Somewhere Down The Road: Chapter Four

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Chapter Four

Sookie whimpered when she felt a hand rubbing her back and she turned her head to look up into the worried eyes of her brother. “Jason,” she cried.

“It’s okay, Sook. I gotcha,” Jason replied, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “Ya don’t need ‘t be scared.”

“I killed him… I killed him… I killed him…” Sookie repeated lost in her guilt once again. It was one thing to kill in defense, but another to kill in cold blood and that is what she had done. It was Debbie all over again. Mr. Gus might not have been pleading for his life but he hadn’t been a threat to her either. He wasn’t a threat.

“Yet, if you had let him live, he would have been,” a familiar voice said startling the Stackhouse siblings.

“Great-Granddaddy Niall!” Jason exclaimed as he lifted his head and stared at their Faery Great-Grandfather. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to Niall just popping up like he did, but right then he was happy to see him.

Niall smiled at his great-grandson. While Jason might not possess the Essential Spark, Niall had discovered he had something far greater. He possessed courage, loyalty, and strength. He might have been dismissive over Jason when they first met, but now he would take Jason over any full-blooded faery. The young man was his family and he had managed to do something Niall hadn’t in his six-thousand-plus years. Jason had killed Warlow. That had been the real eye opener to Niall. For all his believed superiority, it had been his human descendant who had driven the stake into Warlow’s chest. It was at that moment, Niall realized, it wasn’t the spark that made a person special and strong, but their heart. His great-grandson had one of the biggest hearts he had ever seen.

Moving towards his great-grandchildren, Niall crouched down beside them uncaring about how he might look. Laying his hand on Sookie’s shoulder, he squeezed it gently, silently asking her to look at him. “He would have never left you alone,” he said trying to pull her out of her guilt. “You know this. You saw it in his head. Men like him crave power and are consumed by greed. He would have sought to imprison you and when that failed and he realized he would never have been able to, he would have tried to kill you again. He was a threat to you, great-granddaughter. He was a threat to your brother and your friends. You had no choice…”

“I did,” Sookie cried, interrupting him, not quite ready to accept what he was saying, despite knowing deep down inside he was telling her the truth. “He was defenseless. He wasn’t a threat to me…”

“He was far from defenseless,” Niall replied softly. “He was injured, Sookie, but his greatest weapon was his mind. You saw that. Men like him trade in fear and threats. As long as there was a breath left in his body he would have been a threat to you. Do not waste your tears on someone so unworthy.”

Sitting back on her haunches, Sookie lifted her hand and wiped at her tear stained face. “How am I supposed to live like this?” She asked, falling back on her old guilt. “Everyone I touch dies or is going to die. I am the Angel of Death.”

“Silly child,” Niall chided but there was no heat to his voice, just fondness. “You are no more the Angel of Death than I am the King of the Vampires.” Seeing her open her mouth to no doubt argue with him, Niall shushed her as he dropped himself down in front of her and folded his legs. He cursed the bigoted people of Bon Temps, the vampires, and other Supes that had beaten his great-granddaughter down so much that she had come to believe everything was her fault. “You are not responsible for the actions of others,” he told her almost repeating what she told Jason. “You keep saying you are responsible for the deaths of so many of your loved ones but, child, you forget. Death is a part of life. No one is immortal; not even the vampires, despite their beliefs to the contrary. Death will claim everyone one day and this is the only guarantee in life! You carry so much guilt around on your shoulders, guilt that is not yours to bear. You are not responsible for the death of your parents, nor are you responsible for the death of your grandmother or friends…”

“But, if I wouldn’t have gotten involved with Bill…” Sookie started repeating what many people of Bon Temps had been thinking just a few weeks prior.

“Sookie, you did not bring the Supernatural to Bon Temps. It was already here,” Niall told her seeking to repair some of the damage the good people of Bon Temps had caused to his great-granddaughter. “I know what the townsfolk thought and what they told you, but they were wrong. What happened to this town is not your fault. Many of the people here are shortsighted. Vampires existed long before Bill Compton walked into your life. You are not to blame for everything that went wrong.”

