Chapter 11

The arrows flew past the trees with unnatural speed, hitting their targets with precision. Godric and Niklaus rushed through the forest to their fallen prey.

"Ha, ha," Godric cheered as he pulled his arrow from the necks of two fallen whitetail deer. "Two with one arrow. And you only hit one."

"True," Niklaus responded casually. "But," With a nod of his head he drew Godric's attention a bit further past the deer to two dead wolves lying nearby with Niklaus' arrows through them. "That's only because I was busy playing the hero this time."

Godric released an infuriated growl. "You got lucky."

"Luck had nothing to do with it. I'm just better than you."

"Only because you had four hundred years more than I to practice. If someone ever found a dagger that took you out for a few centuries I'd become a better hunter than you too."

"Was that a threat?" Niklaus growled with the paranoid anger he was known for.

Godric took a frightened step back but he was prepared to fight if necessary.

Rebekah had urged the brothers to go on a hunting trip alone, an activity the two had often enjoyed doing together in the past. She hoped it would bring the two closer together but as he stood trapped in the middle of the wooded area with his sadistic brother, Godric regretted letting their sister talk him into it.

"I-I don't want to fight you, Klaus." Godric said, attempting to sound brave.

Niklaus threw his bow and quiver to the ground. "As if you could win." He took a step forward, squaring his shoulders and preparing for an attack. "Come on, baby brother. Let's see what you can do."

Godric stood frozen. He learned from Mikael long ago that he should always get the first hit in in any fight but he didn't want to fight Niklaus. If he lost he feared Niklaus would take it too far and beat him to a pulp with no one out there to stop him; and if by some sheer force of luck he happened to win, he knew in a jealous fit of rage Niklaus would pin him with Papa Tunde's blade again.

It was a lose-lose situation.

"Now, Niklaus," A strange, yet familiar, voice came through the brush, drawing both brothers attention. "Is that any way to treat your younger brother?"

Godric stood in shock at seeing Ansel standing before them. The werewolf was supposed to be dead. He saw his dead body. He was certain of it.

"How…how are you…?" The boy could hardly get his words out.

"How am I alive?" Ansel asked. "Ask Niklaus. He's the one who turned me into this…monster."

"Oh, stop exaggerating. I just made you a hybrid. The sire-bond we share is the only way I can ensure that you won't tell anyone of my child's existence."

"Because my word wasn't enough?"

"The word of a stranger means little to me."

Ansel smirked half-heartedly. Then he picked up one of the dead deer before him and said, "If we're going to eat this tonight, I'd better start prepping it now."

"We?" Godric questioned.

"Yes. Our last father-son bonding day ended on a rather dreary note. I'm sure we can do better this time."

Godric huffed and started stomping away from the older wolf. Chuckling at his brother's childishness, Niklaus followed behind.

"Why is he here?" Godric barked once the two brothers were far enough away from Ansel.

"Our father?"

"He is not my father. I am a Mikaelson!"

"You can chant that until you're blue in the face, the truth still is and will always be that you're not. Ansel is our father, Godric, like it or not, and he's here because I want my daughter to have as successful a childhood as possible and if that means making peace with the man that rendered me a bastard so she can have a grandparent that is not a psychopath then so be it."

TO

As he smelled the cooking food cooking over the campfire Ansel built while he and Niklaus were gone, Godric's mouth began to water. Ansel had come prepared, bringing everything he needed to cook a hardy deer stew for his sons. As Godric ran over to steal a spoonful, however, his hand was immediately slapped away.

"Not yet," Ansel corrected him. "We eat as a family."

Niklaus chuckled as he walked over to the fire with his father and brother. "A wolf with table manners." He mocked. "Who would've guessed?"

"This is the first meal I've had with my sons. I want it to be special." Ansel reached into the rucksack he brought with him and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Here," He said, motioning it in Godric's direction. The boy stared at the strange rectangular bar with suspicion. With a smirk, Ansel said, "It's candy. After four hundred years in a coffin I suspect this is something you've missed."

Godric had missed sweets, very much so, but he wasn't willing to let this stranger know that. With a growling stomach, he walked away from Ansel to the other side of the campfire where he waited impatiently for the stew to be done.

"So…Ansel," Niklaus started. "Read any good books lately?"

With a laugh, Ansel answered, "No. I've been dead for a thousand years and you'd be amazed at the limited choices of books in the afterlife."

"Right, right. So, a thousand years ago, you were a hunter, right?"

"I was. But I've also always had a passion for plants. It's what drew your mother and me together."

"Don't talk about my mother!" Godric suddenly yelled.

