PART ONE

Chapter 1

She had been depressed for some time and had take a leave from her job. Three weeks it had been since the loss of her son in law and her daughter and the wounds were still too much to bear and she knew they would never truly heal. Death was never anything easy to be dealt with and as she lay on bed that morning, she teared up again, for her loss and that this was yet another loss in the life of her Viking. She couldn't fathom his he had suffered so many losses in his life, losses she knew of and those that remained a secret to her. He had not been seen or heard from in the weeks since Aurora and Blaze had met their fates and though she could very well go find him easily, she herself hadn't been up for anything. Even time with her niece Harper hadn't been the cathartic time she had hoped it would be, though she did get some joy from those visit from her almost 6 year old niece, Sookie would return to those dark thoughts and memories she wouldn't ever lose. The good and the bad, all of her only daughter. These weeks apart had been terrible, she felt like she had lost a part of herself. And she had. And he had lost a part too. Having taken to the bottle-a faerie brewed wine that she could actually get drunk off. Human beers and alcohol no longer affected her, being a hybrid and she had wanted something to numb the pain, so briefly, she had trekked back to Faery and returned home with the bottles of special booze. Now, here she was, days later having finished all but one of the five bottles she had brought back. The unexpected separation had stung her a few days after the funeral when she had woken up to find the letter written to her on the bedside table. Having almost lost him once before when he had ran off to parts then unknown, she didn't want to be sorry not going after him. But instead, she had found herself hitting the bottle, wanting to respect his wish to be left at peace and though he had promised to return, he had also warned he was in a bad state of mind and had some fear that he could possible cause her harm should she come after him. And she knew that that was not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Everyone reacted to painful events differently and she had come to accept that for him, he preferred to be alone to deal with things, wanting to maintain that cool, tough exterior and yet all his loved ones knew better, that he did and could feel and had expressed whose emotions to them all. Still, she worried that perhaps he would go out and do something reckless…he had acted recklessly before and had wound up nearly dying from hep v. she was not going to let something as equally scary happen again and so she closed her eyes and using their bond, soon found herself outside the walls of the settlement of his ancestors, a settlement now ruled by his once thought dead younger sister, who had been raised up to a young woman and then turned. And though the guards standing outside in the night were well armed and were frightening, as most of this clan of Viking vampires were. But as she walked up the narrowing path towards the gates of the small kingdom, away from prying eyes and the reach of humans-though the occasional explorer did find this place, Sookie had used some of her magic to help protect it and its people from being found. Anyone who traveled too close all of a sudden had the urge to head back from where they came. She had wanted to keep this part of his life, his past, preserved and the people living here had been nothing but protective and loyal to her and their family in the months since this little community had become known. Elsa had taken to being the queen of the clan here and thought the last time they had met, Sookie had known Eric's sister to have been with someone, now, times had changed and there was a new one at the side of the queen as she was escorted into the simple yet imposing castle.

"Sookie, it is good to see you again and we do not speak the name of my former….consort….he tried selling us out to some thrill seekers, to turn this place into a tourist trap." Elsa said as she hugged her kin. "We had no choice but to execute, especially when I came to learn he had plans to turn me over to those people personally, to make me a freak show exhibit somewhere." Elsa sighed. "if he had shown some regret, perhaps he would have lived but…" she shrugged. "It isn't easy making these choices but there are hundreds here I am protective of." she smirked. "I take it you are here for more than a reunion. Yes, he is here and he wouldn't tell me why…but I knew he wasn't in any mood to spill."

Sookie sighed and after asking for privacy, the throne room emptied and the two were left alone and she told her what had happened

Chapter 2

After hearing the tale of deception and the events that had led to the losses of Aurora and Blaze, Elsa looked horrified and offered her sympathies in the form of a tight hug to her sister in law. "I am so sorry…I know how much he has lost in his life, the pain you both have endured….if there was anything could do I would."

"You can show me to him….maybe I can convince him to come home. I know he reacts to loss in his own ways….I know he struggles and doesn't want to admit it, that running away….well, he has never been easy to figure out. Always complicated."

