Marten's POV:
I will love you always….. I sing out loud.
I write the lyrics on my music paper and continue strumming my guitar, creating new melodies for the 12th song I had written about Sookie.
I lean my head back against the sofa.
"Baby come home….." I sing softly.. "Go back to the way we were….."
"Are you quite done?" a voice calls out from behind me.
"Not really," I answer back to my friend, my best friend, the only person whom I could trust in this world now.
"I honestly don't think it's healthy to be writing so many sappy love songs," Adam says as he sits in the arm chair across from me.
It had been two days since I had my heart torn in two by the two people that I loved most. I was still holed up in my bachelor apartment, blocking myself from the world, the world that I couldn't face right now.
"Sookie's been waiting for you," Adam says.
"You went by the apartment? Did she say she missed me?" I ask, suddenly feeling curious.
"She didn't really talk to me, but you can tell she hasn't been doing too well without you," Adam says.
"Well good, even if she's only feeling half of the sorrow and torture I'm going through, then at least it's something I guess," I answer as I strum my guitar again.
"You should at least shower," Adam says.
I stop strumming, "Why? I don't have anyone to look good for and to be clean for."
It had been two days as well since I last showered or even changed my clothes. I had taken off my shirt, but was still in the same pants.
"What would you do?" I ask him.
I had never been in this type of situation before, nor had I ever thought I would be. It was shitty, like horribly awful.
"You really want my opinion?" Adam says with a raised eyebrow.
I nod.
"Well, you still love Sookie, despite what she did with your dad, I would go to her and ask her why? Why did she do what she did? Then I would tell her, I forgive you, but now you have to earn back my trust…"
"Go on," I say to him. Adam seemed to always know what to do in every situation.
"Then I would go to your dad and fight him," he says.
I stare blankly at him. "Wait, you mean you think I should fight him?"
"Well, he did try and steal your woman right?" Adam replies. "In the old days, if a man tried to take the honor of a woman without permission, then they would duel. I think that idea applies to this situation."
I sit back and think. I was still angry at Marius. I had never been this angry at him before. Sure, we had our general disagreements about mundane things, but never had our arguments been this serious. I honestly still wanted to hurt him for hurting me. He could have any woman in the world, why did he want my Sookie? Was it because she was mine?
"I should go mate," Adam says. "Just think about what I said. Can you imagine a fight like that happening at Susannah's? You could make a killing."
I sit still and ponder that idea for an hour.
I shower, change my clothes, and head out the door. I knew who I was going to see first.
I walk down the street and stop. I close my eyes and reach out through the bond with father. Right away, I sense where he was and I head into that direction.
I walk for about 15 minutes and finally end up to where Marius was, he was sitting in a coffee shop.
I take an unnecessary breath and walk in, spot him sitting in the corner. The whole shop was empty, even the barista wasn't there. I suspect he must've glamoured everyone to leave.
I walk up to him and slide into the seat across from him.
I clench my fists underneath the table. I could feel my fury rising once again as I replay that horrid scene in my mind.
Nevermind waiting till fight club, I wanted to kill him in this place.
He doesn't say anything, but looks at me with pity in his eyes.
Like this asshole thinks he won and could steal my wife…. I think to myself furiously.
All of a sudden, I feel a calming emotion and all my rage begins to simmer down.
He's using his abilities on me, fucking bastard!
"I'm only doing this so that you can hear me," he finally says.
"Nothing you can say will change my mind about you," I grit.
"I do not expect your forgiveness," he says. "But I would like to say something on Sookie's behalf."
"You can just stop right there," I say to him. "Don't ever say my wife's name."
"I have not touched her, except in that moment," he says. "It is complicated. I have lived over two thousand years and I have never experienced what had happened."
"You remember the woman from Stockholm in the 70s? You remember that she was the woman from this generation who had travelled back in time using an ancient faery method? Have you even wondered what happened to her?"
I think about it. Of course I had always wondered what happened to the 70s version of Sookie. Eric had said that she returned to her own time. Now, I only knew about the concept of time travel from movies and books, I had no idea how it worked in real life. I had only assumed 70s Sookie returned to her time and was now living a life in some alternate universe with Eric.
"She didn't return to her time," Marius says.
What the fuck was he talking about?
