Happenstance
Chapter II

Sun in the sky,
I ain't stopping you from burning
All we need is stars and moon
Clock on the wall,
I will keep your hands from turning
Or this night will end too soon

Sticks and Stones – The Pierces

After having her fill of the human she ordered, Bren dismissed him. She rolled her neck and closed the door behind the glamored and numb human as he left, feeling refreshed. She could already feel the fresh blood flowing through her system, heightening her senses and clearing away the headache she had felt coming on. The small meal had done well for her body but did not help with the unease that continued to linger in her mind. Even while feeding she had been unable to move her thoughts away from Godric and his disappearance.

It also brought up a predicament that Bren hoped to avoid for a few more centuries. While she was the only Child of Godric's nesting with him currently, she was not the only Child living near Dallas. It would be cruel and unkind of her not to bring the situation to the attentions of those bound to Godric, however much she would like to leave them worried and concerned. No, she would have to travel to the others and explain if Stan and the others had nothing to offer her. Remembering a few of the others Godric had made, Bren was not looking forward to searching them out. Some of them were so uncivilized. And young. But she knew that Godric would want his Children to made aware of the situation and for him she would make the trip.

When it came time to meet Isabel and the others in the bar downstairs, she had mentally over every second of the past twenty-four hours searching for some sign or clue but had come up with nothing. Bren let herself out of her room after grabbing her key card from the table and headed for the elevator, thoughts streaming. By the time she reached the hotel's bar and saw Isabel waiting for her, Bren was quite positive that she had been over every emotion, movement, and memory of the night before until the moment she walked into Godric's room to find him missing.

She had yet to find anything out of place or out of the ordinary and that realization did not help in her unease at all. As far as she could tell, there was no warning to Godric's kidnapping and without some sort of pattern to follow, it would make finding him so much more difficult. It frustrated her to no end.

Upon sighting her, Isabel made her way swiftly towards Bren. A determined and firm look planted on her ageless face. She nodded in greeting before turning to fall in step with the older vampire. "I called Stan and he's on his way with a few others," she stated as they made their way across the fairly crowded bar. "I left a message with Nan, but I do not know when she'll be able to meet with us."

Bren nodded her head, barely paying attention to the woman's words. It was nothing that she did not already know or expect. "Good, that's very good," she said with slight distraction as she glanced around the room. "When was Stan going to meet with us?"

Isabel gave her a short look before stopping to gracefully drop herself into an over sized plush chair. Crossing her legs politely, she looked up at her with slight annoyance. "You know Stan, Bren," she said with pursed lips. "The man will show when he chooses and not a moment before."

As she followed suit and sat herself down in a chair of her own, Bren frowned. "It would be in his best interest to arrive sooner rather than later," Bren said. She met Isabel's eyes for a moment before she turned to scan the bar once more. "It will be his life forfeited if he chooses to waste my time."

"I made sure to make him aware of how dire the situation was," Isabel assured. "Though, I doubt he needed to be told. This is no small matter that we have on our hands here. For Godric to be taken without warning-" she paused for a moment and shook her head. "Our worst fears have been realized, it would seem."

At that moment, Bren caught sight of the absurdly large cowboy hat that belonged to no other than Stan himself. She stood as he neared them, at least four others following behind him. It was easy to spot the anger etched on Stan's face and it came as a welcome surprise to her. There were very few vampires in Dallas that did not know of Stan's wish for more power and pull in the area's politics. The one person standing in his way was Godric, and Bren was guilty in believing that Stan would use his disappearance as a power play. She made a note to say something to him about it later and apologize for her wrongful assumptions.

Stan came to a stop before them both and gave a curt nod in greeting as he removed his hat in respect. Replacing it atop his head, he gestured to the four behind him and proceeded to introduce them. "These are the best of men, right here," he announced proudly. He rattled off their names and Bren stored them away for later without much thought. He looked between the two women before him with expectancy. "Someone care to explain the details of what has happened tonight?"

