A/N: I really love hearing from you guys! Just reading your thoughts, no matter what they are really makes my day! It also reiterates (as far as I'm concerned anyway) just how traumatized we all are by the way CH ended the series. Many of us feel kind of betrayed, and we're scared of being led down that path again.

But don't worry - while there will be a lot of twists and turns, I have NO intention of selling Eric into slavery.

Chapter 35

Eric POV

After I dialled the number for Niall that I found on top of Sookie's things, a very short and curt conversation with the Prince ensued. He informed me that my bonded was fine, if exhausted, and was home in her bed. I had demanded a better explanation and he promptly hung up.

Fucking fairies I thought.

More than anything I was relieved to know she was okay, and anxious to return to Shreveport the following day. Until then I would have to plan our next moves and make some decisions on Preston's behalf since he was still incapacitated. Pam hadn't left his side in hours; she sat by him on the bed holding his mouth open while Bill brought in countless donors to help him recover. So far he hadn't stirred.

All the while I spoke to Sheriffs from Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, and Arkansas. I met with members of Preston's retinue, and, I contacted the event planning firm EEE regarding the upcoming political and social engagements which would be required for my impending coronation.

I had tried to contact my staff at Fangtasia but was unable to reach a single individual, human or vampire. If it hadn't been for the fact that I had so much to take care of in Hawaii before my departure, that fact alone would have had me on the next flight back to Shreveport. I recalled having asked Pamela to check in with them earlier.

"Pamela" I said, looking up from my laptop for a second.

"Yes Master" she said immediately, recognizing my tone of voice.

"Did you call Fangtasia?"

"Yes, but no one answered. I called Ginger's cell phone and she told me that Sookie had asked her to close the bar. She was at Merlotte's and couldn't speak long." She replied to my astonishment.

"Why would Sookie tell Ginger to close the bar?" I asked. It made no sense.

"I do not know" Pam said, thoughtful "I assumed you had issued those orders and Sookie merely facilitated it."

"Not only did I do no such thing" Eric said "but I know nothing of this. Were you able to reach Thalia as I requested?"

"No, Master. Thalia rarely answers her cell phone. If she weren't ten times my age I might consider complaining to that effect." Pam said.

"And you didn't think to tell me this sooner?" I asked, beyond frustrated.

"You weren't in the most receptive of moods after we discussed my conversation with Karin" Pam argued "and in case you haven't noticed, we've been up to our eyeballs in bullshit. People not answering their cellphones was hardly of much relevance."

"Fine" I said, dropping the subject for the moment. She was right; there had been more important things to deal with at the time. But to say I was unsettled now, greatly unsettled, was an understatement. I realized we were going to have to run a far tighter operation on all fronts if I was to have a successful kingdom. I also needed to speak with my child Karin with great haste. She would be able to inform me personally on the news of Appius and Alexei, a subject which hadn't stopped weighing on my mind for one second.

And I realized I needed more employees. Immediately.

What troubled me the most was Sookie. Why would she close the bar? Surely not to send my waitresses to Merlotte's…? It was maddening and completely unlike her. I was missing something and I despised the feeling.

I couldn't even speak to her now to ask her about it. We had been apart for only a few hours and I already missed her more than I would ever admit aloud. I wanted to know how she had disappeared like that. I wanted to hold her and kiss her and tell her how magnificent she had been with Felipe.

I almost wanted to kill something because she had just left me here, without her warmth, her smile, her scent. I was addicted to my little part-fae telepath. Intoxicated by her.

Sookie, my Sookie. You are mine. You will be mine, my Queen.

0o0o0o0

Sookie POV

The rest of the afternoon went by in a flurry of activity. I had finished cleaning the house and then ran to the super Wal-Mart for some groceries. I even stopped in Tara's Togs for a quick visit and to pick up an outfit for the evening. I wanted to look my best for my great-grandfather and it had been awhile since I splurged on myself.

By the time dinner was in the oven (lasagna) and dessert the fridge (strawberry shortcake) I had a small window to pop by Merlotte's and speak to Ginger. I decided to call first rather than waste a trip just in case.

