Disclaimer: I only own my own creations, but love to play in the True Blood world.

A/N: Wow! Thanks to all of you that are reading, reviewing and following this story. I am blown away by your responses. It encourages me to keep writing (a bit more than planned) …thank goodness, my husband is so supportive. Truly, I am humbled.

Chapter 4

Somewhere between LA and Shreveport, 2027

Eric POV

True to her word, Pam's plane was on the tarmac in a few short hours. We took off just before sun up. Pam and I were busy making last minute phone calls and arrangements for both of our businesses, to accommodate this unscheduled departure. We had both surrounded ourselves with reliable business associates, who would easily be able to handle things in our absence. If they questioned our need to leave due to a "family emergency", they never voiced it.

Pam had just finished her last call, as I sent the few remaining emails I needed to take care of. She had been unusually quiet since take off, which made me uneasy. Never trust a woman who isn't talking to you.

My suspicions were confirmed when she abruptly asks, "You have a bond with Sookie? Were you ever going to tell me?" Her hand went to her hip automatically as she glared in my direction.

"There's nothing to tell. We shared one mutual blood exchange when I was under the witch's curse, nothing more. She probably isn't aware it exists" I replied.

"That may be Eric," she continued, "but you seem to be able to feel much more than you should from a single exchange. All these years you could still feel her. Why have you kept it a secret?"

"I don't know," I replied a bit defensively. "And I'm done discussing this with you." I felt a twinge of guilt at being so short with my child, but this wasn't a topic up for discussion.

"I wasn't trying to upset you, I just wonder if you know what you're going to do when you see her? It's been 13 years. That may not seem like a long time to you or me, but Eric, she's not the same person she was. She's older, nearly forty by now. She's a mother, and she just lost her husband," Pam responded.

"You're not telling me anything I don't already know." I snapped. Pam must have taken that as her cue to back off, so in return, I decided to give her one of my reasons for embarking on this trip. "I'm not sure what to expect. All I know is that when my maker met his final end, it was Sookie that was there to give him comfort in his final moments. That's a debt I may never be able to repay. If I am able to provide any comfort to her in this terrible time, then I have to try. I owe her that much." That seemed to satisfy her for the moment.

I checked the bond. It had fallen quiet. Sookie must have fallen asleep.

Pam and I will need to succumb to our day deaths soon. When we rise, we'll be back in Louisiana. We should be arriving at Sookie's home an hour or so after dark. A grin starts to lift the side of my mouth as I think about the fact that I once owned her house. So, in a way, it's like I'm going home. But then I remember my reason for going back, and the smile instantly fades.

Bon Temps, 2027 (the next day)

Sookie POV

I wake slowly rubbing at my eyes, with a feeling that something is not quite right. I look around and am surprised to find myself lying on Ella's bed. Why on earth would I have slept here? I think to myself. Then it all starts to come back to me. Andy's appearance at my front door. The spot on the rug. The call to Ella.

For the past 12 years, this is the exact kind of thing I would talk to my husband about. He was my sounding board. And when needed, he was my rock. With him gone, who will I talk to now?

I force myself off the bed, and make my way to the bathroom down the hall. The bags under my eyes tell the story of my night. My eyes which are normally bright, are red and swollen. The blue of my irises has faded to a lighter shade of grey…the telltale sign that I haven't gotten enough sleep. It was the same way I could tell when my daughter was sleep deprived during her college years. The eyes always give it away.

I decide to splash some cool water on my face, brush my teeth and put my hair up in a ponytail. I don't know what awaits me downstairs, and I'm not so anxious to find out. I reach out and feel the familiar brain signature of my brother, who must have decided to stay the night. I find him asleep on the couch.

As if on auto pilot, I walk to the kitchen and begin cooking breakfast. Nothing helps a heavy heart like a good ol' fashioned, down home, hot cooked meal. My Gran taught me well. With her recipes memorized, it made the biscuits and sausage gravy a snap to make. I was done before I realized it. I quickly made a few over easy eggs, and woke up Jason.

"Aw Sook, you didn't need to go to no trouble. I mean, with everything that's happened and all." He tried to make eye contact with me, but I turned away to get him a plate. "It's not like we don't still need to eat, now is it?" I replied. "Get yourself to the table and have some breakfast. I don't want all this good food going to waste. Just be sure to save some for Ella, since a friend of hers is dropping her off later."

And just like that, my brother began heaping the delicious food onto his plate. Mid-forties or not, he could still manage to eat all he wanted and not gain an ounce. It was unfair. His wife, Bridgette, teases him all the time about it…saying that it will catch up to him one day. I allow my mind to wander as a vision of my brother with a big beer belly comes into focus. It almost makes me laugh out loud, until I start mentally scolding myself. Now is not the time. I continue picking at my food, and soon begin clearing the table and washing the dishes.

Once the kitchen has been cleaned, I walk out to the living room. Jason has been making a few phone calls, and he asks me to sit down with him to "go over some things". I do, and we spend the next few hours getting my husband's affairs in order. We make an appointment at the local funeral home for later that day, and have been asked to stop by the police station as well.

Ella called and said she was on her way home and would be there around two o'clock. That will allow her to go with us this afternoon. Once I hung up with her, there wasn't much left I could do, so I decided to go back upstairs. I planned on taking a shower, but when I opened the closet to pick out something to wear, I found myself wrapping up in my husband's clothes instead. His shirts still smelled of him, and I slipped one on over my own as a slowly sunk to the floor of my closet crying.

Time went by in blur after that. Before I knew it, Jason was knocking on my bedroom door, telling me we would need to leave soon. I jumped in the shower and threw on something to wear. I was half way down the stairs when I saw my daughter come through the front door.