Laughing half heartedly and looking worried, Sookie agreed, "Yeah….even now, I still cant figure him out all the way. And its exciting and frustrating at the same time….." she was stopped before a set of heavy doors, flaked by guards. "You are taking precautions to keep him safe and I am thankful."

"We know your magic keeps us all safe here and we are grateful…still, it's a added layer we like to keep, guards posted where I wish them to be." Elsa said as the two men stepped aside and bowed to them both. "Go on in, I just had him some blood delivered. The perks of living in modern times and yet we keep tradition alive too." Elsa pulled out a cell phone. "Sent a couple of my friends to drain a human-no, of course we didn't kill and left him with some cash-and brought it back for my brother. couldn't have worked it out that well without modern technology." she sighed and offered her friend a pat on the arm before letting the girl enter the large room that was built for the royalty that she sometimes forgot that he was. The heavy hand carved door closed behind here and she looked at the room she had been on once before, a room set aside specifically for him. A blend of modern and ancient décor, she took note of the weapons on the wall, the leathers hanging up and of course, the bed she had enjoyed before with him. And there on that bed, on his back, staring at the ceiling lit by a blend of modern battery powered lanterns and flame lit torches in sconces built into the walls was a bare chested, leather pants wearing Eric. He Didn't look at her but started to speak.

"Its déjà vu, a loved one coming after me to find me….at least you did this time, instead of laying back and enjoying the wolf instead, not giving a thought about where I could be, if I was even alive…." the unexpected tirade stunned her and though she knew she had been in the wrong not to have tried looking for him that other time, it was in the past and they had come to a agreement about that. She knew when he was hurting, he could lash out in anger and that was what was happening, she knew and still, these words hurt her and as he finally stole a glance at her, seeing the pain on her face, he clearly regretting his words. "Sorry." he said as she gingerly approached, sitting on the bed beside him. "I….didn't plan to up and leave for this long."

"I wish I had come sooner…I was scared of what I may find." she admitted. "Has Gunnar been around? I know things have been hard with him deciding to relocate here but…our son…." she trailed off. "I sure could use my two favorite men here together right now."

"Elsa said he has been out and about exploring Europe…he was planning on being back any day now….." he replied, still on the bed, looking upwards at the ceiling. The soft lighting coupled with the roaring fireplace in the large room make the room warm and homey and yet he acted miles away. Distracted. The disconnect was more than a little palpable and she sat herself on the foot of the bed and he saw how upset she was and knew his coldness was not helping. He sat up slowly and touched her arm. "I shouldn't have run off….again. Even though we have both changed in many ways, I still…."

"Feel like you are a lone wolf…..that you have to keep everything inside and by going off on your own, its your coping mechanism. I get it." she said, leaning back so she had her back to his chest and felt a sense of comfort and relief as he stroked her hair. "I wish I had come sooner….but I also didn't feel anything that alarmed me either."

There came a knock at the door and reluctant to leave her cozy position, she slid off the bed and walked to the heavy door, unlocking it and peered through the crack and saw the guards. And the face of her son peered at her, his teary eyes expression-red tinged, being a hybrid-sparkled in the light. "I got here as soon as I could…..I was gathering supplies to bring back here and…." she opened the door wide and let him in, shutting the door and hugging him to her, though he was a good head taller than she was. Built almost just like his father, just a inch shorter. "I…..if I had come home for a visit, maybe there was something in could have done.."

"None of us saw this coming. It happened so fast." the tale of the fate that had befallen Aurora and Blaze and then with the impostor that had taken Blazes place, thus imperiling Sookie and all of Faery….it was a long tale. Full of heartbreak, bravery, survival…..that those who had aligned to help them had made it through save for Adilyn's birth mother said a lot to the strength that they had had in defeating Brennan, the faerie that had briefly been impersonating Blaze. It was a story to go with their storied lives and it was the next thing that was spoken that shocked them all

TO BE CONTINUED