A/N As usual, Charlaine Harris owns everything, I own nothing, nada, zero, zip, zilch.

All mistakes and screw ups are my own, I was pretty tired when I finished and posted this so there's probably a few.

Confession: this chapter got completely away from me. I intended to write a 5000word chapter and it turned into 9600words so you may want to take your bathroom break before you start. I thought about chopping it, but I promised vampires in this chapter so I decided screw it, you all can read, you'll be fine. LOL!

Thanks to all of you for enjoying this little historical trip. I wasn't sure how it would go over, you've all been great.

Now on with the show...........


I stood and trembled against the window, partly from cold and partly from fear. I reminded myself that the vampires couldn't enter the house (unless they've been inside before my stupid inner voice reminded me). It helped that I knew the general layout of Bill's property. The two vampires split up. One was circling the house as the other stood still just ten feet in front of it. Like an idiot I forgot that even with all the lights off, they'd be able to see me standing in the window. I crouched behind the curtain, trying desperately to see. If this was modern times, I'd flick the front porch and security lights on and they'd probably go running like cockroaches.

Suddenly, I realized the vampire who had been circling was back in the front and had stepped on the front porch not two feet in front of me! Pressing my backside against the cold plaster walls, I held as still as possible and tried to breath very quietly. The "void" was on the other side of the wall from me, whoever he or she was, they KNEW I was awake. There was a faint creak as one of the porch boards gave under the vampire's weight. What the hell did they want?

We had a little standoff for another minute, than the "voids" flew away from the house at vampire speed going towards Hummingbird I think.. I sank to the floor, clutching my chest.

It had to have been Lorena, it just had to be. Although, I couldn't imagine who would be with her. The timeframe was right and Bill had never mentioned his family being attacked by vampires while he was human, unless he was glamoured afterward and just didn't know. That meant any day now, Lorena was going to show up and either lure Bill out or attack him when he was coming from chores or something. He would disappear as far as the residents of Bon Temps were concerned and his family would be left alone.

And there was nothing I could do about it.

Since I was once again wide awake, I picked up the grocery bag and took it back to the bed with me. Shoving my lower half under the covers, I tried to snuggle a bit and warm up near the bedwarmer again. I tipped the bag over and examined the contents.

My keys were gone, I noticed that immediately and I knew I had thrown them in there when Eric and I had gone on our walk. There were two large white pure beeswax candles with brown paper wrappings "Made in Vermont" it said. There was a five pound bag of organic fair trade coffee beans, but it was missing the cellophane outer sleeve that had all the information on it. The brown paper bag was still sealed around it, the strong coffee smell immediately permeated the room. There was a little brown box of organic fair trade loose tea from India. I looked inside, the little paper bag was still sealed too. There had been some makeup by a company that used all plant based ingredients and promised no animal testing. The little plastic containers had all been marked "recyclable". That was gone as was a plastic bottle of some type of natural herb extract pills or something. By that point I had been in a hurry and was only grabbing things off the list. The two pounds of naturally raised not messed with bacon was still wrapped in its butcher paper, but its plastic wrap was gone. I had practically had a heart attack when I saw how much it cost, but reminded myself if Amelia wanted to pay top prices to make sure pigs she ate had a good life, that was her business.

There was a set of wooden spoons, but they were loose in the bag. They'd had plastic netting around them at the store. Amelia wanted them to give to a woman at the Insurance Agency she worked at who had just announced she was getting engaged. They were beautiful spoons, made from some type of African hardwood (fair trade again, I was going to have to ask Amelia what that meant) , with a dark swirling grain going up the handles and they were heavy. Unfortunately, one of them hadn't made the little "trip" intact and was split lengthwise down the middle.

I looked closely at the bag itself. The writing outside was still there as was the inside. It said " Made from 100% Hemp, no pesticides, with all vegetable dye lettering" .

I shoved everything back into the bag. I was a little concerned about the bacon, but it had sat in a cold trunk outside my house and this room was pretty cool and it wasn't like the Compton's had a refridgerator anyway. It should be okay until morning. I leaned back and got completely under the covers going thru all this in my head.

Everything that had traveled with me was made from natural elements. There was nothing synthetic or man made in the bag or on my person. All the plastic stuff and my modern stainless steel keys hadn't made it. My panties, while they were mostly cotton, they had spandex in them for stretch/comfort and elastic openings of course. The outfit I was wearing was made out of materials that people of this time used, which had to be why it was still intact. Even the buttons were not plastic. (let's give another cheer for the reenactors!)

If I had worn something else, I probably would have arrived in the cemetery naked as Arnold in the Terminator movies. What would Bill have thought then? Okay, this thought made me giggle a little.

When I got up in the morning I'd give Mrs. Compton the bacon, tea and coffee. I knew there had been shortages even well after the war and they would probably be appreciated. It would alleviate my guilt a little at the Compton's having to put me up and lying to their faces.

I had no idea how or why I had ended up here. It was highly unlikely that fairy had turned up just to send Sookie Stackhouse on the Time Travel Trip of a Lifetime. It was pretty obvious he had intended to kill me and would have if Eric hadn't jumped in front of me. Poor Eric, he'd gotten thru the first thousand years with no problem, but he was never going to make it to two thousand hanging around me.

