PART ONE

Chapter 1

It had been four long months without any sign or word from her. And having wanted to try to help the rest of the family heal, a nevertheless reluctant Eric had went through with holding the wedding for Aurora and Blaze. Now with a new son in law, he was grateful and yet, the pain and anger he still felt upon the deepest loss was still very present. There had been more than one attempt to find her and of course, her brother being a deputy for Bon Temps had become all too well on learning the ropes on missing persons cases. Which was what it was and yet it wasn't. she had left on her own accord and had clearly said she hadn't wanted to be found. In a letter that she had sent to her home several days after saying her goodbyes to Eric back in Sweden in his ancestral castle. It had been all he could do to keep her but he knew she couldn't and wouldn't be forced to stay. He would not treat her like a prisoner, as much as it pained him to have her leave. Yet after the most recent drama she had endured-being kidnapped by those she had thought were workers setting p for their daughters wedding. That they had used voodoo to erase her from the minds of Eric and Pam and Willa to try to keep them from coming after her….even though he had been able to somehow break through some of the magic and remember her, it had not been enough. It had delayed him enough to have her be violated more than once. That they had taken her for her blood, their bigger plans was to produce children with not only faerie blood and vamp blood that she possessed, but adding to it the magic of werewolves….it had somewhat been a success what with them having gotten three. But before they could try again, knowing her fast healing abilities, she had been finally rescued, the voodoo magic broken. But the damage both mentally and physically had been done. And it seemed as of the will to live, the light and fire that he loved about her was all but gone.

And of course, his loved ones who remained had been more than loyal and at his side, wanting to do what they could to help. Jason had come over every day even when he had nothing new to report. No sightings, no nothing. This evening, he was being offered a drink in the bar installed underground in the manor house, used mainly for parties with human guests…or whoever was actually able to imbibe alcohol. It had been some time since it was sued but the bottles were chilled and it was as sleek and sophisticated as any bar for public use. Sitting down on one of the 8 stools at the bar, Jason said nothing as he watched Eric get himself a little something, knowing he despised the artificial stuff. Still, he was way past the point where he should have had something to drink and so he sat down besides his brother in law and sighed. "I do…..appreciate your help of the past weeks….it has been….comforting to say the least. Everyone…they have done what they could. But at this point, I can only think it is a matter of time before she returns. She was gone for a time once before when she was in Faery for that year…and I knew she was live, I knew she would be back…"

"But?" Jason pressed. "You Don't think she will come back…..I mean, after what she went through….I wish there were still some of those guys left alive so I could get a piece of them."

"Not even you could have lasted long against them…though I appreciate the sentiment. You should have seen the carnage when I was through with them….." Eric mused, almost smiling at the memory but that smile fared as he sipped from his crimson drink. "I worry this time is different, that she won't come back. She said she is doing it to keep us all safe. I suspect she feels like a target and this latest incident….well I think it pushed her over the edge. And as angry as I was when she left…I can't say I blame her if she doesn't come back."

"But…you wouldn't just give up on finding her, you wouldn't….move on from her, would you? Because I ain't gonna want to be around to see that happen. It is you two or bust. Always has been even before either of you realized it." Jason said as he chugged down his tequila sunrise and drinking here with him, he had to let loose a laugh. "You know what time when you healed me at vamp camp….you said to dream nice things…" he trailed off as he met the blue eyes gaze of his brother in law. "Well I never got around to tell you that the dream I had….it couldn't have come at a more inappropriate time…I was in church at the time…" Jason recounted his dream he had had about himself and Eric and was glad to get something of an amused look out of the Viking.

"You certainly were in for a treat then were you not?" he said cheekily, beaming with a smile that hadn't been seen upon him for some time.

"Just trying to cheer you up and I think it was time to finally tell you that…so long as you keep it between the two of us….it was hard enough dreaming it let alone reliving it and telling you about it?"

"Am I not satisfactory, not your taste?" quipped Eric as he got off his stool and threw out the bottle of New Blood, thankful he was no longer in charge of that operation. The selling off of that which he had created had afforded him the life he had always wanted, not that he hadn't been proud of the accomplishment,. Hep v had been obliterated and he and his family had become obscenely wealthy. Still, he would give every penny away to have what he desperately wanted back at his side. The amusement faded quickly as his thoughts inevitably turned back to the gaping hole in his life and heart.

