The Northman Returns Part 11 - The Final Chapter

Eric slowed at the area in the cemetery he recognized to be where the portal entrance was. Jessica held on to Eric with her arms wrapped around his neck. “Where…where are you taking me?” Jessica gasped.

“Hold on Jessica! We are getting you help.” Eric said turning to see Jason and then Sookie come running up the path way.

“How is she doing?” Jason questioned half out of breath.

“The elixir seems to have slowed the virus,” Eric answered. “Hurry Sookie, we need to get across the barrier and to Agneta.”

Sookie stood next to them trying to catch her breath, when she noticed a figure approaching down the path from her house. “Who is that?”

Eric and Jason turned to see Tara emerge from the shadows with her hands up and bound in silver handcuffs. She was in obvious pain and had suffered a wound to the shoulder that was still healing; indicating silver bullets had been used.

“Tara?” Sookie looked at her. “What are you doing here?”

“Someone apparently called Willa away to work and I woke up to a un-fucking-invited visitor at the house!” Tara growled in pain.

“Well now, it looks like we hit the vampire and vampire lover jackpot!” A voice could be heard saying as it followed behind Tara, but the person remained out of view in the shadows.

“I know that voice,” Jason said and tried to move forward past Eric and Jessica. He tried to make out her outline behind Tara as he said, “Sarah Newlin!”

“Oh, don’t move Jason or I’ll blast your friend Tara here and she’ll just dissolve for good.” Sarah replied stepping out of the shadows to where she could see everyone and they could view her. “Tara has been so helpful in leading us to you all.”

Another individual emerged from the shadows and confirmed that Sarah was not alone. He carried a weapon that Eric recognized from their time in the camp. Eric looked at Jason and said in a hiss, “I thought you killed her?”

Jason regretted his earlier decision towards Sarah now, “No, I couldn’t do it…but I should have apparently.” He recognized the gear from the camp and the weapon that the unidentified man carried with him. “Specialized bullets to take out vampires,” he added. Loud enough now that everyone could hear, Jason addressed Miss Newlin, “Sarah what the hell are you doing?”

Eric could not do anything with Jessica in his arms and he knew that his ability to summon Pam would not work. Eric closed his eyes and quickly summoned Willa and hoped that both her and Bill would arrive.

“I will end this one way or another, come Hell or high water, Jason Stackhouse!” Sarah retorted.

“Now, look!” Jason put his hands up and stepping to the side of Eric. “I spared your life, and these people are not hurting anyone. Matter of fact they are trying to save a girl’s life.”

The accomplice aimed his gun at Jason and a red dot marked a spot on Jason’s chest where his heart would be. Jason didn’t move and looked at the gunman saying, “Whoa, it might be a mistake shooting a law enforcement officer!”

The gunman held his target, but didn’t fire. “She doesn’t deserve to live! She is a vampire, just like him!” Sarah yelled and pointed her weapon at Eric, who now had his fangs down and was growling.

It had been just a short time, but suddenly Bill appeared next to Sookie. “Stop the madness Sarah!” Bill said and surprised Sookie.

“Where is Willa?” Sookie said through her teeth in a whisper.

“Look to the left of the gunman,” Bill answered in a hushed tone and glanced to a tree that Sookie could see Willa dart behind.

“Well, I scored even bigger than I thought! If it isn’t Bill Compton, vampire King of Louisiana himself,” Sarah grinned wide, obviously happy with herself. “Oh, but your god-like powers are gone aren’t they and you won’t be able to save everyone this time, Billy boy!”

“It’s because of vampires like me that the town of Bon Temps has survived the recent attacks from infected vampires that you helped to create Miss Newlin,” Bill said, trying to keep the conversation going and keep both Sarah and the extra gunman distracted as Willa got positioned closer and could make a move.

Eric had caught a glimpse of movement to the left and identified Willa and her attempt to get position on the gunman. What surprised him though was the movement he now spied to the right of Sarah and Tara. It was Pam! Pam must have felt Tara’s distress from being shot earlier. Good the whole family is here now, Eric thought and Sookie heard clear as a bell.

Tara followed Eric’s eyes and she could hear the click of fangs to her right. Pam was hidden well behind a bush, but Tara had caught the slightest sound that human ears would not have distinguished from the other night sounds.

