Sorry for the long delay for this chapter! Hope you enjoy it...

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25 Years Later…

The front door opened and closed softly. Sookie could hear it with the deafening silence that was her home the last few days. She sat on the couch in the living room waiting for whom ever dared to come near the Northman's at the moment. The footsteps were ones she had heard a million times over the last twenty five years. "Hey, Sook". Sookie turned around to see the Were she considered to be as much family as her own kin. Her smile was bright as she looked up at her friend as he moved to sit next to her and looked around the room before speaking. "Awful quiet, where's the gang?"

Sookie reached over and grabbed his hand. "My husband refuses to come home from Texas with half of my kids." She laughed and shook her head. "He is definitely one stubborn vampire when he wants to be.

Alcide laughed and shook his head again. "Sookie we are running out of time. The plane lands at four."

Nodding and fully aware there oldest sons were on their way home, she sighed. "Any suggestions on how to make Eric get his head out of his rear, I am open to suggestions."

Laughing at the thought Alcide sat back on the couch. "We gotta think of something and fast."

"Hi mom, Alcide" the smooth voice from the doorway broke the concentration of the both Alcide and Sookie. "Any luck with dad?"

Standing, Sookie walked to her son. "No Gunnar. I have tried to talk to him sensibly."

Gunnar laughed and met his mother, put his arms around her and hugged her tight. "He is just mad. I will call him and see if I can talk to him."

"Ok, I guess anything is worth trying at this point." Sookie leaned into give her son a quick peck on the cheek as he took his cell out of his pocket. "Tell him he doesn't bring my kids home tonight he will be very, very sorry." The grin on her face made Gunnar frown. He rolled his eyes as he released his mother to make the call to his dad's cell.

"You think he will come home now? He is pissed Sook." Alcide just grinned.

"I give him till tonight. He doesn't bring my sons home by tonight I meant what I said." Sookie placed her hands on her jean clad hips that didn't show signs of giving birth to a small army of children.

Alcide rose to his feet and began walking to the door. "Well, I will go with the guards to pick up the boys. I have to update Adam on a few things when he hits the ground any way."

Sookie met him at the doorway. "Thank you Alcide. Bring the boys straight home ok? I haven't seen them in weeks." Alcide nodded and headed on his way.

Deciding there wasn't anything she could do to help her son convince Eric to come home she moved to the glass doors and walked out into the back yard. The amount of guards had slowly grown over the years as well as the buildings Eric continued to build on the property. There had been an extension on the barn, the employee quarters as well as Mark and Lily's now empty cottage. Smiling Sookie thought of Lily and Mark, who six month before decided they wanted to travel a bit since their retirement. Sookie recalled the conversation she had with Lily. "You know Eric and I want you to stay."

Lily smiled sweetly. "Sookie, our daughter is grown, graduated college and her parents had the good fortune to work for the King and Queen of the Vampires for the last 25 years. Luckily for them the King and Queen were very generous when it came to combat pay." Both women laughed before Sookie tried to interrupt, Lily shushed her. "We aren't like you and Eric, we won't live forever. I love Mark more than anything but he isn't in his thirties anymore. Heck, he isn't in his forties anymore!" Both women laughed before Lily took Sookie's hands in hers. "We will be back in a few months, we will visit. Lydia and Gunnar will always keep up connected."

Sookie beamed. "Only on one condition!" Lily nodded. "You promise to text me and send pictures of the great adventures. Ok?" Lily threw her arms around her dear friend before trotting to the cottage house that day. She and Mark were gone two days later. Six months had passed and Lily had kept her promise. Sookie would get the occasional picture text or email with pictures of the Grand Canyon or the Emerald Cliffs of Ireland, every one of them making Sookie long for the days when her kids were little and her friends here at home.

The glass door slid open and Sookie turned to watch her handsome son walk toward her. He was the child that Eric had always said reminded him of his own father. Yet, his tall, slim frame he had definitely inherited from Eric as well as those piercing ice blue eyes, were they also Eric's fathers too? Sookie watched as Gunnar walked toward his mother and held out his cell phone to her. "He says he wants to talk to you." Taking the phone from her third son she put it to her ear.

"I am sorry, my love." Eric's regret for his behavior could be heard loud and clear.

Laughing she switched ears before mouthing to her son Thank you, Gunnar grinned with pride of a job well done. "I am glad to hear it sweetie. You will be home soon?" She already knew the answer but she wanted to hear him say it.

Eric asked Sookie to hold a moment and could be heard giving orders to the guards and crew. "Yes, we will be boarding the plane within the hour." They said their goodbyes and Sookie ended the call before handing the phone back to her son.

"Did you use some magic mind power on your dad?" Sookie and her son both laughed together.

"Nope, I just told him he was the proud owner of an arsenal of warriors and ancient swords. He also had the entire vampire community at his disposal. He agreed to come home." Gunnar looked smugly at his mother as he watched her face change to a look of almost horror. He couldn't help but laugh at his own joke as the sliding door opened again. "Look at mom's face brother, its priceless!"

