TILL THE END OF TIME

by Desktop Dragon

*ONE SHOT* (Originally posted in 2016) Eric walks into Merlotte's for the first time and sees a young waitress working there, he asks who she is and is told her name is Sookie. She seems familiar to him, he knows her, intimately from somewhere, somewhere and a time so long ago, that it can't possibly be true... can it? I DO NOT OWN THE SOUTHERN VAMPIRE MYSTERIES OR ITS CHARACTERS.

AUTHORS NOTE: Originally posted on the site in July 2016.

This short one shot story has been given a complete overhaul, hopefully removing all typos and errors I missed the first time around.

I came across a documentary about reincarnation and I immediately had an idea pop into my head about what would happen if Eric were to meet his human wife again thousands of years in the future, would he know her immediately and more to the point would she remember him, that idea took root and then as I was writing it something didn't feel right so I wrote it as Eric meeting Sookie for the first time and she was the reincarnation of his human wife Aude. Just a little whimsical ditty that I couldn't shake, it's been a while since I wrote anything for Eric and Sookie ...enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN THE SOUTHERN VAMPIRE STORIES OR ITS CHARACTERS BY CHARLAINE HARRIS

'TILL THE END OF TIME

As soon as I laid eyes on her I knew, I felt it immediately, the love I had known centuries before. It hit me with such force that if I could breathe it would have taken my breath away and winded me. My mind flew back over the expanse of time, back to the time I had last seen her, in my village over a thousand years ago. I was leaving to go raiding with my father and the other men folk in the village.

Aude was crying, she was due to give birth to our 5th child at any time and she was worried – she had had a difficult time during this pregnancy, she had been ill far more than with any of the previous ones. She knew I had to go and she accepted it was part of our life, but she was unsettled, she said she had a bad feeling.

I remember placing my hand on her huge swollen stomach and telling her I would be home soon, and all would be well, she had nodded at me and touched my face imploring me to stay safe, I had told her not to worry I had told her I would return to her she had smiled at me and kissed me.

"My love knows no distance," I had whispered in her ear, and she had kissed me once more.

"I will love you till the end of time" she had replied solemnly and I had laughed.

"And I, you" I had said and with that I had turned and left without a backward glance. I had returned a few weeks later to discover Aude had died in childbirth; I had grieved for her and buried her and the child with honour.

I am pulled from that memory to the here and now and I am staring at the young woman in front of me, she is staring right back at me does she remember? Does she know me? How can this be?

I walk forward unable to tear my eyes away from her.

"What is it?" Pam hisses in my ear.

I pull myself together "Nothing, nothing at all" I reply but the encounter has disturbed me.

I sit down and Pam sits beside me, and I glance around the small bar, I normally wouldn't travel to a back water like Bon Temps and I definitely wouldn't bother for the likes of Bill Compton, but curiosity had got the better of me at his invitation and promise of interesting information, and now I am more than glad I came, I need to know who this woman is, I decide it must be fate.

"Eric thank you for coming to see me," I turn and see Bill walking towards me and sitting down.

I nod, "Bill" I say.

Then I feel her as she approaches us, "Hi Bill, what can I get you and your friends?"

That voice, although it has the inflection of a Deep South American accent that voice touches me, I remember it so clearly I would know it anywhere. I stare at her and she glances at me and frowns.

"Hello Sookie, three Trueblood please," Bill says warmly.

"You got it" she replies and walks away to fulfil the order, the way she walks the swing of her hips, it's my Aude – it's her.

"How do you know that woman?" I ask Bill.

He glances at the woman dismissively, "Her? That's Sookie Stackhouse, she's just my next door neighbour" he says waving his hand.

I watch as Miss Stackhouse approaches and I watch her as she puts the bottles in front of each of us along with a glass.

"There you go" she says and gives us a bright smile; I need to speak to her so I turn my attention to Bill.

"Are you going to introduce us to your friend Bill?" I ask.

