A/N: I DO NOT own True Blood. Decided for the sake of continuity and my sanity to take the old chapters down as I rewrite. I can't explain how much they were bothering me, so for old readers these will basically be vaguely familiar, but new. For new, you get the absolute first-experience.

Samuel II

Now it came to pass…

"Now, I can promise you you'll have everything you need to your convenience during your stay at the White House. I'm really glad to have an American vampire representative with us right in in Washington. Just how many of you are out there?"

"More than you know Mr. President." Aziza smiled, comfortable to be using her old name again for the first time around someone other than Godric.

"Wow. Never would have thought it. That mean werewolves are real too?" he joked, and Aziza simply stared at him blankly as Mrs. Kennedy cleared her throat, silently reprimanding her husband.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to be offensive." He apologized.

"It's fine, none taken. I must say again, thank you for welcoming us into your home. I must say Mrs. Kennedy, I've always been a huge fan."

"Well thank you. If you'll excuse me, I need to check on the kids." She said coldly, giving a small head nod then departing. Glancing after her, Aziza watched as she departed with all the elegance and grace one women could muster. Even though her resentment was clear, Aziza still admired her. Jackie Kennedy, the woman who held more sway than she herself ever could.

"You'll have to forgive my wife. She's a little…uncomfortable with the idea."

"I can't say I blame her, though I can assure you Mr. President at my age you learn to control yourself." Aziza smiled, her eyes drawn to his handsome smile which certainly lived up to the legend.

"Call me John. And at your age? You don't look a day over 20."

"Well a lady never reveals her age. You can show me to our quarters if you like, I know it's late for you."

"Not a problem. Why don't you let me give you a tour? It's not every day you get to sleep at the White House."

Aziza gasped, dirt flooding her mouth as her eyes shot open, faced with nothing but darkness.

The body beside her stirred and immediately she dove for the surface, clawing her way out of the dirt which covered her body and made its way into her mouth, nose, and ears. Though she did not need to breath, still the feeling of being suffocated was almost enough to make her panic. As she pawed her way through the heavy earth, Aziza finally outstretched an arm and felt the cold night wind on her skin.

Clutching the finely seeded ground, Aziza planted her hands firmly then pulled herself into the night, blinking away the dirt and jitters that had come with spending more than one night at ground. Wiping her face, she sat then paused, glancing down at the second patch of dirt right beside the hole she had just burst from, which moved slowly.

Staring at the mound she blinked rapidly, mouth slightly agape as she accepted the breezy air, brought forth by a promised and brutal cold season. As the ground continued to move, she stood, staring up at the sky.

There was no time now for regrets. She had the entire time underground to do that. Now, she was forced to finally come to terms with her choice to turn the boy into the very thing she had hoped to keep him safe from: himself.

She knew he would be ruthless, difficult, perhaps even impossible to control. She could not say what led her to such desperation that she could not bear to part with him. After all, he was a human boy. She had to expect to lose him at some time or another.

But she could not part with him. She could not allow him to perish at the hands of the soldiers, and now, here he was to wreak havoc in a way that would make Baharah cringe. He would be reckless, irresponsible, and violent. The violence was what concerned Aziza the most, knowing she would never be able to stop him.

He had a thirst for blood as a human, meaning now it would be tenfold, nihilistic, and remorseless. He would become a killing machine with no regard for humanity, and Aziza alone was at fault. She would be blamed for the deaths of innocent human beings, brought to their end by the boy who lay beneath her.

As Titus struggled to break free, he seemed so helpless. Like a baby bird, attempting to push itself from the hard and delicate shell of its egg. It would remain vulnerable in its first few months of life, depending on its mother and in a way, Titus would as well. While newborns were stronger, they were also more susceptible to getting themselves killed.

Aziza was still in her childhood was a blood-drinker, not even yet clearing a decade. She knew there were many in the world, centuries old. Some of them dwelled in Cairo on the council she wished to appear before, asking pardon for the war she had started with Sparta.

So many were lost before their first year. Perhaps meeting the sun after chancing it too close as dawn broke. Or revealing themselves to humans, only to find themselves overpowered. And still there were those who starved, believing they could feed on animal blood, refusing to kill.

