Second Chances

by InLoveWEric

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you went right instead of Left? Eric Northman thinks of that constantly. This is what happens when he got his wish. AH EPOV One-Shot

A/N Second Chances, we can all use them from time to time. Okay, this is a one shot I started and had planned to finish in time for Christmas. It's May - how am I doing? Yeah, well, better late than never. I know I should be working on my stories, but I've got a lot of them going and even more one shot's and Ideas started as well. This was something I could finish and allow you to enjoy while I'm working on the next chapter. The story is AH and completely in Eric's POV. A first for me, but you will see why when you begin.

As always, I own nothing. The Great CH created the characters. I just like to play in the sandbox.

Like I said, this was supposed to be a Christmas One Shot. So the them is the holiday. Thank you for reading and following along with my crazy mind!

Without further ado, please enjoy this one shot.

*******0*********

Second Chances

June 1998

Did you ever know that your life was perfect? Yeah, I know everyone in their early twenties think that way, but I had it. I had the perfect life planned out and it was a week away from coming true.

I had just finished my master's at Tulane and I had gotten a killer appointment to an investment banking company in New York. I mean 3000 people from across the world applied for that appointment and I got it. I was starting in the middle instead of the bottom, but hey, it was better than nothing, right.

My girlfriend since I was old enough to have one was just finishing her undergrad and had her choice of either working for her masters in Fashion Design or coming with me to New York and working under one the best fashion designers in the country. She opted to come with me. Yeah, I know, I should have pushed her to get the masters. But her designs were the best that Tulane ever saw and she was invited personally by the designer. Okay, and I wanted her with me. Other than the first few years when I was in school and she was still in high school, we have never been apart. Even then, I would come home most weekends or she would come to school with her brother to see me. I hated going a day without seeing her smiling face and now we were headed for our dream. Yeah, life was perfect.

Until…

Until I heard those three little words, "Eric, I'm Pregnant."

Yeah, that is what I heard from my beautiful girlfriend. Not a week before I'm supposed to board a flight to our future. She had called me over and told me of her fears. Without missing a beat, I ran to Reston and got her a test. I waited with her while she took it. It's not like she would want anyone else to be there for her anyway and there is nowhere I would rather be. She's my best friend, my love and my everything. Together we are everything. Alone, well, I don't want to think of me alone. If we are pregnant it's a WE not a SHE. After all, she didn't get there alone.

She could have asked my sister, but she wasn't around. Her Gran had passed away the year before and her parents died before I met her. So it was just me. If I'm honest, I wouldn't want anyone else to know before me either.

Hell, I knew Susannah was my future. I knew that when I moved to the small town of Bon Temps when my parents passed away. I was ten years old and all of a sudden, I was being whisked away to my mother and father's best friend's place clear across the country from our sunny home in California. Sure my parents met at Tulane and had lived in Louisiana until my father got a job offer in LA. Okay, technically I was born in Shreveport. But I didn't remember anything about Shreveport or Edwin and Elizabeth Compton. Okay, so they were mine and my sister's Godparents.. But I hadn't seen them for years. My sister, Pamela, and I were sent to live with Edwin Compton, his wife, Elizabeth and son, William only days after the funeral. I didn't really get a chance to say goodbye to my old life before I was sent to my new one.

Susannah Stackhouse and her brother had just come to live with their grandmother. Her parents had just passed as well and we instantly bonded. She was three years behind me but I knew. Well as much as a ten year old could, that she was it for me. Her brother called her Sookie. Because he said she smelled like a cookie when she was little.

I had to laugh. She always did smell as sweet as a cookie. She was even sweeter inside. Her brains were finer than her looks. She almost glowed from the inside out. From the moment I met her, I kne that my life would be nothing without her. Since then, it was always us.

"What…what are we going to do?" She asks me as she sniffles. I was holding her as I always did. Sitting on the porch swing and looking out onto her front yard. The small stick lay in her hand with a glowing mark that told us this was all real. That tiny blue happy face staring back at us was the sign that our lives were about to change.

Yeah, our life was all planned out and perfect. Now, I had three choices. Either I leave for New York and allow Sookie to deal with this alone. Take her with me now and try to make a go of it. Or stay and work out what we were going to do.

Looking down at her, I fall into her deep blue eyes. She is so scared. I am too. But right now, she needs me. My strong, independent Sookie needs me. This is my fault. I should have known. Okay, it's our fault. But still, I'm the one who is supposed to take care of her. She has been mine for so long. I've loved her for so long. This is, well, okay, not what we planned. But still. This is my Sookie, our baby and our life.

Leaning in, I place my forehead on hers. "We are going to be okay," I say to her.

A look of relief spreads across her face and I know. I know in that instant that there is not going to be any New York for either of us.

Taking a deep breath, I hold her close. I love her so much. I'll make this work.

***0***

December 24th, 2009

Christmas Eve is a time for family, for joy and for happiness. To me, it's just an anniversary of what I lost so many years ago. It's the day, my son was supposed to join this world. It was a day that after much turmoil and struggle I looked forward to. Now, it's just a reminder of what I lost.

"If were, done here," I ask the room. "I need to get going." It is already five hours later than I expected to be home. But, well. Sophie-Anne had announced that she was coming to town to discuss another merger with us and I was expected to be there. Being the head of the Southern Consortium, I was supposed to head the rest of the team in the surrounding states.

Also, it wasn't a day that I liked being home anyway. So having to make excuses as to why I was at a meeting in Shreveport instead of home with my family, wasn't too difficult.

"Why in God's name do you need to go?" Sophie purrs at me from across the table. "The nigh is not even begun." She laughs her signature light. "But your right, these good people should be with their loved ones." She motions to the room. Everyone turns from her to me. No one would ever say a thing. But they know that Sophie flirts with me and half the staff anytime she's in town.

I go to stand and everyone joins me. "Enjoy your holiday, everyone. Thank you for staying late."

I walk into my office and Sophie is right on my tail.

"Eric, I would expect you to stay in the city and entertain me," she says with another purr. She sits down and crosses her legs. Her skirt hikes up a little to show me her thigh highs. Sophie has been trying to get me into bed since the moment she met me.

"Sophie, I have to go," I say. "It's Christmas Eve and I have to get home."

She pouts. "Oh, pooh," she says. "You told her you had an unexpected meeting. You still have time," she giggles.

I sigh and walk around her to my desk. There is just something about a forty-eight year old woman giggling that gets to me. Okay, there is something about my forty-eight year old Boss throwing herself at me and giggling that gets to me.

I look at her. She is an attractive woman. Her hair is dark and cropped short to her head. Her body shows the intensity of working out and keeping her figure. Her skin, eyes and lips show the hint of work that has been done. But nothing that would make you take a double take. It's just enough of a difference for her to look fresh and energized. She also happens to be the CEO of LeClerq Financial, which I work for.

Once I called to let the New York head office know I wasn't able to take the position due to my situation with Sookie, Sophie, who had just taken the CEO position over for her father, offered me a position in the Shreveport satellite offices. It wasn't as prestigious as coming to New York, but it was something. I was happy that I was still getting my start a step up and took it over the phone. I thought it ideal. We would be able to stay close to home and I wouldn't have to take the first job that came along to support my growing family. For the first time since we sat there with the pregnancy test in our hands, I felt like I had a plan.

Though there was more to the offer than I first thought. Sophie was interested in many things and one of them was me. She wanted me and she wasn't afraid of telling me so. I thwarted her at every turn. It didn't stop her from trying over and over again. She also tried to do everything and anything to put a wedge between Sookie and I.

Evenings, weekends, holidays were ruined do to this or that needed by head office or Sophie herself. I can't tell you how many anniversaries, birthdays, holidays and family events I've missed over the years because Sophie wanted my full and undivided attention on a project. Her demands had me flying to New York several times a month. When the southern offices were expanded, I was put in charge. When the board thought a consortium was needed, I was first in line for the job. That meant, more money, more prestige oh, and I was required to travel even more.

To her credit, Sookie never complained. Okay, I knew she was disappointed. We had a few arguments about my attendance at functions but that was it. It was my job. I was good at it and it kept my family in the lifestyle I wanted.

I sigh and head for the door. I don't get far before Sophie gets up and stops me. "Eric, I left New York to come and see you. Now you are going to leave me alone tonight. I'm hurt," she whines.

"Sophie, please, I have to get home to my family," I say to her.

She laughs. "Please, you hate being a family man. You should have just come to New York in the first place."

I am about to argue her statement when she continues. "Which reminds me," she says. Yeah, like she has forgotten anything. She has a brain like a steal trap. "Have you given any thought to my offer?" She asks.

Earlier in the week, she had suggested that I may want to consider taking the position of Chief Managing Officer at the home office. Sophie's latest husband, Andre was no longer in the picture as their divorce had just become final Monday. With his departure from her bed also came the departure from his position. Sophie found out that he was stepping out with a twenty year old marketing student from Columbia University. He had met her at a strip club and had been carrying on for some time.

I don't think Sophie cared that he was stepping out. I'm sure I'm not the only one on her list of would be bedmates. Perhaps she has a list of them already. I wouldn't be surprised. No, what I think bothered her was that she was twenty years old child and had everything that came with that age; youth, vitality and any man she wanted.

"I…Sophie, my family is here," I sigh. Knowing that Sookie would never uproot the kids and I knowing that I would never leave Sookie. I may be a heel, a workaholic and an absentee husband and father. But I will be damned if I will divorce her. Even after all these years, I love her. I just wish…well…

"Eric, please," she says. "It's been eleven years. Hell, my longest marriage has only lasted five. Give it up and come to New York where you belong."