Since Amelia was pulling a double, which I didn't envy in the least, she answered the phone sounding a bit harried.

"Merlotte's Bar & Grill" she said, out-of-breath.

"Amelia its Sookie" I said quickly. I knew she was busy.

"What's wrong Sook? I'm in a bit of a rush here. Ginger didn't show for her shift." She finished, before yelling "be there in a sec!" to one of the customers.

"She didn't?" I asked, worried.

"Is there something you needed honey?" she asked again.

"Um, no, no it's fine." I assured her. See you tonight. I'll save you some dinner." I said.

"Thanks, gotta' go" Amelia said, hanging up.

Well that was odd I thought. Ginger didn't show up to work and didn't answer her phone.

I was getting alarmed by the number of people going missing around me.

Maybe it was that very thought which forced me to reconsider my harsh words to Quinn. Regardless of his methods, Frannie was his sister and she had only been abducted because of me. That made her my responsibility too. I didn't have to forgive Quinn to do the right thing by Frannie.

I decided to call him and tell him I would help. He answered on the first ring.

"I knew you'd come around, babe, I just wasn't expecting it to happen this soon" he said, before I had even gotten the chance to say hello.

"I will help you find your sister" I said, ignoring his comment and cutting to the chase "but not tonight. Tomorrow." I said with finality.

"Not that I don't appreciate it, but why the change of heart?" he asked.

"Look, Quinn, I'm not doing it for you. We will talk about it in the morning." I said, and hung up.

I felt a little better about my decision to help than I had felt about ignoring him. But only a little.

Looking up at the clock I realized it was already 6:30. Niall would be here soon. Since the table was already set and everything was ready to go, I had a few minutes to relax.

Instantly I thought of Eric. The sun wouldn't have gone down yet, not by a longshot, but I wished I could hear his voice. I had tried to send him my love today through the bond but who knows if it had worked. I missed him terribly and it had only been about 18 hours since I'd seen him.

Our time together in Hawaii had changed me, truly changed me, because I could no longer imagine being without him. I had no idea what that meant for us considering his new position. I hoped we would be able to figure it out soon. All the uncertainty between us had only caused problems in the past.

After a moment I decided to call him and leave a message. I knew he would be flying back to Shreveport tonight if things went according to plan, but I at least owed him a few words about last night.

The phone went immediately to voicemail.

"Eric" I started "I'm never sure what to say on these things. I just want you to know that I miss you. I'm sorry if I worried you last night. I hope you're on the way home. I realize there are some things, a lot of things, we need to talk about. I love you" I said. "Be safe" I finished.

It wasn't perfect but it was the best I could do for the time being.

I looked at the clock again: 6:45. Niall would be here soon.

Why was I so nervous?

0o0o0o0

The second the clock struck 7 there was a gentle knock at the door. I guess Niall would have considered it impolite to just pop in to my kitchen even though he had been invited.

I smiled at the thought. There was a serious lack of common courtesy in the supe world.

"Come in, great-grandfather" I said, opening the door and stepping aside to let him in.

"Thank you for having me, child" he said, kissing my cheek lightly and handing me some beautiful wildflowers of a kind I had never seen before. They looked delicate but were incredibly vivid in color. Deep blues, rich purples, bright pinks. Scattered amongst them were some even more fragile little flowers in yellow and orange. Niall watched me with as I admired those in particular.

"These are lovely" I said appreciatively "please make yourself comfortable while I go put them in water."

"They are sunstar blooms" he said "native to Faery. They are rare even in my realm."

I wondered if this was the only bouquet of sunstar ever to have been seen on earth. The thought made my head spin a little.

"What would you like to drink?" I called out from the kitchen.

"A small glass of red wine would be most appreciated if you have some. Water will do if not" he replied.

I was glad that I had decided on Italian for supper. I picked up some red wine just this afternoon to complement dinner.

After I put the blooms in Gran's nicest antique vase, I poured us each a glass of wine.

When I returned to the living room, Niall was looking at our old family photos over the fireplace.

"Adele was a true beauty" he said admiringly "as are you."

"Thank you" I said, blushing a little "she was a wonderful woman. I miss her every day."

