Edited 2021

AN: Hello everyone, sorry for the absence. I got sick and then busy and had not made a lot of time to write. I have also been feeling lazy with the weather here. There are days, living in Iowa just sucks in the summer. Like several parts of the US, the Midwest has had record highs. Happy belated Canada Day and Independence Day to my Canadian and American readers. I hope you had lovely days off work if you were so lucky. I closed the poll and had a plethora of ties, so I am starting at the top and going to work my way down. So that means this is your first look at Fintan and his thoughts. I hope you like where I am going with this. Let me know what you think or would like to see. I am astounded by the number of you that have put this on alert or favorited the story. I am so sorry if I have missed anyone's reviews in my absence I will try to get caught up and respond to everyone. Keep Cool, Read and Enjoy.

Chapter 6 Unusual Minds and A Grandfather's Devotion

Sookie's Point of View

I feel two minds coming up the back steps. One is Jason, the other I don't know. The mind is red and snarly, kind of like Sam's but more intense. I mostly got emotions from it. They are laughing when they come in the back door.

"Hey Sook, you don't mind, but I brought a friend with me. This is Alcide his dad's company is working with the road crew on the new police station." Jason said in greeting, a case of beer in hand.

"It is nice to meet you, Alcide. Dinner is going to be a bit still. I was just getting ready to roll my crust out." I explain.

"We will get out of your hair holler when it's ready," Jason said, heading to the living room.

"Thank you for having me. Jason didn't say he invited me without asking. He has been talking about your cooking all afternoon, bragging it up." He smiled at me.

"I guess I better get back to it if I want to live up to all the hype." I smile back, grabbing my rolling pin. I get a flash from his mind as he follows Jason. Wow, she is pretty. I blush as I get back to work. I slip the pie in and finish working on the rest. I am just finishing with the gravy when Jason sticks his head around the corner.

"That smells great, Sookie. How close are you to being done?" He asks, stepping into the kitchen.

"It is there if you want to set the table for me. I need to pull this pie so it can cool." I said, pointing to the oven. He goes to the cupboard and takes down plates, handing them to me. I just have to smile at that. He gets a glass of tea for me, two more beers for Alcide and himself, and the silverware. I serve up the mashed potatoes and chicken fried steak, topping it all with my creamy white gravy. Jason takes the loaded plates to the table for me. I put the extra helpings in serving dishes and place them in the middle of the table. Jason bellowed to Alcide that food was on before setting down. The two of them wolfed down their, first helping before I was even halfway done with mine. "I will just clear this, and then we can go in the living room for pie." I stood up, gathering the empty plates.

"Here, let me help." Alcide offered, picking up the mostly empty bowl of mash potatoes.

"Sit down. You're a guest. If anyone should be helping, it should be him." I scolded, taking the plates to the sink.

"I insist." He said with that smile that had me blushing again. Once all the dishes were in the sink, I shooed them both out of the kitchen. I served up the pie along with my fresh whipped cream. I put the slices on a serving tray and carried them into the living room. Jason lunged for the largest of the three pieces as soon as I sat the tray down on the coffee table. We chatted about the job they were collaborating on. Alcide asked me about my classes and what I did in my spare time. I had forgotten all about the second letter by the time they headed out.

Jason handed me the shirt he wanted to be mended and gave me a hug. "Thanks for dinner, sis. I will see you Friday."

"See you then," I replied, returning his hug.

"Thanks again for having me," Alcide said, pulling me into a hug of his own. I got a much more intense flash from him when he touched me. I want to see her again. She is just amazing. I wonder if Jason would let me tag along again. Mmm, she smells like vanilla.

"I am glad you came with. You are more than welcome to come back. It was nice meeting you." I lead them to the door and waved goodbye as they drove off. It was rather dark by then. I closed the door and locked it. I set about washing the dishes when I felt two voids approach the house, along with a third mind I could not get a read on.

Fintan's Point of View

Of all the things I thought that I would have to do to protect my sweet Sookie, I never thought I would be seeking the help of vampires. I have done all I could over the years to keep her hidden and safe. In my endeavor to protect her, I have had to keep my distance most of the time. When I learned of my darling Adele's perverted brother, I made sure he had a debilitating accident before he could act on his thoughts. Sadly with the death of my Adele, most of the protections around the home have gone with her. I was so enamored when I met her. I was walking through her woods after coming through the portal. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her long blonde hair was held back by a set of combs. Her clear blue eyes sparkled in the sun. She was hanging up sheets on the clothesline in her backyard. Her beauty drew me in, but her heart kept me there. I wanted to give her everything, but she did not want a thing like the proud woman she was. Well, that is not true. She wanted love and children. I gave her two exceptional children. They were both beautiful children, but they did not possess the essential spark. At the time of their births, I was disappointed, but now I am glad they had normal yet short lives.

