Author's Note: I am trying to visit the city I am living in, in the end of 30s, beginning of 40s. I always wonder how it looked like back then, after my neighbour found some photo albums and old stuffs from 1943 or earlier. Some say, we shouldn't visit the past, cause it might open old wounds. I have no intention to open or cause any wounds, it's just fantasy which is playing in my mind for a long while.

This story is inspired by a little past that was shown to us, through the eyes of Eric, when he and Godric chased werewolves during the second World War. With a little twist and shout.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Charlaine Harris and True Blood writers (Alan Ball and co). I only borrow them for awhile to accompany me walking through the city. I have no rights to any of them, except Arne Kragh. He's mine.

This story is betaed by Northwoman and Ms. Peppermint. Thank you girls, for your care and attention.

Dedicated to my beloved one: M, for without him, any city would be a lonely one.

Chapter One

Waiting For Kragh

Of all places, why on earth does it have to be Bergen? It's damn cold; I don't understand a word people are gibbering and for heaven sake, I can't stand anymore pastry and fish ! Steak, a huge slice of steak and pancakes, cereal, cornbread, anything but pastry!

Sam Merlotte's words were drummed in her head, like a frustrated man trying to break down a metal sealed door. He was nervous, plain and simple.

Sookie had known Sam for years. He was one of the hired gun men who worked for Edgington plantation. As far as she knew him, he rarely spoke. Mostly, he would walk around the main house or sometimes he would ride around the plantation, with Butter – his horse. But when he did talk, he always had twinkling stars in his eyes.

Now, as they were waiting for a man named Arne Kragh to come, he grew nervous. The warmth that came from a fireplace at the corner didn't soothe him. The kindness and patience of the waiters of the restaurant Bryggeloftet & Stuene, who tried to understand his English and her poor Norwegian, didn't help either.

Sam had enough of fish. He wanted to have steak. They did have steak. His eyes were bigger when he heard it till he found out that it's not beef, but moose. And eating moose turned out to be a little bit too much for him.

"I am not going to eat Santa's sleigh puller!" he hissed.

Yes, why on earth did it have to be Bergen, a city, far away on the north part of the earth, which its name she had heard only recently? Whether or not the city was ever known by Sam, it wasn't as cold as Sam was complaining about.

It was actually warmer than Sookie had thought. It had to be around 32 or 33 degrees out there. The streets were white from the snow, and the fjords were covered by ice. But the captains of the Hurtigruten – or ships in Norway, were skillful. They could navigate or break the ice smoothly and easily. The passengers could hear the groan of ice giving way, but they didn't feel the ship vibrate or shake.

Bergen – Norway, a city surrounded by seven mountains. Wherever she looked , she saw high masts of ships, which were docking at the harbour, gathered like trees in a forest. On the tops of the masts were flags in red and white with different symbols. Some of them were crosses, and some of them were plain stripes. Sookie recognized them as the symbol of Hanseatic League and Cities – the twelve most powerful trade cities in Europe – King Russell's main business partner.

Then, there were fish, in every shape and color were traded, laid upon long benches. People – buyers, sellers or passerby, wore knitting sweaters with bright red colors and beautiful motifs. Under those knitting sweaters were bunads – that's how the local people called their clothes. The women wore long skirts – in bright dark blue or red, white blouse with long arms and vests, which had the same color as the skirt. Beautiful flowery motives were sewed on the vest. Sookie saw some of the vests even decorated with gold and silver! She didn't know how they would dress up in summer time, but in this time of year, the women wore also capes. The men, just like the men back home, they wore shirt and trousers. The different was their trousers reached only until under the knees. The rest of the legs they covered with thick wool socks.

"When will he come?" The hoarse voice of Debbie Pelt caught Sookie's attention. Opposite Sam, Debbie Pelt looked more comfortable in her rather thin blouse. She didn't complain about the weather, as a matter a fact, she seemed to enjoy it. But then again, Debbie is a werefox. She would feel more comfortable in colder climates than a warm humid area like New Orleans.

A werefox was a human who could transform into a fox. Sam Merlotte was a shifter. Different from a were-kind, Sam could transform into any animal he wanted, as long as he had seen them first hand. Sookie had seen him transform into snake, cow, dog and bird. His favourite animal to shift was a collie. She herself was a telepathic. She could hear what the people thoughts. With humans, it was easy. Their thoughts were as clear as when they spoke out loud. With weres or shifters, she had to be more focused, for their voices were echoed and like the sound of unfixed radio transmission, they came and went.

Vampires, on the other hand, were dead to her. Literally. Yes, they are dead according to any biological understanding, but to her, their thoughts are also dead. She can't hear any sound. They were like empty vessels; their heads were a hollow unknown.