Bill stares at me in surprise then quickly he does the introduction, "Eric, Pam this is my next door neighbour Sookie Stackhouse, Sookie, these are my friends from Shreveport, this is Eric he is the Vampire Sheriff of this area and his progeny Pam".

The woman continues to stare at me and I hear her whisper the name Eric, I will her to speak to me directly, she appears to be lost in thought for a moment but then she shakes her head and just nods and walks away, but as she goes she turns to look at me once more. Our eyes meet and I can't take mine off her. She knows me, I am sure of it.

"Eric, what on earth is wrong with you?" Pam whispers, clicking her fingers in front of my face impatiently.

I shake my head, "I don't know, I feel that... I know her" I say.

Pam shrugs, "you have probably just seen her around" she says.

I shake my head again, "think Pam, how often do we come to Bon Temps?" I say.

Pam stares at me as if I am simple, "she may have travelled to Shreveport, humans can do that you know," she suggests sarcastically.

I need to know and I raise my hand, Sookie notices and scurries over.

"Is there a problem? Do you need anything else?" she asks.

"Tell me do you travel regularly to Shreveport?" I ask and I make sure I speak with my native human accent.

The woman takes a sharp breath in and her hand reaches for her throat – a mannerism that Aude always did when she was startled, she stares at me as if she has seen a ghost then she quickly pulls herself together and shakes her head.

"No sir, I rarely travel to Shreveport, it's been years since I last went there" she continues to stare at me, she does know me and she is trying figure out where from and how.

"My mistake" I say calmly.

"No problem, can I get you anything else?" she says.

I shake my head, "No, thank you Miss" I say politely.

Pam is staring at me in shock, "What the hell has gotten into you?" she says.

I glance at Bill and he too is staring at me.

I shake my head, "Nothing, Now, what news do you have Bill, you said you had discovered something of interest?" I say returning to the reason for our visit.

"Yes... we have discovered that..."

Bill drones on but I am no longer paying any attention I am captivated by the woman in the bar.

"So what do you think?" Bill says dragging me back to the conversation.

"What... sorry what did you say?" I ask.

Pam growls in frustration, and repeats what Bill has just said and I nod in agreement.

"Yes I believe that would be best" I say, but I am no longer interested.

I watch the woman and I see her attention is fixed on two people at a table nearby and then she glances at us, worry fills her face and then after a moment's thought she seems to come to some decision and she grabs a tray and comes over. She leans between myself and Bill and puts the dirty glasses and empty bottles on the tray. As she does so she turns her head towards me and whispers to me.

"Those two over there are drainers, be careful when you leave as they are planning to ambush y'all" she says.

It hasn't escaped my notice that she has addressed me rather than Bill, the vampire she knows well. I nod once in acknowledgement of her warning.

"How do you know this?" I ask her.

"I... heard them," she says.

I get the feeling she isn't telling me the whole truth but I am willing to bide my time to find out what it is. I nod at her again and thank her for the information. Bill pays for the drinks and I take notice of the miserly tip he has given her, I reach for my wallet and add significantly more to it.

She smiles brightly at me and thanking us takes the money and leaves us.

"Do you believe her?" Pam asks sceptically.

I turn to her, "I do" I reply, "Come on lets go" I say and stand.

As we do so I see the couple on the far table also stand watching us.

"I don't like this Eric, how do we know she isn't working with them?" Pam says.

I shake my head but before I can say anything Bill speaks.

"Sookie is the gentlest soul there is, she is a naturally good person and doesn't wish ill on anyone," he says.

I feel a frisson of anger and jealousy "Do you know her better than as just a neighbour?" I ask mildly.

Bill shakes his head, "No, she is my neighbour and that is all, she has done me good turns during the day time, for example taking in parcels and fetching items for me, but there is nothing more between us despite my trying" he says.

My eyebrows raise, Bill wants her, and the jealousy surges through me. Why hasn't he just glamoured her? He isn't beneath glamouring humans to satisfy his needs, he has done it many times.

"But she can't be glamoured" he offers in reply to my unasked question.

