And here we have the final chapter. :)

The pressure on her chest was immense, leaving no room for Rebecca to draw breath. Out of instinct, she struggled against the weight while her eyes worked to adjust to the darkness. There was a complete absence of light, a black expanse that refused to clear no matter how long she tried. Her frantic movements were small, miniscule at best, and greatly ineffectual. She only managed to move the dirt around her body more tightly. Just as she was about to resign herself to being buried for the rest of the foreseeable future, the ground shifted and she was hoisted upwards rather roughly.

Everything was too bright. The light burned her eyes even though they were sealed tightly shut. She curled inwards, groaning in pain while her mind tried to orient itself. Thoughts were flying around in circles, half remembered dreams and experiences trying to coalesce into some kind of life story. She clawed at the ground, yanking grass from its roots and crumbling rocks into sand. Her spine arched, stretching the muscles of her back and hips towards (she thought) the sky. Her reflexive breaths sucked in air that tasted like ash.

Slowly, Rebecca began to remember things. She had been buried alive. She had been dead. And now she was not. Testing her eyes once more, Rebecca gazed at the grass in front if her, large chunks torn at her sides. She lifted her chin and saw a dumpster and the brick face of a building. A passing firefly distracted her and she followed its path easily until the stars came into view.

The city didn't have stars like this. Rebecca could see the swirling arm of the Milky Way striking an arc across the horizon. She could see a million pinpricks of light, some larger than others, wavering across the sky. Her jaw unhinged in awe, her head tilting back to rest atop the round bend of her shoulders.

Movement to her left startled her and she was immediately on all fours, snarling. A face she recognized but couldn't name smiled down at her. He was filthy, covered in dirt from head to booted toe. She eased downward and a little backwards, rolling on the balls of her feet so that she could easily stand. He was still so tall she had to look up at him.

"Happy birthday," he said, and Rebecca had to choke back the little gasp. His voice was so familiar and yet alien—smooth, deep.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice sounding hollowly in her ears

"You'll remember in a moment. Are you hungry?"

The thought of hunger burst forth so violently that Rebecca doubled over. Her teeth ached and her jaws clenched while her insides twisted, empty. She pressed the heels of her hands into her abdomen, growling when the man chuckled lightly.

"You need to feed," he murmured as he slowly approached her.

Rebecca snarled again, maintaining the distance.

Sighing, he wiped the dirt from his arm and held it to his mouth. There was a strange movement of his jaw, and then Rebecca smelled something mouthwatering. It rolled over her tongue like honey, thick and sweet. She lurched towards him, stopping just short if mauling his body. Something wasn't right. She needed to think about this, needed to try to remember.

The man held his arm out to her and Rebecca was stunned at the gash along his wrist. The back of her mind rattled with the thought that he would definitely need stitches.

"You'll want to hurry before the wound closes," he called out tauntingly.

Rebecca bared her teeth at him and tried to organize her addled mind. She understood quite suddenly that it was him that smelled so nice. She lurched forward again, stumbling. It didn't matter what was going on or who he was. All that mattered was easing the pain in her belly and getting a taste of him. She fell to her knees and grabbed the proffered wrist before he could snatch it away.

It was glorious, more than glorious. It was amazing, perfection, orgasmic. Nothing has tasted so good and no experience had made her feel so complete. She pulled and pulled, drawing more of him into her body. Her foggy thoughts sped up and her connections grew solid and coherent. This was Eric. She was still technically dead. And she would live forever. This was, indeed, a kind of birthday.

Gently, but firmly, Eric disengaged. He had knelt down beside her during her meal and was rubbing soothing circles on her back. Breathing unnecessarily hard, Rebecca leaned into him.

"It's done now," she croaked, still swallowing the remnants of his blood.

Eric nodded, "It is done."

Rebecca took mental stock if her body. She certainly felt different. Her skin seemed more sensitive to miniscule shifts in the air. Her ears could pick up toads that she absolutely knew were three point six miles away. Her eyes picked up and processed her environment with startling efficiency. And she felt fucking fantastic. Better then she had ever felt.

The back door of the building opened and Sookie hesitantly stepped forward, her eyes scanning for the differences in her physical body. Rebecca knew there would be little to no difference, the change altering her psychologically and on a cellular level. Her basic appearance would remain much the same, save for the occasional extension of her fangs. They were tucked neatly in her gums, the newly developed bone still tender in places.

"Did," Sookie began, stopping for a moment to swallow down whatever emotion she was feeling. "Are you okay?"

Rebecca nodded distractedly. Sookie smelled… very good. Even from the distance, Rebecca could scent the floral aroma of her blood. She consciously worked to keep her teeth firmly in place. Behind her friend, Luca peeked out, her pale pink hair glinting in the moonlight.