And why here in Bon Temps? Was it because I was from here? What little I knew about time travel was from watching old Star Trek episodes and the Terminator movies with Jason. One time I fell asleep in front of the TV watching a real crime show on the Discovery channel (which helped me figure out how to clean Debbie Pelt's blood out of my kitchen) and when I woke up there was this Asian guy with white hair and a pleasant voice explaining how time travel was possible with a powerful enough energy source. He had also mentioned that a person would be killed going thru anyway and he'd lost me after that.

Hey, I'm not a physicist.

More importantly, how do I get back? I have no magical skills and witches (real witches) probably hid themselves really well during this time period. (do you blame them?) . Fairies were very magical and probably could help me but who or how would I….. NIALL!! Niall was alive right now, but I had no idea how I would contact him and as far as he was concerned I wasn't born yet anyway.

Wait a minute, if Eric survived the attack (big IF Sookie, my inner voice said ), then he had to have contacted Niall and maybe right now my fairy relatives were looking for me! For the first time since landing here, I started feeling a little hope. I clung to my little hope life raft. I had to believe someone would find me, I just had to.

Realizing I'd forgotten my prayers and if any situation warranted asking the Big Guy for help, this one surely did.

I put my hands together and I thanked God for keeping me alive and sending me to the Compton's. They were struggling and didn't have much, but hadn't thought twice about taking me in and caring for me. I apologized for lying to them, but since it was for their own good, I hoped He could overlook it. I asked Him to keep Eric safe and hopefully help Niall look for me (although how he would find me in thousands of years of time, well..) And I focused really hard and thanked Him as strongly as I could for giving me a Grandmother who had taught me to be strong and that I could survive anything if I put my mind to it.

And I really REALLY thanked Him for making her a member of the Descendents of the Glorious Dead and Betty Jackson allowing me to wear this outfit.

I prayed that I wouldn't have to pee until morning since I didn't want to go outside to use the outhouse or use the chamber pot that was probably under the bed.

At this point, I realized my life was in God's hands. But then my life has always been in His hands when you get down to it. I finally relaxed and fell asleep.

I was pretty much right on the nose about the Compton's getting up at the crack of dawn like the Amish. I could hear them walking around upstairs as they got ready for their day and some banging in the kitchen. I worried for a second, but realized the sun had broken the horizon so the area surrounding it should be vampire free at this point.

Early for me is usually 8am since I work in a bar and usually get off work between midnight and 1am. I was pretty sure it was maybe 5 or 6 am at the latest. I stumbled to my feet and worked on getting the clothes I'd worn the day before back on.

And I was dreading going outside into the quite brisk morning to use the outhouse.

There was a soft knock at the door. A mental check showed it was the elder Sarah. "Come in" I called out. She opened the door and peeped her head in. She was carrying a pitcher of hot water, which was obvious because steam was rising from it and had a cotton towel and washcloth on her arm. Thank you Jesus! She walked over to the washstand and sat the pitcher next to the large bowl

"How are you feeling this morning Miss Northman"? She asked, as she pulled a small pottery type jar out of the pocket of her full apron.

"Call me Sookie, please. And I'm feeling much better physically although my memory is still blurry. Thank you so much for the hot water"! I tried to tone it down, but it was like she'd brought me gold and silver. If she'd had a cup of hot coffee in her hand, I would have been tempted to kiss her.

"Well then Sookie, please call me Sarah" She said as she placed the small jar next to the pitcher. "Do you need any help"?

"In a few minutes, after I wash up I probably will" I said.

She nodded and replied " I'll be back in a few minutes".

At this point I'd only gotten on a couple of the lower skirts, so I left them be and prepared my morning toilet. The little jar held some slimy brown stuff that had to be homemade soap (thank you Gran!) and it wasn't nice to touch, smell, or feel but it was soap and I desperately wanted a wash. Pouring some of the hot water into the washbowl, I washed my face first to get all the sleepy crud out of my eyes and lathered up the washcloth with the slimy soap and started washing my underarms and down below as best I could. I got the washcloth rinsed and ran it over myself to clean off the soap. Then I finished off by drying with the towel.

I promised myself that if I ever got back to my time, I would thank God every night for indoor plumbing and running hot water.

Sarah knocked again and came back in to help me finish dressing.

I told myself there should be nothing about my outfit that would tip her off that it wasn't ordinary. Putting my arms up, she tightened my corset which wasn't helping my bladder which needed to dispose of its contents as soon as possible. She was actually fairly relaxing since she was harder to read than her brother and didn't chatter.

She had a hairbrush in her hand thank goodness and motioned for me to sit on one of the chairs. After she was done, my hair looked exactly the way it had when I arrived, she even had the comb placed correctly. Practice makes perfect I guess. I thanked her again and with a sway of her skirts she left my room.

Since I really had to pee now, I decided to do that first then give Mrs. Compton the items. I said "Good morning" politely to her as I passed thru the kitchen, she knew where I was headed so she didn't stop me to chat. Shaking a little from the chill, I stepped off the back porch and looked around for the outhouse. Bill was exiting the barn followed closely by mini-me, apparently they had been feeding and watering the animals. Little Sarah was over by the chicken house letting them out and throwing feed on the ground for them.

"Where is the …" I didn't have to finish, he already knew.

"The Necessary is past the smoke house and behind the barn" He said, pointing in that general direction.

