Next Full Moon
Chapter 2
Eric paced the clearing, the same one he had been in just a month ago. It had seemed so long ago, so distant, probably because he had been counting every second until the moment he could see his maker again.
A month gave a vampire a long time to think and the more Eric thought, the more he believed that this Godric had to be some kind of imposter, a fake. He had to find out, had to punish the one who dared to pretend to be his maker. No matter how much the vampire wished to get lost in the lie, allow the fake Godric to take away all his fears, it wasn't the person he was. He didn't yearn for the impossible and most definitely didn't allow himself to indulge in such fantasies, no matter how much he wished his sire was still alive.
Eric stood still for a moment, listening intensely to the forest around him in the hope of hearing Godric before he reached their meeting point but he had no such luck. Instead he held the chain in his hands tighter and began to pace again.
The silver chain glinted in the light of the full moon, never letting Eric forget why he was there. The thick, heavy gloves that covered his hands protected him from the precious metal. It was thin, like a necklace, which made it easier to hide in his hands yet it was long enough for him to easily capture the older vampire with.
Eric let the chain fall into one fist with a series of clinks, enclosing his hand around it as it got closer to the time that Godric had appeared last time. Eric had been there since sundown, refusing to give himself enough time to back out of his plan.
The vampire's head snapped up at the sound of rustling leaves at the far corner of the clearing, the hand holding the chain darting behind his back guiltily. He almost gasped at the sight of the man, he was identical to Godric in every way, from the way he walked to the way his bare skin shone in the bright moonlight. Eric let out a deep moan, watching the beautiful creature appreciatively as he walked towards him. No clothes covered his body and so Eric was free to enjoy the sight before him.
The vampire was oblivious to the plan Eric had devised as he confidently strode into the small clearing. His eyes met Eric's, showing pure hunger and lust as he stalked toward the younger vampire, ready to take what he wanted.
Eric visibly shuddered at the sight, prepared to drop the silver and take his maker instead. The man was instantly in front of him, inches away so that his intoxicating smell clouded his senses and confused his thoughts. The chain fell from his hand, the clink of metal hitting soil ignored by both vampires as they were consumed by the lust in the other's eyes.
The sheriff suddenly found himself pinned to the ground as his mouth was overwhelmed with the taste of his maker, but couldn't bring himself to care as he was consumed by the fiery passion between them. Their tongues danced as each tried to explore the other's mouth, hands roaming over any flesh they could reach.
Godric's hand travelled down, running over the tent in Eric's pants. "I missed you." He whispered, kissing and nipping at the helpless vampire's neck. "Never gonna let you go."
Eric moaned, arching into his maker at the words. He wanted to be Godric's forever, no matter what the cost was.
Godric wasted no time in pulling down Eric's pants and lavishing attention on the thick cock that sprung forwards. He used his tongue, licking up and down Eric's member, tracing each vein slowly until he reached his balls, sucking each into his mouth before making his way back up, savouring the taste of pre-come as he sucked on the tip.
Eric's moans grew from faints sounds to uncontrollable howls as Godric worked over his arousal, hips twitching with the effort of keeping still as he was drove crazy with desire. He felt the delicate tongue trace over the sensitive flesh of his thigh, giving him enough time to brace himself before fangs sunk into the tender skin, forcing a cry from him as he was drowned in the feeling of his maker inside of him, unable to breath through the sweet pain as his maker marked him and that feeling was all that mattered to Eric as he let himself fall deep into the pleasure.
Godric's lips were back on his, probing into his mouth and filling it with the irresistible taste of blood. The smaller man slowly rocked his hips, pressing his arousal into Eric's as he straddled him, falling forward to lie on Eric's chest as he uncontrollably humped against the man's hips, lost in the bliss of the sensations that he only felt with his child.
Godric moved forwards so that he could feel Eric's member slide past his hole. Using a hand to steady the thick length, he slowly sank down. He hissed as his tight passage was penetrated, trying to ignore the steadily growing burn as he took Eric deeper. A hand enclosed on his wrist made he vampire falter, eyes opening to stare into the concerned eyes of his progeny.
