Disclaimer: I own nothing but Raven and my plots

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It had been a busy night at Merlotte's filled with the usual small town occurrences and gossip and Sookie was eager to finally go home. Just as she was heading towards the back she heard a piece of gossip that grabbed her attention.

Two old women seated at a booth near Sookie were talking in a hushed tone about an old abandoned house.

"You know that old house out by Bennington's home towards the edge of town?" The second woman leaned in closer with a certain glint in her eyes. Sookie couldn't keep herself from shuffling a smidge closer to the pair herself. "Well there's been talk that someone's taken up residence there. But from what Bennington says it don't like humans and doesn't appear until night time. He says he can see some sort of light in one of the rooms downstairs all night long and on some nights he says screaming comes from there. Like someone's getting tortured. Or eaten!" The two women had a good laugh at this while Sookie took a peek into the first woman's mind to see if it true or just mindless old woman gossip. It was true.

Now Sookie wasn't one much for using her ability, or gossiping for that matter, but this was important. It almost seemed like some newborn vampire was living in that house killing humans with no conscious thought of vampire rules or human laws. She had to get home and tell Bill.

Rushing out of there with quick goodbyes to Tara, her friend/co-worker, and, her boss, Sam, Sookie hopped into her car and drove home as fast as her little car and the speed limits would allow her.

It was almost ten o'clock and had been dark for an hour at most so it was safe to assume Bill would already be at her house waiting for her by sitting on the porch swing looking out onto the driveway. She couldn't help but grin at that thought. Bill, her nearly two hundred-year-old vampire boyfriend, sitting on a porch swing obediently waiting for her like a little puppy.

Feeling an odd wave of relief wash over her Sookie drove up her driveway to find, sure enough, Bill waiting for her on the porch swing. He reached the handle of her car with inhuman speed before she did and opened it for her as she got out and followed up the porch stairs into the house. Setting down her purse on a nearby table she collapsed onto the couch to wait for a "Hello" or "How was your day" from Bill. Instead she was attacked with a barrage of kisses trailing from her jaw down to her collarbone before one full on the lips. It took Sookie a few moments to recollect herself before saying, "Not tonight, Bill."

Pulling back Bill looked into her eyes with an almost pouting look before saying, "Alright, but may I ask why?" Pulling herself even farther away she sat sideways on the couch facing him with a serious look on her face, "Because we have to go investigate an old house."

Trying to keep a straight face proved to be too much for Bill and he fell into a fit of laughter. "I'm being serious." Seeing that she was indeed serious he stopped laughing, aside from the few giggles and grins that escaped, and cleared his throat. "What house and why?" he asked with a sort of incredulous look. Sighing Sookie explained to him what she had heard at the bar. "So let me get this straight. You want to go to this abandoned house out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of nowhere that may be housing a newborn vampire who has no idea what it's doing or any of our laws," She nodded her head, "and you want to do this as a human the vampire would kill without a second thought?" Bill finished with an angry look. Crossing her arms and letting out an angry sigh Sookie looked right back with her own glare from hell the two proceeded to debate on if Sookie should go or not until Bill gave in and agreed to the idea. No matter how much he really didn't want to.

Rising up from the couch with a triumphant grin on her face Sookie rushed off to change clothes for her little adventure for the night, leaving Bill behind to glower at her flowered décor from his spot on the couch.

The drive to the old house was quietly spent listening to Bill's foreign music. Or in Sookie's case wondering how anyone, human or vampire, would want to live in that poor excuse for a house. She remembered as a child how people were always saying the place was haunted. the house was a fairly decent two story home, but it was falling apart at the seams. There was no front door and a tree had started growing in one room towards the back were the roof had fallen through and the flooring was a bunch of dust on the ground. The house had gone without an owner for darn near fifty years and no proper caretaking for even longer. The last owner had been frail and confined to a wheelchair for most of his life and had been unable to care for it and with no family to speak of the house just fell to ruins. It was in so bad of shape when the man died that no one was willing to buy it and the towns people had just let it be.

Sookie was roused from her thoughts by the car suddenly hitting a bump in the road and sending them on a rickety ride up the driveway.

The door was just as it had been for the last several years, nonexistent, with the doorway overtaken by vegetation. Then just beyond the doorway a soft light spilled out from a hallway deep inside the house.

"There," Sookie said pointing to the light as she got out of the car, "that's what Mr. Barrington was talking about."

