Chapter 25

Sookie awoke feeling rotten. Her head was pounding and every muscle in her body ached. It was a feeling she was used to but it didn't change how horrible it made her feel. She fluttered her eyes open reluctantly, not wanting to move for a long long time. When she saw the green and blue of her dreams gazing down at her she leapt of the bed and tried to teleport out of her room.

"Fuck! That bastard has locked me in!" Looking back at the bed she was hints of a smile on both vampires' faces. Their amusement set her own irritation off to momentous proportions. She ran across the room to the door to find that it too was locked tight. "If you think that will stop me, papa, guess again!" She screamed before summoning a fireball in each hand.

Godric and Eric watched with amusement as she darted out of bed and swore at her inability to teleport. It surprised them that Albright would help them like this but they were thankful for it. It was plain by her action so far it was the only way they would get to talk to her. As she summoned fire into the palms of her hands, however, the amusement vanished. Godric was beside her, placing a gentle hand on her fore arms, before she had time to throw he fire.

"He will be back soon, little one, he means only for you to listen to us. He said you need to rest, please, come back to bed and listen to what we have to say." It was on the edge of her tongue to tell him to go to hell but she saw the desperate longing in his eyes and it undid her. Even after all the pain and suffering they had put her through she could not refuse him when it would cause him pain.

Sookie closed her hands over the fire, extinguishing it, before letting Godric pull her back to the bed. She curled up in a ball by the head board, hugging her knees to her chest. Eric tried to get her to lie down but she flinched away from his touch. As much as she was happy to see them- a fact she would not deny to herself even if it did piss her off- she could still see them tangled up with the witch. The image would not leave her mind and it caused her heart to throb painfully. Surely a heart would stop beating under so much pain? It was a thought she had too many times and yet she knew all too well the answer. She would just have to suffer.

"Alright then," Godric stated calmly as Eric folded his legs onto the bed so that he could face her. "First, we would like to thank you for saving us. It must have been very difficult for you and we appreciate it greatly." He paused waiting for her to respond but she just pulled her legs in even tighter and stared blankly at them. The pain and desolation was in her eyes again and Godric longed to remove it.

"Your grandfather has heard our side of the story and wished for you to hear it too. However, he told us you have the power to read vampire minds now, too. Is this correct, lover?" Eric had never been so softly spoken to her before, at least not when they weren't in the middle of…well you know.

Sookie looked at her vampires as they spoke to her. She did not want to discuss anything with them but they were right, she needed to rest. If her grandfather, of all people, saw their side of the story and felt it was worth her to listen to then she would just have to suck it up. She trusted him and knew he hated the vampires more than she ever could. For him to see anything of worth was a miracle. She hadn't noticed how much they had changed before. Sure, their appearance was the same but there was something in their eyes. It haunted her.

"Yes," she whispered looking deep into Eric's eyes. "I can read everybody now but I don't like reading vampires. Your thoughts sting my mind." And I already have a headache. She didn't say it; there was no need for them to know how weak she felt right now.

"Little one," she flinched again as Godric placed his hand on her leg. He removed it instantly and smiled softly at her, telling her he understood. "We would like to show you exactly what happened. We would like to let you see anything you wish from our minds. That way all of your questions will be answered and you will see we are hiding nothing when we tell you that we never betrayed you. We truly love you, Sookie and we want you to come home."

They could see the reluctance in her eyes. She didn't want to see anything from them and it sent a shiver of fear down Eric's spine. They were so close. After all of the longing and searching they were finally with her again. He knew he could not let this moment go without doing everything in his power. "We miss you, dear one, please." He held his hand out to her and pierced her with his gaze. He knew she could read his eyes and that she would see everything he had felt in her absence. Hesitantly, she took his hand and closed her eyes.

Sookie let her mind go blank as she entered Eric's head. It was a place she had never wanted to be and yet she was curious. She started by looking at how they had killed Bill and the conversations surrounding it. She had to admit, they were definitely trying to help her. She could not hold their actions towards Bill against them. He had been guilty of harming her in many ways and if she were honest she now felt he deserved what he got. Next, she moved on to the conversations leading up to their infidelity. She hated that they had lied to her more than anything else but as she searched she saw the explanations they gave to her grandfather. They had been afraid she was too insecure? She guessed that in some respects they were right. Had she not spent weeks feeling worthless after she had been cast aside? She pushed further and saw they both swearing never to hide anything again. That made her smile. She knew they meant it, she could feel it in every cell. Finally, she forced herself to look at the betrayal itself. She gasped at what she saw.

Godric and Eric watched with something akin to anxiety as Sookie searched Eric's mind. She made hardly any outward signs to show how she felt about what she saw. Occasionally, she would sigh or smile but there was no clear indication to show if she understood. When she gasped Godric thought he would die again. It was more painful than any torture waiting for her forgiveness. He needed it more than blood. He needed her and he was so very afraid. He had to supress every vampiric urge which demanded he claim her, willing or not.

Sookie couldn't believe what she was seeing. That bitch had cast a spell on her vampires. The last year had given Sookie a detailed understanding of witchcraft and she cold now appreciate the power of such a spell. It left its victims slaves to the witch or wizard who cast it. Anger and relief shot through her body like fire. She felt her hands fist as the fury at what that woman had done swept over her. The only thing stopping her from letting the anger consume was the accompanying relief that they had NOT betrayed her. They hadn't had a choice. That thought brought tears to her eyes as she felt the vault of emotion she kept locked away spring open. They did love her as she loved them. Such sweet relief, she refused to let the pangs of remorse at all of their lost time shadow the joy that now filled her once broken heart. She saw with delight how they had been awakened from the spell by her pain. Again, her understanding of witchcraft allowed her to appreciate the significance of that. The spell should have been impossible to break until the caster wither undid it or died. The fact that her pain had brought them out of it showed her more than anything the depth of their love and devotion to her. She watched with relish as they tore her up and made her pay for the harm she had done. A small part of her mind wished that the bitch were still alive. Her death had been too quick and Sookie now knew ways to make her suffer unimaginable agonies for hundreds of years.

The joy was soon squashed, however, as she sae and felt what happened next. They hadn't suffered as much as she had, it was true, but they had suffered terribly…because of her. Guilt washed over her causing the tears to run even faster. If she had only listened when they tried to contact her…but it was no use wishing the past away. All she could do now was fix things for their future.

Sookie dropped Eric's hand and he just let it fall. He hated seeing any woman cry but watching as she cried was almost too much for him. His whole body was tense as he waited for her to speak. Her eyes snapped open and the moment seemed to drag on for eternity. She said nothing and her face remained blank. He was overwhelmed with relief and happiness as she sprang forward into his arms and hugged him around the neck fiercely. Her one arm reached out to Godric and in the same second he was embracing her too. They could feel her sorrow and relief at all that she had seen as well as her love for them. Even now, after all they had put her through; she loved them with a force that they could hardly believe. It was unconditional and unending….wait…they could feel her. She had opened the bond to them as she sobbed into Eric's neck- ruining yet another shirt- and clung to them desperately.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered through the sobs, "I should have listened. I should have let you explain." They held her tighter.

"No," Eric crooned in her ear, "We should never have hidden things from you, lover. For that mistake we are truly sorry."

"Do not blame yourself, Sookie. It was our fault, we are just glad you can forgive us. I love you, little one, come home." Sookie turned her face so she could press her lips to Godric's.

"I loved you, too," she breathed into his mouth. They could taste the salt from her tears but nothing had ever tasted better him. She turned her head back to Eric and kissed him hard. "Both of you."

He was in heaven as he tasted his beloved once more, "I will love you for eternity," he promised.