Disclaimer: Most characters belong to Charlaine Harris.

Wow, what a response from you guys. I love that the story elicits such feeling, I hope it means I'm doing something right.

This is a short chapter to fill in some blanks before Sookie and Eric talk. I hope you enjoy.

As always constructive criticism welcome.

After the sun had started to drop I put on a light summer dress, fixed my hair and applied make-up. Then I got something to eat and waited to the vampires to arrive.

To my surprise it was Henry that showed up first.

"You look delectable" Henry said as he came in flashing fang at me. "And you smell of the sun. If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to seduce me." I gasped and looked at him. He laughed "Don't worry, I do know better. Besides, I am under strict instructions not to have any kind of intimate relations with you."

"What? Instructions from who?"

Henry took a letter out of his jacket pocket. "You need to read this. Please allow me to speak before you make a decision regarding the information in that letter." I looked from the letter to his face he looked apprehensive. I didn't know what was going on, but Henry had always been good to me and everyone deserved a hearing at least right.

"OK, I promise to hear you out." I said.

I took the letter and looked at it. I was glad I'd made it to the chair by this point because I sat suddenly with shock. The handwriting on the envelope was Claudine's. I looked at Henry but he just nodded at the letter. He had stayed by the door. I looked back at the letter. I was at a loss. I was scared to open it.

"Do you want a blood? I can get you one." I said stalling.

"I'll get it. Just read." Henry moved to the kitchen and I opened the letter.

Dearest Sookie.

I am sure you are shocked right now. Do not fear, there is no betrayal. Though I know so many you have trusted in the past have given you reason to expect it from all. I love you. And being far from you is hard enough without the concern I always feel for your safety. Henry had been my good friend for many years now. I know! A fairy and a vampire! But the story is long and deep. I have given Henry permission to tell you it all, but you must promise to tell no one, not a soul. You have no idea of the chaos that would result. When Niall made it clear it would be unsafe for any of us to keep watch over you, as we may be traced, I was very uneasy. You are such a bright spark and all gravitate towards you, unfortunately this is both good and bad.

No one knows about Henry and I, except us and now you, so I felt safe asking him to watch over you when I could not. He was going to do so from a distance. But fate it seems would not allow that. Be assured that he is there as nothing but your friend, with no motivation other than because I asked it of him, and now, because he tells me he has grown almost as fond of you as I am. Please forgive us for not revealing our friendship earlier. The knowledge of our connection is extremely dangerous and as my sworn duty is to protect you I chose to keep it from you. Forgive me, I should have known better.

I told him nothing of you except you were important to me. Once the others arrived and you told him your name he contacted me and we decided you should know the truth, because you need to know I trust him implacably and because I realised my uneasiness at keeping this from you was because it was truly wrong. Henry will tell you anything else you wish to know. Please allow him the chance.

Your ever loving cousin

Claudine

Whoa! I read the letter through three times without looking up. Henry had stayed in the kitchen. I felt like he was hiding from me. I got the feeling there was much more to this 'friendship' but I didn't know how there could be. I could have been mad, but I felt the sincerity in Claudine's words. I understood that they were truly scared about anyone finding out they knew each other, but even so they were trusting me with this knowledge.

"I guess you should come sit down." I said finally still not looking up from the letter. Henry sat on the couch opposite me. "Is it safe to speak here?" I asked. Henry smiled slightly and took something from his pocket. He mumbled slightly and threw a powder in the air. I felt an energy vibrate around us and then it was deathly quiet.

"It is now." he said "We cannot hear, nor be heard, outside this room."

"Do you love her?" I asked

"Yes. And I believe she loves me but it can never be. Even if there wasn't the risk of me draining her, she must mate with another pure fairy, there is no other way for her." he looked so sad, but resigned.

"How did you meet?"

"During a war. A fairy-vampire war. I was neutral. I have never involved myself in such things. In fact I have spent much of my existence avoiding wars. It is why I was willing to help Eric, he was trying to prevent a war. I have some unusual skills though. Just as Claudine's grandfather can mask his scent making him safe from vampires, I can block the fairy scent from myself. I can be around them without losing control. As you can imagine it makes me a target in a vampire-fairy war. The fairies would take me out before I could be a threat and the vampires would use me. The blood-lust makes them strong and dangerous to fairies but they are out of control, that is not the case for me.

"I have always liked fairies, and I don't mean in a 'I want to eat them' way. They are beautiful and their magic is based in nature and the elements, I am drawn to it. They live a long time as we do, but they are not frozen as we are, so they change more, grow more. You can learn a great deal from fairies if you truly talk to them.

During the war I was in hiding, from both sides. Two young fairies, very small, little more than babies, 'popped' into my hiding place. We were all startled. But before we could do or say anything, two vampires ran in. I found out later they had been watching me for some time but were waiting for someone stronger to come as they couldn't take me by themselves. The smell of fairy overwhelmed them and they rushed in. Without thinking I took them out. I'm not sure who was more surprised.

Like I said the fairies were very young and they had used too much energy to get into the bunker to do any more magic at that time. They had thought it empty and were hiding like me, having just watched their parents be killed by vampires. They were young enough to be unbiased, judging only by actions not species. So I went on the run with them. Protecting them as best I could.

"One night I went up against six vampires who wanted them. I was badly injured and didn't expect to make it. I was worried what would happen to them. That was when Claudine appeared. She said she had been watching me for some time. She had been sent to find the children and kill whoever had taken them. But she quickly realised I was protecting them so had held back to watch. She couldn't understand what I was doing. She saved me that night. When I was safe she took the children back to those that would care for them.