I look out at her. "Sophie, it's Christmas, can we talk about this some other time. I really need to get back to Bon Temps." I say to her.

I had already missed the Christmas Eve Party and I'm sure that Sookie had the kids out caroling or something. She had plans for them all through the season and I had missed most of them. But I told her I would be home tonight. It was Christmas Eve, after all. That is where I was supposed to me. I have to get home. Regardless of the fact that it's the hardest night of the year to be anywhere near Sookie and Bon Temps. It may be Christmas but it's the one night of the year that reminds me of how I've failed her. Who needs to be with all these happy people when it's the Anniversary of the worst mistake you ever made?

She huffs. "Fine, but I don't see the problem," she says and exits my office.

Ten minutes later, I'm grabbing all my things and heading out. I look at my phone and see that I've missed another five messages. Sighing, I decide to listen to them later.

"I've got to go," I say to my assistant as I walk through the door. "You shouldn't have stayed, Felicia," I say to her. "Go home and have a wonderful holiday."

She smiles at me. Felicia was a very efficient assistant. She also had a girlfriend who lived in Seattle. They were very happy but neither of them wanted to move. I had told Felicia just the other day that if she needed to move, I would understand. I knew what it meant to make sacrifices for the ones you love. I may not handle all of this well, but I love my family, I just wish things had happened differently.

I'm just to the elevators, when Sophie leans out of her office here. "I'm not staying down here," she waves her hand, "if I'm going to be alone." She gets up and moves closer to me. "I'm heading back to the city. You know where I am when you make your decision."

I just nod. As appealing as it may sound, and God knows it does, I'm not going anywhere. I made that decision long ago. As much as I want to, I'm not going.

I make my way down to the lobby and out into the cold night. Usually the weather in Louisiana isn't very cold. But tonight, well, we are getting a white Christmas. How much fun is it going to be to ride home in this mess.

We have two sets of offices and Sophie insisted on us meeting in the newer ones in the center of Shreveport. This meant I still had to get back to the Reston office and get my car. Sophie had insisted on picking me up with her driver so now I had to hail a cab. Surprisingly, it didn't take long to hail one. Getting in, I give him the address.

"Coming from a party?" The cabby asks me as he looks at me from the rearview mirror.

I look at his id card, "Godric", well that is an interesting name.

"No," I sigh. I don't usually talk to cabbies, but hey, he was working Christmas Eve too.

"Well, at least you're on your way home." He says.

"Yeah," I laugh, "home."

"You don't like home?" He asks

"No, it's just….you ever sit and think about what would have been different if you went right instead of left?" I ask him.

He nods. "Oh, yeah, regret," he says.

"No…no, not regret…" I try to stop that line of thinking. I wouldn't, no, I shouldn't, no I would never regret my….ah hell, who am I kidding.

"Regret is a powerful thing," he says. "Makes you believe and not believe in a lot."

I nod. "But sometimes you look at your life and think…this isn't mine. It wasn't supposed to be that way."

"Well, my friend," he says as he pulls up in front of my high rise office building, "life is what you make of it. But if you really think that this isn't your life, then well, it's Christmas. Ever heard of a Christmas miracle?"

I laugh. "Yeah but I'm not four years old," I say.

He turns to look at me. "Miracles happen every day, my friend."

I hand him the fare and a handsome tip. Getting out I wish him a Merry Christmas and he says the same.

I watch as the cab pulls away and I sigh. Yeah, I used to believe in miracles. I've had a hard lesson learned in they don't happen. Not to me anyway.

I don't even go up to my office. Making my way to my black SUV, I throw my briefcase and jacket into the back and get in to make the usual thirty minute drive.

***0***

That turns into an hour and thirty minutes based on the weather.

Pulling into the drive, I look at the old farmhouse, which doesn't look half bad. With the several additions and updates we have been able to do over the years, the house may not look like one of those new McMasions but it does have its character.

The house is lit up but I can tell that Sookie isn't home yet. Looking at the dashboard, I notice that it's well after ten. I would have expected her to be home by now.

Getting out, I walk in and make my way through the house and into the family room. Pouring myself a glass of scotch, I go to sit in front of the "family tree". Sookie has another one in the front room but this one is for the kids. Kids….this is a day for the kids…but one is missing. Yeah it's Christmas but it's also an anniversary; one that I can't be happy about.

After Sookie found out we were pregnant, everything did a one-eighty turn. We married a month after we found out and started working on a new plan for our lives. After seeing the doctor, Sookie found out that she was actually farther along than she thought and that our child was due December 24th. We both laughed at that and she kept calling it our Christmas Miracle.

Not soon after, we found out our Miracle was to be a boy. I asked her if we could name him Brodin after my father. Sookie smiled and from that point on, addressed him as Brody.

As I watched Sookie grow, she became more beautiful every day. She was taking to being a mother and something in her changed. I couldn't put my finger on it but it was definitely different.

I started my position in Shreveport and Sookie took her old job as a waitress at Merlotte's in town to help out. I wanted her to stay home or even do a little designing, but she wanted to do something to help us and I finally stopped complaining.

The day after Thanksgiving, I was called to Shreveport to "meet" with Sophie. She had actually been down a few times and I always sidestepped her advancements. I was newly married with a baby on the way. Not to mention I was in love with my wife.

The night before Thanksgiving, Sookie worked the bar until closing. I wasn't happy about it but she was so pleased with the tips, I couldn't say much. I mean, she was close to nine months along, you would think she would want to slow down.

Thanksgiving found her with a house full of people and she never missed a beat. Dinner was perfect and Sookie was absolutely glowing. I couldn't be mad at her for all she was doing. She just seemed so happy about the whole thing. Even when everyone pitched in to help clean up, she wouldn't sit down. She was just over the top when it came to the family stuff.

The next day she wanted to decorate for Christmas. But I was called to Shreveport. I told her I would help her when I got back.

I was hoping that Sophie's arrival would mean that I would be getting the promotion I was looking for. The old place needed a new roof and we just didn't have the money. Without Sookie's knowledge, I sold my father's pocket watch to get the money we needed for the new boiler right before the holidays. She thought I just got a bonus. She was using every bit of the money she was making to work on the house and to get things for the baby. She even used her design skills to make a ton of clothes for him when he arrived. The curtains, bedding and changing table cover were all done by Sookie after she carefully waited for the material to go on sale. There was no way I was going to tell her about the watch. You just make sacrifices sometimes for your family. I was hoping with the new position, I would have the money to get buy it back.

It was one of the only things that I had that reminded me of him and I wanted to share that with his namesake someday.

Suffice it to say, Sophie was in town to offer me the promotion. She suggested that I could move up the corporate later just that much quicker if I gave her what she wanted. Since the board was offering me the position, she couldn't take it away. Not unless I was found incompetent. I promised myself that I was going to do everything I could to stay on the good side of the board and out of Sophie's bed.

While I was making this promise, Sookie was home. Not wanting to wait, she started getting the decorations down out of the attic. While Sophie was again saying how awesome it would be to scream my name, Sookie was screaming it as well. Only hers was because she fell down the stairs.

I know she was screaming, because Bill and Pam had come over to help her that afternoon. As they opened the door, they saw Sookie coming toward them, head over feet down our staircase. When she hit the bottom stair, she was unconscious and bleeding.

Now, many children survive being born six weeks early. However, due to her injuries, something happened to Brody before they could deliver him. For the longest time, they thought that they may lose both of them.

When I got home, I found Sam waiting for me. It seems that they had called my office several times but no one could find me. That's because Sophie had me meet her in her hotel room. When I was finally able to break free of her, I headed home. I didn't bother heading to the office to check messages. I wanted to be with my family.

Sam took me to the hospital and by the time I got there, they had Sookie in surgery and had us all waiting.

I couldn't believe that in a matter of hours, everything had changed so drastically. It felt almost like a dream. A really bad dream that you can't wake up from. It felt like days, weeks, even years until the doctor came out to see us.

It was like listening to him through a tin can. I was getting the message, but it was really faint. They saved Sookie but couldn't save our son. Because the loss of blood, Sookie slipped into a coma. They weren't sure if or when she was going to come out of it. Once he was finished telling Pam, Bill and I what had happened, I ran down the hall and into her room. I didn't care that she was in ICU. All I cared about was seeing her. I had let her down. I had been delayed and she had tried to do it all, just like she always does. When I got into the room, she looked so small and fragile in that bed. But I knew my Sookie was strong. Never for a second did I think that she wouldn't wake up.

I never left her side. No one asked me where I was or why I couldn't be found. I'm sure they were all thinking it, but they never asked a thing. When she came to three days later, I had to tell her that our son was dead.

We went through the typical emotions and stages of grief. Sookie, being the type of person she is turned to something that would express her feelings. She wrote a children's story about how to cope with grief. Since we both lost parents at an early age, she knew from experience what a child may go through. I could feel every bit of her pain and sorrow through her writing.

Not soon after she finished it and with the encouragement of our extended family, she submitted it to a publisher and was signed to write several other stories. Once the five book series was completed, she got an idea for a story about a child who discovers a world of Faeries, witches, and the like.

Pam had gotten a job at a publishing house and pitched the idea to them. They loved it. Soon, Pam quit her job and became Sookie's editor and publicist. She's now on the third book of the series. I understand that it rivals that child series about the young wizard.

Sookie used her writing to heal. I just buried my grief in my work and well, in avoiding my life, my family and Sophie.

