Family

"What is that amazing smell?" Nora sniffed around the field, the sweetest aroma she had ever smelt filling her nostrils. Her eyes fluttered closed as she followed the scent, her head snapping to the side before her body had a mind of it's own, chasing after the blonde that had dashed passed only moments before.

Before she could reach out to grasp onto the girl that smelt like sunshine on a rainy day, a hand yanked hard on the back of her leather jacket, halting her in place.

"Do not feed on Sookie." Eric ordered with a growl.

Nora struggled, her eyes growing wide as her gaze swept over the blonde. She smelt delicious, like nothing she had ever smelt before. In all of her nearly six hundred years alive she had never smelt anything like it before. She just wanted to sink her teeth into the pulsing vein that was taunting her, to taste the delectable blood as it slid across her tongue and down her throat.

A moan sounded from her lips at just the thought. "What is she?"

"She's a waitress." Eric answered simply, sending a small glance to Sookie, his eyes brightening as they caught each other's gaze. "A waitress who's saved my life more than once."

She wasn't even listening as he spoke. She just wanted to taste the sweet blood so badly. Her hands were inching forward, her feet attempting as best as they could to move towards the human, or whatever she may be.

"And her fear vibe very graciously brought me here tonight allowing me to settle an ancient debt." Eric smirked triumphantly. Finally, after all these years, he had found his vengeance. Over a millennia had gone by, but not once had he not thought of his brutally murdered human family. He had promised his father, the king of Vikings, to track down and kill their murderer. It had taken centuries, but finally, he had completed the task.

And it felt fucking great.

"Thank you for that, by the way." His smirk melted into a rare smile, Sookie returning one before Nora nearly leapt free of Eric's grasps.

Eric sighed, tugging the younger vampire back, meeting her throat with his hand in a tight grip. "Are you really this undisciplined?"

Nora pulled a face at her brother, still eying the blonde out the corner of her eye. She wondered what she could be. She couldn't have been human. Never had a human smelt so mouthwatering before, and she had tasted many delectable blood 'donors' in the past half millennium. But what could she possibly be? How could she have lived this long and never encountered such a being before?

"Now father would be very disappointed." Eric spoke in a low tone, though a playful smirk spread across his lips as he reprimanded his sister. Too many times in the past had they been in this very predicament. His temper may have been infamous, but Nora had always been too impulsive. She was a fantastic liar, and could climb up the political ranks faster than anyone he had ever seen before, but it was her bloodlust that was her downfall.

Nora rolled her eyes, only to earn a tight squeeze to her throat. Letting out a growl of annoyance, she let her tense body relax. "Alright, I won't eat her!"

Eric's smirk widened. "Swear on Godric."

Nora grunted, sending the blonde girl another glance.

"Swear." Eric jostled her until her focus was back on him "On. Godric."

Her nose scrunched up, just as he always remembered it did when she was pissed off. It amazed him even centuries later, how much he enjoyed pissing her off.

"I swear," Nora drew out the words. "On Godric."

"Good girl." Eric let her go, but sent her a pointed look.

"I'm not a dog." She snapped at him, her arms crossing childishly over her chest.

"Then don't act like one."

She wanted to wipe that smirk from his lips. He was always so arrogant. Not that it didn't suit him. He was a fucking Viking, after all. It was how he had survived for so long after he had parted ways from their maker.

Godric.

His name still stung her heart. She hadn't thought of him for over a year since she had felt the painful pang in her heart as he met the sun. It had awakened her from her dead rest, a moment she would surely never forget. It was then that Salome had planted her seeds, when she had been so lost, so angry at her maker for not saying goodbye.

"Sister?" Eric's eyebrows furrowed together as he gazed down at her.

Nora forced a smile onto her lips. "Yes, Brother?"

"We should go." He nodded up to the sky before sending Sookie a quick glance. "I hope to be seeing you shortly."

"Eric, what you did back there…" she stood, helping her concussed brother to her feet.

"Don't mention it." He smiled warmly at her. "Keep safe. I'll be in contact."

Before Sookie could even utter another word, Eric had taken off into the night sky.

Nora, for a brief moment, thought about taking her chances, with her brother already gone, to sneak a taste of the girl. But she knew better than to try and test Eric, especially now. He was her family, after all. It had been the lack of family that had led to this mess in the first place. She wasn't about to lose him over something as ridiculous as a delicious human girl.

"What are you?" Nora curiously asked, preparing herself to follow after Eric.