He silenced Eric's untold worries with a reassuring kiss, lowering himself more as the pain retreated., leaving the pleasing feeling of being filled by the beautiful man in it's wake. He kept up the slow progress, taking him in inch by inch until Godric was finally settled over his hips, balls resting heavily over the blond's abdomen.
He slowly rolled his hips, enjoying the full feeling of Eric's cock moving inside him, the younger vampire defenceless and wanton as he was used to satisfy his maker. Godric gasped as deep, sharp blades of arousal struck him with each roll of his hips that sent him spirally all to soon towards his release.
His whole body tensed, muscles clamping down on Eric's cock as he came, the white liquid shooting from the head of his engorged member and covering his progeny's chest. Godric rode the endless orgasm as he fucked himself hard on Eric's dick, lifting almost completely off before plunging back down, impaling himself so deep and hard he was seeing stars and only after minutes he could feel his cock filling, ready to come again.
Eric mewled quietly, holding back cries of need as Godric maintained a steady pace, slowly taking Eric into his tight hole. Eric moaned pitifully, bucking his hips as he failed to find the words that would make his sire move faster. He shifted slightly, preparing to turn them over so he could finally reach his release.
The moment Eric tried to move, a deep growl stopped him as hands pushed him back down. Without any warning, fangs tore into his neck and a hand closed over his mouth, stopping his screams and holding his head to the side as the vampire fed deeply.
Both began to move faster, reaching a pace no human could match as Eric got more and more desperate for release. They met in the middle, Eric thrusting up as Godric lowered himself, causing both to moan uncontrollably in pleasure.
With three stuttered, uncontrollable thrusts, Eric came deep inside his maker. Godric pulled away from him and Eric forced himself to look up after a few moments. He watched as the vampire bit his own wrist, the blood pouring from the wound and dripping onto Eric's clothed body. He craned his head forwards trying to get a taste of his master's blood but a hand on his chest prevented him from moving.
Instead he watched as Godric stroked himself, hand easily gliding over the thin cock as the blood dripped down into his hand. Eric whimpered, hands finding purchase on his maker's thighs as he watched the magnificent show.
Eric watched as Godric arched his back, intense pleasure lighting his face as he continue to impale himself on Eric's once again solid member. The wound had healed but the remaining blood had been spread over Godric's cock, making it so that the only thing Eric was able to think about was taking it into his mouth and sucking his maker clean. Godric shuddered in pleasure at the hungry look on Eric's face, teasing him as he fucked into his own hand.
Godric pulled himself off Eric, regrettably losing part of him as he easily slid out of Godric's loose hole, moaning as he saw his own come leaking from the well used passage. Godric had to hold back his progeny as he tried to push himself back inside, lost in the cloud of lust. He move up until he was kneeling next to his head, stroking his fingers through the blond hair.
He pressed the head of his member against his lips and Eric moved until they were both in a more comfortable position before assuming his task, a hand moving down to stroke himself, too. Godric moaned as Eric took him in his mouth. If he had never seen Eric fight, Godric would have sworn this was what his child was born to do, the man's mouth was like heaven on his cock as he licked and sucked away any blood, taking his maker deeper and deeper into his mouth.
He came quickly, his seed greedily swallowed by Eric who moaned around his member as the hand on his own cock faltered as he followed almost simultaneously. Both groaned deeply, falling back onto the ground with mirrored sighs.
Godric closed his eyes, completely spent from the mind blowing sex. He was surprised when he felt the faint tingle down his spine, the one he had learnt told him that the sunrise was just a few hours away. They couldn't have been having sex all night, even with the vampire stamina... damn he thought sluggishly, wriggling about gently and loving the feeling of the sensual aches all through his body and the way the grass caressed his over-sensitive skin. He turned over, every muscle aching tiredly but it felt so good that he could bring himself to care.
Eric jumped up as silently as he could as he saw Godric's eyes flutter closed. He tucked himself in and closed his pants, making his clothes slightly presentable whilst ignoring the blood and semen that covered him. He walked over to the place where he had dropped the silver, tentatively picking it up and nervously winding the chain between his fingers.
