Pre Edit Count – 2,292 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter: Time is Love by Josh Turner

Previous:

With a deep breath, he turns to look at the men who had come with him. “We are to head to the airfield. Fader will talk with the Chancellor and find out what is going on.” He chuckles. “It is nice to have him back.” The rest of the group laughs, then they head back to go home for the first time in a very long time.

Now:

Getting off the phone, Eric sits back in his chair, his head falling back as he tries to find his control. How could they dig up the asshole? And not stake him?

He had been on the phone earlier with Pam giving her options, and when she had reacted like the brat she is, he had told her, “It’s your choice. But I have made sure you are able to take care of yourself. I will be signing Fangtasia over to you, so you will be set financially. If you wish to come to us in Olaf, you are more than welcome. Your Brothers will enjoy getting to know you.” He had been getting tired of her shit lately. She had an unreasonable hatred of Sookie, and it needed to end. She was not going anywhere, and if she did, Eric would be right behind her.

Pam had sighed and told him, “I told you I didn’t want your Windy Shithole in Olaf! Eric, why now? Why are you leaving me now? And did you tell my precious Brothers that you gave their home to me?” The comments were sly, and he could feel her anticipation of the backlash from her statement.

His eyes had blazed. “I didn’t give you the family home. I gave you one of the homes I have built there for my family. Enough, Pamela. If you are going to act like this, I wash my hands of you. I will gladly release you when I have the time. Right now, I am getting ready to leave to take back my Kingdom.” He was done. She had become this harpy who thought she was more entitled than others. He had told her all but who he really was, not wanting her to come with him for the sake of his name or wealth. Good move in his mind, he decided. She could have found out during all this time, but Pam was lazy.

She had protested, but by then Eric had had enough of her. He had just hung up the phone when Haldor called to present another fuck up. This was why he needed to go someplace where he could depend on people or he might become like Pam and begin to distrust everyone.

Hearing his Mate’s laughter, Eric opens his eyes and looks at his Sookie as Carter shows her all the ‘neat stuff’ in the plane. He can feel his Son and the thrill he has in being close to a mother type again. He also sends his appreciation to Carter for taking up his Mate’s attention while he deals with these issues.

He is not going to keep these things from her, but right now he needs to quickly take care of it all so they can get out of the States. Eric will talk to her when they have a chance. He doesn’t expect her to understand all the decisions, nor does he think that he knows everything. This is something they need to work at together.

Eric looks over to his Son, and thinks about him. Carter has been an adult longer than most of his older Children, but he is proof that the age when they are changed does matter. He is 18 in human years, and the youngest of his brood, and was Turned because he had suffered fatal injuries while defending Eric when he was in his day sleep. Eric had taken him and his family from France to Sweden during the French Revolution. It was one of the last times he had been in Europe, but Family came first each and every time.

Carter’s brothers and sisters had died along with his parents, and Carter himself was barely still alive when Eric woke; he had killed all the marauders. Seeing his grandson about to die, Eric had given him the choice. He always gave his Children the choice to be with him or to pass on, and Carter had decided to be Turned. As he put it, “I’m not ready, Pappa.”

Since then, Carter has been good for the family; he and Gainor are a riot. But, when they need to be warriors or need to step up, they do it without hesitation. All his Children are special to him. The first one he changed was Frey, who is his actual son. Godric had kept an eye on the Family while Eric learned how to deal with his bloodlust. One of the things that Godric had always admired about Eric was how devoted he was to his family.

After becoming vampire, the first and last time Eric saw human Frey was when Frey had been on a battlefield, and both of them had been shocked when Frey was run through with a sword. Frey had been like his father, a warrior and a chieftain. He had a stomach wound, and at that time such injuries were a death sentence. He fell, and once the battle moved away from him, Eric rushed out into the morning light of the day, grabbed him, and dragged him to safety – all while burning in the sun for his son.

When they arrived back in the shade, Frey had opened his eyes and asked in a disbelieving voice, “Fader?”

Loving his son and not wanting to lose him this way, Eric had given him the choice, and Frey had taken it.

