Disclaimer : I own nothing involved with either the Southern Vampire Mystery book series or the True Blood series, they are owned by Charlaine Harris, Alan Ball, HBO, etc. basically other people and companies that aren’t me in any way shape or form.

Naill Brigant wasn’t accustomed to sitting peacefully with a vampire, in all his long years their two species had always been at war. Vampires were bloodthirsty, small-minded, violent creatures who he had always assumed served no true purpose in the grander scheme of things. They were a predator of weak prey, a throwback to times long past and better left forgotten. He was wrong.

“Northman, I thank you for your services to my kind. Your efforts and strategic thinking has brought a swift end to this war. As you know both of my great- grandchildren from this area met their end before the peace could be made.” He had to stop and clear his suddenly constricted throat before continuing and noticed the vampire had to do some serious blinking himself.

So he was right the Northman did care for her, good that would make this far easier.

“I however do not intend to let that injustice stand. I found a loophole in Fae law that will see them alive again, but to do this I would need your assistance. Will you help me save them?”

“Of course I will do anything to save Sookie …. and Jason. But what is this loophole you speak of?” He noticed that the Norseman had mentioned Jason almost as an afterthought. And if he were being completely honest he would admit that he too was doing this mainly for Sookie. He just did not feel a bond with the boy the way he did with Sookie and he could not stand to live in a world without her in it, he had already lost so many of his family, and if his guess was right he wouldn’t have to for much longer.

“I will send you to where they are alive again.” He began to explain but of course was interrupted by the impatient vampire.

“Do you speak of time travel?” He could hear the heavy skepticism in his voice and sighed, if time travel was such a hard concept for the Viking to grasp what he truly had in mind would likely take a bit of explaining.

“No Viking not time travel exactly. Are you familiar with the theory of infinite realities?” At the negative shake of the vampires head he went on to explain in the simplest terms he could.

“This theory says that there are any number of copies of our world existing on parallel planes with us. These dimensions are created when choices are made. For example Sookie’s choice to be with that fool Compton, her choice to do so as you know had more than a few far reaching and long lasting effects on this world and everyone who came into contact with either of them. The theory states that in the instant she made that choice another dimension was formed where she made another choice entirely. This world would be the same as our own except that her choice was a different one so she never got involved with him and therefore never went through the many trails and pains he caused her.” He glanced at the Viking to see if he was following along with the theory.

What he saw in the other man’s eyes was understanding mixed with confusion. Now was the time to tell him why this theory would apply to the two of them and most importantly to Sookie.

“Now for why I am telling you this. What you did stopping the war placed my people in debt to you, not vampires, you specifically. In instances such as this one where my entire race owes one specific individual a debt we can choose to give that person a large ‘gift’ shall we say to sort of wipe the slate clean. What I propose for you is that I use our collective powers, to send you to this alternate dimension where Sookie and Jason still live.” Looking up at the Norseman he was surprised to see an actual expression of, for lack of a better term, surprise on his face. It was rare for a vampire to ever show their emotions but for one as old as the Northman he must be completely floored for it to show for even that instant.

“Let’s say I believe this to be possible. And that is a rather big if, what’s to stop them from just following the same path and dying all over again? Isn’t everyone’s destiny fixed? A certainty.”

“No, as a matter of fact everyone’s destiny is fluid, it changes with the choices we make. Free will makes that possible. As for what will stop them, well I told you that in this dimension I’m sending you to Sookie herself chose not to be with Compton. Well the reason she chose that was because there she’s with you.” Keeping his eyes on the vampire the entire time he saw each emotion as it briefly filled his eyes before disappearing again behind his vampire mask of indifference he knew he had him.

His emotions ranged from fear to love but what they ended with was what told him the answer before the vampire even had time to respond. He saw hope and knew he had made the right decision. Now all he had to do was give him a slight crash course in the other world then decide exactly when in that world to send him to.

“I still don’t understand.” Niall was beginning to become exasperated with the Viking he really was. They had been going over this and over this for the last three hours.

“Tell you what, why don’t you tell me exactly what it is you still don’t understand and I’ll try and clear it all up for you alright?”

“Fine, the part that is genuinely puzzling me is Eric.” He couldn’t help but goggle at the Viking.

“You are puzzling you?”

“Yes, no, what I mean is the other Eric, the one she chose, the one in the other dimension living that life. What are we going to do with him? Are you going to just walk right up to him and say, sorry but our Sookie died so we’re wondering if you wouldn’t mind us borrowing yours only you know we never truly intend to give her back so it’s more like stealing than borrowing. I don’t think he’ll go for it do you.”

Finally a problem he understood. No bargaining with the other version of Eric wouldn’t work Eric is still Eric in any dimension and he did not share well not even with himself, add in the fact that he loves Sookie and well it was a cluster fuck of a problem. However in the three hours since this little conversation began he’d been telepathically communicating with his retinue in his realm, and they believed they had found the solution.