He walked up to Godric, each step a cautious one but, though he knew Eric was there, Godric made no move to stop him. He did not, after all, have any reason to believe Eric meant him any harm. Eric fell to his knees at the head of his maker, a hand coming to stroke at his hair which Godric encouraged with a silent smile as he pushed his head into the touch. In Eric's opinion, his was the best smile in the world and though Godric's smiles had become few and far between over the years, they were all honest in their meaning and this one meant his maker was happy, something Eric hadn't thought he was capable of after all the time he had spent hating himself.
Eric almost walked away. The idea of never having to betray his maker, be he real or not, was so appealing that Eric almost ran from the forest in an attempt to take himself far away from his master so that there was no chance he would hurt him. Eric leaned down, leaving a gentle kiss over his maker's cheek as he held back the scarlet tears that threatened to fall at the thought of him losing his maker once again.
Instead he held the chain taunt between his hands before tightly hooking it around Godric's neck and pinning him to the ground. Godric's reaction was instantaneous, the second the chain made contact with the skin, the vampire began to fight back with so much power and strength that Eric was almost thrown back from him but he held tight. As hands came up to claw the silver away, Eric wrapped it around them, effectively incapacitating the vampire beneath him.
Eric straddled Godric's kicking legs, hating the desperate kicks and screams that came from his maker. It was a horrible torture to watch his sire in so much pain. The hissing of Godric's skin burning and blistering under the unyielding metal was the only sound that could be heard other than his tortured screams.
One hand stayed in Godric's hair. It never moved, Eric couldn't ruin this by showing any weaknesses to this creature and comforting him was an unacceptable weakness. Instead his hand fisted in his brown locks, his hold too loose to hurt but easily passing as a way pin down the fruitlessly fighting creature. Only Godric would notice the gentle way his hand caressed his scalp as he held the other man close.
Eric pinned Godric down until the vampire finally fell still, exhaustion from the fighting and unforgiving silver wounds finally winning. Eric held Godric to the ground for a few more moments, making sure he wouldn't resume fighting. He was injured, too, even held by silver Godric was strong and Eric felt the pain all over him where Godric had managed to strike. He even felt the silver burns from where he had held Godric's bound limbs too closely but didn't care.
Eric finally moved, picking up Godric's lifeless body, in a way lucky that his eyes had fell shut. Eric hated others seeing him cry. He held the body close to his, cradling the small figure as he set off at run back to Fangtasia.
OXOXOX
Eric gently removed the chain from the unconscious vampire, replacing it with silver manacles that held him to the wall. He watched as his maker slumped against the floor, seemingly dead to the untrained eye, and waited for him to wake up.
It was hours later, already morning, before Godric began to stir, his eyes blinking tiredly before he jumped fully awake. He held completely still, eyes scanning the room before falling on Eric.
Eric had expected Godric's reaction to seeing him again but that didn't make it hurt less when Godric hurled himself forwards, snarling and growling, hatred and loathing dominating his emotions. He was cut short, the chains that held him to the wall keeping him from attacking Eric. He still continued to growl, baring his fangs, to remind Eric who was in charge as he strained against the burning chains with his kidnapper just out of his reach.
"Sit down." Eric ordered, "you're not going anywhere fast."
He stared back at Eric for a long moment, sizing up his choices before finally settling down on the floor, somehow making that gesture so dignified and full of power that it appeared to be his own choice.
"Why are you doing this?" His voice was quiet, tired. Just like it was before Godric had left him and hearing it almost broke Eric's heart but he didn't let it affect him
"You are not my maker." Eric snarled, anger and pain so clear on his face that Godric flinched back.
"You couldn't be more wrong." He whispered with a knowing smile, eyes centred on the floor where his finger traced complex patterns. "Though you are right, in a way."
"I'm not in the mood for hearing a fucking riddle. You will tell me who you are or I will force you." Eric almost screamed at him, teeth clenched and body tense as he glared at the unaffected man.
"I did always tell you, you should have a better hold on your emotions. Such outbursts like this really don't suit you, not to mention that they cause you to act irrationally."
"Do not pretend you know me."
"I could spend all my time down here proving to you I know more about our history that anyone else on this Earth, but I can see you wouldn't believe me, even then." The vampire said with a childish smirk.
"I will stay here all day if I have to." Eric growled, anger flowing strongly from every gesture. It wasn't just anger at this creature. It was all the pent up pain, anger and frustration that he had hidden when his maker had died. He had been angry at Godric, he had left Eric, willing meeting the true death and leaving Eric alone in the cold, hard world. In a thousand years he had never thought he would live without his maker. When Godric died, Eric became vulnerable, almost human.
