Chapter 9:

A spike of adrenaline made me jump out of my car and run as fast as I could towards the shed in the backyard: I needed to get a weapon. Any weapon was better than the pepper spray I had at that moment.

Ah, shit!

Hadn't I put a stake in my car just before I left for my shift that morning? I could have used that as a weapon but nooooo, I had let my panic take over.

Footsteps thundered on the gravel and I knew he was close behind me. Well, too late! I couldn't go back anymore.

Thankfully I had put on running shoes earlier instead of heels so I was pretty quick on my feet and reached the shed in record time. I opened the door and grabbed the first thing my hand landed on: The shovel. As good as anything.

Unfortunately Renée was directly behind me and grabbed me in a choke hold before I could swing the shovel around.

Bitch … fangbanger … whore … needs to die!

His thoughts were so dark and ugly they were ringing in my head. It almost put my mind on overload but the adrenaline and fear helped me shake it off before it could consume me completely.

Just before I broke away completely I saw something that almost made me pause: It was rapidly flowing images flashing through his mind but the images I did manage to see, and the order those flashes appeared in, allowed me to confirm my suspicions.

First there was Arlene smiling suggestively at him, then Maudette as he murdered her, then Arlene again as she had this calculating look on her face; a look I had seen plenty over the last couple of days whenever she saw me. The next image was of Dawn as she lay dead on her bed. There was Arlene again and she looked disgusted with something and then Tina flying around on the ceiling fan.

If I wasn't distracted right then I would have doubled over in disgust myself and then probably thrown up whatever was left in my stomach.

Finally there was another image of Arlene, smiling sweetly at him and saying … something … yes, 'you know the whore deserves it Renée'.

Some of it could easily be explained away since Renée had been married to Arlene once already and was dating her again. I also knew without a doubt that he was the killer of Maudette and Dawn as well. But I knew better than to just assume the obvious. I knew the order the images flashed through his mind was the key. It wasn't random but exactly the way they happened: Arlene was his accomplice! Or maybe not his accomplice in the literal sense but at least an accessory to the crime. She definitely knew what Renée was doing. And I would even go so far as to accuse her of ordering him to kill those women if the conversation I got from his mind was any indication.

Oh. That. BITCH!

My anger over the images gave me a lot more strength.

Since Renée was underestimating me I was able to free my right arm from his hold with a hard jerk, swing it around and bang the shovel handle against his temple. Unfortunately I didn't get him with the sharp end but it was enough to catch him off balance and bring him to his knees.

"Bitch," he cursed as he held the side of his head.

I almost did a victory dance for my luck but I didn't have the time to linger on that thought. I turned around and ran towards the house at full speed.

Shotgun! I need that damn rifle!

Just as I reached the steps of the back porch I somehow stumbled over my own feet and almost crashed into the stairs. I had to support myself with my arms on a step and lost the shovel in the process.

Now I was the one who cursed but I didn't have the time to retrieve it. Renée was back on his feet and coming towards me. With a jolt of fear I jumped to the back door and flung it open; if I'd had the time to think about it I would have freaked out that it was open at all.

But that's where my luck finally ended. I had only made it a few steps into the mud room when Renée caught me. Something wrapped around my throat and suddenly I couldn't get enough air.

I opened my mouth to gasp for air but nothing happened. Panic consumed me as black spots started dancing in front of my eyes and my lungs were screaming for air. My fingers clawed at whatever was strangling me but that time I was not strong enough. My strength was waning more and more quickly with each passing second and I knew I only had a few more seconds left before I lost consciousness. I could feel the blackness beckoning me.

That's when I felt it: A new presence rising inside my body. I had felt it for a while; that something was happening with me. I always thought that my personality was changing but then I realized it was something entirely different: A different person. No, it was still me but different – separated.

And right at that moment she tried to stretch and grow inside me – to take over my body and mind – but she felt too weak to manage it yet.

'You will not give up! This is not how we will meet our end! No way', she screamed at me.

Her anger gave me a boost of strength and coupled with my fear it was a good motivator to fight and stay alive.

And I fought!

I threw my body to the left and right, put my elbows to use and tried to catch him off balance; I tried to bang the back of my head into his face and used my fingers as claws.

Oh, I landed a few good blows – I was sure of it – but Renée held on and didn't once lose his hold on me.

I felt myself slipping away and with it the hope of my survival. My body was not strong enough to fight him anymore. My lungs were burning from lack of oxygen and I could barely see anything. So this is how it feels to die. Not exactly how I envisioned it but I couldn't do anything about it anymore.