The other two Hybrids were surprised by the boy's outburst but Niklaus still managed to joke, "He's a bit of a momma's boy, this one. Always ready to fight to protect his mother's honor…no matter how many times she tries to kill him."

Godric crosses his arms over his chest and pouts angrily.

As Ansel began to dish out the steaming stew, he said, "I'm sorry, Godric. I didn't mean to upset you. I wasn't intending to insult your mother. When we met, all those years ago, she was beautiful and pure and there was no one she loved more than her children. And that's what I loved the most about her because to a wolf there is nothing more important than family – your pack."

Ansel held the bowl of stew out to the boy but Godric simply stared at it. His stomach was growling and he hadn't eaten and hours but suddenly, he didn't want the food being offered to him. He felt as if he was betraying Mikael by breaking bread with the man that made his mother an adulteress. He knew Niklaus didn't care because Niklaus had always hated their father but Godric was the favored son and he aimed to remain so.

"Here, son." Ansel insisted. "Take it."

"No. I'm not hungry."

"Poppycock." Niklaus interrupted. "You're always hungry. Take the stew, brother."

"I'm not eating from the hands of a damn dog." Godric bit back.

"Fine, then go to sleep." Niklaus retorted without missing a beat. "Your negativity is ruining the night for the rest of us."

Godric jumped to his feet and marched away from the campfire, leaving the sleeping bag Rebekah packed for him behind as he found a spot near the trees to sleep. The ground was hard and uncomfortable but he had too much pride to let them know that.

It took him a while to find a decent enough position to go to sleep in but as soon as he found it he was out like a light.

TO

Godric woke at the break of dawn tucked comfortably in his sleeping bag. A cold bowl of stew sat beside him covered tightly in plastic wrap. He glanced over to his two still sleeping family members to make sure no one was awake to witness his moment of shame as he ripped the plastic open and began slurping the cold stew from the bowl. The bowl was halfway empty when he suddenly realized his bladder was full. He tossed the bowl behind him as he scurried off into the woods to find a spot to relieve himself.

As he was zipping his pants back, Godric saw something small moving out the corner of his eye. He turned just in time to see a bunny darting off. Something primal came over him and he quickly dashed off behind it, catching the small creature between his teeth before he realized what he was doing.

Godric felt ashamed as he let the bunny drop from his mouth. Still alive, it quickly scampered off again. In a thousand years Godric had never felt the need to chase after small animals like an animal. He knew it was the werewolf gene awakened inside of him that had taken control then and he hated himself for it.

Slowly, he trudged back to the campsite where his brother and biological father were now awake.

"And where have you been?" Niklaus growled at seeing Godric's shelved state.

"I had to piss." Godric replied crudely.

Niklaus knew there was more to the story but he didn't want to start an argument with his brother so early in the morning. "Don't wander so far off next time." He scolded firmly. Godric's reply was a small shrug. Niklaus chose to ignore his brother's growing attitude for now. He had bigger plans for the day.

Godric didn't know it but the only reason Niklaus agreed to leave his daughter and come on this hunting trip with him was because he hoped to start a bond between the boy and their father. Niklaus still feared that Godric was still unwaveringly loyal to Mikael and he feared that loyalty would someday cause the boy to betray him in order to receive even an inkling of affection from the Vampire Hunter. That's why he invited Ansel out on their hunting trip together. He hoped that Ansel would somehow bond with the boy enough to have Godric question his loyalty to Mikael and then eventually replace Mikael all together as the boy's father.

"Godric, last night I did some thinking. We spent all yesterday hunting so today, let's do something Ansel here would enjoy too."

"You mean like floral arrangements?" Godric mocked.

Ansel smirked. "I could teach you more about the plants around you. Which are poisonous, which are remedies."

"I'm immortal, I don't care about poisonous plants."

"You never know when these things may come in handy, Godric." Niklaus pressured. "You could have to poison an enemy one day."

With a heavy sigh, Godric agreed to go along with them into the forest to learn about plants. Ansel took his rucksack with him in order to collect some missing samples from his arsenal but the two Mikaelsons left their things behind at the campsite.

The Father/Son trio spent hours out in the woods. They would've stayed longer but the more time they spent talking about plants the more pissy Godric's attitude became.

"Just when I think you can't get any more annoying you manage to prove me wrong." Niklaus complained loudly as the three made their way back to the campsite.

"I'm annoying?" Godric yelled. "He's the one that just spent four hours talking about stupid plants that all looked the same!"

"Calm down, son." Ansel bade.

"Stop calling me son! You're not my father! You're-"

Godric's rant was cut short as the three entered the clearing that was their campsite but was tossed to pieces by a couple of bears that were long gone by then.

