Disclaimer:
I don't own any of this; all rights belong to Charlaine Harris and HBO.
Spoilers: Season 2 Episode 9: I Will Rise Up, big spoilers, don't read if you haven't yet seen and don't want to be spoiled.
Author's Notes:
This is a mash-up between a very, very minor vampire character from Ms. Harris's book series that I hope to learn more about in her future books and the aftermath of the passing of a vampire in Season 2. I was always annoyed with the fact that the show never addressed the aftermath, or showed Eric's grief and one day when I was trying to be productive on my own original story, this fan-fiction idea kept filling my brain and would not go away until I got it out. This is intended as a one-shot, but I may create an additional story to continue this train of thought if there is any interest. So here is hoping whoever reads this enjoys it. If you do, please let me know!
*****
Present Day:
Pam stood by the door to Fangtasia, a bored look on her face as she glanced at the IDs of each patron before allowing them entrance. Sensing an unknown vampire, her gaze darted across the parking lot and settled on a petite vampire striding toward her.
"You're new," Pam said.
"Maybe to you," said the woman.
"Mm-hmm. ID?" The woman handed Pam her Vampire Identification Card and upon recognizing the name of the mystery guest Pam nearly stumbled over the velvet barricade as she returned the card. "My apologies. Go on in, he's-
The woman held up a hand, quieting Pam. "I'll find him," she said as she walked through the doorway. After a beat she stopped and turned back around. "How is he?"
Pam's lips settled into a slight frown. "He hasn't spoken of it. Nothing I said to him seemed to be much help. Hopefully, you'll have better luck."
With that, the woman continued her path across the nightclub floor, ignoring the pathetic humans attempting to touch her as she walked by. As she reached the staff hallway, she took a moment to study her surroundings. Eric had certainly done well for himself and she recalled the night they first met long ago.
*****
Rome – Late 11th Century:
Thalia crouched on the top wall of the Coliseum and gazed down at the plethora of sad little huts and shops the humans had created from bits and pieces of the once grand stadium. She shook her head at their so-called "progress". Nature was destroying the famed amphitheater slowly with her earthquakes and wild foliage, but what humans were doing to it was nothing more than thievery. After only a few months, she noticed the outer wall was growing smaller as her inferiors stole bits of tufa to build up their new homes and shops outside the stadium.
It wasn't an isolated incident. For centuries the humans in her home country of Greece did the same with pieces of history, slowly tearing away bits of mortar, marble, and stone. She wondered what the world would resemble a century in the future, or a millennium, if she was destined to live that long.
She sent a silent prayer to the gods that she would. As an afterthought she added a request of preservation for the Coliseum and she patted the stone beneath her feet. She licked her lips and grinned as she decided to go have some fun with the late night stone workers on the opposite end of the stadium.
She stood, stretching her small frame, and began her walk along the perimeter. After taking a few steps she caught a blur of movement on one of the levels below. She raised a dark brow and wondered who could be intruding on her territory. She had chosen her perch carefully. Above ground, she had an unlimited food supply and nightly adventures. Below ground, the Coliseum's catacombs gave her sanctuary to rest during daylight. Whoever this intruder was could draw undesired attention and ruin her hard work.
She came off the wall and hopped gracefully from stone to stone as she worked her way down to the lower level, her pale linen garb billowing behind her with each descent. She reached the level just above the pit and wove deftly between the stone obstacles littering the ancient path. As she snaked around a large piece of crumbling mortar, she saw him.
He was beautiful.
Even hunched over the soon to be corpse on which he dined, Thalia could tell he was a large man. His long blond hair and pale skin shimmered in the moonlight. He was half naked, but she didn't mind. Every inch of his bare skin was spectacularly lean and muscled. The sight of him definitely would have taken her breath away, had she required breath.
He was unknown to her, but she caught the air of a familiar scent. She scanned her surroundings for other creatures and upon seeing none, her curiosity piqued.
The figure finished his meal and stood, stretching his long body. Thalia gaped as the muscles in his back, arms, and legs flexed and relaxed with his movements. His hair fell back, brushing the top of his shoulder blades, drawing her gaze down his long spine, and below. She silently hoped his front was just as beautiful.
The stranger began to turn around and she jumped on the chunk of mortar she'd been hiding behind. She was still in a crouch when their eyes met. Thalia's mouth curved into a half-grin as her hope was more than accurate. He was more beautiful from the front.
The man wiped the blood off his chin with the back of his wrist and gave her a fanged smile. Her eyes settled on a trickle of blood that trailed down his torso and her fangs instinctively came out. She beckoned him to come near and he did so without caution.
A young vampire, ignorant as I once was, she thought.
He stopped mere inches from her. Even from her perch on the tall stone, in her crouch she was at eye level with him. She swiped his bloody chest with her finger and suckled it into her mouth, savoring the sweetness.
She asked him who he was in Latin, hoping he'd been around long enough to learn the local language. His response was a confused smile accompanied by the sexiest shrug she'd ever seen. She frowned and tried a handful of dialects with repeated failure. Finally she tried a Scandinavian dialect she had learned centuries before.
Success. He nodded and said, "Eric."
She tapped her chest and said, "Thalia."
He echoed her name in a whisper and her spine tingled again. She straightened to her full height to scan the amphitheater's interior. She smelled him moments before she could set her gaze on him.