As she listened to him, Sookie began to accept the truth of his words. It wasn’t her fault. She hadn’t asked to be born into the world. She hadn’t asked to be promised to Warlow hundreds of years before. She hadn’t asked for Hadley to tell Sophie-Anne about her, and she sure as hell hadn’t asked for her to send Bill to procure her. She was just as much a victim as anyone else. For too long she had blamed herself for everything that had gone wrong. That day in the church when she had heard the thoughts of the townsfolk, and when Lettie-Mae had publicly laid the blame at her feet had only compounded that guilt.

Who the hell is Lettie-Mae to judge me? Sookie thought as some of her fire returned. An ex-drunk who paid a fraud to perform an exorcism. A woman who used to beat her child. Why have I let the likes of Lettie-Mae look down her nose at me for so long?

Guilt.

It always came back to that. She had let Lettie-Mae treat her like dirt because she felt guilty about Tara. Well, no more! This time she was really done with it. She had made her peace with Tara before she met the True Death and that was all she needed. She didn’t need Lettie-Mae’s forgiveness because there was nothing for her to forgive. Sookie hadn’t done anything to her and she would be damned if she cowed before her again.

Sookie nodded as she wiped away her tears. For too long she had worn the guilt of others around her neck like a noose just waiting for someone to kick her legs out from under her and hang her with it for their own twisted reasons. Everyone was quick to blame her for their troubles when her only crime had been being foolish and trusting.

Maryann was not her fault; neither were the witches, nor the Hep V virus. That last one fell solely on the shoulders of Bill. It had been his idea to blow up the Tru Blood factories. He had made it possible for Truman Burrell and Sarah Newlin to contaminate the new shipments of Tru Blood.

Karma’s a bitch, Bill. Ya made it possible for the virus to spread and now ya’re infected.

“Choices have consequences, Sookie,” Niall told her, happy to see her guilt receding. “You might be responsible for your own, but you are in no way responsible for anyone else’s. These men came here to kill you, you know this, you saw it,” he went on trying to put everything in perspective for her. “They would not have hesitated to kill you. Do not shed any tears over them when they would not shed any over you.”

Pulling herself together, Sookie rubbed her hands on her jeans as she pushed herself to her feet. She knew Niall was right. Not one of them would have shed a tear over her dead body if the situation had been reversed. Taking a deep breath, she blew it out and looked at the front of her house. That’s gonna take more than a coat of paint to fix.

Shaking her head, Sookie snorted out a laugh at the thought. It seemed her house got wrecked at least twice a year these days. A frown creased her brow as she stared at her brother. “How are ya still on ya feet? Ya should be unconscious by now.”

“Gee, thanks, sis,” Jason replied rolling his eyes. “It takes more than a little scratch like this ‘t make me pass out.”

“A little scratch?” Sookie repeated. “Jas, ya shirt is soaked with blood. It looks like ya lost a couple of pints of blood.” Stepping toward her brother Sookie pulled the front of his shirt down, “What the hell!” She exclaimed as she stared at the place he had been hit. She was expecting to see a fresh bullet wound that was still bleeding; instead, she saw a wound that looked like it was weeks old. There was some discoloration around his shoulder and Sookie could see the mark on his skin where the bullet had entered him, yet there was no bleeding or redness. It looked healed. “What the fuck is goin’ on?”

“Language, Sookie,” Niall chided as he pulled himself to his feet and moved closer to his great-grandchildren. As much as he loved them, he couldn’t stand their at-times vulgar language.

“Jason was just shot, I barbecued a whole bunch of guys alive, and now Jason’s practically healed, and it’s my language ya’ll are focusin’ on?” Sookie snorted. “Really, Great-Granddaddy, ya need to get your priorities straight.”

“There is a logical explanation for everything that has happened,” Niall replied as he dusted the dirt off his suit. “I am unsure what it is at the moment but it does not require crude language.”