That's the reason she worked for Russel Edgington, a vampire king from Mississippi. Not only that he was a generous man, who liked to give presents and paid her a handsome monthly salary, but his thoughts were blank space to her. She liked spending evenings with him, listening to his stories without being disturbed by the voice inside his head. Moreover, his lover, Talbot had a quite exquisite taste in fashion and he loved to dress her up. Every stylish new thing he saw in a fashion magazine and he loved would end up in her closet.

Not many people knew vampires existed. . By people, she meant humans, normal human beings. For them, weres, shifters or vampires were only a tale they tell to frighten their children or to amuse themselves and to pump up their adrenalin. For them, people like King Russell were only eccentrics e who don't want to leave their places during the day and prefering tolive during the night, from one party or amusing event to the next.

And yet, why on earth were the three of them – Sam, Debbie and Sookie herself, who were born and raised in New Orleans, in Bergen – Norway? Let alone, in the midst of problems among the countries in Europe?

Since Germany had invaded Poland in the beginning of September, Europe was like a bomb ready to explode. She read and watched movies in the theater on how the German armies marched into one country after the other, leaving death and devastation everywhere they went. People lost their homes, people they loved, their lives.

Now, two months later, she was in Norway, not far away from the hell itself. Either she was stupid or had a death wish, she couldn't see the difference anymore.

She was told Norway took a neutral position in this matter. They neither supported nor fought against Germany. But how long would it be? How long can one satisfy the hunger of power, before the power itself eats those who feed it? Who could guarantee that the Germany under their Hitler wouldn't march into Norway, into Bergen and conquer it? They could do it to Poland, they could do it anywhere else.

"What is his name again?" asked Sam to anybody.

"Arne Kragh," said Debbie.

"That doesn't sound Norwegian," said Sam. "Don't they normally use sen at the end? I don't know how many 'sen' I met today, it drives me nuts."

"You complain too much today, Sam," said Debbie. "I told you to stop drinking coffee, it makes you nervous. When you're nervous, you start complaining. When you complain, I start getting nervous, too. You don't like me when I am nervous, do you?"

"I just want to get the hell out of here, all right?"

"And go where? Berlin? Oh boy, you really are nervous. I would spend the rest of my life here, than to spend a day in Berlin, if you know what I mean."

"If I meet Alcide Herveaux, when I meet Alcide Herveaux, I'll pick him up by his tail and smash him against the wall! I swear!"

"After I finish with him, Sam. Only after I finish with him," Debbie drank her coffee. "If you think that I'll let you or anybody get your hands on him ahead of me, then you'd better think again. I'm not fond of wasting time time for nothing, as well you know that."

Alcide Herveaux. Just like Bergen, Sookie had heard the name only recently.

One cool evening, late in September, when she was sitting on the porch, reading the cotton sale report for August, Jackson Herveaux came to visit. He looked a lot older and tired from than he had the last time she saw him. Mr. Herveaux was King Russell's foreman. He supervised and controlled everybody who worked for King Russell's plantation. She rarely saw Mr. Herveaux because mostly he worked in the field and only came to the mansion during the harvest time. He must have been very good in his job, because as far as Sookie could tell, from the reports and the thoughts she picked up from time to time, people seemed satisfied with him.

The Herveauxes and her family – the Stackhouses – had a long history. His family was the one who protected her grandmother when she had been disowned by her own parents, since she had children out of wedlock. When her own parents died from the fire, the Herveauxes helped Gran take care of her. She even had a job at King Russell's plantation because of them.

It didn't take long for Sookie to know Mr. Herveaux wasn't a human; he was either a were or a shifter. His thoughts were vague and echoing, and he's restless. His restlessness seemed to have made him unable to control the appearance of the fur on his hands, and sometimes, on his cheek.

"I need your help, Miss Sookie," he said.

"Mr. Herveaux, if it has something to do with the plantation, you know you can always talk to Mr. Edgington."

"No, it's private," he held his hand, prevented from shaking. "It's about my son, Alcide."

"I didn't know you had a son," Sookie surprised. She didn't even know that he was married.

"I have," he straightened his body. "He left us some years ago to go to Europe. Last month, he sent us some news from Poland."

"Oh, dear!"

That's not good, not good at all. She heard from the radio that the German government had invaded Poland. The situation was unclear at the moment, but she could imagine it wouldn't be good.

"Last week, I received a letter from Paris. It's from Alcide, but was sent by his friend. He said he's in Berlin for the moment, and asked me to help him get out of there."

Sookie didn't know what to say. It would be foolish for anybody to enter Berlin. It would be better for Alcide to leave Berlin by himself!

"I know what you're thinking, Miss. Alcide says he has something important that might change our destiny, but he can't handle it by himself."

Oh, really, what is it? A way to kill that Adolf Hitler person and end the war?

