Disclaimer:

Anything you recognise does not belong to me; I'm simply playing around with Alan Ball's and HBO's lovely universe and delectable characters.

Author's Note: I'm putting in a cautious trigger warning here.

xXx

11

The 24th of December we flew with Anubis Airlines to Louisiana in the late morning, which meant that Godric was stowed away in a travel coffin during the flight. It was a very strange sensation, sitting in the cabin – first class – sipping a drink, all the while knowing that somewhere in the specially made cargohold my vampire friend was laying, dead for the day. It made me nervous; Godric should be underneath – or at least on – the ground now, not suspended many miles up in the air where there was nothing but this flimsy plane to shield him from the sun.

When we landed I followed his coffin while it was unloaded, and put my palm against it the instant the porters had eased it down on the trolley. I felt much better knowing that I was near enough to physically throw myself on top of the lid if anything were to happen.

A car and a driver waited for us, and after having made sure that the porters had Godric safely locked away in the elongated back of the car I swiftly slid in to the passenger seat.

The chauffeur nodded briefly at me. "Shreveport, right ma'am?"

"Yes, Styx River Suites Hotel, please," I agreed. Godric had ordered – and paid – for two hotel rooms for us at the local vampire hotel, and when I had voiced my protest over that, trying to pay for myself (and for my plane ticket) he called it a Christmas present and had refused to discuss it further. As far as I was concerned, the fact that he travelled all the way to Louisiana with me so that I wouldn't have to face my family alone was plenty present, but I couldn't deny that it made things a whole lot easier on my meagre savings account.

I still hadn't told him why I was so uncomfortable being around my family that I needed him to go in the first place, partly because there was nothing I hated more than dwelling on the toxic memories of my childhood, and partly because I just didn't know where or how to start. He had not pressed me on the matter, for which I was thankful.

The knowledge that we were approaching my childhood neighbourhood and a reunion with my extended family seemed to drain the energy out of me for every mile we came closer, and when we finally arrived at the hotel, I knew, without a doubt, that I would never have been able to get through the evening without Godric by my side.

Not too long after sundown a knock sounded from my hotel door. At that point I'd managed to freshen up in the bathroom and change into the comely but pretty, black dress I had purchased specifically for this purpose, and was in the process of curling my hair, sat in front of the mirror.

"It's open!" I called, not wanting to interrupt what I was doing.

Godric stepped in, closing the door behind him before he sent my hair – which was half rolled up on my head with pins – a curious glance.

"Vanity," I admitted with a wry smile. "What a woman has to suffer through to feel presentable."

"There was a time when men spent as long time on dressing up and decorating themselves as women," he said, leaning against the wall so he could continue watching my primping.

An amusing image of Godric wearing a Renaissance costume suddenly popped into my mind. "Have you ever been in that situation?"

A hint of a smile appeared on his lips. "Naturally. Eric and I spent some time at the European courts."

The thought of him and the tall Viking wearing wigs and makeup started a giggle fit, which soon ended when I burnt an ear on the curling iron. "I'm sure you were a lovely pair."

"Hmm. I am of the conviction that such efforts are wasted on the male gender."

I rolled my eyes at him, pinning my last curl in place so it could cool off. "How very sexist of you – it should be equally time-consuming for both genders to get ready."

He hummed noncommittally and continued watching me while I applied makeup, spritzed on a bit of perfume and finally went about undoing the bobby pins so my dark hair fell to just below my shoulder blades in soft waves. And then there was nothing left to do to postpone the inevitable.

I took a deep breath, getting up from the chair in front of the mirror.

"You are scared," he said, softly.

"Can you still sense my emotions?"

"I cannot. But I do not need to, to know that you are frightened. I can see it on in your shoulders and smell it underneath your perfume."

Smoothing my hands over my dress to stop the slight tremble in them I turned to him with a small shrug. "My family is sorta my kryptonite."

He looked at me uncomprehendingly.

I sighed and shook my head. "I've never really learnt to protect myself against them – I don't have any shields to keep them out with, apart from physical distance."

"And it is necessary? To keep them out?"

That made a nervous laughter escape my lips. "Oh, yes. There's a reason I haven't been home for three years." I stuck out my hand, and he obligingly took it, catching my eyes as he did.

"Sophie, be calm," he murmured, a dark command behind the soft tone. "You will be safe."

