"Ok," Tucker smiled, rising to his feet, " What do you need to do today?"
"I'd like to stop past the cemetery before heading to the hospital to see my aunt, if that's ok?" Vivienne replied, washing her toast down with a gulp of peppermint tea. "If you have things to do today, I have no problem going at it alone..."
She almost smiled at Tucker's look of horror. "Are you kidding me?" he gaped. "Isobel gave me specific instructions not to leave you alone at all! I can't even begin to imagine what she will do to me if I let you go off on your own." He gave an involuntary shudder.
"Ok, ok, I get it," Vivienne replied, holding her hands up in surrender. "I'll just have a quick shower and then we'll be good to go." She called Ziggy to her side and returned to her room, leaving Tucker to finish his housework. She was almost to the hallway when she paused, tilting her head towards the basement door. After a moments hesitation, she moved quickly through the door and down the stairs, only slowing as she neared the bottom.
The small empty room had always given her the heebie jeebies, but she swallowed and pushed ahead, moving to the door half hidden in the shadows. There was a slight tremor in her hand as she tried the knob, stepping back in surprise when it swung open, unlocked. The hallway beyond was pitch black, with twenty-one doors facing inwards. Ten down one side, ten down the other, and one facing her at the end of the long passage. Godric's room.
Taking a steadying breath, she closed the door behind her, plunging the hallway into darkness. She held her hand up, maybe two inches from her face, and yet she could not see it. Good thing she wasn't afraid of the dark. Holding her hand further in front of her, she dug into her memory for the old trick she came up with to find her way in the dark, all those years ago. One small step for every whispered word.
"Remember, remember, the 5th of November,
gun powder, treason and plot.
I see no reason the gun powder treason
should ever be forgot."
As she softly chanted the last word of the Guy Fawkes rhyme, her fingertips brushed the heavy wooden door. 'Still got it,' she thought with a smile, sliding her hand lower to the doorknob. With a whoosh, the door swung open the darkness of the room merging with the darkness of the hallway, giving the feeling of stepping out into the abyss. She hesitated, the feeling that she was doing something wrong creeping into her psyche, but she reasoned that she had done this many times in the past- why not now?
The silence was overwhelming, so much so, that the click of the door as she closed it behind her was almost enough to bring her to her knees. She mentally slapped herself, and began edging along the wall towards the space where, if memory served, Godric's side lamp would be. 'THUMP' Her toes connected this the heavy side-table leg. She muttered a string of obscenities that would have made a sailor blush, quickly located the light switch and sighed as the muted glow invaded the room. Vivienne smiled. It was just as she remembered.
Godric had never been one for material possessions. He found them trivial. He made very few exceptions. Unlike many vampires, he had a preference to sleep in a bed, rather than a coffin; and he chose one that was simple and practical, not showy in any way. His walls were lined with bookshelves, not even the smallest space was unadorned, yet his vast selection still spilled over to the floor. Vivienne ran her hand softly over the immaculate spines (all 1st editions, of course), ranging from the classics, to modern contemporary, to the prized collection he had acquired over his several thousand years. Books from almost every country in the world, and several countries that were no longer, they were the only editions still in existence. Historians would kill, literally, to get their hands on these volumes.
The only other exception were the two armchairs that had been placed in one corner of the room, facing each other. As she crossed to sink into the luxurious leather, Vivienne tried (and failed) to recount how many times she and Godric had occupied these chairs, discussing everything from their pasts to current world news; but Vivienne had always liked it best when Godric became reminiscent. He retold stories of times and worlds long forgotten, and she had learned stories that no-one could ever imagine. She sighed, running her hand through her hair, and glanced around the room that seemed so empty without Godric's presence. "Where are you, Godric?" she asked softly.
The silence was her only answer.
~~~***~~~
An hour later, Vivienne and Tucker slipped into the cab of her beat-up truck. "So," Tucker began merrily as he buckled himself in, "where are we going on our adventures today?"
"Well, visiting hours have begun at the hospital, so I'd like to go and see my aunt, but first I need to swing past the cemetery..." Vivienne replied, as they pulled away from the house.
"Oh, nice," Tucker smiled, " who are we visiting? Grandma? Grandpa?"
"My parents."
Silence filled the truck and Tucker shifted in his seat. "Oh. Um... Well, fuck," he said finally, reaching across the Ziggy to clasp her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I had no idea. I would never have... you know..."