I watched from afar as they grew and had children of their own. With Hadley and Jason, I found I was relieved they did not have the spark. By then, my father had been waging a war to keep his throne. All fae children became chess pieces in his game. I watched as he married off my brother's daughter to one of the earth faery families in exchange for assistance against Breandan and the water faeries. She died in childbirth along with the child. That was the final straw for Dermot. He left my father and his scheming ways. He is somewhere hiding on earth. I have been trying in vain to locate him, but he has used his magic to clock himself. I hope to find him before my father does.

Sadly he is not my most pressing worry. Father has learned of Sookie's existence from Claudette. I see now it was not the wisest decision to have her siblings act as guards. She became suspicious of all the time they had been spending in this realm away from their club. She followed them one night and was lead to what is now Sookie's woods. The scent trails that were left behind made a circuit of the property near the house. Claudette approached the house and felt the pull of kin from Sookie. She told her father, Dillon, my half-brother. He, in turn, told our father. When Niall confronted me about Sookie, he demanded to know why I had not claimed her. He was furious to learn that I had when she was born but had not informed anyone. Niall has been planning to marry her off as well. I just hope he follows his own laws in regards to Sookie.

When I was just a boy, he decreed that faery human hybrids that were not raised in Faery were not subject to our rule. Any faery human hybrid living on earth is to be left alone until such time as they come into maturity or start showing signs of magic. Sookie has three more years until she reaches faery maturity. That will buy me some time, but I am afraid that she will be like me. I started to mature when I was twenty-three. Faeries of the royal line are not subject to betrothal contracts. However, if one is created, all parties have to agree on the terms. The only other thing I can hope for is that he follows protocol with the betrothal if he goes ahead with it. I fear that because she is only a quarter faery, he will ignore her wishes. Royal courting takes years, but I am not sure he will follow that either. I felt the magic in the letters Adele, and I wrote to Sookie become activated this afternoon. I am curious to see how she takes the news. I tried to get a hold of her independently, but she has not returned my call. I want to protect Sookie better than I did with her parents and Hadley. Corbett and his wife were drowned by Neave and Lochlan during a rainstorm. I was also too late to save Hadley from the child queen's clutches. I will not lose a second granddaughter to that spoilt brat.

I do not want to make as dramatic an entrance as my niece and nephew, so I am driving to meet the vampires at the Northman's place of business. I know that it will be far easier to cloak my scent if I do not pop in. I feel that I have chosen well in my prospective protectors. The Northman and his maker are two of the fiercest of their kind. They also have unmoving their devotion to those they deem valuable. I am cautious when I approach the club. I can feel no less than nine vampires inside. The Northman's child is at the door when I walk up.

"Mmm, now I know where she gets it." She says more to herself than me. I suppose that I am not clocking as well as I should. "I would go around back if you want to make it to your meeting." She stops me when I am ten feet from the door.

"Very well, tell them I am here," I say before walking to the rear of the building. The employee entrance is unlocked when I go to the door. The Northman meets me in the hallway to his office and the club.

"Brigant," He growls in greeting.

"Northman," I reply, following him in. He takes a seat behind his desk, his maker lounges on the sofa to the back of the room. I sit in a chair that has views of both them and the door.

"Why did you ask for this meeting? I was under the impression that my previous no was answer enough." He leans back in his chair.

"As Claudine said last night, Niall knows about Sookie and is planning to marry her off without her consent. What little I know of my granddaughter, I am positive she will not like this idea." I say calmly.

"What does that have to do with us?" Godric interjects.

"I know that she trusts the two of you and that you would not like to lose such a valuable asset to your area. I am aware of what your queen has planned for my granddaughter. I will not allow her life to be dictated by anyone." They both seem to prickle at the mention of the words asset and queen.

"Does it have anything to do with Compton?" The Northman asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"Yes, he was sent to procure her for your queen. The sanctimonious little toad will get nowhere with Sookie. Your queen, however, is planning on taking her as a telepathic pet." The venom in my voice was pronounced. "I will deal with the spoilt little bitch on my own."

"What do you want from us then if you have things in hand?" Godric questioned.

"I want your help in protecting my grandchild. I have no doubt that your queen will not be deterred in her desire to own my kin. If she were formally claimed by either or both of you, then it may help with the situation." I proposed.

"Yes, but would Sookie agree?" The Northman questioned.

"Sadly, I think you would know better than I would," I admitted.

"I feel it all depends on how we approach her." He agreed. "She needs to feel that we care about her and that we only want to protect her."

"I want to be there when you talk to her." She is my family, and I want her to know what is at stake.

"If we leave now, we should be able to see her tonight." He says, standing.

"I will meet you there." I nod to them, heading to the parking lot. This was not how I wanted to meet her, but I need to be there.

AN # 2: So what did you think? I will try to get the next chapter for this done sooner than this one. Thank you to padore for the lovely name for Bill.