A Christmas Carol

Disclaimer: I do not own Charles Dickens or any of the SVM characters, but if I ever met CH I would give her a piece of my mind for writing Dead Reckoning.

Chapter 1- Ghost of Christmas Past

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse, Eric repeated softly to himself as he looked out of his opaque light-tight windows, searching for answers that he wished could be found in the moon above.

He had tried to keep his mind on other things, work related things, but he couldn't help but wonder how she was spending her evening tonight on this fateful Christmas Eve. Even though he was not a Christian he imagined himself picking her up and dancing her tantalizing lips with his as they kissed under the mistletoe. Eric let out a defeated sigh because he learned long ago that wishes were fruitless, they got you nowhere, and only plagued you with heartache.

It had been months since Eric had heard from Sookie. He had sent Pam over to her house to assess her mood a few times, even sent her flowers, but Sookie wanted nothing to do with him.

This was the very last night that he would spend in his home, his last night in Shreveport. Tomorrow he would leave for Oklahoma, marry the Queen, and become something he never wished for; he would be King. Eric did not wish for the glory or power that came with the position; he liked the little slice that he had carved for himself in Louisiana. He liked being with his telepathic fairy, Sookie, and if he were really honest with himself, he knew that even though he had never said the words to her, he loved her. But Sookie would never understand his world and would never completely understand him.

The only thing that he had been able to negotiate was her freedom; Sookie would get to live in her house without another vampire owning her. That was his last concession to his love, the only woman that he had loved in centuries. He didn't know if she would ever recognize this of him; somehow after all this time she still believed that she had a choice, but he would have to leave her now. Though as his once bonded and lover he would still protect her, whether she knew it or not, he would protect her through the end of her life.

As he stared outside through his light-tight glass, watching the morning hues reach the horizon a disconcerting feeling overwhelmed him. His stomach coiled in knots and his head began to ache like it did when he was human. Could leaving Sookie make him physically ill?

He crawled onto his bed, fisted the sheets underneath his arm, and drifted off to into a fitful day sleep with his last thoughts being of Sookie.

OoOoOo~oOoOoO

"Eirkr, wake up," said a sweet voice.

Eric's eyes flew open as he not only recognized the name and language she spoke, but the voice behind it. There she stood, the woman who had been his wife over a thousand years ago, Aude. She was dressed in a long white robe, her body was filled with almost a blinding light, and an illuminated candle sat upon her hand.

"Aude," Eric acknowledged barely above a whisper.

"Yes, it is I, and I've been watching you, Eirkr."

Eric stumbled out of bed still not believing that he was seeing the woman in front of him. As he stood to his full height, he shakily touched her outstretched hand. When his hand glowed with her light, he wrapped his arms around her solid figure, inhaling her flesh. A tear slid down his cheek because she was just as he remembered; her skin smelled as if she had cooked with herbs all day; her hair was fragranced with the nearby village blossoms; and her body was full and round as if she were ready to bare him another child. He quickly wiped away the evidence of his shed blood by brushing the tear away with his hand. He pulled away reluctantly because being the pragmatic vampire that he was, he knew that she was here for a purpose.

"Careful Eirkr, I do not wish to burn you with my flickering flame," she said with a smile that she knew had brought him comfort in the past. He held her at arms length still taking in the sight of her as if his own vampire senses had deceived him. He briefly wondered if he finally went mad. "No Eirkr, you have not gone crazy. I am the ghost of Christmas past and I will take you on a journey."

The wind swirled around them, blooming her long white robe as they levitated, hovering above the floor. The floor dropped, leaving them in utter blackness except for her flickering flame as the ground threatened to swallow them whole. Her hair wildly whipped with his like they were caught in a torrent tornado, but as he looked around at the sight of his room he noticed that it was just them feeling the effects; everything else, all the furniture stood fast.

"Are you ready?" Aude shouted above the shrieking wind as if it cried in protest for being disturbed. Eirkr nodded his head, just as they began to fall.