Realizing her son was finding humor at her expense she looked at her younger son and winked. "Gunnar must have forgotten that Lydia's father is quite the killing machine as well who oversaw the arsenal of warriors and those same vampires his father has at his disposal. I think Mark could call in a favor or two on one young Northman who is engaged to marry his daughter." Gunnar stopped laughing as Sookie and Sammy broke into a fit of laughter, this time at Gunnar's expense. Gunnar's usually pale complexion seemed to get paler as he thought about what his mother was insinuating. He gave his younger sibling and his mother a nasty Northman glare and stomped back into the house. "Teach that boy to try to get one over on his dear old mother." Sookie wiped the tears from her eyes from laughing so hard.

"Oh, you got him good." Sammy shrugged and chuckled. "And another thing, you're not that old mom." Sammy quickly hugged his mother as he kissed her on the top of the head. He released her and looked down to meet her eyes. This son too, who inherited his father's blazing blue eyes, height and serious sense of business turned serious quickly. "There are a couple of messages I think you need to address immediately, mom. There are some issues with the Counsel." Sammy was all business now. Her fourth son had taken on the role of his parent's advisor, business partner and go between with their Royal duties. Nodding Sookie took her son's advice to head up the stairs of the house to her office. That is where Eric found them a few hours later.

Sookie glanced up as she felt her husband's presence in the room. "Hi." Eric looked at his son who sat next to his mother. "Yep, we are hard at work overseeing things while my handsome husband throws a tantrum in Texas." Sookie's face was expressionless.

Eric stepped into the room and stood on the opposite side of the desk, using it as a median between him and his wife. "Anything I should be aware of?" This question he imposed on his son. Sookie responded instead. "We can catch up." Sookie stood and turned to Sammy. "Would you return that email we talked about in your office please?" Sammy nodded and was out of the room in a vampire flash.

"I have already apologized." Eric was standing his ground. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Sookie put her hands on her hips but she wasn't going to let him off easy. "You were supposed to be gone a few days. You were gone almost a week." Her expression was dead serious now. "The boys have lessons and responsibilities Eric. Besides you put them in the middle of a fight we were having."

"Again, I am sorry Sookie. I was wrong." Eric felt a ping of regret for letting his anger get in the middle of doing what was right. "If it makes you feel any better they had a good time." Her expression didn't change so he moved back to apologetic. "Please forgive me." He wanted his wife to know he really meant it.

"Thank you." Sookie stepped around the desk, stepped on her tippy toes to take her husband's head in her hands while pulling him close. "I missed you, you big royal pain in the ass." She giggled at her husband then kissed him passionately. "Can I see my kids now?" She moved her face to peer around her husband's blonde head to see her three sons standing in the door frame, much like their father did. Moving quickly around Eric she went to see her sons. "I am glad you boys are home." Sookie took all three of her sons into a big hug, her arms barely able to wrap around the triplets. She leaned into Tait first and whispered in his ear. "Thank you for keeping me in the loop." He was the one son with the most gentlest of hearts hugged his mother back and kissed her on the top of the head. This son called her, emailed and texted her details of their trip while she and Eric were feuding. Since his birth Tait was her heart, the gentlest of souls and so much like her. Sookie smiled and released him to look at Max.

Max stood looking at his mirror image and his mother with little concern. He was the more adventurous son, bold, challenging. "Mom, we had a good time with dad, besides we got to go to work with him. It was fun." The 18 years olds were a mixed bag of personalities, all wrapped up in the same face and body.

But the last triplet was exasperating. "I am leaving. Don't wait up." Dane stood looking less than impressed by the reunion. This son was the male version of Pam with the callousness she was famous for only it was wrapped in a body that looked just like his two other brothers. Sookie looked at her sons as individuals because since the day she knew she was pregnant with them she could sense the incredible differences in each. They all came into the world with Eric's eyes and looks but there was little else they had in common with their father's larger than life persona. These three had kept Sookie and Eric many a night with their behavior. Dane turned to leave before his father caught him by the arm and began to speak to him in the ancient language the children learned to speak before they could walk.

Sookie focused on Tait and Max. "I am glad you guys had a good time with your dad but we have a lot to do over the next few days." Sookie watched Dane nod to his father and leave the room. "You two, touch base with Gunnar please." Kissing each of her sons they did as they were told, for the moment. Eric walked to his wife and she melted into his strong arms. "Can we just run away from home?"

Eric laughed. "You know they will only find us." He shook his head thinking about it. "They are geniuses, powerful and wealthy. We couldn't make it to the state line before one of them would know just where to find us." Sookie laughed against his chest as she buried her head deeper, his arms held her tighter. "I say we kick them out. They can survive on their own". Eric's sarcasm made them both laugh.

"No can do my dearest Mor, Far. You're the crazy ones that had all of us." Alec walked into the room. Sookie adjusted her head to look at her youngest son. "I believe that my young age of seventeen prohibits my parents from throwing me into the cobblestone streets."

"Alec you might be seventeen in age but you are more of wise soul then some of the oldest vampires I have known." Eric released his wife, kissed her briefly and turned to his son. "Ready?" Eric's youngest son who was more than a foot shorter than all the other Northman sons had more of the body style and looks of his Uncle Jason. He was muscular from head to toe and his darker blonde hair complimented the ice blue eyes he inherited from his father. Alec had Jason's humor but with the Northman intellect. Alec nodded and Eric grinned. "My son and I will be home later my love."

Sookie watched the remainder of the family leave. She walked around the desk and sat hard on to the chair, closed her eyes and just breathed. Amelia found her there thirty minutes later. "Hey Sook, you ok?"

Slowly opening her eyes and frowned. "Amelia, if only I knew."