Disclaimer: I do not own Underworld, or any of the characters, though I firmly maintain that they are among the best interpretation of Vampires and Werewolves out there, along with Buffy: the Vampire Slayer, and Terry Pratchett.

Summary: Sonja's death scene, as experienced by the various characters.

VIKTOR

I stood in my daughter's rooms, assailed by a thousand memories, while Lucian's screams resounded through the stone walls of the fortress.

A ruler cannot show favouritism, even to their own flesh and blood. A Vampire Elder could not allow such a union, or its offspring, to survive, grandchild or not.

Was it truly only a few days ago that I told Sonja that her antics risked too much for a father to ignore? Absence at a Council Meeting could be excused, if they were infrequent. Recklessly using herself as bait for the Lycans could be viewed as bravery, if tempered with prudence. No-one would even bat an eye at a secret, informal liaison, if it was with one of our own kind.

But a pregnancy resulting from an affair with a Lycan slave, being absent from Council after Council, so that she could meet with him… that was something that no-one could excuse.

A hybrid species, descended from one of the Triumvirate – and therefore with a claim of inheritance to its power – could threaten everything, and a disloyal daughter, who betrayed her own coven, could not be forgiven, no matter how much I loved her.

Though it tore my heart to condemn the one I held most precious, I was forced to order the execution of my Sonja, my daughter.

My proud, brave, clever child. Sonja was all that I could want or need in an heir, and was far more worthy of the honour than several first-born sons that I knew of. In spite of her gender, I hired the best teachers to train her as a warrior, and never failed to tell her how precious she was to me.

Perhaps that was my failing. I told her that she was special, that I had no desire for an heir when I had her, and indulged my precious, precocious daughter. I told her no, when I felt I needed to, but perhaps I did not stress the importance of limits, that there was only so much that even she could get away with before she was censured. Perhaps I should have made the boundries of what is and is not acceptable clearer, and no we both pay the price for folly.

Lucian's all-consuming cries of grief echo for miles, and penetrating the very walls, thanks to the chamber acoustics. I would pity him, if I did not blame him, but his pain is no less potent than my own as I bow my head silently, gripping the furniture to stop myself from sinking to the floor and never rising.

If it is the last thing I do on this earth, I will kill Lucian for leading Sonja down this road, turning a young woman's head with feigned romance, but ultimately leading her to her Doom.

It is unlikely that I will ever feel this love again, the love of a father for his children. I do not know why I even bother to make the resolution, when I know that I have no other issue, but I promise myself that if another child claims my heart as Sonja did, soothing the emptiness left by her absence, I will make sure that they know that Lycans are the enemy, and not to be trusted.

But that is for the future, and for the present, I surrender to my grief.

uw

uw

uw

uw

A/N: Yes, I am a villain apologist, as anyone who has read some of my previous stories should know, and I like finding motivations behind actions.

I'm thinking of doing chapters for Sonja and Lucian, as well, if people are interested in reading.

adodcefa mentioned in her review that Viktor truly loved Sonja and Selene as daughters, and that it broke his heart to order their deaths. I hope that I conveyed this well enough in my fic.

This is my first Underworld fic, though Underworld is far and away my favourite Vampire and Werewolf universe, just above Buffy: the Vampire Slayer (Since I focus more on the Slayers, Watchers and original Gang than the assorted demons and other nasties) and Terry Pratchett (since Vampires etc. only feature in some of his works.)

Thanks, Nat.