Author's Note:Wow! I am blown away by how many people are following this story. Thank you for all of the feedback! Of course, all praise is welcome (^_^'), but I'm also open to questions, concerns and constructive criticism. There aren't too many Godric/Sookie stories around, so I feel obligated to make this a good one, LOL. As you have seen, I have a slightly different opinion on how Godric should be portrayed. Often times, writers make him to God-like, or too much like Buddha, and then it's hard for me to imagine him being even remotely interested in a relationship, let alone anything sexual. Therefore, I'm trying to give him a human side, without losing the integrity of the character. Is it working? As for Sookie/Bill, it will last for a moment, but just enough to realistically get him out of the picture, so some time during the second arc. Remember, this one will only be five chapters, and then it's on to "God of the Living Dead in Shreveport." Enjoy! ^_^
Chapter Three
"Which vampire do you belong to?" Sookie asks while holding on to the kind, yet ditzy girl's hand. Though she can clearly hear the girl's thoughts, she's watching closely to see if her body language indicates that she's lying.
"Quentin McHalen."
'Quentin McHalen.'
The young girl says and thinks, simultaneously, and Sookie is just glad that she didn't immediately start lying to her the way some of the others had done. Good, now she can ask the more pressing question.
"How does Quentin feel about Isabel becoming sheriff of Area 9, and her stance on vampire-human relations?" Sookie follows up, before quickly becoming apprehensive when the girl flinches, and then straightens up.
"He's fine with her," she says tightly with a smile, but her brain begins running wild.
'He'smorethan fine with her by the way he's always being overly helpful to her, and smiling like a damn fool when she walks in. She's no better with that damn accent, and purr-y way of talking. She acts as if she likes me, and then hangs all over my man, the fake bitch! Ha, and I'm supposed to believe that they are just friends? Yeah right! Let me catch him cheating, and I'll stake both of their asses. Damn it, she already has every human man falling over her. Why does she have to steal the vampires to? Why won't he turn me? I've told him countless times that I'm ready. I swear sometimes I just feel like a walking meal to him…'
"She's telling the truth. You can trust Quentin," Sookie says confidently, after she quickly lets go of the young girl's hand. It helps some, but she still has to actively block out the girl's next stream of thoughts, which are currently trying to bombard the outside of her skull. Sookie can't help but to feel sorry for her, because no one deserves unrequited love, especially at such a young age; the girl looks 19 years old at best. However, she has learned not to get involved. It's not her place, she shouldn't have been listening, and any advice from her would likely be unwelcome. Not that she could offer too much, anyway. She's not the most particularly well versed when it comes to matters of the heart, but she's working on it.
"Thank you for your time and cooperation, Jasmine. Any vampire would be privileged to have you as a companion," Godric says with sheer kindness, and the frazzled girl is so flattered that she is moved to tears. She then gives a deep bow to the former sheriff, and Sookie lets out a tired sigh as the girl's black locks disappear from view. She has had a long day with interviewing 22 human companions, belonging to 19 different vampires over the course of nearly 4 ½ hours with only a 30-minute break. It didn't help that she had stayed up all night making love to Bill, only to fall into a restless, fitful sleep once he was shipped off just after dawn. Now, it was nearing 9:00pm, and she just wanted to turn her entire being off. Let's see, eat or sleep, eat or sleep, eat or sleep…
"I want to thank you once again for your assistance, Sookie. The last thing I want is for my departure to cause bloodshed, and with your help, I am certain that it will be at a minimum. You truly are a great friend to human and vampire alike. Thank you," Godric states earnestly, effectively stopping Sookie's mind from completing its perpetual cycle of useless thoughts. For a second, she is puzzled as to what he's talking about, and then the situation catches up to her. Oh yeah, she did out the seven of the 19 vampires that were "displeased" with the shift in power. More importantly, two of which were actively planning a coup d'état as soon as the opportunity presented itself, mainly at Godric's departure from Texas. The poor things, Eric has already been dispatched to "deal" with them.
"I've already told you, this is just as much my problem as it is yours. There is no need to thank me," Sookie says as she stands from her chair with a wobble. She then sends a small, kind smile to the vampire, but the glazed over look in her eyes quickly reveals her exhaustion. Immediately, Godric frowns as he heavily sweeps his gaze over Sookie with concern.
"I've overworked you," he states more so than asks, yet Sookie tries to answer anyway with talk of too many late nights, not sleeping well and so on. However, Godric's frown doesn't lessen, and he's not having any of her excuses.