Immediately, calmness spread through my tense body, and I shot him a surprised glance. A feeling of being safe originated from where his hand touched mine. "Did… you just do something?"

His lips pulled op in what could have been the start of a smile, but no joy registered on his face. "I am helping you relax. Come, little one."

Huh, handy.

I followed him down to the foyer, and then stopped abruptly. "Er, Godric… there won't be anything for you to eat tonight. I'm sorry; I totally forgot to think of that. I didn't have the whole vampire-talk with them, so they wouldn't know to get some TruBlood." They probably wouldn't have gotten any even if I had had that talk. "Do you want to pull over somewhere to get some before we arrive?"

Godric shook his head lightly and guided me out to the car he had rented for the stay; a black Mercedes. "I am not hungry. One of the advantages of being this old. Besides, Eric lives in Shreveport so I am obliged to stop by his bar later in the night.""

"Eric lives here?" I asked, surprised. Small world. "And he has a bar?"

"Yes. I have been told that it is rather popular."

It suddenly clicked. "Fangtasia? He owns Fangtasia?!"

"I believe that is the name, yes. You have heard of it?"

I shot him a big grin. "It's pretty much the most famous vampire bar in the United States. Huh!" I, of course, knew this thanks to Skye, but it was still odd to know that Godric's moody progeny was rather famous in some circles.

The trip went by faster than I'd hoped – Godric had a serious speeding problem - and we soon pulled up by Aunt Ettie's house.

Godric glanced at me when I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders after stepping out of the car.

"I will be right by your side," he murmured softly, and I don't know if he did that vampire-influence thing again or if I just reacted to the thought of him seeing me through this, but I felt a lot calmer as we walked up to the front door, my hand resting lightly on his forearm.

The door opened before we made it all the way up there, divulging Ettie's thin form. "Sophie-child, how good of you to find time to visit your family. And you must be the young man Lily talked about. George, right?"

"Godric," I automatically corrected.

"Hm." Aunt Ettie didn't look like she quite knew what to do with such a foreign name. "Come on in – you're the last ones to arrive."

Everyone was there. All the aunts, cousins, uncles, my grandparents – and of course my mother, her boyfriend and my little sister. They were all staring when we came in; at Godric, at his flawless features and his casual but expensive-looking clothes, and I knew that they were trying to figure out what on Earth he was doing here with me.

"Oh, Sophie!" My mother got up from the group of relatives she had sat with and came over to give my frozen form a hug and a kiss to the cheek. "Goodness, I had forgotten how big you are!"

I had inherited my biological father's height and bone density, and had always towered over the other women in the family. My mother and grandmother had never let an opportunity to tell me how unfeminine it was pass by them.

"Gary, come meet Sophie." My mother waved over her boyfriend, and my sister trailed along.

Gary grabbed my hand with a big smile and crushed it enthusiastically in his. "So this is the wayward daughter! It's great to finally meet ya!"

I smiled politely at him. "Hello, Gary. I have heard many good things about you."

When he released my hand I turned towards Godric, who had been watching the exchange in silence, a hand lightly against my lower back. "This is Godric." It was aimed at the room in general.

Gary grabbed his hand and gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder, and I shot Godric an apologetic side-glance when my mother pulled him into an awkward hug.

"Oh, it is so good to see that Sophie is finally socialising with people of class," my mum chirped, pulling him by the hand towards the group of relatives she had sat with before. "We have been so worried about her life choices these past years."

Godric let himself get led away, and I briefly greeted my sister before I nervously followed, only to get shanghaied by other aunts, uncles and cousins for how-do-you-dos, including Kathy – with fiancé (Brad, 28, successful local realtor, Audi) – who wanted to know how long I'd known Godric and what he did for a living.

"About a month and a half." I looked around after him and saw that he was sat on the sofa in between mum and Ettie, with a group of my relatives leaned in, unquestionably in order to ask him every detail of his life.

"And I honestly don't know what he works with; some form of business management." It wasn't completely wrong – I actually didn't know what Godric's work consisted of, just that he was the boss for the Dallas vampires. "Excuse me, Kathy." I managed to duck past uncle Rogan and find my way to Godric's side.

"...always had the urge to go against all rules and sensibility," I heard my mum say, which got a confirming laugh from Ettie.

"Oh, do you remember when she had to waste her money going to college – to study art? Of course, it only lasted a year."