“Actually, your right that wouldn’t work. However it seems the Other Eric as we’ll call him is soon to die in that other world. So the plan is simple, we’ll wait and let him be killed, then not even a second after he’s no more than a mess on the floor we’ll send you into his world to take his place. Of course the people trying to kill him will still be there, but you will know that and therefore be prepared to kill them before they can spread the tale of your demise. Forewarned is forearmed after all.”

---

Eric looked at Niall across the table from him and wondered at the prince’s hubris to think himself so outside of fate to think he could manipulate everything so easily. He had never met a more pompous species, and he was a vampire under the aegis of Sophie-Anne Leclerq. He could not believe what he was hearing. Though it had at first sounded like lunacy, an idea born of grief and desperation the plan had begun to form over the last three hours and now he actually believed it may work. There was still one more problem however, at least to his mind.

“How will I know what’s going on. You said this dimension was created by Sookie making an alternate choice from the one she made here. How will I know what else has changed, what to do, who to trust?” He did not think one choice could change everything so drastically, but then again he never thought he would be having a conversation like this in his life. 

He stared at the fairy sitting across from him. This was his last concern; if he could lay it to rest he would agree to this crazy plan. He’d do anything to get Sookie back, to hold her in his arms again.

“Ah yes, well you see we’ll be sending you back to just after the police raid at Fangtasia the night you and Sookie first met. That’s where the choices diverged for Sookie. In this reality on that night she made the decision to stay with Bill and give their burgeoning romance a chance while in the other you and she had a far different first meeting. Mainly when Bill declared her his rather than go along thinking it for her own protection, she protested the declaration and put him in his place. As only a good Belle can of course. You were impressed by her bravery and her attitude both towards Compton and yourself. Before the raid began and her warning to you, you had gotten her agreement to meet you back at the club the next night without Compton there for a distraction and she had agreed. The Other Eric in his assuredness that he could not be harmed approached the matter of the raid in your usual manner and yet in that reality you are staked and killed by one of the overzealous officers of the law. Therefore the only thing different you need know is that Compton has not declared Sookie his own and she has agreed to see you again the following night. “

It all seemed fairly straight forward to him and he had to admit even if just to himself that the thought of seeing Sookie again holding her in his arms watching her eyes spark with fury over something she declared high handed. All of that was just too good of an opportunity to let pass him by.

He had nothing left to live for here with the death of Sookie, and with her the last of his hope and humanity, he’d already begun to contemplate his own end. He had been planning to meet the sun like his own maker had done, he understood the decision more now than he ever had before, either way he’d be gone from this plane of existence forever. 

Decision made he motioned to Niall that he would proceed with the plan, words failed him in this moment of sheer joy. He’d see Sookie again, not only that but this was his chance to start over and do everything right this time. He wouldn’t frighten her, or let anyone hurt her this time around. He would be worthy of her.

“Now I understand your vampire Childe will have to be told of the switch, but no one else can know. We Fae work very hard to keep all of our abilities a secret and if word got out that we had this type of power, things would go very badly for all of us. The only other thing you should remember is to be careful what you reveal of the future. At the point in the timeline you’re going back to you don’t know about Compton and Sophie-Anne trying to obtain Sookie. Also do not rely too heavily on what you think you know. Remember that the future is fluid and can be easily altered by our actions and choices. What happened here may not be true in that realm, no matter how similar the circumstances. Now I must go gain the supplies and other items we need, we shall do the ritual tomorrow at midnight. Sleep well vampire it shall be your last day in this realm.”

Eric watched him fade from the room back to his home and could no longer suppress his smile. Soon my love you and I shall be together again and I swear to the gods that nothing shall ever tear us apart again.

Niall arrived back in the office after about an hour but apparently for Niall it was nearly a month. Fae world time was very different but in times like this very helpful. He was sure that if he’d had to wait an entire month he’d have gone mad long ago. He’d thought about talking to Pamela while Niall was away and explaining everything, but he knew his Childe and she would either talk him out of it or try and talk him into letting her accompany him. Neither of which would happen. It was better this way, he would be gone and she would be able to live her own life here. His will left her everything and Niall had sworn to make sure it was paid out even though there would be no evidence of his demise.

Niall began to prepare for the ceremony while he became lost in his thoughts. If what Niall said was true then on first arriving he would have a bit of a situation to deal with, first he’d have to neutralize the threat with minimal damage to the humans involved. Then he would have to glamour them into forgetting the entire mess so there would be no chance they would ever tell the wrong person about this whole ordeal. Then he would have to take care of the other Eric’s remains, he would be sure to burn them as he himself would want a true Viking send off. Finally he would have to deal with the other Pamela. She would likely feel the Other Eric’s demise and come running to his aid even though she would know it was too late she would at least come rushing to avenge him. He would have to tread carefully with her and hope their bond transcended the spell and came with him.

He began to make a mental list of anything he may need to bring with him. The only thing that came to mind would be something to place the Other Eric’s remains in. He had an ornate jar that he came into possession of on the first anniversary of his family’s slaughter; it was meant for his remains should he parish, he supposed he should bring that.

“Alright, vampire all his prepared. Please step within the circle.”