With not peeing since before my talk with Eric and the sudden cold, well you know what happens right? I speed walked to the outhouse. Thank goodness for those crotchless drawers because I wouldn't have made it if I'd had to fiddle with anything or pull clothing down. I just raised my skirts and plopped myself down. There was a Sears and Roebuck catalog and a couple newspapers sitting next to the seat (nicely polished wood, thank you Bill!) looking a bit torn up. Guessing that was the toilet paper around here I finished up and feeling much better went back into the house.

I got the packages from my room and went back into the kitchen which was a flurry of activity and swirling skirts. Mrs. Compton didn't let any grass grow under her feet, she was all over the place. Bill's sister was putting dishes on the kitchen table since I guess this is where they ate breakfast as his wife finished stirring some wonderfully smelling pans of something on the black stove which was practically glowing.(the kitchen was nice and toasty at this point) I remembered catching fire being the 2nd leading cause of death for women during this time according to Gran which was why wool aprons were popular. Wool doesn't catch fire easily. I resolved to stay away from the stove anyway.

"Um, excuse me Mrs. Compton" I said tentatively while tapping her shoulder.

She turned around and gave me her full attention. "Please call me Caroline" she said with a kindly smile.

I felt a tiny stab of jealousy toward the current Mrs. Compton. She was a truly kind person and those people are rare. She felt very lucky with her life, her husband and her children. I got the impression she didn't love Bill with the wild passion that most people think of as love. But she felt she was lucky to be married to him and thanked God everyday that that he had come back from the War when so many women's husbands hadn't.

Okay, maybe I was feeling a little more than a tiny stab of jealousy. Bill had gotten very fortunate with his human wife.

It's too bad he'd gotten so unlucky with the Vampire Psycho Ho Maker.

I pushed the packages into her hands. "Please take these, I found them in my bag, I'm not sure how I've come to have them, but I truly appreciate you taking me in and I want you to have this" I stammered out quickly. (God I hate lying!)

She wiped her hands on her apron, then took the packages and sat down on the nearby bench. Opening the coffee bag first, she let out a gasp as she saw what it was. Clamping her hand over her mouth, for a second I thought she was going to cry.

I heard clear as a bell from her head. She hadn't seen coffee in over five years.

And the coffee being sold at the local general in Bon Temps was selling for $50 a pound. Did I hear that right? FIFTY DOLLARS?! I kept my face still of course, as I quickly said " I'm so sorry, I had no idea I would upset you"! I didn't know what to do.

She dabbed her eyes quickly and said" I'm alright, I'm just a little overwhelmed. How did you come to have this …" She trailed off thinking maybe the coffee had been stolen from someone, but she couldn't allow herself to believe I was that kind of person. It was so nice to have someone assuming nice things about me for a change.

I shrugged again and said " I'm sorry, I just don't know, but I want you to have it. You've been so kind". I didn't know what else to say.

Suddenly she got a little sparkle in her eyes and flew into a room I figured was the pantry. After a minute I heard a grinding noise, she was feeling very happy and I reached out to figure out why.

She was happy for her husband.

Why?

Bill LOVED coffee.

Well, who would have thought we'd have that in common?

A couple minutes later she came back in beaming happily and put a coffeepot on the stove. I had to remind myself that she knew what she was doing and people made coffee for hundreds of years before Mr. Coffee and paper filters. The elder Sarah had stepped outside, I could hear her reminding the children to wash their hands and faces before coming to the table. From the giggling I heard outside, she'd apparently included her older brother in her remarks just to tease him, and the children thought that was pretty funny.

As all this was going on, Caroline had opened the bacon with a soft "Oh my gracious" (there were immediate delicious visuals in her head about what she was going to do with the bacon) and the tea, which made her smile. She was fond of tea, but had been forced to make her own from local trees and shrubs, but it wasn't the same I guess. I was glad she had calmed down and I was very happy that the items I had with me could add a little pleasure to their lives.

Before Lorena destroys it, my inner voice reminded me. I had to squelch the immediate sense of sadness this thought brought up. I reminded myself my first priority was to get back to where I came from. Bill was going to become a vampire and nothing could change that.

Right?

I tried to help Caroline get the last few items to the table without getting in her way since I hated standing there doing nothing. "Please sit down" She said "We'll be eating in a moment" .

At that point everyone else piled back into the kitchen from the chilly morning outside and settled into their accustomed places at the table. Since there were so many other smells in the kitchen with the wood burning stove and the various dishes Caroline had been making, I guess Bill just didn't notice the coffee brewing as he sat down. Or maybe, it had been years since he'd smelled it and he'd just forgotten.

"Tommy, it's your turn to say grace please" His wife prompted. We all bowed our heads and listened to Tommy recite a simple grace in his clear, calm little boy voice. (like I said, Bill mini me) Everyone started passing dishes around, I was careful not to take too much of anything.

Caroline got up and went to a hutch with china on it, she took a cup and saucer to the stove and poured some of the coffee into it. Then she walked over to the table and put it in front of Bill. Bill just stared at the cup, stunned by what he was seeing and smelling.

"Caroline! When did you buy coffee?" He exclaimed, as his children and sister looked on with open expressions of surprise. Inherent in his question was "where did you get the money", but he didn't have to spell that out to her. She quickly explained, which drew all eyes back to me. I shrank down in my seat a little. I'd never intended my simple gifts to cause such a ruckus, but I should have known better. My Gran always said I was going to regret not listening more closely to her meetings and gosh darn it, she was right.