And what would happen then? Once I was dead he would leave without a trace, probably leave Bon Temps entirely and start killing elsewhere and if not he would go home as if nothing had happened; they would trust him because he was such a 'good and kind' man and in the meantime my gran would come home and discover my body and would have yet another family member to bury.

'No', the word echoed in my head.

Another surge of anger went through me at the thought that I would lose my life at the hands of that bastard. Especially when I tried every precaution I could think of in such a short amount of time. I even bought the damn pepper spray and couldn't use…

The pepper spray!

That thought gave me the last reserves of strength to brace my body against Renée's. Somehow I managed to shove him backwards against the dryer. I ripped the pepper spray out of my jeans pocket and sprayed it in the direction of his face.

Apparently I hit my mark because he finally lost his hold on me and cried out, "You bitch, I will kill you!"

For two precious seconds all I could do was get the desperately needed oxygen into my lungs but my relief was short lived when he made an attempt at grabbing me again. He couldn't really see so he missed me but it finally got me back into action.

'Move', the other Sookie commanded.

I jumped out of the way and without thinking I lunged for the laundry detergent. I grabbed the handle, swung the bottle around and hit him in the shoulder and side of his head. He stumbled backwards and to the floor but caught himself with his hands. I didn't wait for him to get up again. I banged the kitchen door open and ran inside. My eyes found the fridge first so I threw the door open and grabbed the first things that were in my way. The first thing that went flying at the bastard, who was already through the door, was a carton of milk then the eggs, vegetables and even a pitcher of sweet tea.

I didn't know if the food hit its target but the glass pitcher hit him square in the chest. He was knocked backwards and the glass shattered into a million pieces while the liquid splashed everywhere. At least a few fragments hit him in the face and made him bleed. But even that didn't hinder him from getting to me. His face was distorted into an evil smirk like he knew I wouldn't escape him.

Fuck! He was a damn maniac! A crazed maniac!

I could see it in his eyes: this dark, wild thing that had eradicated every last bit of rational human being. He was out to kill and he would stop at nothing until he had done the job: it was kill or be killed. It was like the old Renée, the one who was friends with my brother and a good father to Arlene's kids, didn't exist anymore. It was like he had two personalities, like a schizophrenic.

At that realization I knew I would have to kill him myself if help didn't get there quickly. I cursed myself again for not contacting Eric sooner. Even with his vampire speed or the pedal to the metal he would still need 20 to 30 minutes to get here.

Well, hell! I couldn't do anything about it.

So I frantically looked around the room for some kind of weapon. The shotgun was in the hallway closet so it was out of the question because Renée was between me and the gun.

As my gaze swept over the kitchen counter I finally – finally – saw the big knife screaming for my attention. It must have been a leftover from Maxine's cooking and I could have kissed her at that moment.

I made a run for it and almost crashed to the ground when my shoes couldn't get enough grip on the slippery floor. I slid to the counter and my fingers grabbed the knife.

"You are so dead, you bitch," I heard directly behind me.

I jumped around - while holding the knife in front of me – just in time to see Renée making a mad dash … directly into the blade.

For a tiny second the world seemed to stand still. Renée's face was frozen into this angry mask. He hadn't even registered what had happened yet. I could feel the knife enter his body like it would cut into butter: I will never forget that horrible feeling.

Then, just like that, time rushed forward again and I didn't even have time to brace myself as he crashed into me full force. My back was thrown into the edge of the counter and a deep pain rolled up my spine. I couldn't even form a scream because my throat was raw from the strangulation.

With the pain and all that had happened in the last few minutes the last bit of energy finally left my body. My knees buckled and with the extra weight of Renée my feet slipped on the wet floor.

As luck would have it I banged my head against the counter before we fell into a heap on the floor.

Then everything went black.

I could hear voices in the distance; they sounded muffled, like I had cotton in my ears. Confused, I tried to remember what had happened but I couldn't come up with anything. My mind was a complete blank.

Nothing. Nada.

Or maybe it was because my brain wanted to break through my skull judging by the jackhammer pounding in my head. The pain was blinding and it weighed my body down. My limbs felt like they weighed a ton … and I couldn't breathe.

What the hell was going on?

"Sookeh," someone called.

"I'm here," I wanted to say but my lips wouldn't move at all. I couldn't move anything. It was like I was paralyzed and I could feel the weakness settle in my bones.

"Sookie," another voice called and this time it was closer. It was male and sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. I knew I should have known who it was but my mind seemed to be hiking through mud.

