A/N: Here is another update. The next chapter will be the final chapter of this story. If anyone is still reading then I might continue the Chase Morgan series. Sorry it took so long to update, but as always thanks for reading!

The Plan

Russell Edgington glanced down at his watch and I felt sickened as a huge smile spread across his lips. The sun was up and the time had come. My eyes went to the television displaying the security camera footage of the front parking lot and saw the rays from the sun casting shadows on the pavement. Russell's hungry eyes fell on me and I felt my stomach twist, I swallowed hard trying to remain calm as he rubbed his hands together and stepped towards me. My heart was racing.

"I don't think I have ever wanted to drink any ones blood more than yours in this moment, Ms. Morgan," Russell admitted placing a hand on my shoulder. I tried to pull away, making him dig his fingers into my flesh to keep me still. "I promise not to kill you," he added looking down at me.

My stomach rolled with disgust. I searched the room, my eyes falling on Eric, who stood out of earshot with Pam, talking in a hushed whisper. Eric's eyes met mine the minute he felt me watching and panic hit me. Was I really going to do this? Was I really going to let Russell Edgington feed on me; and hope and pray that Eric had a way for us both to make it out alive? I didn't see any other options. I didn't want to trust Eric after the stunt he pulled, but I didn't have any other choice. I would just have to hope that he had the exact plan I was thinking of, turning Russell human temporarily with my blood so that he could take him out.

"Mr. Northman, shall we get started?" Russell called, beckoning Eric over with a wave of his hand.

Another forced smile spread across Eric's face and he mumbled something to Pam before coming towards us. "Yes, let's."

Sookie made a panicked noise. "Eric, don't do this. You could kill her," she pleaded.

"I will be fine," I told Sookie, forcing her to look at me. I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "It's going to be alright."

Sookie didn't look like she believed me. Hell, I didn't believe me. There was no guarantee that everything would be fine, all I had was hope. Russell looked to Eric, motioning to me graciously as if to say 'after you'. The energy inside of me spiked, making me grit my teeth in an attempt to keep it in check. There was no telling what would happen if I let my power loose. I could hurt Sookie or Bill, I could potentially kill everyone in the room, and while Eric wasn't my favorite person at the moment it didn't mean that I wanted him dead. I turned my head looking up to find Eric standing over me, his blue eyes gazing into mine. I searched for some reassurance that he still cared for me, that he had some plan for us. I was surprised when he reached forward, his fingertips brushing across my cheek, sparking a connection between us. I dropped my guard and was propelled inside of his head, where he was focused on two words, repeating them over and over.

Trust me.

"Oh for heaven's sake."

Russell's irritated and impatient voice jerked me out of Eric's head. His hand wrapped around my wrist, yanking it towards him as his fangs unsheathed with a click. I felt energy spark across my skin and struggled to hold it back when Russell sunk his fangs into my flesh. I couldn't stop the scream that followed as I felt the pull of his mouth sending pain shooting up my arm. The energy inside of me swelled and my teeth clenched while I fought with it. Eric's fangs came next, right into my neck, sparking more pain. The world around me began to blur, obscuring my vision. I would have fallen forward if Eric and Russell weren't holding me so firmly. The weakness came quickly and I felt myself drifting off to sleep. I tried to stay conscious as I heard Sookie yelling name, but suddenly everything went black.

I was in the field again. I was in that beautiful flowing dress again. And I was sprinting across the luscious green grass. I felt light, I felt free, and I felt happy for once. I didn't know where I was running to or what I was running from, but it felt amazing. I didn't want it to stop. I wanted to stay here forever. But my legs and lungs couldn't keep up with me, I was forced to stop and I allowed myself to fall to the grass, giving my lungs and limbs a break. I landed on my back, feeling as though I had just fallen onto a bed of pillows. I stared up at the clear blue sky, soaked in the warm rays of the sun and felt a smile come across my lips. It was paradise. There were no vampires here, there were no danger. It was perfect.

"It could be like this always, you know."

I jumped at the sound of the familiar voice, sitting up to find Emilia standing over me. She must have read my thoughts. She smiled down at me, holding out her hand to help me to my feet. "What is this place?" I asked looking around. "How do I get here?"

"This is home," Emilia answered, gesturing to the world around her. "This is our home. You come here when your light is in danger because even though you do not know it, your light knows that here you are always safe."

"But I am not really here am I?" I realized. "This is like a dream."

