Spellbound

Here is the next chapter. I am almost done with the story. We have but a few more chapters to go. I have to do all of my editing on my own so that's going to take a bit but I'll get there. I'm working on the chapter after this one so hopefully I can get that one posted by Saturday. I hope that you all enjoy it and let me know what you think. The characters belong to Ms. Harris but the story idea is mine.

I will also be posting a short story that has been in my mind for the past two weeks. That is complete as well but I have to edit it. It's maybe seven chapters but it's dealing with the last book. I've decided to change a few things that took place in the last book. A couple of tweaks here and there. I hope that you all look out for it.

Eric was soon standing by Sookie's bed and holding her hand. Though his face was as calm and as strong as ever, his feelings were all over the place. He'd always prided himself on his strength but since he's opened his heart to Sookie, he has no control over his feelings anymore. He never knows what to expect. He definitely didn't know what to expect from the doctor after she'd spoken such worrying words.

"The procedure went very well," Dr. Ludwig began. "You should've only suffered minor discomfort, correct?"

Sookie nodded her head yes.

Eric squeezed her hand. He felt some apprehension from her. He needed to hear her say that she was well.

"I'm fine," she said as she looked up at him. "If I'd felt any pain, I would tell you. Just as the doctor said, what discomfort I feel, it only minor. I'm good, baby."

He looked down at her and gave her quick nod. Soon after, he returned his attention to the doctor.

Dr. Ludwig removed her glasses from her face and let them dangle from the chain that was around her neck. "Now, if you want to remain fine, you are going to have to stay off of your feet, but just for awhile. We can't have you running all over town trying to save everyone else while neglecting yourself. You need to relax a lot more than you do. There's something else that you're going to have to do and this is the part that you and your husband may not like. You're going to have to stop feeding from your husband."

With surprise in her voice, Sookie asked, "What?" She looked up at Eric and then back at the doctor. "What do you mean? I need to feed from my husband." She began to blush. "I need it," she whispered.

"Just what I said," she answered. "Your baby is growing at an alarming rate. I've never seen anything like it. Your child is … I've never seen anything like it." She didn't try to hide the astonishment from her face or her voice. "This baby is extraordinary. It has to be the vampire blood and as far as I'm concerned, you've had your fill."

Sookie's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" Her grip on Eric's hand tightened. "Is he going to be okay? I can't lose my baby."

Dr. Ludwig gave Sookie a reassuring pat on her shoulder. "Your baby is going to be just fine as long as you do as I say. There are no serious issues that you have to concern yourself with at this time. Now, because of the amniocentesis, you and your stallion here will have to refrain from sex for a couple of days and you will not feed from him until after you've had this child. Am I understood?"

Sookie's mouth fell open from surprise. Since she and Eric reformed their connection, they've made love every night; at least three times a night and she loves it. She knew that it wasn't an impossible feat but she also knew that it was going to be a difficult one.

"We understand," Eric answered.

"Yeah," Sookie finally said as she let her eyes travel over his body. "We can do it."

"Good," Dr. Ludwig said. "If you begin to feel any severe cramping, you be sure to let me know. It's normal to feel a bit of cramping after the procedure but if it carries on for too long, you have to be sure to let me. That could mean that there's something more going on with you. I've never had that issue with your kind before but with the rate of your pregnancy, we need to take all precautions."

"I will," Sookie answered.

"You will not be on complete bed rest but you will limit your movements as much as possible," Dr. Ludwig said. It wasn't a question either. It was more of an order.

"I don't know …," she began. She felt Eric's body stiffen and she cut the sentences short. "I will take it easy as often as I can but will it be at all possible for me to make a few phone calls and have some guests over? There are some things that I need to work on."

"No," Dr. Ludwig answered. "I need you healthy and so does that baby of yours."

"But you said that I have to take it easy and I will but there is so much that Eric and I have to do before the baby is born," Sookie said. "There's too much at stake here."

Dr. Ludwig agreed with her. "You're right. There's a lot at stake here. With your baby growing at an alarming rate, it's not the baby that I'm concerned with at all. It's you. Your body can't handle the rate of growth that your baby is going through. You are of small stature. You may be a faery but this is unusual for your kind. Sookie, I find it hard to believe that you've not noticed. You've had to have felt some changes," she said as she sat on the edge of the bed. "Have you felt any discomfort at all?"