Godric had watched over them and made sure Eric did everything right, and then waited the three nights for the Father and Son to Rise. Then came the shock of Frey being stronger than most vampires. It had been odd that Eric had been so strong as a newborn, but it happened sometimes with the warriors. It was why most of them are changed.

However, Frey had matched his Father’s strength, and so had each of Eric’s Children thereafter, except Pam. Not knowing how strong his own Maker had been since he had been left to Rise by himself, Godric had thought it was a gift of the Line. Now Eric thinks it is something with Eric’s actual blood Line. All of the ones who had been changed had been abnormal, almost as if they had always been destined to be Supes. And any of his offspring who had mated with other Supes had bred true, which is very unusual.

Eric is very protective of his family and that has gained the respect of other vampires. His Line is fierce, and even with him being one of the younger Kings, no one thinks to move against him. And with him leaving his Kingdom in the hands of his Son Frey, as well as the closeness of those within the Line to each other, there have been no worries. If there ever had been, one call to Eric would have him back.

During the Great Revelation, Eric had been on the phone with them constantly, even approving of a new family member to be given the blood in order to be their spokesman. Jack is a very cocky young man, but he has come to Eric many times to make sure he has the stories right. When Jack decides it is time, he will be brought into the family. He is a direct descendant of Eric & Frey, and he more than deserves it. In fact, the AVL has tried many times to lure him into their fold.

Eric’s family Lines know him, and have always known him for who and what he is. They have kept the secret, and now that vampires are out of the coffin, there is much happiness.  For the most part the clan is settled around the castle.  Anytime there are any issues, there is a standard order, even expectation, for the children to be sent to Olaf to be protected. The clan is devoted to their children, Eric having no tolerance for any sort of abuse towards the helpless, and has even killed clan for it. The rest of his Children agree with him, and make sure everyone feels safe.

He hears his Mate laugh and he smiles, his earlier thoughts now gone with the sound he loves to hear. Getting away from the troubles in this state will be good for them. They can be themselves without whatever it is about Bon Temps that attracts the supernatural in droves. As much as Pamela wants to blame Sookie, there had been disturbances while she was gone, too. It is why the AVL didn’t dispute Bill’s moving the capital there.

Watching her, his eyes note the way Sookie moves as she heads back to him, and when she is close enough, Eric takes her in his arms and moves her to his lap. He purrs to her as he rubs her neck. She laughs, and his purr gets louder. Sookie has never felt this free before and he is treasuring the fact that she is happy. Her sadness over leaving Bon Temps is still there, but Brandon and Carter have kept her busy. He appreciates it, and will think of something to show them his gratitude.

Still grinning, Sookie turns to him and says, “Ok, so what happened? Don’t tell me nothing, I saw you react, then Carter and Brandon. So there is something wrong.” She is serious, letting him know she wants to help him shoulder their problems. She won’t be a housewife. Sookie wants to be involved.

Sighing, Eric informs her, “Russell was freed by the AVL. They fed him blood.” He stares into her eyes; he doesn’t want her good mood to fall, but he won’t lie to her.

Her eyes widen. “Where is Haldor?” There is worry not only in her voice, but in the Bond too.

He smiles at the concern in her voice. “He is on his way. Once he gets here, we will be heading out. I want to be in the air before I call the AVL.” The last is said in a hard tone. He wants answers, and wants them immediately.

Carter sits down in the chair across from them, stretching out his legs in a pose much like his Fader’s. “I have the castle readying itself for Mother. Frey will be sending down a coat for her as well as the limo. He told me to tell you, ‘no worries’, that he just has court today and had already put off some stuff.” He shrugs, knowing that Frey will be there no matter what he says now. Frey missed his Fader dearly.

Eric nods then asks, “Will there be any issues with me coming back?” Not that it would change many things, but he would like to know beforehand so he can get a handle on them as soon as possible.

Laughing at his Pappa, Carter tells him, “Only that Frey may want to leave. But I told him about Mother’s talent for trouble and he is reconsidering. No worries, Pappa. The whole family I suspect is scurrying around making sure everything is perfect for your Mate. We have waited a long time for her.” He tells him the last part seriously. They have been waiting for Eric to find someone to love, and now that he has, they will do much to ensure that they will have all the time they need. Though…from what Brandon has told him, as long as both are kept alive, there is no end date for them. Ever.