“Well, when ya think of it let us know,” Sookie said before turning to face her brother again. “You okay, Jas? Does it hurt?” She asked as she lightly ran her finger over the slightly scarred flesh.

“Nah,” Jason replied equally as confused. He could remember the searing pain of the bullet as it tore through his shoulder, the sweat that dripped from his forehead, and the light-headedness from blood loss. He could remember all that clearly, but the pain had receded just before Sookie had killed Mr. Gus, and he had thought his reaction and the pain he had felt had only been due to shock.

Jason had never been shot before so he had nothing to compare it to, but as he stared down at his blood-drenched shirt he realized what had happened to him was not normal. Sookie was right and he should have been unconscious, or at least on the verge of it. “This ain’t normal, is it? Could it be cause of vampire blood?” Jason asked trying to find an answer for the strangeness. “Eric gave me his blood ‘bout six months ago and Violet gave me hers just a few weeks back. Could that ‘ave healed me?”

“No,” Sookie answered thinking back to the time she was shot. Eric had given her his blood the same night and that had done nothing to heal her wound. It had taken Bill forcing his blood down her throat to heal her. “It could heal minor injuries, cuts, and scrapes, but not that.”

“Are ya sure?” Jason asked hoping desperately vampire blood could explain it away.

“Positive,” Sookie replied. “I was shot hours after havin’ Eric’s blood and it didn’t heal me.”

“Ya were shot?!” Jason growled his eyes snapping to hers.

“Yeah, didn’t I tell ya?” Sookie said. Seeing the angry look on Jason’s face, Sookie winced. “Guess not. It was durin’ that thing with the witches. I got shot when we all met up and…”

“Bill gave you his blood,” Jason finished for her. “Motherfucker! Did he shoot ya as well?”

A smile spread across Niall’s face as he watched his great-grandchildren. Their deep-seated affection for each other warmed his heart and he was sorry he hadn’t introduced himself to them earlier. So much suffering could have been avoided if he would have just gone to them like he wanted when they were younger. Instead, he had honored the wishes of their grandmother and stayed away.

His eyes widened in surprise as he listened to his great-grandson tear Bill Compton apart for his continued manipulations of Sookie and as the final piece of the puzzle fell into place, Niall finally saw everything with startling clarity.

“Oh my!” Niall gasped drawing Sookie and Jason’s attention.

“Oh my,” Sookie repeated as she looked at Niall. Seeing the look of wonder in his face, she quickly added, “No. Vampires aren’t supposed to say ‘uh-oh’ and Faery Princes aren’t supposed to say, ‘oh my’.”

“Vampires aren’t supposed to say ‘uh-oh’?” Jason said looking at his sister like she was crazy. “Where d’ya come up with these things, Sook?”

“Ya had to be there,” Sookie replied shaking off the memory of the first time she saw Eric. She frowned as she saw Niall step closer to Jason and grab his face in his hands. At least I know where I get my crazy from.

“Er, Great-Granddaddy,” Jason said as he tried to back up and get Niall to let him go. “Whatcha doin’? Ya’re actin kinda crazy.”

“I didn’t see it,” Niall murmured scarcely believing what he was seeing. “How did I miss it? It is there. I can see it.”

“Er, Sook, a little help ‘ere,” Jason pleaded growing uncomfortable under Niall’s scrutiny.

“Great-Granddaddy, why don’t ya let Jason go?” Sookie said tugging on Niall’s arm and trying to make him let Jason go.

“You don’t see it?” Niall questioned as he released Jason and took a step back. “Of course you don’t,” he answered before she had a chance to reply. “I didn’t see it, so how would you? Nevertheless, it is there. I see it now. It is there.”

“What’s there?” Sookie asked confused. She was used to seeing her Great-Grandfather acting strangely, but he was on a whole ‘nother level of strange right then. “Niall?” she said hoping the use of his first name would snap him out of whatever it was he was in and get him to tell them what the hell was going on.

