Chapter Ten:

It was a little over twenty four hours later that I was sitting inside of Godric's suite at the vampire hotel. I

was chewing on my bottom lip nervously while my hands fidgeted in my lap. Godric had left a good half an hour ago to talk with Eric, leaving me all alone with my thoughts. I tried to understand my sanity for actually allowing myself to come here after what had occurred last night. Eric had not only destroyed the bookstore, but he had nearly ripped me apart, limb by limb. Godric tried to make excuses for him; even my consciousness did the same. But the moment he got angry, he became a monster I wasn't so sure I wanted to be around. Last night, well more like early this morning, I had thought seeing Eric again would help me with my memories. The moment he had touched me in his act of rage, I remembered that memory clearer than any other. It was nice, to know at least one moment from my past. But I was beginning to believe that maybe it had just been a fluke. My brain started working the moment I had woken up after only a few hours of sleep, and I immediately regretted telling Godric I would do this.

But it was too late to back out now.

My knees began to shake up and down as I glanced towards the door every so often, expecting him to come barrelling into the room at any moment. He didn't of course, but I couldn't help the fear that continued to grow in the pit of my stomach. And yet, there was still that part of me that resided in my heart that was hoping that he actually would be the one who could help me. I couldn't deny the spark that I felt the moment his hands were on me. I had been frightened out of my wits, but the moment his hands touched my skin, it felt like I was on fire, like I had been used to his touch. By the nature of some of my dreams, and from what both Godric and Sookie had told me, I knew I had had relations with Eric of some kind. But I never understood the magnitude of such until his electric blue eyes met mine, his hands gripping me tightly. For that mere second in time, I thought I saw more than that vision that appeared to me. It felt like I was looking right through his eyes and into my past. I had never experienced anything so strong before in my life, and part of me was scared by that fact alone.

I wasn't so sure I was strong enough to deal with this. Any of this.

Needing some words of wisdom, I pulled out my phone from the clutch purse I had brought with me. I pressed in the familiar numbers before lifting the phone up to my ear, praying that Maggie would be home.

"Hello?"

"Oh thank god, Maggie." I sighed in relief.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" She asked worriedly.

"I just...what if I made the wrong decision by coming here?" I began biting on my fingernails as I glanced around the modern hotel room as if there were prying eyes. "Maybe I made a rash decision."

"Do you really feel like you did?"

"I don't know." I admitted, my shoulders slumping forward. "Last night I felt so sure that maybe Eric could help me remember my memories because of that vision I had. But now...I just don't know what to think. I'm...I'm scared Maggie."

There was a pause of silence and I was almost afraid she had hung up or the line had gotten disconnected.

"There's no shame in being scared, Ellie." Maggie's wise voice met my ears. "As long as the courage outweighs the fear."

"That's the thing, I don't think it does."

"You're a strong girl. You've gone through a terrible thing and you've made the best of it. You have people here, willing to help you out. It's up to you whether you accept that help." She pointed out.

"I know, but..."

"He scared you, I know. From what you told me what happened, I wouldn't blame you in the least for being a bit scared. But that vision you had, it's the first memory you actually remember. If Eric has that affect on you, then maybe you need to take the risk. They're going to leave soon, and then you won't have that chance."

I sighed, knowing she was completely right. They would all be leaving shortly, the convention not lasting forever like I wished it did. And when they did leave, I would be left here, alone, and without anyone to help piece my life back together. Stories and dreams can only go so far, but that memory...I was holding onto it for dear life. It was the only thing I could truly remember from my past life, and I didn't want it to be the last. Eric Northman may scare me to death, but he could very well be the only one who could help me. Could I just let him leave without at least having a conversation with him? I owed that to myself. And Godric would be here the entire time. I knew in my heart that Godric would never let anything happen to me.

"You're right. I'm just nervous I guess."

"Of course you are, and that's perfectly alright."

"I should probably go." I looked towards the door as I heard voices growing closer. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good luck hun. Don't let your fear get the better of you."

I smiled at Maggie's words as I hung up. I repeated them silently as I watched the door closely, the handle slowly turning. My breath got caught in my throat, everything going in slow motion as the door finally opened to reveal both Godric and Eric. I swallowed back the lump in my throat as I slowly rose to my feet, pressing down the skirt of the violet dress I had spent a good hour picking out.

"Elizabeth." Godric walked over to my side, laying a hand on curve of my back. "I'd like to formally introduce you to Eric Northman."

As my eyes reached up to meet his, I couldn't look away. Those eyes, those striking blue eyes, looked exactly like they had in my dreams. It almost felt like they weren't real at all. I couldn't read the expression on his face, but I wasn't exactly trying. I was taking in every single inch of his appearance, memorizing it for the future. His hair was dark blonde and slicked back, just like I had remembered from that vision last night. He was pale, causing his blue eyes to be more pronounced. The smirk that I felt should have been there, wasn't, and I was almost saddened by that fact. I wasn't sure where that had come from, but some part of me actually wanted to see the smirk that had become infamous from my dreams.

