Chapter Fifty Three:

Sookie stifled a chuckle as she stood in the doorway to Mackenzie's room. It was still a surprise to see the difference in Eric from when she had first met him in Fangtasia. He hadn't shown a care in the world for anyone other than himself. But she realized now that it was all just an act. Especially as he now slept slumped in a plastic chair, one hand stretched towards Mackenzie's sleeping form on the bed.

She didn't think it was possible, but Eric Northman actually looked cute. That was certainly not a word she thought she would ever use to describe the Viking.

"Weird to see him like this, isn't it?" a murmured voice broke through her thoughts.

Sookie blinked, straightening as she caught sight of Mackenzie slowly waking up, rubbing at her eyes with one hand while the other was still clutched around Eric's.

"And here I thought he was a selfish, arrogant ass," Sookie smiled. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Mackenzie shook her head as she pushed her self up into a sitting position, sadly letting go of Eric's hand. She felt lost without the contact. It had been what allowed her to sleep most of the day away without a single dream or nightmare.

"What time is it?" she tried to get her bearings straight, gazing around the room.

"Almost sunset," Sookie stepped further into the room, placing a bad on the end of the bed. "I brought you some clothes. I thought you might want to change."

Mackenzie had never moved so fast before in her life. She darted off the bed, ignoring the loud crack and aching in her back as she grabbed the clothes out of the bag. "You are an actual savior."

Sookie chuckled. "Go get changed. Godric was awake when I came in, he asked if he could see you before the sun set and Eric woke."

The telepath grinned when the teen's eyes brightened and dashed into the bathroom to change.

"So how are you feeling?" she moved to stand by the bathroom. She had been just surprised as anyone when Eric had come rushing out of the room with what appeared to be a healthy Mackenzie. Pam had only just stopped long enough to let her know where they were taking the teen before rushing off after them.

"Surprisingly fine," a loud bang sounded inside the bathroom before cursing following. "Godric's blood worked."

"Well that's good," Sookie snickered. It was obvious the girl just wanted as much time around Godric as she could possibly get. "Careful Mackenzie, or else you'll wake Eric up and I have a feeling he would lock you in there to keep you from Godric."

"You don't even know," Mackenzie rolled her eyes as she yanked the door back open. "Thanks for the clothes. Really, Sookie. I appreciate it."

"It was nothing," Sookie shrugged, motioning the girl towards the hallway. "He's just in the waiting room down the hall. I'll distract Eric if he wakes up."

"Thanks Sookie, you're the best!" Mackenzie was grinning from ear to ear, nearly skipping as she hurried to the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" a hard wall suddenly appeared before her.

Mackenzie groaned as she stumbled backwards, a pout on her lips. "Mother trucker."

As she risked a glance up at her guardian, she was glad to find a playful smirk on his lips instead of the dark glare from last night.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" she groaned, her pout growing larger.

"I have a very specific wake up call for when you try and sneak out," he took her by the shoulders and directed her back to the bed. "Bed."

"But…"

"Not until Ludwig's finished with her tests," he reminded. "And even then, if I recall, someone here is grounded."

It overjoyed Sookie to see the pair interacting in the way that they were. Despite all the trials and tribulations they have gone through in the past couple of weeks, it was clear now more than ever that the two loved one another. She had never pegged Eric as the father type, but she had obviously never really known the real Eric. Bill had just told her the worst possible stories, half she wasn't even sure were true. Seeing how the Viking was around Mackenzie, she wanted to believe that they weren't.

"Oh let her be, Eric," Sookie chided. "She just wants to stretch her legs for five minutes."

"No," his eyes narrowed. He wasn't about to let her out of his sight. Who knew if she suddenly just grew ill again.

"I'll be with her the entire time," she flicked Eric's hands from the teen's shoulders and quickly ushered her from the room. "Really, just five minutes."

Eric was gob smacked as Sookie hurried out of the room with Mackenzie hot on her tails. He was even more surprised he just let them go.