"Interesting" I say and glance toward the small waitress once more before leaving the bar.

We leave the bar and I perceive the couple behind me I turn to confront them and am faced with a crossbow, the man is startled by my sudden about turn and the arrow is fired it misses me and hits Bill he shrieks and his skin starts to smoke the arrow was silver. Both Pam and I attack and Pam screams as the woman wraps a silver chain around her. I leap on the man and rip his throat out; as I go to drain him I hear a shout, its Sookie.

"DON'T DRINK HIS BLOOD HE HAS BEEN TAKING DRUGS" she yells.

I stop and throw him to the ground spitting out the chunks of flesh. Pam is struggling against the silver and Bill is dying, the arrow missed his heart by millimetres but the silver is now inside him and he sits slumped on the ground, I turn my attention to the woman who is holding Pam.

"One step vampire and she dies" the woman hisses.

I stop and assess the situation, Pam is weakening from the silver burning into her, she has the silver chain wrapped around Pam's neck, but she also has a silver dagger pressed against Pam's heart. then something amazing happens, Sookie has sneaked up on the woman who is fixed on me and smacks the woman over the head with her tray it is enough for her to release her grip on Pam and she drops the dagger and I kick it away and yank Pam free from the woman's grasp without exposing myself to the silver chains.

As she turns and lunges at Sookie I leap on her and with a single move I snap her neck. I return my attention to Pam and see Sookie fearlessly kneeling in front of her and removing the silver from her and telling her everything will be ok. Pam is hissing and writhing in pain and could easily strike out at her.

"Pam stay still, she is helping you, do not hurt her," I command.

Immediately she quietens and Sookie pulls the last of the silver from her and throws it to the side that done she glances at Bill.

"Is he...?" she asks, looking up at me.

I shake my head, "No, he would have turned to dust by now if he had met his final death" I say.

"He's not doing so well though is he?" she asks and moves towards him. "Bill can you hear me?" she says as she wraps her hand around the silver arrow I watch helplessly as she yanks at it with all her strength but cannot move it.

"I can't do it, its embedded right in there" she says, I watch as she thinks for a moment and holds up her hand, "Wait" she says and runs into the bar.

She returns moments later and she is holding an oversized glove of some description and she hands it to me.

"It's just an oven glove, but it will stop the silver touching you, do you think it will be enough?" she asks.

I nod and taking the glove I easily pull the arrow out of Bill and he groans.

"What the hell is going on here?" I turn at the hostile voice, hissing and ready to attack, my fangs descended to face two police officers staring first at me then Sookie.

I watch as Sookie fearlessly places her hand on my arm, "it's ok Eric, I'll deal with this" she whispers and quite deliberately steps in front of me, I am astounded as I realise that she is protecting me.

"Andy, Alcee it's not what it looks like, this here is my next door neighbour Bill and he was having a quiet drink with his friends and he was attacked by these two when they all left, they are drainers I heard them planning what they were going to do, and so I came out to try and warn Bill and his friends, but I was too late, Bill was shot with a silver arrow see," she says as she takes the arrow from my gloved hand and holds it up, and then points to the crossbow and then to the hole in Bill's chest, then she points to the silver chains and then to Pam who is now rapidly healing.

"They wrapped that silver chain around her" she explains. Then she stops and waits for the two men to say something.

"So it was self defence, when they attacked them" she offers after a moment when the two officers make no sound. She is still standing in front of me an action which isn't new, Aude would stand at my side during disputes in the village to support and protect me as much as I would protect her.

The two officers seem to believe her, especially when a third man comes out of the bar and appears to corroborate her story. I had noticed him previously inside the bar, he is a shifter and I watch him warily. The police officers accept the story and turn their attention to the two dead humans. The shifter helps us take Bill inside and we end up in a small back office. Sookie is helping Pam and she runs out to the bar returning with some more bottled blood.

"Will this help?" she asks offering the bottle and a glass to Pam.

I watch my child smile and take the bottle but shake her head at the glass.

