Sookie's POV

After all the information I had dumped on Pam and Eric, I expected (or hoped) that I would hear from them again at some point. What I didn't expect was to see him so soon. The next night, when I came home from work he was sitting on the porch swing. I sat on the steps with my back against the railing to face him.

He was the first to speak. "Drew Marshall is in police custody and apparently won't stop talking. He is confessing to every wrong deed he's ever committed. Mack and Denise Rattray overdosed on their own drugs. The police found many vials of blood in their refrigerator and are appalled."

"You believed me?"

"I'm not sure I believe your reason for knowing what you do, as I've been around for many centuries and have yet to see time travel happen. However, you know things that there is absolutely no way for you to know any other way, so I've decided to give you a chance."

I stood up and headed toward the door. "Would you like to come in?" He nodded and followed me in. I sat at the kitchen table and indicated that he should join me.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any True Blood to offer you. I wasn't expecting you."

He smiled. "Well that just goes to show that you truly are not a psychic, I suppose. Please do not feel obligated to keep blood in your home on account of me however, I would not ask that of you."

Gran came through the kitchen on the way to bed. "Good evening Mr. Northman, back so soon?"

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I stopped by looking for you. Your lovely grandmother said you were at work and she was kind enough to visit with me."

I looked at her and she smiled at me. "By visiting with you, I'm assuming you mean she picked your brain about where you were during the civil war and whatever else you've seen?"

"Her questions were a refreshing change from the kind I normally get. I was happy to answer them. She also answered some questions that I had."

"Oh?" I looked at Gran with a question on my face.

"Well, goodnight darlin'. I'm off to bed." She hurried out of the room.

I dropped my head on the table. "How embarrassed should I be?"

"That depends on what would embarrass you I suppose. I do not know, as it seems you know more about me than I know of you and that is not a situation I've often found myself in."

I sat back up. "What do you want to know?" It was so strange to find myself talking to someone I knew so well, as if I didn't know him at all.

"How do you know Godric?"

It made sense for that to be his main concern.

"Ah, through you I guess. He went missing and you hired me to help you find him."

"How would you be able to find him if I couldn't?"

"Since his nest is in Dallas, we went there and I read the minds of the humans familiar with him and his vampires. Then I went undercover at the Fellowship of the Sun 'church' and picked up from the minds of its leaders that he was being held there. He actually saved me from a very large would-be rapist in the basement there."

"How do you read minds? Can you read my mind?"

"Before you get worked up, no I can't hear vampires, but I can pick out where a vampire is because your brains are like a void, or a bubble to me. And the older the vampire, the larger the bubble. I don't know how it works, but I just hear everyone's thoughts. I have to create shields in my mind in order to not hear them. Some people think in words, some in pictures. Some people are very clear broadcasters and they're harder to block out. Weres and Shifters' thoughts are kind of snarly and red and they're harder to read than regular humans unless there is physical contact. Imagine if you went into a room with thirty or so radios and TVs on, all playing different things and trying to concentrate on having a conversation while blocking all that out, or not responding to anything you hear that way. People call me Crazy Sookie for a reason."

He just stared at me, a thoughtful look on his face. "And I am to just believe that you can do these things without proof?"

"I don't really care if you believe me or not. I just want to make sure Godric gets saved this time. But if you need proof, I can come to Fangtasia and read your staff and clients the next night I have off."

He nodded. "And how do you explain your claim to be a time traveler?"

I sighed. "I'm not exactly a time traveler. It only happened once and I can't do it again and I can't go back forward. I accidentally made a wish on a cluviel dor."

He leaned forward and sniffed at me. "How did you come to be in possession of a cluviel dor? You smell lovely, but not of fae."

"Some of my relatives were fairies and one of them gifted it to another family member." I didn't think he needed (or wanted) to hear the whole dirty laundry of my heritage.

He sat back. "Yes, I suppose that is a reasonable explanation. I have been trying to think of what kind of witch you must be to hold power over time and cannot think of a single one that has ever had that ability or would be that powerful. Fae magic though…yes I could see that."

"Do you know many fairies?" I asked. I knew in my original timeline he had known a few, but wasn't sure how or when he had met them.

"Fairies are intoxicating to vampires, they tend to stay away from us as a means to survival. However, I do know one who is able to mask his scent."

"Niall Brigant?" I asked.

He looked at me sharply. "How are you familiar with the prince of the sky fae?"

I shrugged. "He's my great grandfather. How are you familiar with him?"

Instead of answering me, he just stared at me, as though he was studying every pore. After a few moments, he smiled. "Life was getting so tedious that I threatened Pam that I was going to run away. And then a fairy princess walked into my bar and suddenly things are getting more than a little interesting."