And now, when he looked at this creature that dared call himself his maker, all Eric could feel was the pain and anger that Godric had left behind.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave you like that. Maybe one day you will understand. I had to go. It was my time." Godric pleaded for him to understand, ancient eyes staring deep into Eric's sea blue ones. Godric hated to see the pain and hurt in his child's eyes, especially since it was caused by him
"Don't pretend to know my thoughts." Eric hissed, tempted to torture him until the thing was pleading for death but he knew he couldn't, not when all he could see was his sire. The man who had raised him, done so much to defend him.
Eric's hand came up to his face as he felt something run from his nose. He inspected his hand, a streak of scarlet liquid marking his pale skin. He hadn't even realised the sun had rose, let alone how tired he was but held strong as he watched his maker. He couldn't let him out of his sight.
"Go to sleep Eric, I will not have you injuring yourself over me." Godric sighed, fighting to stay awake as well.
"And allow you time to escape. I am staying here."
"I know rationality isn't one of your greatest abilities but at least think. It is the middle of the day and I am chained to the wall by silver." He explained in exasperation. "Go to bed, I promise that we will talk again when the sun has set and you are rested."
"No." Eric refused, settling against a beam as he purposefully ignored the order.
"As your maker I command you, leave." Godric accidentally ordered in his frustration. The effect was almost instantaneous, Eric stood rigidly still as he glared at the vampire, trying with every part of his being to ignore the order and stay still as he fought his most basic of instincts. Obey your maker.
"You are not my maker. I refuse to listen to you." Eric hissed, wondering what kind of magic was able to replicate the link between maker and progeny so well that Eric was compelled to obey this fraud. He knew he couldn't hold out much longer, his whole body was crying out in pain as he resisted the order.
"Go." Godric ordered one more time, finally forcing Eric to walk out. "Don't worry," he whispered, knowing he could still hear him as he walked out the door. "I promise to make this right."
He watched sadly as his child unwillingly left, regretting that he had forced him. Instead of dwelling on it, the vampire listened carefully, waiting until all signs of life had disappeared from the bar before finally letting the air shimmer around him, the tension from holding the vampire form for too long after the daytime finally snapping and triggering the painful transformation.
His back arched painfully, the air simmered around the man as he changed back into the creature he really was. Moments later the man collapsed to the ground, huddling into himself as gut wrenching shudders shot through his unnaturally freezing body as the magic wove it's way through him, forcing his heart to beat again as he choked on ragged breaths.
The man stayed huddled into himself, resisting the urge to gag and retch. He had to keep the vampire blood inside him if he wanted to heal before sundown. Eventually, the man forced himself upright, still holding his naked body tightly as he tried to warm himself in the cold dungeons.
Bracing himself for a moment, the man concentrated, almost too weak from the last shift, until he could feel his body twist and change sluggishly until a mouse took his place, the silver chains clinking uselessly next to him. With a twitch of his whiskers the mouse jumped up the stairs, squeezed under the door, finally escaping Fangtasia.
OXOXOX
Sam sighed as he finally made it back to Bon Temps. It was almost midday already and he was glad he was safe, at least for a short while, from Eric while he rested. He was going to have to tell the vampire everything and, if Sam was being honest to himself, he should have been told an awful lot sooner.
The man collapsed onto the bed in his trailer, falling asleep almost immediately after the exhausting night. A light rap on the door wasn't enough to rouse him from his sleep not 10 minutes later but the owner of the knock had no patience for waiting around for the obviously sleeping man to wake up. Instead they opened the unlocked door, walking into the small house.
"Sam?" Sookie's voice called through the rooms. "Are you home?" She asked as she searched the rooms. She paused outside the bedroom door, hearing the light snoring of the man inside. "Sam?" She whispered gently and, after receiving no reply, opened the door warily.
She jumped back in shock at the sight. The naked man was sprawled over the bed covers, blood and dirt smeared over his body and hair as he slept soundly. For a moment she thought about walking out and never mentioning it but the chance of him being hurt outweighed her discomfort and she stepped forwards.
