SPOV

"So basically your plan is to go in there with as many vampires as we can rally and try to take him by force. Most likely ending in a blood bath." I'm becoming concerningly well at holding back my cringes whenever a gleam of excitement enters Karin's eyes at the slightest hint that there will be violence in her near future."

"Yes. It's a simple but effective plan."

"Yeah, it could be," I hedge, "but I'm seeing a few possible flaws."

Karin is looking at me in a way that makes it clear she doesn't think there's a chance she could have missed something in her perfect plan. "Explain."

"Well, this isn't just a prison break, there's contracts and stuff involved, right? Now I know I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to stay out of this stuff but I've still caught on to a thing or two. Say we get out of there without everyone dying, wouldn't he be in breach of contract? Aren't there consequences? I have a feeling DeCastro wouldn't be welcoming us back with open arms to Louisiana, and even if he did, I bet it would be with a lot of strings attached."

"Why is coming back to Louisiana a necessity?"

"Um because it's my home? And okay, let's look at this in another way, what if a fight does happen but we win, so now, the queen is dead? You know as well as I do that he doesn't want to be the king. And still, this would involve me moving, to Oklahoma of all places. No thank you."

"Oh, so now the fairy princess is open to living with Eric? That's new information. From what I remember from a few months ago, you were very against the idea." Pam cuts in.

"Yeah, well, things change. But also, different Sookie, remember?"

"So were you and Eric together in the other world too?" Pam asks and I see the pity in her eyes again, which I am definitely not a fan of.

"No, well sort of. From what I can tell it was pretty similar to what happened here but in my timeline he still had amnesia so we were pretty far behind you guys, time-wise, that was years ago, right? It's not those memories that are responsible for my change of heart, it's from all the memories I got when I came here. I don't know why Lucky Sookie was so against them together, so against fighting for him, for them. Whatever, that doesn't matter anymore, there are much more important things to talk about. Karin, you were like an assassin, right? Let's use some of those skills, maybe we can just, I don't know, sneak in there and take him. That could work, couldn't it?" I ask hopefully.

"Sookie, first, Eric is the one setting up security in that place, do you think it's going to be easy to get in there unnoticed? But even if we do and get him out unseen we're still in the same situation. Coming back here wouldn't be an option. We'd have to go into hiding, vampires have a very long memory, so we wouldn't be able to take our lives back until we gain enough strength to take out the people we're hiding from. Karin plans to skip all that and just take out our enemies in the first place, which we're going to have to do no matter what."

Well, I can't really deny that, can I? Everything Pam is saying is true and although it might be fun to go away for a few weeks incognito, somewhere where no one would know us, I don't think I could do it for the rest of my life, never talk to Jason or Tara again, or Amilia and Octavia, although I still feel weird about those two since even though I feel like I know them, and Amilia is one of my closest friends, I've technically never met them before.

I sigh, "Okay, I see you're point. There has to be another way though, a way without bloodshed, or not much at least."

"Well, we're all ears, this is the best either of us came up with."

"Okay, the only other way I could see it is to somehow politically get him out of there. The problem is, none of us hold any positions of power, well, other than you being sheriff but she's a queen, so I'm pretty sure she out ranks you. Maybe I can plead my case to DeCastro. I know he's not a good guy but I don't think he's terrible, so maybe it'd work?" It's clear from the tone of my voice that I don't have much hope in that plan, and even if I could get him to agree, I'm sure it would be in exchange for me. He'd probably try to get me to trade my freedom for Eric's. Then we'd be in the same place because I don't doubt Eric would do the same for me.

The look on both Pam and Karin's faces says it all, they don't have to verbally respond, DeCastro won't be helping us with this one. I sigh, I guess bloodshed it is then. "Okay, how many vampires do you have that will fight with us? I might be able to get Amelia to help but I know Octavia will want nothing to do with it, she doesn't like getting involved with vampire bullshit. Heck, Amelia doesn't either but I think she'd do it for me. Maybe I can get Alcide and his pack, they owe me after all the trouble they've dragged me into."

