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

I have no beta on this story, so all screwups are entirely my own.

I have to thank you all for being so patient. A number of you know I was writing/posting another story which took me away from this one. It's called "Cheeks Red Like Roses" , it features middle aged human Eric/Sookie/Bill getting kinky if any of you missed it and want to check it out.

Since I know how hard it is to pick up reading after a break, I'll recap a little for you: Sookie time jumped to when Eric was still a human Viking. He prevented his buddies from taking advantage of her cuz he's thinking she's worth ransom to whomever she belongs to. And since to him, it would make no sense her just popping in on her own,he's worried about her people being on his people's turf and a possible invasion. So he's taking her back to his village to consult with the leaders and let them know whats going on. Sookie can't communicate with these guys cuz they're speaking Old Norse and reading their minds is problematic for the same reason. They've stopped for the night to rest and Sookie is now sensing two "voids" near camp which means two vampires are lurking in the darkness.

Now, let's see what happens.

I immediately sat up trying to peer into the darkness by the campfire's flickering light. Eric and the other men were asleep, although how they could comfortably sleep on this cold hard ground was beyond me. The voids were slowing down as they got closer. It was highly unlikely they were just passing by, especially considering how "peopleless" this area seemed to be. And here we were, like a gas station in the middle of nowhere that sold snacks.

"Eric!" I hissed, as I jabbed his shoulder, "Wake up!"

He raised his head and brushed the hair off his face, giving me an annoyed look.

I jabbed him again and pointed towards the woods this time.

"Eric, there's someone out there!" He was slowly taking in my urgency, even if he couldn't understand my words. Looking towards the woods where I was pointing, he raised his voice sharply towards his buddies. They all jerked awake and looked at him as he pointed towards the woods. As they started getting up, they drew their swords at the same time.

That impulse saved us all.

My early warning combined with the Vikings being awake and having drawn swords was not what the two vampires were expecting. And we got really lucky that they were both very young. (You know you spend way too much time around vampires when you can tell ages) Suddenly, the area around the fire was in pandemonium. Eric and the Stooges were swinging their swords at the vampires and yelling to each other. The Vikings backed themselves into a circle to meet the two vampires head on, but the vampires were moving so fast it was hard for them to get a solid strike.

Suddenly, one of the vampires decided to try an easier target and came at me. I screamed as he pushed me to the ground. All I saw was a tattooed torso and flashing fangs. "This is it" I thought to myself. A horrible tearing sound and a sword tip was protruding from his stomach and almost into me as he howled and pulled away. He turned and leapt onto Eric who was the one stabbing him, in the process tearing Eric's sword out of his hands. Eric used his longer arms to try and keep him off as the vampire tried to smother him and tear his neck out with the sword protruding from his back. Eric was doing pretty well, but he was human and would tire, unlike the vampire on top of him.

I reached into my bag and grabbed the broken wooden spoon, ran over and impaled him in the back. The vampire spasmed backwards, staring at me unbelievingly as he staggered away from Eric. He fell to the ground finally dead and I swiveled around to see where his friend was. The Stooges had the other vampire cornered, stabbing him repeatedly which wouldn't work of course unless they chopped his head off. The other vampire saw what happened to his buddy and in his distraction, Moe got his chance and hacked his arm off sending bloody bits everywhere. The vampire sped into the woods and was out of sight in a matter of seconds.

I fell to the ground shaking from the adrenaline while the Vikings clustered together talking excitedly and scanning the woods for further attack. The vampire "void" was speeding away from camp, so I knew we were safe for the moment. It had all happened so fast, I hadn't even gotten a good look at either vampire to see if it was anyone I knew in "my time". I crept over to get a better look at the finally dead vampire. I was relieved that I didn't recognize him.

The vampire I had staked was already falling apart. Eric's sword made a soft thunk as it fell to the ground from the vampire's disintegrating body. When the Vikings went over to the corpse, they got even more alarmed than when we were being attacked. I saw Larry pull an amulet hanging from around his neck, touching it and babbling something that sounded an awful lot like praying to me, which didn't seem like a bad idea.

There was no way for me to tell them how incredibly lucky we had gotten. The relative youth of the vampires had given the Vikings a fighting chance. If either of the vampires had been of say Pam or Bill's age, it would have been all over. I realized I needed to start paying attention again, when I heard Moe's raised voice.

He and Eric were arguing about me again, judging from their pointing in my direction. Once again, I concentrated trying to get a handle on what was going on from their respective emotions and body language. All of them appeared to be okay, just some scratches, but no real injuries, so I couldn't figure out what Moe's problem was. Curly and Larry left them to it as they collected more wood and threw it on the fire, causing a delightful warm flare up and helping my visibility.

