Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood or the Southern Vampire Mystery Novels. I make no money from writing this.
Author's Note: Rough night at work. Soothe me with reviews. Haha! Just kidding! This chapter is a little shorter than the last few, but it's only because I am dead tired. Thank you to all the reviews and messages, they keep me going! Hope you like this one
The white painted door quietly squeaked as Godric pushed it open. A light steam spread forth from the crack between the door and the frame, causing the air to have a light gossamer-like look. The vampire stepped in and closed the door behind him, keeping the warmth from the bath water contained in the room.
Alice laid in the bath; a view of her body was completely obstructed by tiny white clumps of ubiquitous bubbles, lightly scented like flowers. The only visible part of her body was her slender neck; long and silky like Queen Nefertiti's. Her pale décolletage was slightly submerged beneath the water, but it was just glossy enough to catch his eye. Alice had her head resting against the edge of the tub and her delicate eyes closed in a completely relaxed state.
Quietly Godric stepped over her discarded clothing strewn over the lavender bathmat and sat on the closed toilet seat. He sat unblinking for a while, just staring at the bubbles resting on the water, wanting them to disperse quicker than they would normally.
Alice's voice disrupted his reverie, "What do you think I am? That is, if I actually believe that I'm not human." She spoke softly and delicately, and just loud enough to catch his attention.
Godric thought for a little, "I do not know. I know what you are not, however. And you are definitely not human." His answer really didn't answer her question, but he didn't know the answer to it.
A smooth and water coated hand broke the surface of the bubbles as Alice reached out of the bath to grab a container of body wash. She continued to begin washing her arms and legs by poking them out of the bath as well. Godric intently followed each limb stretch into the air with ease and get rubbed down with a lather of bubbles.
"Tell me about your life, Alice," Godric suggested to perhaps get more clues, and to distract him from the beautiful creature bathing in front of him.
Biting her lip, Alice tried to think of anything interesting to say to Godric, "I had a pretty normal life. I am an only child, make your jokes, and I lived with my aunt and uncle after my parents died."
That caught Godric's attention, "Eric mentioned that to me briefly. 'Heartbreak', you say?"
Alice downcast her eyes, pausing in washing off her kneecap before answering, "My parents were extremely close. I felt as though they were made for each other. I remember watching all those Disney fairytales, thinking as though mom and dad were a prince and princess who had fallen in love at first sight, like in the movies. When dad would go on business trips, which wasn't very often, mom would act… strangely… like she couldn't bear to live without him. When dad died, I guess my mom couldn't handle it."
The vampire sitting on her toilet sat in silence for a short amount of time before asking, "What were they like?"
Alice reached out to grab the shampoo that was sitting on the ledge furthest away from her. She sat up, careful not to expose anything, and stretched as far as she could to grip it, but to no avail.
Godric, seeing her predicament, leaned forward slightly to grab hold of the bottle, "Allow me." He carefully got off of the toilet seat and knelt in front of the tub, gesturing to Alice to move closer to him.
With a somewhat wary glance, Alice shifted so that her back was to Godric. She listened as he popped the cap open and squeezed some of the viscous liquid into his open palm, capped the bottle, and then set it down. Her eyes closed as soon as he began lathering it into her very long damp hair.
Remembering to answer his question, Alice spoke in a relaxed and quiet voice, feeling his gentle fingers lacing themselves over her scalp, "They were pretty average, I suppose. Dad worked at some company that I couldn't tell you a thing about. Mom stayed at home and did mom-things. She cooked great food, cleaned the house, gardened a lot; all regular things I think. I guess I get that from her; I like to cook as well, and I love being outside, but nowhere near as much as her. Our back yard was like an oasis of beautiful flowers and trellises covered in ivy and roses. I wish I could have something like that…"
Godric started washing out the shampoo in her locks with water, thinking about everything he's learned about her so far, trying to draw some kind of conclusion.