"Even so, my request is not helping the situation. Please, allow me to treat you to dinner, and to escort you to your room. You've been a great help to me, and it's only fair that I return the favor," he states, and Sookie sees his invitation for the command that it is, yet simply doesn't have the energy to argue. That fact and the admittance that she was just debating between the two activities a moment ago led to her eventual consent.
OOOOO
"So, that's caviar?" Sookie asks unenthusiastically as she stares at the pile of black, Beluga Sturgeon eggs that seem to glitter and bounce light off its gelatinous form. With a slight shift of her eyes, Sookie assesses the pile of snails called escargot, and the hunk of seeping goose liver so eloquently named foie gras. Hmm, she isn't the most cultured of people, but she knows money when she sees it, and this had definitely cost a great deal. But, who in the hell would choose to order this? She was expecting a pizza, or maybe even a corndog, not this… Alright, she will not pre-judge them. She isn't being fair to them, considering she hadn't even given them a try, and that isn't like her. So, after swallowing the massive mouthful of saliva that accumulated during her examination of slime, slimier and slimiest, she turns to Godric for guidance.
"Which one should I try first? You know, which one tastes the best?" She asks with a smile, not portraying her unease of plunging headfirst into the outskirts of her comfort zone. Gran had told her not to be afraid of experiencing new things, so she would do just that. She just needs a little encouragement, which Godric is definitely not providing with that curious blank stare.
"I was hoping you would tell me," he says, and the metaphysical porcelain mask of contentment that Sookie had taken great effort and care to build could be heard cracking throughout the restaurant. Here she was thinking that he was dropping the big bills in gratitude and to pamper her, yet he was…
"Godric! You brought me to this fancy schmancy restaurant as part of an experiment?" Sookie whispers in a quiet hiss, after she leans forward, making sure that the only person that hears her is the vampire across from her. Instantly, Godric leans back, and raises his hands in a very human and placating manner, causing Sookie to pause at the visage.
"Not entirely. I just figured I would treat you to some, apparent, human delicacies, and get the answers to my questions at the same time," Godric explains with a shrug, and a contrite, boyish grin on his face. However, Sookie still looks at him incredulously as she ponders a few things herself. To be honest, she isn't all that offended that he brought her here. She's more irritated that he acted as if he was so concerned about her health, when he just wanted to use her taste buds. Therefore, depending on how he answers her next questions, he would be in trouble, 2000 years old, or not.
"You never once tried any of these items in your human life? Or, at the very least found a human to question or glamour the answers out of in 2000 years?" Sookie asks, doubtfully. Some people may call her naïve, but she's not that damn naïve! What exactly is he trying to pull here?
"I assure you that it isn't as malicious as it seems," Godric laughs lightly at Sookie's visible annoyance and weary, furtive glances at the tray before her. It never ceases to amaze him how peculiarly humans behave in certain situations, and how reactive they are to every little thing around them, especially the woman sitting across from him. She's perfectly comfortable dining with a vampire that has lived over two millennia, yet she appears to be genuinely afraid of a pile of dead seas creatures and cooked organs.
"To answer your question, my human life was short, violent and brutal due to my lot in life, so obtaining anything that could be considered a delicacy was near impossible. Because of my past, I held a grudge against humanity that lasted well into my death, and by the time I had changed my previous ways, I was either greatly feared or revered by human and vampire alike due to my age and power, so I couldn't trust them to give me a truthful answer. Honestly, you're one the first humans I've met in life or death that have treated me like an equal, so I tend to take more liberties with you than what's appropriate. For that, I apologize," Godric states with sincerity, and Sookie's face has long since changed from irritated to a myriad of emotions ranging from sadness, awe, tenderness and understanding. It is the last one that affects her the most.
"Please, don't apologize for that. Even though it may not be as extreme, I know exactly what mean about being either feared or revered. On one hand, you have people damning you to hell for being different, and on the other, you have people trying to use you anyway they can to put themselves ahead. After a while, it just gets to be too much when all you really want is to be treated like everybody else. That's why I value my friends so much; they treat me as if I'm normal. So, please don't change a thing about how you act around me. I prefer it as it is," Sookie counters, and for a second or so, her and Godric just stare at one another in utter comprehension, before Godric smiles slightly, breaking the spell. Sookie then realizes that she still has a full tray of "delicacies" before her, which causes her to scrunch up her face, making Godric openly laugh.
"You don't have to eat them to entertain me. I was merely curious about them, because they have been highly sought after dishes for many centuries, which is very rare considering the high turnover rate in human tastes," he explains casually, and Sookie chances a glance at her tray, before looking back at Godric, confidently.