What caught me off guard the most however, was how tall he was. I hadn't exactly been thinking much about anything when he had me pinned against the wall, but now that there were a good few feet between us, I was free to examine everything. Including the way his black tank clung to his body. His biceps looked bigger than I had dreamt of, and more defined. I wondered for a brief moment what his abs looked like, and mentally scolded myself for such a thought.

I hadn't realized Eric had gotten closer until I had to crane my neck up just to look at him. My cheeks grew red as I quickly looked down at my feet, suddenly very interested in my black flats. I could see out the corner of my eye, a hand rising up from his side and I tensed. I could feel his phantom touch on my cheek and the fear inside of me snapped. I flinched away from his touch, my hands finding Godric's arm and gripping it tightly. I continued to look down at my feet, embarrassed and scared of Eric's reaction. I wasn't sure why I reacted that way, why I was scared of his touch. Part of me wanted him to touch me, so I could regain another memory. But another part of me, the part that the fear had taken over and was growing exponentially, was scared that he would hurt me.

"It's alright, Elizabeth." Godric grasped one of my hands, running his thumb over the top of it in a soothing manner.

I snuck a glance up at Eric, only to find that he had fallen into one of the chairs, his elbows resting on his knees, his head bowed towards the floor. He looked helpless, and for a brief second, I actually felt sorry for him. Maybe he hadn't meant to act in the way he had, maybe he really couldn't control his anger. But then I remembered that vision I had, and somehow, I knew that there were many other times that he had acted rashly while angry.

"Perhaps we should sit." Godric suggested.

I glanced up at him and nodded, settling back down on the couch I had previously been sitting on. Godric sat beside me, keeping out hands attached and in his lap. I couldn't help the slight upwards tug on my lips as I looked down at our intertwined hands. I don't know why it sent a surge of joy through me, but it did.

"Eric, isn't there something you would like to say?" Godric prompted.

I risked looking at Eric, still finding his gaze meeting the floor. I waited for him to speak, but he hardly made a sound. I raised an eyebrow at Godric, as if to say that this was a waste of time, but then Eric finally raised his gaze to the two of us and I was surprised at what came out of his mouth.

"I apologize for my actions last night."

My mouth dropped open in shock and I didn't even try to hide the look of sheer surprise on my face. I tried to catch his gaze but it had quickly fallen once again.

"Elizabeth?" Godric turned his attention onto me now.

I looked at him questioningly. "What?"

"What would you like to say to Eric in return?" he gave me a pointed stare.

"What are you, our parent?" I muttered under my breath, knowing full well Godric could hear every word I spoke. I scrunched my nose in annoyance when he didn't look away, forcing me to direct my next comment at the large vampire. "It's fine."

"As that is cleared up, we can start over." Godric looked between us.

"We can?" I looked at Godric in surprise.

"Yes, we can." He nodded. "Eric didn't mean to act in the way that he did, and you did agree to this, did you not?"

"Well...er...yes." I frowned dejectedly. He had a point, I would admit that. But I just had no idea how Eric and I were going to go about this when he wouldn't look at me and I flinched every time he moved.

"Good. Now I told Eric that you had been in a car accident and you had amnesia, but why don't you tell him everything that you told me." Godric suggested.

"Um...well okay, I guess." I nodded slowly, my eyes moving over to the blonde. I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear before beginning. "I woke up in a hospital in Shreveport, not remembering who I was. The doctors weren't surprised that I had amnesia, as apparently the accident had been pretty horrific. They said I was lucky to survive it at all. They even said I had died at one point, for a few minutes anyways."

I shuddered at the memory. Being told that you had been technically dead for a few good minutes wasn't the easiest thing to hear. The whole trauma hadn't been easy. I just wanted to forget it all and move on. Except that I couldn't, because that crash had changed everything. It had stripped away my life, and now two years later I was still being affected by it. Except now, there was an opportunity to fix everything, to finally remember who I was.

"No one was sure if I would ever get my memory back. Apparently some amnesia cases did, while others didn't. There was a lot of medical gibberish that I didn't understand. I just figured that I would never remember anything, and I just left. I spent six months driving around the states before stopping here in Chicago. I just never left. I've been working in the bookstore and living in the apartment above it ever since. Before Godric, and well all of you, showed up here, I've only had dreams that linked me to what I thought could have been my old life. I didn't know for sure until Godric and Sookie confirmed that my dreams had actually happened."

I looked down at my lap as I finished, Godric squeezing my hand softly in his lap.

"I...er...I've had visions." I continued without Godric's prompt. I knew the conversation would lead here anyways. This was the whole reason I had wanted to see him again. "I had one with Godric, and another with Sookie, both when we've touched in some way."