Karin looks at me for a few moments, I think she's surprised I gave in this fast. I'm not the naive, self-righteous, childish person I was before, I know it takes a lot to survive in this world, and you can't always solve things peacefully. "As of right now, I have 30 vampires, though full disclosure, about ten of them are babies, less than a decade old. Seven are those that work in my line of words, four of those seven are on par with me in skills though all of them are good and have been at the job for a while. The rest are foot soldiers, a lot from here locally, most around here still hold loyalty to Eric so they are willing to go against Freyda and DeCastro to get him back. Eric has others loyal to him that are not around here, he's made a lot of allies in his 1000 years, I have put out word that I'm trying to get in contact with them and I'm just waiting on word back. I must be quiet about my inquiries and contacts because what we're talking about is treason, so it might take some time."

"Okay, okay, thirty sounds like a decent number of people, plus with my probably dozen wolves and at least one strong witch, that's pretty good, right? How many people do you think we're going to go against at her compound?"

I can't stop thinking of the political angle of it, I know it'd be a lot safer, easier, and even quicker if we could just get a piece of paper that says she has to legally hand Eric over to us. It's not going to happen unless I find some way to have that much sway in the vampire hierarchy. The only problem is, that I just don't know how to get that sway. I know Russell Edgington likes me well enough, I might be able to get him and his husband on my side but I don't think I can work with him, not with my memories of my world's Russel. So no, he's not going to work.

"From the intel, I've gathered about double what we have now, 60ish vampires, 20 Weres, though there's no saying how many will actually be on the compound when we attack, and knowing my maker as I do, I'm sure he's amassing his own forces too. Although we cannot count on that since there's no way to speak to him to know for sure." Karin replies.

"Okay, well I'll make some calls too, we'll figure out how to get enough people to at least make the fight even. But let's say we do get enough people on our side that we feel comfortable making the attack, how would we even get close enough to the compound and the queen without them knowing we're coming? I doubt we'd be able to just drive up to the house and get in without any problems. She has people watching the roads and stuff around her place, right? I mean I know that's what I would do if I was a queen that was so worried about losing my territory that I'd force a man that hates me into marrying me."

"That is a good point, Sookie, I think you're right. That might be where Amelia comes into play." Pam says with almost a purr, "I haven't seen her in quite some time, I'll be happy to…reconnect."

I laugh and slap her arm, Pam cracks me up, "Alright you horn dog, we're not trying to figure out how to get you laid, we're trying to figure out how to save Eric. You can talk to her about all that after Eric is home safe and sound. Although you're right, she might be able to come up with some cloaking spell so that they can't see us coming. If we have as many people as we're hoping to, we might need more than one witch though."

"That is fine, witches grow on trees around here, I have three on retainer myself," Pam replies.

"Okay, good. We should warn them what's coming too so that they're prepared. How long do you think it will take to have it all set up? I just can't stand thinking that Eric is sitting somewhere in that situation again, he doesn't deserve that." I say sadly.

"A few weeks," Karin answers plainly, that isn't the answer I'm hoping for, I was hoping she said like a day or two, a week at most.

I have to think of something faster, Eric always did everything he could to get me home when I was taken, sometimes it felt like he even moved heaven and hell to do it, and I'm going to do the same for him. The only other person of power I know is Niall, and he's taking his good ole' time getting back to us.

Thinking of him does give me an inkling of an idea though, "Wait, what about me? I'm royalty, a fairy princess, right? Could I just demand for him back? Like claim him as mine, maybe say we're still married because my kind doesn't believe in divorce? I don't know if that's true but it's worth a shot."

Pam's eyes light up with hope and calculation. "Hmm, yes, you might be onto something, my friend. Though I do know that fairies can end their formal relationships, I know it takes more than signing a piece of paper, at least not the specific piece of paper you signed, in the eyes of the fae, you might still be wed and that would mean his marriage to Freyda is null and void." Pam looks like she's getting excited before she deflates a little bit, "No, I don't know if that would work since you did not get married in the way of your kind, you only did it in the way of ours. I'm not even sure how it is fae get hitched."

