Posted: 03/28/11
Updated: 08/20/11

Horizon

Sookie sat on the sofa staring at her cell phone laying on the coffee table. That little piece of technology was taunting her. It finally broke her will power. She couldn't help herself. She placed her open book on her lap, and for the tenth consecutive time she picked up her cell phone. And like it had an hour ago, it still indicated no new messages.

Her fingers glided over the keys. "Miss you." She hesitated sending the text message. Then one character at a time, the letters disappeared. She tried again. "I luv you." The same thing happened again.

She sat staring at the blank screen and blinking cursor.

~ . o . o . ~

Preston paced back and forth. He felt like pixies were fluttering just beneath his skin. "I have to call her." He pulled out his cell phone.

"Put it away," Mór cautioned him. "You know the rules. You gotta leave it up to her."

"I could just say 'hi'," Preston reasoned. "That's pretty harmless."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"You're going over there." He gazed wistfully over his cell phone at his friend. For a fraction of second he considered accompanying Mór to pick up Amelia for their dinner date.

"No," Mór answered. He knew what Preston was thinking.

"Can you check on her for me at least?" he pleaded. "Make sure she's happy."

"You need to chill," Mór advised his friend. "Maybe you should see people on the side until Niall has his little talk with her."

Preston's jaw tightened. "You're supposed to be helping me."

"Easy now," Mór said. "I was just kidding," he lied. The look on Preston's face was grave. "She'll call you. Give her some time," he assured him. "I'll talk to Amelia. See what the holdup is."

Preston gripped the counter and his head slumped down between his outstretched arms. The grout lines between the tiles of Mór's kitchen floor were dirty. He needed a Brownie.

"Tell me everything."

"I will." He meant it.

Preston hauled out a breath and ran his hands through his hair. There were so many unknown variables that he couldn't breathe without his body hurting with uncertainty. It was a real possibility that after Niall spoke with her; she would decide not to see him. Suddenly Preston's throat constricted. The air in Mór's apartment was stifling.

"I have to work." Preston's tone was abrupt. Mór stared at him as he stepped away from the counter. The next moment Preston disappeared. Mór stood alone in his kitchen.

"Ok," he said out loud. "It was nice seeing you too. Talk to you later."

~ . o . o . ~

Amelia modeled her date outfit for Sookie. She twirled making her green dress flap around her legs. "How do I look?"

"You look real nice." Sookie's smile didn't reach her eyes.

Amelia stopped twirling. She placed her hands on her hips and looked at her friend. "Why don't you just call him?" She was tired of seeing her mope around for the last few days. "You've been staring at your cell phone since you got home from work."

"I told Niall I would wait until we had our 'talk'."

"I don't think a text message would hurt any."

"You think so?" Sookie wistfully asked.

"You're your own person Sookie. No one, not even Niall, not the vampires, no one can decide for you, except for you."

"I need a shower." Sookie stood up. Her book landed with a soft thump on the floor. "Say hi to Mór for me."

"I will." Amelia beamed.

By the time Sookie reappeared from her bedroom, Octavia was sound asleep in her bedroom, and Amelia was off enjoying her date with Mór.

With the silence that enveloped the house, Sookie was able to let her guard down and relax her mind. It was then that she noticed the gentle humming of Niall's mind in her living room. Sookie climbed out of bed, and once in the hallway, she bobbed her head around the corner. Niall was sitting in the dark.

Sookie entered the living room, making her way to the lamp. Niall stood up. His bright smile tugged at Sookie's heart strings. He looked so happy to see her.

For days she had been set on having a stern 'come to Jesus' with her great-grandfather, but now, she felt herself waiver. She was just happy and relieved that everyone she loved had made it through the Fairy War.

"Niall." She gave him a reserved smile.

Since meeting his great-granddaughter Niall had learned that when she called him great-grandfather, she was happy with him, but when she called him by his name, she was displeased with something.

"You're upset with me," Niall stated. Sookie shrugged her shoulders. She loved Niall though most of the time she didn't understand him. He held out his arms. She stepped into his hug. Niall smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'm willing to hear your piece about Preston and me out of respect." Sookie squared her shoulders. "You just need to be clear that you get no say in whom I love and who I want to be with. I make my own decision, and if you want to be a part of my life you don't have to like my choices though it would mean a lot to me if you did, but you do need to respect my decision."

"I can do that." Niall's voice was gentle.

"Alright then." Sookie drew in a breath. "Are you hungry?" She automatically led Niall into the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink?"

