Time frame: Years after "From Dead to Worse"

This is a companion piece following "Family", "Bowling for Vampires" and "Leather Underwear" Please read the end of Family or you will be extremely confused.

Disclaimer: I don't have any claim on any characters in the Sookie Universe. Please don't sue me. The other characters are my own creation and just wanted to play with them for a while.

A/N: I had a different plan for this chapter but things kind of took on a life of their own. It will be all from Eric's perspective. The spotlight hog that he is, he wanted some story time. Considering he almost died, I decided to cut him slack and give in to his wishes.

No point in arguing anyway.

No one says "no" to Eric.

Enjoy.

*Mild profanity in this chapter.

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Chapter 16

Eric was standing on a precipice. Behind him was all that he was leaving behind. His life, his love, his struggle. It was finally over and he was surprised at the giddiness he felt. Yes, he was sad about leaving everything he ever knew but this...this was going to be a new adventure. After centuries of walking this earth, life held very few mysteries for him. But this is definitely something new. Curious, he took a step forward and peered down.

Something was pulling him back, and pulling hard.

What the fuck?!?!

He leaned forward and tried to move closer to the edge. A few more steps and he'd be there.

"Dammit Eric!" He heard her yelling in his mind. The voice seemed familiar, desperate.

His steps became leaden as he was pulled further and further back. He gave everything one last wistful look before he was spiraling up into the light.

He felt a warm hand on his chest. Clutching it to him, he sat up.

Kneeling beside him was the voice that had been calling him. It was whose hand he was holding. She was pale and her entire chest was covered with blood.

"Ally?"

She opened her green eyes and smiled at him, blood dripping out of the corner of her mouth. Then she closed her eyes and slumped on top of him.

Ally was now bleeding all over him and the smell of her blood and his residual battle lust was overwhelming him. His fangs ran down and his body tensed as he fought the urge to drink from her.

"Bill!" he growled.

Bill quickly gathered Ally up in his arms and hurried her out of the office with Cole following closely behind them.

Sookie's eyes snapped open.

"Eric!" She sobbed in relief throwing her arms around his neck. Eric lifted his wife onto his lap and, still sitting, swiveled his body around planting his feet on the floor.

Pam and Clancy knelt down before him. "Master, we thought you were lost to us." said Pam.

"What has happened?"

"This arrow, it pierced your heart." she said handing it to him.

He looked at the foot long piece of wood covered with his dark thick blood in his hands. He looked up at his child.

"The wound was mortal, Master."

His eyes widened as he began to piece together the details of the attack.

"Fangtasia?"

Pam and Clancy looked at each other. "We don't know. We were here."

They all stood immediately. Eric gently deposited Sookie on the ground next to him. With long smooth strides, they exited the office.

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"Your leader is dead!" shouted the human standing on top of the bar. He was the only one remaining from the attack, but he was reveling in his victory.

The other vampires surrounded the bar, closing in on him, hissing.

"Do what you want with me, I will die knowing that I was part of the group that took down the mighty vampire!" he laughed.

"This is a day of victory for the Fellowship!"

His laughter was cut off by a massive white hand gripping his throat. The hissing stopped as all the vampires knelt down in reverence.

The human kicked furiously as he was lowered off of the bar.

He froze when he realized he was staring face to face with Death himself- and Death was grinning.

"Do you think, pathetic Fellowship human, that your feeble band of fools could take me down?" He chuckled. "Your strongest could not defeat the weakest vampire."

"What are you going to do with me?" whimpered the human.

Eric gave him a fangy smile.

"Fangtasia...Dinner is served."

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Eric laughed softly to himself as he made his way down the hallway.

The human's name was Jordan Thick. The look of fear on his face...it was positively delightful.

Eric wasn't made yesterday. He knew all too well when to kill and when not to. It would not be looked on favorably among mainstream society if all of the Fellowship humans had perished. There would be suspicions and the vampires would be blamed. No, this was the better way.

The anger and humiliation as the police handcuffed him and dragged him off in his urine stained pants- priceless. Apparently he was one of their fellow officers who had been using his position to find out information for the Fellowship. They even found in his car, files on the Fangtasia staff and their daily travel schedules. Many of his human staff were undamaged and gave a very heartfelt account of the attack. It was almost too easy. The fools.