Eric could feel Jessica’s breathing getting restless again and noticed that the virus was starting to spread again. The effects of the elixir were starting to wear away with the longer that they all stood there. “Jason, she is fading again,” Eric said.

Jason could see the blue lines of the virus on Jess’s pale skin reaching for her jawline. “What do we do?” Jason pleaded quietly to Eric.

Eric calmly and in a low voice stated, “I need you to take her. I can create a shield for you, Jessica, and Sookie, but not with Jessica in my arms.”

“Okay, on the count of three we make a trade,” Jason said just as softly as possible so that Sarah could not hear and lowering his hands into position. Eric could see that Pam and Willa were also in place and eager to attack. “One…,” Jason whispered.

Eric glanced back at Sookie, their eyes meet and Eric realized he could talk to Sookie without saying a word out loud. Eric concentrated on Sookie - Sookie, you need to be ready to transport yourself and Jason on three.

“Two…,” Jason said readying himself to accept the weight of Jessica. Eric could see that Bill, Tara, Willa, and Pam heard the conversations with Jason using their vampire hearing and were prepared for the final signal of three.

“You’re wrong Bill Compton,” Sarah said shaking her head. “I am the savior here, because of my love for Jesus Christ; I am ridding the world of vampires like you who would trick the poor lambs of God into believing you are providing them protection. You cannot stop me Bill and I will save them.”

“She really likes you Bill,” Eric said and finished sarcastically, “I think she is all yours!”

“Three!” Jason yelled this time and Eric turned like the wind to face Jason and flipped Jessica into his arms. Sookie took hold of her brother and in a flash they were gone. Willa moved like lightening and tore through the gunman’s protective vest and pulled his heart from his chest, dropping him dead to the ground. At the same time Pam whipped Tara from Sarah’s clutches and safely away, although the silver cuffs stung where they touched Pam’s exposed skin. Bill had to hesitate as Pam sped across in front of him and it gave Sarah a chance to pull the trigger. A single shot rang out before Bill had Sarah by the throat up against the nearest tree and disarmed.

“Now you die, Miss Newlin,” Bill whispered in her ear. “You are no one’s savior tonight!”

With that Bill snapped her neck and she flopped to the ground like a rag doll and landed in what looked like a sitting position against the base of the tree.

It had all happened so quickly and everyone turned to look at each other. The only person that stood unmoving was Eric. Willa was the first to have an inkling of what had happened. She could feel intense pain as she looked at her maker and where he stood.

Eric found it hard to breathe and move. He suddenly felt searing pain below his left shoulder blade and it went deep inside him. He had been shot before by Bill with silver and it had taken him down for just a moment, but this felt nothing like it. He became weak and landed on his knees on the spot where Jason had been a few seconds before.

Willa could see Eric fall and she rushed to his side. She could see the blood spot on his back begin to show itself around the entry wound. Eric started to tip sideways and Willa caught him and rested him on her lap. She did not feel the wound healing or the bullet pushing its way out “What is happening?” She said with concern.

“I don’t know?” Eric gasped. “I feel so strange.”

Bill now moved to Willa and Eric and he reached under Eric and could feel the blood dripping out of Eric and on to the ground. “You need to heal yourself and push out the bullet!”

“I..I can’t…” Eric said fading into semi-consciousness.

“He has changed too much, his body is no longer healing like a vampire!” Willa revealed. She was scared now for her maker’s life and she reached out, clutching Bill’s arm, “What do we do?”

“What is it that he is changing to?” Bill asked looking at Willa intently.

“He…He’s…” she said now fighting the urge to sink her teeth into Eric and drink. The smell of his blood was overwhelming her senses.

“He is becoming human,” Tara said in response to Bill.

Bill was in shock. Eric was becoming human and had in some way found the ultimate cure for all vampires and now he lay dying from his wound. “Give him your blood and it will heal him like any other human!”

“Okay!” Willa took her fangs and gauged into her own arm. Her blood ran down the side of her arm and she carefully put it over Eric’s mouth, so that the blood would find its way to her maker and she hoped he would drink. “Drink Eric, please!”