It took a few years after the death of our son, but soon we found ourselves pregnant again. If I say I was calm through this pregnancy, it would be a lie. I was on her all the time to take it easy. Yes, the fall was an accident, but if she hadn't been pushing herself so hard, maybe she wouldn't have lost her balance. If I had been home, I could have helped her. If she waited just a few more minutes, Bill and Pam could have helped. All coulda, woulda, shoulda; and yet, I couldn't get over the thought that if Sookie had listened to me, we would have another child in our family.

Alexsander Paul Northman was born May of 2002. He has Sookie's eyes and my physic. Now seven, he is showing interests in sports, which makes Sookie's brother pleased.

In April of 2006, Sookie gave birth to our daughter, Emma Lynne Northman. To my delight, she is a miniature version of Sookie. Complete with blond curly hair and bright blue eyes, she is the brightest little girl in the world, well according to her father. Now three years old, she is the happiest little girl that I've ever seen. She is my little angel and I love her very much.

I just can't get over the fact that our life is missing something. Okay, we are missing a lot. But we are missing a big part. The part that changed our lives and we don't even have him. I try not to think about it all the time. But on the Anniversary of his birth, I have a hard time dealing with it. I can't even bring myself to call it his birthday, because he was not actually born. I feel like he was taken from us. Just like my father, his namesake was.

I hear the front door open and the sounds of voices coming down the hall. When I hear one in particular, the hair on the back of my neck stands up.

"Thanks, Quinn," I hear my wife say.

"Don't mention it, Sookie," he says. "See you soon."

Before I can get up, I hear the patter of little feet.

"Daddy!" Emma exclaims as she runs and jumps into my lap.

"Hey there," I say to her. "Did you have fun?" I ask.

I knew that Merlotte was having a party tonight. Everyone we knew was going to be there. Everyone yeah, including John Quinn.

We met him about ten years ago and he has never made bones about thinking Sookie was beautiful. She is, but he shouldn't be saying or even thinking that. He always seems to find his way to where she is. Now he had driven my family home.

I look up to see Sander and Sookie walk in. "Hey," she says.

"What is Quinn doing driving you home?" I ask. Though it was cold and icy out, I didn't think Sookie would shy away from driving.

"The Van has a flat," she says. "Sam is going to have it fixed and drive it over tomorrow when he and Lafayette come for dinner."

Sam and Lafayette have been together for the better part of a decade. It was a big to-do at the time but now, well everyone treats them like the couple they are.

"I would have…" I stop.

"Picked us up?" She finishes my sentence. "I did call you." She moves to put a few things down on the table. "Guess you were busy," she says.

She smiles but I can hear the ice in her voice.

I say nothing.

"Can we gib Daddy the pwesent now?" Emma asks.

"Honey, it's late…" Sookie starts.

"Please!" She jumps off my lap. "Sanda you git the box, Momma said I could get my shurt."

Emma jumps off my lap and runs to the stairs and up to her room. Not soon after, I hear the distinct bump of her coming down the stairs on her bottom.

"Gib him da pwesent." I hear from the hallway.

Sander looks to Sookie who sighs and nods. Sander walks over to the tree and picks up a small box. Handing it to me, he sits down on the couch beside me.

I look up at Sookie but I get no help from her. "The kids wanted to give this to you before the party," she says softly and comes around the couch and stands in front of me.

I nod knowing that I was supposed to be home hours ago. My guilt back, I look down at the beautifully wrapped box. Pulling on the bow, I open the top and pull out a black and white fuzzy photo. There isn't much to it, but I've seen it before. I instantly look up and see Sookie's face. It is still calm but I can see the worry and unshed tears in her eyes.

Before I can say a thing, Emma comes running in with a shirt on.

I'm a big Sister written in pink and gold.

"SUPWISE!" She screams. "We gonna hab a baby!" She jumps up and down.

I look back at Sookie. She is watching Emma with amusement but I can still tell that she's anxious.

I am about to start questioning this when I remember the weekend Sookie planned for us in October.

We were supposed to go away for the weekend. She had rented a place at a lodge, got Pam and Bill to stay with the kids and wanted to surprise me with an early birthday present. She planned a three day weekend over Columbus Day for us to enjoy ourselves and reconnect.

I had been working non-stop since June on a merger and it had just closed the week before. I was just as excited as she was. Truthfully, more so. I missed my wife and wanted our time. The first day we were there, we never left the cabin. Hell, we didn't really eat either. It was like we were teenagers again and I couldn't get enough of her. The second day, we ventured out to see what the area had to offer. However, found ourselves quickly back in our warm cabin with no clothes on.

That night, I was called back to the office for an urgent meeting. With an apology to Sookie, we headed back a day early. She didn't complain but I knew the disappointment was there. The urgent meeting turned out to be Sophie coming down to celebrate the merger. Again the guilt welled up in me and I became distant to her and everyone else.

"Are you excited?" Sander asks.

I look at him. He has the same look as Sookie. He may only be seven but he has maturity vast beyond his years.

"Of course I'm excited," I say and jump up and move over to Sookie. I take her in my arms and can feel her tension. I kiss her softly and she returns it but I know. She is very cautious right now.

I look into her eyes and touch the side of my face. "When?" I ask her.

"June," she says, "early."

I nod and look down to Emma. "I'm a big giwl now," she says.

I laugh at her excitement. Bending down, I pull her into my arms. "You, my princess are very excited."

She nods enthusiastically.

"Come on, time for bed," Sookie says and leans over to take Emma from me.

"Sookie, you shouldn't…" I stop when she turns to me.

Instead of finishing what I was going to say, I turn to Sander. "Sander, help your mother," I say to my son.

He huffs, "don't I always," he says and gets up. The words are innocent but accusing as well. He's here with his mother and sister. He's the one that helps around the house. He's the one that is here and I'm not.

He reaches for Emma and I put her down. "Come on Em," he says. "We need to get to sleep so Santa will come."

I watch as the two of them walk out of the room. "I'll be up in a minute," Sookie says.

She doesn't start to shut the lights off and that is confusing. "You aren't going to bed?" I ask her.

She turns and shakes her head. "Christmas has to be done and Pam is not here yet."

I sigh and sit down. Pam had been in Europe promoting Sookie's new book. Since it was so close to the holidays, they decided that it would be best if Sookie did everything by webcam and Skype. I was supposed to pick her up at the airport in Shreveport and I completely forgot.

"Don't worry, yourself," Sookie says. "When you didn't answer, Bill went to pick her up."

I turn to look at her and she is out of the room. I hear the shuffling of feet above us and then silence. I guess the kids were tired and since Santa was coming, I'm sure they were both eager to get to sleep.

Once back downstairs, I watch as Sookie moves through the hall and back toward our bedroom. I hear some shuffling and watch as she comes back in with a box. I quickly get up and pull the box out of her hands.

"All you needed to do was ask and I would have gotten it." I say in a huff.

She just told me she was pregnant and she's carrying boxes, AGAIN!

She stares at me for a moment before looking down. "There's another one in the closet." She says and walks back into the kitchen.

I say nothing and walk back into the bedroom and pick up the second box. Coming back into the family room, I arrange the gifts under the tree and then go to find Sookie who is busy setting the table for tomorrow.

I count the number of settings. "Who is coming tomorrow?"

"Bill, Sam, Laf," she begins, "Pam and Amelia, Edwin and Elizabeth, Jason and Crystal," she ends.

Jason and his then girlfriend, Crystal found out they were expecting two years ago. Jason is a nice guy but he doesn't have much brains. At the time he had been bouncing from job to job. He made a decision to enlist in the service. Though we thought it was admirable, Sookie was beside herself. She was certain that something was going to happen to him.

To calm my wife, I found Jason a job with one of our higher end construction companies. He soon found his nitch as a framer. He started his own company and has been good ever since.

"Don't you think you should rest?" I ask her.

She shrugs her shoulders without turning around. "I have a few things to get done. I'm a bit behind."

I'm sure her thought finishes with because you weren't here.

Instead of arguing, I walk through the house, through the formal living room and back to my study. Sookie has made a small work room to the right that she uses to work on her stories. It's light and airy and suits her. The study is dark and masculine. Filling another glass of scotch I go to the desk. In the bottom draw is a small cigar box. I pull it out and sit down on the leather sofa in front of the fireplace. Placing my glass down, I open the box. On top is the receipt for the pocket watch I never went back for. Brody was gone, so what did I need it for. Under it was the last ultra sound picture of him. You could almost make out everything in that picture. Lastly is the unused plane ticket for New York. Looking at it I imagine where our lives would be now if I had gotten on that plane. What difference would that have made. Would Sookie and I still be together? Would Brody be here? Would we have Sander and Emma and now this little one on the way? So many unanswered questions and no answers for any of them. Guilt and, yes, regret fills me.

I hear her come to the doorway.

"How long have you known?" I ask her.

"A week or so," she says. "You haven't been around much. I wanted to tell you, but Emma heard me talking to the doctor and Sander figured it out."

I smile as I pick up my glass without looking at her. "We have some very smart children," I say softly.

"Are you going to be here tomorrow?" She asks without commenting on my last statement.

I turn to look at her and see her standing, arms crossed over her ample chest. I hadn't notices her outfit before. Probably still in a guilt haze. She's wearing a black skirt with a pretty silver and black top. The cut shows off her curves and chest. Gone are the shoes that I'm sure were just as beautiful. She's still as stunning as she was eleven years ago. More so, really. There is an air about her now that just seems otherworldly.

"Why would you ask me that?" I ask her.