"She would be most proud of you I'm sure" Niall continued, and then turned away from the photos to look at me "perhaps we ought to sit down and talk before time gets away from us."

I was surprised at the abrupt change of topic but I knew I would be relieved to finally have some answers. The lasagna needed to rest a little anyway so it was a good opportunity to chat. I took a small sip of my wine and sat down.

"I'm sure by now you're wondering why so many changes seem to be taking place so quickly. You are reaching a, shall we say, maturation point. In humans, this occurs at a very young age, which is predominantly due to their incredibly short life spans. In Fae, it takes much longer. Some may go a hundred years before reaching it. That is what makes you such a special case. For one thing, you are a hybrid. That alone made it impossible to determine when, if ever, you would develop fairy traits and abilities." He paused at this to take a sip of wine.

"But my telepathy" I argued "I've had it since childhood."

"Your telepathy is a story for another" he said plainly. I decided not to push him, as much as I wanted to.

Another what? I wondered.

"Back to the matter at hand: your maturation. I have several theories as to why you seem to be approaching it so rapidly. For one thing, you are sharing blood with an ancient vampire. This is uncommon for our kind and it has helped awaken some of your latent traits. But more importantly, I think, is your heart. Sookie, my child, you have been involved in more supernatural politics than many have to face in their lifetimes. And yet you remain kind, and pure. You have also become something of an intermediary between species. You may not realize it but that makes you completely unique."

Niall looked at me with pride in his eyes. I had to suppress a tear. You just don't realize how much the support and high opinion of a family member means to you until they are gone. Niall's presence reminded me that I wasn't alone without Gran. I loved my brother, Jason, but it wasn't the same.

"If I may continue a moment longer?" he asked, taking me out of my reverie.

"Of course" I said.

"I'm still not certain what abilities you will possess as you go through the full change. But I think we can count on teleportation. And we've already discussed your longer lifespan" he said thoughtfully "but I think we can expect a lot more. I look forward to being proven correct."

Teleportation I thought, swooning a bit from the overload of information. I had assumed my arrival here was Niall's doing, not my own.

"Thank you for telling me all this" I said "but I need some time to process everything you've said before I can decide how I feel about it" I finished, taking not a sip of wine but an unladylike gulp. Niall chuckled very quietly.

"Dinner smells delicious" he said after I had collected myself a little "perhaps we might go ahead and eat? If you think of anything specific you'd like to ask while we dine…" he trailed off.

I led him to the dining room table and refilled his wine. After dishing out some salad and serving us both our lasagna, I began to relax. A little.

"I do have a couple of questions" I said hesitantly.

"By all means" he said.

"Why me and not Jason? Why did you really send me the dagger? What do you know about vampire politics? Who's coming for dessert?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

"Good lord girl" Niall said "those are more than a couple of questions." He seemed to want to think on his answer a little so I stayed quiet.

"Vampire politics are not something I'm inclined to discuss at the dinner table" he said with distaste "as to who's coming for dessert; he will be here any moment so you'll just have to wait. I believe you already know the answers to the other questions if you really think about them" he finished primly, and then took a bite of salad as though that settled that.

If I was being honest I did know why I had the essential spark and Jason did not. Putting it in very simple terms, he was just not responsible enough. He had a good heart, I thought, very deep down I added to myself a little guiltily, but he would always put himself first.

As for the dagger, I knew Niall had sent it to protect me, but I also figured, based on what I knew now, that it had acted as a kind of trigger for the change. There were many other factors, obviously, but it had helped catapult me forward in my maturation.

I guessed Niall was invested in my becoming a fairy. For what reasons I couldn't say, but I tucked that thought away for further inspection.

By now we had finished dinner, so I busied myself with clearing up the dishes while I waited on my mystery guest.

"We have company" Niall said suddenly.

I went to answer the door right away. I wondered how Niall had known our guest arrived before there had been so much as a quick knock. I hadn't even detected another brain signature.

When I opened the front door I was pleasantly surprised to find Desmond Cataliades waiting on the porch. I gestured for him to come in. He was smiling widely.

Why all the mystery? I wondered.

Faeries did love their intrigue, but honestly Niall could have just said it was Mr. Cataliades and saved me the anxiety.