"Well, I know fairies are super secretive, if you don't know how we got married, there's a chance she doesn't either, maybe it can be as simple as me walking in there and stating that they were never married because our marriage still stands. We'd still need some backup because I have a feeling she'd just try to kill me, that's one way to make sure the ex-wife won't come into your life to mess with you." I say with an uncomfortable laugh because I know it's true, there's nothing stopping her from just trying to kill me if I walk in there and try to take Eric.

"No, she won't do anything to you, she can't. If she lifts one finger against you, her contract with Eric is null and void. Eric made sure of it, he knew she wouldn't want to lose him and he knew she was jealous enough to try to kill you even if it seemed that you didn't want him so he made sure to make the penalties steep if she were to try to hurt you. She'd lose him and a lot of money."

Huh, I keep learning things about this contract, things Eric did to make sure I stayed safe even though he thought I wanted nothing to do with him and thought he'd never see me again. The feelings I have for him grow at the thought. "Oh, wow, I hope he didn't have to give up too much to get that into the contract…" It seemed like for every small thing he got to keep me safe, he had to give up a lot of himself. I shake my head, I'll feel terrible about that later, right now it's time to focus on getting him out of there. "Okay, I think we're onto something with the fairy marriage, ugh, we just need to talk to a fairy to get more information, where's Niall when you need him?"

"Ahh, I see you're all already here, good. We have a lot of work to do in a little time."

I yelp when I hear Niall behind me. I turn to him and want to snap at him for taking so long and for entering my house like he did but I realize I'm just angry at him right now, and that I really need him, so taking my anger out on him is probably not the best idea. "Hi Niall, I'm glad you're here. I'm hoping you have good news."

He opens his arms for a hug and although I've never hugged another fairy before I have memories of the feelings it gives you. So even though I'm angry, I walk into his arms and sigh in relief at the feeling of home and strength I get at the touch.