Bill studied me closely, this was the closest I'd seen to him acting like "my Bill". He was concerned about how I'd gotten ahold of such expensive items and now he was even more concerned I wasn't telling the whole truth about my "malady". Fortunately, his manners overrode all that for the moment and all he said was "Well, we thank you for your generosity. This really is too much….."

I jumped in before he could get any farther "Mr. Compton, I truly appreciate your family taking me in and sheltering me. Who knows what might have happened. I'm not sure how I came to have these items, but I don't want them to go to waste and I'd love for your family to enjoy them. Please accept them in that spirit" It wasn't a bad speech if I do say so myself.

After another second, Bill sat back and relaxed, nodding to himself than everyone else at the table relaxed as well. Relieved, I addressed my breakfast which was hot and quite hearty. I was used to having toast ,some fruit with coffee in the morning, but these guys were having a full blown out meal.

There was a scrambled egg dish with fried potatoes and some sausage bits mixed in with some type of herbs I was having trouble identifying. There were flapjacks nice and crispy piled up. A couple jars of different preserves made from wild berries I assume sat in front of me. A slice of apple pie had been placed on my plate and a small piece of what I assumed was salt pork all fried up. A cup of milk (fresh from the cow thank you very much) was sitting next to my plate with the cream already foaming at the top. Caroline had gotten a couple more of the cups from the china hutch and poured coffee for me and Bill's sister.

As I started digging into the mountain of calories on my plate, I glanced up at Bill across the table and realized he was having some kind of coffee orgasm right there at the table. He'd taken a long studied sip and was sitting with his eyes closed, his long dark lashes feathered across his face as he practically shuddered with the pleasure of it.

Wow, and I thought I liked coffee. It was very good and the beans being freshly ground makes a big difference. All the food was good actually which surprised me. I guess when the food doesn't have to travel a thousand miles to get to you, it tastes a heck of a lot fresher. Everyone was fairly quiet while they ate, but not uncomfortably so. The children ate quietly which surprised me given what I'm used to seeing at Merlottes. I got the impression they weren't allowed to speak at the table without permission.

Once we were pretty much done and Bill was finishing his second cup of coffee, Caroline and the elder Sarah started clearing the table. I got up to help, but Caroline motioned me to stay. Bill sat back and looked at me. Uh oh, here it comes.

"After dinner, you and I will drive into town. If your people are looking for you then that's where they'll be or they may have left notices up. Someone may have information about you and what's happened. We can also check at the news office and place an ad if need be". He said with an air of someone who has made up their mind, but he seemed to think I'd contradict him.

"That would be fine" I replied. "After dinner you say"?

"Yes, that will work best. I need to get everyone started on harvesting our squash and pumpkins today first. We should have plenty of time to get to Bon Temps, make inquiries, I can take care of some business and we'll be back by dark" He said as he took a last sip of coffee.

Back by dark, okay , I'd forgotten that "dinner" was what they called lunch and "supper" was the late meal. I didn't want us coming back in the dark. With all the vampires that seemed to be roaming around here, too many things could happen.

"Are we going to try and get all of them in today"? His sister asked.

"If we get a good start, we should get most of them. Then we can finish them tomorrow" Bill answered. "We've got maybe a few more days before we get a hard frost, so it needs to be done".

"That way it will be done by Sabbath. That sounds good brother" Sarah said. That meant today was Friday. I hadn't even known what day it was. And of course they didn't work on the Sabbath, no one did except Doctors and Ministers and probably people who worked in Saloons and didn't honor the Sabbath anyway.

Bill looked at Tommy "Go get Bessie ready for the work wagon, please"

"Yes Papa" Tommy replied as he scampered off.

I piped up " I'd like to help out if I won't be in the way".

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea Sookie. You should be resting" Caroline said.

"I think the fresh air will do me good and physically I feel fine. I'd rather not sit idle" I added.

Bill gave his wife a look, then said" That would be fine. I'm sure you'll be a help. I always appreciate an extra set of hands".

The elder Sarah said " Sookie, I'll get my extra shawl for you to wear. It's a bit chilly now, although later it'll be comfortable enough".

"Papa"? came little Sarah's voice.

"Yes"?

"Can I bring my red wagon? I know I can help haul all the little squashes and pumpkins. Can I Papa"? She looked up at him imploring. Bill gave her a big smile, grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap.

"Of course" He replied. "You're always my biggest helper". She gave him a happy grin, as he gave her a big squeeze.

Did I say I was a little jealous of Caroline? Maybe not just Caroline and maybe not just a little. What was my problem? I was over Bill Compton, over, over, over him. Being friends with him would be perfectly acceptable and we'd reach a comfort level I'm sure, so why was I still feeling these little twinges of …what?

Minus Bill's wife, we'd all climbed aboard the wagon after Bill and Tommy finished hitching up Bessie. She needed to work on her kitchen garden, cutting herbs, hanging them to dry (that was all the stuff hanging under the back porch) and getting dinner ready for us. It was pretty nippy, so Bill and his son were wearing some type of work jackets on top of their regular work clothes. Bill's sister and I had shawls tied tightly around our shoulders while little Sarah had a knitted type jacket over her dress and pantaloons. I watched Bessie's gray dappled rump as we slowly made our way to the field farthest out, past poles of snap beans carefully standing propped against each other.

