Wish… Ch.6

EPOV

“Um, Eric?” I hear a soft voice sound beside my ear to bring me back to myself, having been long lost in thought upon my throne before the enthralled crowd at Fangtasia.

“Willa? Back so soon?” I question, seeing her fidgeting nervously as she sends me a fervent nod. Her anxious demeanor suggests she likely has answers for me and I’m only too eager to pop up from my throne before escorting my restless child towards the back of the bar.

Soft moans are emanating from Pam’s nearby office as we pass and I find myself smirking, grateful, not only for the fact that my child seems to have finally found love in a certain, fiery redheaded vampiress, but also for the distraction of said relationship as I need not fear Pam’s wrath upon finding out I’m still pursuing this dilemma with Sookie, at least not yet.

“I’m assuming you have answers for me?” I question, closing the door firmly behind us once Willa and myself are tucked safely inside my own office.

“Do I ever!” she exclaims excitedly, practically bouncing with obvious elation.

“Alright, alright, just calm down a bit,” I suggest softly, having to shake my head at my child’s behavior that I can’t help but find rather endearing. “Remember, your Maker is ancient and has a hard time following along if you speak too quickly,” I tease, finding her excitement is actually quite contagious as she sends me another fervent nod whilst the two of us sink into the leather sofa together. “So tell me, what did you find?”

“Okay, so I was real, real careful to be extra quiet and I’m sure Sookie didn’t even know I was watching,” she starts, earning an appreciative nod from me, knowing full well just how pissed Sookie would be if she ever found out I was eavesdropping upon her. My child proceeds to launch into her tale, beginning with her seeing a delicious smelling man appear out of thin air, a man with flowing, silver-blonde hair.

“Niall,” I remark, not really all that surprised to know Sookie’s grandfather would appear during her time of suffering.

“Yeah, that’s what she called him,” Willa concedes before pressing ahead, explaining how Sookie had been in a fight with her faerie grandfather, again, not all that surprising considering the blonde telepath’s fiery temper. She then tells me the two of them began speaking about me, now that is something I most certainly did not expect.

“Wait, Sookie said she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about me?” I question, sure I must have misunderstood, only to see Willa’s dark head bob enthusiastically.

“Yeah, said she feels just awful about how she treated you, too,” she enlightens me to leave me looking back to my child in shock.

“This is interesting,” I muse aloud, my mind trying to make sense of Sookie’s apparent attack of conscience.

“Not nearly as interesting as what they started talking about next,” Willa assures me before telling me about Niall’s explanation of a Fae’s light that is apparently fueled by…love? This is the first I’ve ever heard of such a thing, but then, the Fae truly are a secretive species as a whole, I suppose they likely have many, many secrets amongst themselves.

“He did WHAT!?” I cry out in a rage once my child has revealed to me the extent of Bill’s apparent betrayal. My child is staring up at me now, her dark eyes widened in fear and it takes me several moments in order to calm myself enough to try and soothe her. “Willa, I’m not upset with you, not at all, I promise you this,” I assure her, keeping my voice just as calm and even as I possibly can as my inner fury is positively boiling within me.

“O-okay,” she answers back softly.

“Now, tell me once more, what Niall said about Bill,” I ask of her, seeing her eyes widen subtly before she presses ahead.

“He tried to force Sookie into loving him, that’s what Sookie’s grandfather said, but he only managed to slowly drain Sookie of her light,” she repeats to leave my fists clenching in ire. “I-I guess that’s why she’s been acting so strangely lately, it’s like she was draining away right along with her light.”

“But she still has it, her light I mean?” I question, seeing Willa nod in the affirmative. “So she didn’t end up killing Bill with it,” I muse aloud, wondering what made her change her mind.

“No, but I guess Bill really wanted her to,” she explains softly to leave my jaw ticking in fury. That no good, fucking, son of a bitch and after all I did for him, after thinking I could actually trust the slimy bastard! He was lying the entire time, not only to Sookie, but to the rest of us as well.