She shook the bed a bit, not daring to touch the man. "Sam." She said a bit louder this time, "are you okay?"
The man finally moved, grumbling and moaning as he woke from his deep sleep. "Sookie?" He slurred, looking up at the woman as he blinked through the light.
"Why are y'all covered in mud like that, Sam?" The woman asked too perkily.
"I uhhh... Had a bad full moon last night. Got in a fucking fight with a were." He lied easily, hoping that the telepath wouldn't choose that moment to read his mind.
"Oh, I forget that you got that. It's just that you need to get up and open the bar. Some people out there are asking for a drink 'cause it's too hot today."
"I can't get up, I'm exhausted." The shifter groaned, pulling a sheet over his naked body apologetically. "Can't you and someone else open up? I'll really be grateful and I swear I'll be up before dinner."
"Right, but just this once, I got other stuff to do Sam Merlotte." She said with a smile as she walked back to the bar.
The human groaned pitifully one last time before turning over and falling back into his exhausted sleep.
OXOXOX
Hours later, the shifter walked though the front doors of his bar. He looked much better than he did when Sookie found him. He was showered and dressed, the evidence of the night before washed from his skin.
He gave a friendly wave to Terry and Arlene as they worked around Merlotte's dutifully, Terry in the kitchen and Arlene serving the drinks and food along with Sookie.
"Thanks, all of you. I don't know what I could do without you."
"And don't we know it. If you weren't my boss I'd give you a good old talkin' on how you really need to set your priorities straight!"
"Thanks Arlene."He sighed, glad to be back to some normalcy as he slipped behind the bar, affectionately stroking the wood of the counter as he began to fill out all the drinks orders Sookie handed to him.
As it got closer to sundown, Sam got restless and started looking at his watch almost every few minutes. Eric had to know it was him. Sam had left a very easy to follow trail straight to Merlotte's and some part of the man hoped Eric would follow it so Sam didn't have to find the courage to go and find the vampire himself.
Sure enough, barely five minutes after the sun had set, Eric stormed into the bar. Sam hadn't expected him to be subtle if he came but most definitely didn't expect such a show of anger. The vampire's fangs snapped down with an audible click as his eyes found the shifter's and, faster than Sam could see, ran forwards and grabbed him by the neck, pinning the man against a wall.
Sam gasped, breath stuck in his throat as a powerful hand crushed his windpipe. The man struggled, trying to get the hand off him to no avail as he slowly choked, beginning feeling light-headed.
"Why do you smell like him?" The vampire hissed, fangs replacing the hands at his neck and allowing Sam to take a ragged breath. "What kind of witchcraft allows you to replicate the dead and gone?" He whispered in Sam's ear. "I should kill you now."
"You won't." Sam said confidently, managing to relax and seem unaffected by Eric's sudden attack. "Because you need to know how I did it." He finished with a knowing smile.
"Then tell me so I can end your miserable existence." Eric snarled, pulling back to stare into the shifter's eyes.
"Go, I will see you in the clearing later tonight." Eric shuddered the moment Sam looked at him, his golden eyes filled with so much power and authority that it was impossible for him to argue. It carried no anger or violence yet the silent command was indisputable, hitting Eric harder that any spoken order. The need to obey twisted like a knife in his gut and Eric didn't fight it, instead he stepped back from his maker, head bowed respectively before disappearing out of the door.
The patrons that filled the bar looked to Sam in shock, silence filling the room after the outrageous scene.
"What do you think you're all lookin' at?" Sam snapped. "You got nothin' better to listen in on?" He snarled as he forcefully threw a cloth onto the counter, angrily wiping away the non-existent filth.
When Sam had finally relaxed enough to think straight, he closed the bar early, quickly pushing the last customers to finish their drinks and leave until he was finally alone in the bar. His eyes closed as he concentrated for the third time that night, his exhaustion evident in his slow change as he sluggishly searched for the spark inside him that would allow his unique change into a vampire.
Sam collapsed to the ground, heart pounding and sweat trickling from his brow as he entered a change like no other. Changing into a vampire was different to anything Sam had ever experienced and, no matter how many times he did it, he would never get used to the feeling.