"Come, sit, sit, I have some things to catch you up on. I've been busy these few days since I saw you last.

~~~~

Yesterday

EPOV

I rise just as I do every evening and quickly make my way to my private shower. The queen kept me in her chambers so late last night that I was not able to shower before I was pulled to rest and I strongly dislike waking up with her scent on me. Thankfully I was able to avoid another blood exchange. Because of all the amendments and clauses in the bond that I made to help Sookie, I had to give up a lot for myself. The language is really vague in terms of blood exchanges, normally the rule is only one a year to keep the connection between two vampires but because of the amendments in our contract, she can push for as many as she wants and I can only fight back so much.

There is no way I'm going to allow her to tie me to her forever. I do not like feeling as much of her as I do right now, I don't want to have it become any stronger. Right now we are both able to keep the other out most of the time but can each of us still know the other is still unliving. Also, if either of us stops remembering to keep the other out, we'd be able to feel everything the other is feeling. I feel a moment of grief and regret that I can no longer feel my Sookie's emotions that way. I cannot help but to stop and wonder what she is doing right now. I mentally shake my head and force myself to focus on tonight's agenda. Avoiding thinking about her is the only way I am able to not lose myself in grief that she's lost to me now.

I turn off the shower, step out, and grab a towel. I just wrap it around my waist when I have to work hard not to let my surprise, and though I'd never admit it to anyone, fear show, Niall is sitting on my bed calmly waiting for me.

"What are you doing here? We do not have another meeting set for a month."

"Things have changed."

I vamp up to him, "Is she okay?"

"Yes, calm yourself, Viking."

He's right, since this isn't a set meeting I haven't had time to prepare and make sure we are secure and that no one will find out. I go over to my door to make sure it is securely locked and bolted, and it is, I never go to day rest without it so. I've checked this room periodically and in depth for bugs so I know there is none. I walk over to my windows and close the blinds. This is the only place in the whole mansion, in my whole life, that is private and just mine. I listen internally to the clock all vampires have that alerts us to where the sun is and realize that a doner will be coming soon. It's good that Niall can teleport out of here at a moment's notice. I turn my attention back to the fairy.

"What has changed?"

If I didn't know better I'd say Niall looks almost sheepish, possibly guilty but that doesn't make any sense. "You are much more important to this world than anyone had known."

"What the fuck? I don't have time for puzzles. There will be a knock on my door in about ten minutes."

"Will you be able to send them away? This will take longer than that."

"I suppose I can, I have bagged blood in the fridge, it might raise some eyebrows, I know the queen gets reports on my nightly habits," I say and nod to the mini fridge I have over in the corner.

"Hmm, yes, do that. It is not as if you will be here much longer anyway."

I raise my eyebrow at him in response, he can't just say something like that and not give me details. He proceeds to tell me a long, almost unbelievable story of our world coming to an end, of Sookie and I being the catalysts in stopping it, and failing miserably. He tells me how he got Sookie out of there so that she could try again and how she and another version of myself fixed everything. About how my Sookie is out there somewhere living with another man, another version of me, and how they're happy with children. It sounds unbelievable and it fills me with rage, hurt and betrayal too but I learned long ago how to push them aside and let the rage take over. I might be filled with anger but I stay calm on the outside because I know I must finish listening to what he has to say, plus if I attack him, he'll either just pop out of here or I'll have a dead fairy on my hands. Neither option will get me the information I need.

He continues to tell me how he did not feel good about leaving this world to die but he saw no other option until one came from the success of my Sookie and that Eric. So he plucked the Sookie who was waiting in limbo and dropped her right into my Sookie's spot. I'm not sure how to feel about that, the woman I love is gone, and some strange approximation replaced her, either way, that's not her. I almost feel like there's no real point in fighting to get out of here anymore. I could just grin and bear it for the next few decades and be free to do as I wish, there'd be no need to possibly have to take a throne… I mentally block those thoughts away, it hurts too much to think about, at least I have the comfort of knowing she's safe and happy living the type of normal life she always wanted.

"So you were fine with just leaving us all to die? Niall, I know you have a thing against vampires but fuck."

"It's not as if I had a choice in the matter, I was doing what I could to at least save Sookie. It's not as if I brought about the end of the world."

I growl, feeling like he's blaming me for something I had no part in. I have no intention in saying the next words that come out of my mouth but I know they're true as soon as I say them. "I want her back, my Sookie."

"That will not happen, she's not your Sookie anymore, I'm not sure she ever really was but she's definitely that Eric's now. They are married, blood-bound, pledged, and their souls are bound in the way of my kind. Not to mention the children. Even if I could bring her back, I doubt she would want to."

The amount of pain I feel at his words is staggering, I almost need to rest my arm on the dresser to keep me upright but I manage without it. I know he's right though, and I have to move past it, there's no other option, it's clear I'll never get her back. It shouldn't hurt this much, I already made peace with this fact when I came to Oklahoma, I had no intentions of getting out of here in her lifetime, and even if I did manage it, it wasn't like she wanted to be with me anyway, she made that clear. But at least she was living in the world and she was safe, at least I could check up on her. I can't do that anymore, I'll never see her again, and I'll never get an update from Pam, Karin, or Niall about her again. I try to have peace in the knowledge that she's happy but it's just a bandaid on a gaping wound.