I froze just as Godric looked up and met my eyes. He reached up and grabbed my hand in his so he could pull me down next to him, making Ettie scoot a little.

"I appreciate Sophie's free spirit. And she is an amazing artist," he remarked calmly.

Blessed be Godric. I pressed against him for a brief moment to let him know I appreciated it.

"But you can't live off being an artist," my mum said with a small snort, earning a nod from Gary. "It's alright for women who have the necessary qualities to find a man to support them, but Sophie…" She laughed lightly. "Sophie isn't exactly that type."

She was right about that, really; I didn't like the thought of depending on someone to take care of me, but I was pretty sure she wasn't talking about my independence.

"I actually do believe she could make a living as an artist, if she would exhibit." He glanced at me out the corner of his eyes. "But she is too modest for her own good."

My cousin Melba, who sat at the edge of the gathering, half succeeded in chocking off a giggle at that comment, and then studiously avoided Godric's eyes when he raised his eyebrows questioningly at her.

"So, Godric," Gary interrupted. "How did you meet our Sophie?"

'Our Sophie'? I had never met the man before today, but he apparently felt as part of the family. Must be nice.

"I saw her through a window at a bar and knew I had to know her," Godric answered, not missing a beat.

Oh, suave. Even though I knew it was a lie my cheeks still heated up.

My mum laughed lightly. "Aw, you are attracted to the awkward girls? That's so sweet."

I felt my hand stiffen against Godric's. Always – she always had to humiliate me. I knew this, expected it. Why did it still hurt?

"Awkward?" I vague note of ice snuck into the vampire's soft voice. "Sophie is not awkward, she is beautiful."

"So, mum, how did you and Gary meet?" I quickly intervened. I had heard the story multiple times, but making my mum talk about herself was always a good diversion.

It worked flawlessly. For the next half hour, until dinner was served, mum talked about their relationship in every minute detail, but at least it changed the focus from me. I leaned lightly against Godric for the duration, thankful for his support. He kept his hand in mine until we sat down for dinner, where uncle Ronald was sat at the other side of me, and Godric was sat next to my sister Catherine, with Ettie, Kathy and Brad across the table from us.

I spent the main part of the meal listening to Ronald talk enthusiastically about his last fishing trip, spiced up with the latest news from the world of fly-fishing (not much going on there, I might add), while Godric was bombarded with conversation revolving around money and social status by Kathy and Brad.

It was sometime shortly before dessert would be served that Ronald decided to ask me whereabouts I lived these days.

"Dallas," I replied, cautiously hopeful that we'd now left the topic of fishing for good.

"And you've been there how long now? A year?"

"10 months, more or less."

He shook his head, spearing a piece of turkey on his fork. "It's not good, Sophie. A woman at your age should not be running around like that. You have to settle down, see if not that Godric fella will stick around. Not like the last one… was it Marcus? Great guy, that. But I suppose he got tired of waiting around for you. A man wants his woman to be dependable and at home, girl."

An unexpected wave of nausea went through me at full force. I hadn't thought of that names in more than three years now, had carefully and painstakingly locked it away. My pulse increased, drumming in my ears.

A cool hand was placed on my shoulder, and I quickly looked to Godric, who was silently searching my face with his eyes, probably to find the cause of my racing heart.

"I'm ok," I managed to whisper, a pale smile forced on my lips. But my hand sought blindly underneath the table until it found his, clinging to it desperately.

"Godric, you're not a vegetarian, now are you?" Aunt Ettie suddenly said from the other side of the table. "You haven't touched the food! Try the roast, it's a family recipe."

The dark-haired vampire at my side sent the woman a polite nod. "I am certain that it is a lovely meal, but I do not eat human food."

Confused silence spread at our end of the table, and I saw my sister's eyes widen when she – as the only one, apparently – pieced it together.

"Don't eat food?" Ettie questioned, surprised. "But what do you..?"

"Godric is a vampire, Ettie," I explained, smiling at her as brightly as I could.

This time the silence went around the room, only interrupted by the clanging of cutlery being dropped on plates.

Things got pretty awkward after that.

After a while of stunned silence, someone mentioned dessert, and people rushed up to help take plates out and bring the cakes and pies back in, all the while glancing at Godric like he'd suddenly turned into some sort of three-headed beast. Which, I suppose in their eyes, he might have.

