EN: ATS, Chapter 11

**It’s “talky time”, so beware the upcoming info dump…I hope it’s not too, well, dumpy? This is all entirely 100% pure unadulterated non-GMO Eric and Sookie – I’m sure most of you won’t mind all that much?  The next chapter will have Godric and Stan, and the mysteriously-appearing…**

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Eric found that, to his extreme disgust, when Sookie said she wanted to talk, that actually meant she wanted to talk.

With words, not hands, he groused to himself.

That didn’t mean he had to like it, though.

Odd how often I think that, he added querulously.

Seeking to bring a bit of relative normalcy to the situation, Eric cleared his throat…and then couldn’t think of a damn thing to say. Rather, he thought of far too many things to say, to ask, to demand and…but he didn’t want to act like a certain tow-headed brat and reveal too much of what he was thinking, much less what he was feeling.

All hail vampire stoicism…

Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Sookie give a flick of her hand and instantly they were no longer on the soft carpeting because suddenly…they were sitting on the sofa.

What the..

A certain blonde’s tinkling laugh caused him to turn his slightly narrowed gaze to the side. He raised his brow and let his humor slightly curve his lips as he took in the sight of Sookie sitting beside him on the sudden-sofa, her feet and legs curled under her as she faced him. Her almost-innocent grin – she was obviously delighted with her actions and his reactions – brightened the interior of the tent.

As he briefly eyed the pinkening patch of skin on her neck he wondered with only slightly smug satisfaction if she realized he’d marked her…

“Fairy got your tongue,” she teased, enjoying his discomfiture.

He snorted.

“Come back over here and let me see if I can find it,” he rejoined, basking in the lighthearted banter.

“Lighthearted banter” wasn’t something he’d experienced very often since becoming vampire. Whoever had written the mythical rulebook detailing how his kind should act hadn’t thought to include such frivolity as “teasing” or ” jocular repartee”, so such interactions with non-familials was scarce at best.

Sure, he could tease around with Godric, but his Maker wasn’t what one would call a blithely cheerful individual, and at any rate The Ancient One had settled down even more since Turning the brat. He had always taken his role as Maker very seriously, even when he’d been Death. Eric kept waiting for more of Godric’s older, slightly lighter, personality to return now that Stan…Richard…whatever the fuck he was currently calling himself, was now considered a mature vampire, but it hadn’t happened yet.

Stan, of course, was always good for a laugh, but Eric was generally too busy trying to act like the big brother – trying to show Stan how to actually act like a vampire was supposed to act – to fool around too much. Besides, Stan probably still thought whoopee cushions were a thing.

Fucking Pam.

“Ha, I don’t think so,” Sookie declined with a laugh. “We start that again and there won’t be any talking!”

“I’m not seeing the problem…?” Eric’s voice deepened seductively as the fire behind his eyes positively smoldered.

With more than a slight whimper the fairy pointedly popped herself to the other side of the sofa.

“Down, boy,” she ordered with a smirk. “I have every intention of making promises that my body definitely intends to keep, but I’m determined that we do this the right way. You have beautiful hands and I fully intend on having them all over my body at some point in the near future, but I want to start out as we mean to go.”

Sookie paused in thought for a second, then scooted back over to take one of his beautiful hands in her own.

“Honestly, Eric, I don’t see you as a one-week stand.” She leaned over to whisper in his ear, “I know the expression is “one night stand”, but even that would take at least a week with you.” With a snicker she leaned away from him and grinned impishly at the expression on his face.

“But to have any sort of a chance, we need to put down the stones…no, that’s not it…lay the brick – no, it’s “lay the foundation”, right? We need to lay the foundation so that we have someplace strong to return to when we fight.”

“You anticipate that we will fight?” Eric’s face betrayed an adorable confusion.

She expects we will fight?

She looked surprised. “Of course we will fight, Eric. We will fight and argue, we will have our disagreements and our differing opinions, but if we build or lay down or whatever that strong, solid foundation, then we will get over the stupid things and be fine,” she replied matter-of-factly.

Eric could find nothing in her logic to dispute. She was unlike anyone he had met in recent centuries. She had opinions and her own strong, seductive power, her own…personality. And he truly did want to know more about her.

Before he could begin asking his questions, however, she continued.

