After a long day at college, Amelia decided against staying and working in the library. Instead she spent an hour in the gym, grateful that she always kept her gym gear in the car. Jared, Godric's hired bodyguard, was, for the most past, silent. He wore a leather jacket and dark jeans. His red hair was slicked back on his head and he tended to wear sunglasses, even when it wasn't sunny. Amelia had done her best to converse with him and had managed to figure out that he had a girlfriend, but no other family. For the most part he was quiet.

As she left the gym, her bag hanging over her shoulder, she saw him holding the back door of the car open for her. After asking why she couldn't sit in the front on his first day, he had told her that the back was safer due to its tinted windows. She hadn't bothered arguing with him, sensing that it would be better simply to follow instructions than go against them, especially when safety was concerned around Godric.

"Hey, Jared," Amelia said. "Sorry for keeping you."

"I don't mind, ma'am, I get paid regardless," he spoke and Amelia chuckled before slipping into the backseat. She pushed her ponytail over her shoulder and unzipped her jacket, wondering if she should have showered and changed in the gym before returning home.

"You know, you can call me Amelia," she said once Jared had climbed into the driver's seat. "In fact, I think I would prefer it if you just called me Amelia."

"I would hate to anger the Sheriff by being disrespectful," Jared commented and Amelia scoffed as he began to drive the sleek Mercedes away from the gym.

"Leave Godric to me," Amelia said. "He would hardly get angry about that and, if he did, then I'd make him see sense. So please, just call me Amelia."

Jared said nothing then and Amelia popped her lips, tiring of the silence and so she decided to talk again, trying to worm as much as she could out of Jared, despite knowing that she might not get much from him.

"So how long have you been working for Godric?" Amelia questioned.

"I worked for a Sheriff in another Area," Jared said. "But then Sheriff Godric asked for me once my time with my previous employer was over. He saw my recommendations and asked me to come and work for him. I have to say, it is the best paid job I have had in a long time. He is a very generous Sheriff."

"I did tell him that I didn't need a bodyguard," Amelia said, "but he seems to be pretty protective."

"Vampire nature," Jared responded. "Although I trust that you know all about that."

"I guess," Amelia shrugged. "So what-"

Amelia never got a chance to finish her sentence. Instead she felt herself being jolted in her seat as the car went sliding across the road. Amelia screamed loudly before the car stopped spinning and she saw smoke coming from the engine. Grabbing hold of her head after it had hit the headrest with force, she felt a sense of nausea pass through her alongside a feeling of dizziness. Jared was quicker than she was. He unbuckled his seat belt and stumbled from the car, pulling the back door open and reaching for Amelia.

Unbuckling her belt, he reached for her waist, his sunglasses now completely gone and revealing his piercing blue eyes. He helped to pull her from the car, keeping an arm around her waist as they looked across the highway to see the car that they had hit. It was dented beyond repair, smoke also coming from it as Amelia's eyes widened and she saw four men stood in the middle of the road, but there was one figure that she recognised instantly. Her eyes widened as Jared stood in front of her, a hand on his gun in its holster as he prepared for the worst.

Of course, if push came to shove then he knew that he could do much more damage than a gun, but he hoped it didn't come to that. He didn't want to shift, but if he had to then he would.

"What the fuck?" Amelia hissed.

Jared turned back to look to her. "Do you know him?"

"He is my ex-fiancé," Amelia commented, glowering over at him as he stood in the middle of the road, a smug look on his face.

"Shit," Jared mumbled.

"I just want to talk," Daniel spoke and Amelia scoffed.

"So you ram our car because you want to talk?" she demanded from him. "Excuse me if I don't believe your bullshit."

"I assume the vampire does not keep you around for your manners," Daniel commented and Amelia felt her hands clench into fists. "Regardless, Amelia, I need to speak with you. You see, your beloved Godric might just be done for soon enough. I take it he told you what happened last night?"

Amelia frowned and Daniel chuckled, hands going to his hips as he smirked.

"Well, well, well," he drawled at the sight on her face. "Is he keeping secrets from you already? How can any relationship truly survive on such lies and distrust?"

"What are you going on about?" Amelia demanded from him, still keeping her distance.

Daniel began to move forwards, but Jared reacted with haste, standing in front of her body as Amelia suddenly wondered how strange this entire situation was. There were no cars behind them on the stretch of quiet road. There were no pedestrians. It was deserted. It was completely empty. Did he want this? Was this part of a plan?

