So, I'm just leaving to Madrid, Spain until next Monday evening. But I couldn't go before updating this chapter, obviously! And because I received so many lovely reviews about Elizabeth, I brought her back a little bit again. I hope you'll like chapter 24. And please, please, pleeease review and tell me your thoughts, okay? Besitos e hasta luego! (That's "kiss, kiss and see you later" in Spanish)

Sookie "Life's Too Short For Days Like These"

Eric had been staying with us for a month and I was feeling as secure (and happy) as ever. His bodyguards still accompanied me and Liz during the day and he had spent every night with us since he had come back. First, he'd sit on our couch with both of us (watching TV, or just talking with me while Lizzie played in front of us) until it was Liz's bed time and then he'd lay in my bedroom with me for a couple of hours or such (and when I said 'lay', I meant… you know). Later, as soon as I was sleeping he'd… well, he'd do whatever he'd do. I really didn't know. He'd "check the perimeter" or something to make sure we were safe.

On Wednesdays, David's dinner night, Eric would still be near but not in the house because he'd enter only after David's visit ended. And why? Well, because neither of them had wanted to meet the other and I was actually glad for that – nowadays I was always in the mood to avoid an argument (is peace such a hard to get wish?). But even thought I couldn't see Eric on those nights when David was still inside (but he'd come in after David's visit end), I could almost feel his glare through the walls and windows of my house. I knew he was out there and it made me feel safe. Yes, I actually felt much safer knowing that Eric was out there than with my still husband's presence in the same room. And that just meant that I trusted Eric more than I did David because I had lost part of my trust in David… I guess, being a "cheating husband" will do that to a person.

Anyway, in the first Wednesday after I had asked Eric's help, David and I had had a quarrel. Well, a little debate. He still wasn't happy that I had asked the vampires' aid, and that I'd owe them. But, in truth, there was nothing David could do about Eric's assistance in our security. I was absolutely determined to keep Liz safe and if that meant owing the vamps, then I'd owe them.

That same first Wednesday, I almost told David that I was with Eric now. I had wanted to tell him. But we had already argued so much that night about getting the vampires' help that I didn't had the courage to add another discussion subject (especially this subject). And I also knew that Eric didn't want to meet David (which he would have to as soon as David would discover everything). Besides, I had also assured my soon to be ex-husband that back when I was still living in Louisiana I hadn't had a relationship with Eric. I had told him over and over again that we had been together for less than a week in Bon Temps but that we had ended everything way before we had had a serious relationship. And that was the absolute truth. But now I was finding it hard to tell David all the recent development of it…

Okay, I admit: Eric and I were now in some kind of… relationship. Or at least I hoped we were. And I hadn't ventured that tiny piece of information to David (I didn't know how, being a were, he didn't smell the sex, but he actually didn't)… However, David had been so nervous lately that I was still waiting for the right moment to tell him all about Eric's new role in my life as my… well… boyfriend? Or should I say… lover? Or at least, again, I hoped that Eric wanted to fill that role.

And besides, it didn't matter that we were still married on paper. In my heart, David was no longer my husband, and I didn't think I was obliged to tell him about my personal (or sexual) life. I'd have to. Soon. But we were all so nervous and on edge about this fairy threat that I felt I really needed to wait for the right moment before I told David everything.

But other than all that nervousness and edginess about the possible fairy threat (which was awful and kept me awake way longer than usual), everything seemed alright again in my life. Especially because of Liz and Eric.

Because yes, then there was Lizzie: Eric's number one fan. I mean: she was already crazy with "mom's friend" (that's what she called him when she was talking about Eric) before she knew that he was a vampire. But after? Oh my!