"Damn telepath," he muttered under his breath before settling down in the chair. He kept a hard stare on his watch. One single second over five minutes and he was going to go searching for her.

"You are a Queen," Mackenzie laughed breathlessly as they came to a sudden stop just outside of the waiting room. "How much time?"

"About four minutes before I'm sure he'll come looking," Sookie shot a look down at her watch. "You go on. I'll be out here in case he becomes impatient."

"Thank you! I'll be quick," Mackenzie sent her an appreciative smile for darting into the room.

She didn't even stop as she spotted Godric's pacing form on the other side of the room. She dodged chairs and tables before nearly tackling him to the ground. Mackenzie didn't know why she was suddenly in a good mood, but she was alive and well and Eric didn't exactly hate her. Everything felt peaceful and okay for the first time in too long. She was going to take advantage of this good feeling. She had no idea what Ludwig's tests might come back with.

"Sorry," she began to pull away from the flabbergasted vampire, only for an arm to slide around her waist and keep her in place. Her smile was contagious as a Godric's lips twitched upwards at her cheerful attitude. "Hi."

"Hello," he chuckled in amusement, his smile growing as her cheeks began to flush a shade of pink. "You seem happy."

"I know I nearly died last night, and that I might still be dying, but I just feel happy. It's stupid, I know, but…" she shrugged, trailing off.

"Not stupid at all," his hand raised, his thumb brushing across her cheek. "It's been quite some time since I saw you smile like this. It's nice."

"I don't even know why I'm so happy. I shouldn't be. Ludwig's tests could be…"

"There shouldn't have to be a reason behind your happiness," he stopped her with a shake of his head. "You haven't had much cheer in your life for quite some time; embrace it now."

She nodded as she moved into his touch. Mackenzie knew Eric would be furious if he knew she literally ran to Godric the moment she was out of the room, but she couldn't help her desire to be around the eldest vampire. She had always felt a strong connection to the vampire, even without the blood bond that they shared.

"I heard you and Eric made amends," he mused, smiling even wider as her eyes fluttered close while she shuffled closer to him. He tightened his hold around her waist, bringing her to his chest. He never wanted to let her go, though he knew he wouldn't have many more chances to be with her like this. He knew he couldn't be with Mackenzie like this. He knew it was wrong, that Eric would never approve. He couldn't be the one to wedge a divide between Mackenzie and Eric, not again.

Even if it did mean keeping a distance that would be excruciating to maintain.

But for now, he would enjoy.

"I feel like an idiot for pushing him to turn me," she mumbled. "I didn't realize it would be so hard for him."

"He loves you dearly," his fingertips began dancing across her jawline and down her slender neck. She shuddered as he rested over her pulsing vein, drawing gentle designs across her skin. "While I know he will do what needs to be done if it came down to it, the thought of being the one to end your life, it haunts him."

"I know," she sighed, battling back the moan that nearly escaped. His mere touches were enough to drive her insane. "I never thought about it like that. We talked; I think we're going to be okay for now."

"I'm glad," Godric's orbs fell to her lips. She was biting her bottom lip, an act that caused his arousal to stir. He wanted to attack those lips, to claim them. It was starting to become excruciating just being near her and knowing that nothing could ever happen.

"Godric?" her eyes slowly opened, her blush deepening as she noticed his scrutinizing gaze.

"hm?"

"Do you regret it?" she was biting down harder now, making it incredibly difficult for Godric to pay attention. Did she realize what she was doing to him?

"Regret what?" his voice was raspy as she struggled to focus. He had to tear his gaze away from those sweet lips and to her uncertain orbs instead.

Mackenzie shifted from one foot to the other. "You know, that night."

"Oh," his fingers toyed with the ends of her hair as he sought for something to say. How was he supposed to respond? He knew he didn't regret it, despite the fact that he should. He couldn't regret it. It was all Godric had thought about since that night.