I waited for some sort of reaction, but received none.

"And last night...well I had another one." Eric inclined his head ever so slight and I knew he had been listening to everything I had been saying. "When you...when you grabbed me and pinned me to the wall, I had a vision back from when I stayed with you that one month while Godric was away. I had been cleaning the club, like you made me do, and I guess I did something wrong and you...well you went ballistic."

His hands clamped together, and I was half expecting him to say something. But he still remained silent, just listening.

"The funny thing is, that was the only vision that I actually truly remembered. The other two, well they didn't really feel right. They did happen, that's what they said. But it still didn't feel like it was my own memory. Just like the dreams. It was real, but it never felt it. That vision, the one when you touched me, that felt more real to me than anything else. It was the first...well the first memory I've actually gotten back." I could feel my heart begin to beat faster as Eric slowly raised his head up, his eyes meeting mine once again. I wanted to tear my gaze away, but found that I couldn't. I was glued to the spot, unable to look anywhere but at him.

We stared at one another for what felt like forever. Only minutes had passed, but it could have been hours and neither of us would have noticed. Once again, it felt like I wasn't just looking into two blue eyes; it felt like I was looking into our past, my past. They say the eyes are the windows to our soul. Well his eyes, they were the windows to my past, my entire life. I don't know why I said what I did next, it felt like I was having an out of body experience and couldn't stop myself from whatever I did or say.

"Can I...can I touch you?" I asked in a soft voice.

Eric didn't take his eyes off me, but slowly nodded. I inched to the edge of the couch and slowly withdrew my hand from my body, reaching out to his clasped hands. He slowly parted them, allowing me access to them both. Our eyes were still connected as my fingers slowly touched the palm of his left hand, gliding over his smooth skin before simply laying my hand in his. His hand grasped around mine, and I jumped slightly, my eyes finally breaking free of his to stare down at our hands.

And then it happened.

Eric sat there, his hand gripping Ellie's, just watching as her eyes glazed over and she seemed to wander elsewhere. For some reason however, and as much as he desperately tied, he just couldn't look away. There was something hypnotizing about her gaze. He never wanted to look elsewhere ever again. Whenever he stared into those green orbs, his whole world felt complete. His insides fused together, his still heart jolted ever so slightly. His thoughts were calmed immediately the moment her fingers hand touched him, her touch soft and warm. He had latched onto her hand so quickly that he had surprised her. But he couldn't let go. He never wanted to ever again. She had been torn out of his life for so long. He had thought she was dead after the excruciating pain and vanishing of their bond. He had given up hope. She wasn't dead though, she never had been. It was hard to believe that she was sitting before him, looking exactly like she had the last time he had been in her presence.

Eric almost smirked as he thought of the many things he had done to her that night. He had her screaming his name by the end of the night and he loved every minute of it. He had hoped it would have been enough to convince her to stay, but it hadn't been. She left and had gotten herself into a car accident, and now two years later, here they were. She didn't remember him, he still couldn't feel a single emotion from the girl even though he was grasping her hand, and more than ever did he want to feel her up against him, to have his arms around her. But he couldn't. He could barely move an inch without her being frightened and latching herself onto Godric. He felt such hate towards the maker he had loved for a thousand years. He had been the one to pick up the pieces, to be her shoulder to cry on. Eric was still the one she was scared of, except now she seemed much like the scared little girl he remembered first meeting all those years ago. She had been so strong during the Russell incident. She had transitioned into a Phoenix, risked her life for all of theirs, and most importantly, him. She was fearless, the complete opposite of who she was now.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a tugging on his hand. A gasp emitted from the girl across from him, and he had to blink in order to refocus.

"I-I need to go." She spoke hurriedly, tugging her hand out of his grasp before Eric could tighten his hand around hers. "I...I just need to..."

"Elizabeth?" Godric raised a hand to her shoulder, only Ellie just jumped off the couch before he could touch her.

Eric was on his feet in an instant, staring down into those terrified eyes. He wanted so much to take away her pain. But his curiosity got the better of him. Why couldn't he feel any of this? Why couldn't he feel her sorrow, her fear? Why hadn't he been able to feel her the moment they had arrived in Chicago? Eric didn't believe that it was by complete chance that both Godric and Sookie happened to walk into the same bookstore. There had to of been some sort of pull towards the store that they had felt that he hadn't. Why had Godric felt it but he hadn't? He was the one with the deeper bond with Ellie, not Godric. He didn't want to be jealous; he wasn't even sure the meaning of jealousy. But as he watched Godric try to coax Ellie, attempting to calm the terrified girl down, Eric saw red. It was made perfectly clear two years ago that Godric wanted her. Eric had tried everything he could to try and ruin whatever attempts at an intimate relationship they tried to have. But how could he stop this? Ellie had no recollection of him at all. He was just a stranger to her.