While their voices kept getting louder as they argued, I dragged myself up and hobbled over to the now flaking, ashy corpse. Having seen this a few times before, I wasn't freaked out by it, but I could understand why the men were upset. This was WAY beyond their understanding and probably very frightening for them. They had been attacked by "men" who were obviously not men. One had managed to run away after having his arm hacked off and the other one was disappearing to dust in a matter of minutes after being killed.

They would come to only one conclusion; that we had been attacked by demons or some magical creature. People during this time believed in magic, witches, vampires, werewolves and fairies. It wasn't until much later that people stopped believing and all those beings disappeared into the fog of myth. Just because people are primitive doesn't mean they're not smart.

Bending over, I picked up my damaged spoon and wiped it on the ground. When I stood up with it and walked towards Eric and Moe, they both stepped back.

They were afraid of me and my broken spoon.

It dawned on me, that they were thinking I had done some magic with my broken spoon and that explained why the corpse was now a pile of dust on the ground. Now I was worried. Women who did magic or were thought to do magic didn't fare too well in most of the history I had read. They were considered dangerous and horrible executions were usually the result.

Once again, I was faced with not being able to communicate since we didn't share a language in common or a cultural context either. Having no idea what to do, I just looked at them with open arms and said "I'm not going to hurt you ". Eric immediately walked over to my bag and brought it back, handing it to me with both hands, like an offering. He nodded to me like he was saying "here, here, take it".

I gave him a tired smile and accepted it with a "Thank you Eric". He smiled back at the sound of his name and glanced triumphantly towards Moe. Moe just kept glaring at me with fear and suspicion radiating off of him like a wave. His red bearded mouth etched into a permanent scowl. Curly nodded at Eric, accepting whatever decision he had made. And Larry kept his amulet out, holding it and continuing to murmur what I assumed to be prayers under his breath.

Oh well, it could be worse.

Going back to my spot next to the fire, I plopped down with my magical hemp grocery bag and slid the magic stick back inside it. I was so tired and tired of being tired that my body just felt like it was going to float away. So it was hard to get concerned about Eric and Moe resuming their discussion, although it appeared Moe was being a little more low key.

My skin itched under my corset and I just felt so grubby and just plain gross. I didn't even want to think about what I looked like or what my outfit looked like. The only amazing thing was that my hair appeared to still be in place with only a few strays. Sarah was a fantastic hair stylist. I started giggling, from fatigue I guess. Now that I thought of it, I didn't need to be so proper. I managed to unbutton my collar and sleeves since they were or had been pristine white. Shoving them into my bag, I did another scan, but felt nothing but the four men.

I was so tired and thirsty and hungry. There was nothing to be done about the last two, but I could just let myself fall asleep. Eric and his friends were keeping a healthy distance away from me, so it seemed safe enough. I leaned forward onto the ground as close to the fire as I could get without burning my eyebrows, put my head on my bag and went to sleep.

The sun shining brightly over the trees around our camp woke me the next morning. I felt like something that had been on the floor of a movie theater forever. Everything hurt and I was just so grungy with my mouth all dry and sticky. And I wanted a cup of coffee dammit. Dragging myself into a sitting position, I rubbed my eyes and looked around.

I didn't see any of the Vikings.

My heart started revving up as I twisted around trying to see.

Letting my shields down, I realized there was still one brain here. Eric was about twenty yards away from me crouched down. Once I realized his pants were down, I figured out what he was doing.

Does the Viking poop in the woods? Yes he does.

He gave me a casual wave, so I waved back then quickly turned away and looked at the fire which was still going steadily. There was a spit rigged above it with a small animal skinned, gutted and roasting. Studying the long hind feet closely, I realized it was a rabbit. If I ever got back I'd have to suggest Bill and Eric go rabbit hunting together.

Okay, now I KNEW I was getting delirious.

I needed food, drink, something. Hopefully, Eric was planning on giving me some of this rabbit. He'd had a busy morning if he'd had time to hunt, prepare and cook this rabbit all before I got up. Maybe he never went back to sleep. I wondered where his friends went. There was no way to know what time it was of course. Not that it mattered here. Everything moved at a slower pace from what my modern self was used to. I had noticed that at the Compton's house.

Crouching down next to the fire, Eric took his knife and poked the rabbit apparently checking to see if it was done. He grunted in a satisfied manner, picked up the stick with the rabbit on it, stood up and started walking as he gestured for me to follow. As I staggered up I grabbed my bag and followed. I guess this rabbit was "to go".

