eric and Jason would not go crazy. As it was, Eric was having a hard time keeping me upright. Jason sat on his hands and tried not to look.

"I'm fine. I'm just---" I couldn't exactly go into how hungry and exhausted I was. "I suppose you want your statue back." He always managed to show up after the danger had passed. Either he had lousy timing, or the Fae boundary was harder to cross than I'd realized.

Jason picked up the statue and handed it to me He wouldn't look at Niall, and Niall had chosen to ignore Jason's changed condition.

"No, you must keep that with you. This statue is of Lady Gossamer, our sleeping fairy queen. If this statue is returned to Fae, she will awaken and take all of magic with her. It is because she is sleeping that we are imparted with magic. When she was awake in the world, she had all the magic that was to be had at her own disposal. She came to realize how dangerous it was to have that much power concentrated in one being. She volunteered to be put to sleep for ten thousand years, in the hopes that magic would disseminate and other creatures would become magical as well. If she is awakened too soon, all of our world will perish. In your world, your vampire will cease to live. Your shifter friends will become stuck in whatever form they happen to be in, and well, quite frankly, you would die too." I tucked the statue back into my backpack and put it on.

"Why do I need to keep it, can't you all lock it in a safe deposit box on this side of the world instead of it collecting dust at my house?"

"Did you grandmother never tell you anything about the statue?"

"No, except that we weren't to touch it. It was valuable. But she didn't mention it otherwise."

"Lady Gossamer, my mother, has bestowed certain gifts upon her children; the gift of clairvoyance, telepathy, and telekinesis. You, as a telepathic direct descendant of Lady Gossamer are entrusted with her sacred rite. When we discovered your telepathy, we realized that it was you she had chosen as her protector, as well as young Hunter who will take over if something should ever happen to you."

"How is Hunter, by the way? Is he all right?"

"He has recovered very well, and has taken to his new life as a fairy quite well." I hadn't realized that Hunter would never be told that he was part human as long as he was living with Niall.

"So what does this mean to me? What am I supposed to do about it?"

"Nothing at all. Dermot was after you to return the statue to Fae and renounce your blood, thereby ending our world as we know it. You have only to keep the statue, you are its guardian, while it is safe, you are safe and so is she. It has been protecting you all these years. I would keep it in your new home, to protect its inhabitants."

Jason spoke for the first time since Niall appeared.

"Is it magical, can she ask for wishes?"

"Somewhat, but not in the way that you're thinking. It does not bring monetary gain. But acts of love, heroism and bravery rewarded a thousand-fold. Given her present condition, what other wishes could she have?" He kissed both my cheeks and hugged me swiftly.

I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, but he'd thrust his cane into the soil creating a bubble of light that was both warm and cold. It was a strange purple glow that made him look yellow as he stood in the center. At that moment, it occurred to me that he looked like Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings movies. He was gone in a flash of light and Eric pressed his cheeks to mine and inhaled deeply.

"God, Sookie. The way you smell, I could do some really nasty things to you right now, and I can't believe I have to wait until we get home."

"If I wasn't exhausted, dirty and starving, I'd let you. I'm sorry I worried you."

He pulled me to him and kissed me deeply. I let him hold me up as I returned his kiss. I tilted my head kissing him softly as I felt us ascending up into the air.

As Eric lifted us into the air, Jason hovered beside us and I was struck with a pang of jealousy that my brother would get to share this ability with Eric and I couldn't. I thought about letting Eric, Marius and Fallon turn me officially as we floated above the yards I'd run through. I led Eric back to the garage where his car was stashed. And he bit his bottom lip when he saw the car. A year ago, I would have been freaked out about the bodies inside the house, but I didn't give them a second thought until much, much later.

"I'm really sorry, honey." I couldn't imagine what he'd paid for it.

"It's all right." He walked around it and he looked at the driver's side door. I saw his eyes in the dark and I looked down at the ground.

"I know that car is special to you."

"You know there were only 20 of these in the world, right?"

"I said I was sorry." The car really was destroyed for all intents and purposes.