Sookie eyes her cautiously. She wasn't sure of the brunette vampire yet. She was Eric's sister, and she had seen the control Eric had over her. But from the look in her rabid eyes, Sookie could also recognize the hunger, the blood lust.

"That's really none of your business."

Nora just smirked at her before gazing up at the night sky. Eric was hovering just over the tree line and out of sight. He motioned pointedly upwards and she got the hint. Sending Sookie one last glance, she leapt into the sky, joining her brother at his side.

"What is she Eric?" Nora questioned as the two flew side by side.

Eric hesitated, unsure whether or not to reveal his faerie's secret. But Nora was family. Even if he had to instill in her that Sookie was to be protected, not eaten, he still felt like he could trust her.

"She's part faerie."

"Faerie?" Nora frowned. "They exist? I thought they were just things of legends."

"They've nearly become extinct." Eric explained before pulling to a stop. "She is mine, Nora."

"My fucking Viking claiming a human?" Nora raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I'm surprised, big brother."

"She is under my protection, is that clear?"

Nora rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't dream of laying a hand on her. She just smells so fucking brilliant!"

Eric smirked. "She tastes even better."

The two flew the rest of the way to Fangtasia in silence, both with their thoughts solely on Sookie.

Nora couldn't believe that she had never come across a Faerie before. Nearly extinct her not, she had seen practically everything in her long life.

Eric, on the other hand, couldn't wipe the silly human like grin from his face as he thought about his faerie. Granted, she wasn't his yet, but he refused to just lose her to fucking Compton or anyone else. He had never felt such feelings towards anyone before besides his maker and sister. He wanted her. He needed her. She was all he had thought about while being stuck in the Authority. It was her radiating smile, the feel of her warm skin, the melodic heartbeat that had kept him sane throughout it all. And now, now he was so close to calling her his own.

He just needed to deal with this Authority crap first.

"Oh how lovely." Nora mused sarcastically as they touched down before the bar. "Did you pick out the insults yourself, or did you hire a decorator?"

Eric snorted, barely giving the graffiti on the exterior walls a second glance. They had been permanent since the Russell Edgington disaster the first time.

Russell Edgington.

God it felt fucking good to know he had killed his family's murderer once and for all.

Who would have thought it would feel this good?

"After you." They crossed the parking lot, Eric opening the heavy black door and nodding into the bar.

"How could I have lived for so long and never encounter a faerie?" Nora wondered out loud.

"Because the only thing you ever cared about was rising up the ranks of the Authority. Over achiever." Eric snickered, taking a good look around at the bar he surprisingly missed. It had just been another one of his many business endeavors, one he had rightfully handed down to his equally as business minded progeny. But as he stepped into the bar, he felt strangely nostalgic.

He never thought he would step foot in here ever again.

He never thought he would see Pam again.

"Well somebody had to do something to make father proud." Nora smirked to herself, gazing around the bar she had only heard about before in passing. It was all so amusing to her, but she did have to give her brother credit. She may have been a political genius, but Eric was just as well minded as she was. He had done well for himself.

Of course not any better than she had.

"It must kill you that he loved me more." Eric's smirk was wide as he moved towards the stage across the room where his throne lay. He stopped however, his head turning ever so slightly towards a corner. He frowned as he gazed at the spot that had gained his interest. There was nothing there. Not even a table or chair. Not even a piece of garbage. But there was something about that spot, something about that exact place that stopped him dead.

"It kills me that you think he did." Nora chuckled, her blue orbs landing on her brother's back. She raised an eyebrow as she watched his shoulders tense. She could sense through the bond that they shared how bewildered he felt. "Brother?"

"That corner," Eric pointed to the corner he couldn't take his eyes off of. "Does anything look unusual to you?"

Nora frowned at her brother, uncertain of what he was going on about. She did glance at the corner, but she found nothing out of the ordinary. It was just an empty corner. "Are you still suffering after effects from all the silver injections?"

"Look harder." He insisted. Something was off. Something about that corner was different. He just couldn't figure out what.

"Eric…" Maybe Lilith's blood, or whatever had been in that bottle, had damaged Eric's mind after their last drop.

"Just look."

Nora sighed but glanced back at the corner. This time she too felt it. It was like something was pulling her to that corner, something she couldn't understand. She couldn't look away, couldn't think of anything else.

"What is it? I don't understand." Nora took a step forward, hoping that the closer she grew to the corner, all would be revealed.

But still, the corner was empty. It was just two walls coming together.

But there was something more. She could just feel it.