“The Spark!” Niall exclaimed clapping his hands in excitement. “The Spark, child! The Spark! I see it.” Lunging forward, Niall grabbed Jason by the shoulders and embraced him. “You have The Spark, my boy!”

“I thought ya said I didn’t ‘ave it,” Jason replied more confused than ever. He remembered Niall telling him he didn’t have The Spark that made Sookie so special. “Wait. Does this mean I’m gonna start hearin’ people’s thoughts like Sook?”

“I did, but it is there. I can see it,” Niall said answering his first question. Niall was almost giddy with the realization. He should have known there was more to his great-grandson than he saw. The young man had an uncanny ability to draw people to him and see their worth. “No, you won’t be hearing people’s thoughts. It seems your gift lies elsewhere. If I would have to guess, I would say you are an empath.”

“That’s great and all, but that doesn’t explain how Jason’s healed from bein’ shot,” Sookie said, cutting in and trying to get the answer for what was troubling her.

“Of course it does,” Niall replied happily. “He has The Spark. Unless the bullets were iron or struck him in the heart he would heal from them.”

“Wait, what? Does that mean I would’ve healed from bein’ shot without Bill’s blood?” Sookie asked with anger beginning to boil at the mere thought.

“Faeries heal from most things,” Niall said educating them both. “Iron and lemons are the only things that are fatal to us…”

“And vampires,” Jason supplied helpfully earning him an unhappy look from Niall.

“Yes, and vampires,” Niall agreed unhappily hating to be reminded of that. “It depends on the injury but if we survive the original attack, there is a strong possibility that we will live. We don’t heal as fast as vampires but we are a resilient species.”

“So I didn’t need Bill’s blood when I was shot,” Sookie said breaking it down to the basics.

“Sook, ya almost never needed Bill’s blood,” Jason told her seeing to the heart of the matter.

“Son of a bitch!” Sookie spat, half tempted to march over to Bill’s and let him have it with both barrels again. “I resisted.” Seeing Jason and Niall’s confused looks, she added, “When I was shot. Alcide told me when Bill tried to feed me his blood I resisted. I was unconscious but I somehow resisted at the start.”

“That would have been your Fae side,” Niall told her. “The faery part of you would have known you were in no real danger. You would have healed without his blood. It might have taken you longer but you would have.”

“This is unbelievable,” Sookie snorted, her mind on overload with all the new information she had received. Letting out a breath, she turned in a circle and took another look at her house and yard. “What a mess,” she sighed, fatigue catching up with her. At that moment, she didn’t think she had ever felt more tired and it wasn’t just a physical exhaustion. She was tired mentally and emotionally as well. She had been to Hell and back already, and she knew it wasn’t over yet. “So,” she began, combing a hand through her tangled locks. “Jason has The Spark, and we didn’t know that. Bill’s a lyin’ bastard, we did know that. Eric doesn’t give a fuck ‘bout me, that’s new,” her voice cracked on the last part and she sucked in a breath as she willed away the tears in her eyes.

“Sookie,” Jason said softly reaching for his sister.

Sookie smiled sadly and waved him off as she pulled herself back together. “I’m fine,” she lied. “I’ve got two burnt out cars in my driveway,” she continued focusing on the problems at hand and not the pain in her heart. “There are also ten dead men in my yard that I burned to death. I’m still not sure how I did that… Niall,” she turned her head so she could look at her Great-Grandfather, “D’ya know how I did that?”

“I am unsure,” Niall replied. “These men were not vampires and you still have your gifts, so you have not depleted your light. I have never heard of faery light burning humans to death before.”

“I ain’t ever seen ya light up like that before, Sook,” Jason said before Sookie could say anything else. “Ya looked like the sun with all that light just burstin’ outta ya. Ya rattled the house.”

Niall frowned as he heard Jason’s words and he took a step toward Sookie. Raising his hands, he placed them on her face and let his own light flow over her trying to see if he could tell what had happened. His eyes widened in shock as his light travelled through her. “It can’t be,” he whispered letting his light go through her again. “Remarkable.”

