Disclaimer: All publicly recognized characters belong to Charlene Harris.

Summary: What if Niall had come to Sookie the night she found Gran dead, before she had a chance to sleep with Bill. What if he told her what she was? And who her mate was?

*Bold is writing borrowed from the books. (Dead Until Dark, pg 128), (From Dead to Worse, pg 21, 58); Italics are thoughts being shared.

SPOV

"Wait. How did you come here?"

"Your grandmother gave me a ride home, but I insisted on coming with her first and helping her unload the car."

"So why are you still here?"

"I was waiting for you."

"So, did you see who killed her?"

"No, I went across the cemetery to change."

He went home to change? Why would he need to change? He just said he was waiting for me but then said he was going home to change? I stepped away from him and turned towards my grandmother.

"Bill, I want you to go home."

"Sookie, you shouldn't be alone right now." His tone was so condescending like he was talking to a small child and knew what was best for me. Infuriated, I spun back around on him.

"And who do you think you are, that you would know what's best for me? I am not a child Bill Compton! Nor am I yours. You have no obligation to me at all so leave. I rescind your invitation." I shouted at him and saw the surprised look on his face before it turned to determination even as he was ejected from the house. Before he could open his mouth to plead his case there was another man stepping up onto my porch and he breezed by Bill and into the house.

Bill had spun around upon hearing him walk onto the porch with his fangs bared hissing. In a voice that was equal parts calm and deadly the man spoke. "Stay back from her vampire or I will bring you your final death!"

"And who are you too…", before Bill could finish his sentence, he was thrown from the porch and wrapped in silver.

Looking at this man, though he wasn't really a man, because it was obvious, to me anyway, that he wasn't human: he had some age on him, he was extremely handsome, and his hair, still pale gold, was as long as mine. He wore it pulled back neatly. He was slightly withered, but his back was absolutely straight and he wore no glasses. His eyes were green. The deepest green you can imagine. He carried a very simple black cane with a gold head. I tried to listen to his thoughts to determine who this man was and why he was here, and though I heard nothing, I did not feel he was a danger to me.

The man stepped forward to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. Suddenly I heard his voice in my head, where I had been unable to 'hear' anything from him before.

'Sookie, my dear, you are my great- granddaughter. I know this is all a lot to take in right now and I will explain everything to you later, but right now I need to protect you. You are in danger my dear and my son and your grandmother would be very upset with me if I did nothing to protect you.'

Unable to speak, and understanding that I shouldn't, I just nodded my head once.

'It is very important that you do as I say right now. I know you my dear to be very prideful and you can yell at me later for taking over but you must understand that the wrong thing said right now could hinder my ability to protect you.' I nodded again. I was in shock. I knew it. It felt like things were happening around me and not to me. 'Now I have already called the police and they are on their way. When they ask who I am, I will tell them I am your grandfather Niall Brigant (non-blood related) and I was coming to visit you and your grandmother and arrived just after you returned home. You knew I was coming and you were expecting me.

'If you need to speak to me I can hear you just as you hear me.'

"Are you really my great-grandfather?" I asked him mentally, finally coming out of my shock a bit.

"Yes I am my dear."

"What do we tell them about, Bill?" I asked, jutting my chin in his direction, where he was shooting murderous glances at me and my great-grandfather.

"He is cloaked currently; unable to be seen, accept by whom I want him to be seen by. I will call the Viking to come… keep him company for me."

I wasn't sure how to feel about having Eric here. I was attracted to him for sure and had felt a faint pull to him that was unexplainable yet familiar somehow. I wanted him to be here with me but at the same time I didn't. I felt like we had met before and I should know him but I hadn't. My feelings for him when I was around him scared me. I really didn't have a choice in the end though. He was the sheriff and he was responsible for Bill. I went into the house retrieved the afghan that Gran had made and sat on the porch waiting for Eric to arrive.

EPOV

I have been contemplating the same thing for days now. How do I get Sookie Stackhouse to be mine? Normally I could care less about a human above a fuck and feed but she is different. I felt drawn to her, a pull, the moment she stepped foot into the bar, even before I laid eyes on her. When I finally do lay eyes on her I feel like I have met her before though I am sure I have not. She walked in with that insufferable pitiful excuse for a vampire Bill Compton. He claims to be mainstreaming but I know he is not. I can smell another human all over him. He obviously fed and fucked before coming into the bar and not with her either. She is still pure.

Why is Compton in my even in my area to begin with? He thoroughly enjoyed his station at the queen's side. I know I am being lied to by him and most likely by the queen also. I must think more on this.

Just as I started to try and analyze my thoughts, my phone rings, the screen flashing the name of a person I haven't spoken to in a very long time. I run to my office and answer the call before the second ring.

"Niall, to what do I owe the honor of your call?" We haven't spoken in years. There's no hatred between the two of us but we are still appropriately weary of the other. We consider each other friends in fact despite the general distrust fairies have of vampires and vice versa.