"I should head out….but I wanted to give you a update, or lack thereof. I wish there was more I could do for you, I really do. But with Aurora and Blaze unavailable with dealing with matters over in Faery-"

"They have popped in and out to check up on things…..she has tried using her magic to find her mother but it seems that even thought she refused the throne herself, Sookie is indeed the most powerful of the faeries to say nothing of having vamp blood in her too…but I appreciate the work you've put into the search. But I would call it off….maybe it would be best to."

Jason seemed shocked by the way he seemed to be giving up. "All I have to do is give the word to Andy and yeah, we can give up the search…..but…."

"If she wants to come home, I think she would be more prone to without knowing that there are eyes everywhere trying to find her. As much as I would love to send the cavalry out to get her back here, I can't force her and I would never force her to come home. I don't; want her to go back to seeing me as she once did…as nothing more than a monster. And truth be told…..I know what I am and am capable of. Perhaps she would be better off without me, regardless of the circumstances."

Jason was shocked at seeing someone he knew to be so tough and powerful being so candid with him. That he was said a lot as to how their friendship had grown over the past months. "Look, she is a strong woman and she hasn't felt this way for anyone as she does for you. You Can't give up on her. You didn't before so don't you dare do that now. I shouldn't have given up on her before and I did and I am not doing that again. It ate me up giving up on her. She will come home, just you wait and see. And when she does, we will all be here for her to help her sort through the crap she went through."

Appreciative, Eric led Jason upstairs and to the front door and thanked him once more, hitting a button that would allow the gates to open and for him to leave the ultra private three house community with ease. Alone with his dark thoughts once more, there was something he had to do, needed to do and though he wouldn't be proud of it, it was a release he so desperately needed.

Chapter 2

There seemed to always be those trying to cause a racket at his bar. His appearances as of late had been few and far between and though Pam had said his lack of lording over the bar had certainly been a detriment to the business, he was always reminding her they really didn't need the money, that they kept the bar open out of sentiment, out of slight boredom. Fangtasia was still making decent bank and security had been beefed up for some time now, out of concern for the well being of his kin-namely Sookie, who sometimes worked there when not at Bellefleur's. it was a increasingly poorly kept secret as to what she was and though they seemed to be able to keep the information somewhat controlled, there were people-humans who were glamoured and supes who were threatened and/or killed-that picked up on the secret of the perky blonde. Pam herself, had been forced to eliminate a couple of vamps who had picked up on the fact that Sookie was more than a little unique and it was not just the vamp part of her. Humans who did learn of the secret would try to leave the bar in a hurry, hoping to sell what they knew to whoever was interested. More often than not, they got glamoured but some were killed when she was forced to defend herself. And it was always some down on their luck loser trying to make a profit off of the knowledge of what Sookie was. And orders were now for those vamps and weres who chose not to be cooperative to be held in the basement of the bar. Indefinitely. As luck would have it, there happened to be a few left from a few weeks back chained up

Pam tried to stop him as she saw him head to the basement. "When do you think enough is going to be enough? We've not heard any further whisperings about what she is and we've had everyone we know who could help purge that knowledge from their minds. Sookie's secret of what she is safe and I don't think it will get any safer. What I think this is really about is not wanting to get those who talk about getting a taste of her and what she is but revenge for helping break her and sending her away-" Pam was stopped by a hand to her throat and she was pulled down into the basement, away from any prying eyes, save for the prisoners who mattered not to him

"I don't expect you to agree with my methods or what I am about to do….but if I don't get this out of my system soon…" he looked into Pam's slightly unnerved face and knew that he truly was losing himself to the pain and anguish he had felt for weeks. He loosened his grip before releasing her completely, trying his back to her. "Maybe you're right…but I still can't take the chance of letting any supes live knowing what they know. They have been here from before she up and left and….they they claim they won't spill the beans.. They saw her when she had to fight off that drunk gut and she used her light….they were the only ones in the club that night and weren't able to be glamoured."

Pam sighed and knew he was not about to set these people free. "Do what you have to do then but either way, if her secret is out or not, people are always going to come out of the woodwork to hurt not just you two but me, Willa, everyone connected to you and her. And if killing these creeps gives you some satisfaction-" she was interrupted by a blur and then the smell of blood permeated the room as one by one, the supers were killed and even Pam winced at the sheer brutality. Considering she was not one to shy away from a good and bloody fight, seeing the strain that was upon her maker, it was breaking her still yet far from lifeless heart. She stood on the bottom of the stairs watching him as he surveyed the damage done. "I'll call the cleaners." she said stiffly, leaving him alone with the mess surrounding and covering him. He felt better but only marginally.

TO BE CONTINUED