“That Twit woman seemed determined to nix any chance that the Eric and the Sookie in her so-called books would ever have and I don’t want to make the mistake of following anything that she considered “romantic“. I mean, Eric, she had her stupid heroine forgiving that stupid cabbage-reeking side-burned asshole every damn time he turned around! Ugh! It was disgusting! Her Eric certainly wasn’t perfect, but no matter what he did, good or bad, she had Sookie all-but driving a stake through his heart!”

In an obvious bid to calm herself down she closed her eyes and strongly inhaled and exhaled through her nose several times, and Eric had to laugh.

He liked a woman with opinions…

“I’m sorry, Northman, but the bitch pisses me off. She never even gave her Eric and Sookie a chance to know each other and I refuse to let that happen to what could become an us.” Her level gaze indicated her seriousness.

“I completely agree,” Eric stated firmly. “We should talk and come to know each other.”

At her quirked brow, he added with a glint in his eye, “Of course I want to fuck you. Of course I want to go into my dayrest with my cock hard inside you and then continue when I wake for the night. Of course I want to hear you scream my name and make you forget how many times I’ve already driven you to your pleasure.” He inhaled and reveled in the scent of her reawakened arousal.

“And I will.”

Her shiver made his cock twitch, but he firmly ignored it. If he played his cards right…well, Fairies lived for an extremely long time…

“Often.”

There was no way he could miss the way she squirmed in her seat.

Ahh, the scent of an aroused Fairy…nothing like it…and you can squirm all you want on my cock when we know each other better.

“But for now, we will ask questions and we will talk.   So, the Sookie in the books can read mortal minds. Are you in fact a telepath?”

Sookie answered his question after sending him a smoldering glare of her own. As if she didn’t know what he’d been doing…

“Yes, I am. Most fairies have a way of communicating with each other through their minds, but when my mother was heavy with me, Niall with my father’s blessing fed her one drop of demon blood from my, I think you would call him my godfather, Desmond Cataliades. It is known that feeding a drop of freely given Dae blood to a breeding fairy will enhance the issue’s mental powers to include other species. In what way the additional power will develop is determined by the child’s powers. In my case, I can read humans quite easily and can influence them to an extent. Of the main species I can read Weres fairly easily and can influence them to a lesser extent, but thankfully vampires remain that void the Twit described.”

“That must be useful,” Eric remarked. The benefits of such a gift must be incredible, but only if she had the ability to turn it off when it wasn’t needed. “The Sookie of the books and show had no way of truly turning off or controlling her so-called gift. Can you?”

He certainly hoped she did otherwise the gift would be a heavy burden indeed.

“Oh, yes. A fairy’s mind is meant for abilities that humans cannot understand and aren’t physically meant to handle, but as a strong fairy hybrid I have full control.”

“You’re not a full fairy?” To Eric she seemed in no way different from Niall who he knew to be fully Fae.

“No, but my history is nothing like what that odd woman wrote in those books or that weird story they used on that show. Niall is actually my grandfather, and Fintan was my father, but I’m far older than that Sookie was told to be. I do have a brother of sorts named Jason, but he’s a descendant of my first brother from…long ago. He wasn’t born with the spark and so he passed over in due time. I’ve kept up with his familial line, of course, and I hope that at some point the spark might reignite. It hasn’t yet, but it might some day. The potential is there, though, since his line does carry a strong fae influence – you can see it in their beauty and in the allure they all have, but so far there has been no true spark. All first-born sons in his line are named Jason, which is nice.”

“Do they live here or…?” Eric didn’t like how discussing her brother’s family seemed to make her sad but sensed that she loved them dearly, and hoped that at least some of her brother’s descendants lived near her.

“Some have stayed in Fairy while some second brothers have come to the Human Realm. They live a lot longer if they remain in Fairy, though.”

Eric nodded and on impulse lifted her over into his lap. Time for a change of subject to take her mind off more difficult subjects.

“You said you’re much older than the Sookie from the books? How long have you lived?”

Sookie laughed as she once again settled herself in his lap. His apparent enjoyment of such tactile activities made her wonder if he was a cuddler in bed, too. “I don’t look a day over two centuries, now do I?” She batted her lashes outrageously, then said more seriously, “I’m a little over three and a half centuries old according to time in the Fairy Realm. But honestly,” she said with a grin, “I don’t feel a day over two.”