Jason couldn't contain a choked giggle. "Hey Eric, you think that'll buff out?"

He smiled a little at Jason's joke, but put his hands up to his eyes and shook his head. "It's all right. It really is. All that matters is that Sookie is safe. "

I felt like he was trying to convince himself though.

Fallon threw the door open for us as Eric carried me up the stairs. Meshra gasped when she saw me and followed us up to our bedroom. Marius and Fallon came into the room.

"Oh, mio Dio, the fairy scent, it is so strong." He inhaled deeply and Fallon was swaying as she stood next to me.

"Children, do not just stand there swooning, she may be hurt, draw a bath." Meshra pointed to the bathroom, but Fallon was blissed out.

"Mom, do we have to? My word, she smells so good. Five more minutes, please. We never get to smell fairy."

Meshra gave Fallon a look that I had seen my grandmother give Jason. She stamped her foot and led Marius to the bathroom. Marius ran my bath and lit candles. Fallon poured bubble soap in and stirred the soap around until there were lots of bubbles. I rested against Eric letting him take off my one shoe and socks. Marius and Fallon excused themselves until Eric had me undressed, but they came back in as he was bathing me. Meshra had stayed in the room, looking me up and down as I stood naked and shivering on the marble. I found it a little odd, but I didn't say anything because this was how vampires cared for each other as nest mates. Besides, they'd come all this way to help me.

Eric climbed in the water with me and washed my face gently. Fallon washed my hair, inhaling every few minutes. Marius cleaned the dirt from under my fingernails as Meshra gave me sips of broth between Eric's light kisses. I cried at how gentle they were being, and Eric kissed my tears.

"Do not cry, Angel. You're home and you're safe."

Meshra asked Fallon and Marius if they wouldn't mind leaving the three of us alone for a minute. I wondered what was wrong, but she had a soft smile on her face and they didn't seem to mind.

I looked up at her. I was exhausted and still hungry. I took the cup of broth and wished someone had tossed in a crouton or two.

"Darling daughter," she took my hand then took Eric's in hers. "You don't know do you?"

"Know what?" I knew about Jason, maybe she didn't know. I looked from her to Eric, but he didn't seem to know what she meant either.

"You're pregnant."

"WHAT?" I shook my head and said no, she must be mistaken.

"Mom, that's ridiculous," Eric looked at me and his expression was disbelief, but also fear, that I'd been unfaithful.

"Eric, I have never cheated on you. You know that. I'm not pregnant. What makes you say that?" Meshra was smiling as if she could hardly believe it herself.

"Put your hand to your belly. Do you feel that protrusion? That is your womb. That is my Eric's child."

I wished with all my heart that she was right, but this was cruel. There was no way that I could be pregnant, vampires were sterile. Everyone knew that.

"Meshra, I've only been with Eric, I swear it on my life and Eric can't get me pregnant."

"Yes, love, he can. And he has, as it was with Titus and me when we made Marius."

Eric was more incredulous than I.

"Mother, how is that possible?' She pulled up a low chair that we kept at the vanity and held his hand in hers.

"I told you there were side effects to having my blood. I told you I didn't want you to have it until you had met someone who loved you. Eric, you've always known that I was not human when I was turned, and now you are like me. Sookie, is like me. And now my blood has helped you to bring life into the world, instead of only taking. I am so pleased that this has happened. Sookie, when was your last cycle?"

I honestly had no idea. I had been vomiting though, and peeing a lot and I'd gained weight. I told them this and Eric looked hopeful. I told him that if I truly was pregnant, it must have happened in Paris, the night of the Eiffel Tower date, because I'd been expecting my period shortly after that but thought the stress of turning suppressed it.

Eric looked down into my eyes. "Sookie, could it be?"

"Oh Eric, I hope so. I hope it more than anything I've ever hoped."

Meshra leaned down and kissed us each on our cheeks. "I do not believe that this would have been possible without your fairy blood, dear heart, so I cannot take sole responsibility. You are both filled with my life force now, not just death and magic. I'm so happy for you. Now you will know the joy that I have in my heart for my children. Take care of your wife, son, she is going to give you a child." She slid the chair under the vanity and closed the door softly.