She herself did not know or understand everything. She needed to get to Cairo, and quickly. It would certainly be a more swift travel now that Titus could fly as quickly as she could. The trial would be getting them there without incident, something rare for a newborn, even she herself.

In her first days she had been as violent and brutal as anyone, sticking close to her maker as they prowled the countryside, wreaking havoc and instilling fear in the hearts of the humans that lived there. Aziza was ashamed for the lives she had taken, not even needed their blood. Out of sheer pleasure she shared with Baharah, sickening and cruel pleasure.

Titus would prove more strong-willed and vicious than Baharah had ever been. Aziza knew that, for she had seen it. In the glimpses of visions that plagued her, she had seen what he would become. What they would do together.

Perhaps it was the reason she could not let him die. It was set in the stars, seemingly proclaimed by God that the two would be together, and that Aziza was to sire a progeny. Why? She did not know. What good could come of this? She could not see, and more than anything, it frightened her.

It frightened her because she knew how it would end. He would die, years and years from now and Aziza would visit the yellow-haired one named Eric who appeared frequently in her visions. She would spend centuries with him, only to someday be left alone as she feared.

She wanted to believe the future could change, but it seemed to be set in stone. Some of the things she had foreseen had come true. Others would prove the same, she was certain of it. Aziza was also certain that no matter what, the future could not be changed, and as horrific as it sounded, perhaps God meant for this to happen to her.

Finally, a pale hand broke free from the dirt, opening and closing in a clawing motion and Aziza leaned forward, unsure whether to help him or not. Baharah had given her no help, claiming it was Aziza's first test of her new nature. She had been forced to prove her worth by bursting through ground she had never been in before, surprised to find the packed earth heavier than one would have thought.

Standing carefully, she did the same for Titus, watching as he struggled, inch by inch appearing with soiled skin and frustrated grunts. Watching as his head emerged, Aziza took a step back as he let out a loud roar—almost painful sounding—and lunged, clawing at the surface as he pulled himself up weakly, not yet strong enough to push as she had done.

Stepping over, Aziza clasped one of her delicate hands on his dirtied wrist, pulling him up carefully as he fell into her arms, panting with his eyes closed.

"Are you well? How do you feel?" she asked frantically, fearful she may not have done the transformation right. What if she had done something wrong and he was to die right then and there?

Remember, you've seen the future. He will last. She reminded herself, the quickly began to brush the dirt off his face tenderly as he opened his eyes, staring up at the night sky.

"What has happened…" he trailed off, and Aziza quickly placed a hand on his chest, feeling his cold flesh beneath her fingers. Bringing her dirtied hand across his skin she touched him gently, feeling him faint and dead beneath her fingers, just as she was. Looking down into his eyes she shook her head in amazement at what she had done. She had really done it.

"You died. So I…" she trailed off, shaking her head and Titus sat up surprisingly quick, looking around wildly.

His hands flew to his neck and he began to seek out his wounds, finding they were certainly not there, including the tribal markings which had once adorned his pale flesh.

"You made me one…" he trailed off once more, speechless and Aziza hung her head, blood welling in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry. It was selfish, you were dying and I-I was afraid of losing you. You have to understand Titus, I-"

"Godric." He interrupted, turning to face her with wide eyes full of what Aziza could only discern as excitement.

"Godric. Call me Godric only now. You have given me a new life, a new body. Aziza you have given me this gift. I cannot find a way to thank you. You have gifted me immortality!"

Aziza blanched, a single blood tear streaking her face in shock as her guilt turned into disbelief. She had known all along how he would react, but still she was surprised. She was surprised at how he could be so blind and foolish, not realizing the shackles which now fell around his wrists and legs for the rest of his long life, the curse that would follow him.

"I must feed." He suddenly said, and Aziza clenched her jaw, looking up at the sky. She knew she should have procured something beforehand to have when he finally awoke, but she knew in his state he needed something fresh. He also needed to learn how to hunt, and how to do it properly.

Clutching his stomach, Aziza nodded, suddenly aware of the dirt caked on her clothing and body. She wished for nothing more than the chance to bathe and change, but first they needed to find his first meal.