Eric tried to drink the blood that hit his tongue, but it created a violent reaction and he ended up spitting it up and started to gag. “It is not working!” Willa cried now.

“That is impossible!” Bill said.

Tara and Pam now came closer to see what was happening to Eric as he lie on the ground convulsing. “What are you doing to him?” Pam snarled.

“Willa has tried to give him her blood, but whatever is changing Eric has made it so that he is rejecting her vampire blood!” Bill replied quickly.

“Maybe there is something Sookie or Agneta can do to help?” Tara said unsure what else to do.

“Problem is she cannot hear us and we cannot get to her!” Pam remarked.

“I know a way,” Bill said quickly and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “Bellefleur!”

Bill knew that Andy’s daughter could access the portal, as they had used her to get to Sookie before.

“Answer!” Bill said as the phone rang.

“Bellefleur residence, can I help you?” a sweet voice said over the line.

“Adilyn? Adilyn it’s Bill Compton, do you remember me?”

“Yes, what do you need?” She said cautiously and then added, “My dad is not home right now…”

“We don’t need your dad, we need you Adilyn. Do you remember how we accessed the fairy realm to help Sookie. We need your help again!” Bill looked at Pam and asked covering the cell phone mouthpiece, “How fast can you get to the Bellefleur’s?”

“Watch me!” Pam launched off the ground and headed to the residence she had seen once before not far from here.

“Someone is coming to get you Adilyn, you have to go with her or someone will die who needs your help. Trust Pam Adilyn, she won’t hurt you!”

“Okay…” Adilyn said. Bill could hear a doorbell ring through the phone and Adilyn hung-up.

Bill looked at Willa saying, “We have to slow the bleeding until we can get him inside the portal.” Bill laid Eric’s head on the ground and pressed hard on his chest, above where the wound was on his back.

There was a sudden burst of light and Niall appeared before Bill and Willa. “What is going on here?” He said seeing Bill and two other vampires around Eric. Niall became defensive immediately when he noticed the dead body of the gunman and whirled a fireball ready to take out someone.

“Wait!” Bill said. “Sookie and Jason are okay and they are in the fairy realm!” Bill could see Niall relax and extinguish the fire ball.

“Who is that?” Willa asked in surprise.

“That is Jason’s and Sookie’s fairy godfather,” Tara responded. “He can get us into the fairy realm!”

“Why did Sookie call for me?” Niall asked.

“We were helping Jessica when we got attacked,” Bill said. “We were able to get Sookie, Jason, and my daughter Jessica into the portal safely, but Eric took a bullet shielding them. He is not able to heal like a typical vampire any longer. Apparently something is changing him to a human.”

“An ice fairy,” Tara offered. “Agneta saved him in Sweden and her blood is changing him.”

“Tara!” Willa said scolding her. “Eric trusted you not to say anything!”

“You knew!” Bill said in disbelief at Willa.

“I was commanded not to speak of it,” Willa said defensively. “I could not have told you, even if I had wanted to.”

“Ice fairy! There is some old dark magic,” Niall said chuckling. “I thought they were all dead long ago. It was known that their bloodline was different than ours and that they held very different powers from day fairies.”

“Is there anything you can do to help Eric!” Bill asked quickly.

“Well, let me see,” Niall said cautiously moving towards the vampires. As he bent down to exam Eric, Pam appeared with Adilyn in tote. It was difficult for Pam not to sample the goods, as Adilyn smelled heavenly like Sookie did.

“Who is that?” Pam growled seeing Niall begin to glow and touch Eric.

“He is helping Eric,” Willa replied to calm Pam down.

“Oh, well…is there anything that can be done?” Pam now sounded close to tears.

“Can I help?” Adilyn asked

“Come here my child,” Niall said beckoning her to his side. “Now everyone hold hands and we’ll bring Eric to Agneta. Maybe she can save him once again.”

When the group appeared in the fairy realm, Sookie and Jason were with Jessica and Agneta by the May pole, that still stood as a reminder of Warlow. Sookie stood and moved to the group that had just appeared, noticing that Eric was lying in the middle of them.

“What has happened?” Sookie gasped as she approached.

“He took a bullet and is not healing. We need Agneta,” Bill said meeting Sookie’s eyes.