Having moved to just in front of the corner, Nora reached her hand out, not even realizing what she was doing. She could feel warmth just under the palm of her hand as she held it straight out in front of her. It was the oddest of feelings, one she both wanted to pull away from, and to never stop.

"It's like…" Nora trailed off, unable to find the words. There was no possible way to describe the warmth, the feeling that was now surging through her skin. Her eyes fluttered closed as she inhaled slowly. That scent. It just smelt so familiar, so loving, so… "Godric."

If Eric's heart could have beat, it would have leapt right out of his chest. "You can feel it too."

"It's him." Her eyes immediately watered with bloody tears. She turned her head around to glance over her shoulder. "Why does it feel like him? Why can I smell him?"

Eric wanted to move forward, but something stopped him. He felt the sudden need to look away, but as he did so, just out of the corner of his eye, he could see it. Or rather him.

Godric.

He was standing right there in the corner, adorned in his white garments, that ghostly white glow enveloping him completely. He wanted to look directly at his maker, to catch his gaze, to fall at his feet and to feel him once more. But something told him that the minute he looked directly at the spirit of his maker, he would disappear. So he kept his head turned away, but kept a close eye on Godric ever so slightly out the corner of his eye.

Eric smiled when he realized Nora's hand was flat against Godric's chest, right where his heart would have laid. It brought tears to his own eyes, and he was glad Nora was preoccupied and couldn't see his consuming emotions.

"Godric?" Nora called out, her bottom lip quivering. She could feel him. He was right there. She knew he had to be. But why couldn't she see him? Did she have to be corrupted by Lilith's blood in order to see her maker again? Regrettably, she almost wanted to drink a drop a day just to see him again. It had been too long, centuries even. She just wanted his reassurance, his kind, loving smiles. She missed everything about Godric. But most of all, she missed hearing his soft whispered voice, soothing her to sleep as an infant vampire, assuring her that everything was going to be alright as they took to the ground.

"I will always love you."

Nora let out a small whimper at the whisper in her ear. It wasn't even a whisper, and more like a quick gust of wind, swirling beside her ear, soothing her, caressing her. "Father…"

"My daughter, you are so brave, so bright." The whisper sounded again.

"Forgive me, Father." Her legs shook beneath her, her hands clenching in disbelief at her side. She couldn't see him, but she could feel Godric. And that's all that mattered in that moment. "I've just been so lost."

"I will always watch over you, always guide you. Never forget that."

She could ever so slightly feel what felt like a hand on her cheek. It was his touch, she knew it in her bones. She knew his touch better than anyone's. His blood was her blood. They were one.

"My children, back together again. I can rest happy now."

Eric too could hear the last spoken words before suddenly, the gust of wind swept through the room before vanishing, the warmth following suit.

"No." Nora fell to her knees, reaching her hand back out, trying to find Godric again.

But he was gone.

He was truly gone.

"I'll never truly be gone."

She wasn't sure if she was going insane or not, hearing the soft voice in her head. But in her heart, and even if she was a little insane, she knew it was he. Godric was always trying to take care of them, even after death. He had shown her the light, shown her the correct path, and no matter what, he would always be there at their side, no matter their faults or mistakes.

"I miss you father." She whispered, bowing her head as a bloody tear rolled down her cheek.

Eric brushed away what he could of his own tears as he finally turned and flashed to his sister's side. He knelt down beside her, silently putting an arm around her. Nora leant against his side before turning completely and curling against him. Hundreds of years, and she still fit so perfectly against him. Eric wondered if Godric had picked her simply so he would never be alone, even long after Godric was gone.

No, Eric knew that's exactly why he had chosen another progeny, why he had followed and obsessed over Nora for as long as he had before her turning. He had been ensuring, centuries before he even wanted to meet the sun, that Eric would ever be alone in this world.

"I don't think we should separate. At least not for awhile." Eric suggested, kissing the top of her head.

"How can you possibly forgive me? After all that I've done…"

"All is forgiven, sister." He assured, tightening his arm around her. "Father forgave you, Nora, and so shall I."

"I never got to say goodbye." She sighed, lifting her gaze to meet his. "I wasn't even there. I was just so blinded by my anger. I should have been there. We all should have been there as a family. As one."

"We can be a family now, just as we always have been." Eric gingerly took her face in his hands, offering her a small, rare smile he showed only a select few. "I promised Godric long ago to always protect you, to love you unconditionally. It's time I followed through."

"For Godric." She smiled sadly.

"For Godric."