Hearing what Carter says, Sookie shakes her head. “They don’t have to do anything special for me!” There is no reason for the upheaval of a house for her! They should do it for Eric, not her!

Shaking his head Brandon asks her, “And you wouldn’t clean your already spotless house for guests, Sookie?” He lifts an eyebrow, showing her in his head how long he has been watching over her and knows she has and would do this very thing.

She blushes, and Eric chuckles. “No worries, Min Karlek. They are anxious to meet you. We will have plenty of time to relax and get to know each other as well as the rest of the family.” He kisses her on her head, enjoying the chance to hold her close to him. He knows they need to complete the Blood Bond soon, but he will take what he can for now.

She shakes her head, but Carter continues updating Eric. “Aisling is who Haldor was thinking to be her guard. She is of the current crop of Northmans.” He knows what Eric will want to know.

He hands Eric a tablet and Eric reads through it, only moving it so Sookie can look when she feels curious. When he hears her ‘humph’, he conveys to her, “Soon. I will have Griffon teach you our language. He has a gift for teaching and learning new languages. It is up to you which version you wish to learn first.”

“Version?”

Brandon nods as he stretches his long legs out matching the others of the family. “We speak Eric’s version of the language. Well, his and Frey’s. It is a dead language now, and safe to speak around others. Then there is the common tongue that is often called Swedish that the people around us speak. They all know the other tongue, especially if they work around the castle, but because it is a dead language, we try to leave it dead.” He casually tells her, and in his mind, he tells her he will translate until she knows it. Brandon expects his future role to be with her, and he heartily approves. He can help her so much because he is a human and because she can read his mind to gain what she needs.

A racquet outside has Sookie looking at the door. She sees the ladders starting to pull away, then the doorway is blocked as Haldor and the vampires heading home with them all come aboard the craft. Within seconds they are all in their seats, and the door is shutting as the engines rev to depart.

Sookie turns to Eric, and sees him frowning at the tablet as he reads. When he feels her curiosity and a little fear, he looks up, and tells her softly, “No worries. We are just leaving. I gave instructions to leave as fast as possible.” He sends her comfort, wanting her to be easier.

When her nervousness gets worse, he hands the tablet off to the first hand to grab it and pulls her close as he realizes that she is afraid of flying. His purr erupts again, but with a soothing cadence to help keep her calm. No one says anything to them, talking among themselves until their Queen is settled.

Soon, Sookie is relaxed into Eric, and he holds his hand out for the tablet as his Mate sleeps curled up on him. He asks softly, “Haldor?” as he receives it. He doesn’t want to wake his Mate, still concerned about her from the previous night.

Straightening in his seat, Haldor reports to him, “It looked like Salome, Fader. I am not sure what is going to happen with him free. If I remember correctly, he is going to be coming after you and your Mate.” The last is said in a hard voice, and every vampire on the plane drops fangs in fury.

Nodding his head as he flicks through pages on the tablet, he reads the information as his brain thinks through the actions needing to be taken. “I want you to call either Frey or call the AVL yourself. This is not acceptable. I expect that the Chancellor better have a very good reason for not ending him and for allowing him to be free to wreak more havoc.” The orders are crisp and to the point. Unknowingly, Eric is once again assuming the old personae that he had when he was King.

Nodding, Haldor gets up, but Eric’s soft voice stops him as he hears his Fader impart, “Thank you for following my wishes in this, Son. I do not need to lose any more family members to him.” There is much to that, and Haldor relaxes slightly.

He glances back and smiles at his Fader. “No problem. I’ll make the calls and see what I can do.” He goes to the conference room to make the calls and check on the status of the plans he has put into effect not only for this circumstance, but the ones regarding the fact that Eric now has a Mate. He, like Arathorn, loves to make plans just in case.

Eric nods, then turns his attention to the tablet so that he can be brought up to speed since the last updates he had received. To anyone else, it would look like he is flipping through the pages randomly, but he is enjoying not having to hide his talents. He holds his Mate with one arm as he scans the information.

Brandon finally can’t wait, so he leans forward to ask, “FarFar, are you still planning to call him back?” He can’t get rid of this feeling that Godric needs to be back and soon.