But he was supposed to regret it. He needed to. It would be much easier if he did. Did he lie to her? But how could he possibly lie to the sweet, hopeful girl trapped within his arms?

Godric was grateful when Sookie interrupted, popping her head into the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," she smiled apologetically. "But Dr. Ludwig wanted to see the two of you."

Godric's arm immediately dropped from her waist as the doctor slipped into the room. Mackenzie had to fight away a pout at the loss. It had felt right to be in his arms. It always had.

"Should I get Eric?" Sookie stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure if she should leave or not.

"Go keep the impatient buffoon company; I wish to speak to Miss Northman and her vampire alone."

Her vampire. Mackenzie liked the sound of that, a small smile forming on her lips.

It disappeared nearly immediately once Godric put distance between them. She sent him a look, but his stare was entirely focused on the doctor.

"Do you have Mackenzie's results?" he questioned, trying to ignore the look Mackenzie was sending him. He knew she was confused, that she wanted him at her side. But he needed to learn to keep his distance, to make it easier for the future.

It was harder than he initially thought, however.

"I do. You might want to sit," Ludwig motioned to a set of chairs.

That, Mackenzie didn't like the sound of. "Is it bad? Am I still dying? Is it going to happen soon? Will it be quick? Will it…"

"Sit, girl," Ludwig interrupted, sending her a pointed look.

Her hands were already shaking nervously as she hesitantly sat down. Her knees immediately started shaking as well. She sent Godric a longing glance as he placed himself two seats over. All she longed for was his touch. For some reason, no matter her troubles, a mere touch from the vampire and everything just felt okay. She needed that as she felt her worst nightmares were about to come true.

"Am I still going to die?" Mackenzie moved her gaze onto the doctor, her hands clutched tightly together. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she was certain it must have sounded thunderous to Godric's ears.

"Not necessarily," Ludwig sat across from them, her eyes narrowing as she stared between them. "Does the girl bite, vampire?"

Godric only stared at her, not replying in return.

Rolling her eyes, Ludwig continued. "That of course, will be your choice."

"What do you mean, my choice?" Mackenzie's eyebrows furrowed. Her choice? How did she have a choice whether or not she was dying? She couldn't just snap her fingers and have this disease disappear.

"You are still dying, Miss Northman. The cancer has spread to the point that without vampire blood, it would take only a matter of hours until your body began shutting down."

She hadn't been expecting to hear it so bluntly. She had to bite down hard on her bottom lip to keep her composure.

"As it remains, vampire blood is able to delay that."

"But…" Mackenzie could already hear her wavering in her words, having to pause to pull herself together enough to ask her daunting questions. "Eric's blood didn't work. If vampire blood can heal me – sort of – then why didn't his?"

Ludwig sighed as she leaned forward. "If it had been a month ago, perhaps even weeks ago, I believe that it would have. However, you grew ill to the point that you should already have died."

"Then why did Godric's work?" It didn't make any sense to the teen. She was supposed to be dead, she understood that. But then why wasn't she? Why had Godric's blood helped her and her father's hadn't?

"Godric's blood is much stronger than most. It's more potent, mostly due to his age. Your body, in it's weakest, had adjusted to his blood," the doctor explained.

"Eric's not exactly a newborn," Godric spoke this time. "My blood is not much stronger than his."

"But just enough to be able to battle against her impending death," Ludwig countered. "It's not enough of course. Not nearly enough."

Mackenzie's shoulders slumped forward. "So I am still dying."

"As I said before, not necessarily."

"But what does that mean?" she was starting to lose her patience. She just wanted to know what her fate would be. Would she have to rely on Eric's promise that he would turn her if need be? Or would she find herself at the end of the road, without any other options?

Or would she have the chance to actually live?

"I tested both yours and Godric's blood. I watched as his attacked the leukemia, as it healed it. I watched as, over time, your blood began to decay. With each test, however, the results began to change."

"Change how?" Godric raised an eyebrow curiously. He would gladly accept any small hope that there was a chance to help his Mackenzie.