"Where is she then?" I ask, all of a sudden curious.
"That Sookie manifested herself into your wife. It happened when she killed that witch," he says.
I was confused. "So, my Sookie isn't the same woman? She's the 70s version?"
"No, she is still the same, but the memories and soul of the other Sookie joined with this timeline's version," he says.
Okay, I was actually starting to become cross-eyed. Damnit this is why I hated time travel!
"So my Sookie is still my Sookie, but she has the extra memories and experience of the old Sookie?" I blurt out, trying to keep things on track.
"Yes," he says.
"If that's the case why didn't she tell me this? This is important information," I say.
"You would have to ask her that question," he says.
"So why were you and her so interested in…." I say but I was beginning to understand a bit why. "Sookie was yours, wasn't she? The old version. In her world, you and her were…. together. She showed you by using her fae powers, didn't she?"
Marius nods his head.
"Why did she show you?" I ask him. I didn't want to hear the reason why because I was scared to. I was afraid that he was going to tell me that Sookie realized that she wanted to be with him again.
"It was because I asked her," he says.
Son of a bitch! I could feel my anger rising despite his command to stay calm.
"Why would you ask my wife about a life that doesn't exist?" I ask him.
"I needed to know why we had a connection, I could sense it the moment I met her all those years ago. I believe that was the reason why she came to me when she had been cursed by that witch," he says.
I grit my teeth. "What did she show you?"
"Heartache and love," he says softly. He gives me a brief recap of what had happened in the alternate timeline, including the bit about my death from the hands of a Caribbean witch.
Remind me to cancel my next Caribbean holiday, I think to myself grimly.
He also tells me that he and Sookie had been married for a decade before he met his final death from a virus.
"Wait, was Eric alive in this timeline?" I ask him.
"He was," he answers.
I think back to my memories of Sookie and Eric together. They had deeply in love. I had never seen Eric so devoted to one woman in all the years I had known him. I could see the love that she had for him as well and I saw how it almost killed her when Eric had met his final death. If Eric was alive in that timeline and Sookie wasn't with him that could only mean…..
"You mean she chose you and not Eric?" I ask him.
"She did," is all he says.
I sit back and think. This was a lot to take in, but then it didn't change my mind about what I wanted to do.
"And now?" I ask him. "What do you want from her?"
He looks at me with soft eyes. "When she showed me, it was almost like that part of me, the other alternative version joined with me. It was like I was reborn again."
I stare at him blankly.
"That does not mean I will take your wife," he says.
He gives me a look that almost says I should be thanking him for that.
"Like I would every give you her," I scoff. "Sookie is mine. I have only been the second man who has ever fucked her and I don't plan on changing that now or ever in the future."
I know my comment was crass, but I didn't give a shit. No other man was ever going to experience Sookie's touch, her soft skin, the taste of her blood and essence. The only other man who did was dead and gone now. Sorry, but not sorry, Eric.
"Your version of Sookie doesn't exist anymore. Yes, she might've inherited past memories, but that doesn't mean she is that woman. This Sookie belongs to me," I say to him sternly.
"I will not interfere," Marius says calmly.
I was getting tired of his Zen attitude.
"Like hell you won't," I say to him. "Obviously, because of all this new information, you cannot be apart of my life anymore."
"Is that what you want my son?" he says to me, finally showing a hint of emotion.
"Now, I'm your son?" I scoff again. "Actually, that's not all that I want."
"Back in the old days, when you dishonoured another man by coveting his wife, you have to pay the price," I say to him.
"What do you suggest?" he asks.
"A fight, a fight at my club, two days from now," I say to him. I could feel my hands shaking at the prospect of fighting my father. He was stronger than me, more wiser, had more experience, but the one thing he lacked was the passion. The passion that you needed in order to win a fight. And fighting was my passion, besides Sookie.
"You know that I will not fight you," he replies.
"Too bad, because that's what I want and you owe me that. You have dishonoured me and my home," I tell him. I could feel my heart breaking once again. I loved this man, I would've died for him, I would've fought till the ends of this earth for him, but now….it was broken and gone.
"What are the terms?" he asks, there was sadness in his eyes.
"If I win, you will set me free, I will no longer be bound to you and you will never see me again, and you will stay away from my wife," I tell him, my voice cracking in emotion. "If I lose, you will do the right thing and end my life permanently."