"Yes please," replied Niall. "Some tea sounds nice."

He took a seat in Sookie's modest kitchen, and lovingly watched her gracefully navigate the kitchen. Like the living room, this part of her house was also filled with her scent. Her fairy essence was more distinct than it had ever been. If anyone had doubted it before, there was now no denying that Sookie was his kin. Niall sat up straighter. He felt tremendous pride watching his great-granddaughter. She was a credit to their family.

"Here you go." Sookie placed Niall's drink in front of him.

"Thank you."

She took the chair across from Niall and watched him sip his drink. Under the light of the kitchen Sookie noticed that Niall's myriad of fine wrinkles had grown deeper. The war had visibly taken its toll on her powerful great-grandfather. Though his wrinkles made him look older, they only enhanced his beauty.

"So what is it you needed to tell me?" she asked. Niall placed his glass on the table, his hands on either side of the glass.

"I can't undo the heritage Fintan gave you," he began, "But I can help you not to experience the remorse my son felt for condemning two children to the half-in and half-out existence."

Sookie hauled in a breath. There was a sharp pain at the center of her chest. "You think I'm making a mistake with Preston?" Her expression was pained.

"No I do not, but Fintan would have disagreed with me."

"Then I don't understand. Why? Why are you making things hard for us?"

"I don't disapprove of your attachment to Preston," he answered. "There are inevitable consequences of pursing a relationship with a fairy that you need to be aware of."

"I see." Sookie nodded her head. She was well aware of the consequences. Her body was a ticking time bomb. She knew she was growing old and she would die. The thought that one day she would look old enough to be Preston's mother tortured her. Life seemed hell bent on not giving her a break. Sookie suddenly felt parched. She stood up and filled a drinking glass with tap water.

"Your close proximity with a fairy stimulates your essential spark," Niall explained. His attention was fully on Sookie. She stood over the sink as she drank her glass of water. "Your spark will grow stronger."

"What does that mean 'my essential spark will grow stronger'?" She placed her glass on the counter and steadied herself. She had that awful feeling that she was about to learn something she didn't want to know. Wiping her hands on the kitchen towel laid out on the counter, she swallowed hard, and turned around to face Niall, keeping her hands flat on the counter behind her.

"The more time you spend with my kind, the more pronounced the heritage Fintan gave you will become." Sookie stared at him speechless. Her expression went blank. "This is why I do not visit you more often, or why Claudine doesn't see you as much as she would like to."

"So," Sookie slowly started. She anxiously drew her hair behind her ears. It was a pointless gesture. Her hair was braided. "Spending time with you. Or Claudine. Even Preston. Will turn me into a fairy?" She was unsure how she felt about that, but a glimmer of hope flickered in her heart like a candle in the dark. Could it be that she would have more time with Preston?

"No," Niall answered. With one word Sookie's hope was snuffed out. "You will not be human and you will not be fairy."

"So I'll be a freak is that what you're saying." Sookie sounded bitter. Niall visibly bristled. All this, thought Sookie, because he couldn't keep it in his pants.

"Sookie."

"Sorry." Unshed tears clouded her vision. She pressed her lips tightly together touching her knuckle against her bottom lip.

"The stronger your essential spark, the more difficult it will be for humans to accept you. You may find fitting in to be more challenging than trying to live as a telepath among them. If humans grow suspicious, more so if they suspect a fae connection, either their memories of you will need to be adjusted or you will need to leave."

Neither of these options was appealing to Sookie. She stood perfectly still, steadying her grip, her control, over her feelings. Absently, she pressed and glided her fingers over one arched brow.

"But this is only one outcome," Niall said. "There will be changes that are hard to predict. You may find that you will be stronger, faster, than you once were."

"Faster?"

"Your reflexes may be sharper. It is difficult to know what changes you may experience, but you must weight for yourself alone, if you can live with the possible changes."

Sookie felt herself edging toward being overwhelmed. A stabbing pain radiated in her chest. It was already hard enough for her to fit in, how much worse would it get?

"Any children you may have with Preston will not be fairy and they will not be human. They will not be easily accepted by either race. If humans accept them, they will do so for a short time only." Sookie drew in a sharp breath. She folded her arms across her chest. "And Faery will be less accepting."

"But there's no guarantee we can even have children, right." She didn't want people mistreating her babies, even if they were just hypothetical.

"That is true. It is rare. But there are other outcomes your union with Preston will have." Sookie swallowed fighting against the light headed feeling threatening to overcome her. "As you age," he continued, "which you will eventually despite the spark, Preston may not chose to stay by your side. This happens."