She laughs a little. "Well, it seems that every holiday for the past year, you've had to do something or another…." She trails off.

I sigh. "Sookie, it's been rough I know but…"

"Why did you come home?" She asks softly.

I turn to look at her. "Be…because it's Christmas and….and this is where I'm supposed to be."

I look at her and can tell that, that isn't the right answer.

"She must have been disappointed," she says.

I'm taken back. Never have I ever thought that Sookie knew anything about Sophie. She never let on and has always been the perfect, wife, mother and partner.

"Sookie I have never…"

She shakes her head. "I'm tired," she says. "You can wait up for Pam. Goodnight, Eric."

She removes herself from the door and I just watch the empty space.

After what feels like a lifetime, I blink and look away. When did our lives become like this? When did I become this man? When did the announcement of a child not fill me with joy and love that I couldn't keep my hands off my wife? When did our life go so wrong?

Within the hour, I hear the front door open and know it's my sister. Without a sound, Pam finds me still sitting on the couch.

"Good flight?" I ask her.

She huffs. "What the hell is going on with you?" She asks as she comes around and sits on the low table in front of me.

Without a sound she eyes the box and its contents. "Eric, you have to…"

I put my hand up. "Not tonight. Not THIS night!" I growl at her.

For years she's been telling me that I have to get over Brody's death. That I have to move on and stop hiding. Though she's never asked, I suspect she was thinking the same thing as Sookie. I guess it would look that way to anyone, really. I mean why else would I not be home with my family. I may never have cheated on Sookie but I've cheated us.

She sighs. "Fine, but you need to figure this out," she says. "Sookie has been beside herself lately," I look up at her. "She won't tell me why, but she's been so nervous."

Nervous? How did I not see it?

"Eric, fix this before it's too late," she says. "I'm going to bed," she gets up and moves to kiss my cheek. "I love you Eric, but you are going to ruin your family."

She walks out of the room and I sigh. I have a feeling that it's too late to fix anything.

Finishing my glass, I put the things back in the box and put it away.

Making my way back to our room, I see that Sookie has already changed and is in bed. The light in the bathroom is on, as it usually is when I'm home and Sookie has retired first.

I make my way inside and return to the room. Lifting the sheets, I climb into bed and go to put my arm around Sookie. Already, she seems to have a small baby bump that her hand is resting on. Placing my cheek on the side of hers, I feel the wetness and know that she's been crying.

"I'm so sorry, Susannah," I say to her.

She sniffles. "Just…just figure out what you want Eric," she says and turns to me. "I can't do this anymore." She says. "Figure out what you want so we can move on. I can't…"

I touch my hand to her face. "I've never stopped loving you," I say to her.

She gasps. "That's the hardest part," she says. "I love you more than life itself. Without you, I wouldn't be me," she says. "But I can't live like this, wondering, hoping and then denying that anything is wrong." I look into her eyes. What can I say to her? "You figure out what you want and then tell me. I will…" She wipes the tears away. "I love you enough to want you happy," she says.

"I am happy," I say as I place my hand on her stomach. "You, the kids, it's my…"

She shakes her head. "No, you aren't. You still blame me for what happen." She says softly. "I…I'm sorry Eric, but I can't spend the rest of our lives saying that. I didn't mean…" She chokes off.

"Sookie…" I say to her again.

"Just decide…make a choice. Then we will go from there." She says.

Before I can answer her, She rolls away and rests on her side.

I wait a moment before I say anything else. "I love you," I say.

"Merry Christmas, Eric." She says.

I lie next to her and watch as she falls asleep.

What do I want? I want my life the way it was supposed to be. I drift off with images of how I expected our life to be.

***0***

Rolling over, I reach for Sookie but know instinctively that she's not there. Of course she's not there. It's Christmas morning.

Opening my eyes, I'm blinded for a moment and then realize that this wrong. I sit up and look around. I'm in a room completely surrounded with windows on three sides. Floor to ceiling windows look over buildings and down into a park. The room is decorated in white, black and blue. Nothing like the cool warm colors of Sookie and my room back home.

This must be a dream.

I climb out of bed and see a bathrobe, silk, lying at the bottom of the bed. I grab it and look down to see that I'm wearing matching sleep pants. Tying it, I walk toward the open door and into the hallway. Directly across there seems to be an office and from what I can tell, there are two other rooms on the floor. Deciding to go with it, I walk across the hall and into my office. Looking out the window, I see a picture of the perfect Christmas postcard of New York City. Complete with lights, trees and snow.

Looking around the room, I see pictures of me as a child with Edwin and Elizabeth. Pictures of me and Pam when we were younger sit next to a few from high school. I stop when I see the next one. It is a picture I know all too well. It's the last picture of my father and mother before they passed away. Everyone has always said I'm a taller version of my father. We have the same features and shape; just that I'm about four inches taller than he was. I see a lot of my father in Sander now. He has the same soft smile and knowing look. I miss my father so much. If I'm honest, I wish that Sander didn't look so much like him. It's too many memories and on this Anniversary, hell, it's just too much.

I continue looking. Around the room there are pictures of me in Europe, Asia and the islands; skydiving, snorkeling and other things. Each time, there was just me and maybe Pam but no Sookie or the kids. I continue to look around the room and see awards and accolades of different feats, mergers, donations and the like. Books scatter a few of the shelves as well.

I look at the dates. The month that Sander was born, I received an award from Children's Hospital for my donation to the neonatal ward. When Sookie published her first novel, I had just completed the merger of two very powerful car companies. Finally on the day Emma came into this world, I was at a ribbon cutting for Northman Towers.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask the room.

Moving to my desk, I see a copy of the New York Times. I open and read the date; December 23rd 2009.

I pick it up and look at it twice.

"Hello, Eric," I hear from across the room.

I look up to see a man in the shadows.

"Who..who are you?" I ask.

As he moves into the morning light, I recognize him. The cabby from last night.

"Go…Godric?" I ask him.

He smiles and nods. "Didn't think you would remember me," he says.

I shake my head. "What the hell is going on?" I ask and wave to the room.

He laughs. "Your life," he says.

"What?" I ask him.

"You told me last night you wondered what would happen if you went right," he motions with his right hand, "Instead of going left," he motions with his left. "This is the right," he smiles at me.

"Look," I say. "I've got no idea what the hell is going on." Maybe I had a stroke in my sleep.

"It's simple, really," he says. "You were right; your life wasn't what it was supposed to be." He pauses. "You wanted to have the life destiny had planned for you and so did we. I'm simply the messenger." He smiles at me.

"Look, game over, okay," I say and walk toward him. "I don't know if Bill or Pam did this, but enough is enough. I get it, okay," I sigh. "I screwed up. I know I've not made the right choices, but I need to get home to my family. It's Christmas morning and Emma is going to be upset it I don't…"

Godric sits down. "You don't get it, do you?" He asks me. "This is your life now. You are Eric Northman, owner and CEO of Northman Enterprises. You live in the penthouse of Northman Towers and you are living the Wonderful life in New York that you were supposed to be."

"Knock off the It's a Wonderful Life, shit, okay?" I huff. "I get it. Pam planned this and drugged me somehow. Okay, fine, I screwed up and am going to lose my family if I'm not careful. Fine, point made. Now will you please tell me where I am and how do I get the hell out of here?"

"Eric," Godric says and moves to place his hands on his knees. "This isn't A Wonderful Life. Do I look like Clarence to you? That was a story to show a deserving soul what he would be giving up if he took himself away from his life. You are far from a deserving soul." He looks at me, knowingly. "No, fate and destiny saw its mistake and fixed it. You were destined for greatness and because of a choice, or choices, you made, it was altered. They took it upon themselves to make it right. This is your life," he motions around the room. "You are in New York, you've been here for eleven years. You have no wife, there are no children and you are the most successful man of the decade. He points to the paper on the desk.

I walk over to it and read the heading.

Acquisition Approved By Congress.

I go on to read.

Northman Enterprise got final approval yesterday to complete its acquisition of LeClerq Financial. With this purchase, Northman Enterprise will be the leading investment firm in the world. Wall Street suspects that NEW (Northman Enterprise WorldWide) will have a spectacular day of trading. With shares already at 51, fund analysts…

"What does this all mean?" I ask and look up.

Godric is no longer there but standing in the doorway is a man that I've known for years.

"Bobby?" I ask him.

He smiles. "Sir," he says. "I thought you would enjoy reading that first thing," he says as he comes in and sits a tray filled with Coffee and fruit on the table.

Bobby Burnham had been Sophie's butler, day man and all around assistant for twenty years. Now he is in my (is it mine?) study and bringing me the morning coffee.

"A big day for you Sir," he says. Turning he walks over with an envelope. "This just arrived for you," he says.

I take it from him. "Than…thank you," I say.

He looks at me with a curious expression. "Are you alright, Mr. Northam?" He asks.

I nod. "Just a strange dream," I say. "Having trouble shaking it." I look toward the pictures on the wall. Boy am I having trouble shaking it.

"Very well, Sir," he says. "You have an hour or two before you are due in the office. I've taken the liberty of pulling your gray suit out. The car will be here at nine to take you." He looks at me again. "If you need me, I'll be downstairs."

He makes his way to the door and is gone without another word.

I open the envelope and see an invitation. Reading it, I almost drop out of my chair.

Ms. Susannah Stackhouse

And

Mr. Jonathan Quinn

Invite you to

A pre-Nuptial Cocktail party

December 23rd at 9pm

583 Park Avenue Grand Ballroom

I read it twice. This has to be a joke. I turn the invite over to see a hand written note.