I heard a commotion and a lot of muffled voices, "Get out of the way, Compton," the same voice as before snarled. Then a few moments later a weight was lifted off me.

Finally I could breathe freely again and as I sucked the much needed oxygen into my lungs the fog in my mind slowly seemed to clear as well.

Then I heard a woman cry, "Oh my god, Sookie!"

"Adele, I told you to stay in the living room and call the police! You shouldn't see this!" The male's voice – Eric's, thank god - had so much authority in his tone that even I wanted to stand at attention and yell "Sir, yes, sir," while saluting.

Something about Gran being there bugged me though. She shouldn't have seen that … shouldn't have seen me like that … in the kitchen … which was a mess … because…

My eyes snapped open and I croaked out, "Renée," in a strangled whisper. My throat felt like it was on fire and even more so when I swallowed.

Eric, who was hovering over me, understood me regardless. "He's dead," he said as he nodded toward where he had tossed the body.

I closed my eyes again in relief. Thank god, it was over. Maybe I should have felt guilt that I'd killed a person but I couldn't. Not when that person had killed three people and had tried to murder me as well. I knew I was lucky that I came out of it alive: It had been a choice between me and him and I chose me.

I opened my eyes again and caught Eric's gaze. The relief and softness I saw on his face made my heart beat faster and a thousand butterflies started to flutter in my stomach. Did he care about me? Not just professionally but privately as well? Could he really like me for me and not just the telepathic curiosity that seemed to lighten his boredom? I knew that something was happening between us; an affection that was more than lust but I didn't know if he felt it as well.

The first time I had laid eyes on him I had known that he would change my life and not necessarily in a bad way. And I had the feeling the connection between us – and I wasn't thinking only about the blood tie we had – went deeper than affection between two people. He was changing me mentally and physically as well. I didn't know how, I didn't know why – yet – but I was going to find out. We were going to have a serious and long talk once this whole mess was over.

"You are a troublemaker, Ms. Stackhouse. I have a feeling you will keep me on my toes. I like it," he said with a waggle of his eyebrows but his eyes still had not lost the soft look.

I snorted, or at least I tried. The wince that accompanied the sound seemed to wake up my body as it remembered that it was pretty banged up. The pain only made me wince more.

Fuck you, Renée!

"Let me heal you, Sookie," Eric offered with concern in his voice and his wrist poised at his mouth, only waiting for me to say yes.

I pondered that for a minute or two, unsure. Oh, I was tempted, believe me. The pain was really bad but I knew the police needed to see what Renée had done to me or they would think I killed him in cold blood. Oh yes, you heard me right: Andy would never believe me if he didn't see the evidence with his own eyes. He would probably turn it around on me: either make me the serial killer or Jason's accomplice; I wouldn't put it past him. That way he would get rid of both of us.

So no, as much as I wanted to take Eric's offer, I couldn't; at least not yet. I shook my head and pointed in the general direction of the dead body with my eyes; trying to make him understand.

He followed my gaze, "Ah yes. The police need the evidence and with what I've seen of Mr. Bellefleur's detective skills I don't expect him to come to the right conclusions without it."

Could he read my mind now that we had a connection? The thought sounded scary.

"Can you sit up?"

I carefully nodded and Eric helped me into a sitting position. Though my body hurt all over nothing seemed broken, thank god for that. Though my clothes felt disgustingly sticky on my skin because of the wet floor I had laid on but I bigger problems to care about that.

I took a look around the room and for the first time registered, with some form of detachment, the mess I had made. Food, liquid and blood were everywhere, on the cabinets, the floor and the furniture. But I didn't care about any of it because when I looked at the dead body that had been Renée I still felt nothing but a deep sense of relief. Relief that it was over and I was still alive; and judging from the knife sticking out of his gut, a tiny, tiny sense of rightness deep inside me that he got what he deserved.

That thought disturbed me though. How could I feel satisfaction that someone had suffered? Someone who had died at my hands? True, it was self-defense - either him or me – but I still killed a man.

Shock rolled through my body.

I. Killed. A. Man.

As these words finally settled in my mind I started shaking like a leaf. The magnitude of what had just happened shocked me to my core. My breath became quicker as panic overruled my thoughts. I replayed the scene of Renée running into the knife over and over; the sickening feeling of flesh giving way and the coppery smell of blood gushing out of the wound. What had I done? What would happen now? What…

Cold hands grabbed my face and suddenly lips covered mine in a toe curling kiss. Another kind of shock crashed over my body as Eric kissed me like I had never been kissed before. His lips were cool yet soft and it was such an erotic combination that my body began to warm up like it had a fever. Passion and electric desire flared between us and I could feel the bond between us humming with the same energy.