"Are you comfortable? Would you like more hot water?"

"I would love that, I'm freezing." I laid my head on his shoulder and stared at the candles flickering on the edge of our tub. "That was nice of them to bathe me and take care of me."

"That's what we do when one of us is injured. I have to tell you Sookie, vampire families are much closer than human families. I don't understand why humans think they are so superior."

"We have only known ourselves to exist. I think it's a whole dominion of the earth thing like in the bible. But, I think if most people could see themselves in others, they would change." He leaned over and turned the water off.

"Baby, how did you find me? Is our bond that strong?"

"Yes, and it always will be. I will always know where you are in the world."

He was pensive and I realized that we were avoiding the issue at hand.

"Eric, you're afraid, aren't you?" I hadn't felt this in him before, this emotional vulnerability.

"I'm—yes. I guess I am. I just haven't thought about it in centuries because it was never possible. I'm in shock, I really don't want to believe it because if it's not true, then I'll be really disappointed and I don't want you to think that I wouldn't still be happy with you having a child with a donor. I just don't want to get my hopes up."

"The only thing that we can do is get a pregnancy test, I guess." I had given up the idea of ever having Eric's child. And even now when presented with the possibility, we didn't, couldn't believe it. He was silent and so was I. I looked up at him and saw that he was upset.

"Would you rather I not keep it?"

"What? No, I mean no—that's not—Sookie." He climbed out of the water and got a towel.

"I only meant that you don't seem happy. You seem angry and I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that."

"I'm not angry. I'm anything but angry. I just need a few minutes to process. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"I need to go for a ride. I'll be back."

"Eric…." I shook my head and put my hand on my belly. Was it truly possible? Meshra said that it was, she'd had Marius. But she was a supernatural being herself. I was mostly human with some fairy traces. But maybe that trace was enough given that I was descended from the head magical being herself. If it was true, I would have to hide our baby from the world. A baby. I couldn't wrap my brain around it.

I climbed out of the water and stared at my body in the full-length mirror as I dried myself. My abdomen was certainly not as flat as it had been a month ago, but I'd chocked that up to French food. I looked out the window and saw Eric on Avalon running toward the back pasture. I threw on sweat pants and a t-shirt and pulled my hair back. As I descended the stairs, Fallon came out of the kitchen with a tray of grapes and some cheese singles.

"I thought you might still be hungry." I threw my arms around her neck and hugged her. "Are you all right, Sookie?"

"I'm great. Thank you, Fallon. Thank you for coming." I ate the grapes as I looked around the first floor. I realized that I hadn't seen Jason. I came back around to the foyer.

"Hey, Fallon, have you seen my brother?"

"He, Pam and Marius are in the dining room."

It was just like my brother to get himself caught in a love triangle even in the afterlife. I listened for a moment before knocking and heard Pam telling Marius that she wanted to develop her relationship with Jason. I knocked softly and pushed the door open. Jason was holding Pam's hand and Marius was standing at the window with his back to them. I could tell that things were not going well.

"Hi, guys. Jason, I was wondering if you would mind taking me to the store."

"Not at all. I'll be right there." He kissed Pam on the cheek and she leaned into him. I hadn't seen them together so I didn't know what their relationship was like. They seemed sweet together. Marius snorted and shook his head as if he couldn't believe she'd chosen Jason over him.

I walked into the living room where Meshra and Fallon were building a fire.

"I'll be back. I need to run an errand. Will you tell Eric I'm with Jason?" Meshra came to my side and took my hands.

"Is everything all right, Sookie? Have I done the wrong thing?"

"He doesn't believe it and I think he thinks that I've cheated on him. I would never do that Meshra. Never. I think he knows that in his heart, but it would be easier for him to believe that I had than for him to believe that your blood has made him able to procreate again. He's off riding his horse. Even if I get a pregnancy test and it comes back positive, he will not believe that I've been faithful. This is awful. I wanted this more than anything and it's the worst thing that could happen to us. I'll be back."