Even though I was hungry, tired, thirsty, and grungy as all heck, I felt more relaxed now. With Angry Moe of the Three Stooges gone, I was a little more comfortable. I couldn't understand Eric's literal "thoughts", but I was becoming more accustomed to the "feel" of his mind. And he didn't seem to have any ill intent towards me. Maybe I'm just naïve, but he didn't seem like a malicious person. Or maybe it was just that his facial expressions occasionally reminded me of Amnesia Eric.

Or maybe I'm just a fool and Eric has always had my number.

I sighed and looked around more closely as we walked thru the woods. Now that the sun was up, the cold wasn't as brisk. It seemed like we were following some sort of trail that was visible to Eric's eyes, but not mine. These woods we were walking in had never seen a saw or an axe. The tree trunks were huge and mighty, standing with the authority of a living being that has watched time pass by with impunity. There were some clearings here and there, and sometimes I could see pine trees visible upward. So it appeared we were moving at a slight elevation.

It was so different from the woods and swamps of Louisiana. Here the trees were spaced apart and the canopy was high over our heads, allowing dappled sunlight to peek in. The woods around my house and Bill's had been farmed for a very long time, then allowed to go fallow. So most of the trees were under 200 years old and they were crowded with younger trees, shrub, creeping vines and all the vegetation that clutters our wilderness.

After a few minutes, Eric cut into the steaming rabbit with his knife. He grabbed a piece with his fingers and bit into it. He blew on his fingers right after, so it must have been pretty hot. Then he cut off the hind leg at the hip and held it out to me, his blue eyes meeting mine. "Thank you Eric", I said, smiling at him as I accepted it. It was very hot and I held it gingerly. I didn't want to drop it.

I've had rabbit before, but usually in stews, or casseroles and the like. But it was hot, juicy and I was hungry so I was inclined to like it. Much to my surprise it tasted good and I was shocked that it seemed to have been seasoned. Eric must have rubbed some herbs or leaves into the rabbit before cooking it.

Human Eric was impressing the heck out of me.

I smiled up at him again and held up the bitten leg, "It's very good Eric. I like it". He was pleased and continued tearing off bits of rabbit as we walked. Now all I needed was something to drink to wash it down. Actually, washing as in bathing, would be awesome. That didn't seem too likely in the here and now.

There was no plan. I had no idea when or if I would ever time jump out of this place again. What if I was stuck here? What would happen to me? If the options in Human Bill's time were limited, the options here were positively dismal. Women had no power or respect on their own. Everything was related to what family you belonged to or how powerful your husband was. I had none of these things. You either attached yourself to a man who took care of you or you were a servant or slave.

What if those were my choices? Eric would eventually realize there was no tribe to claim me or ransom me back to. At that point I was up for grabs and anything could happen, all of them bad. It reminded me of when Bill had first claimed me as his in front of Malcolm and his crew. He had angered me by doing that, but he advised me if he hadn't, I would have been "fair game". What would Eric do when he realized I was "fair game". And how would my "magical ability" figure into all this? Maybe Eric would sell me or trade me to one of his buddies. A pretty woman of child bearing age would have to be of some value.

It made me sick to think what would happen to me. A panicking feeling began to take over.

If I was separated from Eric would I be able to time jump again? I kept chewing on the rabbit's leg, pondering this detail. Glancing up at Eric's tanned face in the sunlight I realized I was going to have to find a way to stay with him. What little I had seen so far made me realize I needed to stick with him if I could. It occurred to me that Eric was probably married, had a family maybe and that would affect things. Maybe his wife would make him get rid of me? Maybe his village wouldn't want some dangerous witch woman around their kids?

My head was spinning with the awful possibilties.

Getting some food in my belly reduced the gnawing feeling and I started calming down a little. My Gran always said to deal with today and not worry about tomorrow's problems. Speculating about all this was accomplishing nothing. I would come up with a plan. I had no idea if or when I would time jump out of here. Therefore I would assume I wasn't and deal with the here and now.

Granted this was Viking Eric and I knew nothing about him or his people, but it was still better than being with strangers. So I would do everything I could to stay with him. This meant making sure he liked me and wanted me with him. I figured I had a head start on this since Vampire Eric and Amnesia Eric had both liked me a lot.

We walked along at a steady pace, finishing off the rabbit. As we nibbled the meat off the bones we just tossed them aside. It was so quiet, something else I had noticed at the Comptons. In modern times, unless you are way out in the boonies, you're still exposed to noise and the light of civilization. You can see the glow of a city from miles away blocking out the stars and planes flying over head. But here I could only hear trees, birds, and the sound of Eric's body jingling from whatever he was carrying and the swish of my skirts.

The air was noticeably different. I live out in the country and you would think that the air was pretty clean, but you would think wrong. The sky here was so blue it looked artificial and the air almost hurt to breath it. You don't realize how much pollution you're breathing until it's gone I guess.