"Marten….you know I could not," he says, his voice full of emotion.
"It has to be this way," I tell him. "She has been the only woman that I have loved or ever will love. And I have to defend it, defend her."
Marius is silent for a moment before nodding his head. "I agree to your terms."
"Good," is all I say before rising from my seat and walking out of the shop. I run in vampire speed to another part of the city and break down in tears.
A little while later, I walk into the penthouse apartment. I could smell Sookie' salty tears. I knew that she had been crying a lot. I find her in the den sitting on one of the couches, staring towards the window.
Her eyes were puffy and it looked like she hadn't slept in days. Her hair was disheveled and she was wearing her cotton pajamas that she brought from home.
She turns her head towards me. She takes a few deep breaths of relief before getting up and running towards me.
"I didn't think you would come back. I've been trying to call you and contact you through our bond," she says somberly.
"Marten, I am sooo sorry," she says as she begins crying.
"Sookie," I say softly. "Why? Why did you tell Marius and not me?"
"He told you about me, of course," she says. "I don't have an excuse for that. I should've told you before we had gotten married. You have no idea how much I regret not telling you."
"Do… you still want to be with him?" I ask her. I didn't want to hear the answer to this question. If she told me yes, I wasn't sure what I would do. I would probably allow it because of how much I loved her and how much I loved Marius. And then after that, I would probably walk into the sun, because that would be too much for any man to endure.
"No," she says as she steps closer to me. "I… I can't explain it, but it's like as though it was someone else's experiences, someone else's feelings, but it all just spilled out that night I showed Marius. That part of me will always cherish those memories, but this is my life, these are my choices. And I choose you, I chose to marry you, I choose to live my life with you, and I choose to love you."
I step close to her and touch her. I put my forehead against hers. Suddenly, everything felt right again.
"I thought I lost you," I whisper to her.
She puts her arms around me. "You could never lose me, it's me and you till the end."
I kiss her deeply and pick her up. I race us back to our 'hidey hole'. In less than a few seconds my clothes are discarded along with hers. I had to be inside her at this moment, I needed to feel that intimate connection with her. I make love to my wife passionately, exploring every inch of her body and driving her to ecstasy.
She climaxes and it brings me to my release. She pants against me as she rubs my back.
I think back to that light she was illuminating with Marius as I hold her.
"I've only shared my light with you once," Sookie says dreamily as she kisses my shoulder.
"How did you know that was what I was thinking about?" I smile at her.
"I… was thinking the same thing too," she smiles as she kisses my lips.
"I'm sorry Marten," she says softly.
"I know," I say as I kiss her hair. "I understand what happened and…..let's just move passed this."
I still hadn't told her about the fight. I wasn't sure how she was going to react to it, but I had an idea. She was not going to be too happy or supportive about it. I will tell her tomorrow, right now I just wanted to enjoy this time together.
She is silent and still for a moment before she begins glowing blue, Her blue light suddenly engulfs me as well. I could feel her energy, it was like it was almost bringing me to life.
She kisses my lips before straddling me, and lowering herself only my hard cock. She rides me, her blue light never dimming out but seemed to be getting brighter. I rub her clit as she arches her back. I have no idea how long we continue, but I could feel her orgasm approaching as she continues to ride me. Finally, she orgasms and that draws out my own as I shoot my seed deep inside her. In that moment, I am blinded by a bright white light. It was so bright, that I close my eyes, unable to open them until the light begins to dim.
I am finally able to open my eyes, Sookie was still on top of me, holding onto my thighs as she rides out her orgasm,
"That was… extraordinary," I say to her, still astonished as to what had happened. I had said it before and I'll say it again, Sookie was by far the best lover that I had ever had.
"It sure was," she says as she smiles dreamily. She leans forward and on top of me. I was still inside her.
We lay like this, just enjoying the moment, before I get up and get her a washcloth and help clean her up. After we freshen up, we lay back in bed, holding each other.
"We should do that more often," I say to her.
"We should," she replies.
I could feel the pull of the sun as Sookie falls asleep against me.
I knew that in two days would probably be the most difficult day of my long existence. I had no idea what was going to happen. I knew that whatever the outcome was, there wasn't going to be a happy ending, for any of us.