Nothing but Trouble

Eric's tenderness continued and Sookie could see straight into the non-beating heart. He had secrets that were weighing him down, but they remained elusive or at least that is what Eric had told her. She had a feeling the witch who had cast the spell was familiar to Matt but he wouldn't talk about it denied everything and changed the subject. Meanwhile they were becoming quite the little nuclear family.

With his father full of smiles and good tiding, Matt couldn't help but enjoy it. He had even relaxed some at school and took a bigger part in his role as student. He had gotten to know Bethany a bit better after they were paired up in a science project. He had found her an interesting case study in modern teenagers and when she invited him over after school one day he actually accepted. He was still trying to balance his true personality that he could only share among very few with the façade that he introduced to the general population. He only hoped he could pull it off in a one on one situation.

Matt looked around the modest two bedroom home that seemed quite lived in.

"I know it ain't much but it's home," Bethany said.

"It's great, has a sense of family and unity," Matt said smiling. "Who lives here with you?"

"My mom and brother, my dad lives in Shreveport; Henry has a bedroom in the basement so this one here is mine," she said her hands directing him to messy room off the living room. "Sorry about the mess, I- well I don't have an excuse, I'm just a slob."

"That's okay," Matt smiled trying not to blush his unforgiving northern pallor betraying him at the slightest provocation. He was still getting used to such modern regularities such as fathers living apart from their families in the name of divorce and being invited into a girl's bedroom.

She picked up a few things and kicked a few more to the corner and quickly tugged up the blanket on her bed. Matt gave her an awkward smile and then pulled the desk chair towards him and placed the items on the floor and turned the chair around backwards sitting down as he hugged the slats on the back of the furniture.

"So new kid, I guess you not so new now, but I don't know anything about you other than you are really smart and a world traveler."

"Not much to know."

"Are you kidding me, you have been everywhere, I've never left Louisiana and I know kids who have never left the parish. I can tell you have secrets and I want to find out every one of them," she said a sultry look on her face.

Matt kept his face even saying "you have no idea" under his breath. Beth cocked her head but before she could ask Matt spoke again. "Who says I kiss and tell."

"We can test and see," Beth said getting up and pulling him over to her.

The afternoon and evening consisted of making out, their tongues getting to know one another quite well, hands wandering, urges coming to the surface. Matt had forgotten what it felt like to be alive, hanging around with vampires had deadened his senses. It wasn't that he hadn't been in the position before but it had been a long time.

They watched TV and had dinner all the time Matt avoiding personal questions. "So you live with both of your parents?" she asked.

"My father."

"What's his name?"

"Eric, hey when does your mother come home from work?"

"Not much longer," she said pushing Matt back down for a little more foreplay before they would be interrupted.

Matt had quickly discovered that any time she began to ask him questions that probed too deeply he just needed to return the favor and she would renew her sexual attack on him. She had kissed him and began to fumble with his zipper when they heard a door slam and she jumped up smoothing her hair out.

"Hey there kids, don't let me interrupt," a man of about twenty said.

"Hey Henry, you home already?"

"What time is it?" Matt asked several of his blond hairs in disarray.

"Nearly nine, I had to work over," he said slapping some meat in-between two pieces of bread and gave the couple a big smile as he took a bite.

"I have to go," Matt said a look of panic making his eyes wide and bluer than ever. He gave her peck on the cheek and was through the door and on his bike and out of the yard before Beth or Henry could even react.

"He's a quick little bugger," Henry said his mouth full.

"Can I borrow your car?" Beth asked grabbing the keys before the request was out of her mouth. She ran down the porch steps and saw Matt rounding the corner heading south as she sprinted for the car.

Matt shook his head and tried to keep his hands from shaking. He knew he was in big trouble in fact this reminded him of something that happened back when he was really fifteen and hadn't come home in a timely manner.

"I can recall him being very late once before," Eric said sitting on the porch with Sookie.

"You have gotten a lot of your memories back since this spell was cast. It was like it cancelled out so much of your life it brought your walls down and allowed you remember things you had pushed so far down you couldn't reach them anymore."

"I had to push them down or I would go mad. I have come to realize that we had been a happy family; I deeply loved Ava and Matthew and would have done anything for them. I, what is the word…doted on Matthew."

"I wouldn't have believed it before but now I can definitely see it. Tell me what happened when he was late before?" Her eyes shining with curiosity.

"I woke up to Ava staring at me; he was supposed to go out and collect firewood but had been gone hours. She had gone out and looked for him but found no trace. She was so afraid he had been taken by someone or an animal had gotten ahold of him. In true maternal fashion she was terrified and fearing the worse. I took off and found him about a mile away next to a stream with a girl."

"So what did you do?"

"I sent him home and walked the young girl home. I was only a couple of minutes behind Matthew's return home and let me tell you his mother was less than pleased."