And I… I honestly felt pretty smug. I know it didn't say great things about me as a person, but I was basking in the fact that I, for once, was not the one who was in an emotional turmoil.

After dessert I decided some fresh, unpolluted, air was needed, so I excused myself and went out to the back yard, vampire buddy in tow, giving the family a bit of time to re-group as well.

I headed for the old swing towards the back of the garden, away from the light that shone through the windows in the house. The swing, and the sycamore tree it hung from, had been my favourite hideout as a kid, when the family gathered, and I patted the wide trunk affectionately before turning towards Godric. "Let me push you," I offered.

He shot me a questioning look.

"On the swing... Have you never..?" I shook my head when I realised that of course the two thousand year old immortal would never have had played on a swing as a child. "Sit down."

Godric obeyed, and I walked behind him and gave his back a gentle push. He remained where he was.

Sighing I instructed him to take his feet off the ground.

He chuckled but did as he was told, and I once again pushed him, making the swing rock slowly.

"And what is the purpose of this?" he questioned, when I pushed him again.

I laughed quietly. "Just enjoyment."

"Hmm," he mused as he swung. "I could push you, if you enjoy this activity?"

The thought of being pushed with his unnatural strength made me grimace. "No thanks; vamp strength and all."

"I can control it, you know." And suddenly I was lifted up and sat down, and I couldn't hold back a scared – but belated – gasp. I was sat on his lap with my legs resting on each side of his hips and his arms loosely around my back. A slow rocking told me that we were swinging gently.

Normally, the intimate positioning would have made me blush, but after tonight – and all the build-up leading up to it – I just leaned forward, resting my head on his shoulder with the back of my neck against the side of his. My arms came up to rest against his chest and shoulders and I breathed in deeply, enjoying his crisp, earthy scent and the fact that he let me be so close without tensing up; Godric wasn't usually what could be classed as the touchy-feely type.

"I do not understand your family," he said then. "They speak to, and about, you as if you were of less value than them."

I sighed. "Well, I am, in their eyes."

"That I do not understand. You are so unique, so special. Can they not see this?"

I pulled my head back and sent him a smile, knowing it was probably more bitter than joyful. "Not everyone sees 'special' as a positive trait, Mr Vampire. I'm not successful, not reliable – just stubborn and odd and not like them. I even look different, thanks to my dad's apparently overpowering genes."

His forehead furrowed, and I felt his unfathomable eyes search mine for answers. "It does not seem like a basis for what I have witnessed this evening. A family should care for the wellbeing of all its members; human society has been built around this concept for millennia."

The pain I always felt when I thought too much about my upbringing shot through my body, and I felt my bottom lip quiver traitorously before I realised there were tears stinging in my eyes.

"Sophie, what did these people do to you?" His voice was very quiet, but it had an unmistakable core of steel.

I shook my head and pressed my forehead against his shoulder, my arms linking around his neck on their own accord. "I don't want to talk about it. Not now, when I have to face them again this evening."

His arms locked tighter around my back, and I relaxed in his embrace. "You do not have to go back in there. I will take you wherever you wish to go."

My mouth pulled up in a soft smile against his wool coat. "Thank you," I whispered.

Feather light lips brushed against my hair. "Shall I take you back to the hotel?"

I pulled myself back up right and looked at him, the thankful smile still on my lips. "Not yet. If we leave now they'll just think I'm ashamed of you, of you being a vampire."

"Does their conviction matter?"

Yes, unfortunately, it did. I sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry; I know I'm weak."

Godric shook his head lightly at me. "Do not apologise for your feelings, little one. Come, let us go back in."

I nodded again and clumsily crawled off his lap.

The family had spread out over the house in small groups when we came back in. To my great surprise my sister Catherine made a beeline for us when we entered the house, and started talking to Godric about, well, about being a vampire.

Huh, my little sister was apparently more open minded than I'd given her credit for. I could see several of my cousins starting to edge towards us, without a doubt driven by curiosity and the fact that Catherine hadn't been eaten, so I excused myself and went upstairs to find the bathroom.

I spent some time in front of the mirror giving myself a calming pep talk, not terribly concerned with having left Godric alone with my relatives; he could handle himself in a group of small-minded humans just fine. In just a few hours we could leave this place and I wouldn't have to see any of them again before I again was so stupid as to pick up the phone when my mother called to guilt trip me. No more painful memories, no more uncomfortable questions, glances… Just a few more hours! I could totally do this!