"I'm not a princess," I protested. "But I'm glad that I was able to give you a bit of excitement I suppose."

"Your great grandfather is the ruler of all fae; you are a princess."

"I'm only one eighth fairy. I have no claim to the crown and I wouldn't want it anyway. Can we get back to the point please?"

"What was the point?"

I huffed. "Do you want me to come read your clients or not? I work the lunch shift the next two days so my evenings are free if either of those work for you."

He looked thoughtful. "Yes, tomorrow. I'd like to get moving on things as quickly as possible."

He stood to leave, but before he could go I asked him if he had done anything about Longshadow.

"I imprisoned him and contacted his maker. They have three days to return my money and if it is not done, killing him is a fair punishment. I considered killing him outright as I can clearly not trust him, but if I had done that before contacting his sire it would have cost me more. I would have had to pay a fine to Hot Rain and would have no chance of getting my money back."

I nodded. That seemed like a good plan.

"You seem like the type that would be disturbed by me casually talking about killing someone, yet you look entirely unbothered."

Once upon a time I had been very squeamish about death and thought everyone should get a chance to a trial and that there were certain channels that were supposed to be followed.

"Things change," I said. "I've seen too much over the last year or so to get my panties in a wad over what vampires view as justice. You'll do what you need to do and what your laws and customs allow and I'll do what I have to do when the situation arises. Things aren't as black and white as I used to think they were."

I stood to walk with him to the door and he told me he looked forward to seeing me the next night. I locked the door behind him and tried not to get too excited about how much I was getting to see him. I wanted so badly to be with him again, to be bonded to him properly, but if I could just be in his company I would graciously accept that. I certainly didn't deserve even that much.

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Eric's POV

I rose the next evening with a renewed vigor. In the last twenty four hours I had glamoured a man into confessing all of his sins (and potentially protected the enchanting Miss Stackhouse in the process), killed two drainers and made it look like an accident, then called in an anonymous report of drug possession, and started the process of punishing Longshadow for his theft. Tonight, Sookie was coming in to "prove" her telepathy. I actually believed her, but I was anxious to see her use her gift, and it gave me an excuse to see her again. Now, if only Godric would get back to me- a phone call, a text, an email, something.

I was going through order forms in my office when Pam came in.

"Your new friend is here," she said flatly.

"How long are you going to pout about her?" I asked.

She turned her nose up, "Until I stop feeling that it's unfair that the most interesting person to come in for a long time was interested in you instead of me."

I laughed. "She had good information for both of us. I'm sorry that she did not come here to be seduced by you. How many pairs of shoes will it take for you to get over it?"

Her posture changed immediately. "How about I just borrow your card until I feel better?"

"How about I send you out into the woods to search for the maenad?"

"Two new pairs of Jimmy Choos and a Birkin Bag." She countered.

"You can get the shoes, but if you want a purse that costs the same as a car you can use your own money."

"Deal." She walked out.

I shook my head. Pam was completely spoiled and it was my own fault. She was good company and completely loyal though, so I could overlook her obsession with fashion. It wasn't as though her shopping addiction was actually hurting my bank account. This made me think of Longshadow's theft. It hadn't really been a huge financial loss, but it was the principle of the matter. Had it gone unnoticed and he continued, he would have caused the bar to suffer and as it is currently my biggest moneymaker, I wasn't going to allow that to go unpunished.

I finished the order I was working on when Pam had come in before heading out to the bar. I sat down on the idiotic throne because it was the best place to view the entire establishment from. Once again, Sookie had not dressed to the typical clientele expectations, but worn something in her own style. I'm not entirely sure where the rumor started that we only like to see people in black and leather. I personally do prefer wearing darker or more neutral colors, but when she wasn't working, Pam preferred pastels and softer fabrics. I've never heard a vampire say that they were more attracted to someone dressed in a gothic style though. We only dressed that way at the bar because it fit the public expectation from lore and fiction.

Sookie was wearing a light blue dress with thin straps and a tiny floral print covered it. I had to wonder if she dressed to stand out on purpose, or if she just wore what she preferred. Whatever her reasoning, she was a breath of fresh air. She was talking to our new bartender Chow and was receiving a lot of dirty looks from many of the more pathetic customers. She looked around the room and when she caught me looking at her, a smile lit up her face. I crooked my finger at her and she walked over to me.

"You rang?" she asked.

I invited her to sit next to me and she did.

"My grandmother is completely taken by you," she said.

I had to laugh. So far, I had been surprised by nearly everything that this woman had said.