When I gasped in surprise he took advantage and took control of my mouth with both his lips and his tongue. I had no other choice but to hang on for dear life.

Cookie had woken up by then and she made it abundantly clear that she wanted to play as well. A surge went through my body and I found myself returning his kiss with equal wild abandon. Our tongues battled for dominance which neither of us could win; we didn't want to.

Eric was the first to break the kiss. I was panting for breath as he leaned his forehead against mine and said, "I'm proud of you. You fought like a Valkyrie of my time would have. Nothing of this is your fault. You defended yourself. It was either you or him and I'm glad it was you."

It was like I was doused with cold water. For a few precious seconds I'd completely forgotten what had happened. Apparently he had felt my near panic attack and had decided to distract me; which he did in a most effective, and erotic, way.

I looked him in the eyes … and what I saw made me hold my breath. The stormy ocean was back. But the image was more vivid and colorful than before: the waves of the ocean were darker, wilder and … were there thunderclouds in the distance? The salt on my tongue seemed spicier as well and I could smell the air charged with energy. My skin began to tingle and this something – or someone – in me seemed to reach out as if it wanted to touch him and I felt her … longing.

"Your eyes," I whispered, mesmerized.

"Yes," he answered but I had the feeling it was an answer to a question I hadn't asked yet.

"Sookie," I heard my grandmother say. Breaking out of my trance I turned my head and saw her leaning heavily against the doorway. She was deathly pale and seemed to be shaking all over. Now that I looked at her I remembered her voice had sounded too thin as well.

"Gran," I croaked out, "Are you okay?" Concerned for her I tried to stand up but only managed it with Eric's help. My back was screaming at me that it didn't appreciate the treatment but I barely registered it as I made my way over to her.

I didn't make it.

She suddenly gripped her chest, her eyes rolled back into her head and then she collapsed.

I heard myself scream as Eric zoomed past me and caught her before she could hit the floor.

He laid her gently on the floor then felt for a pulse at her throat.

"Oh my god, Gran," I cried. I was rooted to the spot and could do nothing but watch. Eric cursed then ripped the upper half of her dress open before he started CPR.

Oh god, no. No!

"Sookie, can you do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation?" The authority in his tone made me surge forward. It was not even a question, just a nicely wrapped command.

And I was thankful for that because I didn't think I could have functioned on my own right then.

I dropped to the floor opposite him and did what he told me to do and when to do it.

In the background I could hear sirens speeding down our street then the driveway and it was the longest minutes, or hours – I didn't know anymore – of my life before the police and paramedics rushed through the door.

I was shoved out of the way and I could hear voices all around me but I couldn't register anything. I had tunnel vision and only saw the lifeless body of my gran on that floor – not moving, not breathing, not anything.

Eric wrapped me in his arms and that broke the dam: I sagged against him and wept silent tears. Tears of shock, tears of relief and most of all tears of loss because I knew deep down that after that horrible day nothing would ever be the same again.

Even after I observed how they revived her and laid her on a stretcher to get her in an ambulance the feeling didn't go away.

I wanted to go with her but they said there was no room and that I needed to wait for the other ambulance which they had called for me. I protested but even Eric said it would be for the best. I gave up and made my peace with it.

After my gran was out of their way and on her way to the hospital the room erupted into chaos. It was a scene like I'd only ever seen in a movie or a tv show, just with much less professionalism.

Meanwhile the other ambulance had arrived and I was examined while Sheriff Dearborn and Andy interrogated me – yes, that's exactly the right word for it. After they went through the whole evening twice and asked the same questions over and over again, I'd had enough. I opened my mouth but before I could bite their heads off Eric sprang into action and glamoured them into silence.

That didn't mean they were silent in their heads though: All her fault … fangbanger … wouldn't have happened to Adele … shame, can't pin this on them.

I don't know whether it was the roller coaster of a day or the pent-up rage over the years that made me snap. Tremendous fury consumed me and made me get up from the stretcher. The paramedic protested and Eric had to help steady me because I was wobbly on my feet. Not being able to move the way I normally would just added to my anger and my pride took a hit when I wouldn't stand tall and strong in front of those two idiots. I knew that I was doing my body more harm than good and was going to pay for it later but I so didn't care about it right then. I marched forward – or hobbled was more like it - to the doorway to the kitchen where Andy and Bud were standing and talking in hushed voices.

