Chapter Two: Meeting Eric
A/N: There is some serious time travel in the chapter, so I tried to break the chapter every time it was a new time period. Hopefully it flows well enough. I do not own, not am I affiliated with True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels.
"A cat." Eric stated, amused with his maker.
"Yes." Godric murmured not looking up from his papers.
"I must admit when you said you got a pet, I wasn't thinking you meant a cat." Eric smirked sitting down on the couch.
"It has been interesting," Godric admitted, "I have not had to care for something since you."
"Yes I'm sure," Eric chuckled, "Your underlings tell me you haven't taken a break in days, let's go out."
"Not now." Godric stated firmly.
"When then?" Eric asked, "It is not often I get to visit with you. Let's go celebrate at a blood bar. Knowing you, you haven't fed in days."
Eric gave up after a while. His maker was in no mood to entertain him. Eric was worried about Godric, it had been almost a year since his suicide attempt on the roof top, and his maker still didn't seem to have any joy for life.
"Well, I have to go feed." Eric said before leaving "I shouldn't be long."
Godric worked diligently for another half an hour while Shadow snoozed lightly in her bed by the desk. One of her many beds he mused. She had a bed or a tower in almost every room, she was now well and truly spoiled. Shadow woke and soon became bored with watching her master work. It wasn't long before he was distracted by her nudging his leg.
"Not now gáta." Godric murmured.
Not to be deterred Shadow hopped up on his desk and mewed at him. He shot her a look and went back to work. Ever empowered the cat pranced along his desk then nudged a pen off the edge. Godric sighed, used to this little tantrum she pulled. Shadow huffed before hoping off his desk. Thinking he had discouraged her pestering. He didn't notice when she jumped up on his mantel- at least not until he heard a book fall. Godric stared at her surprised with the little cats attitude. Shadow she stared back with an almost defiant look before batting another book off and then a book end. Shadow sprinted from the room as he flashed over to the mantel placing the items back in their place before chasing his cat thought the house.
Eric sat quietly on the plane, looking out of the window, contemplating his latest visit with Godric. Ever since the Fellowship of the Sun disaster Eric had kept a close eye on his maker. They'd been closer these past two years than in the last century if he was honest.
Eric couldn't believe how attached his maker had become to his little companion. When Isabel first told him about the cat Eric though it was a joke. Isabel insisted it was ludicrous to have the beast in the house, but Eric had seen how his maker's attitude had changed for the better since its arrival. Watching his Maker this past week had and alleviated most of his stress about Godric's mental state.
Eric just couldn't see the suicidal man from that rooftop last night when he walked into the house. He had been at a meeting and when he opened the door to see his maker laughing at the cat as she chased around a rodent.
Eric was pleased to see his maker so joyous, if not a little shocked at the bolt of jealousy he felt towards the cat for bringing happiness to his maker where he could not. It didn't help that the little cat seemed almost haughty when Godric had defended her choice to put the dead rodent in Eric's bed when he died for the day.
No matter, he thought smirking I got her back.
"And who is this?" Pam asked breaking the hostel atmosphere between her maker and Godric. They had argued the whole way from the airport about some new business venture.
"That is Shadow," Godric smiled. Pam was surprised at the emotion he showed for the little creature. Eric hadn't been kidding when he said his maker's mood had staidly improved since the rooftop incident.
"She is his pet." Eric murmured watching the little cat stretch and make her way over to greet Godric before becoming acquainted with Pam.
"She is lovely," Pam stated, surprising Eric's maker.
"I didn't know you liked cats, Pam," Godric said watching Shadow jump onto the arm of the couch.
"I thought everyone knew how much I enjoy a good puss." she smirked.
Godric laughed out loud at the crude innuendo, yes she was definitely a product of his child. Eris was getting increasingly irritated at Shadows attempts to dodge his hand.
"Proud little thing isn't she." Eric stated not sure if he was amused or annoyed that the little cat still wasn't acknowledging him.
"She's mad at you Eric." Godric chuckled, "What did you expect?"
"It was an accident," he groused watching little Shadow warm up to Pam instead of him.
"What did you do to her?" Pam asked amused with the look on her maker's face.
"He pushed her into a sink full of water." Godric replied.
"Eric!" Pam scolded him.
"It. Was. An. Accident." He seethed, "How was I supposed to know the cat would hold a grudge?"
"Sure," Godric smiled, "You know when Stan upsets her he buys her little gifts to make up for it. Her temper is quite amusing. He left her locked outside in the rain once, she wouldn't acknowledge him for days."
"How did he get back in her majesty's favor?" Pam asked grinning.
"He bought her that." Godric gestured over to a large expensive looking cat tower.
"You're kidding me." Eric said, "I'm not buying that mangy beast anything!"
Godric shrugged smirking at his child. He was glad to see Eric it had been a year or so since his last visit.
"Come let us finish this discussion in my office." Godric said leading the way.
"Cat." Eric called walking into the empty living room a couple of days later. Shadow was stretched out along of the back of the couch. She perked up until she saw who had called her.
"I have something for you." He said quietly, hoping no one overheard him. The cat hopped down to sit in front of where he was squatting.
Eric pulled a beautiful rose gold band out of his jacket. The bracelet was fairly thick and had beautiful diamond detailing. Eric had gotten the jeweler to attach a bell to it without ruining the integrity of the bracelet. The man had been floored when Eric revealed that the costly piece of jewelry was for a cat.
"This was very expensive." Eric prefaced before slipping the bracelet over her head like a collar. "If you're going to take the bell off this one I expect it back, not buried in the couch like all the others."
The cat sat proudly with her new collar, and stared at Eric for a moment. It always unnerved him when she did this. Her eyes held such age and intelligence they seemed almost human at times. After a moment she reached up, nuzzled his neck, and then nipped him on the side of the chin. A sign of affection she had only ever shown to Godric.
"You've gained weight." he murmured scratching her ears. She shot him a baleful glare before running off to find their master.
"You never buy me jewelry" Pam pouted.
"Yes, I do." Eric stated tired of hearing about the cat's collar.
"Not Dior" she mumbled.
"We reached an understanding." Eric defending his gift, "She got the collar, and I get no more dead mice in my shoes when I visit. Besides it better reflects the status of this nest and it's residents."
Godric smiled, petting Shadow as she slept, sprawled out on the top of his desk, and the many important documents it held. She had once again distracted him for his work. Godric admired the collar for a moment, he was quite surprised the bell was still on after three days. His Shadow did not like them. Isabel was constantly having to replace them; as she insisted Shadow have one on to warn the birds and the fish. Apparently too many of his expensive coy had gone missing since her arrival. Yet somehow the little cat had disposed of and hidden every one she was been given thus far. After almost three years they still could not figure out how she kept getting them off. It never failed to infuriate Isabelle when she sat on the couch and it jingled.