I quickly made sure my makeup was in place before stepping out of the bathroom – and directly into Kathy's claws.

My petite, strawberry blonde cousin's face was an angry mask, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise when she grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into a bedroom.

"Kathy..?"

"You!" she spat. "What the hell do you think you're doing? This is supposed to be my time!"

"Wha?" I eloquently managed before she interrupted.

"For the first time I'm officially introducing my fiancé for the entire family, and what do you do? You show up, dragging along a tame vampire and steal my thunder! As if anyone should be surprised that you are a fang-banging whore! After what you did to your own mother I really should have expected that you would again be spreading your legs for who - or what- ever to get attention, but…"

A gust of wind cut her short, because suddenly a rather angry vampire was inches from her face, fangs extended.

Kathy let out a small scream, which I really couldn't blame her for.

"If I ever hear you speak to Sophie like that again you will regret it." It was said with a low hiss that gave me goosebumps and made Kathy shake visibly.

"I have spent the entire evening listening to veiled contempt aimed at this woman – my woman – and I have said nothing out of respect for her family, but I draw the line very firmly at direct attacks." Godric stood up straight – he had been hunched over in an unspoken, predatory threat – and stared towards the door to the room, and I realised that several of my relatives had come up to gawk.

A wave of power washed through the room and into the hall, sliding around me without touching me.

"None of you will ever use derogatory terms about Sophie again. Is that clear?" I recognised that dark command I'd heard in his voice a few times when he wanted to ensure that people obeyed.

All my present relatives nodded, a foggy look in their eyes.

Godric turned to me, an angry but controlled expression on his handsome face. "I think it is time that we take our leave for the night, Sophie. Are you ready?"

I gulped and nodded, and he led me through the door, past my family – who spread for us like the Red sea – down the stairs to the hallway, grabbing our coats, and into the car.

It wasn't until he'd pulled out from the curb and we were speeding down the road that I dared to break the tense silence.

"Godric, what... did you do to them?"

He kept his eyes on the road. "I Glamoured them."

I sighed and sank back in the seat. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I am sorry." He didn't sound the least bit sorry.

"Godric, that you force them to be nice doesn't change anything," I tried to explain.

The dark-haired vampire sent me a look that left no doubt that he was still pissed. "I did not force them to 'be nice'. I made sure they do not use coarse language when speaking about you again, and I do not believe that that is too much to expect."

I looked down on my hands, feeling tears threatening to break free. No one had ever stood up for me to them before – or at all, truth be told.

We made it to the hotel in silence, and Godric followed me into my room and sat on the side of the bed, still with a gloomy facial expression.

"It's alright if you wanna go see Eric now – I'm OK. Thanks for taking me home," I attempted, aware that a conversation between us right now would touch on subjects I'd spent years suppressing.

Godric snorted. "Eric can wait. Come here, little one."

With a deep sigh I sat on the edge of the bed next to him and looked down at my hands.

Pale fingers intertwined with mine. "Tell me."

And so I did.

I told him about my dad leaving my mum when I had just turned three to never get in touch again, about how she had always resented me for looking so much like him, reminding her of how he'd mistreated her, about how that meant that I'd grown up feeling ugly and unlovable. I told him about the man she met when I was four – my sister's dad, Bruce - about how he was outgoing, successful and well loved by the entire family, especially my mum.

And while carefully avoiding Godric's eyes I told him about how my mum had walked in on Bruce and me when I was twelve, how I'd been naked and how he had been touching me.

His thumb, that had been gently stroking over mine again and again while I talked, stopped.

"He was just touching," I quickly added, to not give the wrong impression. "He didn't… hurt me. But of course, mum had to throw him out after that, and… she blamed me. She told me once that if I really didn't want him to do those things to me I would have told someone; it'd been going on for a while, you see. And, well, she told the family, and they all loved him so much… and if it hadn't been for me he wouldn't have had to leave, so… that's why I'm not that popular with them." I finished, tamely.

I wasn't aware of the tears until Godric's free hand came up to wipe them away before he lifted my head by the chin. Soft, mercury eyes sought and held mine.

"Oh, Sophie. He did hurt you, my light. Do not ever make excuses for what he put you through. I know."

I shook my head, biting my quivering bottom lip. It hadn't been invasive or painful, and sometimes it had been… The shame from those times was the worst of it all.