She said nothing. She just looked at the doctor. She was afraid to look up at Eric because of his possible reaction. She'd been feeling some discomfort but it hasn't been a regular thing. There have been times when it's been hard for her to walk. Her powers have weakened but that's to be expected. There have been times when it's hard for her to sleep but she doesn't need that much sleep. Faeries have never needed a lot of sleep. Nothing really bad has been going on with her. As far as she's concerned, she was fine.

"Sookie," Eric said. "Have you?"

"Not much," she said. "I just chalked it up to what's been going on with the work that we've been doing for André. It's not that bad, baby. I've talked to Claudette and she'd gone through some of the things that I've been feeling. It's nothing serious."

"You should've told me," he said.

"I'm sorry," Sookie said. "If it was something to worry about, I would have."

"Now that we've gotten that straight," Dr. Ludwig began. "You are going to have to take care of yourself if you want to be able to hold that little one. No more work. No more work related calls and no guests that are not just here for a visit. Now if you can't do that, I will take you to my private hospital and you will stay there until it's safe for you to return home and I'm sure that neither of you want that."

Both Eric and Sookie shook their heads no. The private hospital was so private that the patients didn't even know where they were.

"So, do we have a deal?" she asked.

"We have," Sookie said.

"Glad to hear that," Dr. Ludwig said. "I'm going to go and look in on Pam and then I'm going to check on the girl. Any updates that I have, I will give them to Eric." She looked up at Eric and said, "I'll meet with you in fifteen minutes to let you know what's going on."

Eric nodded. "I'll meet you in my office."

Ludwig nodded and left the room. She also made sure to close the door behind her.

Once they were alone, Eric looked down at Sookie and said, "You should've told me; regardless of how minor the aches and pains were. I'm not going to lose you. I would love to be a father again. To have the best parts of you and me walking this world would be my greatest gift but if it comes at the cost of your life, I don't need to be a father."

"I do love you," she said.

Eric looked straight ahead. It never once occurred to him that something could happen to Sookie because of the pregnancy. He'd just assumed that she and the baby would be okay. She's a faery and they are normally extremely healthy creatures; couple that with the fact that she's been having lots of his blood, Eric believed that she and the baby would sail through the pregnancy with flying colors. He didn't think that his blood would also be a part of the problem. He wanted a family with her more than anything. He never believed it to be possible but if it means losing her, he doesn't need a child.

"But you have to promise me something," she said.

He knew what she was going to say to him before she said it. She was going to make him choose between her and the baby. That was a choice that he could not make. "I can't do that," he answered as he continued to look straight ahead.

She sighed as she looked up a him. "I don't want you to have to choose, Eric but if you have to, it has to be our child. What if you resent me if something happens to the baby because I didn't take better care of myself? This may be our only chance. This is supposed to happen. Andromeda predicted that our child will change the world. This may be our only chance," she repeated.

"No," he answered. He looked her in her eyes and said, "If this is our only chance and it doesn't work out then so be it. I could not and would not resent you because nature as seen fit to decide that it's not our time to be parents. You were the one that spoke of us not being able to live without one another and now you expect me to let you go without pause or consideration?" He shook his head no. "I will not do that."

"But…," she began.

With his voice firm and hard, he said, "Do not ask that of me again, Sookie. Do not do that to me. A life without you is not in my future. We have too much to do together and too much to see. You cannot ask this of me."

She looked up at him and her heart shattered into a million pieces. She'd never seen such pain on Eric's face. She could feel it as it coursed through the bond but his eyes were heartbreaking. She could see that he was trying his hardest to be strong but at this, he was failing. She nodded her head. "Forgive me," she said. "I will never ask that of you again. You won't have to make the choice. I'm going to do as the doctor has told me to do and everything is going to be peachy keen, jelly bean."

His eyes softened as he gently squeezed her hand. "That's all I ask," he whispered.

Tears began to fall from Sookie's eyes.