Eric,

I knew you probably wouldn't come to the wedding. But hope you will be able to join us. The family misses you and I hate that I'm the reason you all aren't closer.

Hope you consider joining us and starting over. Thought perhaps you may think it is time.

Hope to see you,

Sookie.

I read the whole thing twice and wait for someone to come in and tell me it's all a joke. It has to be.

The tightness I felt when I got up just feels stronger as I read and reread her note.

"This can't be happening," I say.

I pick up the phone and dial a number I know by heart. Two rings and it picks up.

"Are you serious?" She asks.

"Pam, I need to talk to you," I say.

"Yeah, why?" She asks. "It's been three years and now you call me?"

What is she talking about? "Pam, I just spoke to you last night," I say.

"What the fuck have you been smoking? The last time I saw you was when we buried Elizabeth." She says.

Buried Elizabeth? Is she kidding? Just last night, Sookie told me they were coming for dinner. They loved being with the kids and spent as much time as they could with Sookie.

Ignoring her tirade I continue. "You want to tell me why I just got an invite to a cocktail party for a wedding that includes my WIFE!" I scream.

"What wife?" She asks and then goes silent. "Shit, I told her not to send you an invitation. Not that I thought you would come but…"

"Pamela, what the hell is going on? Why is my Sookie marrying John Quinn? This has gone really too far, okay. I get that I fucked up. But to go to these lengths…" I trail off. Pinching my nose I sigh. "Pam, come on, just tell me where Sookie, Sander and Emma are. Sookie's pregnant and…."

"Sookie is NOT pregnant!" Pam screams at me. "Eric, that's an awful thing to say. God, I know you are still mad and all but that is just cruel."

"Pam…please, what the hell is going on? I go to bed last night with Sookie and the kids tucked in upstairs and this morning I wake up in a high rise in New York. Just…"

"Eric, are…are you okay? Shit, I thought you might be mad that she sent you an invite but I didn't think it would make you blow a gasket."

"Pam, please…just…" I sigh.

"Eric, I don't know what you want me to say." She says softly.

I close my eyes. "Just…where did things change?" I ask. Opening my eyes, I turn to look out at the view. "What…what happened between me and Sookie?"

She's silent for a minute. "You're…you're serious?"

"Pam, look, I have no idea what's going on with me. Just please…just tell me."

She sighs. "I don't know why you want to drag all of this…"

"PAM!" I scream. "Please, just tell me."

She sighs. "Alright," she is silent for a minute and then begins. "When you and Sookie found out you were pregnant, you wanted to stay in Bon Temps," she pauses. That sounds about right. "But, Sookie wouldn't hear of it. She insisted that you go and that once you were settled, she would make her way to you." She pauses again. "You left in September and were working hard. The first few weeks, you came home every weekend to be with Sookie. She was doing what she could to get the farmhouse ready to sell and working at Sam's to save money for when she came up.

After the first month, things started to pick up and you couldn't make it home much. Sookie never complained and said to all of us that you were getting everything ready for her to be with you. You even sent back a few pictures of houses you found on Long Island for you two to buy. The company was housing you in a hotel suite and footing the bill until you could find a home. Sookie said, once the farmhouse sold, you guys would be moving."

She pauses again. "Keep going," I say to her.

She sighs. "You were supposed to come home for Thanksgiving but something stopped you. Sookie said it was some merger but when I called you really didn't want to talk about it." I felt the pain in my chest grow. "Sookie tried to put on a good front but we all knew that she missed you. So, Bill and I gave her an early Christmas gift and got her on the next flight to New York.

She wanted to surprise you and…"

"Pam, please," I say to her. Already getting a sinking feeling that I know where this is leading.

"She made her way to the hotel. Somehow she got the clerk to give her a key and made her way to your room. She walked in and …."

I close my eyes. "She found me…" She found me in bed with Sophie.

"Yeah," she growls. "Sookie turned and walked out with you screaming after her. She climbed into a cab to leave." She pauses. "The next part, we only know from the police report. Sookie's cab was in a collision on the LIE going back to the airport. She…Brody didn't make it and Sookie was told that she would probably never have another child."

Tears are streaming down my cheeks. After a few minutes, I clear my throat. "What…what happened next?" I ask her.

"You really don't remember?" She asks. I don't say anything. So she continues. "You…you were so angry. You…you said that it was her fault. That…that she…" she pauses again. "Once you calmed down, Sookie decided that there was no place for her anymore in your life," she says. "She went back to Bon Temps to heal."

I look at the invite. "Then how did she end up having a party in New York tonight?" I ask.

"Jesus, Eric, really?" She asks.

"Yes!" I say to her.

"Quinn was there and got her to get up and move. The first month she wouldn't even get out of bed. The next few, she wouldn't leave the house. Quinn got her to design a line of clothes for someone he knew in New Orleans. Then he got her to look up Jean-Paul and see if she could still come to work for him. Sookie sent him her designs and he sent her his private jet. She spent four years with him before she got the courage to try her own line. Quinn helped her get the backing and has been by her side the entire time. We all knew he was in love with her, but he knew that she needed time." She pauses. "He proposed a year ago and she accepted."

I close my eyes. "Whe…when's the wedding?" I ask her.

"Eric, I…"

"Damn it Pam! When's the wedding?"

"Christmas Eve, tomorrow, Eric," she says.

I look at the paper. A day. All I've got is a day? "How…how do you know all this?" I ask her.

"I…I'm Sookie's maid of honor," she says.

I say nothing.

"Eric, look, I've…"

"I will talk to you later Pam." I say and hang up.

I throw the phone down on the table and cup my head in my hands. If this is supposed to be my perfect life, then why isn't Sookie with me? Where are our children and why is Sookie marrying that idiot Quinn?

Looking up, I see the invitation sitting there like a light in the darkness.

I pick it up again. Well one thing's for sure. I'm going to be at that party tonight and I'll be damned if I'm not leaving it without my WIFE!

***0***

I spend the next few hours looking at things in my house. Try as I might, I can't find a thing of Sookie's. Damn, if I was this mad, I must have either burned the stuff or sent it back.

I go to the office where several of my so called, "executive staff" are there to congratulate our newest acquisition.

I nod and thank them all. I have no idea who they are or what they do for me. The only face that looks familiar is Felicia.

She smiles at me. "Hi," she says when I walk through.

I nod. "What's on tap for the day?" I ask her.

Her smile changes. "That's all you are going to say to me?" She asks.

I have no idea what she's talking about and I walk into my office. She follows me in and closes the door.

I turn to look at her. "What Felicia?" I ask.

"Shit Eric," she says. Okay she's never called me anything but Mr. Northman. "I knew you wanted it casual. But you could at least say something more than 'what's on tap'." She says. "I mean, you leave me in the hotel room because you said and I quote: "I don't sleep with anyone". But you could at least say something to me."

I look at her for a moment.

"Felicia, I…" I try to find something to say.

She shakes her head. "You know what," she puts her hand up. "Forget it. I should have known. You'll have my resignation on your desk by the first of the year. I'll stay to help you find a replacement. You know, I should have known when I told you I wanted to leave to be with Jenna, you intentions weren't pure. I've known you for eleven years, Eric. You haven't done anything for anyone other than yourself ever."

She turns and walks out the door, slamming it behind her.

I lean back in my chair. "I'm one a-number one asshole," I say to myself.

I busy myself for a few hours when there is a knock on my door. Felicia didn't announce anyone was here, so I've no clue what this is.

"Yes?" I ask.

The door opens and in walks the bain of my existence.

I almost growl at her perfect smile. "Sophie," I say.

She turns, closes the door and comes to sit in front of my desk.

"Well," she says, undoing her coat. "You finally got what you wanted," she says to me. "Are you finally happy?"

I say nothing.

She laughs. "Come now, Eric," she says. "I know that the acquisition of my firm was payback but really, can't you let bygones be bygones?"

My hatred for her is building. "You ruined my life," I say to her. "Now yours is ruined too."

She laughs again. "Please," she says. "I'll be sitting pretty on my sale for the next twenty years. You didn't ruin me. Now I can play all the time." She laughs again. "Really Eric, no one forced you into my bed all those years ago. I must admit that your little southern belle finding out was a shame. It was tragic what happened to her. But seriously, she seemed to bounce," she tossed her Vogue magazine at me. "She's the hottest designer coming out of the spring show and she's marrying the real-estate mogul John Quinn. I hear he is developing the casino in Massachusetts."

I open the magazine. There is a full spread on Sookie. Her time in New York and there are a few pictures of her in her youth at the farmhouse. I notice that there isn't any mention of me.

"Really, Eric," she says. "Do you think that taking my company would do anything?"

She gets up and moves to the door. "I'm off to Spain and France. When I get back, we'll do lunch."

She walks out the door. Closing the magazine, I throw it at the door. It lands with a loud TWACK.

I look around the room. How the fuck could this have been the right path for me?

***0***

The day went by with little or no interaction from anyone. It seems no one likes to deal with the boss. Hell, I didn't even hear from Felicia. It was strange and uncomfortable. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

Making it back to my apartment, I am greeted by Bobby once more.

"Good evening, Sir." He says to me as he takes my coat. "Ms. Felicia informed me this afternoon that she will be leaving the area. I've taken the liberty of contacting several employment agencies in an effort to find you a new secretary." He says.

I mumble a thank you to him. He nods and moves to place my things away. When he returns he looks at me for a moment before continuing. "You are expected and Mr. Hilman's house tomorrow morning, Sir."