"Welcome back," she said.

Rebecca stood, "Thank you."

The appetizing scent got stronger as she neared, her abdomen clenching nigh uncontrollably as her hunger returned. Rebecca forced herself to stop breathing as they moved into the empty bar. Ginger was preparing the tables, wiping them down and setting chairs back into their places. She sent Rebecca a giddy wave as she went about her business, happily maneuvering through a rote routine that seemed to suit her.

They gathered at the back of the room, Pam glancing through paperwork before the start of the evening. Rebecca received an analyzing glance from Pam's emotionless eyes, a mere twinge of her mouth signaling that Pam thought anything about Rebecca.

"I suppose I should welcome you to the family," Pam said in a near snarl.

Rebecca shrugged, "If you want."

"I don't," was the reply.

Eric guided her down into the booth, his hands somehow always on her body. He pushed her to the far corner, blocking her in. Sookie and Luca also took a seat and Rebecca caught sight of Godric's approach from the darkened hallway. Her presence was acknowledged with a warm nod as he took a seat next to Luca.

Sookie cleared her throat, "I know that this isn't exactly the best timing, but Bill is still missing."

"Right," Luca said, tossing her hair.

Rebecca heard the miniscule intake of air in Godric's chest as it flew near his shoulder.

Luca, it seemed, was focused on other things, "So, we've got a problem."

Alarmed, Sookie repeated, "Problem?"

"Yeah," Luca drawled, looking very slightly guilty, "I know where he is, but my source says that he looks…pretty happy to be there."

Sookie's ire increased exponentially over the course of Luca's admission, her face turning fiery, "What the fuck does that mean?"

Luca threaded her fingers together, "He's had a few chances to escape and he didn't take them."

"That doesn't mean anything!" Sookie yelled. "Anything could have happened."

Rebecca reached out and touched Sookie's hand, "Calm down. At least we know where he is."

"There's that," Luca said, "But getting to him is going to be tedious to say the least."

Godric chuckled, "Are your adventures anything but tedious, Luca?"

She rolled her eyes, "Life is generally tedious, Godric. You know that far better than anyone at this table."

Rebecca looked from one to the other. Obviously, there was something known to both that was a mystery to the others. While it was certainly an interesting secret, they had far more important things to work on at the moment. She stored the information away for later exploration.

"Do we have a plan?" Rebecca asked, leaning back into the booth.

Eric circled an arm around her waist, pulling her subtly closer to him. His hand slipped along the curve of her body, tugging lightly at the material of her dress. She looked down, noting that it was filthy with dirt and that her feet were bare against the wooden floor. The thought of a hot shower taunted the edges of her mind. Would even something so simple as a shower feel different now that she was no longer human?

Her attention was brought back to the conversation at hand, Sookie and Luca arguing heatedly over how they would approach the situation. Luca was intent on sneaking in using some kind of ruse and Sookie had the notion that they should simply knock on the front door. Rebecca kept getting distracted by the feeling of Eric's hand upon her body, ghosting over her nerves and the still prevalent smell of something amazingly delicious wafting across her consciousness every time she happened to forget that she didn't need to breathe.

Godric leaned forward a little, setting one arm on the table, "I do not like either plan. Something is amiss with Bill's unfortunate disappearance."

Luca scoffed, "He hasn't disappeared. We know exactly where he is. Whether or not it is worth it to go after him is the question."

Sookie looked near ready to fight, "Of course it is worth it. Bill's bein' held captive by God knows who in some mansion in Mississippi. We're going. That's final."

From her spot one table over, Rebecca could see Pam lift her eyes to the ceiling, looking as if she were trying to control her immediate response of biting sarcasm.

Eric refused to do any such thing and rolled his eyes, "Why should I care where Bill has gone?"

Rebecca's eyebrows lifted at the scathing tone. On the outside, he looked bored, but his hand flexed around her hip in agitation. She placed her hand on his thigh, half in comfort, half in question. His free hand lifted from the table and settled atop her fingers and she could feel the hint of callous along the pad of his palm.

Sookie pursed her lips, "You're the sheriff. A vampire in your area has been kidnapped."

Eric scoffed, "Somehow I'm experiencing déjà vu. How many times are you going to make demands upon me based on my position?"

"I wouldn't have to if you'd actually do your job," Sookie shot back.

Feeling Eric's body tense in preparation for attack, Rebecca shushed them both as gently as she could while trying not to breathe.

"Bill's our friend and we should help him," she said. "If he needs it."

Luca absently braided a piece of her pastel hair, "That's the thing. My source says he doesn't seem to need it. He looks healthy from a distance."