"Yes, you must. Follow me, I will run a bit slower so you can keep up." Aziza said, then took off into the night, glad she could finally sprint once more, even if it was slower than normal.

Still adjusting to his new form, she could hear Godric's footsteps behind her, slightly clumsy as he learned to control his new body. Raising her head to the sky Aziza let the scent flood her nose, trying to find some source of food on the wind, anything, just enough for his first meal so she could begin explaining to him everything it meant.

Seeking out a human, she began to rush to the summit of a nearby hill, peering at the world below as she caught a flicker of light on the horizon.

"How far away is that? I can see it!" Godric exclaimed excitedly.

"You will see even more when you have fed. Before we go, you must promise to listen to what I say Ti-Godric. I feed only when I must, taking the blood of the sick and dying, but you are new. You must have healthy and new blood. We must be swift, and we musn't draw attention to ourselves."

"You mean I get to kill?" he asked like a small child receiving a toy. Glancing at him wearily, Aziza moved her head to the stars and silently asked for guidance, receiving none.

"I will bring you something. If we come across trouble you are not yet strong enough to face a group." Aziza said, half-truthfully. Of course she knew allowing him to accompany her would only result in chaotic disaster. She could not risk it, not when she had so much to teach him.

"What do you mean I'm not strong enough? I no longer feel weak!" he argued and she threw up a hand irritably.

"Please, just listen. Follow me, and I will tell you when to wait behind."

Godric felt blood wrap around his muscles, filling him with powerful life as he drank the blood of a virile young man, warmth seeping into his mouth and down his throat.

Clutching the boy's body he savored the feeling as the life bled from beneath him and went past Godric's newly sharpened fangs. As he gorged himself on the hot fluid his eyes rolled in the back of his head until the very essence left and the body became a corpse.

"You've had your fill. Now, I must dispose of this body."

He glanced up at Aziza as she bent down, clutching the dead body and slinging it over her shoulders with ease.

"Why?" he asked curiously, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

"Because we must not leave a trail. Suspicious deaths bring about suspicious questions. The Spartans could still be after us, this would lead them right on our trail."

"Let them. They cannot defeat us now." He grinned, excited for his first true kill as an immortal.

"Titus..."

"-Godric." He corrected her, fully embracing the new name and identity.

"Godric. We cannot afford to be foolish. We must make for Cairo as quickly as possible so that I may repair relations with my country and that of Sparta and seek refuge for the both of us. Now, come. We can travel more swiftly now, and we have some ground to cover as we venture through the land."

Godric bit his tongue, knowing he should not argue. Not now at least. He would play the role of pet, following her around and taking orders, but as his strength gained he would find himself free of guilt when disobeying what she said. He was his own person, not hers, and now he had the power to do all that he wanted, nothing was going to stop that.

"Godric? What's wrong?" Aziza asked as she stepped into the living room of their shabby apartment, kicking aside a copy of Dracula haphazardly. Glancing down at the book she paused for a moment, wondering where Stoker was to this day. Being turned probably cleared up some of the misconceptions he had written about the vampire species.

Staring at the television, Aziza sat beside her longtime friend and companion, glancing over at the small box. Immediately, she found herself equally enraptured by the images which ran across her screen.

"No…" she trailed off, and Godric grabbed her hand tightly, putting an arm around her as she watched a replay of people in the streets of Memphis, black and white, both angered and shocked.

"How many years has it been? They kill a person of a different color. What do you think they'd do to us if we ever stepped forth?" Godric asked, and Aziza brought a hand to her mouth. It seemed like just yesterday she was watching the same scene, in a different place, as she learned of John's death. And now yet another, a freedom-fighter lost to senseless violence.

"Did you ever meet him?" Godric asked, and she shook her head. While she had longed to meet the revered Dr. King, she'd never gotten the chance to meet him. After being discovered with John by the former first lady, she lost all ties to the United States government after Mrs. Kennedy threatened to expose her.

She'd spent some time in Vietnam with Godric and Eric, helping the locals and soldiers alike. But now, living under wraps in the city of Santa Fe she had put her days of associating with the civil rights and Vietnam movements aside. She had taken as ordinary a life as she could with Godric beside her, masquerading as June and Timothy Harmon and living modestly, free of adventure for the first time in their long lives.