"Hilman?" I ask.

"Yes Sir," he says. "You remember, Sir. Mr. Hilman is the CEO of Hilman, Grace and Storrs. They are looking to sell to you."

I nod because frankly, I've no idea what else to do.

"Will you be needing the car this evening?" He asks.

I nod. "I am going to that cocktail party in a bit." I say going to the bar and pouring myself a scotch, neat.

"Very good." Bobby says and turns to leave.

I sit in my living room looking around. There is not one decoration up. Sookie has every room decorated by the end of Thanksgiving weekend. It is always so festive and warm. Not like this place. It's cold and stiff. Well hell, it appears that my perfect life is cold and stiff. So why shouldn't my home be the same way.

Shaking my head, I try to clear it. This isn't my home. This is a tomb. A tomb to the life I chose so long ago. This is the life that I was supposed to have? Shit, who the fuck did I piss off?

Draining my drink, I stand and make my way up to my bedroom to wash, change and get ready to celebrate my wife marrying someone else. Zippity Fucking Do Da and Merry Christmas.

***0***

I've been standing outside the doors to the Grand Ballroom for the last ten minutes. I thought that this would be easy. I would go in, grab the girl and leave. Yeah, total caveman act. I thought I would be able to sweep her off her feet and back into my arms. But I need to get in there and for the life of me I can't seem to move. My entire family is in there. Okay, not my family. My family is in another dimension or universe. Hell, I don't know. I could have had a stroke and am in a coma or better yet, this is all a dream. But why do I know I'm dreaming? Okay, Northman now you're fucking talking to yourself. Man up and get in there.

Yeah, still talking to myself.

"This is ridiculous." I say and turn to leave. I can't go in there.

But when I turn I am met with the bluest eyes I've ever seen in my life. I've known those eyes since we were kids. There the eyes of my lovely Susannah.

I see her leaning on the wall directly across from where I'm standing. A smile creeps across her face.

"Hello, Eric." She says.

"Ho…how long have you been standing there?" I ask her.

"Not long," she says. "I had to go up to Edwin's room to get him his heart meds. I swear that man would forget his head if it wasn't attached."

"He..heart meds?" I ask her.

She sighs. "Yeah, ummm….well after Elizabeth passed, he had a heart attack. He is okay most days. But well," she shrugs. "He is getting a little forgetful. I'm happy he's agreed to move in with us."

"Us?" I ask her.

"Yeah, um, I…" she sighs. "Maybe we should talk about this another time." She motions to me and I walk up to her. She gives me a hug but I can feel the tension in her back. I want to hold on to her. Hold on until we are back in our house with our kids. But way before I'm ready for her too, she releases me. "I'm glad you came." She says as she looks up at me.

I take in her black on black pants and sweater. "Sookie, you look beautiful." I say.

She smiles. "Thank you, Eric." She says. "You look good too." She pauses. "Are you going in?" She asks. "Pam said you called this morning when you got the invite." She motions to the door.

"Did she say what we talked about?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "No, but she wasn't sure if you were going to come or not." I move to walk beside her. I almost grab her hand. I always grabbed her hand when we walked together. But I control myself and leave my hands by my side.

I reach for the door at the same time she does and our hands touch. A shockwave goes through me and when I hear her gasp I know she feels it too. The connection is still there. I've just got to find a way to bring it out. And I have less than twenty-four hours to do it.

She moves her hand to allow me to open the door and I hold it as she walks in. I follow her and I notice her looking over her shoulder at me. Catching glimpses as we walk. I can tell that she's uncomfortable. I don't like her being like that. But short of grabbing her and making a run for it, I don't know what to do.

"There you are," I hear a man say. I look up and there is the man, John Quinn.

He pulls Sookie into an embrace and kisses the top of her head. Fucking Mr. Clean wanna-be, get your hands off my wife.

"Yeah, ahh, look who I found in the hallway." She says and motions to me.

"Eric, well I'll be damned." He says and holds out his hand. "When we didn't get an RSVP from you for the wedding I sure didn't think you were going to be here for this."

"Well," I say and take his hand. "I wanted to wish Sookie the best." I say and look at her.

I see the blush I've loved so much over the years rise on her face. Yeah, I can still get her to blush, damn it. Bet Mr. Cue ball can't.

"I.." She looks down and shakes her head. "I've got to go give Edwin his pills." She says.

"Okay, honey," he says and pecks her on the cheek. "Hurry back. I like having you close."

She says nothing as she pulls away from him and looks at me. "You…you want to go say hi to him?" She asks me.

I nod and capture her eyes with mine. I see my Sookie. The one I fell in love with so long ago. She's in there. I've just got to remind her who she is.

I look up at Quinn who is already back into a discussion with several people. I've no idea who they are and I could care less.

I follow Sookie as she makes her way through the crowd. She smiles at a few people and says a few hello's but that's it. Sookie never was one for big grand affairs. She liked intimate family things. The house could be packed to the gills. But it was always people who she thought of as family. This was just nuts.

"Hi, Dad." I hear Sookie say. Sookie has called Edwin dad for years. Even before we got married. He loved it. Between Pam and her, he had his angels. Bill and I, well he called us his hellions. Not that Bill cut up much. He knew at a very young age that he was gay and didn't care who knew. Graduating from Tulane, he decided to go into law. His small practice in Bon Temps flourished after old Mr. Lancaster passed on. He is also our Family attorney. Well that is what he was. Who knows what he is now.

"Eric?" Edwin says.

I nod and smile at him.

"Oh, Son!" He says trying to get up. Sookie takes his arm and I take the other. "Such a fuss, you are always fussing on me, sweet thing." He says and touches the side of Sookie's cheek. She gives her one of those perfect smiles and then he turns to me. "Give an old man a hug." He says.

I comply and I can feel him tightening his hold. "I've missed you, Son." He says.

I don't know what to say. He has lived next to Sookie and I our entire marriage. He has been so close and yet, I can't remember the last time I walked across the yard to talk to him. I don't remember the last time I went to share a beer with him or talk about a ball game or something else equally unimportant.

"I…I missed you too, Dad." I say softly. With those words he pulls me in tighter. After a moment, he pulls away. "Well, you're here now and that's what's important." He says and turns back to Sookie. "Isn't she something? We are all so very proud of her. Big time designer and got that, what was it, honey?" He asks.

"Um, I got the first call at the spring show." She says.

He nods. "Yup, that was it. Mighty proud. Elizabeth would be busting something if she was here."

I see the shadow fall on his face and the tears in his eyes. He hides them by taking a sip of his water.

"Eric?" I hear from behind me.

I turn to see Bill and Pam making their way through the crowd. Pam embraces me first.

"You okay?" She whispers in my ear. I just nod my reply.

She releases me and I look at Bill. He has daggers for me and I know why. "Didn't expect to see you here." He says to me.

I nod. "Yeah, well…" I say and look at Sookie. She can tell that the tension between us is not going to be as easy to dissolve as it was with Edwin.

"I've called you about a hundred times." He says to me.

I nod. "I….I don't know what to say."

"Sorry works." He says.

I look from him to Pam and then to Edwin. "I'm very sorry. I know that I've been MIA. I know that I shut you all out. I just…" I look at Sookie. "I hope you can…" I pause. "Shit, I miss my family." I say just loud enough for them to hear.

"We've missed you too." Pam says and kisses me on the cheek.

I look up to see Bill. His anger is chipping around the edges, but it's still there. I see him steal a glance at Sookie. I know that look. He has been as protective of her as I have been. I'm sure he is checking to see what reaction she's having to all of this. He looks back at me. "Just don't ruin this night, okay?" He asks. "This is for Sookie."

I nod. Noticing he didn't say it was for Sookie and Quinn. Perhaps the family isn't as accepting of him as I first thought.

I spend the next hour talking to my family when I see Edwin nodding off.

"Dad," Sookie says. "Let me take you up to bed."

"I'm alright honey." He says to her.

"Now, come on. You need to walk me down the aisle tomorrow. Don't want to be tired for that, do you?" The tone she is using is one she always uses with Emma when she doesn't want to do one thing or another. The thought of my beautiful little angel sends pains through me that I never thought possible.

I hear commotion to my right and turn to see Quinn walking over to us. He kisses the top of Sookie's head as I hear the guys he was talking to before egging him to hurry up.

"I'm off to my bachelor party, babe." He says to Sookie.

She smirks at him. "Have fun." She says.

"Don't worry Sookie," one of the guys says. "We'll have him at the church on time."

They laugh and Quinn laughs along with them.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning." He says and kisses her. It's all I can do to stay in my seat. He is fucking kissing my wife!

I watch him whisper something in her ear. She nods and off he goes. I watch as the man that is taking my wife away from me walks out and all I want to do is go after him and kill him. Better yet, I want to hang him by his thumbs and torture him for hours. It still wouldn't be good enough. I need a better imagination.

"Come on Dad," I hear Sookie say again.

She goes to help him up. But my Sookie is a really small girl and Edwin isn't exactly tiny. Like Bill, Me and my father, he is over six feet and is not in very good shape. Another thing that has changed. There is no way Elizabeth would have allowed him to get into such shape.

"Here, let me help you." I say to both Edwin and Sookie.

She smiles at me. "Thanks."

I nod and help her up with him as we make our way to a side door. "This is the fastest way to the elevators." She motions me to follow her.

I look over my shoulder. Bill and Pam are both looking at us. Pam has sad eyes while Bill looks a little curious of me. But some man has joined Bill and I can tell by the way he is sitting close, he must be his special someone. I remember being introduced earlier. But I can't remember his name.