"With each addition of your blood, Miss Northman's began to grow stronger. Instead of minutes, it would take an hour, and then two until her blood would grow ill, yet again."

"You got this all from a few samples of my blood?" Mackenzie snorted. "That's not possible."

"You certainly are a Northman, aren't you? You do not know everything about the Supe world, not like your father believes." Ludwig scowled. "Let me finish, girl."

Mackenzie huffed, just wanting the doctor to get to the point. The waiting was excruciating. She didn't care about anything other than the end result.

"That's better," Mackenzie could have sworn she spied a smirk on the doctor's lips. "As I was saying, her blood grew stronger with the vampire blood."

Realization dawned on Godric. "So you are saying..."

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"Would someone like to share with the class what you're saying?" Mackenzie grumbled.

"Northman indeed," Ludwig shook her head. "You, girl, can very much live a long and possibly healthy life."

That caught her attention.

"What?" her eyes grew wide. "But, how is that even possible. You just said…"

"I said it was your choice. This is your choice. Godric's blood may only temporarily heal you now, but over time, it may heal you permanently."

"But how?"

"Humans, always needing to know everything."

"This is my life we're talking about. I want to know how!" her hands detached from one another and instead curled into small fists. "Cut the bullshit out and just tell me!"

"You are at your sickest. You are on your deathbed. Godric's blood will only work for so long. But with time, it may heal you entirely. Healthy doses of your vampire's blood every few days will ensure you live a long, human existence."

Mackenzie didn't believe her. How was it even possible? It hadn't helped her, not in the long run. She only grew sicker after every time she had his blood. How was that helping anything?

"His blood needs time to work, to battle against the cancer that has spread throughout the majority of your body. It needs more time," the teen could have sworn Ludwig had read her thoughts. "You will require his blood every few days now, but eventually that may turn into every week, or two, or every month. There's a possibility his blood will heal your body entirely. Time will only tell."

"But I…" it couldn't be true. There couldn't be a possibility that she was going to be all right, that everything was going to be okay. She hadn't thought of that option. She was certain she would either die or Eric would turn her. She hadn't thought what she would do if she was just okay.

Godric could see the turmoil she was in, the confusion, the internal struggle to understand. He wanted to reach out to her, but knew that Eric could come storming into the room at any moment. When she sent him a teary eyed stare, however, his hesitancy disappeared and he immediately closed the distance between them.

"My sweet," he murmured as he tugged her into his arms, digging his nose into her hair. "This could be your answer. This could change everything."

"But…"

"This is entirely your choice," Ludwig stood. "You can choose not to accept your vampire's blood, but at this rate, you would not survive a single night. His blood is keeping you alive, and it will continue to keep you alive should you continue treatment."

"Treatment?" Mackenzie suddenly tore herself away from Godric. "This isn't treatment, this is an entire life change! You want me to take vampire blood – his blood – for the rest of my life."

"Until you are healthy enough to survive without it."

"Which might never happen!"

"Mackenzie," Godric cupped her cheek, turning her attention back onto him. "It would be a small price to pay for you to be alive. You can live a normal life. You can live."

"But…" her bottom lip began quivering as her voice became nothing more than a whisper. "But it would be your blood, every few days. All the time. How are we supposed to live like that?"

He didn't know why he was smiling as he caressed her cheek, or why he felt so elated. But the thought of her not dying, it made his heart flutter with joy. "You would be alive, my love, that is all that matters. I would go to the end of the world and back if it meant you were alive and well."

"But…" how could he just give up everything to make sure she was okay? He couldn't just go off and disappear. He couldn't get tired of her and leave. He would be stuck with her, with the job of keeping her alive with only his blood. Why would he want to do that? Mackenzie just didn't understand.