Eric made a mental note to himself to decrease this year's donation to Shreveport's Fraternal Order of Police. They should be more shrewd in their hiring practices.

He paused in front of Ally's office. Pam opened the door immediately and stepped out.

"How is she?"

"She is not well. Even with Bill and Cole at her side- she's not responding."

"Has Bill tried to give her his blood?"

"Yes. But she won't drink. He's healed her outer wound but she remains in a fragile state. I believe she needs to go to the hospital."

He nodded. Pam pulled out her cell phone and made the call as he opened the door and walked in.

Ally was lying on the area rug with her head propped up on her purse, Bill's blood all over her mouth. Cole was sitting by her side holding her hand between his. Bill was on the other side doing the same. They were both watching her face intently for any sign of movement.

Sookie was sitting on a chair hugging her knees to her chest. She look down at her friend with tears streaming down her face while Clancy stood in the corner his gaze fixed on Ally.

Pam walked in behind him. "The ambulance will be arriving shortly."

Eric crouched down beside Ally.

"How did this happen?" he asked softly as he curled his fingers around her ankle.

"This is all your doing!" growled Bill. "Everything she did tonight...you were draining all the strength she had but she refused to stop until she healed you. You, the great Eric Northman!"

Eric braced himself for possible violence but Bill only laid his head on her chest, bloody tears streaming down his face.

"My sweet Ally..."

Eric looked at Cole. "Do you blame me as well?"

"Yes, I do." he answered grimly. "Ally cares for you and holds you in high esteem. But she would do this even if she didn't know you. That's just how Ally is. That's what makes her so wonderful."

Bill lifted his head and looked at Cole. They gave each other a smile of understanding.

"Master, she wields the Healing Touch." said Pam.

He turned to look at his child.

"She also does more than merely change the nature of time and space. She stopped time completely. She stopped it but was able to selectively pull us out in order to assist her. Her powers are great, Master."

Eric turned back to look down at Ally. Her dark hair was clinging to her face. Even all bloody, she looked peaceful. Serene.

He leans over past Cole and places a soft kiss on her forehead. "Thank you Ally." he whispers.

Bill perked up. "The ambulance is here." he said as he lifted Ally off the ground. Cradling her body to him, he gives Cole a quick nod and rushes out with vampiric speed.

Cole picked up her purse off the ground and without uttering a single word, walked out.

"If I am not needed, I wish to follow." said Clancy stepping out of the corner. He was looking down with his jaw clenched.

Eric stood up and looked at the red-headed vampire for a moment. He knew of Clancy's affection for the girl. What was it about this woman that makes everyone act so strange? So human?

"You may go."

Clancy gives Eric a quick nod and glides out.

Eric walks over to Sookie. He takes her hand. She looks up at him dazed. He felt her sadness and confusion through the bond. She must still be reeling from his near death. Their tie would have forced her to feel it all.

"Eric. You were almost lost to me. I felt you slipping away. Ally brought you back somehow." Even in her current state, her mind was still lucid. "I am so grateful to her for what's she's done, but I wonder how she's gone so long without being detected. Surely, someone would have noticed. Also, how did she come about these powers? It's all so strange." Eric smiled down at his wife. What a pair they were. Always thinking, always puzzling.

"Come Sookie, let's go home." he said gently. Lifting her carefully into his arms they walked out the door, with Pam following silently behind them.

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Ally lay sleeping in the hospital bed. To her right was Bill, brushing a stray hair from her face holding her hand. To her left Cole was holding her other hand. Both men trying to lend their strength to her. Clancy had pulled up a chair and sat near Bill. The silence of the room was broken only by the slow and faint beep of the heart monitor.

Bill felt someone tap his shoulder with a bottle. It was a bottle of True Blood. Absently taking the bottle in his hand he looked up.

"You need nourishment, Bill. You've tried to give her a lot of your blood." said Eric. Bill nodded and drank his eyes never leaving Eric's face.

"Why are you here, Eric?"

Eric pulled out a chair and sat at the foot of the bed. "The same reason you are here, Bill." he said after careful thought. He didn't elaborate and noone pushed the subject further.

And this is how they stayed until dawn. Sitting around this frail, powerful woman, all eyes fixed on the monitor, waiting and hoping.

TBC