"It's fine," Vivienne smiled reassuringly, " You couldn't have known. It happened a log time ago."
Tucker grinned. "So what happened to your aunt? I imagine it has something to do with this Dominic fucker that has the nest in a tizz..."
"Yep," Vivienne grinned in return. "That 'Dominc fucker' is my bastard ex-boyfriend. I left him years ago and he's been trying to track me down ever since. He probably figured that hurting my aunt would get me back to Dallas. I guess he was right."
Tucker shook his head sadly. "What an asshole. Hurting your aunt to get to you. Takes a low-life, y'know."
"He's also the reason my parents are dead," Vivienne nodded, and Tucker's gasp cut through the cab. "He killed them because I left him."
Tucker's eyes went wide, and his mouth gaped open and shut like goldfish. "That sonofabitch!" He cried, once he found his voice again. "That goddamn asshole! He deserves what's comin' to him, that's for sure!"
Vivienne wasn't about to disagree.
She slowed as they pulled through the gates of the cemetery, and began passing the rows of graves at walking pace. "Wow, this is really pretty," Tucker said, his face almost mashed against the glass. "I've never been here before."
Vivienne shot him a surprised glance. "I thought you were local?"
"Oh, no," Tucker laughed, "I'm a Louisiana native! Shreveport born and bred."
"Would never have guessed," Vivienne mused, turning into the aisle that housed her parents.
Tucker nodded. "I moved here eons ago. My dad couldn't accept my choice of lifestyle and made it hard for me to stay. So I left and settled myself here. Then I met John and the rest is history."
Vivienne smiled. "Both of my folks were from Dallas. Not far from here, actually. They moved to Austin before I was born, so that was all I'd ever known. But they wanted this to be their final resting place..."
"I can see why..." Tucker replied.
Vivienne pulled to a halt a little way down from her parent's grave and killed the engine, but she didn't get out. She just sat there looking up the small hill at the beautifully simple headstone. She couldn't make out the writing but she knew what it said, by heart.
In Loving Memory
COOPER
Frederik James
&
Kathryn Rose
Son of Charles & Dominique
Daughter of Neil & Daisy
Beloved parents of Vivienne.
Slow dancing for all eternity.
R.I.P.
Vivienne was lost in her memories, unaware of how much time had passed, when Tucker surreptitiously cleared his throat. Vivienne jerked back to the present, giving her head a little shake to clear the daze.
"You, uh, gonna go up?" Tucker asked, nodding towards the grave.
"Nope," Vivienne replied, her eyes glued to the top of the hill.
Tucker cocked his head to the side, confused. "Why not?"
She turned the key and the truck's engine roared to life. With one last look out the window, she pulled away from the curb.
"I never do."
~~~***~~~
Despite being early in the day, the hospital parking lot was full so Vivienne opted to pull into the parking complex across the road. They cracked the windows an inch or so for Ziggy, and made their way to the hospital entrance. The receptionist greeted them with a tight smile, and Vivienne thought she recognised her from somewhere. She had stunning eyes, the same shade blue as a pure gas flame. Something flickered across her pretty face when Vivienne asked for directions to her aunt's room, but it was too fleeting for Vivienne to notice. As they headed off in their advised direction, Vivienne glanced back and saw that the receptionist was staring after her too. 'Maybe we do know each other,' she thought with a mental shrug.
"348....349....350... and here we are!" Tucker smiled as they reached her aunt's room. "I'm just gonna wait out here, ok? You know, stand guard," he said, puffing out his chest and crossing his arms.
Vivienne grinned, "Suits you," she replied, patting his shoulder. "I might be a while..." she said, cracking the door a fraction.
"Take your time," he replied with a smile.
Vivienne smiled and slipped through the door. Her aunt was fortunate enough to have a room to herself, and she was currently sitting up in bed, her face turned away from the door, watching as two birds hopped their way across her windowsill.
Vivienne's eyes narrowed when she noticed the bruised wrists, but she stamped down her growing anger. "Aunt Maz?" she called softly, so as not to startle the older woman.
Marion's head whipped around, her deep green eyes wide. "Vivienne?! Cheri, you're here?!"