"Your grandmother was very enjoyable to talk to. I have to admit though that I was surprised by how open she was to supernatural things. Most people her age are more fearful and do not readily accept those who are not entirely human."

Sookie laughed. "Well, she had two children with a half fairy and raised a telepath. The circumstances in her life didn't really leave room for being close minded."

I didn't have a good response to that, so instead I asked if she'd had a chance to listen in to anyone.

"This may come as a shock to you, but the vast majority of people here are just thinking about sex and how to get a vampire interested in them."

"Yes, well, if I was testing your skills as a telepath I do not believe that would convince me of anything." I said with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you mind if I hold your hand for a moment? It will help me concentrate."

I was pleased that she was initiating contact, whatever the reason, and extended my hand. She took it, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Every now and then she would tilt her head a bit, like she was adjusting an antenna on a TV or radio. After a few moments she opened her eyes and put her hand back in her lap.

"You've got two underage college guys over there," she nodded her head toward a booth near the bar. "They're here on a challenge from their frat; they're supposed to get a vampire to bite them. The man over there in the hat is an undercover cop. So far there hasn't been anything that he can call in, but he's waiting for the opportunity. His skin is crawling just being here around vampires, so I'd suggest getting someone to take them out of here before he finds out."

She stopped and then for some reason looked very upset, but continued. "The blonde dancing in the middle of the room is trying to get your attention. She's hoping for a repeat performance with you. The things she did with you made her feel dirty and degraded, but she liked it."

Fuck. It hadn't even occurred to me that she would read the minds of previous sexual encounters if they returned. Any chance I hoped to have for her companionship would be thwarted by those visuals. I was never violent with any of them, but I was not kind to them either. They were just relief, but if that's what she thought I was like all the time…

She had gotten up and walked to the door where Pam was checking IDs and whispered something to her. Pam called Maxwell Lee over to watch the door for a minute and walked over to the college boys. She told them in no uncertain terms, that they were to leave and never return. She also took their fake IDs from them and crumbled them in her hand. She returned to her post and thanked Sookie for the heads up. Sookie stayed with Pam for a few minutes and pointed out a few that were already drunk or under some kind of influence and Pam removed them from the line. Even if they came to us already drunk, we were liable if they were over served. Stupid human laws. Something she heard made her stiffen, but when Pam asked her what it was, she said it was nothing that Pam needed to be worried about. I needed to find a way to get her to take some of my blood so I could tell what she was feeling. It would also be good to be able to find her if necessary; I found myself surprisingly attached to her already.

She came back over to me and told me that she needed to leave since she had to get up for work in the morning. I asked her to follow me back to my office for a minute and she did. I got my checkbook out of my desk and wrote her a check for a thousand dollars. When I handed it to her, she seemed offended. I should have offered her more.

"I don't want your money Eric," she said. The offense was that I was paying her at all, not that it was too low an amount?

"You performed a service, you should get paid." I argued.

"That's way too much! Besides I was just here to prove what I could do. You didn't hire me."

"You saved me from a steep fine and an enormous hassle with the law. Please take this as my thanks."

"Fine," she grumbled and stuck it in her purse. "Thank you."

"Your mood seems to have greatly deteriorated since you first arrived. May I ask what is wrong?"

She sighed. "I'm tired."

"And?"

"And…I don't love seeing dramatic reenactments in the minds of your fans."

Dammit. I really needed to come up with a way to make sure no more of them returned. Sookie didn't seem disgusted though, she seemed sad. It made me wonder… I moved closer to her.

"What was our relationship in your original timeline?"

She looked at the floor and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I just want to fix things that I couldn't before." She looked back up at me, "Let me know if you get ahold of Godric please. I would very much like to see him again."

She left and even though I wanted to follow her and talk to her more, I went back to work. After handling all the area business that was bogging down my email, I decided to try to call Godric again. I was concerned after what Sookie told me, and the fact that he was blocking his side of the bond.

The phone rang and rang. Finally, I heard his voice. "Hello my child." He sounded tired. That was disturbing, since vampires do not feel lack of sleep the way humans do. We die for the day at dawn, but there is no tiredness that leads to it.

"I am so pleased that you answered. I am planning a trip with a friend of mine and I was hoping we could visit with you while we are in Dallas."

"You have a companion?"

"I'm not sure how I would classify her other than a friend. But I would very much like for you to meet her. I think you would find her…fascinating."

"I think a visit from you would be wonderful. I look forward to seeing you and meeting your new friend."

I hoped that Sookie would be able to help him. I hadn't even realized something was off until the night she came in predicting my future.

Author's note: I meant to update this story more frequently but there's been a lot going on at home and I've been sick. I apologize and hope you're patient with me if it's awhile between postings.