Once again I could feel this strange stretching in me as if another person lived inside my body and wanted to take control but was still not strong enough. I ignored that feeling though because I had reached my target and finally exploded.

I didn't care that my voice was hoarse and scratchy, at best, from so much talking, "You think it's my fault he attacked me? You have the nerve to accuse me? I was the one who pointed out that Drew Marshall is the murderer." I pointed with a surprisingly steady finger to the dead body, "Renée Lanier is Drew Marshall! But you did nothing, absolutely nothing! Even worse, you talked about an ongoing investigation in public: you went to Merlotte's and joked about it. You told everyone what I'd said at the station, even the suspect's name. Renée was in the bar at the time while you made fun of me and he left shortly after that to follow me to Shreveport. You, Andy Bellefleur, made me the target, not I," I screamed at him. I knew it came out more like a loud whisper and that made me even angrier. I got right in his face – or at least I tried.

Arms as hard as steel wrapped around my waist and held me against Eric's hard body while his cold hands covered mine.

"Shhh," he whispered in my ear.

I ignored him and fixed my stare with Andy's. An invisible hand seemed to reach for the star that symbolized my connection with the vampire behind me. Eric became rigid as if he had felt it. Then something seemed to snap into place as I hissed at my opponent, "If my gran dies because of this, I will make you responsible for it. I will make sure you know you have blood on your hands for the rest of your sorry life!"

"Sookie, stop it. Your hands and eyes are glowing. Calm down!" Eric's voice seemed strained as he murmured in my ear.

That shook me out of my trance. They did what?

Before I even registered the meaning I was turned around and pressed into his chest as if he wanted to conceal me from the other people in the room.

For the first time I was engulfed in Eric's very own scent: a stormy ocean in the winter; just like I'd seen in his eyes. Why hadn't I smelled that before? Or maybe I had but never registered it because of what was going on around us at the time?

It didn't matter anyway; my body seemed to accept it as the signal to collapse. All the adrenaline and energy I had left in me just disappeared.

Eric swept me up in his arms and carried me outside to the waiting ambulance.

My night didn't seem to be over though, not by a long shot, "Sookeh!"

God no, please no. Not now. Not ever again! I was so sick of his nasally, whiny voice. Would he ever give up? I had zero tolerance or patience left in me to deal with that imbecile.

"Go away, Bill! I can't deal with your shit right now," I rasped tiredly.

"Sookeh, look what you've done to yourself: You're injured. Why didn't you run to my house? You would have been safe there."

The way he said that made my skin crawl. Yeah, maybe safe from Renée but at what price? To be imprisoned by Bill so he could force his blood into me or god knows what else?

I shuddered.

The things I had discovered earlier in the evening came back to the forefront of my mind. He had either colluded with Renée and Arlene or he had manipulated and glamoured them to do his bidding, I was sure of it and it was all the same anyway. He was as guilty as the other two.

The only thing was I couldn't prove it. Or at least I didn't think so. I needed to talk to Eric about it but not now. Now I needed Bill to go away so I could get to the hospital and find out my grandmother's condition.

I turned to Eric and tried to make him understand with a meaningful eye roll toward Bill that he needed to remove that imbecile from my property. He was the Sheriff after all, right?

Eric smirked at me in understanding, then turned to the unwanted insect, "Mr. Compton, the Lady doesn't want any vampire insects in her backyard or anywhere else on her property so 'shoo shoo'," yes, he used his hands to emphasize his words, "run along and crawl back under the rock where you hide yourself when you'ŕe not pestering her or I will take you there myself."

Bill didn't seem to like that one bit, "I don't take orders from you. If Sookeh doesn't want me near her, she'll need to tell me that herself."

Uh oh, wrong thing to say!

Eric stood straighter and arched an eyebrow almost into his hairline.

That should have been warning enough, but Bill was not finished yet. He even took a step closer and had this calculating look in his eyes. "You know Sookeh, if you really were Eric's pet, he would have at least had the decency to heal your injuries. It is blasphemy to leave something like this unattended," I could see in his eyes that he was lying through his teeth but he wasn't finished, "Come, let me do that for you, let me heal your wounds." And what he did next left me staring at him open mouthed: He actually had the audacity to bite into his wrist and shove it right in front of my face.

I was flabbergasted at his brazen act and if it was not for Eric's fast reflexes, Bill's blood would actually have touched my lips. But Eric grabbed him by the throat and shook him like a ragdoll.

If possible Eric stood even taller and his face was a dark mask of rage. I gulped and … was the air charging with energy? Huh, must be my imagination.