"Nah, now I'm kind of curious, too. Some people swear by this stuff, so I may as well see what it's all about. Besides, you've been waiting for an answer for far longer than I could have waited. I'm sure I would have gone mad by now," she replies, before placing a scoop of the caviar into her mouth. She takes a few tentative chews, and immediately, her face sours at the explosion of chewy slime and salt. She then forces down the ball of disgust with extreme effort, and looks at Godric to see him making the same face as though he ate it. It's humorous and catches her off guard, but not enough to change her facial expression, so she moves on to the escargot. She can't even swallow that one, so after quickly balling up her now used napkin, she looks at the foie gras in dread and disdain. A quick look at Godric shows that he's gawking at the tiny piece of meat as well. Without thinking on it any longer, Sookie takes a bite, and is first surprised, then amazed, and finally, delighted at the taste, which all show up on her face. She knows this, because Godric is so engrossed with her experience that he reflects every emotion she shows. She had originally been surprised at how expressive he was for a vampire, but quickly got used to it after spending so much time with him, recently. However, seeing him become her portable funhouse mirror is kind of adorable to her. She's heard of living vicariously through someone, but this is the first time she's physically seen it.
"Okay, I can't say much for the other two, but this foie gras, or whatever, is delicious. I don't know how it's possible, but it seems to melt in your mouth, almost like butter. It's very rich, soft and juicy. The only thing I can find wrong with it is it's not big enough," Sookie announces as she places the last bite into her mouth, savoring it. Straightaway, Godric offers to buy another one, but after Sookie hears how many digits are placed in front of the decimal point, she swiftly declines, and feels mildly bad for not eating the caviar and escargot.
"Are you certain you don't want another serving? I can afford it. It's amazing how much money you accumulate when you don't eat human food," Godric speaks once they step out in front of the restaurant, and into the night air. Sookie considers that fact for a moment, quickly calculating how much more money she would have if she didn't need to eat, and then sighs at the unfairness of it all. However, she is firm in her decision to not spend someone else's hundreds of dollars on a chunk of meat that makes a McDonald's burger patty seem large.
"No, I'm fine. It's not all that healthy to sleep on a full stomach, and I'm definitely going to bed once I get back to my room. I've been awake for too long," Sookie replies as they walk over to Godric's metallic blue, Chrysler 300C. Before she can get comfortable in her seat, they pull into the valet section of the hotel, and make the quick trek to the elevators. They then bid each other good night, and all Sookie can imagine is her head hitting the pillow as she walks down the long hall. Luckily, she makes it into her suite, before collapsing face first on her bed.
OOOOO
In a flash, Sookie's eyes pop open, and she knows that her awakening isn't natural, because she doesn't require the bathroom, she's still dead tired, and her whole body is coiled with trepidation. There's also the latent killing intent that seems to be rising into the boughs of consciousness by the second. Wait a minute, a noise. It's a floorboard! Now, there's a slight intake of breath. After all of this registers, Sookie quickly rolls over, almost falling onto the floor, just barely missing the hand that was aimed for the center of her spine. No matter, it doesn't miss when it attempts to connect with the side of her face, sending her flying into the armoire on the other side of the room. Immediately, Sookie's mouth fill with the metallic taste of her own blood, but nevermind that. She has to focus on the man, no vampire, lifting her nearly two feet off the floor by her hair. A quick glance at his face reveals that he is Sahlin, one of the two vampires that were ordered to be executed earlier today. Instantaneously, Sookie's eyes widen at the realization, which gives her attacker a great laugh, before his rage returns.
"You little human bitch! You shouldn't have stuck your nose where it didn't belong. It had nothing to do with you! No matter. I don't have much longer to live with that bloodhound, Northman, tracking me. So, guess what sweet cheeks? I'm taking you with me," Sahlin informed in heavily accented English, before placing his hand around Sookie's throat. Considering the speed at which it tightened, he wasn't planning on strangling her, but decapitating her. The nanosecond that Sookie comes to this conclusion, Sahlin goes sailing through the air, and a blur is chasing him. Then, everything goes still, and she regrets that like no other. It could have spared her from seeing Godric literally crumbling the 700-year-old vampire up into nothing, until he burst like an overfilled zit. In the haze of the blood, and her odd realization that Godric's room must be directly above hers, meaning he heard everything between her and Bill, she hears her name being called. She then sees Godric standing before her looking concerned. There are also feet by the door. Quick glance. Oh, Eric. Wait a minute she hears her name again. Oh, Eric and Godric are now looking worriedly at her. No matter, she can't focus on that right now. Air, she needs air. Where is there air? She can't breathe! Help!