"Perhaps I haven't shown it properly in the past, Mackenzie, but you are my entire world," he held her cheeks gingerly in his hands, his gaze boring into hers. She shifted uncomfortably, wanting to look away. But he wouldn't let her. "You were my light when you were only just a child. You made my dark existence meaningful; you caused all of us a great deal of happiness. And I left you, and I will forever be sorry about that. I failed you when I never should have. But I will not fail you now. I would do anything to make sure I don't lose you again."

"How can you just spend however many years feeding me your blood every few days? How is that any kind of life?"

He couldn't help but chuckle. It her opportunity to live, and she was worried about burdening him? Oh his Mackenzie was quite the human. "I do believe I did promise to not leave for a great deal of time."

"This is different, Godric," Mackenzie sighed. "This isn't just hanging out. This is you…"

"I know what this is. And I don't care," he shook his head. "This is your life. If me giving you my blood on a regular basis means you will live, I will certainly do it."

"What it…" she chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes growing wide and frightened. "What if it doesn't work though? Wouldn't it just be false hope for everyone? For you and Eric? For me? What if it just doesn't work?"

His heart wept for her. She shouldn't have to worry about this, any of this. "What's the risk of trying? Any hope I was gladly clutch onto, so will your father. You know that he will do what is necessary should the time come, but I agree with him; you deserve a long, happy human life."

Mackenzie was petrified.

She was scared about the possibility of this not working, of falling ill again and again. Could she handle being near death again? It was draining. A few more hospital visits and maybe she would just be ready to give up, to not even let Eric turn her. She was scared she would just let death consume her, to not even fight.

She was scared of consuming even more of Godric's blood. Would the dreams haunt her for the rest of her life? Would her attraction for Godric only continue to grow and grow until it was suffocating? Could either of the live like that? She knew how she felt, but she didn't know about Godric. Maybe it was just the bond. Maybe their shared dream had been the only reason they had sex that one night in Dallas.

She was scared of living. She hadn't prepared herself for being alive. She hadn't made plans. She hadn't thought of anything passed graduation and returning home to live her last few months in peace. That was it. That was as far as Mackenzie had gone in planning her life. Now what? What was she supposed to do now if this did work?

"It's your choice, Miss Northman. What should I tell your father?" Ludwig's question interrupted her thoughts.

Eric. Oh god, she hadn't thought about Eric. He wouldn't like this at all. Sure, it would be hope. But it would be Godric's blood. It would mean Godric always being around. This would tie her to Godric literally for the rest of her life. He was going to be furious; there was no doubt about it.

"It's your choice," Godric pulled her attention back onto the vampire. "Not Eric's, and certainly not mine. Whatever you choose, I will support."

She stared up at him, trying to process everything she had just been told, to try and clear her thoughts to find the answer she sought. If she didn't agree to this, there was a very good chance she was going to die. She wasn't sure how to live, but was she ready not to live at all? She was entirely prepared to be turned, but was that really what she wanted now? There were still so many things she hadn't experienced. She had never gone out on a real date. She hadn't been to Europe. She had never tasted alcohol before. She had never just really been a teenager. Was she ready to give all that up for a live of darkness and blood?

No.

Not yet, anyways.

"You promise you won't just leave me, that you won't just…go away," she needed to know Godric was in this for the long haul, that they wouldn't be months down the road and he was ready to throw in the towel. If she was going to do this, if she was going to live with the help of his blood, she needed to know that she had him.

"Never again," he vowed, a smile tugging at his lips. He already knew her answer.

"You never did answer me, you know," she pointed out, her heart pounding once again in her chest. "Do you regret it?"

Godric quickly eyed Ludwig, the doctor doing her best to ignore their personal conversation.

"Do you?" she prodded.

"I should," he admitted. "God only knows I should."

"But…"

His gaze dropped to her lips. He needed to regret it. He needed to regret everything. But how could he?

"I can't. I can't regret it," his thumb ghosted across her bottom lip. She shuddered at the intimate touch, goose bumps rising on her arms.

"Then I want to live."

A/N: One more chapter until the epilogue! EEK! Can't believe it's actually coming to an end (sort of)