The Viking laughed as he was supposed to, but was honestly glad she would never be the bratty, painfully naive character from the show. The painful naivety was bad enough but could be dealt with in time, however that determined immaturity was a deal-breaker.

“How long will you live?”

Eric held his breath without realizing it.

She shook her head. “It depends on whether I am allowed to live my natural life or if I’m sent to the Summerlands before my time. As a hybrid my time is lessened, but since I have such a strong spark, there truly is no way to answer with much accuracy. Niall believes I easily have at least another 1,000 to 1,500 years, but nothing is written in stone.”

Eric noticed that Sookie’s mood seemed to have fallen. While she was still quite happily ensconced on his lap, she now quietly rested her head on his shoulder.

As for himself, he was still slightly in awe of everything that had happened that evening, and the knowledge that she had such a long life expectancy thrilled him in a way he couldn’t describe.

He couldn’t help but think about how his blood could cure ailments and had the potential to extend human life…

While the beauty in his lap was nothing like the actress in the show, there was a familiarity in her eyes that left him feeling grounded in a way he’d never felt before. He wouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that he somehow magically knew her because he didn’t, not truly, not yet, but he did feel a strong connection that he couldn’t explain.

Just as he could tell she had enjoyed the kissing and touching, he could now sense that she was worried about something. The fact that he was concerned on such a deep level about something bothering this female was disconcerting. He didn’t know her well enough to honestly be so troubled by any dramas affecting her, but he most certainly was.

Such an instinctive knowing was also rather surprising, but he suspected he would need all the help he could get when it came to the enigma with her face in the crook of his neck. He stroked his large hands over her back as he considered how he might sense these things concerning her and why he disliked the idea of her being ill at ease.

Finally she gave a soft sigh as she apparently came to a decision. She leaned up and moved around enough to peer into his face, and to his surprise, she grinned impishly.

“My grandfather adores me, he truly does, but he doesn’t seem to realize that my head holds much more than spun silk stuffing.” She shook her head and smiled fondly, then allowed her expression to fall again into a more serious mien.

“As you probably already know, there is a war brewing in my Realm. Niall doesn’t believe that I’m as familiar with this upcoming conflict as I am, but I know exactly what’s going on. I should warn you that one of his reasons for visiting your Godric is to request his aid, but more importantly, he is here to request his, and your, help in protecting me.”

“You need to be protected? Why,” Eric demanded with deceptive calm, all traces of mental meandering now gone.

She huffed. “Somehow I am both the cause and the concern in this stupid war. Breandon…,” she said with a shiver, then apparently swallowed her intended words. She conjured a glass of cold pale orange liquid and drank quickly before popping the glass over to the table.

“Before we get into it, I will give you a small history lesson so this mess will make better sense. Some of these names you might recall from being mentioned in that series of books, but keep in mind that her rendition is not our true history. Anyway, there are several different kinds of Fairies – my people are the Sky Fae. Now, a very long time ago my people’s portion of the land in Fairy was in the form of an extremely large kingdom. As time passed and our kind grew in number, politically it became necessary to divide some areas into comparatively smaller kingdoms. By Earth standards they were still enormous, but that is irrelevant. What matters is this: Niall had an older brother named Rogan, and from their father each received his own lands to rule. They coexisted very peacefully, each ruling his own kingdom in his own way but with like minds. Fast-forward in time and it comes to pass that both Princes…”

At this point she broke off and, with a sudden smirk on her face, said in an aside to Eric, “And no, I don’t know why they call themselves princes when they are, in fact, kings, but such is their way.” She rolled her eyes at the “ways” of the elders.

Eric gave an obligatory smile as he tried to tamp down his impatience. He still didn’t know what the threat to his Sookie was so that he could terminate that threat and get back to the far more pleasant business of her seduction.

Sookie resettled herself more comfortably on his hard lap and began speaking again. “By this point in the tale both Princes had bred heirs. Rogan had mated with a full fairy and they had produced a son named Breandon.”

When she said the name he now detested, Eric’s fangs erupted and he couldn’t quell the short rumbling snarl that automatically followed. To his surprise, neither action seemed to bother the fairy on his lap who, instead of shrieking or popping away, calmly patted the tensed muscles on one side of his chest before allowing her hand to rest there.