"I did not expect to see her again and it was several years before I did, but when we ran into each other we found ourselves talking like old friends. The children had told the other fairies that they had been with a vampire and the fairies had wanted to set up a hunt. They felt that, while I had not hurt the children, I must be up to no good and may have learnt too much from the children. Claudine had told them I had perished the night she took the children away. She had protected me. At great personal risk.

"We met regularly for a while. Sharing our lives and experiences. We share a love of the world and it's beauty. We are both from violent races, and capable of doing great damage, but are more inclined to a peaceful existence, except in defence of those we love of course. But soon it became clear that we both wanted more, though it was so wrong, so impossible. For a very long time we tried to stay apart but fate kept throwing us together.

"Now we meet once a year for one night and talk. But we have to be so careful. If our connection was known she could be thrown out and I would be put to death. Most likely she would die too, either at the hand of her grandfather's enemies or by vampire, without the protection of her people. We should sever our connection entirely but we cannot."

I was crying as he spoke. I knew how hard relationships could be, how much could be stacked against you, but to be so in love yet have to accept being apart. It tore my heart.

"Oh, Henry, I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do." I said.

"You have no idea how much you already have done. You defy boundaries. When Claudine first told me of her charge, of the things you have done, I was amazed. I did not know that the person she had asked me to guard was the same one she had spoken of until after you told me who you were. The Witch war. Have you any idea how ground-breaking that was? Witches, Were's and Vampires fighting together against a common enemy, with Fairy assistance on top. All through you. I understand there was a shifter involved as well. Sandy it was the thing of legends."

I was shocked. I was overwhelmed by his take on the witch-war I really hadn't seen it as so remarkable (lets face it, that sort of thing was an everyday event for me, it's why I left. Mostly. Partly.)

"Well, Pam said something about making history, but I thought she was just excited about the fight. Really I was just trying to get Eric his memory back and to help Alcide, and my friend Holly from work. But I wasn't trying to do anything epic, I was just helping my friends." Henry was smiling at me.

"Exactly. And that is your true gift. Your ability to see each person just as they are, not what they are. Even more amazingly you are able to make others see them the way you do. I must say I wish I had seen an Eric that didn't know he was a Viking. You will have to give me all the juicy details some time."

Henry clearly loved the idea of amnesiac Eric, but then I had too, hadn't I. Henry looked like he was going to say more about Eric but then changed his mind and got serious instead.

"Sandy, I came here because Claudine asked me, but I very quickly determined I would protect you for who you are in yourself. I hope you can forgive my deceit though. Claudine says you have been horribly betrayed in the past, though she did not tell me how or by who. I never meant to betray you though, I truly want to be your friend."

"You are my friend. I do understand why you weren't completely forthcoming. Well I don't, but I accept that is the reason you didn't tell me. I don't understand why it is such a problem for you and Claudine to be friends at least. Eric and Niall know each other, that doesn't seem to be a problem." I didn't think he was lying but I didn't understand.

Henry laughed long and loud.

"You have no idea how shocked I was when Eric showed up. Claudine had told me she had some dealings with vampires because of you, but gave no names. She did say one of them seemed to know Niall but that he was very close lipped about how they knew each other. When Niall decide to meet you he had to confess to Claudine that he knew, and was on polite terms with, a vampire. It was quite the shocking revelation. But Claudine never told me anything about the vampire involved. She takes her charge seriously and is always very careful of what information she gives me, speaking mostly in the abstract.

"I have known Eric for centuries but he too never told me he knew Niall. When he showed up, at first I thought he had been hired to find you, then I saw how you were together and everything clicked into place. You have no idea how much you have changed him. He has always been honourable, and a good leader, but with you" Henry shook his head "it is like he is young again. You are truly one of the most remarkable beings I have ever met and I will happily serve you in any way I can. I would do this for Claudine even if I didn't like you, but I would also do this for you, if there were no Claudine" he seemed to shudder slightly at the thought "Please just ask if there is ever anything I can do for you."

I was overwhelmed, both with the information and with his offer. It was like he was pledging allegiance to me or something. But that was crazy, he was a vampire, hundreds of years old and I was a human waitress. I was suddenly worried Eric would arrive and wonder what we were up to, I didn't know how the magic privacy thing worked.

"Eric is coming over, what if he's outside?" I said to avoid the whole 'I'm yours' thing.

"I asked Eric if I might have a moment with you before he comes, I hope you don't mind."

"It's not up to Eric."

"Of course not, but I didn't want him interrupting us. I said I would call him when we were done. Though I am sure if we are too long he will come here anyway. He has always been a little on the possessive side" I laughed at that

"That would be the understatement of the century."

Thinking of Eric after what Henry and Claudine had just revealed caused my head to spin. Realisations bombarded my mind, of my own situation, of my behaviour. Of the fear that led me to hide, even from myself. I needed to start facing up to who I am. Henry had trusted me with his secret, it was time to trust him with mine.

"Thank you Henry. For being my friend, and for trusting me with this. I ask only that you are my friend. You said earlier that I defy boundaries. Well I guess that's because I'm between worlds, I don't fit anywhere. You said I accept people as they are. Well that's all I ask in return. That you accept me, a part-fae, telepathic waitress," I took a deep breath "who is in love with a vampire."

Henry fans, be assured there is more to come on Henry, this is just the reason he was watching over Sookie.

Apologies Eric fans, Viking action following soon :)