Jason met me on the porch and he lifted me into his arms.

"Wouldn't it be just as easy to drive?"

"Sure, but nowhere near as awesome. Not to mention, it's gorgeous out. It's like having a convertible, except better. Just hang on. Where are we going?"

"Brookshire's. I need a pregnancy test."

"Oh, no. Not that Tiger…."

"No, not him. Eric."

"But how?"

"It's complicated. I don't even want to think about it until I know for sure."

Jason lifted me into the air slowly, testing his ability to balance. We were met by Eric, who gently glided beside us and coaxed Jason to the ground with a hand on his shoulder.

"Stay here, Sookie. I have summoned Dr. Ludwig. If you are pregnant I don't want anyone to know about it for a while until we decide what to do."

"What do you mean 'Decide what to do? If I'm pregnant, I'm having a baby, that's what we're doing." I rolled my eyes in annoyance because the few times I had entertained the idea of us having a child, I imagined telling him that I was pregnant and that he would gather me up and celebrate with me. Granted, I'd always figured I would use a donor, but this was worse because it was his kid. I was getting angrier by the second and I felt defensive about the tiny little bean sprouting in my uterus.

"Do not become angry Sookie, I meant decide what to do about protecting you and the baby…. if there is one. The whole vampire community will be up in arms about it and--"

"So, you're worried about your position in the vampire community. Is that what this is?" I stormed back into the house and slammed the door behind me. Fallon and Meshra came out into the foyer. Eric threw the door open and caught up to me as I ascended the stairs.

"We need to talk. No, I need to talk and you need to listen." He pushed open our sitting room door and kicked it closed. I sat on the couch pouting. Yes, it was childish, but he'd pissed me off.

"Are you going to sit there and let me talk?"

"Not if you're going to talk at me, like I'm one of your employees."

"I just need to know that I can get a thought out without you telling me what I mean. I'm on new ground here, and I need a minute to process. You've been dreaming about this since you were a little girl, and I've been avoiding the subject for about nine hundred fifty years. So just sit there and let me say what I'm trying to say, or so help me, I'm going to--"

"You're going to what?" He exhaled loudly to let me know that he was exasperated as well as infuriated. I couldn't stop baiting him because I couldn't believe that he cared more about his position than his child.

"You're impossible, woman. Fine, say what you like. I do not care. I will talk, and if you hear me, lovely. If you do not, then you only have yourself to blame. I am not at all concerned with what anyone in the world thinks. I am concerned that if the world finds out that another vampire has procreated, then other vampires may want to. That means that my mother, will be scrutinized. We have been hiding her for centuries because every time some creature finds out what she is, she gets taken advantage of. Meshra has a big heart, she's not like other vampires. If she is lucky, she would only be trapped in a lab for study. If she is unlucky, she will be caught and drained. I cannot risk my mother's life, or the baby's so we need to proceed cautiously."

"But Meshra said there are five or six other vampires like Marius who were born that way because their parents are angels or fairies or whatever other creatures there are that I don't know about."

"And they're all in hiding because of what happened to their parents. Why do you think she didn't tell Fallon and me that Marius was her son? It's very dangerous for born vampires. Not to mention that fairies aren't exactly out. Are you ready to have the world know that you are part fairy? Are you ready for the ridicule, the scorn and possibly the attempts on your life? They hate us, Sookie, they hate what you and I are to each other. I only want to think about how to proceed before we start to celebrate."

"Honey, can we do just the opposite? Can't we find out if I am pregnant, celebrate privately, then start picking out her security guards and colleges?"

"Her?" He sat down beside me and I felt him melt a little.

"Eric, we don't have to worry about the baby's whole life in one evening. All I want is to find out if I really am pregnant, have you hold me in your arms and tell me that you love me and concentrate on keeping this baby safe while she's inside me.

"A baby….My baby….. You might be having my baby."

I nodded and smiled. He flashed me a sideways grin that he got sometimes when he was really proud.