At the look of mild surprise on his face, she said wryly, “Oh, I agree completely, but you haven’t heard the best parts yet. Ok, so, now we have Niall over one kingdom and Breandon over another. In the past Niall had bedded with a human woman who had born him a half-fairy son who was called Fintan. Was,” she stressed again, the expression on her face giving way to sadness. “Fintan…he was my father. He and my mother were killed when I was still an infant. Niall took my brother and me into his household and truly raised us as his own.”

Of their own volition, Eric’s arms gathered her close again, and with a sweet sense of warmth he relaxed when Sookie allowed herself to be held and soothed.

The comfort she found in Eric’s arms surprised Sookie but she wasn’t sure why. She’d already known he was capable of more than just the usual vampire traits or she wouldn’t be here now! Well, she might have been anyway – the sex with that magnificent creature would surely be awe-inspiring, but her heart wouldn’t have been in it. Meaningless sex, she had found to both her pleasure and her dismay, was, indeed, meaningless.

She wanted more – much more – with this male who held her so tenderly. There was an intelligence and an awareness in his eye that spoke to her of a strong, proud heart and an old, loyal soul. Niall may want his strong arms and mind to help in this war, but she just wanted…him.

All of him.

And so she would have him if he proved willing, and thus far, he more than did.

As she snuggled into his embrace, she decided that the remainder of this telling would be easier if she let her head rest against his shoulder. For something so hard and strong and muscular, it certainly was comfortable.

“For a very long time we were led to believe that Fintan had been killed by his younger brother Dermot, but it has recently been revealed to us that it was Breandon who had caused my parent’s deaths. He used Dermot to do it.”

Sookie fell quiet, and Eric allowed her to gather herself for a few moments before asking, “Why would this Breandon want to kill your parents?”

“Because he’s an insane asshole?” she quipped but with serious intent. “Honestly, there were at least two main motives.   Breandon for no reason that we can discern fanatically detests hybrid fairies. He doesn’t hate mortals and in fact prefers to pretend the Human Realm doesn’t exist, but fairy hybrids violently disgust him. My mother was wholly human, but my father was half human. According to what Dermot said later, Breandon refused to allow a hybrid to rule over any part of the Fairy Realm.”

“How did Breandon use your uncle to kill them?” Fairies, Eric was coming to discover, were even more bloodthirsty than he’d thought.

“Through what I guess was family gossip, he knew that Dermot’s mind was unusually susceptible to a fairy’s influence. We can work with human minds, some being easier than others, but normally our minds aren’t very easily manipulated, and a fairy can always tell when someone tries. I suspect Dermot was at risk because of his half-human side.” She shrugged unhappily. “When Breandon’s influence over my uncle was finally broken, Dermot was heartbroken. It took him a while to recover from more, I think, than just having been so used. Afterward, he gladly told us all he knew of Breandon and his plans.”

Eric thought for a minute then asked, “What is the other reason he killed your parents?”

Sookie shivered. “When I was born, my spark was already as strong as a pure-bred’s even though I’m technically three-quarters human. The spark doesn’t care how much or how little Fairy blood a person carries – it either is, or it isn’t. That’s why I keep such an eye on Jason’s lineage – the spark is there, only, for some reason it’s latent, but it might not always be so.”

She paused for a moment, then took a cleansing breath before continuing.

“My spark proved to be identical to Niall’s and my father’s and has slowly grown in power over time. It’s a trait of my lineage, my royal lineage,” she stated with emphasis on the “royal”.

“My family’s abilities are extremely powerful and are well-known in Fairy, so when even a hybrid child of my line is born, it is celebrated. When a child is born with the kind of power I had even at birth even with my hybrid status, all political figures pay even closer attention because of potential alliances. When a child is born of my line, with my power, and is female…”

Sookie snuggled even closer into the embrace of the vampire whose low snarls now resonated with strange comfort through her body.

“Breandon killed my parents in an attempt to steal me. Any issue of mine would inherit not just the power of my lineage, but the throne as well. Had he sired an heir on me, the issue would have had an extraordinary amount of power, and the kingdoms would then be joined.”

Eric saw red.

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**A/N: Thank you for all your awesome reviews on this story.  Reviews really do help keep the momentum going for any fic, not to mention the fact that they’re great for my ego!  Thank you!  So…now…what did you think?**

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