"I see." Sookie bit the inside of her bottom lip. This was too much. She turned around to face the sink and refilled her glass. As she drank her water, she swallowed the traitorous tears wanting to stream down her face. With a shaky hand, she sat her empty glass in the sink. "Did you leave Einin?" Her voice was barely audible.

Niall's expression hardened with a mixture of shame and sorrow. Several long moments of strained silence passed between them. Sookie knew what his answer would be. She stared at the faucet...waiting.

"Yes."

A thought crossed Sookie. Had he marked Einin the way her and Preston had marked each other. She opened her mouth, paused, and decided she didn't want to know.

"You think Preston will leave me too?"

"It is a possibility." His voice was somber. "Most fairies…not all," he added softly, "Who take human lovers; leave."

That wasn't what Sookie wanted to hear. The weight of Niall's words would have crushed her if they had had physical weight. Slowly, she let out her breath as her hope slowly slipped away. She quickly wiped her tears away.

"This is a possibility that I hope you do not have to face. But these things you need to understand."

Sookie nodded. It took her a few tries before she could say, "Thank you." Her voice trembled.

She finally understood Niall's reservations. He was just looking out for her, and she couldn't begrudge him that.

"I want you to be happy Sookie." Niall stood up and walked over to stand beside her. "I will do everything I can to protect and care for you and your children. This you can be certain."

Sookie's heart cried out. Niall was already thinking ahead to his great-great grandchildren. Her breath caught at the back of her throat. The sound was heartbreaking. She moved, placing her back to Niall so he couldn't see her and buried her face in her hands. She cried. It was a pitiful sound she thought.

Niall placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned around and allowed him to wrap his arms around her.

"Take your time dear one." Niall's voice was tender. "When you're ready you will know what to do. Whatever your choice, I will be here for you." Sookie nodded. Niall kissed her on top of her head and allowed his magic, his essential spark, to comfort her. She breathed out a ragged sigh.

~ . o . o . ~

In the day or two that followed Sookie's visit with Niall, Octavia had made the decision to move out and return to New Orleans with her lover, Amelia decided to break-up with Tray and date Mór exclusively, Sam's mom decided to divorce her husband, and despite all the decisions being made around her, Sookie still wasn't any closer to making her own decision.

On the fifth night, Sookie grabbed her throw and went outside. She had set-up the lawn furniture the day before and like the sight of the furniture yesterday had on her, they again reminded her of Preston.

The gaping hole where her heart should have been about made her buckle over. She sat down quickly and rested her head against the back of the lawn chair. She would have cried if she had anymore tears to shed.

She hugged herself beneath her throw blanket.

The night sky was clear and filled with stars. Sookie stared up at the starry dark blue canopy. She relaxed her mind. The sensation was like uncurling a closed fisted hand. Except the hand was her mind.

On the edges of her telepathy, she picked up a void.

"Hi Bill." Her voice was soft. Though she didn't hear him or actually see him, the blank spot her telepathy picked up indicated vampire, and the only vampire who wondered on her property was Bill.

"Good evening Sookie." His voice was kind and hopeful. He stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

"How are you?" she asked. Her gaze still fixed on the night sky.

"I'm doing well," he replied. "May I?" Sookie nodded. He took the seat next to her.

There was a long stretch of silence between them. She appreciated that Bill never felt compelled to have to fill in these long silences. They both sat quietly, enjoying the companionship of someone else's presence.

"Once I would've gotten old and gray," she broke the silence between them, "Would you have stayed with me?" she asked. Despite everything her and Bill had been through, she had always been able to talk to Bill about anything. "How would you have felt about that – about me growing old?" She turned her gaze to Bill.

"Yes," Bill answered emphatically. There was no hesitation; no doubt in his voice. "I would have stayed with you until the end." He would have taken care of Sookie until the day one of them had died. "My blood would have slowed your aging," he added.

"But eventually I would have died right?" she asked.

"Eventually, yes." Perhaps, he added silently.

Sookie let out an audible sigh and turned her gaze back to the night sky. If Bill would have stayed beside her until the end, Sookie was certain that Preston would also. It just didn't seem right to her, for her to ask Preston to watch her grow old and die; wither away.

"I love you, Sookie." Bill's voice was just above a whisper. Her brow wrinkled slightly. She turned and glanced at him.

"I know," she whispered.

"What are you afraid of?" He could sense something was weighing heavily on her shoulders, and he was certain it was more than her mortality.