Once we got to the field, we all climbed out, Bill lowered the backboard of the wagon, removed little Sarah's red wagon for her, got his tools and we got started. The pumpkins and squashes were bright splashes of color against the dry tan of Autumn's ground, drying grasses and fading trees. Bill and Tommy walked ahead using small machete type knives to cut each vegetable loose, followed by Bessie pulling the wagon, then the rest of us picking them up and putting them into the wagon. To my relief none of the pumpkins were the huge kind I was used to for carving. These pumpkins were obviously intended for eating and were much smaller.

The bad news is that there were so many! Between the pumpkins and the squash, it was easily hundreds of vegetables out here and each one needed to be picked up by hand and set into the wagon gently so as to not be bruised. The elder Sarah and I picked up the bigger ones and left the little ones behind us, so little Sarah could put them in her wagon. Once she had the red wagon full, she'd go flying past us with the little squashes and pumpkins bumping along with her papoose bouncing on top. She'd yell to get Bill's attention even after he'd told her twice she didn't need to yell. She was just so excited to be helping.

With all the activity and the sun rising overhead, it started to warm up a bit. It wasn't really warm, but with all the clothes I was wearing, it was comfortable enough and we all started shedding our jackets and shawls. At first it was fun, but after a couple hours of bending and lifting, I really started feeling it. As a waitress, I thought I was in good shape walking back and forth all night with heavy trays. I was wrong.

I was trying to emulate Bill and his sister. They moved at a steady pace, never hurrying, just nice and even. Sarah was humming softly to herself, but Bill and Tommy were mostly silent. Every once in a while Tommy would ask a question and Bill would explain. Bessie kept pace behind her master, carefully stepping to avoid the vegetables ( I didn't know horses could do that) , pulling the wagon so straight, the wheels stayed between the rows and never touched a plant.

We took a brief break for water and some buttered biscuits, than kept going. I had to stop once to go pee. Does Sookie pee in the woods? Well, she does now.

Once the sun was high overhead and by this point I was sweating, aching and wondering if I was going to make it. Then we heard a bell off towards the house.

"Time for dinner" Bill said. Thank goodness! The wagon was too full of vegetables by this point, so we walked back behind it with Tommy leading the gray mare. We all cleaned up at the pump after Bill and Tommy took care of Bessie and rolled all the pumpkins and squash in to a big bin in the barn.

I was so relieved to be able to sit down for a bit. Plus, Bill had said he and I were going into town after dinner. I was just nervous about us getting back before dark. Dinner was even bigger than breakfast. There were baked beans, chicken pot pie, cornbread, more apple pie, mashed turnips, stewed carrots and more fresh milk. Little Sarah said grace this time and we began eating. I wondered if I'd be able to fit into this dress for much longer.

Bill and his wife talked back and forth about this and that she needed at the store. His sister reminded him about the mail, since she was waiting on a package. This family had a relaxed rythmn to it that I was getting used to. Everyone had their niche and filled it. Bill was the head of household officially, but I could tell from the way he listened to his wife's soft words that he took her opinions and advice seriously. His sister looked up to him, but they had an affection for each other that superseded his "ruling" over her as some men might have.

In my time, you hear a lot about "dysfunctional" families. Everyone says their family is dysfunctional, it's almost like the concept of a loving supportive family became antiquated. The Compton's were an example of a loving, supportive family. They probably didn't get along all the time, but everyone was wanted. Bill didn't resent having to take care of his sister. He loved her, she was his sister, she was his family, she was his responsibility. It was that simple.

I thought about me and my brother Jason.

My little stab of jealousy had turned into full fledged green ripened envy.

At last, Bill and I were leaving for town. The others were going to finish the rest of the field as best they could with what daylight there was while we were taking the other horse into Bon Temps. Bill came around the back with a light chestnut mare he called Molly pulling a Trap, as I lumbered my overloaded self and climbed in with Bill's help. Getting to Bon Temps in a car took less than 10 minutes on paved roads. Molly was trotting along at a nice clip, but I was figuring this trip closer to 30plus minutes at least.

We drove along in silence, which was fine by me. This Bill was as much a chatter bug as my Bill. I was trying to think of whether it would be worth my while to try and get in touch with Niall. How would I do that? The only means of communication was letters, telegraph, newspaper ads. Even though I couldn't get in touch with the Fae Realm, there had to be fairies in this world right? If I put an ad in the paper that was worded right, it might catch their attention and they could get a message to Niall, maybe? I pondered that for a few minutes. Or maybe there was a way to send him a message that would help him in the future. Hadn't Michael J Fox's character done that in one of the Back To The Future movies?

All this time travel stuff was giving me a headache. I was a simple bar maid from a small town. Maybe I should just wait to be rescued like most stupid simple blond women in storybooks.

Bill suddenly pulled Molly to a stop, turned and looked at me. I had been concentrating on my problems that I hadn't been listening to his thoughts at all, so he caught me off guard.

"Miss Northman, I don't mean to offend you with what I'm about to say, but I must speak" He started, stopped, cleared his throat, then kept on " I hold my families safety above all things. I'm not entirely convinced you've told me everything you know about your situation, so I must ask. Is there something else you'd like to add to what you've already said"?