"I wanted to but…I never got the chance."

"Funny how many chances we miss out on in our lives, we more than anybody else."

Aziza was silent for a long moment, watching the devastating news before turning back to Godric.

"I want to go back to Paris." She breathed, and he glanced down at her sharply.

"What?"

"Tonight. Tomorrow. Soon. I want to go back to Paris. I can't do this anymore Godric. I can't go on living this fucking lie that I'm some homemaker from Chicago. I'm sick of the looks when we go to the grocery store, I'm sick of the fucking bullshit on our TV every night. I don't want to stay somewhere where we'll get shot for being together. You keep saying it's going to get better but look. It's not. I can't stay here anymore." She shook her head and stood, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We can't just move again. We've only been here for a few months!"

"So!"

"So, I'm sick of always running around. Can't we just stay in one place for a while? We've spent our whole lives running."

"So what. You're just going to wait until someone gets it in them to burn us out? Until we have guys in white robes outside our door? Godric, don't forget. I'm black!"

"No one even knows! You're skin-"

"Is lighter. Yes. But dark enough for people to think I'm either Hispanic or mixed. They won't be spared any either. My green eyes fool a lot of people but not all of them."

"You think anyone here even notices?!"

"Yeah, they do. I can tell you for a fact. And what about when we were in Alabama? I had to sit outside in the car because they wouldn't let me-"

"Okay that was different. And it was one place. So what, you want to leave the country because people are assholes?"

"No, I want to leave the country because I don't want to stay somewhere I'm ostracized for my race! Don't you think we have it bad enough? You said it yourself! Anyone finds out we're vampires and we're dead! I can't live around this anymore!"

"Well I don't want to go."

Aziza opened her mouth, Godric's words sinking in. He had said them calmly, quietly, in a way that told her there was no argument. It also told her that once again, they would find themselves parting ways, and as they had grown accustomed to, there would be no argument.

"Fine. I'll go stay with Eric and Pam in Paris. You know, after all these years, I always think I'm sure you love me. But I can never really figure it out…"

"Unh." Aziza choked, squeezing her eyes shut as blood seeped from them. Swaying on her horse dangerously she felt Titus clutch her waist tightly as she leaned over, falling from the horse and collapsing to the ground. As her head seared with pain she clutched the frosty blades of grass, rocking slightly as she was certain she was on the verge of death. Pain exploded through every facet of her body until she found herself unable to move as Titus' voice called her name was seemed leagues away.

For the first time, she found herself grateful that she had made him as he bent forth and picked her up effortlessly, clutching her in his arms. Placing her on the horse, he leaned down as she reached out silently for the only person she could think of.

She knew they could be going straight to their death. She knew Baharah would have no mercy. But right now, Aziza knew of nowhere else to go. Cairo was leagues away, and it would be dangerous if she found herself incapacitated in the middle of nowhere. Particularly for the newborn Godric, who still needed to learn many things integral to his survival.

Quietly, she called out to the one person she never wished to see again. She could think of nothing else, no other option than to go running back to the person she had hoped to dispel from her life forever. Baharah would take Aziza's troubles smugly, making it all the more obvious that the young-blood drinker couldn't last without her. And Aziza would be forced to accept it, likely bringing Baharah along with them to Cairo.

The only good that came of the situation was that she could no longer feed on Titus. He was Godric now, no longer human, and no longer in need of as much protection. It came with a price however, the very thought of Baharah letting her ideas get into his fresh mind. She alone would create a monster the world had not yet seen.

"Take me…to Baharah. She will be waiting for me." Aziza whispered, paying no mind to Godric's protests as he pulled the reigns and they changed directions, heading back and retracing their steps. Still she felt no contact from her maker and wondered momentarily if she really had accepted Aziza's decision to leave forever. Her threat for them never return would perhaps go fulfilled for once.

And then, just as she finally gave up hope a small probe entered her mind and she relaxed, closing her eyes and relinquishing her body once more as she rode towards her saving grace.

Godric stood up quickly, his small frame as guard as Baharah entered the room from the cellar where Aziza slumbered.