In Eric's third or fourth night with us, she started insisting that he had to eat chocolate chip ice-cream. When he answered that he didn't eat chocolate, Liz was completely amazed and kept telling him to try it "because it is so very sweet and yummy". And that was when Eric just told her that he didn't eat chocolate because he was a vampire, and so he only drank blood. He actually said it. He said it. Just like that. As if it was a normal conversation with a 5-year-old. Yeah, sure, vampires had "came out of the coffin" almost 15 years before, but the public's opinion about them was still on the… Well, let's say the cautious and doubtful side. And many vampires still preferred to hide their condition if possible. Not Eric. And not even to a 5-year old. He just told my child that he drank blood (well, thank God she didn't ask whose blood – I still shiver whenever I think at the possibility of him simply answering "your mother's for instance" if she had made that question).

Obviously, that new knowledge, brought the "show me your fangs" part of the conversation. And even before I was able to tell Liz to behave and keep quiet and tell Eric to not care about what she was saying, he just did it. Eric actually popped his fangs out of his teeth or gums or whatever and showed them to Liz. And after almost 10 minutes of "put them in; now put them out; now put them in again", I intervened and saved a 1000-year-old very patient vampire from my 5-year old daughter.

And when she discovered he could fly? Well, that only developed into a very excited Liz almost screaming at me: "Mom, mom, Eric's just like Superman. Can I go fly with him, can I? Mom, can I? Please mom. Eric's taking me flying around our house. Yes mom? Can I?"

And when she discovered that he slept all day? Her only answer was a very sad: "I wish I could sleep all day, but mom's always getting me out of bed early to go to Ms Sarah's class. I don't like Ms Sarah. I wish my teacher was still Ms Clara. You're lucky. You can sleep all day long and just keep playing at night."

Yes, she loved everything that concerned Eric. You wouldn't believe her crush on him! I started to seriously believe that Lizzie would start dating vampires in 12 years time. God help me if I ever will have to deal with a vampire dating my teenager kid.

But you know what? Eric's patience with my daughter and the fact that Lizzie really liked him was a huge turn on for me. Whenever I saw him making her eat carrots and broccoli without a fight or whenever he clapped his hands for her after a singing and dancing show (especially because Liz couldn't carry a tune any more than I could), I just wanted to undress him and have my way with him. Right there! But, obviously, I always waited for Lizzie's bedtime before the sex. And let me tell you: the sex was, as always, absolutely crazy. As in: "so good I lost my mind" kind of crazy.

And there was something else… It was the fact that I was always feeling tempted to tell him that I loved him. Like, all the time. But after his last silence on the subject, I knew I had to take things slowly. So instead we just hugged and… did other things to show how much we cared for each other.

And so, after four weeks, we were all getting used to the new addiction to our family and started to forget the reason behind Eric's being there. But, as usual, the fairies had to come back to my life again and put me and my family in danger.

It happened on a Wednesday and David was already there before 5pm (much earlier than usual), and he was angry. The mother of his 1-year-old son had told him that she was going to mate to another were-bear so she could get pregnant again. And he didn't like it.

Gran was always saying "what goes around, comes around." And she was right. And I was fine with it because David sure deserved it. But let me tell you: David was being so incredibly hypocritical about it…! It was all very well for him, a man, to sleep with a young and pretty girl. It was his "duty" and I should accept it. But when his sort of girlfriend or ex-girlfriend or whatever wanted to get pregnant by another man (because of the bear-lineage, or so she told him), then screw the "duty" and the "race". The problem was that just as I hadn't been given a choice in this matter, David's girlfriend (or ex-girlfriend, I didn't know), wasn't giving him any choice either and so he started taking his frustrations out on me.

Besides, he was already on his second beer in fifteen minutes. Not a good thing either.

"But what does the dead guy do all night? And why the hell do you let him be in the same room as Lizzie?" he was asking me in the kitchen.

"I told you already. He comes inside when we are still awake but when we go to sleep he leaves. I don't know what he does. He stays out there protecting us David. And you should be thankful for that."

"But doesn't he work? He's always here…"

"He's a bar-owner. Pam is the co-owner and he isn't needed there. Their staff is well trained, just like ours."

"I don't like it Sook. And I don't get it either."

"What is it that you don't get?" I was talking to him and making dinner at the same time and I was fed up with this conversation. Liz was "playing runway models" in front of her mirror in her bedroom. She was such a girlie-girl.