The pain and ache was indescribable but if Sam had ever experienced death, it was what he would presume it felt like because, in a way, becoming a vampire was dying. His heart slowed, finally giving in as his body changed, fangs breaking through his gums as the blood-lust crept into his senses, always frightening himself with the intensity of the need.
When the shifter-turned-vampire felt he was able to move, he finally got to his feet and ran from the bar at full speed, needing to find his child.
OXOXOX
Godric reached the clearing faster than he thought possible, driven forwards by the scent of his child and the need to see him. He stopped suddenly, just far away enough that his progeny wouldn't be able to sense him. A voice screamed in his head to stop and Sam listened, he had learnt long ago that not doing so would end in disaster.
He thought for a moment before silently scrambling into the tree above him, soundlessly leaping from branch to branch almost as fast as he could run, like it was second nature to him. He stopped once he reached the tree closest to the clearing, settling on a branch as he watched his child. The vampire was pacing, his face twisted in worry as he waited. Not wanting to make his child wait any longer, Godric slowly climbed down from the tree, leaning against it as he considered what to do.
The truth was the obvious answer but Eric wasn't one to listen, especially when he had been tricked and messed with and by the way he tensed at every minute sound, he was itching for a fight. Godric could easily take him in a fight, obviously, but he could already feel his grasp on the vampire form slipping. It was the hardest shift he had ever known and without Godric's guidance, Sam would never have survived it the first time. He needed another vampire to keep him strong.
Making his choice, Godric stepped forward into the clearing. "I presume you have come unarmed this time. I do not take lightly to being kidnapped, by my own child or not."
Eric whirled around, sharp blue eyes glaring at the man he once thought was his maker. Now all he could see was an imposter, a liar. Someone that deserved to die. "You are not my maker." He hissed, hating that Sam would dare call him his child.
"I never claimed to be."
Eric let out a dark, threatening laugh. "I'm so sorry that your appearance made me jump to conclusions."
"You don't know the full story, Eric. Please calm so I can explain this to you." Godric sighed, gently outreaching his arm.
"'Know the full story'? You think I have to listen to you. You're filth, you tricked me and touched me, let me believe in a lie and yet you claim that you have the right to earn my consideration." Eric snarled viciously. "You make me sick."
"Maybe I've been gone too long but I don't remember ever letting you speak to me like that."
"Don't pretend, Sam, there's no point. I know who you are. I will hunt you down." He hissed, moving quickly to grab the vampire's neck.
Godric easily dodged the attack and avoided hurting Eric, for the moment. He prepared to order the vampire to listen. He hated forcing Eric but was the only way without resorting to violence. "Eric. Listen to me, as your maker I comm-"
"No!"" Eric yelled, managing to grab Godric in his rage, sufficiently silencing the man as his hand came to wrap around his neck. "I begged for you to stay but you left me for the true death. You don't have the right to command me any more!" He shouted, forgetting for the moment that this creature wasn't his maker.
Godric's hand closed around Eric's wrist pulling it easily from his neck and bending it painfully.
Eric glanced up at his his maker, too scared to make eye contact with him as he was forced onto his knees from the twisting of his arm. He wanted to throw himself to Godric's feet, apologise and beg forgiveness because he hated it when his maker got upset with him, he would never punish Eric but he didn't need to. The disappointment in his eyes made it hard to hold back his shame.
"I have never released you, Eric. Meeting the true death never changed that. You are there for me to command for all eternity, I am never going to release you. You are mine." He whispered, his voice hardly more than a gently breeze yet Eric shuddered at the power of the words.
Finally giving in, Eric crumpled to the floor, tears welling in his eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered hoarsely. "I missed you so much." He sobbed, wrapping his arms around his maker, begging for comfort.
Godric instantly pulled Eric into his lap, stroking his hair as the man cried into him. "I'll never leave again." he cooed softly. "I'm here for you."
After a few moments Eric lay, body sprawled over the floor as Godric gently cradled his head in his lap. "It's really you, isn't it?" He whispered sadly, finally looking up into the eyes of his maker. Godric nodded, pulling Eric closer to him. "How?"
"It's a long story." He said with a sigh, "and I'm tired from shifting too much. Let's go home first, then I can tell you everything." Godric tried to get to his feet, his legs shaking with the effort.
