PART TWO

Chapter 3

"I don't…this is a great place, no mistake about that and the people here are….scary. Friends, thank god but lets face it, they are frightening. And though some are family and all friends to us, there is no way I want to make this a permanent place to live." she said as she and Gunnar heard their patriarch say he wasn't planning on returning home.

"This is home." Eric said as he sad on the bed. This is where everything started for me, where the ghosts of my past dwell…..where trouble can't touch me or those I care about. Everyone back in the states, they are survivors. Pam, Willa…how could they not be, considering who made them? But….this feels right now. And I know this isn't the place you want to live in but…." he didn't know what else to say and as she looked at the equally concerned face of her son, Sookie watched her Viking lay back on the bed, staring blankly upward. "At least you'll know where to find me."

"I am not going home without you, this is insanity, you left town before for months….it isn't happening again. I won't let it." she said, reaching out to grab his arm to try to literally shake him out of this funk. But to her surprise, he pulled away from her and gave her a look normally reserved for when he was in the throes of a good fight. And it startled her, Gunnar taking her arm gently, pulling her slowly away from him.

"Look, we are all upset over the loss of our loved ones but you can't expect to treat her like this….she came here to help like I did….we are family, yes?": Gunnar said, his temper very much like his father, impatience at getting him out of this funk getting to him rapidly. "I know you've been in a state like this before and it nearly killed you. You want to watch your loved ones watch you like this, endure this?" Gunnar waited for a response and he got one. A hand around his throat as a bur had raced to them and as both of the men started tangling in a fight, no doubt she knew her son was literally trying to beat the funk out of his father. But as strong as he was, Gunnar was no match for the much older Eric and soon he was pinned to ground, facing the end of a sword that had so swiftly been pulled down from one of the brackets on the wall. Not that he thought his own father would harm him, but in this state of mind, it was clear anything was possible and it upset him and his mother greatly.

"Guys!' Sookie said, from where she had retreated, in a area that had been made into something of a door less closet, clothes on simple hangers and she looking frazzled, walked from the curtain of clothes back out to where they had briefly but fiercely had it out. Things were overturned and a few weapons lay on the floor, the ringing from the metal still ringing in her ears. She saw the looks on their faces, neither looking to want to speak and Gunnar spun around and stormed from the room. And as for him, Sookie watched the Viking open one of the heavy windows in the room and even with the sun fast approaching, they both knew he could withstand the sun for a few hours, thanks to her blood within him. But she hated seeing her loved one storming off and she was caught in the middle.

Chapter 4

She closed the heavy shutters behind her as she left the castle, following the trail. She kept going, the cold no longer affecting her like it once did. She hadn't exactly dressed for the weather though and with her being only part vamp, she was still a warm-blooded being. And she knew prolonged exposure in this climate wasn't good for her. Still, she trudged through the snowy path, down into a valley surrounded by thick bushes and trees, a oasis from the cold. But her legs started to give out, the cold finally getting to her and she had managed only to steal a glimpse at the hot springs before the cold overwhelmed even her supernatural body and she soon blacked out, not before feeling slightly warmer hands catching her.

A few minutes mater she was awakened and submerged in the warm water of the hot spring. Trees and large rocks surrounded the little oasis from the cold and she felt the furry warmth around her and blinking, she found herself pulled from its depths and wrapped in what she knew to be a thick hide of animal fur, something that she knew was plentiful in this area. Though rustic, there was no denying that the waterproof, furry hides were warming her blood back to a reasonable temp. she felt herself be put on her back and under the moonlight canopy, the trees towering high, the stars and moon still higher. Rolling on her side, she looked around for who she knew had brought her back from the brink yet again. And there she saw a figure leaning back against one of the smoothed down stones lining the springs.