I turn my attention back to Sookie and Edwin and make our way out the door and to the elevators.

Once in, Edwin starts humming a song. I remember it. It's one that he used to dance with Elizabeth too.

He goes silent after a moment. "You have no idea how it does my heart good that you two found your way back to each other." He says looking from me to Sookie. "You two belong together."

I look at Sookie but she just shakes her head.

The doors open and I walk with her down the hall. She pulls out a card and swipes it to let us in.

"Time for bed, Dad." She says.

He nods. "Time for bed." He says.

She helps him off with his shoes, and then shirt. Finally she moves to the dresser and pulls out a pair of pajama bottoms and hands them to Edwin. "Can you do this or do you need me to help?" She asks him.

He touches her arm and shakes his head. "No you two go enjoy yourself. Tomorrow you will be married. Tonight you can still act like your dating. Take it from an old man, son," he says looking over at me. "Treat your woman like your girlfriend all through your marriage. The rewards will be more than you could ever imagine."

We wait for him to change and Sookie helps him into bed. Kissing his forehead she whispers something to him and turns to walk out.

I walk over to him and kiss his forehead too. Looking at him he seems so small to me. That is not a word I ever used to describe him. But no other word would do.

Edwin looks at me. "She loves you so much. She never stopped."

I nod and tell him I will see him soon.

Following Sookie out, she closes the door until it clicks. She leans up against the door and sighs.

"When did he start…."

She opens her eyes. "They call in sundowning. He's better in the morning and during the day. As the day progresses, he gets confused." She shrugs. "He can't be left alone anymore. For the past three months, Bill, Pam and I have been taking turns staying with him. But it's been hard. I'm moving him up here next week so I can care for him." She says with a nod.

"Sookie, this shouldn't fall just on you. I mean, we can get him help or assisted living."

She looks at me and her eyes go very hard. "There is no way I'm putting Edwin in a home. He and Elizabeth have always treated me with love and respect. Hell, they took you and Pam in and loved you like their own. I am the only one that has a career that doesn't fit into a schedule. I can work from home. I can be there when he needs me and be there when he hits his sundown. I love him Eric. I couldn't…." she shakes her head and I can see the tears pooling in her eyes.

I can't help myself. I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her. "Shhh, Sookie, please don't cry. I don't know what to do when you cry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that we should put him in a home. I'm just saying that you don't need to do this alone. I want to help."

She looks up at me. "Since…since when?" She asks. "Eric, I'm happy you want to help. Really, I do. But what changed?" She asks.

I look down into her beautiful blue eyes. My hand goes up to the side of her face. "Because, I think I finally realized what I've been missing. I've made a mess of my family and I want to fix it." I pause for a moment. I could honestly get lost in her eyes. I've gotten lost in her eyes. "I don't want to waste any more time. I need my family. I need you…."

I am about to move back when something I never expected occurs. I suddenly feel Sookie's lips on mine. It takes me only a minute to respond. I wrap her tighter in my arms as she runs her hands up my arms to my neck. Effectively locking us into place and the kiss increases until I think I could pull her into me just with our kisses.

She pulls away gasping. I take the moment to attach my lips to her neck. God she smells exactly as she did when I had her in my arms last night. She smells like she always does; sweet as honey and as fresh as a spring morning.

"Oh Eric," she says. "We…we have to get out the hallway." She says in a rush.

I pull away and look into her eyes. "I don't want to take you back to the party."

She shakes her head. "I don't want to go back."

I nod at her. "Come on." I say and take her by the hand.

"Where…where are we going?" She asks.

"We can go back to my apartment." I say to her.

She stops for a moment. I turn to look at her. I half expect her to turn me down. I expect her to regret the kiss, tell me it was a mistake. At the very least, to yell at me for putting her in this position. But my Sookie surprises me as she always does.

She smiles at me. "Let's go." She says.

I hit the button on the elevator and within minutes, we are down and through the lobby waiting for my driver at the Valet.

He pulls up and we get into the back seat. I'm about to turn and talk to Sookie when she climbs on my lap and starts kissing me. I have never known her to be this aggressive. Okay, that's a lie. My Sookie can be a hell-cat when she wants to be. It's just, damn she feels so fucking good in my arms.

We pull into the parking garage of my building. I wouldn't know it except for the fact that the car stops and my drivers informs us that we are home.

"Sookie," I say gasping from her ministration on my neck. "We're here." I say.

She looks up and then around the car. "That was quick." She says climbing off me. The separation is really painful. But the quicker we get out of this car the quicker I can get her upstairs.

My driver looks at me. "Will you be needing me again this evening?" He asks me.

I shake my head. "No thank you." I say to him and make my way out of the car with Sookie in tow.

I walk over to the elevator and hit the only button. It is my private elevator and leads right up to my place. I only know this because I'd used it several times today.

Once the doors close, Sookie is back in my arms and is ravaging my mouth with her own. God she feels so fucking perfect.

Once the doors open, I walk in with her wrapped around me. I decide that no discussion is necessary and take her up to the bedroom. Once inside I move her slightly so I can get my hands under her shirt.

She moans as my hand makes contact with her silky skin. "God, Eric please." She moans.

"What do you want baby?" I ask as my hands move up the side of her ribs and brush over her breasts. God they are still perfect.

"Take me, please Eric. I need to feel you." She says as her hands move up my chest and spreading out to take my jacket off. I have to release her breasts too. As my jacket falls to the floor, I take the moment to pull her sweater off and expose those beautiful breasts to the light. As I'm admiring her in her pretty pink lace bra, she's working on the buttons of my shirt. Once she has finished, I take that off as well. Wrapping my arms around her, I release her bra and let it to fall to the floor.

I stand and look at the perfection that is my Sookie. She is as beautiful as she's ever been.

"God, you are perfect." I say to her.

She smiles. "You aren't so bad yourself."

I pick her up as our lips reattach and walk over to the bed and lay her down. I waste no time and dive in to kiss and caress her rose colored nipples. They are so pert and ready to be sucked.

"Oh God, Eric…ahhhhhhhh." She moans my name. That one moan gets me harder than I ever thought possible.

I moan as I take her other nipple into my mouth. I can feel her shiver beneath me. That is also doing wondrous things to my cock.

I release her breast and start kissing lower, lower and lower still until I'm met with the top of her pants. I slowly start to undo them and am me with no resistance. I make quick work of them and they too are thrown to the floor. When I come back to her I see her laid out before me and I take a moment to take her in. All of her.

"What?" She asks.

I shake my head. "Nothing, my love, nothing at all."

I move in between her legs and kiss her on her beautiful shaved mound.

"Oh GOD.." Sookie moans. I look up to see that she's thrown her head back.

"No, look at me, Sookie. Watch me." I say with a growl.

Her eyes open and she turns her attention down to me.

Smiling, I flatten my tongue and brush it over her lower lips.

"Ohhhh…." Sookie whimpers.

I begin to kiss, lick and suck my way to feel her warm, wet and willing. I replace my tongue with my finger. God, she is wet and tight. Fuck I need to get in her and soon.

"Eric," I hear her. I look up to see her eyes hooded. I can feel her walls tightening around my fingers.

"Eric…" She moans again.

I smile. "Let go love," I say to her. "Give it to me."

Three more thrusts of my fingers and I feel her walls clamp down on me. Her back arches and she is falling over the edge with my name on her lips.

I continue my ministration until she is coming back to herself.

As she does, I release her and start kissing back up to her neck. "You okay."

I feel her nodding. "You're overdressed." She says.

I look up and into her eyes. "You sure?" I ask her.

She nods. "I want you."

That is all I need to hear. I make quick work of my pants and am back on the bed and over her. She separates her legs to give me more room. I kiss her several more times before I move to position myself at her entrance.

I lift myself a little to look into her eyes as I enter her. The feeling is almost unbearable. I move slowly to savor the feeling. Once I'm completely sheathed inside her, I hold myself there allowing her to get used to me and for me to calm slightly.

She pants out. "Oh God, you are so big."

I smile. "Are you okay?" I ask her.

She nods and moves her hips. I take the hint and begin moving in and out of her. Making love to Sookie is always good. But tonight, damn she is like on fire.

She pushes on my chest. I look down at her and she has a look on her face that I've seen before. I flip us without releasing us.

Soon, she is straddled on top of me and begins to move again.

"Ahhh…Fuck!" I moan when he does this little thing with her hips. It is fucking mind blowing.

"Eric…Fuck…God…Eric…it's so good…yeah." She moans out.

I take that instant to move slightly and sit up. Wrapping her legs around me, I start moving her up and down on my cock as she moans out my name."

"Eric….I'm going to…"

I nod. "I'm right there with you…" I say to her. "Fuck, baby, I'm gonna…."

She moves a little to the left and then to the right and just like that she's coming for me. Three more thrusts and I'm right there with her. I follow her over the edge and we end up a draped over each other while we catch our breath.

As soon as I know I can move without falling down, I lift her and lay her on her side. I walk into the bathroom and clean up. Coming back in with a warm wash cloth, I clean Sookie up and she smiles at me. Lifting her slightly, I put her under the covers and climb in behind her. Pulling her toward me, she rests her head on my heart like she's done so many times before. I wrap my arms around her and drift into a silent sleep.

I am awakened by a sound. Opening my eyes, I see that it's still dark out and I'm in bed alone.

"Sookie." I call out.

Flipping on the light I see her moving around collecting her close. "Honey, what are you doing?" I ask her.

She looks at me. "Eric, I need to get back to the hotel." She says.