I looked Bill in the eye, his eyes while they were same of course, didn't have that fathomless quality they carried when he was vampire. His face was shaded under the hat he was wearing, but the strong emotion I was sensing from him and seeing in his eyes moved me. Displaying emotion and experiencing it are two different things. Bill displayed calm, but he experienced powerful emotions and right now his concern for his families safety was riding the top.

I took a deep breath "Mr. Compton, I can't tell you anymore than I've already said. I can say this. I mean no harm to you or yours and as far as I know, nothing bad will happen to them due to me".

Bill studied me for a moment, then added "Miss Northman, I'm going to take you at your word. And let me say this, there is nothing I wouldn't do for my family, so if it turns out you're involved in something or running from some situation…well. I'll do what I must. Please remember that".

I nodded in understanding. Bill clucked to Molly and we continued.

I was having trouble identifying where we were and how far we had to go since the road was so different and all the familiar landmarks weren't there. There was a farmhouse here and there surrounded by outbuildings. We passed one large field that was being worked entirely by blacks. Being at the Compton's I'd kind of forgotten about all this going on in the world. I braced myself for what I might see in town.

We trotted into town which I realized we'd gotten there when I saw small neat houses with picket fencing around them. It took me a minute to realize that fencing was there for a reason, since almost every yard had chickens, ducks, pigs, gardens, laundry lines etc that all needed to be kept separate from each other. Every once in a while, someone would wave at Bill and yell "Hey there, Compton"! And he'd wave back. He didn't stop though, since he didn't want to spend time chatting.

Pulling into town was like pulling into one of those historic villages you go visit with a school group when you're a kid. And they have people dressed up in period clothing teaching you about how everyone used to live. The difference is that those historic villages are clean and friendly. The reality was different. It was so surreal, I had to keep reminding myself this was real, not a TV show or something. There were approximately a dozen or so major buildings arranged in a cross street formation with the fake wooden fronts and wooden board walks running down their fronts so women could walk from store to store without getting their dresses dirty. There were horse drawn wagons and buggies everywhere and all sorts of people going in and out of the various businesses.

I spotted a couple general stores, a barbershop/dentist , a blacksmith, a carpenter/coffin builder, a dry goods store, a feed store, a livery stable, three saloons, a hotel and goodness knows what else. My Gran would have gladly cut off her right arm to have seen all this.

Bill didn't waste any time, we started making the rounds to different businesses. Some of them he had business with, some not, but all of them he would tell them about me and I'd have to stand there being stared at with rampant curiosity by the owner. None of them had heard of anyone having lost or looking for someone like me, but they all assured Bill they'd keep an ear out.

As we walked from one to the other, I was more interested in looking at the people. Most of the women were smaller than me, I didn't see a single one that was taller. My clothes blended right in, no one took any note of them. What I did take note of was the occasional unwashed body that just about knocked me over. Until indoor plumbing became common in the 1950's, most American's bathed once a week, usually Saturday night, but even in this period, there were those who thought bathing was "unhealthy" or "immoral" and didn't believe in it. And boy oh boy, could you tell when you walked past them.

Some people had very poor clothing that looked like it was being held together with patches. I saw people with fairly new, expensive clothing, the women with elaborate lace on their sleeves and collars, skirts rustling from the many petticoats they wore. The men with silk ties around their necks, fitted coats, shiny hats and shining tie pins and cufflinks. Even though it was after the war I was surprised by the number of blacks doing business, but then a lot of them were still working for white men, just officially in a different capacity. And they looked different from most black people today who've been dating and marrying outside their community for so long you can see the diversity in their faces. These blacks looked African. They had either gotten off the boats themselves or their parents had and there was little else there. I also noticed Native Americans in town, some in 19th century clothing, some in their own traditional tribal clothes.

It was overwhelming.

All this was taking longer than I anticipated. This wasn't like the modern day, where people did their business and got out. Everyone asked Bill how he was, how his family was then he had to ask how they were and exchange the news. Bill isn't a chatty guy, but he's not unfriendly either and everyone in town appeared to know him. (I guess Bon Temps hasn't changed THAT much). We spent the longest at the Blacksmiths since Bill had to discuss getting his horses new shoes and we had to wait. The sun was falling in the sky and I was getting nervous about us getting out of town before nightfall.

Finally, we made our last stop at a big general store called Mr. Brown's General. And he was general all right, he had a little of everything. He had barrels of crackers and pickles, canned goods, (condensed milk! I didn't know they had it back then), lamps, oil, household tools, clocks, fabric, staples like sugar and salt, candy, a plow in the window, and just well everything, it was almost dizzying. It ran kind of long into the back and had a couple round tables set up near a back door that was covered by a curtain. There was another large doorway with a swinging door that ran into the business next door which was a saloon. I guess Mr. Brown liked to cover his bases of potential customers.

The man himself was short and portly, with a full brown beard and pink cheeks. Smiling seemed to be his natural expression, but since he was a shopkeeper, maybe it was just good business. His wife was a pleasant sort also, and she made me sit down at one of the tables while she fetched me some water while her husband and Bill discussed business. She started lighting some of their hanging lamps. I noticed this unhappily since I could tell the light was fading outside.