Vivienne gasped, her anger rising again, as she took in her aunt's battered face. Stiches sealed two large cuts, one above her right eyebrow and one across her right cheekbone. Both of her eyes were rimmed with deep black bruising. She had a split lip, several small scratches down her left cheek and the left side of her jaw was swollen. "Sonofabitch," she muttered angrily.
"Come here, cherie," Marion called, her arms opening wide, and Vivienne closed the space betwen them, sitting on the edge of the bed, and fell into the waiting arms.
"I'm so sorry, aunt Maz," Vivienne whispered, struggling to talk around the lump that had formed in her throat. "It's my fault. I'm so sorry..."
Her aunt shushed her, two delicate hands cupping her cheeks and holding her at arms length. "Don't be silly, Vivienne You can not hold yourself responsible for the actions of that monster. You will not!"
Vivienne dropped her eyes. "Do you hear me?" Her aunt asked. Vivienne nodded slightly. "But you should never have come here, cheri, it is what he wants! You have put yourself in danger by coming here!"
"I couldn't not come, aunt Maz." Vivienne replied, wiping some stray tears from her cheeks. "Something needs to be done. I'm sick of running from him."
Marion stared into her eyes for the longest time, green on green, and her face softened into a small smile. "So strong. You remind me so much of your mother, some times..."
Vivienne gave a small smile. "Now, tell me what happened, aunt Maz. What did he say?"
Marion spent the next 40 minutes recounting what had happened. Vivienne listened intently, not wanting to miss anything that might give them the advantage over Dominic. Soon, after they had exhausted all possible scenarios, their conversation drifted towards Vivienne's new life in Bon Temps. Marion had many questions and seemed happy that Vivienne had found somewhere to start a semblance of a normal life.
About an hour later, Vivienne noticed how tired her aunt was looking. "Wow, is that the time?" she eclaimed, glancing at the clock on the wall. "I'm going to head off. You need your rest."
Marion nodded, her lack of protest saying more than words ever could. "Come back early this afternoon, if you can. I'd love to hear more about her new friends..."
"I will," Vivienne promised, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Rest easy, sucrée une."
As she pulled the door open she heard her aunt's sweet voice, slowly slipping to dreamland. "Être sûr , peu ange. Mai risque oublier vous."
~~~***~~~
Tucker was sitting on the carpeted floor, his head resting back against the wall, and he sprang to his feet as Vivienne reappeared. "Hey! How is she?" he asked, motioning towards the door.
"She's pretty beat up," Vivienne replied, dragging a hand through her hair as they headed towards the elevator, "and tired, but she's going to be ok."
Tucker smiled and gave her a quick one-armed hug. "I'm sure she'll be fine."
They rode the elevator in silence and made their way towards the parking complex. "Did she tell you anything that might help us with your ex?" Tucker asked, as they crossed the busy street at a jog.
"Yeah, some," Vivienne replied, fishing around her bag for her keys. "I think we might be able to sort this out, once and for all..."
Ziggy spotted them, giving an excited bark, and Vivienne smiled, plucking her keys from the bag. "I just wish Godric was here. I'd feel much safer. He sure picked a good time to go on one of his jaunts..."
"Wait," Tucker gripped her arm. "He isn't off somewhere having a grand, merry old time. Vivienne, Godric's been kidnapped!"
"What?!" Vivienne froze and whipped around to face Tucker. Just in time to see the bat smash the left side of his face. The sound was sickening. "Tucker!" she screamed as he went sprawling across the hard concrete floor. He didn't rise.
Before she could get her bearings, something slapped down over her face, covering her mouth and nose. She struggled for a moment, as the sweet aroma invaded her senses.
Ziggy was barking viciously, frantically pawing at the windows, trying to get to Vivienne.
Her last conscious thought was, 'I should have gone up to the grave.'
Then everything went black.
.
***"Sucrée une" - Sweet One
"Être sûr , peu ange. Mai risque oublier vous" - Be safe, little angel. May danger overlook you.
Wow, long chapter, huh? Hope you enjoyed it. Just letting you know that the next few chapters will be told from several points-of-view, and I'll try my best to keep it from getting too confusing.
Godric will make an appearance in a future chapter, and I'm toying with the idea letting him live. I'm in two minds about this, as I loved the direction the TV series took with his death and the subsequent vulnerability of Eric; but I do love Godric. Any thoughts?
Thank you so much for the reviews, you floor me. I never thought my little story would invoke such a response. I am humbled.
xx Isobel
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