The flight downwards was not what he had expected. He had prepared himself to use his gift of flight and slowly lower them into the bottomless pit, but he didn't have to. They floated through the blackness with only a flicker of guiding light. Eric chuckled to himself as he thought about that awful chocolate factory movie that Pam had made him sit through as Charlie and Grandpa floated in a room filled with bubbles. That was what it felt like, tiny bubbles molding to his clothing and flesh as they carried him downwards.

"Where are we?" Eric asked.

"We are in Limbo. This tunnel is a tear between the two worlds. We should be reaching our destination momentarily."

Eric had not thought much about a destination, for he was still completely stunned that his dead wife of a thousand years ago was next to him.

"Why are you here? Where are you taking me?" As surreal as this moment was, Eric wanted answers.

Just as their feet hit solid ground Aude stated, "I am the ghost of Christmas Past. You, and your feelings of hopelessness summoned me. I am here to show you your past, a trip down memory lane as I believe they say in your time. We beginning our journey one thousand years ago when life was simple."

The blackness slowly shimmered away and the scenery blurred into focus.

The snow had fallen, it looked like the first snowfall of the year as Aude and Eric took in the scene for the first time. Eric dropped to his knees, overwhelmed by the emotion of his lost simple Viking life as he buried his hands in the fallen snow, taking in the scent of his blessed homeland.

The men bustled around and Eric saw himself from afar readying a horse.

"They can not see nor hear us, do not fret about that," Aude explained.

Eric crept slow to himself and watched, as the him from a thousand years ago stroked his black stallion, the horse that would only quiet under his touch. From a nearby thatched house came running three young children and his very pregnant wife.

"I baked you these, for the trails are hard and the nights lonely," his wife stated as she filled his saddlebag with fresh bread.

Eirkr kissed her, though it was not fraught with passion, but a promise of return. He laid his hands upon her swollen belly with pride as the three little ones hung to his legs.

He reached down grasping all three children in his strong arms. His daughter looked up at him with sad, pouty eyes, for he had a soft spot dedicated to just her. He tickled her belly wanting to rid her frown as all three children squealed, moving backwards as he wiggled his fingers. He chased them around the horse, trotting slowly so they thought they stood a chance.

Doubling back he surprised his children as he came directly upon them, encircling them into his comforting embrace. He twirling all three of them around as they climbed upon his shoulders. Setting them down one at a time, he kneeled before them.

"Haldor, as my oldest son you are the man until my return. Care for them well." The boy was only eight and not quite ready for battle, but his training would begin soon. Eirkr took from his saddleback a gift that he had made for his son; a gift that he thought now was an appropriate time to give.

He handed the long, leather-bound item to his son and watched with careful eyes as Haldor took great care in unwrapping it. The boy's eyes lit up like the morning sun as he held his first real sword with runes carved by his father. Haldor's eyes shone with great delight, but as the boy recognized that he was soon to be a man, he nodded to his father, not embracing him as if he were still a child. Eirkr felt a pang in his heart, but he knew tradition and bowed slightly to his son as he radiated pride for his boy.

He gave the other two a pat on the head before he mounted his horse and rode off, with a brigade of men, into the shadowy forest.

"I never did see you again. When I returned I was told that you birthed our child early and there was not a way to save you," Eric whispered quietly as the scene before him began to change.

He reached for his children as they blurred away, he shouted, "Please, I need to hold them just…one more time," He implored the ghost of his wife, trying with all his might to grasp their image as they faded away. "Why, Aude, why would you bring me this pain? Why show me our children, the ones I had buried deep inside myself?" He dropped to his knees again, this time in grief as he cupped his hands over his face, his body trembled from the deluge of emotions that surged through him. He fisted his hands in anger, slamming them into the ground, "Answer me!" he demanded.

"These events are a portend to the future; they molded you into who you are. I'm here to show you that you have a choice," Aude explained, though Eric was completely lost on her words.

"But my children…you…" As Eric sat on the ground and contemplated his life, what he was just shown, and realized that he had never grieved any of their deaths. Upon his returned from the hunting trip and finding his wife and child dead, his father could only look towards the future and his next mate. On the fateful night of his turning his maker, Ocella, never allowed him to look back; never allowed him a chance to say goodbye even from afar; and never let him shed a tear for the family he had lost.