"Godric!" Thalia leapt from her perch and ran into her old friend's arms. He appeared to be only about 16, but he was far older than Thalia. Godric lifted her effortlessly into his arms and swung her around. She playfully tugged on his short, dark dreadlocks and asked, "How long has it been?"
"A lifetime, dear heart." Godric set Thalia down gently, but they remained in their casual embrace.
"How did you know where to find me?" Thalia asked.
Godric laughed. "Tales of a dark angel in such a famous location travel quickly among our kind. I had a strange feeling it could be you." He laughed again when she rolled her eyes. "Tell me; is it true you sometimes sing to your supper?"
Her lips formed a wicked grin. "Only when very inspired." She nodded her head in the direction of a now-confused Eric. "He is yours?"
Godric smiled proudly. "His name is Eric, the Northman. What do you think?"
Thalia let go of Godric and walked close to Eric. She let her gaze wander over him again. "He is magnificent." Upon hearing this, Eric puffed out his chest and smiled. "But ignorant," she added. Eric's smile twisted into a frustrated line and he tipped his head down shamefully.
Godric chuckled as he neared Thalia again. Taking her hand, he said, "Which is why I bring him to you. I need to go away a short time for my master and I worry it is too dangerous for Eric to join me." The pair glanced at Eric just as he was licking the remnants of blood off each of his fingers and making childish sounds of delight with each taste. Thalia snickered as Godric continued through clenched teeth, "or be left on his own."
Godric turned Thalia to face him and took one of her small hands in between his own. "I trust you above all others. Will you take care of him for me in my stead? It will not be for too long."
Thalia smiled and kissed his cheek. "Of course, for as long as you need."
*****
Present Day:
Eric Northman, Vampire Sheriff of Area Five, sat behind his desk pretending to sort through the various ledgers pertaining to his businesses when he was really trying to make sense of the events of the past week. He leaned back in his chair and fully stretched his impressive six-foot-four frame, propping his feet on the edge of his desk. Just as he began to relax, he heard footsteps coming down the hall and stood abruptly. Her familiar scent wafted through the open doorway and his emotions betrayed him. He should be furious with her for not giving him any warning of Godric's intent, but the warmth he felt from her proximity won his internal struggle.
Eric lowered his head and waited for his longtime friend, companion, and occasional lover to arrive. Her quick footsteps finally stopped and the door sounded a faint "click" as it closed. She didn't speak right away, and he didn't expect her to. He lifted his head to gaze at the small vampire and the pair merely studied each other for several long moments.
Soft black ringlets cascaded down the sides of her classic face and down her shoulders to caress the top of her breasts and Eric felt a longing stir inside him. Her soft brown eyes gazed into his of sapphire blue, and her perfect mouth was expressionless. Finally, she moved towards him with a patient purpose, coming to a stop when he was within reach and propped her rear on his desk. She craned her neck to meet his eyes and although her smile was genuine, he knew it was laced with their shared grief.
Eric touched his fingers to her chin and stroked the delicate line of her jaw. He hadn't touched her in over 200 years, but it felt as familiar as donning a pair of socks.
"Thalia."
"Dear heart," she replied. Eric squeezed his eyes shut as she echoed Godric's millennia-old endearment. She began to lift her hand to his, but he interrupted the action as his fingers encircled her neck and pushed her down on his desk.
"You knew of his intentions, didn't you?" When she nodded, his grip tightened. "Why did you not tell me or try to stop him?" he demanded.
Her fingers latched onto his wrist and she gently squeezed to remind him that she was still the older and stronger vampire, but instead of forcing her way free, she let him have this moment of dominance. He had earned it. "I did try to stop him, long before he volunteered himself to the Fellowship. It took me weeks to heal."
Eric loosened his grip in surprise. She fought him?
Thalia peeled his fingers off her neck and sat up as Eric crumpled into his chair. He was staring into nothing and she still had much to say. She tapped the arm of his chair with the toe of her shoe and it spun around so he was forced to face her.
"I thought you would have been able to change his mind had you been there." Eric shook his head in disbelief.
Thalia placed a finger under his chin and gave him a half-smile. "You know as well as I how adamant he could be." Her hand dropped back to her lap as she continued, "And he truly desired to leave our world. I know that now, as much as it hurts me to admit it."
Eric nodded, remembering Godric's words, "When I told him I would keep him alive by force, he called me cruel."
"I have to know something before I can begin to feel eased." Eric tipped his head, waiting for her to continue. "Was he at peace?"
Eric melted beneath her pleading gaze. In the thousand years he'd known this vampire he rarely saw her so emotionally naked, and it never failed to stir what little humanity he had left. He gave in to his urge to comfort her, taking her small hands in his own and smiling as they became enveloped in his grasp. He looked from their joined hands to her face and nodded his answer.
Thalia gave a small smile and lowered her eyes to their hands, her long lashes fanned over the top of her pale cheeks and for a moment he was startled by her beauty. "Better to let him go in peace than keep him here in misery," she whispered.
"His need for peace left a void in me, Thalia," Eric's voice wavered as he spoke, "I- I cannot feel him anymore."
Thalia placed a hand on his chest and shook her head. "You're wrong, Eric. I can still feel him in you."
Eric wrapped his arms around her waist as she gathered him against her chest. Her fingers stroked the back of his neck and for the first time since Godric's passing, he felt comforted.
"Stay with me for a while," he whispered against her neck.
"For as long as you need," she said.