"Thank you breather" Pam says.

"Sookie" she says sharply, Pam looks surprised at her and then Sookie speaks again not quite as curtly but still with a calm abrupt authority, "my name is Sookie, not breather" she says.

I can't help but smile that is my feisty Aude and before I know what I am doing I mutter some words in my native language. Sookie's head immediately whips around to face me.

"Who are you?" she asks.

She stands up slowly and walks towards me, just gazing at me, "I feel that I know you but I don't know where from, your voice, your face, you are so familiar to me, but I don't know you... yet I feel I do, I feel as though you mean something to me," she says.

Pam is staring at us looking from me to Sookie and back again, Bill has opened his eyes and is watching carefully as well.

"You too are familiar to me" I say and I reach for her she looks scared and takes a step back, her hand clutching at her throat once more.

I speak again an endearment in my native tongue which I always spoke to Aude and Sookie's breath catches... she knows it and she remembers it.

"My dreams, you are the man from my dreams," she says eventually.

"Who is this man, what does he do?" I ask, encouraging her to remember, encouraging her to realise who she really is.

"I love him and he leaves... he leaves me, he goes away" she touches her stomach and the pain courses through me she is remembering.

"He went away and promised me..." she stops her eyes fixed on me.

"My love knows no distance," I whisper staring at her.

Recognition floods her face, "My Arik?" she whispers and I smile.

"You are Arik, your name is Arik not Eric and I know you, I don't know how but I know you, you and I were together, husband and wife" she says.

She steps forward towards me and touches my face I close my eyes savouring her touch.

"I will love you 'till the end of time," she whispers.

I fling my arms around her and kiss her, lifting her off her feet.

She doesn't fight it and she kisses me back. Eventually she pulls away, "I don't understand" she says confusion filling her.

"Neither do I, but as soon as I saw you I knew, I knew you were my Aude" I say gripping her hand.

"My name is Sookie, Sookie Stackhouse" she says once more.

I nod, "It is now, but your soul... your soul is over a thousand years old and was originally in the body of my wife Aude" I say.

She touches her stomach again, "I have these dreams, you leave... you go and our baby died, I died having our baby, you weren't there" she says.

I nod, "I was away raiding with my father and the other men folk of the village" I say, "We were Vikings it was expected" I add.

I watch as Sookie struggles to accept what I am saying, and she starts to pace, "our fifth child, it was our fifth child, we had three surviving children two boys and a girl this was our fifth, our first child was not yours... I was originally your brother's wife... he died, you married me...his child died."

She stops and looks totally overwhelmed, "How can this be I'm Sookie Stackhouse born and bred in Louisiana so how can I be someone who lived over a thousand years ago?" she asks.

I touch her hand, "you vowed to love me till the end of time" I say, your soul has been searching for me and now you have found me," I say.

Pam is speechless, she sits just staring. Then Bill coughs, we all turn to look at him, he looks in a bad way, I pull out my phone to make a call.

"I'm sorry but I need to get back to work," Sookie says apologetically.

I nod and watch her go. My call is answered and I quickly bark orders into the phone outlining what has happened and what I want. The rest of the evening goes smoothly Maxwell and Indira arrive and help us get Bill back to his home, I notice the small house in the distance over the churchyard.

"Is that Sookie's house?" I ask Bill and he nods.

I pull out my phone once more and arrange for a vampire to be stationed in her woods to protect her.

"Eric this is... unbelievable" Pam says to me.

I nod, "I don't disagree" I say.

"What are you going to do?" she asks me.

"I want to talk to her, I want to reward her for helping us tonight as not many humans would go out of their way for us, but I need to talk to her, I need to find out what other things she remembers" I say.

"What magic is this?" Pam asks.

I smile "I believe it is no magic, it is simply love, Aude died while I was away, and her soul never rested until we were reunited again she has travelled through the years searching for me" I say.

Pam looks at me sceptically "That sounds like reincarnation – Do you really believe that?" she scoffs.