"Welcome Mr. Cataliades" I said politely "please make yourself at home. My great-grandfather and I were about to have some dessert."

"It is a pleasure to see you Miss Stackhouse" he said genuinely "dessert sounds lovely."

I showed him to the dining room where Niall sat, waiting for us.

"Desmond" he said, informally "I'm glad you could make it."

Mr. Cataliades nodded and joined him at the table.

"It was no trouble at all. I've been looking forward to an opportunity to speak with Miss Stackhouse for some time now" he said.

I found myself mighty curious about why that would be, but I figured all in due time.

"Please, eat" I said to both men.

Cataliades dug in without a second thought, at which Niall didn't even attempt to hide his laughter.

"Demons" he said, taking a tiny, prim, bite.

Cataliades feigned being offended.

I found the entire situation to be too bizarre for words.

Luckily for me, at that exact moment the phone rang. I excused myself to go and answer it. Normally I wouldn't dream of answering the phone during dinner, especially not when I had company, but with everything that was going on I couldn't be sure it wasn't an emergency. Furthermore, the sun had set an hour ago. I found myself longing deeply for Eric's voice.

"Lover" Eric purred the moment I answered "I enjoyed your message. I would have enjoyed it more in person."

"I know, Eric, I'm sorry about disappearing like that" I said. I knew it was inadequate but hey, it's not like I had planned to teleport several thousand miles in the blink of an eye.

"It's okay, dear one. I'm just relieved that you are well. I find myself thinking about you" he paused for a moment "above all other things. I am leaving Hawaii tonight. The length of the flight being what it is, and the sunrise…I cannot guarantee that I will be able to see you before I go to rest."

I had figured that, but I still hoped we would see each other, if only for a moment.

"I understand Eric. I will be here waiting for you if you can make it. If not, I will be at your house when you rise tomorrow. I have so much to tell you-

"Shhh, Sookie, not over the phone. Give the Prince my best" he said, somewhat sarcastically.

"How do you know he's here?" I asked, shocked.

"I sent Bubba to watch over you tonight" he said "he just arrived out back a few moments ago."

"Oh, well, thanks."

More surprise company I thought.

"See you soon, Eric."

"Not if I see you first" he said, and I could hear the grin in his voice before he hung up.

On my way back to the dining room, I looked out to back window and saw Bubba standing in the yard. I waved and he waved back happily. After Niall and Cataliades left I would go out and say hello.

I decided now would also be a good moment to scan for any other brain signatures. I was kicking myself for not having done it sooner. I was only able to sense one void where Bubba stood. Niall's signature and Cataliades' were distinctly different.

I let the fact that I currently had a vampire, a fairy, and a demon on my property fully sink in before I returned to the table. It almost sounded like a joke.

A fairy, a vampire, and a demon all walk into a bar…

Both Niall and Cataliades stood when I entered the room. I thought that was sweet.

"Apologies for excusing myself like that" I said "what did I miss?"

"Actually, child, I was just leaving" Niall said as he approached me for a hug. "Thank you so much for our lovely dinner. I look forward to doing it again soon" he finished as he held me tightly. I felt peacefulness and tranquility wash over me in gentle waves. He was so warm, he felt like sunlight itself.

"Oh, okay" I said, surprised "thank you for coming. Let me see you out."

"That won't be necessary" Niall countered "arriving is one thing, but departing?"

I wasn't sure what he meant until he disappeared right in front of my eyes, leaving me hugging a whole lot of nothing.

"Fairies have a thing for dramatics" Cataliades said with a smile "Demons are much more sensible."

At that moment, I couldn't keep it in any longer and burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all. Perhaps I was coming unhinged.

Cataliades seemed unperturbed by my outburst.

"You are overwhelmed" he said "I don't blame you. I would suggest returning at a later date for our visit but my schedule is unpredictable. As I have some answers I believe you to be looking for, I feel I ought to stay. I won't take up too much of your time." He said formally.

"I'm happy for you to stay" I said sincerely. "Please, tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

As he started to explain his visit, I found myself needing to sit down.

And that was how I learned the origin of my telepathy.

TBC

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