I have to apologize for updating this story so late. Damned school . . . ugh. Anyway! I hope I have cured some of you from your fang-overs by updating.

As always, I have to say that none of this belongs to me. The proprietor is solely Mark Hudis. Credit goes to he and his writers. Enjoy. ;)

Eric Northman's Point of View

The compassion I felt, an emotion that I had been devoid of for centuries, was overbearing. My cold heart ached deep within my chest, yet another feeling that I had not known since the battlefield over a thousand years ago. She looked distant after the last statement she made. I could feel Godric experiencing the same emotions I was; emotions that he had trained me to ignore and suppress at any cost.

How were we going to care for her? How was this going to work? What were we getting ourselves into? She was a human girl, and we were vampires. There were many questions that did not have answers and had quite possibly gone over by Godric.

"Are you tired, little one?" Godric asked, breaking my train of thought. She had to be exhausted after her ordeal. At least some of her injuries were healing, but what Godric did . . . it was a serious commitment. Sure, it was only once, but human emotions were hectic and fleeting, just like their lives. Godric did not care for human emotions, let alone any emotion. Now he would feel the emotions of an eight-year-old human. I knew that he realized she was not a puppy, but she was too young. The accident would no doubt leave her eternally scarred.

"Eric, follow me," said Godric as he stood. Sookie was already beginning to doze off in his arms. She was truly a sight to be held. She was the pure image of serenity. I looked to Godric when her breathing and heart rate evened.

"Godric, what are we going to do with a human child?" I asked.

"I haven't a clue, my dear Eric. All I know is that I feel something instinctual within me clawing its way to the surface. I cannot ignore it, no matter how hard I try," he responded, looking at me. I could feel how earnest his statement was; how true it was. There were far too many questions that my maker had yet to consider, and this worried me. I would stay by him, regardless of his decisions and my feelings about them. Maybe I would voice my opinions if I felt it necessary, but I did not feel it was at the moment. After all, we were in Dallas. Her accent was not of this state; I had visited every state in the continent and her accent was no doubt from Louisiana or somewhere very close to it.

"Godric . . . you do realize that she has to legally go through schooling, right?" I added with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

After pondering my statement, he replied, "Yes, I suppose you are correct."

Judging by the bit of hesitation in his voice, he was very unsure of how this was all going to work out. There was going to be hell in this situation with the human. After all, we were not going to be able to erase her memory with ease. However, if we could, things would be very easy for us if Godric planned on keeping the human. Oddly enough, as the minutes ticked by I began to embrace the idea more and more.

"I am going to try that, Eric. I should be strong enough; but it is going to consume much of my energy in doing so," he stated, no doubt reading the thoughts from my scattered mind.

"When would it be best to do so?" I asked him, truly curious.

"I could try right now when her body has little energy," he replied. That was not a half-bad idea. I had no idea what he was going to say to her, but he was intelligent. He would figure it out well before I did. He usually did. We sat upon the couch out in the foyer, surprised that we were alone. If I had been in any other situation, I would have been wondering what happened to the Three Musketeers.

"Are you really going to follow through with this, Godric?" I asked, making sure that he was serious and devoted to this as he stated.

"I am, Eric," he replied in a tone the beckoned no argument. I leaned forward and kissed his forehead for a few seconds before I pulled back. I leaned down to Sookie's ear and actually found myself saying a silent prayer that this would go well. We were going to have to be careful; media would get a hold of the information and there would be absolute hell. We would figure it out eventually.

"Little one," said Godric, lightly shaking the sleeping child in his arms. She stirred slightly before her eyelids fluttered open and locked with Godric's. I could feel the energy he was exerting in his glamour.

"You are going to be okay, Sookie," he said. I could not believe that it worked after the failed attempt earlier.

"Okay," she whispered.

"You are going to forget everything that happened this evening before you met Eric and me. You will remember our names. You will remember your parents and your brother, but you will forget the accident. You will remember your ability. You will remember coming to Dallas by your parents, as we are close friends. I will remove my influence and you will remember only what I said, but not that I said it," said Godric with a soft hint of finality in his voice. He looked away and I saw Sookie blink. She still looked very groggy, but not as much as she had before.

"Sookie?" I asked.

"Hi, Eric . . . when did you get here?" she asked. I looked up at a very proud and relieved Godric.

I knew I had to play it off, so I replied, "A few minutes ago, my dear. How are you feeling?"

A small smile graced her features as she replied, "Just a little tired."

"Well, then let's get you to bed, shall we?" I asked her, a smile spreading across my face as well. I glanced up at my Maker for a moment and saw a similar smile upon his features. We walked to my room and entered it, the only light from the room down the hall. It was not much, but it was a room nonetheless. There were two beds in the small light-tight room and both were made quite extravagantly. Isabel never did anything half-ass, and for that I silently thanked her. Dawn was steadily approaching and I could feel the pull on my body to rest. It was perfect timing, for I knew that at least I would be able to keep a watchful eye on the young female that my Maker, as well as myself, had grown attached to.

"This is where you will sleep, Little One," said Godric in a kind tone. He brought her toward the bed that I had not claimed and deposited her upon it with a grace I had never seen before. He covered Sookie up and tucked her in. It was good that the beds had sheets and pillows, though we vampires had no need for either. The room was quite cool, at least to a human's standards.

"Godric, I am going to retire for the morning," I whispered to him.

"As am I, my Son. I will see you when you awaken in the evening," he said with a smile. I looked down at him and kissed his forehead briefly before he left the room to retire as well.

I closed the door, enveloping the room in the clear darkness. I moved forward and heard a small squeak come from Sookie that alarmed me.

"What's wrong, Sookie?" I asked.

"It's really dark . . ." she said. I could smell her fear. Normally such an irrational fear from a human would cause me joy if I instilled it. However, this feeling that came over me was completely different. I had no means of light in the room unless I opened the steel doors upon the windows. And if I did so, it would be suicide for me. I was at a loss for the first time in centuries.

I walked over toward the human and knelt down by her side. I touched her cheek and she inhaled sharply, alerting me to the fact that she could not see as well as my kind could.

"Eric, will you sleep with me?" she asked. My normal response would have been some sexual innuendo, but this was neither the time, nor place. I lifted the sheets and thick blanket and slipped beneath with Sookie.

"Are you going to be okay, my dear?" I asked her. This human was changing me already, and I was not sure if it was for the better or worse; not yet.

"Yes, if you protect me from the monsters," she replied. I had to stifle a laugh. I looked down at her when I felt her move and saw that she was crawling toward me. She snuggled herself into my side and I felt an emotion that I had not felt in a very long time. I felt love, though it was strange. It was for a human I had only met mere hours, if that, ago and yet it was so terribly strong. It was not romantic love, not at all. But it was a protectiveness that came from within that held more shock. I found myself willing to do anything, even meet the sun for the sake of this young girl.

I turned onto my side, a position I rarely took, and brought her into my arms. Her head rested upon one of my arms, and the other held her to me. I could feel her calm instantly within my arms and I, too, felt a wave of relief. I took a deep breath and caught the scent I had earlier on her. I smelled wheat . . . and honey. I could even make out the distinct scent that was the sunlight upon her skin. It was enticing, but I would refrain. Never would I drink from this girl without her consent, nor would any other vampire. I would sooner meet the True Death before I would allow anyone or anything to harm her.

Upon my final thoughts, I looked down at the sleeping child huddled so snugly into my torso. Her small body, as opposed to my 6'5" figure, was merely the length of my torso and about another foot or so. The small image made me smile. I closed my eyes and finally everything went black for the day.

So! Until next time, my loyal readers!

Wolfe