Eric sighed deeply as he wiped the tears from her face. "I'm sorry," he said as lay down in the bed next to her. Resting his forehead against hers, he said, "Forgive me if my decision has hurt you."

"Forgive me for asking you to choose," she whispered. Guilt filled her. She used her finger to trace along his jaw line and to his beautiful mouth. "My love," she whispered.

Eric moaned hungrily before touching his lips to hers. Sookie knew that she should've pushed him away. She and Eric don't know how to kiss and end it with just a kiss. She should've stopped him but she didn't bother to. She melted into him and wrapped her arms around him, digging her fingers into his back as she forced her body closer into his. Their kiss deepened as his hardness throbbed against her thigh. Eric tugged her head back in order to taste more of her mouth.

Out of instinct, she reached in between them and began fiddling with the button on his jeans.

He grabbed her hand and stopped her. He didn't want to. He had to.

"Okay," she said with a smile as she licked her swollen lips. She inhaled deeply and asked, "So, what are we going to do about the no sex and blood rule? I don't like that one bit."

Eric watched her mouth and he wanted more but he stopped himself. "It's going to be hard but we can do it. We can do other things. I've heard of a new thing called sexting and we can please each other orally. She didn't say that we couldn't do oral sex. I'm thinking that's not included. It wouldn't make sense to me if it was included."

She laughed as she stroked his hand. "It's only two days and just a heads up; sexting is not new. People have been doing it for years. Anyway, I think that we're strong enough to make it for two days without sex and we can start by keeping our minds out of the gutter. Let's talk about what happened while you were at rest. The girl that the good doctor was talking about is Amelia. She is here."

Eric cocked an eyebrow. "How?" he asked.

"I was sleeping on the couch and ended up in the woods and running through the mud. She was calling to me and she showed me where she was but before I could go to her, Maggie and Drayton found her," Sookie said. She was going to try and ease Fintan's name into the conversation later. She didn't want to upset him with everything that they've just learned from the doctor.

"Is she well?" he asked.

"No," she said. "She's damaged but she has hope. She just has to remember that she has hope. She's blaming herself for what happened to her friends. She wakes up screaming and begging for death. Death isn't what she wants." Sookie gripped Eric's hand. "I promise that I won't go out looking for Freyda or André and I won't do anything to jeopardize our lives but please, let me be there for her. She can't do this alone. She needs me to help her through this. If I don't help her, she's going to die."

"It will be stressful for you, Sookie," he said. "You have to take care of you. I can hire someone to look in on her, to keep watch over her."

"Please," she begged. "Someone else can't help her as I can. It has to be me. I have to help her. It won't be stressful. I will send her calm and peace. I will do whatever I have to do; within reason, to keep healthy and stress-free. If you want limitations then there will be limitations. I will do whatever you want of me but let me do this. I have to do this."

"Sookie," he began.

Her grip on his hand tightened. "We need her alive, baby," she said. "Please. Let me do this, okay?"

He thought over what she was asking of him. She wouldn't have to leave home to take care of the girl. She would have her guards with her at all times. Marco, Quinn, and Claudette will be with her during the daylight hours; not to mention Dr. Ludwig. She may be a doctor by trade but the bitch is fierce fighter by nature. Sookie will have him, Thalia, and Sal to watch over her at night. There was no real reason why she wouldn't be safe as long as they remain in the house.

"Okay," he finally agreed. "But as soon as it gets to be more than you can handle, you let me know and Claudette will gladly sit with the girl. We need her when it comes to taking André down but not at the risk of your life."

She threw her arms around his neck and thanked him over and over again. "You don't know how important this is to me. Thank you so much." She squeezed her eyes closed as she hugged him and then she saw a flash of Fintan's face. She knew that she had to tell him and she had to tell him now. This was the moment that she was dreading the most. She also knew that he'd felt the change in her demeanor because she'd felt the change in his.

With her arms still wrapped around his neck, Eric asked, "What else do you have to tell me?"