Mr. Herveaux took her hands and looked into her eyes. The voice in his head was loud and clear. He has information about Nazi-werewolf. A group of strong, dangerous, blood-thirsty werewolves, trained, lead and owned by a vampire. He said, if this group manages to go to States undetected, they will try to recruit American werewolves and make us – werewolves – slaves to vampires.

Sookie pulled away her hand. Obviously, Mr. Herveaux is a werewolf."But you work for King Russell," she had a feeling that he knew who Russell is, and decided to play an open card.

"I do, but I am not his slave. I obey his orders as long as he pays me. Still, I can leave him whenever I want. If my son is telling the truth, and I believe he is, I will quit this job and try my luck somewhere else."

"What do you want me to do, Mr. Herveaux?"

"Go to Berlin and help him to leave the country."

"What?"

"You are King Russell's protege. You are under his protection; nobody will harm you in Berlin."

"Now, Mr. Herveaux...,"

"Trust me, Miss Sookie. He has people everywhere, and by everywhere, I mean everywhere."

She believed it. King Russell is an old vampire. Yes, he looked like a rather small southern gentleman, with soft voice, sweet smile on his face and a pair of twinkling eyes, but he's old. Once she teased him if he's ever been to one of the mask parties in the palaces of kings and queens, he laughed. He didn't say anything, but Talbot said, "Honey, Russell was the one who invented the mask party, of course he was there! I think, he was even befriended by Nero, the Caesar of Rome. With a friend like Nero, trust me, Hon, you don't want to know what he's invented."

"Talbot," he smiled. "I created Nero and before that, Caligula."

Sookie had rushed to the library to find out about Nero and Caligula only to find that both Rome emperors lived around 2000 years ago. She could somehow believe that King Russell had invented the mask party in Vienna or anywhere else.

And yes, she could also believe that King Russell had his people everywhere, even in Germany.

"Why me, Mr. Herveaux?"

"I don't trust anybody else, Miss. Sookie. Besides, with your ability, you can get information without even asking anybody."

Her ability...Sookie sighed. Not so many people knew that she was able to hear people's thoughts. The Herveaux family was one of them.

"And you can speak German," said Mr. Herveaux. "And French, Spanish, and...,"

Sookie raised her hand and asked him to stop. Yes, she had learned a lot of languages. She might not be fluent, but she could understand. Gran said she'd better learn languages. Because, what good would her ability be, if she couldn't understand the words people were using?

"All right, Mr. Herveaux. My family owes a lot, perhaps it's time I pay it back. But only if King Russell allows it."

"Thank you, Miss Sookie." He gave her a photograph. "This is Alcide." Then, he removed his ring. "If you meet him, give him this ring. He will know who you are, or whom you work for."

Alcide Herveaux...what a dashing man! His hair was wavy, and his eyes were piercing. Unfortunately, it's a black and white photo. Sookie couldn't tell what color it was. However, if it was the same color like Mr. Hervaux' eyes, which are green...She's certain those eyes had already broken many girls' hearts because even now, seeing the picture only, her heart had already jumped at its own will, caused her to hastily put the photo away. She didn't want to imagine how her heart would react when she met him in person. But somehow, she didn't know what, something on his face said 'problems'. She was sure of it.

When both of them saw King Russell that night, to Sookie's surprise, he agreed. "Take Sam Merlotte and Debbie Pelt with you. You might need them. And don't go straight to Berlin. You will need somebody to guide you there. Go to Bergen, Norway. There, you'll meet Arne Kragh, my representative in Norway, my dear old friend. Besides, he's been doing some business with some people inside Germany. He can help you enter Berlin without any problems and be safe."

"You never take me there anymore," Talbot pouted. "In fact, you never take me anywhere anymore."

"Talbot, you don't like Norway. You hate living in cold areas."

"Really?" Sookie wondered. "But you have so many fur coats!"

"It doesn't mean that I like wearing it. I love the material, silly. Speaking of which, come, Sookie, my dear. You have some coats to choose!"

Now, she's here in Bergen waiting for a man from Bergen to come. Her white fur coat – Talbot's choice was hanging beside the door.

It's ten o'clock in the morning, and yet, it's dark. It's polar night, local people said, the time when the sun isn't seen for about six months or more. We get used to it, again the local people said, to work and live under the lamps for twenty four hours a day, day after day. If you stay longer here, you'll get used to it too.

It must be a kind of paradise for vampires. They don't have to be afraid to the sun anymore.

"Sookie, you're quiet," Sam's voice broke her train of thought. "Is something wrong?"

Before Sookie could answer, the door opened. A pale man, clad in a long, black leather jacket and a black hat with a white stripe on it, entered. When he touched his hat, Sookie saw a golden ring with a red E letter on his glove covered finger. King Russell had given her the same ring.

Arne Kragh, the man from Bergen, had finally arrived.

Reluctantly, Sookie raised her hand in his direction. "He's here. Arne Kragh is here."

xxxxxxx