Eric quickly moved to stand behind him, arms wrapping around the man to support him. Instinctively, Eric bit his own wrist and offered it to his weak maker and Godric drank deeply, savouring the taste of the sweet blood as it flowed through his body and provided him with strength.
"Thank you." He whispered, pulling back from the bleeding arm. Eric could tell he hadn't took enough, although he had stopped shaking the vampire still rested heavily in his arms.
"Can you walk?" Eric asked, worried about his maker.
"I'll be fine." He sighed, pulling away from the man. "Let's just get back to Merlotte's. We can talk there."
Their progress wasn't as fast as Eric would have liked. Godric walked slowly and he was forced to walk behind him in fear of the man collapsing. Once they finally reached Sam's house, the shifter collapsed onto the settee and, unable to hold the vampire form any more, changed back into Sam.
Eric watched as the man slowly transformed from his maker to a man he hardly knew. His face was twisted in pain and Eric knew that he was holding back his screams. He watched, unsure what to do, as Sam fell still, a perfect imitation of death. For a moment Eric believed he had truly died, the burden of the change too much for him, as he watched the lifeless man but minutes later he heard the first unsteady beat of a weak heart. Eric pulled the man into his arms, feeling the irregular thrums of his heart as it tried to restart itself.
For the first time, the vampire noticed how cold he was. His skin was no warmer than Eric's and the sheriff knew that no normal human should be able to survive this. He held the limp body closer, trying to conserve what little heat the man's body was creating.
Possibly hours later, Eric had been too preoccupied with the shifters health to care about the time, the shifter slowly began to move, groggily and slowly in the vampire's arms.
"Sam?" He whispered, trying to coax the man into consciousness. Eric was surprised to find that he cared, that he was no longer angry at this man for imitating his maker. He could tell what he was doing wasn't by choice, no man in his right mind would choose to endure such pain. This was Sam's curse.
The man didn't react for many long minutes until he groaned softly, his hand squeezing Eric's arm reassuringly. The vampire held him closer, holding back his sigh of relief.
"Do you need anything?" The vampire asked, feeling obliged to help yet not knowing it the shifter was able to answer him.
"Get a bottle of blood out of the fridge." The man groaned once he was able to speak. Eric quickly obeyed the order, gently placing the man down before getting the blood and returning to the man as fast as he could.
Sam was sat up by the time Eric got back into the main room of the small house but it didn't make the vampire any more optimistic about his health. The man was pale, weak and leaning heavily against the arm of the settee just to stay sat up.
Eric uncapped the bottle of blood, holding back his shock at the overwhelming smell of his maker's blood. He handed the bottle to Sam who swallowed down half the bottle without hesitation.
"Thanks," the man sighed, already appearing significantly better after the few mouthfuls of blood. He fell back into silence but Eric's tension filled the room and made it impossible for Sam to ignore. "Just get it over with." He sighed, dreading the coming questions.
"What am I supposed to ask?" Eric asked in confusion. "How is any of this even possible?"
"I don't know." Sam sighed, unwittingly answering both of Eric's questions. "There's only one explanation, but it doesn't make any sense."
"Tell me, I'll try to understand."
"Even I don't understand. Just... Try not to judge, it's a long story. Do not blame Godric for never telling you this."
Eric nodded, settling down on the couch next to Sam. "I'm ready. I need to know." Eric decided.
"Godric and I... shared a bond-"
"What?" Eric cut in almost immediately, his eyes wide with shock. "He would've told-!" He started to insist but Sam cut in.
"I told you. There are things he didn't tell you. Either accept it or leave." He threatened, instantly calming the vampire."We shared a bond," he repeated, "it only came to be because of this accident, about 15 years ago.
"I still hadn't settled down here in Bon Temps, I'd barely begun to learn about what I was. I was alone, I was an easy target and and even easier meal. I'd managed to reach some mountains, God knows where but it was good. There were plenty of wolves to imitate and plenty of food to find and I thought I was doing pretty well on my own. One night Godric found me, started to follow me but I was smart enough to act like I hadn't noticed. I made my way back to the cave I was hiding in and made a run for it.
"I didn't know about vampires then, hadn't even thought that there might be something else out there that wasn't normal. He caught me and we got trapped, real deep down in the cave. Instead of killing me, he tried to get us out but he couldn't. He hadn't fed in too long.