"I don't get why he's doing all this: paying the daytime bodyguards and staying here all night. Is he fucking you?"

"Watch your language! Lizzie's upstairs."

"Answer me, damn it," he said, grabbing my arms strongly and making me turn to face him. I almost snapped and I really wanted to scream at him, but I knew I couldn't. Not with my daughter upstairs. I didn't want to cause a scene with her in the house. So, I just tried to free myself but he was grabbing me with too much strength.

"David, let me go, you're hurting me." I managed to say. But it was as if he hadn't even listened to me because he kept grabbing my arms with all his strength.

"Answer me! Is he fucking you? Did you spread your legs to a dead guy Sookie? Is a dead dick fucking you?" he almost screamed at me.

This was so unlike David that I was completely perplexed with all that. It had to be the beer. Maybe he had already drunk more before he had arrived? Because this was not the David I knew. But, drunk questions or not, there was no way I'd answer that query. Absolutely no way. I thought about Lizzie upstairs and I tried to calm myself and cool down our conversation.

"He is my friend David. I told you that already. He's helping me because I saved his life once. It was daytime and he was sleeping in a hotel. But there was a bomb in the hotel. And I woke up both him and Pam and we all left the hotel before it exploded. And then I managed to keep him away from the sun and so he didn't burn. And I've told you this so many times David. I saved his life and we stayed friends. I prevented him from burning to death for crying out loud. Can you imagine? Burning to death? He obviously feels grateful and he wants to help me back as well." Absolutely no lie there.

David seemed to calm down and his hands left my upper arms. I would bruise there for sure. And then I just thanked God that the sun hadn't set yet because I was sure that had Eric been out there, he'd get inside and he and David might end up fighting. And even though I didn't like David at all at that moment, a fight between them (and especially with Liz upstairs) would be the last thing I wanted.

"That might explain the paying the bodyguards Sookie. But he is spending the nights here with you. If he hasn't fucked you yet, he's trying to. I'm pretty sure he wants to fuck you. But I won't allow it. You're my wife and he isn't staying here anymore. I will."

I tried to interrupt him to tell him 'no' and that I definitely wasn't his wife anymore, but he didn't let me. Instead he continued talking: "I will. I'll move back here. And not to the office room. But the bedroom. My bedroom. We'll be a fucking family again. Hell, we might even give Lizzie a baby brother or sister. We already have a beautiful daughter; I bet we can make another great baby." And with that he grabbed my arms again and tried to kiss me. I pushed him and started asking him to stop and to leave. But he still wasn't listening to me. Instead, he had one hand grabbing both my wrists even strongly than before and the other hand on my hair, pulling it to force me to kiss him.

We were interrupted by Liz, who, thank God, didn't notice what was happening between her parents.

"Mom?" At Lizzie's voice, David immediately released me and I moved towards my daughter, who looked scared.

"Yes, baby, what is it?"

"There're some strange people outside. I saw from my window. I think they hurt John and Brad." John and Brad were two of our bodyguards.

I looked at David and he was already in fight mode and for a second he reminded me of Eric. "Go and hide her upstairs, like… below the sink, in that closet in the bathroom or something. I'll go to the car to get my cell," he said.

"No. Use our telephone. Don't go out there David."

The then picked the phone but immediately he added: "It's disconnected. Go. Hide her and come back." He said while he was opening the drawers and looking for anything with iron.

"There's lemon juice in the fridge." I said from upstairs. I left Elizabeth hidden in the bathroom after I made her promise me twice that she wouldn't leave until I came for her.

As soon as I got downstairs, both David and I grabbed our water pistols already full of lemon juice and the iron sticks that we had bought almost six years before when I was still pregnant.

"Everything will be all right," he said. But I could only answer "oh God!" because in that moment five really tall, really beautiful and really scary looking fairies popped into our living room.

"Little cousin," the tallest said to me. I hadn't ever met him.

