Chapter 33 Star Crossed Lovers

Eric POV (from late March)

APPIUS!!! Damn him!

With the world's poorest sense of timing, that fucking maker of mine pulls me away from the potentially most important night of my vampire existence. I couldn't ignore him-JESUS-FUCK! Why now? After all these years!

I had to leave her, right there, watching me, with tears on my face…what she is thinking of me right now, I'd hate to know. That was the last time I saw her.

I flew toward the pull of my maker. I finally reached him about three hours away in Kentucky's Smokey Mountains at a remote cabin. He was alone.

"I knew you would come," he said as I walked across the small great room and knelt by the cot he was lying on. "I called you all, you know…each of you in turn," he said as his gray eyes looked up to meet mine.

"Appius," I said to my maker, "what do need from me."

"What do I…?" his hacking cough interrupted him, but he continued, "what do I need from you?"

I stared at him, so shriveled and weak from the last time I saw him, about 800 odd years ago.

"Yes, yes," I said frustrated and wanting to get back to Sookie to explain why I'd flown off, that it wasn't her, "I thought we had an agreement, the last time when we ahh met. Do you remember?"

"Yes, my child, I-" he began.

"Never call me your child! You depraved…" I couldn't go on…as much as I hated him, he'd waved a hand that made me stop instinctively. From the time he'd turned me to the time I left, I had grown so accustomed to his movements, his gestures, his commands, that even though I so clearly had the upper-hand in our present situation, I behaved rather like a schoolboy being reprimanded by his head master, or principal.

"Eric, please, I need to talk to you…" cough, cough, cough… "you were the only one," cough, cough…

"Yes, yes, yes, the only one who what…" I enticed him on to finish, so I could be on my way.

"The only one I have left, the only one who can help me…" cough cough cough…

I sighed and rolled my eyes. He was my maker and, even though I hated him for all he'd put me through, I still had a certain respect for him. "What is it that you need me to do for you?" I asked, with a little more sincerity in my voice.

"I need you to send me to my final death, my ch-Eric," he said bluntly.

I was stunned. "Kill you? You are asking me to kill you?"

"Yes. I am dying and I want to end my existence now. I have lived for almost two thousand years," he said through labored breathing. "I have made many children—all of them are dead now but for you. You were the last, did you know?"

"No I didn't. Why?"

He began coughing again. He was so weak. I looked around for some bottled blood to offer him, but found none. "When was the last time you had any nourishment, Appius?" I asked, concerned.

"I stopped taking blood about a month ago…when I found out I was dying…" cough cough… "please don't try to make me more comfortable, just let me tell you everything I need to tell you, then I want you to do me the honor of sending me to my final death. Would you do that for me?"

I sat there on my knees aghast, with my mouth hanging open like a codfish. What was he doing asking me for a favor? Sure, I'd like to kill him, but I'd struck a bargain with him many years ago, when I'd finally gotten enough strength as a vampire and the opportunity presented itself, not to kill him. I'd overpowered him and caught him unaware. He'd begged for his life in exchange for my freedom. He'd decreed that he'd never contact me again, or call me for any reason. "Why do you think I would do that for you? We made a bargain, all those years ago Appius. You know how I feel about you. Why should I go back on our deal?"

He chuckled softly, which brought on a coughing spell. When he stopped, he smiled serenely again at me and said, "I called you Eric. I made you come here in the midst of whatever it was you were doing, or about to do. Delicious, I might add, but I digress. I ended our bargain by calling you. You now must retaliate against me and finish it off…that is our way."

"Our way has repercussions, Appius."

"You are the only one left, my dear Eric. The others all met their maker, so to speak," he sneered with a wry grin.

"I see. So you called each of your children and killed them?"

"I wanted no complications, you understand."

"I understand…you don't want me to have to pay reparations to anyone…how thoughtful of you," I said with sarcastic intonation.

He waved off my sarcasm with a shoulder shrug. "I want to leave with no loose ends. I have contracted that dreaded disease that you hear about on the news and I don't have long left, but I've made all my final arrangements and I want to die right now, at the hands of someone I love rather than by some microorganism, so if you wouldn't mind indulging me, you'll find a stake over there next to the mallet," he said waving his hand feebly across the room to a table, "whenever you are ready."

"And what are your final arrangements?" I asked, a little curious, trying to stall.

"You were the only child of mine I was truly proud of, that I truly enjoyed," he said lasciviously, unable to help his old habit.

"If you are trying to provoke-" I interrupted.

"No my dear one, I meant no harm, old habits, you see. When I was still feeling well, I sent to your friend Mr. Cataliades to put all my holdings and properties in your name. I think," cough cough, "that the portfolio is quite extensive. I hope it will set to rights the some of the pain that I have inflicted on you in the past."

"Some of the pain? Like turning me in the first place, like never letting me see my parents and my children again. Some of the pain, like loneliness, emptiness? I wandered for 800 years before finding one whom I could be with, a true friend…"

"Ah, Pamela—an exquisite creature! But still, you've found love now, haven't you! That's something you would never have had if it weren't for me. Admit that Eric!"