And he despised that.

Ellie was his, and only his.

Godric had felt Eric's sudden rise of anger and grew tense. He was trying to persuade Ellie to stay, confused at what she had seen that frightened her so much. He knew Eric's anger would not help anything. One look in his progeny's direction, and he knew that Eric was about to explode. He just didn't understand why.

"Eric, calm yourself down." Godric instructed, his expression hardening. "Leave if you must, but don't do something you may..."

"Don't touch her." Eric growled suddenly.

Godric frowned, his hand hovering over Ellie's cheek. "Eric, this isn't the time."

"She's mine." Eric reminded him. "I claimed her. She's mine. Don't touch her."

Godric sighed and turned around, momentarily forgetting about the retreating form behind him. "She isn't some possession, Eric. She is a human being. I told you this two years ago."

"And you didn't hesitate to try and make her yours." Eric narrowed his eyes. "The moment she forgets about everything, you move in and make her your territory."

"Eric, that's not true." Godric shook his head. "I've only been trying to..."

"Only been trying to get into bed." He accused, stepping forward and towering over his maker. "I won't let it happen. She is still mine."

Godric couldn't stop his own rush of anger from flashing in his eyes. "You lost her two years ago. She left because of you, Eric."

"And you didn't help in that at all? Does she even know about..."

"Do not say her name." Godric growled lowly. "Do not speak of what you do not know."

"I know everything." Eric sniggered. "You said her name. You only care about Ellie because of who she looks like."

"That isn't true."

"Isn't it? You would much rather have your precious Kyra. But you'll settle for Ellie. You could care less about her. You just want your former love back."

Godric was doing whatever he could to hold himself back. More than anything he wanted to grab his child by the neck, to remind Eric who he was speaking to. His hands were clenched at his sides, just inching to do so. But a small whimper from behind him reminded Godric of Ellie's presence. He sighed heavily and shook his head, turning back away from Eric and trying to compose himself. He would only frighten Ellie if the two of them got into a physical altercation, and that was the last thing he wanted.

I was wishing more than ever that I had been sitting closer to the door. As the two vampires fought, they stood between me and my possibly escape. I just couldn't breathe in here. I needed air. I needed to get away from the both of them. The visions were still there, some longer than the others, some not even visible at all. But I could hear every word spoken. Only one or two seemed to stick, ones that I knew in my heart truly happened. It didn't matter though, the sheer intensity of it all nearly knocked me down to my knees. My legs were wobbly, the world spinning around me. I desperately wanted it to stop, but I just didn't know how. I let out a soft whimper, alerting Godric to my discomfort, and reached out to him. But before I could lay my hand on his arm, a hand caught my wrist, ripping me away from Godric. I yelped in surprise as I felt myself flush up against Eric's toned body. I began to shake as Eric's hand tightened around my wrist, refusing to let me go.

"Eric, let her go. She's scared, can't you see that?" Godric's voice was full of worry. "If you care about her, then you'll let her go."

I glanced over my shoulder at Godric, watching as he slowly stepped forward. I winced as Eric dug his fingers into my wrist, knowing I would have a bruise there tomorrow.

"She's mine."

I snuck a glance up at Eric and was frightened when I saw the look on his face. I tried to pull away from him, but this only caused him to grow angrier.

"You're going to ruin whatever chance you may have left with her, Eric. You need to let her go. Now." Godric ordered. "I command you to..."

Eric growled in frustration as his hand instantly released my wrist, using his arm to put distance between us. However, he had miscalculated his strength as I felt myself being pushed backwards, my feet stumbling over one another as I crashed down to the floor. Except it wasn't the floor that I was met with, and instead, it was the delicate glass coffee table. I let out a small scream as it smashed to pieces under my weight, the glass digging into my arms and legs. Tears pooled in my eyes as I tried to move, only allowing more glass to wedge into my skin, ripping my dress and causing me to bleed.

"Out now." Godric's voice was low and demanding. "Do not come back. NOW!"

I barely could see Eric leave in a flash through my blurry eyes. I whimpered as Godric knelt down beside me, his arms curling around me and lifting me up. I clung to him, my eyes squeezing shut. This night had turned into a disaster. I knew I shouldn't have come. I had been unsure about it, and I should have followed my instinct. Eric had grown angry, I was swimming in memories I wasn't sure I even wanted, and now I was bleeding with glass digging into me.

Could anything else possibly go wrong?

A/N: Eric just will not learn. he needs to go to Vampire Anger Management classes it seems. and he's back to being possessive as ever. but Godric, he's not about to just hand her over to Eric either. There's some lingering feelings there for sure somehow. the visions seemed to freak Ellie out. we'll find out about those a little bit later. I promise a hot moment in the next chapter. I won't say much about it, but its definitely a little steamy ;)