"No, Sophie. I know." The softness of his gaze didn't change, but the intensity did. "I know the hurt you went through, all of it, and physical pain is the least of it."

My eyes widened as I gazed into his ancient stare. He did know.

He moved his hand from my chin to clasp it behind the back of my neck, pulling my forehead in to rest on his. "As for your family's reaction…" His gentle tone had a bit of a steely edge. "They were wrong. Are wrong. It is the job of a family to take care of their young, and not only did they fail at that, they then shamed you for their shortcomings. And they are wrong."

I shrugged my shoulders halfway and looked down, avoiding his eyes.

And then his arms wrapped around me, pulling me to his lap, holding me tightly.

"My little one," he murmured in my ear, the steely tone stronger. "Your mother is a weak, wretched excuse for a human and she has no excuse for the mental abuse you have suffered at the hands of her and her family. I know you have been taught to accept the treatment they still subject you to, but this time, you need to listen to me: They are wrong, you are wrong. No one can do to you what they have done. I will not allow it."

His words made me shake violently; from fear, from anger, from relief – from reasons I didn't understand. But he held me so tightly while he whispered soothing things in my hair that I finally – for the first time since my mother threw out Bruce – broke down and sobbed over the loss of my childhood. My family.

My body was wrecked as sobs shook through me, my hands desperately fisting in Godric's shirt, but when I finally – a long time later – had no more tears left, I felt… free.

I slowly lifted my red-eyed face from the vampire's shoulder and looked into ancient eyes that were completely focussed on me.

"I'm sor..."

His finger against my lips made me silent. When he was sure I wasn't going to continue he removed it.

"Do not apologise. Do not." His gaze was as serious as I'd ever seen it. "Never, ever be sorry for sharing your pain with me. I am honoured that you chose me."

The only thing I could do after that statement was to bury my head under his chin and fist my hands in the fabric of his shirt again.

A gentle, rumbling sound vibrated through his chest against my exhausted body, and my lips pulled up in a soft smile; Godric was purring for me.

"What did I do to deserve you in my life?" I mumbled against his tattooed collarbone. I felt the exhaustion from the emotional stress overpower me, and the soothing sound Godric was making sure didn't help my battle to keep my eyelids open.

He whispered something against the top of my head, but it was too quiet for me to make out before I fell asleep, safe in his arms.

My phone woke me up in the late morning the next day, and I automatically grasped at it, pressing 'accept' while still being halfway lost in sleep.

"Hello?" I croacked.

"Sophie? It's Catherine. I'm sorry I woke you. Should I call back later?"

I sat up. What on Earth did my sister want? I had been pretty sure that I wouldn't hear from anyone from the family for quite some time after the events last night. "S'ok. What do you want?" I managed, voice still a bit raspy.

"I... I was thinking that we could meet up later today, if you have time? Just you and me?"

Wha?!

"Uh... why?" My tired brain wasn't really awake enough to be polite yet.

There was a moment's silence. "Because… you are my sister and… there is so much I… want to talk to you about."

I rested my face in my free hand. It wasn't exactly like I had any plans for the day, while Godric was dead to the world. I'd briefly considered calling Sookie, who I knew lived fairly close by Shreveport, but then I had realised that she no doubt had plans for Christmas Day.

"Alright. I'm at the Styx River Suites Hotel, if you want to come here." I sure as hell wasn't going by mum's house to pick her up.

"Thank you, Sophie." Catherine sounded relieved. "Can we meet at three?"

I agreed, with an uncomfortable feeling in my gut that I'd regret it, and then spent the rest of the day ordering room service, showering and watching TV. And thinking about Godric.

It still felt like my chest was lighter than I'd ever thought it possible, and it was because of him. I had no illusions that all my fucked up issues had been resolved or that I would now be serene and problem-free, but the relief of finally having shared so many years pain – and be heard…

At an intellectual level I'd known for years that what'd happened wasn't my fault; that I had been the victim. But emotionally speaking, the shame and guilt was deeply lodged, and Godric's reaction and anger towards my family had helped loosen it.

My sister arrived ten past 3, and I trudged down to the reception to get her; the vampire-catering establishment did not let anyone in off the street, without verification, during the daytime when their customers were supremely vulnerable.

"Hey," she greeted as she got up from the sofa by the reception where she'd been asked to wait.