Agneta heard her name and that Eric had been injured. Agneta looked at Jason and smiled, “Stay with Jessica, she will be fine Jason.”

Agneta came to Sookie’s side and took her hand, which brought Sookie out of her temporary stuper. “Eric must make a decision about remaining a vampire or completing his transformation to a human. However, Sookie and you must make your decision about him.”

“What do you mean?” Sookie looked at Agneta confused.

“He will need you and you must decide if you will be there for him. Do you love him as much as he loves you?” Agneta smiled and released Sookie’s hand as she bent down to Eric.

Agneta blew snow on to Eric and then touched him. It seemed to stop the bleeding and revived Eric slightly. “Make your decision Northman – human or vampire?”

Everyone moved away from Eric slightly as Agneta took over. Sookie watched and listened as everything happened in front of her, but she was really lost in thought with what Agneta had just asked her. Her memory flashed to the moments she had spent with Eric and everything they had been through together. She felt the electricity from their most recent fight and she took a deep breath.

Eric turned his head towards Sookie and gasped, "I love her..." She could hear Eric’s thoughts and he simply answered Agneta, I want to be human with her!

A tear rolled down Sookie’s cheek and she moved to be by Niall’s side. Bill looked at Sookie and knew in that moment the choice that Sookie had made. She had finally found the answer that her heart and mind had settled upon. She loved Eric and always had; from the moment they had first laid eyes upon each other in Fangtasia to each encounter afterwards. Bill had to let her go, he had Willa now and he would start to love again. He knew Eric had made the ultimate sacrifice in becoming human for Sookie and Eric would take care of Sookie for as long as they both lived. Bill stood and could only back away from the crowd and watch as the fairies worked their magic in order to save Eric.

“No!” Sookie said desperately looking at Eric, “Stay with me!”

Agneta could hear Eric’s inner answer and saw Sookie’s outward answer in her desperation to save Eric. She took some of the snow and made a small knife with it, similar to the dagger she had given Eric. She knelt next to Eric’s head and made a slice in her own wrist and began to feed Eric. Everything seemed to fade away into darkness for Eric at that moment, while at the same time he felt as if his body were wrapped in a blanket of sunshine and warmth.

Although Eric had been deep in a dream, he could feel someone standing directly in front of him staring. Eric lay still, slowly rousing from sleep and careful not to move. As he opened his eyes, he was face to face with two small, bright blue eyes and a head full of blonde curls perched on fingertips clinging to the edge of the bed in front of him. In a few seconds the recognition of the face before him came washing back across his groggy morning mind.

The little girl standing in front of him now giggled and Eric could not hold back letting out a growl and grabbing up the little girl in his arms. He turned over on his back, pressing into the bed and lifting her high above his head. The 4 year old let out a scream of delight and Eric lowered her to his chest and pretended to nibble her belly that was exposed from the pink, fuzzy pajamas that she wore. “More daddy!” she demanded.

“You want more!” Eric replied as he cuddled her into his lap and tickled her as he sat up in bed.

“Where is your mom?” Eric scanned the room aglow with the first rays of morning sun for Sookie. “Is she with your baby brother?” he whispered in her ear.

The little girl giggled and shook her head yes. “Go get them!” Eric directed and set her feet on the floor and propelled her towards the bedroom door.

It had been 6 years since he took the bullet that Sarah Newlin had fired, intending to exact her revenge in the cemetery. It had taken a consorted effort from all the fairies and their magic to save his life. Sookie’s grandmother had been correct in that Eric would drain Sookie’s light from her. It had taken all of Sookie’s remaining magic, a good amount of Agneta’s blood, and the enchantment they had used had called for a sacrifice, to which Niall volunteered to surrender his life in exchange for Eric’s. Niall knew all that Eric had been through in his transformation and that his granddaughter’s happiness was at stake. He also knew from Jason that Eric had saved many lives and Niall had lived a full 5500 years. It was time to join Claudine and the others in the stars. He had made Eric promise to stand by Sookie’s side always.

As a result, Sookie was now as vulnerable and human as Eric was. His plan to live an extraordinarily long life with Sookie had taken a sudden change in that moment. However, Eric recognized in his daughter the glow he had once seen in Sookie and knew that somehow the magic, that had been used to save his life, had found its way into his children.