She slowly released him from her arms and smiled brightly and off she went. "We've had an eventful day. Carmichael is on the verge of falling onto his sword. Claudette and crew did a great job at crucifying him in the press. The pictures that they had at the press conference went over very well. And, umm, what else? Oh! René Leneir is finally going to go to prison for his crimes. Amanda did a wonderful job in portraying the nosy neighbor. It was quite funny. You should've seen the news reporter's face. And pretty soon, we'll make André pay for what he's done. You will sit at the head of the council and we'll be safe. Isn't that great?"

Eric only frowned. He knew that there was more to what she was saying. A rambling Sookie was never a good thing.

"We have Amelia and thank the gods that we do," she said as she nodded. "If she hadn't been found in time, she would've died. Did you know that she used the little strength that she had left and called out to Maggie? She showed Maggie … and me, where she was. She'd been kicked over some bank with brush, twigs, thorns, and rocks. It was horrible, Eric." She then swallowed. "I was going to go and get her but I didn't get a chance to."

"Drayton and Maggie found her, right?" he asked,

"Yes but they're not the ones that brought her here." She was trying her best to get Fintan's name to pass her lips but she was afraid of how Eric was going to react.

Propping himself up on his elbow, Eric asked, "How did she get here, Sookie?"

She chuckled loudly and quickly placed her hand over her mouth.

He'd never seen her behave in the manner in which she was behaving. Any other time he would've found it to be amusing but not tonight. If anything, it was putting him on edge. "How did she get here?" he repeated.

"Fintan," she blurted out. "He brought her here."

Eric's attitude changed completely. He was angry and his anger was strong. Fintan had been in their home after he'd warned him to stay away from his wife. Again, the faery had disrespected him by disregarding his command. He didn't want Fintan anywhere near his wife or his unborn child. He'd almost destroyed them and he had the gall to come to their home as if he were a welcomed guest? Did Fintan think that bringing Amelia to them would change his place in their lives? Did he believe that he would be forgiven?

He stood up from the bed. His muscles tensed and brow furrowed. "He is by no means allowed to come into our home again. I don't care what or whom it is that he finds. He is not family. He is nothing," he said heatedly.

Sookie could appreciate his anger; particularly after all that Fintan has done to them. She needed let him know what happened and how it happened. So she sat up in bed and said, "Let me explain. I know that he's not a part of our lives, baby, and I know that he is not family but you have to listen to me. It's not what you think. He came here to …"

"HE IS NOT WELCOMED HERE!" he yelled. His fangs had fallen into place and his fists were so tight that blood was dripping from the palms of his hands.

Sookie's eyes widened. She'd never heard her husband speak in such a tone before; especially not to her. "Eric," she said in her calmest voice. "You have to compose yourself. You have to let me explain. Please, calm down." She stared at his hands as they bled. "You are bleeding."

It was if he didn't hear that he's bleeding. "What is there to explain?" he asked. "I know what his plan is for us. I know what he wants for us. Separation. Betrayal. Distrust. Hate. Anger. Did I leave anything out? He has betrayed us for the last time. He'd planned on giving you to another. Our marriage and our love don't matter to him. It didn't in the beginning and it doesn't now. Does he believe that bringing Amelia here will make his indiscretions magically disappear? Because if he does, he sorely mistaken, my lover. I will kill him if he returns."

She could validate his every emotion, his distrust of Fintan but he wasn't giving her a chance to explain why Fintan was there and that she'd sent him away. She'd told him that he wasn't welcomed in their home. She'd told him to never return but Eric's anger was so strong that he wouldn't listen to her.

Before she could open her mouth to tell him what she needed to tell him, he said, "If he comes into our home again, I will kill him. I will drain him of every drop of his foul blood and end his evil and vindictive life. I will make sure that he dies screaming and he will not go quickly. This I promise you, my lover."

An evil that Sookie had never seen before crept into Eric's eyes. She wasn't going to defend Fintan. She wanted him to pay for what he'd done to them. All she wanted to do was to speak her peace. "Do you not want to hear what I have to say about his visit?" she asked him.

Looking straight ahead with his jaw tight and fingernails still digging into the palms of his hands, he said, "I do not. The reason for his visit has no relevance as far as I'm concerned." He looked down at Sookie and said, "If he comes here again, I will kill him."