This was his time to make peace with himself as he sobbed for his very existence, their short lives, and for leaving them so utterly alone to fend for themselves. He felt a void within himself, a sense of utter loss and vulnerability like he had not felt before. Aude took his hand and began to rub soothing circles upon his back.

"I left you too my Eirkr; I was not strong enough," she mumbled, sharing in his grief. He wiped away his tears, which were no longer bloody, with confusion. "Here you do not bleed the same," was all Aude said as she took his hand in hers. "Now, I have more to show you."

A new image appeared and Eric recognized the scene immediately. They were aboard his pirate ship that he captained in the fourteenth century. Aude and Eric were standing in his private quarters as he bantered with the feisty Catherine that he had taken captive aboard his ship.

"But Monsieur, there is only one bed, for where shall I rest? Surely you cannot expect me to lay beside thee."

That was certainly not the first question he expected her to ask, so with jest he answered her, "Tis part of our arrangement, yes? Were thee not to reside in my chambers?"

Perplexed, she took a backwards step. Trying to recover herself she stated, "Yes, but-"

"But you thought I would have more than one place to rest my head? I agreed not to touch thee, the bed is plenty large for me to keep that promise," he concluded innocently watching emotions play over her lovely face.

"I require rope then, Sir," she commanded with her hands on her hips and her chin jutted out in defiance, clearly showing her displeasure over the current situation.

Taking a step closer Eric leered at her with a smoldering look, preying upon her modesty before responding, "If thee wanted to be tied to the bed frame so that we may enjoy the pleasures of the night, all ye had to do was ask. I would love to oblige such a request. Or dost thee wish to tie me to the bed so ye may bask your eyes upon my naked flesh?"

Her cheeks burned red like newly applied rouge. She reached out with her hand to slap him across the face and he caught her arm in mid-flight.

"You will do well not to lay a hand on me Madame unless ye art prepared to finish what thou hast started."

"What dost ye need the rope for?" Eric continued in a softer tone still holding her firmly.

Tears welled in her eyes and he loosened his iron grip on her slender wrists. His eyes softened as the wetness pooled in her eyes, for this was not how he wished this first night to end.

"I wish then to make a curtain to divide your space and mine."

Aude giggled standing next to Eric. "Did she really build that divider?"

"Oh yes, when I returned to the room later that night she had made a curtain from one bedpost to the other," Eric snorted shaking his head at the absurdity of the memory.

"I never thought I would see the day when a woman would refused your worldly wiles," Aude jested with a glint in her eye.

"She was fiery and beautiful, but I hurt her as well." As if Eric was controlling the image, the scenery shifted into a memory that haunted Eric even until this day. It was the night that began the fairy war; the night he plundered an attacking ship and did the unspeakable.

Glancing at the eight cowards who surrendered on their knees, Eric noticed a woman with a large bosom on the end. He commanded with a lick of my lips, "Spare the one on the end; throw her in a cell. Kill the rest." His desire to be done overrode any conscious thought as the delicious scents haunted the air and skewed his sight.

Before he finished his sentence a howling scream came from the surrounding crowd and one charged forth trying to free the prisoners. "No," the voice claimed with a sword drawn, "You must spare them. Hath mercy!"

"Who dare defy my command?" Eric roared, "The penalty for such insolence is ten and one lashes." Throwing the heathen face down on the ground, he pushed his foot into the deviant's back, shoving the rotting flesh of the imbecile into the planked deck, and drew his whip.

Aude and Eric watched the scene play out together as silent tears fell down his cheek. Eric saw it all now, saw what he didn't see back then; the blonde hair that sprayed across the deck floor. He watched her strength as she didn't utter a sound under his commanding hand. Over and over, repeatedly he drew the whip and slammed it down upon her body.

"I whipped her to the brink of death," Eric howled as he felt the anguish of his own words. He continued watching himself as the realization of what he had done back then finally hit him.

His horrified look was enough to give every man on deck pause as he rushed with her to his chambers, cradling her body protectively.

"She forgave you," Aude gently reminded him as she clutched her hands in his.

"For that yes. What is this, Aude? Is the whole point of this…late night excursion to exploit every dark secret that I have?"