Bren retook her seat on the chair and waved a hand to the seats surrounding them before answering. "Godric is missing," she stated as Stan and the others sat themselves down. "I do not know by whom or for what purpose, but I can only fathom for unpleasant reasons. Godric warned me that something of this nature would happen, though I am sure he did not have ideas as to who; let alone being taken himself. I am displeased to admit that I did not think to heed his warnings."

One of the men scoffed from his seat. "None of us could predict something like this would happen, it is Godric we're talking about. The old guy is breaking two thousand years, easy as pie, and suddenly a bunch of little fleshbags come outta' nowhere and manage to take him without so much as a drop of blood spilled? And with you, his Child, just down the hall?" the vampire shook his head in disbelief. "These ain't just some guys off the street with a problem with vamps that we're dealing with here. There is some serious shit being tossed around."

Isabel nodded her head in agreement. "It is obvious that whoever took Godric knew enough about both him and his habits that taking him was quite easy," she said. Stan whipped his head to stare at her.

"You trying to say that whoever took Godric was someone that he knew?"

The thought of someone close to Godric being the one who took him did not sit well with Bren. There had been very few moments over the last sixteen hundred years when she and Godric had not been together. While most Makers leave behind their Children after they are able to fend and live on their own, Godric had not abandoned her in the same way. Whoever was close to him could easily be someone that Bren knew and trusted as well. Suddenly, she became aware that no one could be trusted, not even Stan or Isabel. Did she truly believe that either vampire had a part in Godric's disappearance? No, not particularly. But now it was apparent that anyone could be Judas amongst their ranks.

"I have no idea who took Godric or what they have planned for him," Isabel defended in a tired tone. "All that I know is that none of this makes any sense at all. Who would even want to kidnap him to begin with?"

Bren raised a hand before any of the others could reply. "I do not care about the why or the how, not now," she said with a small hint of annoyance and anger. "At the moment, my greatest concern if finding Godric and returning him safely and without harm. Do we agree that this should be our first and only priority until a more appropriate time?"

The others looked amongst themselves for a brief moment before they slowly nodded in agreement. Stan let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair with a shrug of his shoulders. "What's the game plan, then?"

Bren stood gracefully and looked down on them. "I have business to attend to across state lines and in my absence I trust that you will work on locating Godric," she said. Isabel slowly stood beside her and bowed her head. Bren glanced around the circle that had gathered and nodded to them. "I would appreciate being informed of any progress made while I'm away. Is this agreeable?"

"What business needs your attention at a time like this?" Stan inquired as he stood. He adjusted his hat and looked at her questioningly. "I would've thought that you would head the search for Godric, out of any of us here."

She quirked an eyebrow at him and sent him a mild look. "My business is my own and no concern of yours," Bren said. "My phone will remain turned on until I return. Hopefully I will be back within the next two nights. Until I return, Isabel will lead the search in my stead."

Isabel gave her a thoughtful look as she prepared to leave. "Meaning no disrespect, Bren," she said with a trace of concern. "But is this business ordeal worth your safety? Besides Godric, you are one of the oldest vampires on this side of the world. If there is someone out here wishing to weaken our ranks by killing elders, do you now think that it would be better for you to stay here where we would be able to protect you?"

A small laugh escaped her as Bren watched Isabel look to the others for support. "If Godric could be taken from our home in the manner that he was, none of us are safe." She shook her head with a small smile. "No, I must attend this business immediately. I am no safer here than I would be where I am going," she said. As she moved to leave, she gently touched Isabel on the shoulder. "I am grateful for your concern, but please do not waste your thoughts on my safety. Godric's return shall take enough of your time and effort as it is. I shall be fine," she assured.

"As you wish," Isabel said, giving her a small smile in return. "We will do everything we can to bring him back safely. You have our word."

Bren nodded in thanks. "That is all I ask," she said quietly.