She got herself situated and made her way over to where her troubled beau was positioned and didn't quite know what to say, she had to admit his anger was something fierce, frightening her even after all these years. "I….Thank you for helping me out, it was colder than even I could deal with….I kind of was a idiot coming here without proper attire." she said, smiling, hoping to lighten the tension in the air, knowing that things were far from normal. "I never wanted you to suffer like this…you have been through more than your fair share and I know I have too but….compared to you….can you please talk to me…look at me?" she said as she implored her pained Viking to acknowledge her presence. Granted, he had saved her from freezing to death but was back to a somewhat catatonic state. He still said nothing, his body language emitting grief, anger and hurt.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he stole a glance at her. "I wanted to make sure you were as warm as possible." he gave her a worried look. "I thought perhaps I wouldn't get you warm in time." she felt a little twinge of pain as she recognized he was more worried for her well being than his own. She knew he was troubled, more so than she had ever seen him.

"I feel fine, thank you." she said with impatience as she moved still closer to where he was submerged in the water. She knelt on the shore, huddling within the warmth of the fur mantle that managed to cover most of her body, her wet clothes having been disposed of to keep her warm. "You know it hurts me making me worry about you and back at the castle-"

"I was wrong to do what I did, though I am impressed with our son's fighting abilities….." he replied managing a brief flicker of a smile. But that vanished and the melancholy was once more visible under the moonlight. And he knew he was upsetting her with his behavior and yet, he didn't care. About anyone or anything. It was like he had been before she had entered his life, his heart was like ice again. "I don't know what you want from me. I don't know what I can give. Clearly I cant protect you if I couldn't even do anything for Aurora."

"You Can't be everywhere and none of us saw this coming." she said, attempting to sit herself beside him, dangling her feet in the warm water, noting that there was a fire burning in a fire pit and her sneakers were at a safe distance, clearly being dried. She appreciated that he was trying to care of her even in this state of mind. He wasn't looking at her and she started to tear up, to sniffle. Getting to her feet she finally let loose her temper and emotions that had festered in the several weeks since they had lost their daughter and she started sobbing, a sound that even he was not immune from. "I wish I hadn't come, this…..its making things so much worse. Everyone back home has been supportive and kind but the one person I thought I could count on..he's checked out in every way possible. Abandoning me like he once abandoned his own progeny. And even though you and Willa may be good now, there is also no forgetting that you abandoned her. Like you abandoned me." and those words, her tears were enough to finally get a reaction.

On his feet and devoid of any emotion, he approached her, and though his face was stoic, it was in those gorgeous eyes of his that she saw the window into the truth. That he was as pained and regretful about so many things was clear. "I shouldn't have left like that….I have a tendency to leave when things get too much…I go into a dark place and I…ironically enough, do it to try to keep from hurting those I care about and instead I do just that, I see it in your eyes and I feel the pain I caused you. Again. And time and time again you stand by me and…." there was nothing he could say that he felt was enough to make up for the weeks he had left her and the others back home. And it happened then something so rare occurred. Something he hadn't even done before Pam or anyone else in their family. He fell at her feet and started sobbing. She had seen him sad before but this was a new level and her heart was breaking more if that was even possible. She knelt down beside him, putting a fur between their knees and the snow, her forehead touching his and with her magic, through her own stream of tears she sent a wave of warmth, of light and love through him and though he didn't need to, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes looking at her and feeling a sense of calm, though the pain was still there.

"That felt….better than….well, you know." he said with a cheeky grin that turned awestruck, thoughtful. "Every time I think you can't surprise me more…I miss her already."

Nodding in agreement, she put her head back against his forehead and nodded. "I think we all do and it's a hold that won't hear in our hearts…..ever. But we are here now with family and friends and there are others home waiting for us….I sent a quick test to Pam that I found you and not to come racing over here…..I doubt she was happy about that but she has respected our wishes….however reluctantly." there was a silence as she stroked his hair, feeling the emotion within him rolling off him and thanks to her faerie magic, she could feel things, sense things so much more than she ever could before the power awakened in her, sometimes it was a curse and sometimes a blessing and right now, she was glad to be able to send vibes of her light into his troubled soul and vice versa. Their connection would save them both…until something was said that shook her to the core. And her smile faded as she felt his inner torment, his grief. Her magical calming had only been a brief respite. Things were worse than she had expected them to be.

"I am not sure if I want to go on….I feel like my time is over and I know this isn't what you need, want to hear….but I am so tired." he said after a silence, after which an even longer one followed as she sat there in shock as he got up and walked away from her, leaving her under the light of the fire and the now rather melancholy moon

TO BE CONTINUED