There was a knock at the door and Natalia led Dr. Ludwig in to our room. It was clear that whatever condition was responsible for Natalia's smallness and tiny voice, was shared by Dr. Ludwig. She hobbled toward me with her bag and I wondered what sorts of herbs or potions she would have me eat or drink. I imagined that she would mix up some tea and have me drink it, then she'd look at the leaves and pronounce me not pregnant. Or maybe she'd press her tiny ear up to my tummy and say, "Oh yes, I do hear something." But it would be gas and we would get past this nonsense.

Dr. Ludwig nodded to Eric and unsnapped her bag. She was always down to business when I'd seen her. She handed me a plastic wrapped package and I took it.

"What do I do with this?"

"You pee on it. It's a pregnancy test. I'm guessing the vampire here wants to know who you've been seeing, so I'd get my story straight while I was waiting for the results, if I were you. Never wise to cheat on a vampire."

"I haven't been seeing anyone but my husband. You don't understand, see, I don't think I'm pregnant, I was spotting just three days ago. But his mother does think I am, and if I am, it's his."

"She is aware that he is deceased, am I correct?"

"Yes, she knows that, but see, there is a question because Eric and I have consumed angel blood and…. I'm part fairy…. and well, we're just…curious is all."

"Now let me get this straight," She looked down her glasses at me. "How has it happened that the two of you have come into contact with an angel in this day and age, in this region of the world, who was willing to part with blood for the two of you? You really expect me to believe any of this?" She looked at Eric and me as if we were hobos that were claiming to be millionaires.

Eric was growing impatient and I tried to calm him. I went into the bathroom, took the test and set it on the counter. I couldn't look at it, so I went back into the sitting room to wait the five minutes it took to get an answer. Eric was letting Dr. Ludwig have it.

"That's not why I'm paying you. We could have gotten a pregnancy test ourselves, what we need is some sort of reassurance that she's okay. She's in the process of turning, so she is either pregnant or vampire and we'd like to know which."

"That's your problem, vampire, you're too damned impatient. Frankly, I don't know what you see in him. Have you been exerting yourself recently?"

I thought of dragging Eric under our bed, fighting Quinn and most recently running from Dermot. I winked at Eric and he shook his head. "Just a little bit more than usual." She closed her bag with a snap. Meshra walked into the room and suddenly Dr. Ludwig was on one knee in front of her with her head bowed.

"Reverent Mother, I had no idea you were in America." Meshra took Dr. Ludwig's hand and lifted her.

"Stella, you do not need to bow. I appreciate the acknowledgment. I'm mostly concerned that my son and my daughter-in-law understand what they are in for. You see, I'm the angel who saw fit to give them my blood. My son's life was in danger."

Dr. Ludwig asked to examine me and I nodded. I led her into our bedroom and stretched out on the bed. Eric lay beside me and held my hand. I took a deep breath and let it out; either way, my life was going to be drastically different. Eric had said it, I was either going to be a mom or a vampire.

Dr. Ludwig pressed against my abdomen and examined my breasts. I stared at Eric because it was awkward having her tiny cold fingers on me. She took her glasses off and let them fall to hang by the chain around her neck.

"Well, Northman. I'll expect my check by Monday." She hobbled back into the sitting room, nodded to Meshra and gathered her bag.

"Well dwarf, is she pregnant or vampire?"

"Yes and sort of are the best answers that I can give you. Have a good evening." She slammed the door after kissing Meshra's hand.

I hated that she was never straight with her patients. Eric and I rushed into the bathroom and I asked him to look at the results because my hands were shaking. He held the pregnancy test up to the light and looked at me. I wished at that moment that I could read his thoughts, as his face was completely unreadable.

"Eric, you're killing me, here."

He knelt in front of me, placed his hands on my belly and kissed it.

"My baby."

He turned the test towards me and I saw the pink plus sign.

"I'm pregnant. Holy shit! I'm pregnant." I kissed him all over his face as we laughed together. My vampire and I were having a baby.