With a last look to Stan and the others he had brought, she turned and quickly made her way out of the hotel's bar. She now wished she had thought more on her reservations at the hotel, as it now seemed she would not even be staying there for a number of nights. Brushing the thought aside, she requested her car be brought to her by the valet standing post just outside the lobby.

The night was still young regardless of how long it seemed she had been awake. A clock on the wall read eleven, which gave her more than enough time to reach the airport and book the next flight out of Dallas. In reality, there were only four of Godric's children currently residing in the United States, herself included. She knew of one living in the far north, somewhere in New England. The other, the one that she would pay a visit to first, lived in Shreveport, a town deep in Louisiana.

As she took her car from the valet and started in the direction of Dallas's airport, Bren pushed away her thoughts regarding the man she would soon be seeing. Their last encounter had been over three hundred years ago and they had left on less than good terms. While Godric was still in close contact with Eric, she was not. If it had not been for current happenings, she was sure that contact would not be made again for hundreds of more years.

A half hour later, she pulled into the multi-leveled parking garage of the airport and made her way through the concords to the ticketing area. She waited patiently in the somewhat long line for her turn at the desk.

"One coffin to Shreveport, Louisiana, if you please," she told the ticket woman when she finally reached the desk. She did not miss the apprehensive look on the woman's face at the words coffin, but she gave no thought about it. Some humans were more jumpy than others around her kind.

"You do know that the next flight leaves in forty-five minutes, don't you miss?" the woman asked in a voice that trembled ever so slightly.

Bren flashed her a short smile that she hoped relaxed the woman's nerves. "I didn't, but that flight will suit my needs just fine, thank you."

The woman nodded her head and went about getting Bren her ticket, which she practically shoved into her hands. With another smile, Bren left the desk and made her way through security easily seeing as she had neither any jewelry on or a carry-on bag. After finding her terminal, she sat herself down into an uncomfortable chair amongst the others waiting for their flight. In a short time, she would be in Shreveport and hopefully by the next night, Isabel would have news for her on Godric. Better yet, he might even be located by the time she returned to Dallas.

As she stood up with the others around her for their flight boarding, Bren knew very well the likelihood of Godric returning before she did. They were slim to none, if even at all. Bren was not stupid or naive, she fully understood the seriousness of the current situation. There was a high possibility that Godric would never be found and even if he was, there was no telling what his captors would or were currently doing to them. She knew, all too well, that she may never again set eyes on her Maker again.

And armed with that information, she had known from the moment she discovered his disappearance that this was a trip she would be forced to make.

–

Standing outside the club known as Fangstasia she could not help but smile fondly. To see that he had become successful, years later, reminded her of better days. It was hard to forget the late nights when Eric would talk of the establishment he hoped to one day open, even before the concept of a 'club' was fully formed by the human public. The line outside wrapped around the side of the dark building but Bren ignored the waiting customers and quickly strode to the front of the line. The woman carding people at the front of the line rose an eyebrow at her and jutted out a hip.

"Is there something you need, darling?" she asked.

It was hard to miss the faint smell of Eric on the woman and Bren suppressed a sigh. He always had the oddest taste when it came to choosing Children. "I require an audience with Eric," she said smoothly.

The woman let out a laugh and stood up straightly. "And who might you be, to be asking for such a thing? I haven't seen you around here before and I do remember everyone."

Bren gave her an impatient look. "I'm an old friend," she said simply. While it was nowhere near the truth, it was not as large a lie as anything else she could have said.

"An old friend," the woman said slowly, raking her eyes over Bren's form with criticizing eyes. "Well, 'old friend' of Eric's, if you would come with me, I shall see what I can do for you," she said, motioning for the large and burly man standing behind her to take over the line. She jerked a head towards the door before she walked through it and Bren was forced to follow behind her like a stray dog.