"At the risk of sounding cliché," Godric chimed in genially, "Looks can be deceiving."

"How very wise of you, ancient one."

The group turned in unison to see a rather tall vampire strolling towards them with a jaunty step. His smile was wide and careless, his stride confident and strong.

Eric stood, "Who might you be?"

"I," the vampire announced with flair, "Am Russell Edginton."
Pam rose to stand next to her Maker, "What do you want?"

Russell's smile remained quite firmly in place, "What? No hospitality? Not even a drink before we get down to brass tacks?"

There was a moment where Rebecca thought Eric would simply rip the undying hell out of the intruder, but he surprised her by lifting a hand and offering a table.

"Ginger, get Mr. Edginton a True Blood."

Though he looked none too pleased that he was being offered synthetic blood, Russell accepted the bottle and took a seat, leaning far back into the chair. Eric sat across from him, his hands folded neatly in front of him.

"Talk," he said.

Russell worked his tongue in his mouth for a moment before saying, "Alright. I want a trade."

Eric tilted his head to the side, "Do explain."

"Do you know that pain of losing a child, Mr. Northman?"

Rebecca tensed a little, her eyes focused solely on their interplay. Both were eerily still as they weighed their options. Russell's confidence never faltered, his goal unflinching.

"I do not," Eric answered simply.

"I know that pain," Russell uttered, his countenance falling into deathly seriousness. "You have caused me that pain."

Eric took far too long to reply for Rebecca's taste, her brows drawing together in confusion and fear.

"Brandon."

Russell leaned forward, "Yes, Mr. Northman. Brandon."

Rebecca was very lucky that she no longer needed air in her lungs as it rushed out, the fear broiling in her stomach. Her fingers dug into the table as she fought not to run, not to move. Sookie wrapped her hands around Rebecca's wrist in silence comfort, though her attention was clearly on the pair of very dangerous enemies sitting mere feet away.

"He encroached upon my area," Eric explained. "He killed without discretion."

"He fed on the dregs of the earth," Russell shot back. "They were cattle."

Eric shrugged, "Still, he was asked not to draw attention to himself. He did not heed my warning."

The fire in Russell's words could have set the very city aflame, "You killed him because he drew attention from humans. They're food, you fucking priss."

"Haven't you heard?" Eric questioned lightly, though Rebecca could see the strain in the muscles of his neck, "We're mainstreaming now."

Russell stood in a flash of movement that was incredibly fast, even for Rebecca's new eyes. He squared his shoulders and looked down on Eric, his brows drawn low.

"I have Mr. Compton settled rather comfortably in my estate. His Maker is keeping him company for now."

Rebecca heard the gasp from Sookie, her expression widening with surprise. She turned her palms upwards and gripped her friend's hands in turn, holding in her firmly to the seat.

Eric, for his part, simply remained in place and looked up at Russell. "Why would that information interest me?"

"Because," Russell drawled, "I plan to kill him."

Eric pressed his palms to the table and stood, "I shouldn't have to reiterate the question."

"I will kill him," Russell said. "And I will report that you killed my child to your Queen. Oh, and I'll also kill your little dog, too."

"You don't know what you're saying, Russell," Eric intoned, his voice surprisingly gentle. "You're grieving."

"I'm issuing vengeance," Russell yelled. "I will burn this pathetic little town to the ground, kill as many as I like, bathe in their pathetic blood. Unless…,"

There was a pause, "Unless?"

"Eye for an eye, Mr. Northman."

Russell's gazed turned to focus on Rebecca, his smile quite suddenly returning.

"Child for a child," he growled.

Before Eric could slaughter Russell, Luca was standing, her face thunderous.

"You are walking on dangerous ground, vampire," she said with a sneer.

Russell lifted one sardonic brow, "Am I?"

Luca's shoulders squared and she seemed to glow in the low light, her hair flying out with unfelt wind, "You come into my court with blood fresh on your skin, you threaten my courtiers with death, and you pronounce destruction upon the land I have claimed. Yes, you are walking a very thin line."

He laughed, "And who are you that you can make these proclamations?"

Luca's smile was cutting, "I am Dame Daelucaracia, of the Fae. I am heir to the vineyards and wealth of my father, Lord Chancellor to our King. And if you speak one more word against my people, I am going to kick your ass."

Dun, dun, duuuuun. Ok, so who saw that coming? I didn't. Really.

There are planned sequels to this story. I will be completing my Avengers story arc before working on the second and third story. I'm also contemplating writing something with a focus on Bane from the Dark Knight. Do you think anyone would be interested in that?

Thank you to everyone for sticking with this story through the extra long hiatus and the other various interruptions. Stay tuned.