"How dare you," he thundered, and yes, it really sounded like thunder at that moment, "disobey my order? How dare you try to force the sacred blood on an unwilling human and in front of your Sheriff!? There will be consequences," his fangs snapped down and he got right in Bill's face, snarling, "You. Will. Leave. Right. NOW!" Then he tossed Bill almost fifty feet away from us.

Wowza, is it just me or is it getting hot all of a sudden? I had the urge to fan myself. Even Cookie seemed to agree because she started purring.

Bill was either really brave or really stupid right then because he seemed to want to be difficult, like a petulant child, for a moment before he thought better of it and skulked off in the direction of the cemetery. He actually stood at the boundary of my property and glared defiantly at his better; at my Eric.

I sighed in relief when he stalked off.

Finally.

The next two hours went by faster than I thought they would. Eric rode with me in the ambulance – he probably glamoured the paramedics – and once we arrived at the hospital he never left my side once. It felt like he was my personal watchdog that night. And honestly, I was very grateful for that. Without him, I would probably have waited all night before someone took the time to look me over at all. It took him just a flash of his pretty fangs and all of a sudden doctors and nurses were flying around me like bees around their queen.

After countless exams, tests, x-rays and many pictures and samples of my injuries they wanted to keep me overnight but I vehemently refused. I would not be kept in a bed all night while wondering how my grandmother was.

No, I needed to be by her side.

That's exactly what I did. After signing a form that I released myself against medical advice Eric and I made our way up to the cardiac unit.

While we waited for the elevator I tried to distract myself from what would await me up there. Anything was better than silence and the thoughts that would unavoidably surface. So I tried to force my mind back to rational thinking and go back to what had happened that night, "The vampire you had for my protection was gone when I arrived home tonight, Eric."

He nodded pensively, "I already have Pam investigating his disappearance. He was either abducted or killed between your phone call with Pam and the time you returned from the meeting."

I swallowed hard and hoped that the vampire was not killed because of me. He was just ordered to protect me and didn't do anything to warrant his death. How could that have happened anyway? He was a vampire for Christ's sake! He was strong and only Eric and Pam knew about him. Yeah sure Bill lived next door but would he be able to … Oh my god! "Bill was waiting in the tree line last night when you told me you would have a vampire in the woods and he arrived late for the meeting tonight. He said he had car trouble," I said and then told him the short version of what had happened and what I suspected between him, Renée and Arlene.

Eric's face became a mask of rage as he heard that. Thank god we were in the elevator by then so no-one saw the scary vampire.

He started to pace the small confines of the cabin, "I suspected something like that already. When I arrived at your home earlier he was pacing the back porch and muttering something that sounded like 'should not have happened that way' before he registered that I had arrived."

I wrapped my arms around myself, not knowing whether I was using it as a shield from the outside world or protecting Eric from the rage that wanted to consume me. I had a feeling Bill's machinations went far deeper than anyone thought. Something was going on, something regarding me, and it drove me crazy that I didn't know what it was. The pile of unanswered questions and mysteries to solve went higher and higher every minute that passed.

"What will you do about him," I asked because I couldn't imagine him letting this slide. But did I really want to know?

Eric's lips twisted into a very scary and evil smile, "Oh, don't worry about that. Concentrate on your grandmother and let me play Sheriff."

I shuddered but before I could say anything though the elevator doors opened and we stepped out into cardiac unit.

Unfortunately my night turned into an even bigger nightmare after that. Gran's doctor told me that she had suffered a bad heart attack and it weakened her heart too much for her to survive the night.

It felt like I had the bottom drop out of my world and I was falling into a black hole. This couldn't be happening! Why was this happening?

Seemingly in a daze I watched her through the window that separated the hallway and the room she was laying in. Gran looked frail in her hospital bed and the stark white sheets made her look deathly pale; not to mention all the wires and machines surrounding her.

I couldn't believe that the woman who raised me and was my rock for the last twenty years was going to die. I couldn't comprehend it; I didn't want to understand or even believe it.

"Sookie," Eric startled me out of my melancholy. I looked up to him through misty eyes. "Let me heal you before you go in there. The police has all the evidence they need now. I don't want you to suffer unnecessary."

Maybe I did need to. I had killed a man tonight. It didn't matter that he was out to get me but because of my carelessness my gran was going to die. I think I was punishing myself for this with pain.

So I just shook my head and said, "No, but thank you, Eric. I really appreciate you offering."

I took a deep breath to get some strength, then went inside and took a seat next to the bed. Eric was like a silent shadow behind me but I barely registered him.