Daniel held his hands up as he noted Jared turn even more protective. He chuckled and shook his head. "He gave you a bodyguard?" Daniel asked from her. "He really does treat you like a pet…a pet that no one else can have."

"What the fuck do you want, Daniel? Get on with it so I can go home."

Rolling his eyes, Daniel chucked his cell forwards and Jared caught hold of it, looking down to the screen. There were blurry images, but Amelia could recognise the people in the images without difficulty. The angle was awkward, but it seemed to show the back of Daniel, but Godric's face was in clear view. They were clearly in the back of a car.

"Press play," Daniel demanded from her.

She did as he had said, pressing play. There was no volume, but she could see that Godric was getting angry. His eyes narrowed and his fangs bared after a moment as he seemed to hiss. She had no idea what was going on, but after a moment, Godric had his hand around Daniel's throat. He let go after a few moments and then climbed from the vehicle. The video ended and Amelia shrugged, looking back over to Daniel while Jared continued to hold the cell.

"So what?" she demanded from him.

Daniel stepped closer then, his footsteps light and a smirk on his face. "There's no volume on there, but the images are pretty clear. I simply went to Godric…pleaded with him to undo the glamour he had placed on you and in return he attacked me."

"Please," Amelia drawled, "you were clearly winding him up."

"True," Daniel said, "but why would people believe that? You see, I had a lip reading expert translate what he said in that clip…words such as 'You will never her,' 'she is mine' and 'I will never give her up', certainly seem quite possessive. Luckily there is no camera showing my angle, but why would that matter?"

"Do you honestly believe people will take your side?" Amelia demanded from him. "People do not believe you, Daniel. How are you even here?"

"Your father and I have a plan," Daniel commented. "He has claimed that I knew nothing about the facility he was running. There is no evidence linking it to me. As far as people are concerned, I am a scorned fiancé who simply wants the love of his life back who has been glamoured by a monster to say what he wants her to say. And this video…the words he says…the way he acts…people will believe it. I am going to bring him down, Amelia. I am going to make him pay."

"Do you think that you will win?" Amelia demanded from him. "I am not going to abandon him. I will stand by his side. We know the truth. We will fight this and we will fight you."

Daniel chuckled. "I was hoping that you would say that," he said, "because I am ready, Amelia. I am ready to do what your father was too weak to do. I am ready to win this war against vampires, starting with Godric and you. That video you have seen has gone out on every news station this evening. People will be debating the truth…but that is the thing, isn't it? People don't need the truth. They just need a story and a side to believe…a side that resonates with them. Unfortunately for you, there are more and more people who detest vampires. They want them gone. They want them dead. They will take my side because of that. They will understand."

"What the hell did I ever do to you?" Amelia demanded from him. "You never wanted to marry me."

"No," he admitted, "I admit that you were very attractive to me at one stage…when I worked your father's campaign and saw you. I won't pretend that I didn't have fantasies, but then I got to know you and that soon changed. I never loved you. I never cared for you. The fact that you could advance my career was a bonus and the fact that I could get into your pants was another bonus, but then you went and ruined everything. You tried to ruin my chance at a career…of becoming a Senator…a Governor…something bigger. So now I want what I was owed and I am going to take it."

"You were owed nothing," Amelia seethed. "You decided to hurt vampires. You made that choice. You do not deserve to be in politics."

"Oh, darling," Daniel chuckled. "Politics is not about what we deserve, but what we can take…and I am going to tread over you to get it."

"Enough," Jared said, not caring for how close he was getting to Amelia as he stepped back. "Do not make me do something I might regret."

"Like what?" Daniel wondered. "Attacking us?"

"If needs must."

"No," Amelia said, grabbing Jared's arm. "That's what he wants. He will only use it to further his cause."

Daniel smirked, eyeing Amelia with intrigue. "Clever girl," he spoke.

"You won't get away with this," Amelia said. "We will see to that."

"Of course," Daniel said. "I will be seeing you around, Amelia."

Walking off, Daniel climbed into a different car, leaving the two wrecked cars in the middle of the road. Amelia closed her eyes for a moment before she saw Jared turn to look to her, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Godric is going to kill me," he mumbled.

"I think we have bigger things to worry about, Jared," Amelia said. "Leave Godric to me."

…

After taking a cab the remainder of the way home, the sun had finally set by the time Jared and Amelia walked through the front door. Godric was already up, perched on the worktop counter and looking to the TV in the living room across from him. He didn't move from where he sat, his gaze remained on the screen as Amelia tossed her keys into the bowl at the end of the counter. Folding her arms over her chest, she looked from the TV screen and onto Godric as he looked to her, seeing a trickle of dried blood on her forehead.