“What is?” Sookie asked, her eyes darting around straining to see what Niall was seeing.

“Your light,” Niall said with a touch of wonder in his voice. “It is repaired. It is no longer depleting. It appears to have healed itself, but, more than that, it also seems to be stronger. I have never known that to happen before. It is not possible and yet… Remarkable.”

“How’s that even possible?” Sookie asked bewildered. “Claude and his sisters said I was depleting; becomin’ human. You said if I went supernova on a vampire I’d lose my light; they might not have been vamps but I’m pretty sure I just went supernova on them.”

“I do not know,” Niall admitted stumped. In all his thousands of years he had never known for a light to heal itself when it was virtually depleted. It simply wasn’t done. Full-blooded faeries could replenish their light if it got low, but that was only with the assistance of their blood kin and in the Faery realm. No hybrid or full faery had ever replenished their light themselves.

“So it’s a good thing, right?” Jason said jumping back into the conversation. “I mean, Sook, ya not low on juice anymore. Ya almost good as new.”

“That’s one way of puttin’ it, I suppose,” Sookie replied not sure what to make of it. She was happy that she was no longer at risk of losing her Fae Spark; at least she didn’t think she was but she was unsure what to think about the increase in power. She had never felt as powerful as she did when her light burst out of her. She felt unstoppable and that gave her pause. If there was one thing she knew better than most, it was that the more powerful you were, the more people wanted you.

Forcing that thought to the back of her mind for the time being, Sookie decided to focus on the present. She currently had ten dead bodies littering her front yard as well as two burned out cars. As problems went those were rather big ones; ones that could land her with a lengthy prison sentence if they were ever discovered. Although, Sookie wasn’t sure how any prosecutor would go about trying that case. It wasn’t as if there was any physical proof that she had burned them to death.

“I’m surprised no one’s shown up here yet,” Sookie said voicing the thought that just popped into her head. Usually all it took was someone sneezing in her direction before she had half the vampire population of Bon Temps knocking on her door. It wasn’t as though she was unhappy about them not appearing; it was just strange considering that Jessica had basically sent Jason to check up on her. The redheaded vampire would have more than likely felt Jason’s pain when he was shot. She had both Bill and Eric’s blood, and, despite what she thought just a few days prior, Sookie now knew that they could both still feel her to some extent.

Bill’s probably tryin’ to figure out how he can use it to his advantage and Eric’s probably too busy ge… No, she cut herself off. I’m not goin’ there.

Placing her hands over her face, Sookie rubbed her palms over her closed eyes trying to get rid of the images that she never wanted to see again. “Fuck!” She cursed and blew out a breath.

Jason could practically feel the pain radiating off of his sister and he stared at her with concern. Her pain was like a living thing that he swore he could reach out and touch if he wanted. It gave credence to Niall’s belief that he was an empath but, at that moment, Jason didn’t care about The Spark or what it meant. All he cared about was his sister and the pain she was going through. He knew there was more to the story than what she was telling him but he also knew she wouldn’t tell him until she was ready.

“What’re we gonna do ‘bout all this?” Jason asked waving a hand around, indicating the carnage in Sookie’s front yard and giving her something different on which she could focus. “Should I call Andy?”

“Only if ya wanna see me arrested,” Sookie snorted, dropping her arms to her side. “I’m not a cop like you, Jas, but I think this is called mass murder. Andy wouldn’t have any choice but to arrest me. We’ll have to take care of it, hopefully before anyone comes knockin’.”

“You are safe for the time being,” Niall told them. “You knocked the power out in town, Sookie, and the vampires in the house across the cemetery were incapacitated during your light show.”

“Were you watchin’?” Sookie asked, rather spooked that Niall seemed to know everything, and if he was, he could have shown up and helped them.

“I came as soon as I realized what was happening, however; by the time I got here you had already taken care of everything,” Niall answered giving her what she really wanted to know. If he could have, he would have killed them all for her but, true to form, he had arrived late once again.