Then Bill got around to telling the Brown's my short little tale.

"Northman you say"! Mr. Brown exclaimed, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "I am almost positive one of the hotel boys mentioned a Northman checking into the hotel last night. What was his name….Edward? ..no…..Eric! That was it, Eric Northman, they mentioned he was traveling with his wife".

I was so stunned hearing the name, I barely noticed Bill turning around and giving me a studied stare. He had not mentioned Eric's name to Mr. Brown, so to him this was proof positive. I told myself maybe it was a coincidence, the name couldn't be that unusual could it?

Bill jumped right on it "How long is he staying? I should be able to go see him right now I'd expect".

"Oh, I think you need to wait a little longer" Mr. Brown said delicately.

"Why? Is there something I should know"? Bill asked.

"Well, this is how I heard it. The hotel boy, not that I trust in gossip mind you, but he said this gentleman appeared to be an albino. Very tall, huge man, very pale, and he requested, no demanded that he and his wife not be disturbed until nightfall. Paid extra, said sunlight hurts his eyes. Said they were traveling to New Orleans to catch a ship back to Europe. Both English I believe ".

" I see" Bill said. "Well, I can wait a little longer. Right Miss. Northman"? And he gave me another look, while I tried to look as innocent and unknowing as possible.

From the description alone, it had to be Eric and his Child Pam, although why they were in the United States right now and why they were leaving I hadn't a clue. I had never really discussed the when's or why's of Eric coming to America. I wasn't worried about Eric identifying me. This Eric didn't' know me. What might cause a problem is that I've had Eric's blood and he might be able to tell. Fortunately, he hasn't had my blood…..yet..so we weren't bonded so to speak. But he'd still be able to read my emotions and being called across the street …he would get suspicious about who and what I was. Eric was very astute and he'd noticed my "otherness" the first time we'd met. He'll notice this time too.

And there was nothing I could do since Bill and I had come to town for this reason. Why oh why had I used Eric's name? This was going to complicate matters.

I'd finished my water and Mrs. Brown had decided I needed some "light refreshment", so she came out with some bread and cheese and a refill for my water. Bill was still standing at the counter with Mr. Brown negociating over various items. He'd also gotten his mail, since apparently they handled the mail too. It was almost completely dark outside now, I sat politely nibbling the cheese dreading what was coming.

And as if this wasn't complicated enough.

Lorena walked in the door. And who was with her? The MS vampire king Russell Edgington of all people. She was wearing full black mourning dress like a war widow. It made my skin crawl just to look at her. I hadn't seen her since the day I'd rescued Bill from Russell's compound and I'd staked her evil ass and shoved her into Russell's pool. She was a tiny, blond woman and right now she was wearing a fake pleasant human smile to cover the monster that she was. Russell was wearing a beautifully tailored black man's suit with a gorgeous silk vest and cravat and carrying a cane of all things. He was a small man, but he looked completely comfortable and gazed around the room in a pleasant manner.

They sat at the table next to mine after glancing at me and Bill. Mrs. Brown came right over and Russell gave her his most polite southern self " Good woman, could my dear cousin and I trouble you for some light refreshment such as that young lady has in front of her there. And maybe some water"?

While Mrs. Brown fluttered off to meet his gentlemanly request, he turned to Lorena and they spoke too quietly for me to hear. Lorena would shoot a flickering glance at Bill periodically and nod at something Russell said.

I was practically shaking I was so angry. I actually caught myself looking around the shop for anything I could just shove through Lorena's stupid little body again. If Russell hadn't been sitting there I might have even tried it, but I'd seen how fast he was and they'd be watching each other's backs. That's what vampires do.

Russell nodded to Lorena again and got up and went thru the doors into the saloon. She didn't follow, I assume respectable women didn't go in there and she was pretending to be one. Wait a minute? Was that Long Shadow's voice I heard? He was in the saloon talking to Russell, I could hear their voices just not what they were saying due to the buzz of voices from the saloon. Long Shadow had died soon after I met him. Eric had staked him for stealing from him and trying to kill me on his desk in his office.

The surprises could just stop coming.

They must have been the three vampires I'd sensed last night when Bill and I got back to his house. That left Eric and Pam as the other two, but that didn't explain why they'd come up to the house. Eric would have no reason to know Bill at this point. My heart sank a little as I realized it may have been ME. If Eric could sense me carrying his blood from that distance he was definitely going to notice when he walked into this store which could be happening any minute since Mr. Brown had sent a boy across the street with a note.

And right on schedule, Eric and Pam walked in the door.

They were both dressed very well, but conservatively. Eric was wearing a similar style outfit to Russell's without the flashy vest, his was dark wool I assume to match his clothes. He had his hair tied back and tucked into his collar so it wouldn't attract attention. He had a simple gold watch chain running across his middle. Pam looked gorgeous, hair up, but not overdone. Her clothes were very high quality but not too flashy. Her dress was navy blue with a pin at the throat of her lacy collar and her waist was pulled in so small, it made me hurt just to look at it. In other words, they were trying to look like respectable upper class people, but not stand out.

Of course, Eric was going to stand out no matter what he did.

Bill and the Browns had noticed them right away of course. And so had Lorena. Russell apparently, had noticed what was going on and came back into the general store. For one moment, I thought something was going to happen. The vampires obviously didn't know about each other's presence in the town and were gauging what the other's intents were.