Lifting his eyes from the tablet, Eric looks at his soon-to-be youngest. “You sent the ashes home that you had the witch gather, you know that it will take me being there to bring him back. Brandon, is there something you are not telling me?” He lifts an eyebrow at him as he waits for the explanation. He has been unusually pushy about this.

Brandon leans back and, after taking a deep breath, he discloses to Eric, “A feeling I have is all. It is important that Godric comes back to us. We will need him here to help us. Help us do what? I have no idea. But you want me to tell you when I ‘feel’ something and so I am.” He shrugs, not liking this odd feeling when it comes. He can never understand it, and often it makes him angry since he has to play a guessing game most of the time. When he has understood it, it has always warned them, but sometimes that warning is too late.

Looking at him, Eric finally nods. “Thank you for telling me. It will take a little while, but I will have him back as soon as I can. You know I listen to your feelings.” Too many times Brandon has been right. He smiles; Brandon is the psychic he admits he has known. Most people think it was a she, but he never tells. He likes their reaction.

Leaning back in his seat, Brandon relaxes and watches his Farfar with his little Mate. He enjoys seeing the softer side of Eric, the one he has heard about from his soon-to-be brothers.

Brandon has been running himself ragged these last couple of years, but he does not blame the tiny female in his Farfar’s arms. No, he had seen how she had been pushed around by Bill. Eric had sent him to watch after the female when she had shown up at the club injured. Brandon had been in Dallas during the first couple of weeks that she had come into Eric’s life. Godric was the one who had sent him home, saying he was sensing some odd feelings from Eric.

And that right there is why Brandon is suspicious of Godric’s suicide. Godric was happy when he felt Eric, and there was no indication of the issues to come until after he was taken. It was a terrible time; Eric had been very upset by whatever had hurt Sookie, and Brandon was the first to bring up the deeper feelings. Eric had dismissed it then, but he had been in the suite when Eric had heard Barry banging on the door telling Bill what was wrong.

He had been unable to keep up with his ancestor when he rushed to save the little blonde telepath. He had been surprised when Eric had stayed in the building longer than he thought it would take to bring her out, so Brandon had slipped in with the rest of the vampires. To find Eric on an altar bound by silver had been a shock. Before he could rush to his aid, Sookie had freed him.

From there on out he had watched them closely, and he had been shocked that his future Maker had run closer to the bomb to protect the telepath. Eric only put himself in danger for those he loved, and the fact that he protected her more than Godric had been more telling to Brandon than anything else.

Then Eric had tried to protect her and sent her out of the way of danger, but instead he found her in the middle of it. Brandon had told Haldor, who he knew was in the States to protect their Maker. Haldor had been about ready to storm the Governor’s palace for them, but before he could, Sookie was gone. Later, neither one had told Eric that Bill had assaulted her. They had been barely able to keep their rage inside and not let him know. They could not believe this brave woman, who had risked her life for Bill, was the one he tried to drain. Later Eric had admitted to being woke up by Sookie’s pain, but because he knew that Brandon was watching over her, and also because he couldn’t feel anything, he knew that they were taking care of her.

Then Haldor started looking around to find out what the hell was going on there. He insisted that something was not making sense. Haldor found that Bill Compton had been pouring his blood down Sookie’s throat every chance he had. She didn’t know any better, and by the time she may have had the information to protect herself, Bill’s blood had prevented it.

Haldor was called back for a Priority One mission before any of them knew who Russell was. That was a time of shame for the family, leaving their Patriarch to face that monster alone, letting him think he was going to die… They all took a vow to protect Sookie once they knew what had happened.

Then she was gone. Eric’s pain was enough that he shut all the Bonds with them down and they all tried to get him to reopen them. Pam, with her remarks and so on about Sookie, was not helping. She could not understand her Master, and no matter who tried to tell her otherwise, she blamed Sookie. To her, anything and everything ended with Eric’s fascination with the fucking fairy.

No, life has been full and exciting since Sookie came into it, and Brandon is looking forward to having more of the family around to help temper that danger magnet attached to her. He needs a small rest, one that does not involve Eric being in pain from her being gone. No, he is going to like being back with the clan.

Final count:  3,933 words.

Fairfarren~