"Do not worry I will not kill you. There is not a point now, is there?" the Persian woman raised an eyebrow, her tone full of bitter resentment. Staring at Godric wearily, he remained where he stood as she let out a chortle then strode across the room, coming to rest at a small table in the corner.

Face illuminated by candlelight he no longer needed, she beckoned for him to sit on the small stool across from her. Carefully, Godric did so, leaning towards the cellar so that in the event the woman sprang, he might have some chance of rescuing Aziza.

"I knew she had something planned for you. The…infatuation, had to have some merit. I could not see what would interest her so in a scrawny human like you. But, that question is out of our hands now, I suppose. I will admit, she could have done better."

Godric clenched his jaw, repeating his new name over and over in his head silently as a mantra.

"I will attribute your insult to jealousy. It always hurts to come in second best." He shot, not bothering to think before he spoke and found himself momentarily frightened as her beautiful pale face contorted into a monstrous snarl, fangs emerging.

"You would do best to watch your tongue little one. Especially when your darling princess is not here to protect you. You are in my good company at the moment."

"What ails her?" Godric asked, swiftly changing the subject. He could not help but notice the ghost of a smirk that crossed Baharah's lips with his defeat, and finally understood why Aziza loathed her so.

"Something which affects her, and only her. We do not suffer from physical ailments, meaning her case is unique."

"Is it because the visions?"

Baharah stared at Titus, standing up with an audible sigh.

"Visions. The ramblings of a fool they are. Aziza dares to dream, so much that she fills her head with silly thoughts of an impossible future. She would go on about how in thousands of years the humans would have tall buildings made of steel, and contraptions that could make people fly. It is all folly. Such that she had become obsessed with it."

Godric remained silent, taking a moment to think over Baharah's words, wondering if they were true. Whenever Aziza fell ill, cringing and clutching her head with pain she claimed to be having vision of the future where she saw the things Baharah had described. But was that really true? Or were they sickly delusions that were ravishing her mind?

"How do you know? How do you know her visions are untrue?"

"Because it is impossible child!" Baharah snapped.

Impossible. Like us. Godric thought then dropped the matter, preparing to mull it over later. For now, he had two hours to busy himself before the sunrise, or so Aziza had told him as they arrived, weakly pleading for him to return to the cellar with her before the sky illuminated.

It never quite occurred to Godric that he would never see the sun again. Aziza said a cloudy day was not enough. He would never feel the light on his face, or gaze across the lit lands. He was now a creature of night who would never feel warmth, only cold.

"You said when we left that we were never to return." Godric said after a pregnant pause, and this time emotion flooded Baharah's face immensely, making her appear more human than anything he had ever witnessed. Her cold façade was gone, replaced with one of longing and sadness.

"That is none of your concern." She barked.

"It is because you love her. Not because you made her."

"Yes, and I suppose you take glory in that, correct? You are proud to have taken her from my grasp. Me, to whom she owes everything!" she growled, fangs emerging violently and Godric took a step back.

"No! I never took her from you!" he exclaimed, and she shook her head, tossing her hair back willfully.

"You filled her mind with romantic ideas. Promises of human love and companionship. She wanted to be taken tenderly and you obliged her girlish fantasies. But she belonged with me. As equals. What could a human do for her as opposed to me?"

"Perhaps she wished to make a change." Godric replied boldly, becoming irritated and angry once more.

"No, why should she? To be with a boy? Men do not know how to please a woman. You cannot control her body because you do not understand it. And a human cannot bite her, dominate her. She does not need to be coddled, she needs to be taken!"

"But I am no longer human, and it was she who made me that way. Aziza came to me. She picked me, to begin all of this. A slave boy with no parents and no home. She does not want you, and never again will she."

Baharah opened her mouth, tilting her head to the side then looked down, a curtain of black hair falling in front of her long face. Finally, she shook it out of her face and stared at Godric directly.

"Someday, you will pay for your words. But tomorrow eve you will see, the error of your mouth. You will know that in her heart, she will always long for me. And when she and I are together, you will pay the price. Enjoy the time you have as a newborn Godric, for soon enough, you and I will come together and you will face your death, just as any human."

With that, she left the room, flying into the night ad Godric remained where he stood, not knowing exactly what to think.