Sookie couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her husband had just told her that he didn't want to hear what she had to say. Regardless of what the status was of their relationship, he's always listened to what she had to say. "So, this conversation is over?" she asked.

"Yes," he said.

She was shocked at his response but she was going to say nothing else about her meeting or conversation with Fintan. She was going to do as the great Dr. Ludwig ordered and she was going to remain stress free and healthy. "Fine," she said.

He stood there and looked at her. He'd opened his mouth to say something more but she'd stopped him.

"Don't you have to meet with Dr. Ludwig?" she asked. "She's been waiting past the scheduled time of fifteen minutes."

Eric nodded. "You are right. After I meet with her, I have a meeting with Claudette. But before I go, would you like some dinner? I can send Marco out to get you something if you're hungry."

"No," she said. Still remaining calm and cool she shook her head and smiled up at her husband. "Go. If I get hungry, I will have someone get me some dinner. You go on and do what it is that you have to do."

Eric knew that he'd upset his wife. He never should've spoken to her in such a harsh manner and he deeply regretted it. He'd let his hate for Fintan get the better of him. He was wrong and he wanted to let her know. "Sookie," he said as he took a step towards her. "I didn't mean to …"

"Go," she repeated. She looked up at him and said, "The conversation is over. Remember?"

Eric turned to leave.

"Close the door behind you," she ordered.

He did as she asked and the conversation was definitely over.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Eric didn't have to go to his office. When he'd walked past Pam's room, Dr. Ludwig was still in there with her and they were talking. He stood behind the doctor and looked down at Pam and smiled at her. It gave him great joy to see her looking far better than she did the previous night. "You're looking just as beautiful as you always have," he said to his child. "The only thing missing is a pink Vera Wang pantsuit."

Barely able to move her mouth, she said with a smile, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Dr. Ludwig patted Pam's leg and said, "I was just telling her of what had to be done to get her back to where she once was. You won't mind if I start over, will you?" she asked Pam.

With much effort, Pam said, "Not at all."

If not for his vampire hearing, Eric wouldn't have been able to hear or understand her. He didn't think it possible but he loves and admires her even more.

Ludwig gave Pam's leg a squeeze as she began to fill Eric on what she's had to do. "I've had to wire her jaw closed because of the damage to her eye socket and to her jaw. Without it, her bones would take a little longer to set. Her ribs have healed nicely but her lungs aren't at their full capacity. That may take quite awhile. Most of the bones in her legs are broken but they are healing; as well as the bones in her arms. She's lucky that Selene got her here when she did."

Fury filled Eric.

Pam reached out through the bond to Eric as a bloody tear fell from the corner of her eye. When he took her hand, she said, "I'm going to be fine, Eric, as soon as you kill that bitch." She gave him a smile and tried to wink at him. She ended up closing both eyes. When she smiled, he noticed that most of her teeth were gone. He knew from experience that she wouldn't be able to feed the good old fashioned way for quite some time. She'd have to take her blood from a glass and Pam has never been very fond of doing that.

Eric sat down in the chair next to Pam's bed. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. "I can give you my blood."

She shook her head no. "Too much going on to do that," she mumbled. "Can't risk it but thank you."

He leaned closer to her and said, "I know that you don't want to take another vampire's blood but Sal, he will ..."

Pam barely shook her head no.

"He's 3,000 years old, Pam," he said. "You will not have to suffer so."

"No," she said, "I have never had to take another vampire's blood and I never will. Aren't you the one that told me that a little suffering never hurt anybody?" She then squeezed her eyes closed.

Though she tried to blunt the bond, Eric could feel the pain as it coursed through her body. He wanted desperately to take her pain away.

"That's enough for tonight," Dr. Ludwig ordered. "She needs her rest and I need to change her blood bag."

Eric leaned down and kissed Pam's forehead as he stood from his chair. "I'll return later on tonight to check on you. You will be here waiting on me, correct?"

Pam opened her eyes and smiled at her maker. Leave it to him to try and make her feel better when all she wanted to do was wallow in her pain. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too, Pamela." He kissed her once more before giving his attention to Dr. Ludwig. "Follow me," he ordered her.