"What?" I ask her.

"Eric," she laughs. "I'm getting married in a few hours. I need to get back."

"What are you talking about? What about what happened last night?" I ask her.

She looks at me and I see a sad smile form on her lips. "Eric, last night was wonderful. I…I wanted to be with you. I've missed you and well…." She blushes and looks down. "I wanted my last night as a single woman spent with you. But…"

"Wait a minute," I say and lean closer to the edge of the bed. "I love you. I want to…."

She shakes her head. "Eric, I'll always love you. But our future died that night…"

Her words fade and I watch as she continues to dress.

"If you didn't want to think about me, why are you getting married on the day he would have been born?" I ask her.

She has already pulled on her pants and is pulling her shirt over her head.

"Because…" She says.

"Because why?" I ask her.

"Because, I need something happy. I need some happy memories so I'm not so cold all the time." She says and a single tear falls.

I jump out of the bed and am over to her in two steps. Placing my hands on her arms, I will her to look at me. "Sookie, we can make those happy memories together. I'm sorry. For everything, for every single thing I've done to hurt you, to hurt our family. Please just give me a chance to make this up to you. Please just give me another chance."

She's full out crying now. She shakes her head and wipes the tears away. "I can't Eric. Quinn is a good man. He helped me all those years ago. He got me to see that there was a life for me. He made me see the joy in living again."

"Do you love him?" I ask her.

She looks down. "Eric, I'll never love anyone the way I love you." She says softly.

"Then why…"

She looks up. "Sometimes you need to learn to love what's good for you."

"Sookie, I'm good for you. I'm good for us. I know. I know I've made mistakes. But baby, please. Just…If you love me you'd…"

She pulls away slightly as she shakes her head. I allow my hands to drop to my sides as I watch her move farther away from me.

"This…this was a mistake." She says softly. "I'm sorry Eric." She says and walks out the door.

I am frozen in my spot. I don't know what to do. She just walked away from me. She walked out of my bed, out of my arms, out of my life.

I hear the elevator and know she's gone.

Collapsing to the floor I allow the pain and sorrow to wash over me. It is like a rush of the tide flowing over me. The moment I think I'm calming, another wave crashes into me. I cry for everything I've had and lost. For everything I squandered and every mistake I've ever made. I cry it all out and hope that when I'm through, there will be nothing left and I'll be gone.

***0***

At some point in the night, I must have crawled into bed. I can't remember when or why, but I did.

I roll over in the big empty bed and sigh.

I sit up and look out the window. The sun is shining but I can tell that at some point, there was snow last night and there is a light blanket of white covering the world. White, new, fresh, clean; all things I don't feel right now.

There is a knock on the door.

"Yes?" I ask.

It opens and Bobby walks in.

"I'm sorry Sir, but you wanted to get going early. The car will be downstairs in twenty minutes. If you want to arrive by nine, you will need to leave soon."

Oh that's right. I had a business meeting this morning. On fucking Christmas Eve morning, I've got a meeting. While Sookie is walking down the aisle to Quinn, I'll be making more money. When he kisses his bride, I'll be shaking hands and closing deals.

Shit if this the life destiny wanted for me, it fucking sucks.

I nod to Bobby and make my way to the bathroom and shower.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm showered and dressed and heading downstairs.

"Will you be needing anything else today?" Bobby asks.

I shake my head. "No, enjoy the holiday."

He smiles and tilts his head as if he's trying to read me. "You as well, Sir."

I make my way down to the lobby and climb into the car without really looking at anyone. Everyone seems to be a nameless, faceless creature to be now.

We pull out into traffic and are over the bridge before I look up. My driver from yesterday is replaced with someone I didn't expect to see.

"Godric." I growl at him.

He looks in the rearview mirror and smiles at me. "I was wondering when you would work your way out of your funk to notice me." He says. "What's wrong?" He asks me.

"What's wrong?" I ask him. "My life is fifty shades of fucked up and you ask me what's wrong."

"Eric, this was your life. This was your right. What's upsetting you?"

"This isn't a life. I'm connected to no one. I'm estranged from my family. Sookie is as we speak marrying someone else and I'm…I'm all alone." I say softly.

"I see," Godric pauses. "Well, if fate got it wrong. Tell me, what would be your perfect life?"

I sit back and close my eyes. "I don't want to play this game."

"No seriously, tell me what your perfect life would be." He says.

I sigh deeply. "Fine." I pause. "My perfect life. First, when Sookie insisted I go to New York, she would have come with me. We would have stayed in the hotel while she found us the perfect house. She would have been looking to design but until then, she would have written her books while waiting for Brodin to be born."

I pause. "He would have come on time and perfect. Sookie would have delivered him easily without any drama." I pause again. "When Sophie began making her advances, I would have taken my issues up with the board and had her fired. Or at the very least sanctioned. At some point I would have broken off to create my own firm. While Sookie finished her last book and was designing small lines. Maybe she even opened a small boutique in our little beach town. Sander and Emma would be with us. Pam would be Sookie's publicist. Bill would have moved up here and has a thriving practice. Edwin and Elizabeth split their time with us here and Crystal and Jason in Louisiana.

I would have been with Sookie when she took the pregnancy test for this last child. I would have held her hand as we waited for the results and then I would have made love to her all night in celebration of her gracing me with another child."

I pause again and then look out the window. "I would look at Sookie and my children every day as see the miracle and joy that they are. I would treat Sookie like a princess and listen to Edwin when he said to treat her like a girlfriend. I would never let a day go by that my family and close friends didn't know how special they were to me."

We are quiet for a few moments. Then Godric breaks the silence. "That would be a wonderful life." He says.

"Can you at least give me back the one I had?" I ask him.

He shakes his head as we pull into a driveway. "No, but I can do this. I can promise that when you get out of this car and walk over the threshold of the house you won't remember that old life."

I shake my head. "I don't want to forget."

"That's the best I can do." He says and turns to look at me. "But promise me you won't forget the feelings you have. Remember that life is precious. You don't always get second chances. So make the first chance count."

I sigh and nod at him. Opening the car door, I watch as the house door opens.

A boy no more than ten walks out and over to me. He has blond hair like mine and blue eyes the color of Sookies. His face is so much like mine, I'm stopped dead in my tracks.

"Daaaaddd," he says to me. "Make them stop." He says and grunts. "Emma came in my room an hour ago and started singing Happy Birthday. Mom has kissed me a dozen times and now Emma has Sander singing too."

I can hear a chorus of Happy Birthday's coming from the house. When I look up, I see Sookie standing in the doorway. "Brodin Eric Northman get in this house. You are going to catch your death walking around in your PJ's. You want to die on your birthday?" She says.

"See…." He points to his mother.

I pull him into a hug and kiss the top of his head. I can't even talk at this moment.

"God, not you too." He says and pulls away from me. Stomping passed Sookie, he storms into the house.

I walk over to her as she giggles at Brody's retreating form. She turns to me with a smile on her face as bright as the sun. "You know he secretly loves all the attention."

I pull her into my arms and kiss her as deep as I did last night. When I pull away, the smile returns to her lips.

"Well hello," she says with her sexy kitten voice. "If this is the greeting I get when you stay in the city alone, I'll make you stay there more often."

"I….I missed you." I say to her touching the side of her face.

"I know baby. I wouldn't have guessed from the hundred texts you sent. The meeting went okay?" She asks.

I nod.

"Good, I hate you being there alone too. But maybe with Edwin and Elizabeth arriving today we can sneak away for a night." She says and wiggles her eyebrows at me.

I kiss her again. "How are you feeling?" I ask her touching her little baby bump.

"A little nauseous this morning," she says. "Nothing like Emma though." She rolls her eyes.

"Oh," she whispers. "The watch is cleaned and ready for him. I thought we could give it to him after breakfast. You're sure he's old enough? I mean it is your father's watch."

I am shocked. God, now if this is a dream, I never want to wake up. I nod at her. "I…I'm sure." I say to her.

She smiles. My smile; the one that is all for me.

I kiss her again and when I release her she laughs. "Not that I'm not enjoying our little kissing fest, but I'm getting cold."

Without another word, I pick her up and walk with her back into the house. Once I cross the threshold something releases in me. Like a weight or something. For the life of me, I can't remember what it was that had me so upset a few minutes ago. But I don't have time to think about it. Emma and Sander come running. Whatever it was, will need to wait until later. My children want me and they will have all of my attention. I put Sookie down and turn to catch Emma as she jumps up. Sookie laughs as we all walk back into the kitchen to prepare our home for my son's birthday and another wonderful Christmas with our family that I know will be here in a few hours. I can't wait. Christmas is my favorite time of year.

***0***

Godric stands outside the car as he watches Eric walk into the house. The dark haired man begins to change and soon an older version of Eric is standing in Godric's place. The air changes and he knows he's no longer alone.

"That was a very risky trick you played. The bosses aren't happy." He says to me.

I shrug. "It worked out. Besides," he says and turns to the other man. "I wasn't about to let him throw away his life."

"You know the rules. You really have a lot to answer for." He says to me.

I nod. "I know. But it was worth it."

The man sighs. "Very well. Let's go Brodin." He says. "Your work here is done."

I turn to look at him. "Merry Christmas Gabriel." I say.

He smiles. "Merry Christmas."

I turn to the house. "Merry Christmas, my son. You will be happy now. I made sure of it."

Both men fade into nothing as the family inside the house begins to enjoy their breakfast with loud chatter and laughter. Exactly what anyone who knew the Northman's would expect.

THE END….