A/N: Thanks to Midnat, I was inspired to write a sort of sequel to the one shot entitled Godric (if you haven't read, go check it out - you don't necessarily have to read it to understand what's going on though, it's sort of explained anyways). This won't be very long (I don't think) but I just wanted an excuse to write fluff and Godric being alive, so here we are!

Chapter One:

The music in her ears pushed her along as she fought to reach her goal. She had jogged farther than she ever had in one go and she was determined to make it home without crawling. Her legs were screaming in agony and it felt like her lungs were on fire. But she would not stop, not when she was just a block away from the park. All she had to do was make it there and then dart across the small clearing to make it home.

And then she could die on her comfortable bed and sleep the night away.

"Just a little bit farther," she whispered to herself in encouragement. She was nearing the park now, and almost wanted to burst into a complete run just to get to her apartment quicker. But no, she needed to keep her pace, or else she would hurt a hell of a lot more in the morning.

It was as she was entering one end of the park that she was thrown to a stop. Her gaze had just happened to move up from the ground she was trying to imagine was instead a parking lot and not blades of grass when she caught sight of the familiar swing set she had loved as a child. She had swung on those swings, and more important, the second from the end, almost every single day as a young girl. She still remembered sneaking out of her house every night to swing, only the stars to keeping her company.

That was until Godric had appeared.

She frowned at the thought of the vampire. She hadn't thought about him for over a year, not since she had heard about his death from the news. She remembered being saddened by his passing and hoping that he had found happiness in the afterlife. But after a few days, she had moved on. Her swimming meet had been coming up and she needed to concentrate. But now, all of a sudden, he was at the forefront of her thoughts.

Because he was sitting on her damn swing again.

It wasn't possible of course. The news had reported his death, after all. But as she stopped at the entrance to the park, her eyes squinting to get a better look at the form on her favourite swing, she could have sworn it was the same boy she had discovered there thirteen years ago.

"Impossible," she muttered, shaking her head. She had just pushed herself to hard. She was likely dehydrated and exhausted; she was seeing things. That could be the only plausible explanation.

But then why, as she blinked multiple times and rubbed at her eyes, did he seem so real? Maybe it was just someone who looked like him. It was possible. She thought about inching closer, to get a better look. But then she wondered if it was a good idea. What if it was some stranger, possibly drunk or dangerous? Maybe it would have just been safer to turn around and go the long way back home.

Something stopped her from doing so, however. Her curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't help but begin the slow walk across the park. She kept her distance though, not wanting to alert them – whoever it might be – to her presence. Her rapid heartbeat and gasps for breaths, however, gave herself away as the form stiffened on the swing set. She cursed herself under her breath and tried to calm her agonized body. She didn't want to frighten him away if it did happen to be Godric.

Not that it was possible.

"Anything can be possible," she reminded herself. They did live in a world where vampires existed. She had felt his glamour himself. Magic was entirely real. So why couldn't a resurrected vampire be just as real?

Or maybe he just hadn't died.

Maybe the news had gotten it wrong.

There were a million different explanations. Along with the one that it couldn't have even been him. But there was something inside of her, maybe even a spark of hope, that knew that it wasn't just a stranger. It was him. It was Godric.

If it was Godric, he had heard her soft mutters and had turned his head ever so slightly. It was enough, however, for the crest of the moon to catch and confirm her hope.

It was Godric.

Her breath was caught in her throat as she diverted from safety and began moving towards the swing set. The closer she came, the more certain she was. She couldn't stop the grin that began spreading across her lips. She ignored her legs protesting as she moved, only coming to a stop a few feet away.

"That's my swing, you know."

His head did turn all the way to the side this time, catching sight of her. He just stared, his face a complete mask, his eyes holding a sadness that pained her to see. She didn't even know this vampire, but she remembered the boy she had met when she was only a child. He could have harmed her that night. He could have just left and let her continue to swing, even though there had been danger looming. But he had sent her off to bed and hadn't harmed a single hair on her body. He may have been a vampire, but there had been good inside of him thirteen years ago. She doubted that would have changed.