“But what had he hoped to gain? What was his end game?” I ask aloud to no one in particular, my mind spinning with the possibilities.

“Oh, Niall explained that too,” Willa admits softly, instantly gaining my attention once more. “I guess if Sookie had truly loved him, she could have shared her light,” she explains, her eyes growing wide in apparent awe. “Niall said if Bill had succeeded, he’d have been made an honest to God day walker.”

My own eyes widen then, never having heard anything akin to this in my over one thousand years upon this earth. A true day walker. Well, that would certainly explain Bill’s persistence, wouldn’t it? To walk in the sunlight completely unharmed and not for the mere hours I myself did before becoming scorched, but to walk wholly unharmed in the sunlight once more, simply incredible.

“I see,” I answer back somewhat absently, my mind still spinning with this recent revelation. “And is that all, my child?” I question, seeing Willa beginning to fidget nervously beside me. “What is it?” I question softly, reaching up to gently brush ebony locks from her face. “You can tell me, Willa, I promise not to become upset.”

“Well,” she starts hesitantly, her gaze locked upon her fidgeting hands. “They mentioned you once more,” she enlightens me to leave me nodding, a defeated sigh escaping me.

“Let me guess, Niall warned Sookie to keep her distance from the likes of me,” I reason, practically able to hear the ancient Fae warning his granddaughter away from vampires as a whole on account of that asshole Bill.

“No, the opposite, actually,” Willa tells me to leave me looking over to her in shock. “It sounded as if Niall thinks you might be the man who truly holds Sookie’s heart, though Sookie seemed to be a bit skeptical about that,” she enlightens me and I find I can only stare back at her in stunned silence. That, I never would have believed had it not come from the mouth of my own child, who, at least as far as I can tell, has absolutely no reason to lie to me, not about any of this. “Eric, are you alright?” she questions after a time, effectively breaking me from my spell.

“Yeah, that was just…rather unexpected is all,” I admit softly, my head positively spinning with all I’ve learned this night.

“If you think that was unexpected, just wait to hear about the gift he left for her,” she tells me, instantly gaining the whole of my attentions once more.

“What gift?”

SPOV

I continue to trail absently through the old farmhouse, the warm, magically fueled trinket clutched tightly in my palm. I just can’t decide whether or not I should use this thing, I mean, Niall gave it to me in the hopes that it may bring me some happiness, happiness he claims I deserve, and yet, I find I just don’t know if it would be worth it. Be careful what you wish for, isn’t that what folks always say? What if in wishing for something better, I only succeed in making things even worse for myself?

“Shit,” I sigh out, coming to Gran’s old bedroom door. I tilt my head thoughtfully before pushing open the creaking door and stepping inside. I finally managed to pack all Gran’s things away, and perhaps it’s only my own imagination playing tricks on me, but I could swear this room still smells of her. I always feel closer to her in here, similar to how I feel closer to Eric when I’m tucked away in his old cubby.

“Gran?” I whisper, not really expecting any kind of reply, but somehow feeling as if she can still somehow hear me, but then, given what all I know of the supernatural world, I suppose it’s not completely unquestionable to think such a thing.

“I suppose you already know all about this,” I continue on with my one sided conversation, pulling the small trinket before me as I drop down onto Gran’s old bed with a sigh. “I can’t help but wonder why you never used it, Gran. Didn’t you want to make your life better, to ease your hardships even a little?” I muse aloud, knowing just how much my dearly departed grandmother struggled for every penny she had, but then, Gran was perhaps the most grateful person I ever met, proud of everything she had that she herself worked so hard to obtain.

“You probably saw wishing to better your own life as selfish, didn’t you Gran?” I realize then, having to smile fondly upon realizing that I myself would feel rather guilty if I were to use this powerful trinket so selfishly. “I guess you were right, though, you always were, weren’t you?” I chuckle out, picturing my Gran smiling down at me from above.