I feel anger when I see pity enter Niall's eyes, I suppose I'm not doing as well of a job of hiding my emotions as I thought. "Sookie isn't gone though, there's a Sookie right where you left her."

"Yeah, but it's a Sookie with completely different memories than me, than the Sookie that I've known since she walked in my bar in that dress…" I trail off remembering how beautiful she looked that night. I mentally chastise myself for acting this way, this is why I decided I can't spend my time thinking about her, shit like this happens, I become a blubbering lovesick fool and that's not me.

"No, she doesn't, first of all, that's how she met her version of you too. In fact, her life was very similar to yours, she was just behind us. I took her from your cubby in her house while you had amnesia."

"My cubby?"

"Okay, so things weren't completely the same, she was gone for a year, lost in the fairy, and everyone thought she was dead, except you, that is. Her brother put her house on the market and you brought it, it was destroyed by the maenad so you fixed it up for her, in the process building yourself the cubby. But other than that, things were almost exactly the same. No, that's not true, you had a different maker in that world too, a much kinder one. None of that really matters though, the point is, she has all the memories of this Sookie, she's almost the exact same as this one, other than the fact that she realizes the mistake in," He gestures vaguely to me, "everything that happened and now she's determined to come free you and bring you home."

I'm not quite sure how to feel about this information, so she's the same Sookie but different? I don't know if I want anything to do with that. I would have kept chasing after my Sookie forever but she left, this Sookie, though she looks like my lover, I have no attachment to her, I don't know her. What's the point in running in circles with her again, trying to get her to admit her love for me, and at the same time knowing she never will? I should just stay away from her, not give her the chance to get me attached to her again, it will save me a lot of pain. Let someone else keep her safe, Pam probably because I'm not ignorant enough to believe that I won't care about her enough to at least ensure her safety. I can do that at a distance though. My Sookie is gone, and this one will probably just hurt me like the last, there's no need to put myself through that again.

"That is unnecessary."

I want to smirk, I see the shock on Niall's face before he covers it with a blank mask. "What is unnecessary?"

"There is no need to break me out, or 'bring me home' as you say. That is not my home anymore, I've sold all my possessions and businesses locally and Pam is old enough to run things on her own. I will do my time here and once it's done I'll be free and never have to be put in this situation again, Appius is dead, no one holds that type of power over me anymore. It is only 200 years, I can handle it."

"What about Sookie?"

"You said it yourself, my Sookie is gone, she's happy living the life she's always wanted. It's not as if I have a chance of being with her again."

"No, what about this Sookie?"

"I hold no attachment to her, and I'd rather not put myself in that situation again. It was not… enjoyable other than a few key times. Mostly I was spending my time doing everything I could to keep her safe, fighting with her to accept us as a couple, and fucking. I can fuck anyone, I needn't put myself in that situation again, it was mostly pain." I don't know why I'm saying such things to Niall of all people, he doesn't care about my emotions and I don't really want him or anyone to know them. It's not like it matters though, after this, there's no need to see him again, I don't need updates on Sookie anymore since she's gone and he doesn't need to help get me free.

I'm even more upset when I see pity and understanding in his eyes. It takes all the control I have not to lash out at him. "I understand where you are coming from and why you'd think that way but you are wrong. This Sookie is the exact same as your Sookie other than the fact that she knows how she acted in the past is wrong and she wants to fix it. In fact, you need to stop thinking of them as different people, they are the same and this is the only Sookie that you will ever see again so it'd be best that you wrap your head around that fact. She's with Pam and Karin right now trying to figure out the best way to get you out of this situation. She is going to fight for you, are you going to do the same?"

"I think I just made it clear that I have no intentions of doing the same. I want to stay away from her and maybe finally be able to move on."

"Your reasons for wanting to move on are null and void, you don't want to get into the same situation you were in before, a situation where you're fighting to live together, as a married couple while she's barely acknowledging you as more than a fuck buddy, yes?" I wearily nod my head one single time, "Good, then there will be no issue, this Sookie wants the same as you do."

The thing is, I don't know if I want that anymore, at least not with her, I'd have done anything to have my Sookie like that, but she just didn't want it. He must be able to see that I'm unconvinced because he continues, "Listen, this isn't even about you, this is about the fate of the world. So at the very least, you will let us get you out of here and then talk to her, you can go from there after."

I don't give a fuck about the rest of the world. Well, that's not true, I care about Pam, and Karin, and as much as I want to deny it, I care about this Sookie. I wouldn't want her to be stolen from her life just to die a terrible death here. I can't let that happen. I can't help but to let out a sigh, it's such a human action but it's necessary right now. "Okay. Tell me, what is your plan to get me out of here?"