"Your physical body is not here, no, but your mind is," Emilia answered. "But if you wished it, to return to this safe and peaceful place you could bring your physical form here. You have the power."

I admired my surroundings some more, taking in the vast lush green field of sparse trees. A part of me wished that I could stay in this care free paradise, away from the vampires, the danger, the death. But I knew I couldn't. I would be leaving my family and friends behind, the few people I loved and cared for. I would also be leaving behind Alcide… and Eric.

"It is beautiful here," I said with a long sigh. "And a part of me does wish I could stay, but I am not even sure if this place exists…"

Emilia stepped forward taking my hands and squeezing them. "This place exists. I exist. You should have been here all along with your own kind. With people who love and understand you and who would have taught you to use your light properly. You would never have known danger. Stay here where you belong. Where you're safe. If you called to your body it would follow."

Something deep inside of me wanted to take her up on her offer. I struggled with it for a long moment, but my reasoning won out. I had people in the real world that I just couldn't leave without a word. And something told me that once I chose to stay in this beautiful place there was no going back.

"I can't," I said shaking my head. "There are people in the real world who would miss me. I can't stay here in this fantasy land."

Emilia took my hand and put it to her chest, I could feel her heart thumping away beneath. "This place is real. I am real. You are Chase and you are Fae. You are meant to be in Fae land. The bind your father put on your powers has shielded you from us for so long, but now that you are free you can return home. You can share your light with your people who desperately need it."

"I can't share something that I can barely control," I huffed. "I'd probably hurt you more than help you."

"We can teach you. We can show you to how harness your light and your magic," Emilia insisted. "We can protect you and your light. You will be far safer with your own kind. Far from vampires who would try to steal it."

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. I felt torn. While I still fought with the idea that this could very well be some kind of dream, all the things she said made me think twice. What if she was telling the truth? What if my mother, who I knew was fae, really had been their queen and I was their princess? What if there really were people counting on me to lead and save them from some darkness? Is that why I had so much power? Was I meant to share it with the fae?

Emilia released my hands and put one of hers on my stomach making me look at her in surprise. "If you will not do it for your people or yourself, at least do it for your child," she pleaded.

I felt my face fall. "MY WHAT?"

I was yanked back into reality with a gasp, my eyes snapping open as I sat up straight, almost bumping heads with Bill who had been leaning over me. He immediately raised his hands as if I had a gun on him and was going to shoot. My heart was pounding fast and hard, I could still taste blood in my mouth. I felt recharged, like I had just gotten a shot of adrenaline. My skin felt like it was vibrating, the energy was rolling back and forth inside of me, pulsing to the beat of my heart. I took a deep breath and clenched my fists, trying to calm myself.

It didn't help. I still felt overly amped, my brain in overdrive as Emilia's words spun through my head. 'If you will not do it for your people or yourself, at least do it for your child'. My child. She had said my child. I shook my head, what the hell did that mean? There was no way that I could be pregnant. It was impossible. I had only had sex with a vampire, a dead man who I doubt had working sperm, and-. My head snapped up. Alcide. Alcide was alive, a healthy living man who sometimes turned into a werewolf, with fully functioning sperm. Well as far as I knew. But we had only had sex for the first time days ago. It was too soon to know. How could Emilia-.

"Chase," Bill said cautiously catching my attention. "Are you alright?"

I looked at him, nodding quickly. "Yeah. I just… I had a weird dream…and the vampire blood is making me feel…" I shook my head again trying to collect myself. I couldn't think about Emilia or anything she said right now. "What's happening? How long was I out?"

"Not long," Bill answered.

"Where is Eric?"

"Sookie is bringing him in now," Bill said motioning to the television hanging over the bar.

I turned to look catching sight of Sookie dragging Eric across the parking lot out of the sunlight. He was badly burned and barely conscious. Russell was still in the middle of the parking lot, lying on his side, one hand holding his neck. I could see the blood gushing through his fingers. The plan must have worked, Russell was human, he was bleeding and he wasn't burning in the sun. He would die soon, I could see the pool of his own blood growing. The only thing I didn't understand was why Eric wasn't human.

I jumped to my feet, meeting Sookie at the door to hold it open for her. Bill and Pam came forward to help, both taking Eric and dragging him to one of the couches. Pam took control and laid Eric gently onto one of the couches. Eric groaned, his eyelids fluttering. I went to his side, leaning over him.

"I don't understand," I said shaking my head. "He is supposed to be human right?"