A soft rushing sound came to my ears and I realized I was hearing water. "Is that water I hear?" I asked Eric, even though he didn't understand me. He glanced over towards me and I made a drinking motion. He smiled and nodded. Thank goodness! We were coming upon a section of woods that definitely looked like it had been cleared for a pathway at some point. It would make sense that a major path would be located near water. I licked my lips, allowing myself to acknowledge how thirsty I really was. Eric must have been thirsty too, because he picked up the pace and turned into another smaller path off the one we were traipsing along. I had to hustle to keep up with him, but hearing the water get louder gave me motivation.

Once I saw the creek glinting in the sunlight, I got really excited and practically started running. "Water!" I cried, like I'd never seen it before. Eric chuckled behind me and the jangling became even noisier. My skirts whipped between the bushes as I ran down the gently sloping pathway to a fairly wide, fast moving creek. I kneeled down on a large flat rock, set down my bag and gazed at all the water. It didn't seem very deep, maybe less than half a foot. It was making that glorious rushing sound from working its way around various rocks and trees with roots daintly dipped in.

Eric kneeled next to me, and I found out I was wrong about the depth when he buried both arms into the current. His hands didn't even touch the bottom. It was an optical illusion because the water was so clean and unpolluted. I dipped my hands into the icy cold water and brought it to my parched lips.

Oh my God.

It tasted amazing. It was so pure I couldn't get enough of it. I just kept dipping my hands in over and over until they were numb. Then I rubbed my face with my cold wet hands. I felt much better. Sitting back, I watched Eric pretty much doing the same thing I had been doing. A couple times I've had bottled "spring" water with fancy names and expensive prices. I had never been impressed by any of them. This creek put them all to shame.

Eric sat back leaning on his hands, tilted his head facing the sunlight and closed his eyes for a moment. I took that opportunity to study his face. Since vampire skin is so white and perfectly smooth, it's often difficult to tell their original ages. Eric's face had no discernable lines. He was lightly tanned and his beard looked like spun gold with the water droplets dangling off of it. He actually looked like he might be younger than me, which felt very strange.

Large blue eyes that sparkled in the sunlight were staring at me now. I quickly shifted my gaze back towards the water. Jason and his fishing buddies would love this creek. I could actually see large fish swimming in front of me, their silver forms shimmering under the clear water. There were so many of them, clean water equals more fish.

With a jangle, Eric jumped to his feet, wiping his wet hands on the furry cloak. He gestured and spoke to me, obviously asking me to follow. So I lumbered up from my comfortable rock perch and followed him with my bag. We hiked our way back up the path, both of us feeling better overall. Eric was exuding a sense of purpose and confidence as we walked briskly.

Fortunately for me, he was also thinking about where we were going. I "saw" in his mind the Three Stooges leaving our camp at daybreak. They were moving at a good clip, jogging it seemed. I saw a village of timber longhouses, their interiors dark and smoky. Men with long hair, beards, stripped to their waists using axes to chop firewood. Women weaving cloth and tending children who ran helter skelter the way children do everywhere. I saw faces, but they flashed across Eric's mind too quickly for me to follow.

It looked rough, orderly and bustling in its own way, but rough. To Eric though it was comforting and homey, he missed it. He worried about his village and the people in it. I figured out he had sent the Stooges ahead for that reason. So they could warn their leaders and exchange information. They could move much faster without me. Eric had stayed behind to escort me back.

We emerged in what appeared to be the primary pathway we had been treading before. As we walked, it occurred to me that I was feeling almost comfortable with this Eric. We had always had chemistry. It appeared that was still the case. So maybe Eric's interest in me wasn't just my fairy blood. I'd ponder that little tidbit later. My internal musings were interrupted by the sounds of other voices coming closer. The pathway merged into a large open area with two other pathways coming off of it.

A large group of Vikings were coming down one of the other pathways. Eric was calm about this, so I assumed he knew them. There were men and some women with children running alongside. As they gathered into the clearing, a few of the children broke off and came running towards us. They couldn't be more than five or six years old, with the youngest still a toddler. As they ran towards Eric the youngest cried out something that sounded like "Fader!" "Fader!"

Wait, did they just call Eric "Father?"

TBC

intrigued? Of course you are, nothing like some little Eric progeny ankle-biters to peak some interest. LOL! Honestly though, writing this chapter was like pulling teeth, since I was away from it for too long. I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen again cuz getting back in the saddle has been hard. I also under estimated how hard it would be to write E/S with no fun dialogue. Ah well, my story, my bed, I have to lie in it.

NEXT CHAPTER: we meet a few of the Viking villagers, Eric's kids, and Sookie makes a decision on how to get Eric to REALLY like her. You get one guess.