"I do now" I say with a nod, "I recognised her as soon as I saw her, I knew who she was, and she knew me too even though she didn't - she knew me."

oooOOOooo

We wait at Bills house then at nearly midnight I receive the call I have been waiting for.

"The human has returned to the house" the voice says.

"Thank you" I reply and I leave Bill's house and quickly cross the churchyard.

I see her climbing from her car, she looks tired and she glances towards Bills house, as I move out of the shadows, she jumps violently and I hold up my hands.

"It is I, don't be afraid Au... Sookie, I mean you no harm."

I see her relax and she smiles at me, "Arik?" she asks.

I nod, "Yes, although I use the modern version of the name now, I am known as Eric Northman" I say.

Sookie nods and smiles "Northman as in the man from the north – a Viking?" she says.

I nod, we stand staring at each other, neither of us unable to say anything, neither of us knowing what to say.

Eventually Sookie breaks the silence, "Do you want to come in?" she asks.

I nod, "I want that more than anything," I reply.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any bottled blood in the house, I only know one vampire and that's Bill and I have never invited him in," she says.

I nod, "I do not want blood, I just wish to talk to you, and you have my word that I won't harm you, although I think you already know that in your heart," I pause and smile wryly, "I will say you are very smart not to welcome Bill into your home" I add.

Sookie nods, "yeah I don't mind doing him favours during the daytime, but I don't trust him, he has tried to do that whammy thing too many times," she says.

"You know when he is trying to glamour you?" I ask in surprise.

Sookie nods, "yes I can feel it, but it doesn't work on me," she says with a shrug.

"Do you trust me Sookie?" I ask her carefully.

She pauses and looks hard at me, "Yes... yes I believe I do," she says with only a slight hesitation.

We move into her house and I look around, when I go anywhere new I like to be aware of where all the exits are.

"Are you ok?" Sookie asks me as she watches me taking everything in.

I nod, "Yes, I'm sorry I don't mean to stare, when I go anywhere new I like to know the layout should I need to leave in a hurry" I say and I watch as she accepts that and nods.

"Oh ok, do you need to look around, I could show you where all the exits are?" she asks.

I shake my head, "No, if we stay in here I am aware of the nearest exit," I say nodding towards the door.

I take in the scent of the house and I realise at once Sookie lives here alone although there is a very faint trace of another female and the faint scent of a human male – but not the shifter I met earlier, I stiffen does she have a boyfriend?

"Do you live alone Sookie?" I ask.

She nods, "Yeah after gran died – I've lived here alone" she says.

Well that accounts for the almost indistinct female scent, "Do you have anyone special in your life?" I ask.

Sookie shakes her head, "No, no-one, I don't really have anyone at all, apart from my brother Jason and he doesn't visit me very often," she says sadly.

I realise that it is her brothers scent I can smell, I stare at her, I have this overwhelming urge to want to protect her, to sweep her up into my arms and take her back to my home. But I know instinctively that this girl wouldn't thank me for it, she is strong and self sufficient, as was Aude and I know unconsciously that I need to tread carefully.

She looks at me carefully, "I have dreamed about you for years, I had these reoccurring dreams and you were always in them, as soon as I saw you tonight I recognised you, but I couldn't believe what I was seeing... do you... do you believe in reincarnation?" she asks.

I shrug, "I have never had strong beliefs one way or the other, but as soon as I laid eyes on you I knew somehow you were Aude" I say.

"What was she like?" Sookie asks.

I stare back through the centuries to the days when I was a human, and I remember my beloved Aude.

"Physically, you are very similar, you resemble her quite closely in looks and your physique but its more than that, your mannerisms and the way you walk and talk, your hand gestures, your smile everything about you tells me you have Aude's soul inside you," I say.

Sookie nods, "I was always interested in the stories about the Vikings and that era when we covered it in history at school," she says.

"Did the stories seem accurate to you?" I ask, it has often amused and sometimes irritated me how history as portrayed us.