"He needs blood. Human blood. He's too weak to even drop fang," Pam said ignoring my questions. Pam turned her expectant eyes on me, one eyebrow raised. "Well are you just going to sit there or are you going to help the man who saved your sorry life?" she snapped.

I blinked at her, taken aback by her emotional outburst. She had tears of blood streaked down her cheeks and realized suddenly that she was crying. I turned to Bill and held out my wrist. He looked hesitant.

"Bill, bite me," I said.

He shook his head. "I shouldn't."

"Eric needs blood, mine is probably the best. Bite me," I demanded. "I trust you to control yourself."

Bill shared a look with Sookie. She nodded at him and he leaned forward, fangs unsheathing. He bit into my flesh quickly, withdrawing with vampire speed and backing away from me. My blood spurted from the wound and I noticed Pam shutting her eyes and turning her head away. I put my wrist to Eric's mouth and felt him respond immediately. His hand wrapped around my wrist firmly and I felt the first draw of his mouth. I didn't feel nearly as anxious as I had when Russell fed on me, but it didn't stop the energy from swelling within me.

"Keep an eye on him, please," I said looking to Sookie and Bill. "You know… make sure he doesn't lose control and kill me."

Sookie nodded. "Of course."

"Can someone fill me in on what happened after they fed on me?" I asked.

"The plan was to keep you and Sookie alive. Eric knew that Russell could not resist the temptation of drinking your blood and attempting to walk in the sunlight. And he told me what your blood can do, but he knew that there wouldn't be enough to turn both himself and Russell human without killing you. He only hoped that he could drink enough to grant him temporary day walking abilities like Sookie," Bill explained pointing to Sookie. "It would convince Russell that it worked long enough to draw him outside and just in case it didn't he could leave Russell to die in the sun, and if it did he could easily kill Russell."

"So he went out there not knowing what was going to happen or if my blood would allow him in the daylight?" I questioned further.

"He wanted Russell dead by any means necessary, even if it meant dying himself. If he was to perish in the sun he assigned Pam and I to finish the job."

I let that information sink in, looking down at Eric who was still drinking from my wrist with closed eyes. To my surprise he wasn't in a frenzy, he was drinking slowly, as if trying to control himself. I couldn't believe he was willing to die to get Russell killed. I didn't know if he had done it for me or not, but it felt like he had. It still felt like he cared.

"He should stop now, Chase," Bill commented making me look up at him.

I looked down at Eric, seeing that most of the burns on his face had already begun to heal. I pulled my wrist back carefully, not wanting to set him off into a blood lust rage. His eyes opened quickly and he sat up, looking around the room before his eyes fell back on me. His fangs came down with a click and he raised his hand to his mouth, using one of his fangs to prick his finger and draw blood. He took my wrist carefully into his hands and rubbed his blood over the wound Bill had made. The pain left almost instantly and I watched as it healed over.

"We need to bring Russell back inside," Eric said looking at Pam and Bill.

I blinked at him in surprise. Those were the last words I expected to hear from him after everything we all had just risked. The sun must have caused some brain damage within him that my blood had not yet healed.

"Eric, you can't be serious," I said incredulously.

"Eric, are you insane? Why?" Bill demanded.

"Godric appeared to me and asked me to spare Russell," Eric said.

Sookie, Bill, Pam and I all exchanged glances. Yes, the sun had damaged his brain. "You are insane," Bill replied shaking his head slightly.

"Chase," Eric said turning to me. He seemed desperate. I hadn't seen him this way often, it was kind of freaking me out. "Russell must live. Godric wishes it."

"Eric, you want me to bring Russell in? The vampire who wants to kill us all, after everything that we have done to kill him?"

"Eric, do the world a favor and let that little fuck bleed out," Pam cut in.

Eric rolled his eyes, letting out an irritated sigh. "I will go out there myself."

He rose to his feet and sauntered toward the door with a determined stride. I felt a pull in my heart. I couldn't let him go out there. He would burn and hurt himself. I found myself on my feet and speaking before I had even made up my mind.

"Eric stop," I said grabbing his shoulder. I couldn't believe what I was about to say or do. "I will go."

"Chase," Sookie said in surprise. "We should just leave him out there. We all will be better off."

"Sookie, I am not letting Eric go back out there."

"This is bullshit," Pam chimed in.

"Chase, he won't last much longer," Eric said looking to the monitor.