The inside of the club was nothing she hadn't seen before at multiple other vampire bars spread across the country. Women danced on tables, men leered at them, and humans mingled among the bloodsuckers as they always did. A bar was set against one wall and a man stood behind it, slinging out drinks to the answer the patron's cries. Bren followed behind the woman, who seemed to have no trouble forcing her way through the pulsing crowd and leaving a wake for Bren to walk through.

They stopped in front of a door that held a simple black plague with the words Manager: E. Northman written across it in in gold paint. The woman paused to knock on the door before opening it without waiting for a response from within. Bren scowled at the disrespectful action but said nothing. Children these days, she thought.

"Eric, there's someone here to see you," the woman said loudly, leaning inside the door to see her Maker's response while giving Bren no view at all. "She says she's an 'old friend' of yours." She paused to look at Bren before back into the office.

"What is her name?" Even with the door and woman between them and despite the pounding music coming from behind, his words easily reached Bren. For the first time in near three hundred years, Eric's voice burst their way into her eardrums and processed through her uncharged brain. It brought an odd sense of comfort to her.

The woman looked back at her. "What is your name, girl?" she asked, none too politely. Bren held herself from reprimanding the youngling and instead answered with her name calmly. The woman barely had time to repeat the name back into the office before the door was thrown open and Eric's broad form filled the frame entirely. The woman was forced back a step in surprise and Bren's eyebrows popped up, the only sign of her own surprise. He still moved at an unsettling speed.

With no more than a single glance in the woman's direction, Eric barked a command to her in Swedish. The woman, whose name Bren caught was Pam, threw him a look before turning on her heel and strode away. Eric stood for a moment in the doorway before he moved aside and tilted his head towards the office.

"I was wondering when you were going to show," he said as she walked past him and he closed the door behind them. Bren shot him a glance as she slowly looked around the office.

"Odd; seeing as how I did not decide to come here until early this evening," Bren said as she turned to face him. He stood near the door and she by the desk covered in paperwork. What felt like miles was only feet between them. Eric shrugged slightly, hands shoved into the pockets of dark colored jeans.

"It has been over three hundred years, Bren," he said with a glance to the side before he met her gaze. "You would have come back eventually."

A spark of fury rose in her before she instantly stomped it down. Now was not the time for trivial arguments and petty things. She did not have time for his games. "I did not come back for you, I assure you," she said to him, voice slightly louder as she took a step towards him. "My visit has nothing to do with you, no matter if you wish it to or not." She paused and frowned. Did he really have no idea about their Maker's disappearance? Isabel had assured her than all Sheriffs in nearby Area's had been informed.

Eric blanched at her for the slightest of moments before he let out a bark of laugh and smiled at her. It was the smile she had seen a million times over close to seven hundred years. It had made less and less appearances near the end of their time together, but it was still the same smile planted on the face that would never change, no matter the years. He leaned forward and whispered in a conspiratorial tone to her. "If you are not here for me, then please do explain what you could possibly be doing at my club, in my Area and under my jurisdiction?"

She stared at him. He really had no idea at all. This realization threw her for a moment as Eric stood before her, an expectant look on his face. Telling Eric the details of the last few hours was much different than telling Isabel or Stan or anyone else.

For what seemed like the millionth time that night, Bren spoke words that tore at her heart. "Godric is missing," she said quietly.

Instantly, the smile left Eric's face as he stared at her with a look of pain, shock, and disbelief. It was in that moment that she understood her decision to seek him out after so many years. None of the others understood her pain. None of them had shared the bond that she and Eric held with Godric. To them, he was a friend and college, but to her and to Eric as well, he was a living and breathing part of them. Without him, there was a hole missing within them that ached with each beat of their damned hearts.

No matter the past between herself and Eric and the lack of kind feelings between them, he was the only other being on the planet that would even begin to understand her pain if Godric were to be lost forever. She had been told of the pain caused to a Child upon their Maker's death and no matter the anger she felt for Eric, it was a pain that not even he deserved to suffer through alone. And that was why she was there, standing in his office, awaiting his response with a small hope that he would not abandon her either.

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RJL