"Mom!" she bellowed as she dropped her things and ran up the stairs to meet me. She wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her head in my chest. I instinctually snaked my arms around her shoulders. All I could do is hold her, but God, I wished I could take away her pain. She is my little girl...she always will be, no matter how old she gets. I knew this was going to be hard on her, and I would've done anything to spare her.

I held her while she wept, and eventually helped her back down the stairs. She cried so much, I thought I might need to change my shirt. Jason came to collect us for the funeral home appointment, and I decided I didn't have enough time to change. I was probably going to be adding tears of my own soon enough. Ella took a moment to clean her face, and we slowly made our way out to Jason's truck. I was thankful not to have to drive.

Over the next three hours we were able to make most of the funeral arrangements. We decided a nighttime memorial would be best, so our vampire friends could attend. We chose the flowers, the service, and the coffin. I remained firm on keeping it a closed casket...not wanting to see a made-up version of my husband as a result of his injuries. Besides, I wanted to remember him as he was in life, not in death.

We returned to the farmhouse at dusk. Hoyt had left a message that he and Jessica would be bringing over dinner for everyone. I was thankful, but would have liked the distraction of cooking again. Before long, the house was filled with our friends and family. Dinner was set up buffet style, and I sent Ella outside to setup some tables and chairs.

Shreveport Airport

Eric POV

I woke up a little before the sun was down, as usual. I freshened up in the bathroom, and tried to mentally prepare myself for what was to come.

The pain I had felt from Sookie yesterday, has been replaced by an eerie calm. Most likely the proverbial calm before the storm. The irony did not escape me, that I was feeling everything but. Was I actually nervous? The fact that I am asking myself that, is the only answer I need.

Pam has finally risen, and has cleaned up as well. She had prearranged a rental, a nice little convertible, and she grabs her purse as she follows me out to the car.

"This is your last chance to change your mind," she says.

"I am not changing my mind. I explained why this is important to me, Pamela."

"Don't you mean why 'she' is so important?" Pam retorts.

"Perhaps," I concede. With that said, I pull the car onto the road to make our way to Bon Temps.

Less than an hour later, I find myself pulling up behind other parked cars already lining Sookie's driveway. It looks like several people have come in a show of support. It makes me happy to know that she is surrounded by people who care for her. It may help make her loss a little bit easier to handle. As Pam and I exit the car, we are greeted by the sight of a twenty-something petite blond woman setting up furniture in the lawn.

From the back, she looks exactly like the Sookie. The same height, shape, and age she was when I last saw her. As we walk closer I can tell Pam is thinking the same thing...even her scent smells familiar. She turns unexpectedly and greets us with a "Hello" and a southerly "May I help you?"

She makes us both stop in our tracks...so much like Sookie but different somehow. There's something that is hauntingly familiar about her. Who is this woman, I can't help but wonder? A relative, perhaps? But who? I thought Jason was all the family she had left, besides her young daughter.

"Good evening," I say. "I'm Eric, and this is Pam. We're old friends of Sookie Stackhouse. We'd like to offer our condolences. Is she home?"

"Huh. I didn't realize mom had other vampire friends. I'm sure she'll appreciate you stopping by. She's in the house, but should be coming right out. Just wait, and I'll let her know you're here." The young woman starts to walk towards the house, when she stops and turns again. "Oh, my goodness! You're that guy from the NuBlood commercials...I thought you looked familiar. Mom never told me that she knew you." With that she turned and made her way back into the house.

Pam mumbled something about being in the commercials too, which would've made me grin if I hadn't been so shocked. I had to take a moment to collect myself...my mind reeling from the fact that we had just met Sookie's telepathic daughter! How else would she know we were vampires?

"What the fuck, Eric?" Pam shrilled. "How can that WOMAN possibly be Sookie's daughter? Shouldn't she be a CHILD? That was no ten-year-old!"

"No. She most certainly is NOT a child. Did Willa never mention this to you?" My mind was on overdrive as dozens of possible explanations played out in my head. She was clearly Sookie's off-spring, the resemblance was uncanny. Her scent. It was so much like her mother's. That has to be it! It has to be her fairy lineage, just like the Bellefleur girl. It would explain the accelerated maturity.

That would mean that Sookie has embraced her fairy side...finally! Thank the gods she didn't listen to that asshole Compton. I always thought if she allowed herself to really own her fae-ness, that she would be a force to be reckoned with. It angers me when I think she almost let that part of herself go. After all, I was always quite fond of fairy Sookie.

As the memory of that conversation runs through my mind, I hear the front door open. The sound causes me to look up, and as stunned as I thought I was by Sookie's daughter, nothing could have shaken me more than what I was seeing right now.

Next to me, I hear Pam say, "Well, fuck my undead life."

I couldn't find any words, I was rendered speechless. Walking to the porch steps was Sookie...MY Sookie. Beautiful as always…stunning really. With her long blond hair, tanned skin and sparkling blue eyes…she was absolutely radiant despite the air of sadness that surrounded her. Aside from her slightly tear swollen eyes, she looked exactly the same as she did fourteen years ago...she hasn't aged a day! How was that possible?!

At that exact moment, Sookie caught sight of Pam and I and came to an abrupt stop. "Eric," I heard her whisper, and the sound of my name on her lips was like music to my ears. She took a few steps closer and slowly raised her arms and hands out in front of her in silent invitation. With vampiric speed, I raced into her arms, reminding me of a moment we shared during the witch's curse.

This time there was no passionate kiss. This embrace was about comfort and consolation. I rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head, as I heard her say, "Thank you for being here."

A/N There's more reunion to come. I promise. Thanks as always for the reviews...you guys are awesome!