I turned to the door and walked briskly away from the group, going out into the warmth of the parking lot. Russell was still lying on his side, holding his neck, blood gushing through his fingers. He was surprisingly still conscious, even though he was deathly pale. His breath was coming out in soft pants, his eyes closed. Judging by the growing pool of blood beneath him if I didn't take him inside he would be dead soon. I reached down and grabbed him his free arm with both hands, pulling on his body, shocked to find that he wasn't that heavy.

"Oh thank you my dear," Russell groaned. "Thank you so much."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

Sookie held the door open for me as I dragged Russell inside, Eric moving forward to take him once Sookie closed the door behind me. Russell groaned weakly as Eric carried him to one of the couches and dropped him not so gently onto it. Eric's fangs dropped with a click and he bit into his wrist before offering it to Russell. Pam, Bill, Sookie and I watched as Russell drank hungrily from Eric's wrist, moaning loudly. Eric rolled his eyes and pulled his wrist away making Russell frown at him.

"Pam, retrieve some cuffs for our friend please as well as some silver chains," Eric said rising to his feet and adjusting his shirt.

"What the hell are we going to do with him now?" Sookie questioned.

Eric ignored her questioned, grabbing Russell by the back of his neck and lifting him as he if he was a rag doll. He dragged Russell to the stripper pole elevated on a platform and forced Russell onto it. Russell seemed surprisingly quiet and docile as Eric adorned gloves and placed the silver cuffs on Russell's wrists behind his back around the pool and secured the silver chains around his neck attached to the pole. I watched in confusion. I had no idea what the hell Eric was thinking. I felt angry that he had put me through all of this, risking my life again to kill Russell only to allow him to live because he had some weird vision of Godric. My blood started to boil the more I thought about it.

"You're a fool not to kill him," Bill grumbled with crossed arms.

"Killing him wouldn't solve anything," Eric answered absently, checking to make sure the chains were secure.

"Yeah, but it would keep him from killing us," Sookie retorted.

"So everything we just did was for nothing? Me putting my life on the line and you almost dying was for what?" I questioned looking at Eric.

"Russell won't be doing anymore killing," Eric replied. "He won't be able to hurt anyone anymore."

"Eric, who the fuck are you right now? He killed your family. Rip his fucking head off," Pam growled.

I felt myself look at Eric in surprise. It all made sense now. Russell must have killed Eric's family before he was turned. That was the reason that he had killed Talbot and why he wanted Russell dead. This was all for revenge. I was still angry.

"Do not listen to them," Russell drawled. "If you return me to my vampire state and release me I will reward you handsomely," he added smiling up at Eric.

Eric responded with a swift punch to the face, forcing Russell to whip his head to the side and blood to splatter from his mouth. His head hung limply to the side and I realized with a frown that Eric had knocked him out cold.

"He will return to his vampire state in 24 hours, I will deal with him before then. He won't be a problem anymore," Eric declared. "In the mean time we should go to ground. Chase and Sookie can keep an eye on Russell."

I huffed. "I will pass thanks. I don't want to babysit the psycho while you guys nap."

"He can't glamour you or Sookie," Eric said motioning to the both of us. "If for some reason he was to return to his vampire state sooner than expected he could glamour Ginger in a heartbeat."

That did nothing to sway me. I didn't want to stay here and baby sit Russell after everything that I had just been through. I wanted to go home and take a shower. And apparently there was the chance that I needed to go buy a pregnancy test.

"Chase," Eric said softly snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Why? Why should I do anything for you after you lied to me? After you kidnapped me and locked me in your filthy dungeon like I was nothing? After you basically forced me to offer myself to Russell like a snack to keep us alive? Yes I know it was all a part of your plan, but I don't care. And to top it all off you didn't even follow through with the plan and Russell is still alive. So it was all for nothing!"

Eric blinked at me, looking me up and down as I stood there breathing heavily, feeling on the brink of tears. A few tears rolled down my cheeks and I wiped them away quickly, feeling absolutely silly. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I was suddenly feeling irrational and tired and there was that feeling in the pit of my stomach again, that sickening feeling that I was going to puke.

"Are you feeling alright?" Eric asked me, one eyebrow arched in concern.

He took a step toward me and I raised my hands stopping him. "Stop. Just go. Go take your nap and leave me the hell alone."

I could feel everyone sharing glances before Eric finally moved past me, pulling out his phone. He pressed one button and put the phone to his ear. "It's Northman. I'm going to need your van and your help tonight." He didn't wait for a response. He hung up the phone and sauntered out of sight.