"We were stuck there for weeks, he claimed that he was waiting for the right moment to kill me so he could get out. He said he'd called someone to get help. I didn't ever see a phone but was too scared to ask. We talked a lot, I learnt 'bout everything I know from him and he started to feed me his blood, sayin' I needed it more than him, that if I didn't survive then there was no hope for either of us.
"It was 3 weeks more before we got out. He forced me to keep drinking his blood, even when he was too weak to wake up at night, I had to keep taking it so I didn't die. When we were freed, he finally fed from me, never hurt me though.
"It's weird, you know, when we went in there he was a monster but it changed him. I don't know what happened but he changed. He sent me on my way, pointed me in the right direction and I ended up here, set up Merlotte's."
"He asked me to send someone, didn't he?" Eric asked warily, the unlikely story making sense as he remembered the call from his maker, the first in years, asking for him to send help yet telling Eric to stay well away.
"Yeah, he didn't want you knowing what had happened." Sam told him.
"Why? I would've understood what he did."
"No you wouldn't have. We kept it a secret all this time because you wouldn't have understood. You're different now, so much more like how Godric was before the end. He was embarrassed by it, what self-respecting vampire has a bond with a shifter. It's unnatural."
Eric gave in with a sigh, "it still doesn't explain why you can turn into him."
"I honestly don't know the logic behind it. I just remember the pain when he died, it was like something was being torn out of my chest. The next full moon, I turned into him, that hurt almost as bad. It was like dying, it hurt so bad. When I came to, I looked like him. I would've panicked if..."
"If what?" Eric pushed when the man fell silent.
"If he hadn't been there for me. I wasn't myself when I turned. I was a 2000 year old vampire. I couldn't control my strength or my blood-lust, I was a monster and I had no idea how I had got that way. I tried to kill the first person I came across but Godric stopped me, showed me how to control it and feed from them without getting caught." Sam stopped, sighing deeply as he looked up at Eric's face but it didn't betray his thoughts. "He is able to show me his memories, tell me things, I've learnt so much from it. I know what kind of monster he was before me, that he killed mercilessly but I have seen so much beauty in the world, some things that I never believed were possible.
"I know everything he's done, sometimes I forget which memories are mine. He is so close, so deep inside me that sometimes I think it really is him."
"It is, it has to be him." Eric said, a small smile creeping onto his face. "You are too much like him for him not to be there." He said hopefully.
"Eric, I cannot replace your maker. Godric died, we both felt it. It felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest. I could see the sun as it burnt my skin." Sam whispered, tears welling in his eyes.
"You were so closely bonded." Eric whispered sadly. "It was a shame to hide something so beautiful."
"Don't call it beautiful," Sam spat. "It was my fault he began to love humanity. It was my fault he went to the Fellowship, lost his life. If it wasn't for me he would still be alive."
"No, he died full of love and care. He wasn't the same creature I once knew, one that lived a cold, sadistic existence. In a way I'm glad he died the way he did."
Sam smiled sadly at Eric for a moment, taking his hand as he spoke. "He would be proud of the man you've become."
"Are you?"
"Of course."
"Then I know he is proud." Eric decided, using their linked hands to pull the human into his lap and capture his lips with his own, tongue working to taste every corner of the man's mouth before he pulled away. " Are you fully healed?" He asked hastily, pressing himself needfully against the shifter.
"You can't use me to fulfil your need for Godric." Sam whispered against him. "I can't do that."
Eric looked deeply into Sam's eyes as he spoke, raw emotion flitting though those deep orbs as he spoke. "You may not be my maker but I can feel our connection. We both held him close to our hearts. I am not asking you to take Godric's place, I am asking you to accept what you feel inside. It doesn't matter to me what you are. I love you just as I loved him."
"You can't deny that the attraction is only because I look like him." Sam said, trying to look away from the vampire but finding it impossible to look away from Eric's blue eyes.
"You only look like him once a month and I promise to make every full moon unforgettable but for now..." He teased with a wicked smile. "I can't wait for the next full moon." He growled, pulling Sam into a passionate kiss.
Bit longer than I'd hoped for... but I hope you liked this.
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