Sookie stared at Niall for a minute before shaking her head. Timing never was his strong suit but he usually came through for them both in the end.

“So, what are we gonna do ’bout all this?” Jason asked again. He knew Sookie was right and they couldn’t call Andy. He wouldn’t have any choice but to arrest Sookie; there was no way Andy would overlook ten dead bodies in her front yard.

“We can bury them in the cemetery,” Sookie replied with a sigh. “Find some freshly dug graves and put them in those. It’s less suspicious than diggin’ new ones. There should be a few new graves given what’s happened recently.” Sookie wondered when the thought of hiding bodies no longer turned her stomach and, once again, it filled her with guilt. Sometime after Debbie, I suppose. “I’m not sure what to do with the cars though,” she frowned wondering how she was going to get rid of them. “Let’s get these to the cemetery and bury them first.”

“I can take care of that,” Niall said offering his help. “If you can find the graves to put them in, I can get them there more quickly than you carrying them.”

Sookie nodded but said nothing as she grabbed Jason by the arm and pulled him toward the cemetery. The last several hours were beginning to catch up with her and she just wanted it over with so she could rest for a while.

The three of them worked in silence as they located graves, dug them up, and refilled them with an extra body or two. Sookie felt a twinge of guilt as she buried her would-be murderers in the graves of people she had known. She knew the alternative would have been her being buried in a grave.

By the time they were done Sookie was well past the point of exhaustion. She was drained down to her core and when she stepped into her kitchen, she let out a shuddering breath as she stared down at the floor where her Gran and best friend had died.

“Why do I stay here?” Sookie questioned, asking herself as much as the other people in the room.

“Sookie,” Jason said, stepping around her so he could see her face. He sucked in a breath as he saw the broken look on her face and he realized he was right earlier. She was hurting bad.

“Why do I stay here?” Sookie repeated as her eyes filled with tears. “In this house… Bon Temps… I should go… Leave.”

“‘Cause it’s home, Sook,” Jason answered like it was obvious. Bon Temps, the house, it was her home; the place she belonged.

“Home,” Sookie whispered. Years of frustration, pain, and judgement were weighing down on her and she found herself at her breaking point. She had told Bill earlier in the evening that she had reached her breaking point, but it wasn’t until that very minute did she realize just how true that statement was. “Home,” she repeated the word that sounded foreign to her now. “This isn’t home, Jas, this is Hell.”

Jason hissed in a breath at her words and, once again, he was overcome with her pain. His baby sister was hurting worse than he had ever seen before and he didn’t have a clue what to do. “Come on, Sook, don’t talk like that. Bon Temps is our home. It’s where Momma and Daddy…”

“Were killed,” Sookie said interrupting him. “This is where Momma and Daddy were killed and Gran…” Looking back down at the spot where she found their grandmother Sookie continued, “This is where Gran was murdered.” Anguish infused her voice and Sookie could barely force the words out of her mouth. “And Tara. She was shot in this very kitchen. Warlow, Rene, Debbie, Mike, Maryann, all of them tried to kill me in this house. I was shot in the cemetery and Granddaddy Earl died there. I was almost beaten to death outside of the place I work, and just tonight I had a bunch of guys with guns try and kill me. This isn’t my home. This is my Hell!”

“Ya’ve had some good times ‘ere, too, Sook,” Jason said. “Ya’ve for some friends. Ya fell in love with Bill, Eric, and Alcide….”

Sookie let out a bitter laugh. “Love?” She said as she began to pace. “What a joke! Bill was sent here to procure me so his bitch Queen could walk in the sun. Everything ‘bout him was a lie! I never loved Alcide! I was only with him cause I didn’t want to be alone. I was selfish and stupid…”

“What ‘bout Eric?” Jason asked noticing she didn’t mention him. “Ya loved him. Don’t say ya suppose ya did in your own way cause that’s a lie and ya know it.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Sookie shrugged dismissively. “It’s over. Eric doesn’t love me.”