Niklaus' eyes fell to the blood splattered on the ground and he realized that the blood bags he packed for the next few days were gone as well.

Niklaus looked around the destroyed campsite until he found the source of what drew the bears there. Godric's now empty bowl of stew from that morning. He glared Godric's way but he decided not to scold him this time. Godric may have been a thousand years old but he had the attention span of a child. Niklaus blamed himself for leaving the bowl of stew out for the boy anyway.

"I guess this puts and early end to our little trip." Niklaus groaned.

Ansel looked around and protested, "Why? Because of a little mess? Nothing's seriously damaged."

Niklaus held up an empty blood bag and said, "We're out of blood and I'm sure we're too deep in the woods to find some weary campers to take advantage of."

Ansel swung his rucksack onto the ground and opened the back pocket. It was filled with blood bags.

"I have enough blood here for the three of us."

Niklaus happily grabbed a bag for himself. "Well now, aren't you the Boy Scout. Always prepared."

Ansel smiled as he tried to hand a bag over to Godric but the boy refused.

"Godric," Niklaus said in a warning tone.

"I don't want anything from him."

"You would risk desiccation because of your pride?"

Godric pondered on Niklaus' words for a bit before taking the bag from Ansel.

"Take me home." The boy ordered as he opened the bag.

"No," Niklaus scoffed. "This is supposed to be a four-day trip."

In reply, Godric poured the contents of the blood bag on the ground before quickly snatching two more from the rucksack.

"I want to go home." He said as he ripped the two bags open.

"Godric, if you waste anymore blood, I swear I'll-"

Godric poured out the next two bags before Niklaus could finish his threat and he grabbed two more bags in the same moment. Just as he popped those two bags open, Ansel appeared behind him, getting a tight grip on his arm and glaring down at the boy.

"Don't you dare do it again." He growled intimidatingly.

"Y-you can't tell me what to do." Godric replied shakily. He was sure he could be anyone that wasn't a Mikaelson but the man's confidence shook him. "You're not my father."

Just as Godric tilted the blood bags as if he was going to pour them out, a strong, stinging smack came across the seat of his pants freezing him instantly.

Godric and Niklaus both stood wide-eyed at their father's response.

"You are a thousand years too old for this." Ansel barked. "This tantrum ends now."

Godric's eyes darted back and forth from his father to his brother. His face flushed beet red before his eyes began to water. The spank barely hurt at all, in fact the stinging stopped soon after it started but he was suddenly filled with more shame than he felt in a thousand years. He tried to fight the tears in his eyes but they came anyway, embarrassing him even more.

Ansel got down on one knee in front of the boy and pulled him into a hug. Both Godric and Niklaus were confused. If he were Mikael he would still be angrily hitting the boy. He wouldn't stop until his tiny body was bloody and bruised. Never had either brother ever gotten a hug from their father after upsetting him so neither knew how to respond.

"You are my son." Ansel whispered to Godric. "I've waited a thousand years to hold you, and teach you, and love you the way Esther would never let me. I'm sorry I wasn't always here but I am now, Godric, and I won't be leaving again any time soon."

Pulling out of the hug, Ansel nodded to the bags of blood still in Godric's hands.

"As your father, it's my duty to ensure you're fed. Please, drink."

Godric hesitated for only a moment before bringing one of the bags up to his lips and downing it's content. Once it was empty, he moved on to the second proving that he was much hungrier than he thought he was.

After watching the boy empty both bags, Ansel stood back to his feet, smiling proudly down at his son.

Godric was suddenly filled with so many conflicting emotions. He wanted to hate Ansel, especially since he smacked him, embarrassing him in front of Niklaus. But even still, the warm feeling he was getting from the man's proud smile, he wanted to feel that more – a thousand times over. In a thousand years he'd never been hugged by anyone but his siblings and yet he wanted more from Ansel. It didn't feel like the invasive touch of an outsider but as if Ansel had been hugging him his entire life. He wasn't going to tell Ansel or Niklaus – he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell anyone – but Godric wanted Ansel around more now.

Niklaus could see the moment when one of Godric's walls fell. He knew they still had a lot more to go through before the boy would ever truly give up on Mikael, but they were making progress.

ATTENTION: There was a spank in this chapter but let me be clear that this is not a 'spanking story'. Because the characters of this series came from a century were corporal punishment was a widely accepted form of punishment I decided that Ansel would probably not be opposed to using it on his own children. I don't know if there will be anymore spanks in this story but since this is not a CP story, if there is they will probably all be implied or memories or whatever.

Be easy in the comments on me guys :)