"No, the whole point is to show you who you are, what you possess, and what you will need to do," Aude answered ominously.

The scenery blurred again. "We have one more stop Eric and this one I promise is a much happier moment in your history," Aude explained as she ghosted forward, releasing his hand from hers.

The surroundings around them shifted into a chilly London night as the rain fell heavily from the sky. A smile lit upon Eric's face because he recognized this night as one of his greatest nights of all.

"This is the night I turned Pam," he whispered to him.

"Precisely," Aude returned.

Eric couched in the shadows like a springing lion ready to strike as a beautiful young woman dashed through the puddles with her beau. He had been watching her over the last week's time and this was the third different beau that he had seen her teasing. She certainly like variety.

The young man held his coat over her head as he pushed her into a darkened corner for a goodnight lover's kiss. Pamela, her name that Eric had heard a few night's ago, pecked the boy one last time, bidding him goodnight as she let the rain completely soak her dress.

The adventurous woman advanced upon the trestles, climbing as if she were Juliet and just bid her knight farewell.

Eric revealed himself stepping out of the shadows, for he knew the time had come. He had chosen.

"What say ye, Madame?" Eric inquired stepping directly behind her.

Shakily she turned around, afraid to be caught by the local constable and returned to her parents in her state.

"Please sir, I mean no harm. The doors were locked and this is the only way into my room," the stunning blonde woman declared, batting her eyelashes through the downpour of rain in the hopes that Eric would fall victim to her beauty.

"This life does not seem to suit you. What if I could offer you more?" Eric asked with a gleam in his eye as they started to smolder, trapping the girl into his gaze. Eric picked up the pliable young woman and took to the sky.

The scene followed Eric as he touched back down under a bridge near the opening of a tunnel. He carried the girl through a series of dark and twisted turns until he came to a dead-end. Pressing a secret handle, the wall moved aside to reveal a generously well lit place for being so far underground.

After Eric and the girl stepped through the door, it securely closed behind him, trapping them both inside the room. He laid out the girl upon his bed and she look so angelic, almost like a sacrificial lamb being taken to the slaughter. Her golden crown of damp hair formed a halo around her snow-white flesh and ruby lips. Her turquoise eyes seemed lost as she search his with a hazy expression as she was still influenced by his glamour.

He felt compelled to want to know her as he brushed a stray lock of her hair from her face. In a snap decision he released her of his glamour.

She did not scream, but looked about in awe, finally settling on his Ceylon blue orbs. "Where am I?" she asked.

He decided that he would always tell her the truth. "You are beneath the city of London, in my underground lair."

"I remember you…from the gardens," she spoke with recognition, but had no sense of fear in her voice.

"I have seen you for sometime, each with a different beau?" he asked in question with an eyebrow raised expecting an answer from her.

"My parents expect me to get married and have babies, but that is not what I want. I want to be free, is that so terrible?" she whined, but almost with a fierce determination, reaffirming in Eric's mind that he had chosen wisely.

"I can offer you freedom," Eric whispered as his eyes smoldered, glazing hers over. And then he bit, so his new child could rise in three days time.

"She was my greatest accomplishment," Eric mused out loud. He closed his eyes soaking up the memory with all his senses; a serene smile played upon his lips for the first time that night. He thought of the women in his long life: Aude, Catherine, Pamela, and Sookie, the ones he deeply cared for. They were all blonde yes, but highly intelligent, brazen women and that was what drew him to them.

Seemingly lost in his own thoughts he felt a gently breeze caress every inch of his skin. He heard a whistling breeze reminiscent of Aude's voice, "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight."

When he opened his eyes up he was back in his bedroom alone. Aude had gone, but left her flickering candle behind. Maybe those words, the words to the end of the carol were the magic words to send him back. Eric crawled into bed and hoped that his day slumber would overtake him. He had too much that he didn't want to think about, but as he drifted off to sleep he heard Aude whisper the end of the carol once again, and something told him that his day had just begun.

A/N: Would you like to hear from the Ghost of Christmas Present and Future? Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

In case you are wondering the exert about Catherine came from my other story Oh Captain. Check it out if you haven't all ready.