Gran opened her eyes slowly as I sat down. She looked exhausted but her eyes were as clear and sharp as ever, "Sookie, darling. Are you okay?" Her voice sounded raspy and frail and I was once again confronted with the thought of losing her.

"Yes, Gran. It's just minor injuries, looks worse than it is."

"Good, that's good." She shook her head slightly, "Don't understand how Renée could do this."

I took her hand in mine, "Don't worry about it, Gran. All you need to concentrate on is getting well again."

She looked at me shrewdly, "You know as well as I do that I'm not coming home, Sookie."

Shock rolled through my body and I let out a strangled sob. It was bad enough to hear something like that from a doctor but it was entirely different to hear it from the very person who's affected, "No, you will recover! There are ways to heal you," I said while vehemently shaking my head. How could she say that? Did she not want to get better?

As I said the word 'heal', I remembered how Eric had offered to heal me just a few moments ago. I know he said that the vampire blood was sacred and they wouldn't give it to just anybody. I just hoped he would make an exception and it wasn't too much to ask of him. On the other hand I was grasping at straws.

I turned around to Eric who was leaning against the window in the shadows, "Eric, could you give her some of your blood? Would that heal her?" I looked at him pleadingly and hoped that he would help me.

Eric sighed, an uncharacteristic gesture from him, and said, "I would heal her and I would have so earlier when she'd collapsed. I asked her last night already when you got her a glass of water but she declined."

An even bigger shock rolled through me that he had asked her of his own volition and that she had declined his generous offer.

I turned around to give my grandmother a tongue lashing but what I saw on her face made me pause. Dread settled in the pit of my stomach as I looked back over the last few days and then months. There were little clues here and there, her getting slower, her being more tired than usual, her being short of breath sometimes and then last night her refusing to go to the hospital at all. How did I not see it coming? I was a telepath for goodness' sake but I hadn't seen it. Or did I not want to see it?

I gulped, then whispered, "You knew?"

She just looked at me sadly which just broke my heart, "I didn't know but I've suspected it for a while now."

"But why didn't you go to the doctor?"

She just shook her head instead of answering me, "It's time for me to go, Sookie. I'm tired and I want to be with my loved ones. It's time."

I shook my head, not understanding why she was giving up so easily, "What about Jason and me? We need you!"

Gran smiled fondly, "No, you don't need me anymore. Look at you, all grown up; you made something of yourself. And I think you have finally found the one thing you were looking for all your life, you just didn't know what it was." She said the last part with a smile on her face and a look to where Eric was standing.

I blushed scarlet. Was she implying that Eric and I … but how would she even know that? She had only known him for 24 hours. Her words implied that she was pretty sure about that. It just confused me.

I sucked in a startled breath when a cold hand landed on my shoulder and a thumb stroked my neck in a soothing gesture, "I will wait outside the door," Eric said softly. I could only nod without looking at him. I was scared to see the look on his face after her dropping that bomb.

I took a shuddering breath when I heard the soft whoosh of the closing door. "What about Jason? I don't think I can handle him alone."

"Yes you can. It's time to think about yourself now. You're not living for your brother or even for me, but for yourself. And I know you are destined for greatness.

"Jason is not your problem anymore, he never really has been; your sweet self just took up his cause and made it your own.

"He's a grown man and he needs to stand on his own two feet. You can't rescue him every time he gets into trouble. Jason needs to do that himself. Promise me that, Sookie!"

"Okay," I said in a strangled whisper. Tears ran down my face. I tried to smile at her but I don't know if I was successful.

Gran squeezed my hand and looked me square in the eye. She seemed … nervous for some reason, "Sookie, there's something I need to tell you." She sighed and I gave her my full attention. I had a feeling this was something fundamental, something that would turn my life upside down: A knot formed in my stomach. "I've lied to you. I'm so sorry, I was instructed not to tell you anything until the time was right," she paused and seemed to ponder how to tell me whatever it was.

"Gran, you don't need to tell me when it's so hard for you!"

"No Sookie. I've carried it around with for so long now, I need to get this off my chest."

Confused about what could be such a burden I said, "Alright." I tried to stay out of her head because it really seemed important to her. That way I could give her a chance to say it out loud.

"Your grandfather, Sookie … your grandpa Mitchell is not your real grandfather. I'm really sorry. You have no idea how it ate away at me not to tell you the truth … but I couldn't … I was not allowed to…" She started blabbing and I could see on the monitor that her heart rate was picking up. She became agitated when she thought I would not understand and that I wouldn't be able to forgive her. I plucked that right out of her head that time. I didn't mean to but I couldn't help it at that point.