“Ya know that’s not true either,” Jason argued trying to make her see sense. “Eric loves you…”

“Yeah, he loves me so much he told them I knew ‘bout the cure and where I lived,” Sookie snorted. “He knew they were gonna kill me and he did fuck all. He didn’t even try and warn me.”

“There has ‘t be a reason for that,” Jason said, refusing to believe that Eric had just offered Sookie up for the slaughter. “Maybe he didn’t think ya’d be home, or he planned ‘t come kill them himself and save ya.”

“I doubt it. It looked like he had better things to do,” Sookie spat bitterly, thinking back on what she had seen in Mr. Gus’ head. She might have been inclined to believe as Jason did if she hadn’t seen it.

“What’s that supposed ‘t mean?” Jason asked, frustration leaking through into his tone.

“Nothin’. It doesn’t matter,” Sookie dismissed. “Eric ain’t comin’. Just leave it.”

“No,” Jason refused, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at his sister. “Ya might be too stubborn to admit it but I know Eric loves ya. He wouldn’t do anythin’ to hurt ya like this. He…”

“Was fuckin’ Pam!” Sookie screamed as pain wracked her body. “He told them where I was, and then he fucked Pam right after.”

Jason stared at Sookie in disbelief, her words not making any sense to him. She couldn’t have said what he thought she did because there was no way Eric would do that, but one look at his broken sister told him she did. “He wouldn’t,” he said but the denial sounded weak to even his ears.

“I saw it, Jas, I saw it!“ Sookie cried unable to hold back her tears any longer. “They were all over each other. Sarah Newlin was chained in the corner while Eric and Pam were naked on his torture table.”

Jason felt his heart break as he stared at Sookie. She was completely broken. Knowing what Eric was doing while she was fighting for her life had broken her and, at that moment, he cursed Eric Northman. He wasn’t sure Sookie could come back from that, and if she did, she would never be the same. One thing he did know was that she couldn’t heal there, not in this house and not in Bon Temps. The place was killing her.

“You should go,” he said taking her by surprise. “Get away for a bit. Go somewhere safe where no one can hurt you.”

“There’s no such place,” Sookie replied with a shrug. “It doesn’t matter where I go, I’ll never be safe.”

“You would be safe with me,” Niall said startling them both.

“I’m not goin’ to Faery,” Sookie replied as she moved around to face him. “I’ll be gone a couple of hours and twenty years will have passed.” No matter what problems she had, she would never return to the Faery realm. Getting away for a while sounded good but she would never go there.

“I wasn’t suggesting you go to Faery and I would never take you there,” Niall told her sincerely. “You would wither there, not bloom. However, I do know of a place where you would be safe and beyond the reach of the vampires. You could come and go as you pleased, and time moves at the same pace it does here. What’s more, Jason could visit you anytime he wanted.”

“I’d be safe?” Sookie asked intrigued.

“You would,” Niall assured her. “You could recuperate and heal from your emotional trauma. You would be safe. You would also be able to learn about your Faery heritage and how to master your powers.”

“I think ya should go, Sook,” Jason said seeing she was debating whether or not she should. He could sense sincerity from Niall and he knew that their Great-Grandfather only wanted what was best for Sookie. Jason also realized she couldn’t stay, not if she wanted to live. Her spirit was broken and if she stayed it would only get worse. It would lead her to her death. He didn’t want that.

“Ya really think so?” Sookie questioned, unsure if she should or not.

“Yeah, I do,” Jason said with a small smile. Pulling her to him, Jason wrapped her up in a big hug as he told her why he thought she should go. He laid everything out on the line for her, and by the time he was finished Sookie had been convinced leaving was her best option.

“Okay, I’ll go with ya,” Sookie told Niall, drying her eyes as she stepped out of her brother’s arms. “Should I pack? What will I need?”

“No and nothing,” Niall answered jovially, happy that he could provide his youngest great-grandchild with the respite she needed. “You can come as well if you like, Jason.”