“I wouldn’t feel right using it for selfish gains, but what if I were to use it on another’s behalf?” I muse aloud, staring intently down to the warm trinket, my mind spinning with the possibilities. I know the charm holds power over even death itself and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t seriously thought about wishing to have Gran back with me once more.

But Gran was only one of many of my friends and loved ones to lose their lives over these past, turbulent years. Alcide, Terry, Maudette, Dawn, Eggs, Tara and so many more, so many lives ended much too soon and yet, I have but one wish. How could I justifiably choose only one?

I suppose I could wish for a redo of sorts, to be taken back in time before all this mess even started, before vampires were out of the coffin perhaps. But that only seems messy. I just barely survived these last couple years, having seen my own near death more times than I can even count, what if next time I’m not nearly so lucky? What if next time even more innocent lives are lost? I can’t risk that happening; the consequences would simply be too dire.

Cerulean eyes flash before my mind once more; clouding my thoughts and making me lose my train of thought. Eric. I still can’t stop thinking about him, especially now with my grandfather’s words ceaselessly haunting me, hearing him tell me time and time again that only I can know my own heart’s true desire. Niall seems so confident in his belief that Eric is the source of that desire, the one my heart is calling out for. Could he be right?

Is that why the Viking takes up all my thoughts? Is that the real reason I find myself longing once more for his touch, for his gentle embrace? What if the tiny remnants of my light are trying to tell me something, trying to guide me towards salvation? What if in fighting against it, I’m only succeeding in condemning myself? That’s a truly terrifying thought. But the question still remains, what can I do about it?

I suppose I can wish to have Eric back with me once more, no, that wouldn’t be right. I’d be treating him no better than Bill treated me if I forced this decision upon him. He should be free to make his own choices and I know it would kill me to take away his freedom in any way. I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself. But perhaps I could go about this another way entirely.

I may not be comfortable with making a wish upon my behalf, but what if I were to make one on Eric’s instead? Now there’s a thought. I find myself smiling fondly at the idea, realizing this could also serve as an ultimate test of sorts, a way to know for sure whether my grandfather was right in thinking Eric is the one who holds my heart. I’ll do it; I’ll make a purely unselfish wish made only in the hopes of bringing the one man my heart aches for a bit of happiness, a sense of contentment perhaps. But what on earth could make the Viking truly happy?

He’s already the savior of the entire vampire world. He’s seen each of his enemy’s demise, having risen in the ranks to stand at victory’s lofty peaks. He has his loyal, devoted child at his side, a woman who may not exactly be my biggest fan, but who is loyal to a fault and undoubtedly loves her Maker with all that she is. Damn, he really has it all; power, respect, loyalty, fame, love… What on earth could I possibly offer that he doesn’t already have?

A thought comes to mind then; the one time, the only time actually, that I saw the mighty Viking literally brought to his knees in overwhelming misery. Godric. Tears spring to my own eyes, recalling the kind, soft spoken, youthful appearing vampire surrendering himself to the sun. How hurt Eric was, how broken upon having lost a man that clearly meant the world to him, despite his claims to the contrary.

My head tilts thoughtfully, my gaze still enraptured by gleaming jade as a kind of tranquil peace settles over me, managing to instantly assure me of the correctness of my decision. I know without a doubt, the return of his beloved Maker would succeed in bringing Eric immeasurable joy, and though I know Niall had intended for me to use this trinket to find a bit of happiness for myself, personally witnessing the joy this wish will assuredly bring for Eric along with the knowledge that I myself am at least partially to thank for it, well, I believe that may bring me more joy than anything else possibly could.

I lay back upon Gran’s old bed then, the warm charm held tightly in my palm. I close my eyes, letting out a soft sigh before silently making my wish, the one wish, the only wish I’ll likely ever be granted on Eric’s behalf. Another wave of peaceful serenity blankets me once more, it’s a silent assurance of sorts, making me trust in this decision as well as bringing a fond smile to my face. It’s with this small smile still set upon my face that I find myself falling into the first restful slumber I’ve had in a long, long time.