Once they were out of the room and a little ways down the hall, Eric turned to her and asked, "Do you have an extra syringe on your person?"

She shook her head no. "What the hell kind of question is that? I don't just walk about with syringes in my pocket." She then pointed down the long hallway and said, "I have some in the girl's room. Why?"

Eric began walking away from Dr. Ludwig as he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. He inhaled deeply and swiftly walked to the room that the girl was sleeping in. He stopped by the silver tray that held the syringes and other instruments and said, "Take some of my blood and give it to Pam. Put it in her IV bag and make sure that she gets my blood. I can't watch her suffer. I won't watch her suffer."

Without wavering, Dr. Ludwig did as he ordered. She'd planned to only take one but Eric told her that she could at least do three. "I'll drink a couple of bottles of blood before I leave tonight."

As Dr. Ludwig filled the last syringe, Amelia's screams filled the room.

Eric turned to see the girl sitting up in bed and looking at him. He'd never seen such terror on one person's face. He lifted his hands to show that he meant her no harm as he walked towards her but it only made things worse.

"Stop!" Dr. Ludwig ordered him. "Don't make a move. She has to get through this but you can't go near her … not now. You're a vampire. Your kind are the ones that tortured her and did other deplorable things to her. You can't go near her, Eric." She looked lost as she watched the girl. She wanted to give the girl another sedative but she couldn't risk approaching her. It was too dangerous.

Amelia began crawling up the bed and grabbing at the wall. She was grabbing at the walls so frantically that she was ripping her fingernails from the beds and she didn't seem to feel the pain. Blood streaked the wall as she tried her hardest to escape the vampire that was standing before her. "NO!" she screamed. "NO MORE! PLEASE! NO MORE!"

"I won't hurt you," Eric said as he remained rooted in place. The words were strained as they escaped him.

She looked at him over her shoulder and screamed some more. When she realized that she couldn't climb the wall, she jumped from the bed, ripping the IV from her arm and sat in the corner of the room. She then curled herself into a ball and sobbed and said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She said it over and over again.

"Amelia," Sookie called from the door.

Eric turned to look at his wife as she walked into the room.

Amelia was mumbling something incoherent. She was rocking herself back and forth as she lay in the fetal position. The blanket that she'd pulled onto the floor with her was only source of comfort.

When Sookie reached him, Eric said to her, "I did nothing to her."

She looked up at him with love in her eyes and said, "I know, my dearest love. It's not you." She placed her hand on his arm and repeated, "It's not you. She's damaged. She fears all vampires now." Sookie cocked her head to the side as she watched Amelia. She said, "She's seeing their faces whenever she opens her eyes. She's reliving everything that they've done to her. She's so afraid and she's so filled with guilt. It's going to take some time but she'll be okay," she said as she nodded her head.

Eric looked at Amelia and he pitied her. He wished that she'd never had to have gone through what she's gone through.

Sookie began running her hand up and down Eric's back as to sooth him. "You go on and do what you have to do. I'll take care of her."

He looked down at her and asked, "Are you sure?"

Sookie nodded as she looked up at him. "We'll be fine. We're well guarded. No one is getting in or out of this house without being seen and if I need you, I'll call you."

He looked at Amelia once more and nodded. He leaned down to kiss Sookie. It pleased him when she returned his kiss. With his lips still touching hers, he said, "Forgive me?"

She knew that he meant for the way that he'd spoken to her. She knew that he'd meant every word that he'd said about Fintan and she didn't blame him. She'd never blame him. "Forgiven," she whispered as she kissed him once more.

He deepened the kiss as he placed his hand to the back of her head. She wrapped her arms around his neck and relished the feel of his mouth, his love.

"You two are like a couple of horny teenagers," Dr. Ludwig said. "You can't even go thirty minutes without pawing at each other?" She threw hers out in exasperation as she left the room.

The lovers laughed as they broke the kiss. "I won't be long," he said to her.

"I'll wait for you," Sookie answered.

"You need your rest," Eric warned. "If you get sleepy then you sleep."

"I will," she said.

He leaned down to kiss her once more before leaving the room.

Sookie sighed as she walked over to Amelia.

It was going to be a long night.