He did so with the jar placed between his feet. Niall began to chant rhythmically in a language he had never heard before. After a few seconds a small light appeared before him, as the chant continued the light grew bigger and brighter until he was forced to close his eyes in defense. He opened them once he could no longer hear Niall’s voice and found himself staring at a police officer who was gaping at him. Glancing down he saw he was standing in the middle of a large puddle that apparently used to be the Other Eric. He sighed wondering why Niall had not warned him that he would appear on the exact spot where the Other Eric had been.

As the terrified officer rushed him with an already bloodied stake he easily caught him by the arm and wrenched it painfully until the stake clattered to the ground. Catching the officer’s eye he erased the entire raid from his memory, followed by his companions. Reluctantly he sent them on their way knowing he deeply wanted to exact some retribution, but wise enough to know that now was not the time for it. Perhaps later if time and circumstance permitted, he would not forget their faces and they would be easy enough to track through their profession.

As he was placing the Other’s remains within the ornate jar with as much respect as possible he felt his Childe moving closer at top speed, he also felt her confusion through the bond. Once he was finished with his task he turned in time for her to stumble to a halt not two feet from him. She stared at him for a moment glanced at the bloodied jar in his hands, glanced at the even bloodier ground at his feet before dropping her fangs.

---

“Who the fuck are you and what have you done to my Maker?”

She’d felt her master’s surprise as he was attacked, and then the unthinkable had happened she’d felt her bond with her maker sever, signaling his final death. This feeling made her run even faster to his side, she would avenge him, she would make those pathetic vermin that took him from her wish they had never been born. They will all beg for death long before she ever granted such pleas.

Then as though by magic she felt her maker again, as though nothing had happened to him at all. She was so confused, the bond between Maker and Childe was usually the one thing a vampire could rely on, but now she wasn’t certain anymore.

Finally arriving to where she sensed her master she stumbled to a halt at the sight that greeted her. There before her stood her master, yet in his hands was the urn he’d always told her he wished to be placed in upon his demise. The urn was covered with blood, as was her master, and the ground at his feet. The scent of the blood that drifted on the wind told her the blood was her masters. Yet for there to be that much blood he would have had to meet his final end, but he stood before her unharmed. How could this be?

“Who are you? What have you done to my Maker?” Dropping her fangs at Eric felt strange and filled her with feelings of betrayal and disquiet. But she was so confused and if her maker had taught her anything it was caution in the face of things that did not immediately have an explanation.

He would always tell her “We live in the realm of the supernatural where all things are possible, you cannot always trust your instinct, or your eyes.”

“I am your Maker Pamela. If you will but listen I will explain all to you. I know you must be very confused and I will do all I can to put your fears to rest. You are my Childe and I would never harm you unless you left me with no other choice. I ask you to please not make that choice for us until after you hear me out.”

He looked and sounded like her master. Maybe she should hear what he had to say.

“Fine, I shall hear your words, however you shall stay there and I will not retract my fangs until I am satisfied with your explanation for all of this.”

“That is acceptable.”

With that the man who looked like her maker launched into a story of other worlds like her own, yet in some way different. He told her of fairies and magic, love and loss, pleasure and pain. His story was one of desperation born of loneliness.

“I do not believe you my Maker would never fall in love, least of all with a human girl.”

“You are right Pamela, in all my thousand years on this earth I have never felt for anyone as I feel for Sookie, not even you. You were my friend and companion, I took pleasure and pride in teaching you all the things you would need to know to endure and survive our world of death and destruction. I did not feel that way about Sookie, I loved her as she was, I did not want to change her and I regret that most of all. It was my desire to preserve her innocence that led to her death at the hands of the rival Fae faction. If I had taught her even a fraction of the things I taught you she might have been able to survive.

“You and she were friends in my world. You did not like her at first, you thought she was making me weak and you couldn’t understand why at the beginning she would choose Compton over me. I also believe you were slightly jealous of her thinking she would replace you in my affections. I hope you believe what I have told you for it is nothing but the truth, however if you think my tale too fanciful for you to believe and you attack me I will end you. While I love you my Childe I will not allow anyone even you to keep me from my true love.” He paused, his attention clearly on the past, before he spoke once more.

“If you give this a chance this could be a marvelous adventure for us both. Decide.”

Looking into his eyes she knew, as she always did with Eric, that he spoke the truth. It took her no time at all to come to a decision that she was sure was the right one.

“Of course I will stand with you Eric. Tell me more about this girl and the other me. I sound like a hell of a woman, not that that should surprise anyone.”

Smiling she finally retracted her fangs, her Eric was lost to her true, but this Eric was the same. She could see her Eric in his eyes, and if he needed her aid she would gladly give it to him. The way he cradled the urn told her that he felt only respect for the man he replaced in this world. And who knows maybe things could be even better now then they ever had been before.

---

Eric was glad that Pam had accepted him and his explanation, he had not wanted to harm her, but he would have had she attempted to stand in his way. While he loved his Childe dearly, Sookie was the most important thing in his life now, he’d seen his life without her and he never wanted to experience that hell ever again.

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