Alice sat still as he finished up with her hair. He studied the back of her head, the delicate curve of her slender neck, her small and pale shoulders. The bubbles were getting spotty. He lowered his hand from her scalp, down the back of her head, then glided down her neck and sat it on her collar bone and shoulder.
Alice's breath caught in her throat. She turned her head to face him behind her. Godric sat there quietly with intense eyes. The jade of his eyes had turned powerful and passionate, a look she hadn't seen on him before. Her pouty lips parted slightly, trying to anticipate his next move.
"We will be late for your exam. I will sit in the living room while you get ready." In a flash Godric had stood and sped out the door, closing it behind him.
Damn. Alice pouted, then unplugged the drain and dried off with a towel. She took about fifteen minutes to get ready. Her hair was still damp, as she using hairdryers made her nervous. The fact that she was using electricity on her wet hair made her paranoid she would get electrocuted, and loud noises scared her as well. Vacuums had a similar effect on her.
So instead of just leaving her hair to dry awkwardly in clumps, Alice braided it nicely and tied it back. She put on a dangly pair of metal earrings and a light blue cotton dress with a white eyelet border. A pair of white flats with ribbon bows on the front completed her outfit, and she was ready to go.
When she got downstairs Godric was exactly where he said he was going to be. He sat on the couch with a look on his face that made Alice figure he was in deep thought.
"Godric?" Alice questioned with her feminine voice from the stairs.
The vampire quickly turned his head and stood from the couch, "Let go," he spoke briefly, then picked up the keys where Alice had left them on the coffee table before walking out the front door and to the car.
With a furrowed brow at his dismissive behavior, Alice grabbed one of her purses and then locked up behind her and followed him into the car. Once she was situated he sped off into the night towards her school.
The ride was quiet. Neither of them spoke, besides for the few directions Alice gave Godric to get to her campus. The university was only a few towns away, so commuting wasn't a problem. There wasn't much traffic on the roads, as everyone was just finishing up their dinners at home rather than driving around. They got to the college without any problems.
The girl told him where to park, then picked up her purse and unbuckled her seat belt, "I shouldn't be gone too long. Once I finish the test I'm allowed to go, and I usually finish pretty quickly. I should be back within a half an hour." Alice waited for confirmation from her vampire companion, and after receiving none, she sighed and then closed the car door behind her, walking the almost empty campus towards her classroom.
Godric watched her walk all the way to the building before turning his head straight again. He wanted to make sure she got into the building safely before taking out his cell phone and dialing Eric's number.
Eric answered on the second ring, "Eric Northman, sexiest owner of Fangtasia, how may I serve you this evening?"
Eric's lame pun made Godric chuckle lightly, "Eric, my child, it is I." That is as much introduction as he needed to give before Eric would understand who had called.
"Godric. I trust you are safe? How is the strange little human doing?" his deep voice inquired.
"We are fine. She is taking an astronomy exam while I wait for her to return. The reason I called you is because I have a favor to ask." Godric looked out the windows of the car, watching as the stray human walked by to and from their night classes.
"Yes, what is it you need me to do?"
Godric thought for a moment before asking, "There is a book of mine that I need you to find. It is quite large and quite old."
Eric tried to clarify the request in a slightly questioning tone, "That sounds like all the books in your library," he laughed, "What else does it look like? What is it called?"
"I do not think you will be able to read it, and I do not believe it has a title. When you find it you will know it." The book he was looking for was extremely ancient; almost as old as himself. Eric was old, but not old enough to be able to decipher the language within its pages. It was a rather unique looking manuscript; the edges were frayed, the pages were painted on animal hides. The script was fading, but he could still picture the little black symbols clearly in his mind. Small archaic pictures were poorly painted every few pages, depicting the topics in discussion in the words.
Eric spoke again, "I will find it," he was quiet for a moment before asking, "What kind of book is it anyways?"
Godric smiled briefly to himself, "A book of ancient creatures, Eric. I believe I have a hunch about our Alice."