"I really like that swing too," she took another step forward.

His head tilted to the side as his gaze moved over her. There was a flicker of confusion in his orbs before that was masked too.

"You have a habit of stealing my favourite swing," she doubted he remembered her. She was just one of millions he had likely met as a vampire. She could tell that he was an old soul back then, and when she had learned how old he was, she wasn't surprised at all. Though she did have to admit that she was thoroughly impressed.

He continued to stare at her and she was beginning to find it unnerving. Perhaps she shouldn't have stopped. Perhaps she should have just kept jogging. But she found that she could do nothing but stare at him while drawing closer, inch by inch.

"You should not be out so late alone, child," he spoke softly, and she had to strain herself to hear him at all. If there had been even an ounce of doubt, it was officially gone. She would never be able to forget his unique accent. She had tried to research where he could have been from, but she guessed she would never find another living – or dead – soul that shared the same accent.

Her grin stretched from ear to ear as she remembered a similar warning when she was a child. "I'm not a child," she retorted. "You're sitting on my swing,"

His eyebrows furrowed as his orbs bore through her. She shifted from one foot to the other before drawing even closer.

"Is that so?" his lips twitched ever so slightly.

"Yes," this was feeling far too familiar to her. "Move please."

"Well since you so kindly asked."

He was gone before she could even blink. Her eyes widened, still unable to believe any being could move so fast. She remembered feeling so confused over how he could move so fast, dubbing magic as the only explanation. And she suppose it was magic in a way.

"You're a curious little thing."

She swung around to find Godric standing only a foot away, his held tilted to the side as amusement spread across his lips. The sadness still ebbed his eyes, but they were beginning to shine in the moonlight and she found that she had forgotten just how blue they really were.

"You said that to me once before," she mused, plucking the earphones from her ears and tucking them in her pocket.

"Yes, I believe I have," his gaze swept over her for a second time. "You were only a child then, however."

"Seven, to be exact," she replied. "You stole my swing."

"I returned it, as I recall."

"No you didn't," she chuckled, remembering that night very clear. "You stole it again and then you glamoured me."

The amusement was wiped from his face. "You remember that?"

"I didn't realize it until vampires made themselves known and all, but yes, I remember it," she nodded. "I couldn't figure out why I suddenly thought it was unsafe to go outside and night alone."

"Children should not be wandering," his lips formed a frown. "Neither should young women."

She raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I think I can take care of myself."

"A young woman find herself alone in a park with a vampire and she thinks she can take care of herself?"

"A vampire who is supposedly dead," she pointed out with a smirk. "So if you're actually a ghost, then I like my chances."

The surprise was evident on his face and she felt satisfied. She had a feeling it wasn't everyday a human was able to surprise him. "How do you know this?"

She sent him an incredulous look. "It was all over the news a year ago. There was a bombing at some house – your house I guess – and then they reported that you had died. Though I'm starting to realize that was one hell of a lie."

He looked unsure of how to continue, and instead moved around her and returned to the swing set. She frowned as she turned along with him, following close behind. When he stole her swing, she planted her hand firmly on her hips and shot him a pointed look.

"You stole my swing again."

He didn't respond and instead gazed down at the sand. He looked so out of place sitting there, sand wrapped around his sandal covered feet. She remembered the news report stating he was a sheriff of some kind – whatever that meant. But she just could not picture him as any sort of authority. Not because he did not look it. No, she could feel just how old he was, how much power he possessed. She had when she was only just a child. But he seemed like he wouldn't care about trivial things like politics. He seemed worldlier to her, like he should be travelling the world, each country at a time, sailing every sea and ocean. He shouldn't be stuck behind a desk filling out paperwork. It was a waste.

"Why aren't you dead?" she wondered, standing next to the swing set. She wrapped her arms around herself as a cool breeze settled in around them. It was early November, and a chill was starting to spread across Dallas.

"I was supposed to be," he mused, his gaze not moving from the sand. He looked like he was miles away however.