Sookie laughs now, "No, some things didn't ring true I had no idea why, but I felt what we were told was wrong."

I tentatively reach out and hold my hand out to her, and to my surprise she takes my hand and comes and sits beside me.

"I have no idea if this is a smart thing to do, but instinctively I feel safe with you" she says.

I reach for her and wrap my arms around her and whisper in my native language the endearments I spoke to her all those years ago.

As I do so, I feel her relax against me.

"Do you understand what I am saying to you?" I ask.

"I don't understand it as I don't speak that language yet despite that there is a part of me which is responding to it, as if I do, it's hard to explain, I feel you are telling me you love me, am I right?" she asks warily.

I smile widely, "I am" I say.

"I am feeling quite overwhelmed by all this and I'm not sure what to think, as I know it's not me you love really" Sookie says.

I stoke her hair, "I want you but I understand this must be very confusing for you, I will try and control my instincts and I will follow your pace, you need to learn to trust me, but do not doubt Sookie it is you I want, you may be called a different name now but you are still my Aude, I hope you can learn to trust me," I say.

She shakes her head, "No, I know I can trust you, instinctively here," she places her hand over her heart "I know that I feel being with you is right, I am always on edge and wary when I am near Bill I thought that was just because he was a vampire but with you it's different... even though you are a vampire too" she says.

I pull her close, "Does it concern you that I am a vampire?" I ask.

She remains quiet for a while which makes me concerned as I await her answer.

"It's different, I never anticipated ever having a relationship with anyone but with you it feels right" she says.

"Why didn't you expect to have a relationship with anyone?" I ask.

Sookie flushes and puts her head down, "It's kind of hard to have a relationship with someone when you can hear what they really think of you and men generally don't like it when their inner most thoughts are available for me to hear," she says.

I stare at her, "Wait... are you saying you are telepathic?" I ask.

She nods, and I pull her close and hold her tightly. I push away all the immediate thoughts I am having of how I could use this to my advantage, if I am having them then other vampires would also covet her.

"Have you told anyone else this?" I ask.

Sookie looks up at me, "No, it's not something I broadcast, many of the folks around here know I'm a little different, they call me crazy Sookie."

She stops speaking and I am relieved to hear that although I am also angered that humans revile her for her gift.

"Sookie look at me and listen carefully, "You must not tell anyone especially any vampires that you have this gift, nobody do you understand me" I say firmly.

Sookie nods at me "Ok" she says.

I remember something from years previously, how Aude always seemed to know when our children were lying, how she would be so sure of who to trust and believe in our village, how she would steer me away from certain people and others she would encourage friendship with, everything is falling into place, Aude could read people as well. Something else suddenly occurs to me.

"Can you read my mind Sookie?" I ask.

She looks at me and fear appears in her eyes, "I can't normally read Vampires they are like a void and its nice, it gives my mind a rest, but you... with you it's different I felt it immediately, I seem to get flashes, when you are thinking about Aude I can hear you but not everything, you are still a void to me but when you think about your human life and your wife I can hear those thoughts," she stops and stares at me, "because I am meant to hear them, because we are meant to be together" she almost whispers.

I nod, "I believe this is correct" I say, "Sookie I want to protect you, I want to be the husband I failed to be in my human life, I believe it is fate we have met again after all these centuries, I have wandered this earth and seen so many changes watched how humanity has evolved ...or not in some cases, and I know why now. I know now we were meant to be reunited again, you died while I was away raiding, you needed me and I wasn't there, you died, I feel it is not a coincidence that I too left my human life behind a short while later, I believe now that happened so I would be able to find you again, now" I say earnestly.

Sookie nods, "I keep remembering things, things I shouldn't know, since we have been together here it's like its unlocked something inside me, I don't understand it but I am willing to believe it" she says.

I pull her to her feet and pull her against me, "My love knows no distance" I whisper in her ear, and she kisses me once more, then she deliberately looks me straight in the eye.

"I will love you till the end of time... and Arik, I am not letting you go again."

THE END