I became scared and tried to calm her down, though I was pretty damn shocked at what she had just revealed, "Ssshh, Gran. Calm down! It's okay, I'm not angry. I still love you, no matter what."

A few minutes passed before she had calmed down enough to continue her speech and for me to not bite my fingernails in fear anymore. Though I could see that this little episode had weakened her even more. I cursed myself for even letting it get that far. "There … there are things in an old desk in the attic … letters and other things that will explain everything. You need to find it as soon as possible. I'm really sorry that you had to find out this way. You will probably hate me once you realize what's really going on."

I didn't know what to make of the last comment but I would think about that later. "Gran, it's really okay. I'm not angry with you, please believe me." All the little clues Eric had given me the last couple of days made so much more sense right then. The way I had always felt different, especially when the vampires revealed themselves, made that feeling so much stronger. So the fact that grandpa Mitchell was not my real grandfather shouldn't have really surprised me, should it? I needed to know, so I took a deep breath to get some courage and said, "I already have a suspicion what this is about: I'm not entirely human, am I?"

Gran sighed and couldn't look me in the eye for a moment. That was all the confirmation I needed though.

"It's fine, Gran, really! I could never hate you, no matter what you think you did, no matter what this is about and no matter what is to come, alright? I love you," I assured her and at that moment I meant every single word.

Gran seemed to recognize it as well. She smiled at me gratefully and nodded.

Then it was I who became nervous, "It seems it's time for confessions and I one of my own, Gran. I know for a few days now but there was never time to tell you. Hell, with everything going on…"

"Baby girl, you're blabbing. It may seem like I have all the time in the world but I don't." Was that her attempt at making a joke? I couldn't believe how she could take her dying so laid-back, so easy going as if she was looking forward to it. I had to restrain myself from breaking down in sobs again.

I swallowed a big lump and blurted out, "I found Hadley."

Her eyes became wide as saucers and her mouth dropped open before it formed into a radiant and relieved smile. Oh, how I was going to miss that. "Where? Where is she? She's well, right?"

I had to hold myself back from rolling my eyes, "Yes, alive and very well as it seems. She lives in New Orleans now and is very close with Eric's … boss."

Her eyes perked up even more if it was possible, "Hadley's with a vampire?" She nodded and smiled to herself, "Two of my dear babies are with vampires. If only your brother would come around and see the light."

I grimaced because I didn't see that happening, ever. And just to be on the safe side I withhold the information about Hadley being more than buddy buddy with a female vampire. Not that Gran would be prejudiced about homosexuality, it didn't matter to her at all; hell my dear friend Lafayette was as flamboyant as they came and she loved him as if he was her own grandson. I just had no patience for her endless questions about it. Not that I knew anything about it anyway. I knew I sounded selfish but I didn't want to discuss my ungrateful cousin if it was the last few hours I had left with my gran.

"Thank you for telling me this, sweetheart. It feels like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders," she said and then her eyelids drooped, "I'm really tired, Sookie. I'm going to close my eyes for a few minutes."

I gulped, "Okay Gran," I squeaked out, scared that that would be my last moment with her.

But she surprised me, "Don't worry, I'm not giving my last breath until I give that brother of yours a last tongue lashing," she smiled weakly. I let out a strangled laugh but I'm sure it came out more like a sob. Tears were flowing freely again because I could just imagine her doing that. And I would do that as well when I had him alone.

Apparently the night before had repeated itself. Eric had been nice enough to call Jason before we drove to the hospital. Of course no-one answered so he was forced to leave a message on the voicemail. We'd been at the hospital for hours at that point and Jason was still not there.

It took him a half hour more to finally arrive, and with a bang – literally. I could already hear him when he was coming down the corridor, "Where is she? Where is my gran?" I heard him say as he came closer. But it became eerily silent just a moment before the door opened and a very angry vampire – fangs down in a snarl and all – came in while dragging a disheveled and mute Jason in behind him by his shirt collar, much like you would drag a muddy dog to the tub for a bath.

I had to cover my mouth with a hand to not laugh out loud at the scene in front of me. It was not a laughing matter that Gran was laying there dying.

I gave Eric a grateful smile and he winked back at me before he closed the door again.

Everything after that was pretty much a blur. Gran woke up again and when she saw Jason finally sitting next to me she really gave him the tongue lashing he would likely never forget as long as he lived.

At the end of it all we were both sobbing as we said good-bye and we told her one last time how much we loved her. She fell back asleep right after that and it took only a few minutes longer before her heart finally gave out.