Being the oldest, most powerful vampire in the room Eric evaluated the room and the situation. Then, Eric relaxed and took Lorena's gloved hand in his own and bowed over it. He and Russell shook hands and he introduced Pam to them. This surprised me until I remembered that they were pretending to be humans in front of other humans.

Eric quickly determined who was Mr. Brown and he came over "I received your note and yes I do know these people here. Although, I'm at a loss as to what your purpose was with your urgent note".

Mr. Brown gave a gulp, clearly intimidated by the towering man in front of him and said "Well, sir I didn't know you knew these folks over here. That's quite a coincidence. I'd actually was trying to find out if you knew this young woman over here. Gave her name as Sookie Northman. She was found yesterday near here in a confused state and doesn't rightly know where she's from. We're hoping you might be related and could identify her".

Showtime

I stood up and trudged slowly to stand next to Bill, keeping my eyes down as much as possible. I was also trying to keep my emotions in check and not freak out. All the vampires in the room were curious about these events of course, but what scared me was the humans in the room having no idea what the vampires were.

"Young woman, you say your name is Sookie Northman"? Eric asked.

"Yes sir" I answered.

"Please raise your eyes, so I can see your face clearly" he said. He didn't need me to raise my face, he could see just fine in this horrible light. Being lit by lamps and gaslight was useful for the vampires since it made it hard to tell their skin wasn't normal.

I looked directly up at him into the big blue eyes I knew so well, or at least thought I did, some of the time. Keep calm Sookie, keep calm, no strong emotions, he'll know.

Eric could tell something was "off", I just knew he could. But what he said was "I'm sorry, I've never seen this young woman before. I would remember someone as lovely as you my dear". And he smiled at me gently.

I could practically hear Bill deflate next to me, he'd been so sure I was connected to these people. He was right of course, just not the way he thought. The Brown's had been hoping for some emotional amazing scene that they could tell people about over and over. A good story to pass along, oh well, too bad for them.

The vampires all went and sat down at the next table, as I went back to my seat. Eric sat with his back to the wall so he could see the whole room and he was watching me out of the corner of his eye, I knew he was. Lorena was still watching Bill. The vampires made polite conversation about where they were headed. They pretended to eat and drink the food and water in front of them as they spoke. Their conversation was multi-layered. If you didn't know they were vampires, it sounded pretty simple. Eric made it clear he and Pam were leaving the country which made Russell and Lorena relax considerably. I had no idea if the sheriff/fiefdom/Area government system was in place yet. Maybe the most powerful vampire just took over an area and made everyone obey him. So of course, they were happy he was leaving.

Lorena realized Eric was watching her watch Bill, so she just had to ask his opinion. I could have told her that was a mistake.

"What do you think"? She asked. Meaning: what do you think of my choice of a new vampire Child.

"When"? Eric asked. I was confused for a second, then I realized he was asking when she planned on Turning Bill.

"Tomorrow night if possible". She answered.

"He's too good for you". Eric said blandly.

Lorena froze and for a second I thought she'd launch herself across the table at Eric. Pam looked like she was going to start laughing and Russell looked terrified.

"Come now, we're all friends here" Russell said, trying to play peacekeeper.

"No we're not" Eric answered calmly.

They all went back to pretending to eat.

I could have told Lorena you ask Eric his opinion at your peril. But my amusement at Eric's insult was overruled by the fact that Bill only had 24hours with his family before he was taken from them.

"Miss Northman"! Bill apparently had been saying "my" name for a couple minutes. I must have zoned out for a second. "We're leaving now, since our business is finished". I jumped up and followed him out with the vampire's curious eyes watching our every move, but for different reasons.

We got in the Trap outside and Bill got the horse going. I tried not to look behind us or look too paranoid. I was hoping that the vampires would have some business to discuss and we'd make it back to Bill's house quickly.

Bill was mulling what had happened back in the store. He wasn't convinced Eric and I didn't know each other. Bill was too damn observant for his own good.

We had traveled for maybe ten minutes and I was starting to relax when I realized we heard a fast moving horse coming up behind us. I could feel the two voids, oh no..but which vampires were following? Bill of course wasn't concerned he just thought it was someone driving fast who needed to be somewhere.

I could feel myself starting to freak out, we were so vulnerable out here. There was literally nowhere to go. I kept telling myself to take a deep breath and pray a little.

A large black horse pulled up along side us pulling a covered buggy with trunks loaded on the back. It was Eric and Pam. I was relieved it wasn't Lorena, but reminded myself this was pre Revelation and who knows what Eric wanted?

Bill looked over and said "Yes sir, what can I do for …." His voice faded out as Eric caught him in his Glamour.

Then before you could say Jack Robinson, Pam had jumped from their buggy to our trap and was practically straddling my knees. She held my face in her hands, gazing into my eyes her fangs coming down.

"I want her" she said.

TBC


A/N Oh Pam is such a naughty little Fledging isn't she? I hope the pacing didn't turn any of you off, but Sookie is spending time with the Comptons for a reason. The title of this story actually means something to the theme of the story.

Next chapter: Eric and Pam behave like vampires do, Sookie begins to wonder if she should allow Lorena to Turn Bill , and Sookie tries to think of a way to get ahold of Niall. Sookie leaves Bon Temps.