I was enraged. True, I would never have known Sookie, which was, I thought, like never knowing the sunshine…a feeling I knew well. But had I not been turned, I would have had a normal life, I would have died a normal death. I pondered the idea for a moment, but then said, "I will admit that loving Sookie is a bonus in my current existence, and that I will die a good death for having been with such a beautiful creature and having been loved in return. Can you say the same?" I asked.

He looked at me with a final moment of clarity and said, "Yes Eric." And with that, I staked him. I didn't want to know the rest of the answer.

Sookie POV (from mid-April)

I did leave a note for Amelia, saying not to worry about me. I was safe, but did not tell her where I was.

I didn't call Pam, Sam, Tara, Jason, or anyone else to say where I was going.

Most of all, I didn't say anything to Eric, or rather his voice mail, since he hadn't contacted me since.

The next evening, Niall appeared. "Ready?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be," I replied as we stepped into Faery.

I took my great grandfather's arm and stepped once again through the portal into Faery. Niall had cloaked my existence in his realm so that no one was suspicious of the last remaining secret portal between our worlds. It would be disastrous to Niall's rule to have the discovery of an open portal, since they were all supposed to have closed at his decree after the war. I for one, though, was grateful that is was open as it had allowed me to visit with one of my favorite relatives.

After walking out of the closet (does this mean I came out of the closet?) I stepped into the most beautiful room I had ever seen. It was filled with lilies-of-the-valley, daisies, and white tulips in vases on white polished marble tables. The room was awash with sunlight and a gentle breeze billowed the curtains that wofted softly in the breeze. If smelled like a soft spring rain had just fallen outside and the sound of chickadees and mourning doves filled the air. It was, in short, Heaven on Earth, or at least my kind of Heaven! I had a deep desire to don my bikini and go and sit in the sun. I asked Niall if that would be okay to do.

"Whatever your desire is my darling great-granddaughter, it shall be fulfilled," was his response. He beamed as he said it and I knew instantly that my being here was one of his keenest desires. "Let me show you around first and let you get acquainted with the palace before letting you wonder off onto the grounds. Come with me."

I took his arm up again and drank in one more breath of that heavenly scent as we drifted upstairs, our feet hardly touching the stairs as we went. Every breath I took was an intoxicating fragrance, lilies, freesia, lilac, mock orange, rose, and on and on…and the light, the sun was pouring in every open window. I'd been spending so many days sleeping in and working evenings and being up with Eric during the night that I could scarcely remember being so inundated with the sun; to think I used to sunbathe for hours almost every day…I sure missed that!

That sudden thought of Eric sent a pang of guilt though me like an arrow. I steeled myself against it and pressed forward. He left me abruptly after I refused to promise that I'd be turned. Well, he knew what I was from the beginning, and there was no reason he should have expected any differently from me. I still made me so mad to think of him leaving like that, I could just scream! Oh great! Now I was in a bad mood, and in the beautiful place. All the sudden I needed a nap, I was so tired.

As if he could hear my thoughts, Niall turned to me and said, "Are you tired my child? Would you like to see your room and rest?"

"Ye—es," I sighed through a yawn, "sorry, I didn't mean to yawn at you. I am just so tired! Maybe the trip over, or is it through, takes a lot out of a human."

"That could be, Sookie," said Niall with a twinkle in his eye, or it could be that you are an expectant mother carrying a lot of little ones. It's bound to make you a little sleepy. Here we are, my dear."

He opened the door and guided me into a room as beautiful as the hall that we had just left. It was blue, like an Easter egg is, after one a minute of dipping in the dye, with white white trim. Again, frsh cut flowers were strewn about the place with the same fresh scents. A four poster canopy bed was position with the head against the wall farthest from me and a small sitting area was gathered around a never-used fireplace. Fire flies flitted around outside the window like, well like "fairy lights," I thought and that made me smile.

"Are you happy here?" Niall asked as he turned to look at me.

"I am—content feeling here, thank you."

He patted my arm and turned to leave. "Sookie, I must tell you that no one knows you are in Faery. The fortunate thing for me was that this forgotten portal was in the broom closet of my summer palace. As I was out of residence, the wait staff was at a minimum, so I gave the remaining ones the rest of the spring season off. You and I are the only two here, so you should feel free to roam about the place up to the edge of the gardens. Please do not venture further, and should anyone approach you, or see you, please call me immediately."

"Umm, okay, but how do I call you?"

"Just think to me…" he said open-endedly and left.

Just think to me, just think to me…was he trying to tell me that he's a, "mind reader my dear, yes I am, now go to sleep little one," thought Niall to me. I wanted to think a little more, but sleep overcame me instead.

A/N: I hope this keeps you all going...the story took a turn in a unexpected way, but never fear, I'll keep writing until done. Currently I have about 38 chapters mapped out to completion. Thanks for sticking with me.