My sister looked like a proper Hartt, with long, strawberry blonde hair and a dancer's lithe, petite figure. The only things that classed us as family were the colour of our green eyes, the plump lips, broad cheekbones and firm, pointy chin.

"Hey," I sighed. "Come on up." I nodded at the receptionist as we walked past to the elevator.

"So… will we not disturb Godric?" my sister asked, nervously, while we waited for the lift to ascend.

I shook my head. "He's dead for the day."

She looked at me with something that seemed an awful lot like admiration (which startled me to no ends). "Oh, geez, Sophie – you know so much about them!"

I let out an involuntary laugh. "About vampires? Oh, goddess, no! I know next to nothing. They are kinda secretive."

"But… you live with one?" She looked rather confused.

I swiped my card to my hotel room and let us in. "No, I live on my own."

Catherine cast a curious glance around the room, and then frowned, and I realised that she'd expected me to share the room with Godric as I kind of had brought him as my date last night. "He's got his own room. We're just friends."

She looked at me with disbelief. "He called you 'his' last night."

Oh right, he had. Huh.

"Yeah, it's a vampire thing. It's what they do when they feel protective of a human," I explained, which was pretty much the impression I'd gotten from hanging around Godric for the last month or two.

My sister did not look convinced. "So your vampire friend just upped and went with you to Shreveport for a Christmas meal with your extended family?"

"He's a very good friend," I sighed, irritably. "Besides, his Son owns that Fangtasia place in town so he used the trip as an excuse to come visit. What is this, 20 questions?"

But Catherine completely ignored – if she even noticed – my tone. "Eric Northman?! Eric Northman is your Godric's son?!"

"He's not 'my' Godric!" I insisted, rolling my eyes. "But yes, you know, in vampire terms. They are not actually related."

"Oh my God, Sophie! Oh my God! Do you think that you could...?" She faltered at the sight of my face. "Sorry. It's just, I've been to the bar and that man – vampire – is so… hot! And unobtainable."

"And a dick." I folded my arms over my chest. "Sorry, he doesn't like me much so I doubt that I could get you a date."

She sighed and sat down on the edge of my unmade bed. "Yeah, it was silly anyway, sorry. I just got excited."

"S'OK. He's a fine piece of eye-candy, I'll give you that." I leaned against the wall, looking at my sister. It was weird to think that we'd once been close - before Bruce started getting handsy. I used to push her on the swing when we visited Aunt Ettie, and I'd once beaten up a kid from the neighbourhood who picked on her. That had of course landed me in all sorts of trouble, but I remember thinking it was worth it if it kept my baby sister safe. And she had worshipped the ground I walked on.

"So, why did you call, Catherine?"

She looked up at me then, with worry and sadness on her face. "Well… because… I wanted to say that I am sorry."

My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"All these years… I never questioned the story mum told me about why dad had to leave. It wasn't until recently that I actually started thinking. For myself, I mean. And… Sophie, I am so sorry. I know mum will never tell you this, but what she did to you was so wrong. What everyone did. What I did! I know that it is a lot to ask, but… I hope one day you can forgive me.

Dumbfounded, I slid down into the chair by the makeup mirror, staring at her. I had never in a million years expected this, and I honestly had no idea how to react.

Catherine sighed, her lips pulling a grimace on her pretty face. "I understand if you can't."

I shook my head, partly to clear it of the confusion. "No, I… I am just… surprised. I don't blame you, Cat. You were a child, too. And you lost your dad."

She looked unhappily at me. "I'm not a child anymore though, and I didn't stand up for you yesterday, when Ettie and mum were throwing digs at you."

"Well, neither did I," I sighed.

"But Godric did." She smiled a little. "It was nice. You deserve to be with someone who will take care of you."

I frowned. "I don't need to be taken care of."

She didn't respond, and we just sat there and looked at each other for a while, both probably thinking about our childhood.

"Do you think that… maybe we could start keeping in touch? A little?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

I nodded. "Yeah, we can do that."

Catherine smiled and pulled out her phone. "Give me your email, then."

We sat and chatted for a little while, mainly about vampires. As odd as it sounds, it was our safe topic. In the end, she noted that the sun was about to set and left, claiming she didn't think Godric would like it too much if he saw any of my relatives so soon again.

I hugged her goodbye, a little awkwardly, but I found a small spark of hope in my chest when I did so. Maybe I could have some form of relationship with my sister, some point in the future.