"I bet, nothing worse than a pissed off mother," Sookie agreed. "See that tree over there," she pointed. Eric followed her finger and nodded. "Jason and I cut off more switches from that tree; in fact I'm surprised it has survived. There were many a time when Gran didn't even have to tell us we just knew to go get one."

Eric disappeared and was back with what looked like a leather dog leash with no clasp or handle. "I have found this useful; I haven't had to use it in three hundred years."

"Then I would say it is useful and very effective," Sookie said. "Maybe I should go out and look again."

"No we have both been out and couldn't find him. I have to believe that I would know if he were harmed in any way."

"I'm sure you're right you have become quite paternalistic the last few weeks. I like it," Sookie said smiling.

Beth watched Matt take the corner at a high rate of speed and couldn't believe he was able to keep his balance. There's a lot she had trouble with, he was riding fast enough to put any Tour Du France participant to shame and he still seemed so mysterious and had avoided nearly all of her questions. When she kissed him he felt cool to the touch yet there was something electric about him. She needed to find out more, there had to be reason he was so close mouthed about his origins. He finally turned off the road and towards a pretty house set back from the road. She pulled to the side of the road and where she could just see the front porch which held a woman she thought she recognized from Merlottes and a man who looked exactly like Matt only much taller.

Matt slammed on his brakes and looked up at his welcome wagon which didn't look all that welcoming. Eric's face was impossible to read but Sookie's flooded with relief then clouded up again as she stomped off the porch and cuffed him in the back of the head. "I have been calling you for hours and texting too; you said you were coming home right after school."

Matt gulped as he pulled the kickstand out and gently leaned the bike until it caught. He then reached down and found the other bulge in his pants, the one he had paid no mind to the last several hours. He looked at his screen showing he had several missed calls and messages waiting to be read. "I'm sorry I had it on silent while I was in school and forgot to turn the sound back on."

"Is that a reasonable excuse or does it excuse your actions?" Eric said still standing on the porch. "Is there any decent reason that you were late? Were you accosted by a werewolf, did the witches come and pick you up for a meeting?"

Matt shook his head and whispered "no sir" as Beth strained to listen. Did she hear that right, werewolves and witches? It must be a family thing, like an old excuse or exaggeration from when he was younger, "Dad I was out after dark because a werewolf chased me into the woods." His father must have just kept as a family joke or something. His father who was every bit as hunky as his son; if it was true that people aged like their parents then she was all about making Matt her man right now.

"So you just said screw it and left us here to worry, with everything going on you didn't even give a second thought not to show up. I sat and debated waking your father and Bill, I had Alcide sniff the area for you." Sookie ranted.

Matt hung his head in contrition. "I'm sorry, I really am, I just lost track of time."

"And what caused this momentary loss of the day?" Eric asked his face still masking all emotions.

He shrugged, "I was with a friend."

"Of the female persuasion perhaps?"

Matt nodded. "We just hung out and time got away from me. I know I was wrong and I'm sorry."

"You better throw your mercy on the court. Here I was thinking you got eaten or zapped or bled out somewhere," Sookie said getting angrier with every word, "and you were with a girl sucking face this whole time."

"Come on Sookie you're not so old to not remember days when hormones were in control." Matt pleaded.

"Flattery about my youth is touching, but not getting you anywhere," she snapped taking a long look at the tree in the yard that she had visited many a time in her youth.

Eric noticed the action and spoke up. "I want you to go to my room and wait for me."

"Okay," Matt sighed looking down at the ground.

"Let's try yes sir," Eric corrected.

"Yes sir," Matt replied moving past his father to the front door.

"Maybe I should handle this," Sookie said fired up.

"I've got it," Eric smiled, "though I do admire your ferocity."

She looked back towards the tree and Eric showed her the leather that he had wound around his hand as he turned for the door to follow his son.

Sookie waited outside, she figured one of the reasons Eric had Matt go down to his cubby was it provided a better sound barrier. When she and Jason were little and had gotten into trouble Sookie hated listening to Jason's punishment more than taking her own. As she sat there she suddenly realized just how quickly this boy had come to be at the center of her heart just as his daddy had.

She finally retreated into the house where Eric was sitting on the couch his head in his hands. "Where's Matt?"

"Up in his room," Eric said looking exhausted despite the fact he had only been up a couple of hours. "I'm sorry if that seemed horribly old fashioned but I am unschooled in modern methods."

"Well first of all this is Louisiana and there is no such thing as old fashioned around here and second of all those new-fangled discipline methods have only contributed to the anarchy of our youth.. He did wrong and you punished him for it just has been done for years."

"Do you think he will hate me?" Eric asked his face so sincere it nearly broke Sookie's heart.

"No, he may avoid you for a day or two be tight lipped but he'll get over it I'm sure of it. I was just so scared when didn't come home or answer the phone."

"Then he deserved what he got," Eric said reaching out to Sookie.

She looked over past Eric to see Matt standing there. "You're right I did, um Dad you have to sign this so I can watch a movie at school tomorrow." He said handing Eric the slip along with a pen.