In an instant, he was in front of her, his hand stretched towards her as he ran his thumb over the dried blood. "What happened?" he demanded from her before looking to Jared, feeling his jaw clench. "Where were you?"

"Hold up," Amelia demanded from Godric, taking hold of his hand before he could advance on Jared. "We were in a car crash, Godric. I didn't even know I was bleeding."

"A car crash?" he echoed back to her, moving his hands to cup her face, examining her intently. "Were you injured anywhere else? Amelia, are you well?"

"Godric, I am fine," she promised him, taking his hands from her face, holding them in her grip. "Jared managed to keep the car upright and the crash had been orchestrated by Daniel who, apparently, is a free man after my father took the wrap for him. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Godric hummed in the back of his throat. "Ah."

"Did you intend to tell me?" Amelia asked of him, a sense of anger in her voice.

"Jared, you may leave," Godric said, sensing that he needed to converse with Amelia alone.

"Yes, Sheriff," Jared said.

"Goodnight, Jared," Amelia said as she saw him walk away and he nodded to her once.

Moving to lean back against the worktop, Amelia once again folded her arms over herself. "So?" she urged from him.

"I know how it comes across on TV," Godric said. "Believe me, I have spent the past half an hour listening to people debate whether I am a wronged creature or the spawn of Satan. But I had finished in the meeting and he asked to speak with me. He said things, Amelia…about how he would get you back…about how he would have you again…and I reacted. I see that now. I see that was what he wanted, but I had no idea there was a camera in that car. I was rash. I was not thinking straight, but I never do when it comes to you. I never think coherently or rationally. I think like a vampire."

Amelia sighed and nodded her head. "Godric, I do not blame you. I know that he set you up, but I wish you had told me this morning. I knew something was wrong and you told me everything was fine when, clearly, it wasn't."

"I didn't know what to say," Godric admitted to her. "I didn't think that this would happen. Believe me, I never intended for any of this."

"I know," Amelia assured him. "But we will get through it."

"And how many more obstacles are there going to be, Amelia?" Godric enquired from her. "We have faced your father. We have faced a deranged vampire, but still it continues. Still we keep fighting. Do you not grow tired with it all?"

Amelia nodded her head. "Of course I do," she said in a gentle tone as she looked to Godric. He might have fed the previous night, but he still looked extremely exhausted and drained. He did not look healthy in the slightest. "Godric, I want this to end, but if we give up…if we just let them win…then what?"

"That is what I am wondering," Godric commented and Amelia wondered what he was thinking of as she moved towards him, a hand moving through his hair as she let her fingers tangle in his short locks. "The AVL have already contacted me. They wish for us to make another statement refuting the comments this evening. I told Nan that I would get back to her."

"So we go again," Amelia sighed.

"If I could go back to Europe then that would be the dream," Godric mused, his arms circling her waist. "Back to tranquillity…peace…where nothing mattered."

"Then why don't we just do that?" Amelia wondered from him. "Why don't we just go back and fuck all of this?"

Godric smiled gently, a hand moving to stroke her cheek. "Do not tempt me, my love," he urged of her. "But you have a life, Amelia. You have a college course you love…a life…I cannot steal that from you."

"I have stole things from you, Godric, by involving you with my ridiculous family," Amelia said. "If I had never met you that night then you wouldn't have been tangled up in any of this."

"If you had never have met me then I would be dead by now," Godric spoke in a hushed tone. "That is the truth, Amelia. I would not have kept living…existing…not without you."

"Don't say that," she urged from him.

"It is the truth," Godric responded. "You have given me something I had never thought possible in my vampire life. You have given me love…pure love…and while you might not be able to say it, I know it to be true. I know how you feel and I never thought I would have it…not like this."

Amelia's brows knitted together as she ran a hand along Godric's cheek. "What are you saying?" she asked from him.

"Nothing," he lied to her. "I am simply saying that, despite all of this controversy, I would not give you up for anything."

"Good," Amelia nodded. "Because I have no intention of going anywhere."

…

The following weeks were proving to be difficult. Getting people to believe the truth was almost impossible. Amelia felt people staring at her wherever she went, questioning if she knew what was going on in her own life. She heard whispers of 'that poor girl has been glamoured within an inch of her life' and 'do you think she knows who she really is?' Then there were the ones who believed she was just a liar who wasn't glamoured. She was a liar who had chosen this path. 'Vampire's whore' and 'fangbanging slut' were just comments she tried not to acknowledge.