“No thanks, Great-Granddaddy,” Jason declined. “I need to stick round ‘ere and take care of some shit.”

Sookie stared at Jason in concern, having a good idea what he had to “take care of.” “Be careful, Jas,” she warned, not wanting to see anything happen to her brother. “Don’t do anythin’ stupid.”

“Ya know me, sis,” Jason replied flashing his grin.

“I do and that’s the problem,” Sookie teased trying to conceal her pain with humor.

“Yeah, yeah. You get goin’ and I’ll take care of everythin’ ‘ere,” Jason said feigning annoyance.

“Tryin’ to get rid of me already, Jas?” Sookie let out an exaggerated sigh. “I don’t know… Oh wait, I have to do somethin’ first,” she added as she made her way to the phone. Dialling the number she needed, she waited for it to connect.

“What?!”

Sookie was taken aback by the brisk greeting and stumbled over her words. “Er, Doctor Ludwig?”

“Speak up, girlie, I haven’t got all night,” The goblin-like doctor replied.

“Alright, yeah. I’m just callin’ to let ya know I’ve finally seen the light so I won’t be helpin’ with Bill… I mean Bill Compton. They’ll be no more testin’ my blood,” Sookie said basically telling Ludwig she wouldn’t be her faery guinea pig as she had agreed in exchange for her help with Bill.

“So the bastard finally came clean and told you it wasn’t your fault, did he? I wasn’t expecting that,” Dr. Ludwig replied taking Sookie by surprise.

“Not my fault?” Sookie repeated, her brow furrowing in confusion. “What d’ya mean?”

“He didn’t tell you? Well, I shouldn’t due to doctor/patient confidentiality, but I like you and that vampire is an asshole…”

Sookie listened on in disbelief as Doctor Ludwig told her how she had told Bill that Sookie hadn’t infected him, but that he had infected her! By the time she was finished listening to her Sookie was ready to march over to Bill’s and stake him. She knew she was right and he was just trying to manipulate her! Well, fuck him and the horse he rode in on!

“That no good motherfucker!” Sookie spat, placing her hand over the mouthpiece on the phone and telling Jason what she had been told. “Thank you, Dr. Ludwig,” Sookie said sincerely, grateful to have the guilt lifted off her shoulders. She was just about to hang up when a thought popped into her head. “Wait, there somethin’ ya need to know,” she added.

Jason arched a brow as he listened to Sookie fill the grumpy doctor in. “Are ya sure that was wise?” He asked once she had hung up.

“Probably not, but ask me if I care?” Sookie replied with a smile making Jason laugh.

“Sookie, we should be leaving,” Niall interrupted regretfully. He knew it wouldn’t be too long before Bill showed up trying to ensnare his great-great daughter once more and he didn’t want her to have to go through all that pain yet again. He would happily kill the Civil War vampire for her if she so desired, but he knew that was not a decision she should make now. She needed time to herself so she could accept that he couldn’t be saved without her wild emotions leading her. If she did it while she was so worked up she would only feel guilty later.

“Okay,” Sookie said with a small sigh. Turning to face Jason again, she smiled sadly at her brother. “Are ya sure ya don’t wanna come with us?”

“I’m sure,” Jason said hugging her quickly before letting her go. “What should I tell Bill or Eric if they show up?” He asked, needing to know. He was sure Bill would show up, but after what she had told him about Eric, Jason wasn’t sure if he would turn up at all. Before all that had happened, Jason would’ve said yes without even having to think about it. Only after hearing what he had done, Jason wasn’t so sure anymore, nor was he sure he wanted to see Eric. Jason wasn’t sure he would be able to keep his mouth shut.

“If Bill turns up tell him to go meet the sun,” Sookie replied as she stepped toward Niall.

“Eric? What should I tell him if he shows up?”

Sookie thought about it for a second before the answer came to her. She didn’t think Eric would show up. He had made his choice, and that choice was Pam. “If he shows up tell him…”

The Long And Winding Road