"Do they have to ask about everything?" Eric said reading the paper.

"They don't want any irate parents in the office claiming the school has ruined their child. The parents are worse than the kids these days." Sookie stated.

Eric scribbled his signature down and handed the paper back but as Matthew took it he grabbed his son's wrist and pulled him towards him. "We still friends?" he asked as Matt landed in his lap.

"Yeah, Dad that was my fault. I should have been more aware of the time especially with everything going on. I'm beginning to remember things and I'm learning more and more about our past." He said wincing as he sat down. "There is one thing that stands out."

"What is that?"

"How much you loved me. The castle in my book that I showed you has haunted me and tonight I remembered why."

"What castle?" Sookie asked.

"One in Romania, I was there being watched by some vampires."

"I recently recalled that too," Eric said thoughtfully thinking it odd that memories were flooding back to both of them. "I had left him the care of several vampires who I trusted but the problem with that scenario is they offer no protection if Captain Wanderer over there strays out into the sunshine."

"It only happened a couple of times," Matt admitted his cheeks turning rosy. "It's hard to stay inside all day."

"I bet it is, what happened?" Sookie asked.

"I was outside and the sun was going down I knew if I was caught outside alone I would be in trouble so I was running back to the castle when a group of people began to head my way. I was already in the clearing near the castle probably about two hundred yards or so from the entrance and my safety when they descended."

"Who were they?"

"Witches I guess." Matt said leaning back into Eric.

"Or one in particular and her entourage." Eric stated the memory vivid in his eyes.

"Antonia?" Sookie asked already knowing the answer.

"She would never give up," Eric said shaking his head.

"I was running as fast as I could which is pretty fast, but one of her flunkies was catching up to me on his horse when something grabbed my ankle. I thought I was going to die right then there and I was so sorry that I hadn't listened. But suddenly I was lifted up and carried at amazing speed across the field."

After a pause that had Sookie on edge Eric picked up the story. "I came out of the ground as I felt Matthew pass over me. I had made it habit to be nearby so I could check on him."

"The sun wasn't down yet and I could see the steam rise from his skin, feel him burning, yet he wouldn't stop he ran into the woods and put me at the top of a tall tree. I waited two hours before he came back for me."

"The first hour was while we took care of the intruders and made sure the area was clear, the second hour was so I didn't kill him myself," Eric chuckled.

"He did come back and get me down."

"We had a long talk and then I realized that I had to stay away from him."

"But why you saved him?" Sookie asked.

"Because the two of us together seemed to put a strong signal that she zeroed in on every time; once I left the area she struggled locating him again. I left him behind and just kept going. I put it all out my mind, I was helpless for the first time in my life and it embittered me. She took my life away and I just latched onto that hatred."

"It was the next best thing she could do next to killing you," Sookie surmised. "I hope you keep remembering things, these stories are great. You risked your true death to carry your son to safety. What about Antonia?"

"She escaped, was long gone before I could get back. She has slipped my grasp ever since."

"Until the other day," Matt added. He stood up and picked up his paper off the coffee table and turned around towards Sookie and Eric, "thanks for signing this."

"Why so sad? Was I too harsh?" Eric asked concerned.

"Well you kinda had to be or what would be the point. No it has nothing to do with that."

"Then what is it?" Sookie asked.

"I've been talking to the math teacher at school. He teaches at the college too and has these theories and equations for all kinds of things. He had been working out specific dates for things a long time ago, like back in our time and I plugged some numbers into his equation and if its right then I'm only fourteen," Matt lamented.

Eric drew his mouth down and then scrunched his lips. "Sorry about that."

"You knew I was only fourteen?" he gasped.

"You were so desperate to be older that we bumped your age up six months. You kept nagging about your birthday and we were down south and you thought it was spring and were certain you were eight instead of seven and a half. Your mother and I just couldn't bear to tell you any differently. But we can still call you fifteen, in fact the only that says you aren't, is a mathematical equation."

"You do look more like fourteen," Sookie said with compassion. "But you are a sophomore no matter what and will be the youngest senior in Bon Temps history."

"Yeah great, like I won't stand out already now I find out I'm barely freshman age."

"It's all relative son," Eric added hating to see the disappointment in his sons eyes. "Head to bed, I'll check on you later."

After Matt went upstairs Sookie turned to Eric, "so he is only fourteen?"

"Yeah, and wait until he finds out that is only the first of many lies."

"Is it that bad?"

"I'm not sure yet, I have to remember more. But I'm afraid what we have come to believe has been nothing but lies. Our memories are pushing away the past we had been led to believe."

"I'll say the story from before was that you were a hateful, vicious father who never wanted anything to do with your son."

"Right, it is what we believed; it is what she had us believe."

"But this is the true Eric Northman I can feel it. Who is she?" Sookie asked but Eric was too lost in thought to respond.