Eric got up and started to get dressed. As he sat at the window seat and put on a pair of jeans and t-shirt, he felt he had forgotten how quickly time moved for a human. Shortly after his recovery from the gunshot wound, he had married Sookie in front of the entire town of Bon Temps, or at least it had seemed that way. Everyone, who had survived the HEP-V vampire attacks came together, as if celebrating a new chapter in their lives.

The twilight ceremony on the front lawn of the Stackhouse residence had been a combination of Nordic traditions and southern barbeque. Eric reminisced about the moment he first saw Sookie coming down the isle. Jessica had led the procession of bridesmaids, in their beautiful ice blue dresses. Jessica, who became an official member of the Northman family, as promised by Eric, had survived both the HEP-V virus and her own transformation from vampire to human.  She had taken on running the boutique for Pam during the day and began taking community college classes in the evening.

Next, Tara had followed Jessica, having made her own decision to become human again. Tara had finally reconciled with Sookie and moved back in with her cousin Lafayette for the time being. Both Tara and Jessica had helped Sookie plan this day and had been instrumental in keeping Sookie and Eric apart the night before their nuptials. Eric waited with baited breath as Tara and Jessica took their places across the isle from him.

At last Eric had caught his first glimpse of Sookie as she emerged from the grand old house and made her way down the steps to take Jason's arm. Eric remembered every detail of the dress Sookie had worn with its delicate silk organza layers. She had held a bouquet of deep red roses with her hair down in her naturally beautiful, wild, blonde curls. Jason had walked her down the aisle and kissed her on the cheek before handing her off to Eric, as a faint blush colored her cheeks. Sookie had taken Eric’s breath completely away in that moment.

Eric glanced at the old dresser across the room and an item nestled next to the mirror caught his attention and made him smile. Before taking their vows, Eric had prepared a surprise for Sookie and signaled Pam, who sat in the front row as part of Eric’s family. Pam presented Sookie with a small ornately carved box. Sookie handed her bouquet to Tara, whom with Jessica, looked on as Sookie opened the box. The wooden box had a delicate pearl inlay of a mountain scene on the lid, and Sookie released a gasp at what she saw inside. She held the box knowing that the contents were solid gold and had been created from what had once been the crown of Eric’s kingdom. Eric gently reached in and took the small circlet of intertwined gold and placed it on Sookie’s wrist and then placed the necklace around her neck.  “Thank you for helping return my family treasure to me and as you are the treasure of my life, I now give it to you.”

Pam had stood there with scarlet tears gliding down her cheeks and had to apologize as she tried not to get blood on Sookie’s white gown. Pam had decided not to become human again and instead choose to remain a vampire guardian to Eric and his family for their lifetime. It would be difficult to explain why Aunt Pam never aged, but she had changed so much in a short time since the wedding and loved Eric's and Sookie's children as her own. The first time she had held Nora Adele in her arms something happened to Pam and she had been different ever since to both Eric and Sookie.

Eric stood and went to the neighboring room across the hall in his bare feet. There in the old rocker that had once been grandma Adele’s, sat Sookie nursing their 4 month old son.  Sookie looked up and smiled at the tall Viking that lingered in the doorway mesmerized by the sight that he was witnessing. “Good morning,” Sookie said before looking back down at her son.

Eric crept over to where they both were and gently reaching down took hold of his son’s fingers, which curled tightly around his index finger. “Han har ett starkt grepp!” Eric said and then released a chuckle.

“What?” Sookie said looking puzzled, still not knowing enough Swedish to capture the meaning.

“He has a strong grip,” Eric translated for her while he took in Sookie’s golden brown eyes.

“Well he is Eric Northman’s son isn’t he? He has quite the appetite too!” she joked. At that moment Nora came bounding in with a toy she had retrieved from her bedroom and held it up for her mother. “Thank you my darling girl!” Sookie said in a sing-songy voice.

Eric took in this moment. Who would have ever guessed that he would find life as a human so fulfilling and abundant with the love he had so yearned for as a vampire. He kissed Sookie and smiled, he knew whatever was to come would be an adventure... But that is another story for another time!

THE END