"So then why aren't you?"

"I realized that I could not,"

Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to understand what he meant. "You realized you couldn't die? Did you have a choice?"

"I had many choices that morning."

If there was an award for the most cryptic conversation, this would hands down win. She could feel her frustration building, the same frustration she remembered feeling even as a seven-year-old girl. But she didn't storm away or declare him a lost cause. She didn't even know why she planted herself there on the swing beside him. She didn't know him. She had only met him once and it was such a chance encounter. But she felt drawn to him, drawn to his world. She had been since the moment he disappeared without any explanation. Once the Great Revelation occurred, she had only delved deeper into the supernatural world, reveling in the fact that she hadn't been crazy her entire life.

"So you chose to live?" she glanced at him curiously.

"I did."

"Then why did they say you died?"

He smiled, but it was not out of amusement or kindness. There was not an ounce of cheerfulness on his face. "Because they believe me to be dead."

Her jaw dropped open in surprise. "You faked your death!"

"That I did."

"But why?" why would anyone fake their death? This wasn't Sherlock Holmes or some secret spy movie. This was the real world; people just didn't go around faking their own death. Then again, the boy beside her was anything but an average person. "Why would you fake your own death?"

"I needed time," he admitted, gazing at her out the corner of his eye. "Why are you so curious, little one?"

"I'm not so little."

"Everyone is little to me."

She kicked her shoes off and dug her feet in the sand as she swung gently. "I bet. They said you were two thousand years old on the news. Or is that a lie too?"

"No, that is the truth."

She already knew that it was, but to hear it from his mouth, it was just as surprising. She was sitting beside a being that had walked this earth for over two thousand years. She was nothing short of impressed and wished she could spend hours asking him questions about everything. He was a walking, talking history book.

"Wow," she breathed out in awe. "That's amazing."

"I suppose so," he frowned once again.

He was really a man of little words. "What did you need time for exactly?"

He raised an eyebrow as he glanced at her. "You are nosy aren't you?"

"I'm a handful, as you put it," she shrugged.

She could have sworn he chuckled, but it was so soft and short lived that she would never know for sure.

"What is your name, little one?"

"If you tell me why exactly you faked your own death, I'll tell you my name," she bargained.

He looked impressed. "You are making a deal with a vampire?"

"You sound like I'm selling my soul to the devil," she snickered. "It's just a name."

"It's so much more than that," he replied so softly she could have sworn had hadn't even spoken at all.

She frowned as she gazed over at him. He didn't even blink. He just kept staring at her, expecting her to speak. His orbs had darkened and there was an odd look in his eye, as if giving her his name really was so much more than that. She shuddered at the thought.

"Your name?"

"Nuh uh, you have to tell me why you faked your death first," she shook her head. "And then maybe I'll tell you my name."

"You would lie to a vampire, then? That is very risky of you."

"It's not lying, it's manipulation," she couldn't help but smirk.

He continued to stare at her, though a small, true smile began to form across his lips. She found that she liked his smile. He reminded her more of the vampire she remembered as a child when he smiled like that.

"I found life to be meaningless. I believed the peace between human and vampires could have one day been achieved, but my vision would never be accepted," he gazed up at the night sky, his tone turning sad. "I had grown tired of my existence, of all the pain I had caused and I sought to end my life."

She wanted to interject that there was never a good reason for someone to end their own life, but she didn't want to startle him and have him stop. She wanted to know all she could about this vampire, including why it was even possible that she was able to talk to him when he was supposedly dead.

"I wanted to see the song one last time. I wished to feel the rays of sun on my skin," he looked so lost in thought. "But my child's tears stopped me. I thought after a thousand years, I was no longer needed. It appeared I was wrong."

"So you stayed?"

"I did," he nodded.

"But why fake your own death? Why not tell everyone you're not dead?"

Godric sighed heavily. "I plan to. I simply needed time."

"It's been a year. Do your…children know that you're alive?" she questioned.

He smiled sadly. "No they do not."