Hesitantly taking a few steps forward Bill silently inquired if she was able to pick up the presence of any thoughts from someone nearby. She shook her head no. Then it was to assume this mystery being may be a vampire or there simply was no one here.

Moving even closer to the house the pair was only stopped by Bill hearing the snap of a twig and the appearance of a shadow near the corner of the house. Bill moved to protect Sookie by standing in front of her with a slight crouch and fangs fully extended.

A few tense minutes passed before the figure in the shadows took a tentative step forward, a step back, and finally the last steps into the light of the moon to fully reveal itself.

Peaking out from behind Bill she was shocked to find that the formerly shrouded figure before them was no more than an 11-year-old girl holding an animal in her mouth. She was relatively tall standing a few inches taller than most kids her age with only her face giving way to her real age. The skin stretched over her rounded face was pale, but not quite ghostly pale. Her mouth was bloodied from the animal with sharp teeth and slightly longer canines. The long black hair framing the child's face fell to her back and was caked with mud and twigs and leaves sticking out in odd places. Behind the bangs on her face were a pair of wide crystal blue eyes that would make even the purest of gems envious of their color. These eyes were gazing at Bill and Sookie with a mixture of curiosity, apprehension, and most of all, fear.

Taking a step out from behind Bill Sookie noticed the little girl tense up with her grip on the animal tightening ever so slightly. The child's teeth were like fangs, vampire fangs.

Stepping closer to the girl Sookie ignored Bill's attempts to keep her away. With each step she took closer the girl would crouch lower and lower to the ground until by the time she reached her she was kneeling on the ground, dirtied hands drawn in close to her tattered remnants of a shirt and the animal resting on ground having been dropped in the girl's fear.

"Hello there," Sookie started in a calm, soothing voice as she lowered herself on to the ground next to the girl, "my name's Sookie. What's yours?"

The little girl looked at the woman before her. Should she answer? "I…I think my name's Raven." Her voice was hoarse and unsure. Almost like she hadn't used it much for a long time, which she probably hadn't seeing as how she was living out there and no telling how long that had been. "What do you mean you 'think' your name is Raven?" Sookie asked the young girl, Raven.

Looking down at the ground and playing with the hem of her shirt Raven slowly answered, "I don't know. I don't really remember anything before waking up in that field over there and coming here." Gazing out into the field she closed her eyes and breathed before continuing. "I don't know why or how but I just have the feeling my name is Raven."

A silent moment ensued. No one quite knew what to say. The silence was neither awkward nor tense. Just a silence filled only with the background noises of the night.

Bill was the first one to break the silence. "And how exactly does a young girl end up in the middle of a field all alone with no one looking for her and amnesia?" Raven flinched slightly at Bill's harsh tone and words.

"Bill!" Sookie scolded him before placing a comforting hand on Raven's shoulder who in turn tensed before relaxing.

"It's alright, sweetie. Bill didn't mean to scare ya," a disapproving look was shot his way, "but he does have a point. How were you able to get here and stay without anyone coming to look for ya?" Seemingly thoughtful she tried to recall something. "And come to think of it I don't remember hearing of an Amber Alert at all over the last few months."

Raven looked almost a little anxious and fearful before looking Sookie straight in the eye with a heart wrenching gaze, "I don't think there's anyone out there to look for me."

The two adults were shocked into silence and Sookie had to choke back a sob. Here, standing before her, was a child not yet even out of elementary but still realized the harsh realities of her situation and the world around her. No one should have to go through something like that alone. Child or not.

Standing up with a determined face she knew what she had to do. She smiled down at Raven and offered her hand to the girl. "How would you like to come live with me then?"

"Sookie!" Bill exclaimed looking outraged. "You know nothing about this child! Not even if it is a real child! So why offer her your home to stay in!"

"This child is all alone fending for herself and you want me to just leave her! How heartless can you be?"

Raven looked between the two bickering adults curiously before switching her gaze to Sookie's still outstretched hand. Ignoring the two before her she pulled herself up onto her feet and placed her hand in Sookie's. "I would like to live with you," she smiled up toward their shocked faces.

Smiling down at the girl after the shock wore off Sookie led her to the car hand in hand leaving Bill to stand there gaping after the two before rushing up to them and getting in his seat to drive them 'home' to start their new fairytale life. If only life were as such for a telepath, vampire, and orphaned child.

So, Godric won't be making an appearance anytime soon. Assuming, of course, I even continue this story. I haven't yet decided to continue or not. If you all review to tell me your opinions I might reconsider deleting this ;)