"I need your assistance old friend. There is also much we must discuss that has to do with your future. I need you to meet me at the Stackhouse residence in Bon Temps and… contain one of your underlings while the humans do their investigation."

What? If Compton hurt Sookie, I will torture him for days.

"What has happened?" I ask forcing calm into my voice.

"Sookie came home to discover her grandmother murdered."

"Why is Sookie of any consequence to you Niall?" What is his relationship to Sookie?

"Sookie is my great-granddaughter Viking. I will see you shortly, yes?"

"I'm on my way." As I hang up the only thought going through my head is, 'Holy goddess'.

When I arrived at Sookie's house I could see her sitting on the porch steps wrapped in a hideous blanket while Niall was standing on the lawn talking to the police. I could see Bill wrapped in silver but no one else seemed to notice. I walked to Sookie and sat beside her. She seemed to be in shock, not really looking at anything and not saying anything either. No one asked who I was or what I was doing there. I'm assuming Niall told them he called me to keep company with Sookie or something to that effect. I reached out and ran my fingers across Sookie's cheek. She flinched slightly at first surprised to be being touched but relaxed into my hand.

"Sookie, can you tell me what happened?" I asked softly.

"Gran is dead. I came home from the DGD meeting and I found her." She was crying silent tears the whole time and my dead heart broke for her. I knew what it was like to lose your family.

"They think Gran died because of me. Think she had bad luck being stuck with Jason and me. They are so loud." She was crying harder now and starting to get hysterical. I lifted her into my arms and brought her to sit with me in my car. It wasn't far away but I hoped to be able to put some distance between their thoughts and her. I sat her on my lap and put her face between my hands and ran my fingers across her cheeks.

"Sookie look at me lover. Don't listen to them just concentrate on me." She locked onto my eyes and the sadness and pain there was heartbreaking. "That's it just breathe. Push all of them away. They don't matter the only thing that matters right now is you and me."

After a few minutes she calmed and relaxed against me. I sat in car with her while Niall finished with the police. When he seemed almost done Sookie stiffened in my arms and turned her head towards the woods. A man came running out with a rope running towards Sookie and I.

"You fangbangin' bitch! I'll kill you like all the others." Screamed out the crazed man as he continued to run toward us while the useless cops of Bon Temps just stood around and watched. I shifted Sookie to sit in the seat and I grabbed the man by the throat stopping his movement and slamming him into the ground. I looked up to the cops who were still standing there doing nothing.

"Are you going to do your jobs and arrest this man or am I going to have to take matters into my own hands?" I growled. They stayed still and made no move to come and take the man from my custody. I pulled my phone out from my pocket and called my contact at the state police. It was a vampire cop and it came in quite handy when dealing with ignorant hicks like the ones before me. I made Officer Anderson aware of what was going on and he assured me he was on his way with his partner, a human, and they would be there shortly.

"The state police are on their way. They will be here shortly." Niall nodded his head in approval and the cops knew they were screwed if the state police were on their way. They instantly tried to get on our good sides hoping they could make up for their lack of professionalism.

When Officer Anderson showed up he took the human, Renee Lanier into custody and insured me he would be in touch. He dismissed the local cops and told them they would be getting a report to sign off on as well as a write up for their unprofessionalism.

When all the officers were gone I called Pam to me so she could lock up Compton in one of my holding cells until I figured out what to do with him. Niall dragged Compton up the stairs and onto the porch so that I could sit on the swing with Sookie.

"So tell me Compton," Niall started. "Why did that man reek of you? What possible reason could you have to associate with the murder of those who provide sustenance for your kind?"

I growled. "Speak Compton. If you attempt to lie to me I shall make you sing in the most unpleasant way I can possibly think of; and don't think that hiding behind the queen will work for you. Helping those who wish to harm our kind is punishable by the true death and even the queen can't save you from that."

Compton shuddered. "I can't tell you for it would be treason to do so."

"So this is all part of your elaborate plan that you brought to your queen to bring Sookie under her control for the use of her telepathy," stated Niall. Compton paled, I growled and Sookie gasped and looked murderous.

"You killed Gran for political gain? You sadistic fucking bastard!" I held Sookie back from attacking Compton. His time would come but now wasn't that time. Pam arrived taking in the atmosphere and came to kneel before me.

"Master."

"Take Compton to a cell. Make it extremely secure. Day time guards the works. Don't touch him more than necessary to get him in there. Do NOT kill him. I will call you with details."

"Yes master." She put on some leather gloves, nodded and grabbed Compton dragging him to her van and driving off. I could feel her curiosity but determination to do as instructed.

After she was out of sight Niall looked to me and Sookie and smiled.

"Let's go inside shall we? There is much to discuss."

I put Sookie on her feet and we filed into the house, both of us curious as to what he had to say.