Bill was the only vampire that didn't move. "I will stay up here with you ladies."

"No Bill, you have the bleeds and something tells me Chase is not in the mood to see any vampires right now," Sookie said shaking her head. "We need to be alone and I am not particularly happy with you right now anyway which we can discuss later now go."

Bill frowned but turned and followed Pam and Eric through the doors to the back. I plopped down on one of the couches with my head in my hands, sighing heavily and desperately feeling as if I needed a nap. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and looked up to see it was Sookie standing over me with a glass of water. She offered it with a smile and I took it, gulping it down till it was all gone and praying it would help the nausea sitting in my throat. It didn't.

Sookie sat across from me and stared me down with her penetrating brown eyes. "Anything you want to talk about?" she asked cautiously.

I snorted. Where could I start? "There's just a lot that's been going on."

"I know…something you want to get off your chest?" she asked. "You can talk to me."

I hesitated, looking her in the eye. I wasn't in the mood for a heart to heart right now. I didn't feel like explaining the dreams or making myself look like a fool. I didn't want anyone to know anything until I was sure that it all was real. I was going to have to take a test.

"I'm fine, Sookie. Really. I am just exhausted. Look…there is something that I need to do. Can you handle everything here for a minute? I will be back."

Sookie looked confused, but nodded. "Yeah…sure."

I rose to my feet and headed for the door, stopping when I realized that Eric had my keys and phone. "Sook, can I borrow your car?" I asked.

She nodded again. "Eric has the keys, but I keep a spare in the glove compartment. It's always unlocked."

"Thank you. I'll be right back."

I had to drive twenty minutes into town to find a store that carried home pregnancy tests and had a bathroom. I found the family planning section and stood there for ten minutes trying to decide on a brand to choose. I settled on two different inexpensive brands and grabbed one of each. I walked quickly to the check out, feeling my cheeks burn and set them down on the conveyor belt feeling my palms sweat. I felt silly buying the tests and nothing else and grabbed a pack of gum from a nearby display as well as a bottle of water. The cashier greeted me and began ringing up my items and I forced myself to take deep breaths and try to remain calm, while avoiding direct eye contact. I paid quickly with the cash stuffed in my pocket and headed for the bathrooms at the back of the store. There were only two stalls available and I walked into the biggest one, locing it behind me before ripping open each package and reading through the instructions, while I gulped down the bottle of water.

Am I really doing this? Am I really about to take a pregnancy test because of some lucid dream? There was no way that I could be pregnant and even if I was it was far too soon to tell right? I leaned against the stall door. Just take the tests to prove yourself wrong, Chase. You already paid for them, I told myself. I would feel better knowing either way, or so I hoped.

I followed my own directions and sat down on the toilet to pee on the tests. I did my business, recapped each test and set them face down on the toilet paper dispenser. I cleaned myself up and buttoned my pants, leaving the stall to wash my hands and give the test time for a result to appear. While I washed my hands slowly, taking my sweet time in an order to avoid having to look at the tests, my mind went back to worrying about what I would tell Alcide. He and I had never even bothered to talk about protection, perhaps he assumed I was taking precautions? And I never bothered to ask about a condom in my lust fueled daze. I never had to think about protection with Eric, he was dead after all and-.

I froze in thought, feeling my face fall as the events after Dallas crossed my mind. The events in which Eric turned human after drinking my blood after a particularly great round of sex. We had had sex while he was a living breathing human, with what I assumed was working sperm, and we had been irresponsible with protection then as well. There was a chance if I was pregnant that I was carrying Eric Northman's child. A human- well partially- child. What would I tell him? What would he-.

"Ma'am?"

I jumped, turning to find a middle aged woman with blonde hair and kind smile, standing next to me holding my pregnancy tests in her hand. I hadn't even heard her come into the bathroom. I felt my skin turn red in embarrassment. "Are these yours?" she asked me hesitantly.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Thank you," I said taking them from her quickly.

"I didn't mean to pry. The other stall is not in working order and I didn't know if you were finished," she said tentatively.

I nodded, holding the tests tightly, refusing to look at them. "No, I am done. Thank you. Sorry again."

She turned and headed for the stall, stopping and looking at me uncertainly. "Forgive me for being so forward, but congratulations." Before I could answer she turned and headed into the stall, closing the door behind her.

My throat tightened and I looked down at the tests in my hands seeing the positive plus sign in all the windows. I suddenly felt light headed. I was pregnant. And I didn't know who the father was.