"Everything." She shrugged. Bill smiled at her, his eyes fixed on her, noting the changes in her.

"You're more fairy than I remember," he absently stated.

"Yeah," she breathed. "It tends to happen when I'm around them."

"Are you still with the fairy?"

"I'm not sure." Her voice cracked. Her words were a lie. Bone deep, she knew she still was and she always would, one way or the other, she always would be with Preston. She bit back the pain and the urge to cry.

"Did you have a disagreement?"

"No," she answered. "He's a fairy Bill and I'm...I'm just me."

"I can't speak for anyone else," he explained, "But from experience I love you 'just as you are'. I wouldn't want you any other way."

She smiled at him though her eyes were sad.

"I'm going to grow old Bill. What then?" she asked. At the back of her mind, she wondered if all she could have was one year with Preston, would she take it or leave it? She wanted him, but she wasn't sure if she could endure the heartache if Preston ever walked out on her the way Niall walked out on Einin. She wouldn't blame him if he did.

"What if circumstances were different," Bill hypothetically suggested, "And it was you who would out live him? What would you do then?"

"It wouldn't change how I felt," she answered. "I'd stay with him."

Bill smiled at her. It wasn't condescending. It was heartfelt and something between love, sadness, and knowledge.

"Regardless of what you may see in the mirror," he replied, "Love changes a man. He only sees the woman he fell in love with. Everything else is inconsequential."

Sookie studied Bill's expression.

"I love him," she confessed. That much she knew for a certainty.

"I think you've said it all," he replied. "If you ever change your mind, I won't be going anywhere."

Sookie drew her hand out from under her blanket and offered it to Bill. He took it and gently squeezed her hand.

"DeCastro is making inquiries about you."

"What's new," Sookie bitterly replied. A dozen yellow roses showed up at her doorstep a few days ago from none other than Philip De Castro. She wondered if he had signed the card himself, or if a flunky had.

"He submitted a request to the fairies."

"You're kidding me?"

"No, I'm not. Whatever DeCastro is, he is shrewd. When Eric relayed Niall's message, he was quite upset from what I hear. He doesn't want to risk a war, so he's treading lightly."

"Good."

"He's not pleased about it. When dealing with fairies, you do things on 'fairy time'."

"Fairy time?" She glanced at Bill, grinning.

"Nice and slow." Sookie let out a laugh. "I hope you'll be happy."

"Thank you, Bill."

They stayed in companionable silence holding hands for some time before Bill stood up and disappeared into the woods that surrounded Sookie's property. She waited a few minutes after he left before she made her way inside and to bed.

~ . o . o . ~

Before dawn, Sookie was awake and dressed. She was filling her thermostat with coffee when Amelia entered the kitchen.

"It's about time." Amelia yawned. Sookie was dressed for a road trip.

"Coffee?"

"When are you leaving?" she asked taking the coffee mug Sookie offered her. "Thanks." She blew into her mug before sipping the hot coffee.

"I wanted to wait until you were up," Sookie informed her.

"Well, I'm up." She grinned at her friend. "Say hi for me." She sat her mug down and hugged Sookie. "Get out of here before I have to kick you out." Amelia pushed Sookie out of the kitchen giggling. "Call me when you get in," she instructed her. "Drive safely."

"I will. I promise." Sookie hugged Amelia one last time.

"Go on, get out of here." Grinning from ear-to-ear Amelia waved at Sookie as she watched her pull out of the driveway.

Less than an hour later, through the windshield of her car, Sookie watched the sun rising, painting the sky in shades of pink, purples, and yellows.

Outside of Monroe, Sookie took the exit that would lead toward US-61 South. All the little voices of doubt and second guesses had quieted. They were still there, but there wasn't much she could do about that. Her two choices, the way she saw it, were: let them cripple her or press on despite them. This was her chance for a piece of happiness, and she wasn't going to look back.

Sookie kept her eyes on the horizon. She didn't know what the future would bring, but she was going out and meeting it.

On the left side of the highway, in white letters, the green highway sign read Baton Rouge 76 miles.

. . .

THE END

. . .

A/N: Wow! The story is done. Wasn't sure if I would ever get to this point. Thank you for sticking around and for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed the journey. Hope you come back and read again. I am currently working on a piece of fiction, so my time has been divided to say the least. There are a few works of fanfiction that I would love to finish and I hope to do that. I don't like leaving something unfinished. Again, thank you for supporting this story and for sharing it with others.