"Don't you think they deserve to know you're not dead?" she didn't understand everything he was saying. Vampires could have children? Were they the vampires they turned? Did they know if one of their own died? There was only so much you could learn from the Internet.

"I needed time to think, to understand my own existence."

"That doesn't mean they shouldn't know," she pointed out. "I mean I don't know how y'all work and all, but I'm guessing it's sort of like a family. If I found out someone in my family was alive when I thought they were dead and they hid it from me, I would be furious."

He was staring at her again. She shifted under his scrutinizing gaze and looked around. She searched for something to say, and was almost relieved when her phone began ringing. Her cheeks flushed as she slipped her phone from her pocket. She groaned as she realized it was her roommate.

"Sorry," she chewed on her bottom lip, risking a glance over to Godric. He was gazing back up at the sky, however, not giving her a care in the world. She raised an eyebrow before pushing herself to her feet and moving a few feet away from the swing set. Not that it mattered, considering Godric could hear her conversation anyways. "Hello?"

"Where in the blue hell are you? You said you would only be gone for an hour!"

She rolled her eyes at her overprotective friend. "I'm just finishing, I'll be home soon."

"Just catch a cab, wherever you are. You don't know what things you might run into out there. It's dark out!"

"I'm aware," she stifled a snicker. "I'll be home soon, I promise."

She quickly hung up and turned, only to frown as she realized she was utterly alone. She turned left and right but Godric was nowhere to be found. He had disappeared just like he had when she was a child. Damn vampire.

"You never told me your name," he was standing directly behind her again. She turned, slower this time, and sent him a mock glare.

"You need to stop doing that," she shot at him.

He caught her chin suddenly, forcing their gazes to meet. She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she tried to step back. But he kept her firmly in place as she began to feel a tug in the depths of her consciousness. She knew immediately what he was doing as she tried to struggle. But she could not fight his great strength and soon her shoulders were sagging, her mind completely at his disposal.

"What is your name?" he questioned again.

"Grace," she couldn't control her lips from moving. "My name is Grace."

A smile spread across his lips as he dropped his hand from her chin and ended the glamour. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Grace."

Grace didn't know whether to be furious that he had glamoured her or just plain annoyed. "That wasn't very nice, you know."

"I'm a vampire," he reminded.

"You have a habit of glamouring me," she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just as a I steal your swing, I suppose," his smile grew ever so slightly. "You should return home now, Grace."

"Will you glamour me again if I don't?" Grace challenged him.

"It's not safe."

"You're not safe or the world in general isn't safe?"

There was amusement in his orbs again. "Me."

"Well you haven't killed me yet, so I'll take my chances, Godric."

"You're a fool."

She snorted. "Probably."

They stared at one another for a moment before Godric shook his head and moved around her. She raised an eyebrow as she turned to follow, but was stopped when he once again was no longer in sight. He really needed to stop doing that.

"Seriously?" she sighed, twisting around in search of him. She was starting to grow annoyed at that little parlor trick. Why couldn't the damn vampire stand still? "Godric?"

But he never replied, nor did he appear again. She waited in that park a good ten minutes before her shoulders dropped in disappointment. Godric was gone, and she was once again left wondering if he was even real. Had her mind played tricks on her? Had she just been seeing things? Or was it completely possible that he really had just been faking his own death? But then why would he show up here of all places?

"You're really annoying, you know that," she muttered to the empty park before shaking her head and turning in the direction of her apartment building. Her roommate was worried enough as it was. If she took any longer getting home she'd likely call the police. Grace, however, couldn't help but stand just at the edge of the park for a few more minutes, wondering if the vampire would reappear.

He never did.

It wasn't until she was safely in her apartment, assuring her friend that she was perfectly fine, that she saw him again. He was back on her swing, sitting right where she had first seen him. She stood by that window and rolled her eyes, glaring through the glass like he could even see her. She doubted he knew this was where she lived. She doubted he would even know which window to look up at.

And yet there he was, looking directly at her.

"Stealing my swing again," she snickered.

She could have sworn he smiled.