"I'm not your cousin. And I don't know you. Please leave my house," I answered.

"I didn't believe up until now. But it is true." A second fairy, the fattest, said looking appalled at me. "It's exactly like Niall's. Your father and Lincel were telling the truth," he continued talking to the first one.I wasn't sure what he was talking about but I thought it was the bloody essential spark again. To hell with the spark.

"If you won't leave, then please tell us what you want," David said. I guess he was trying to be brave. But his voice just told them that he was scared to death. He was even trembling and shaking. Jesus! And why hadn't he changed into a bear form yet? I knew he wouldn't be able to talk that way, but at least he'd be stronger and fight better… Maybe he thought that it would be preferable if he changed later?

"I want your little woman here dead. Then there won't be any proof that an almost human can have the perfect essential spark. That way Lincel won't ever rule," the tallest one spoke again, and then he almost laughed to himself before he continued talking, "she should have kept you safe if she wanted to use you as a political tool."

I suddenly remembered Claudine's words from when I was in the hospital after the Fae War: "As a part human descendant of the fairies with your telepathic skills, you could be like our 'poster-girl'... you are just 1/8th fairy and you have the essential spark…"

Ohh… So apparently Lincel was the one who wanted me well and alive to show how mixing fae blood with human blood didn't necessarily weaken a spark. Therefore it wasn't her we should have been afraid of. "Little cousin." It was her full-fairy younger brother that I should have been scared of.

"I don't care about your politics. Please leave," I said. But it was as if he hadn't heard me at all.

"There's a human child upstairs," the tallest said to the others, "go get it." It? My child wasn't an "it". But I wasn't worried about that. I just worried about Elizabeth. Especially when two of the fairies followed the order and started climbing up the stairs.

"No! No! Leave my daughter alone. I'll go with you. Kill me if you must. But leave my daughter alone," I pleaded.

"The child's yours? You have a daughter?" The tallest asked me. Apparently, he was the leader of this peculiar group. "Father didn't tell us… Oh Niall, Niall… what else are you hiding from us…?" he said to no one in particular. And then I saw the two fairies that had gone upstairs coming down with a crying Elizabeth between them. Each was holding an arm of my scared daughter.

"Leave her! Just leave her!" I screamed and started pumping the lemon juice on them. Their skin burned and I continued trying to fight them all. But I was no use. I couldn't win a fight against five fairies all by myself. And then I realized that I wasn't all by myself and that David was there and he should be helping me. And yes, David was there. But he sure wasn't helping me because in the intervening time he had dropped his weapons already and was like a statue. I guessed that he was in shock or something and I knew that it wasn't his fault but back then I just wanted to slap him awake.

"The child's is like Lincel's. Stronger than yours as well." The fat guy said to the tall one. They were still talking about the damn spark. Jesus Christ! But there were more important issues for me to care because meanwhile, a third fairy had taken my lemon-juice gun from me. He then pushed me to the floor. And so I found myself in my knees in the middle of my living room. It was the perfect position to beg. And that was what I did next: "Leave her alone. I beg you. Please. I'll go with you. But please, for the love of God, leave her alone."

"Enough," he said to me before he looked at his peers, "kill her right now. And then, kill her child," the tallest said pointing at me and then at Liz.

So? What did you think about David? And Lizzie? And the fairy-storyline? I hope you don't mind my changes to the spark/fairies. Any thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Opinions? Questions? Screams (at me for ending the chapter like this)? :-) Fiquem bem! (That's "take care" in Portuguese!) Célia

"Life's Too Short For Days Like These" was never released, only played live when Jon Bon Jovi was touring for his second album "Destination Anywhere". It maybe could have ended on a third solo record he tried to put out in 1998. But even though it was never featured in an album I thought that it was an appropriate title to this chapter. And we all have had this thought at least once in our lives, right? Besides, the lyric is great: "Life's too short for days like these / Wish I could close my eyes and just go back to sleep / It's hard to keep running when you're down on your knees / Cause life's too short / You know that life's too short for days like these"