Jared had been watching the young woman with intrigue during the day. She had insisted on going about her business as usual, but he was seeing a deflated attitude the longer it went on. Daniel had announced his campaign to run for office and was still claiming that he wanted Amelia back, despite her being with Godric. He still maintained that she was glamoured, despite the AVL refuting any such claim.

It was as the weeks went on when Jared noted a change in Amelia. Long gone was the chirpy young woman who tried to converse. Instead she remained silent during their drives and when he went shopping with her. He would hear the comments made about her, but he did nothing. He had only been told to intervene when a threat became evident. Godric did not want any more violence.

After college one day, Amelia had asked if they could stop at the supermarket a few blocks away. Jared had agreed; walking by her side as she tossed food into a basket she was carrying. It was only when they came to the milk did Amelia have a sense of déjà vu as someone dared to speak to her. She had been here before many months ago. She had already lived this moment of strangers daring to intervene in her business.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," the woman spoke and Amelia focused on grabbing a pint of milk. "Trying to cover up your infidelity by claiming that nice young man is a liar. You will burn with that creature one day."

Amelia looked to the woman, her eyes wide as she ground her teeth together. Remembering how she had handled the situation before, she didn't do the same this time. Instead she reacted in the way people wanted her to.

"Go fuck yourself," Amelia seethed and turned to walk away, forgetting entirely about the milk as she went to the checkout and Jared followed her, leaving the woman aghast.

Amelia paid for her items and Jared carried them back to the car, placing them in the trunk before driving her home, pretending not to notice the tears she wiped away with a sniff. She looked out the window, her eyes focused on the passing scenery as the sun set completely and night fell over them.

As per usual, Jared carried her shopping into the kitchen and Amelia began to put them away. Godric greeted her with a chaste kiss before looking to Jared. But instead of leaving silently, Jared spoke up.

"May I have a word, Sheriff?" he enquired from Godric.

Godric nodded once as Amelia went about her own business. Leading Jared into his office, Godric closed the door after him. He offered him a seat, but the tall man preferred to stand, fiddling with his sunglasses in his fingertips.

"How can I help, Jared?"

"It's about Miss Walters…Amelia…" Jared declared.

Godric arched a brow. "What about her?"

"I know that this might not be my place," Jared said, hands help up in defence. "But I've noticed a change…in her…she's struggling, Sheriff."

"I see," Godric said, moving to take a seat behind his desk. "I know that she keeps things from me. When I ask her how her day has been she tends to say fine and leave it at that. I have seen her, however, and I know her better than she thinks."

"I do not doubt that," Jared responded. "But I just wanted to tell you that during the day…well…things aren't great."

"I understand," Godric nodded.

"Right," Jared said and nodded, turning on his heel to leave.

Walking by Amelia, Jared nodded once, meeting her eye as she began cutting up an onion. "Have a good night, Jared."

"You too, ma'am," he responded formally and took his leave.

Godric left his office, leaning against the door with his arms folded as he looked to Amelia as she cut up the onion and set about making a casserole for dinner. His eyes remained set on her and he wondered what he should do. They had already released numerous statements on the AVL's behalf. Amelia had appeared on TV. She had done everything to try and persuade people that Daniel was lying, but it was not enough. It was a classic he said, she said.

"Do you have any plans this weekend?" Godric suddenly asked out of nowhere.

"I have some work I need to catch up on," Amelia commented. "But nothing that I couldn't do over the term time break."

"Good," Godric said with a nod of his head. "Pack a bag."

"What?" Amelia wondered.

"Nan Flanagan is off my back about the vampire problem in Dallas for the time being considering I have been patrolling most nights to sort it with Isabel. We are going away for the weekend. We are having two nights away from this…away from people…their opinions…all of it."

Amelia placed the knife down and turned to look to him, a sad smile on her face. "But we can't hide forever," she responded.

"I know," Godric assured her, moving towards her, his hand going to cup her cheek. "I will sort this, Amelia, but I will sort it when we return. For this weekend…I just want us. I want you."

Amelia's brow furrowed. "How will you sort it?"

"I don't know yet," Godric lied to her, "but let's just get away for the weekend. Please."

Amelia nodded her head, moving to let her cheek press against his hollow neck as he embraced her, holding her tightly to him as he swore to savour the weekend alone with her. He would sort this mess. He would sort all of it. But he just needed the weekend first.

….

A/N: Do let me know what you think!