AN: I have been an obsessive reader of SVM and True Blood fanfiction since I discovered its existence. But this is my first one I've written. I like constructive criticism, but please do not beat up my writing. I come from an academic writing background, so breaking more into creative is new for me. This is betaless. It was an idea rolling around in my head for a little, so I decided to try it out. And all characters and probably some eventual plot belong to Ms. Harris and Mr. Ball.
His eyes flicked to the glowing neon sign as he drove into the parking lot and parked his bike in one of the few open spots. Puns had always been something he had an affinity for, chuckling or at least smiling slightly at every silly joke that would make many roll their eyes and groan.
FanG-tasia. He chuckled slightly. Maybe the pun had been created for him. But his child had also always hidden his love for silly humor. Pam, he imagined, would be one to roll her eyes, even if she did enjoy it.
With a sigh, Godric went through the back door of the club and slipped into the employee hallway. While he was excited to see his Eric again after the decades they had spent apart, his visit was not a happy one.
Godric had been growing despondent and depressed recently. It was only within the past fifteen or twenty years that he began to feel this way, specifically with everything leading up to the great revelation and humanity's response to his kind's existence.
He realized, with various inclinations, that if he did not actively do something to change his point of view, he would eventually succumb to his despair. The only result from despair is a vampire's true death. Between the active nature of the Fellowship in Dallas, the abrasive natures of some of the vampires in his area, and the tempting sunrise that he had not viewed in over two thousand years, he knew something would eventually happen to permanently kill him if he continued to allow his fouling mood to interfere with his ever-on-the-defense lifestyle.
On the defense was how one had to live as a vampire in order to survive as long as he had: aware of every possibility in a situation with appropriate counter-measures ready and an extra escape plan or twelve. It wasn't a peaceful or even always pleasant mode of life, but it was a way to survive.
Godric's last resort, understanding his mood, was what caused him to be waiting in the hallway of Fangtasia while his unaware progeny finished his meal. From the zipping sounds and the finally ceased cries of passion, he figured Eric was almost done.
The door opened and a brunette woman sauntered out in shoes she could hardly walk in with a goofy smile on her face and smeared lipstick around her mouth. Another fangbanger leaves Fangtasia satisfied, courtesy of Eric Northman.
At that thought Godric did roll his eyes; despite the ease of the acquisition, there was no appeal in feeding this way. Then again, Godric thought as a second girl followed the first (this one a leggy and ridiculously thin bleach blonde), maybe there was something to it. He was a man after all.
Instead of knocking, Godric slipped in the partially open door while Eric was facing a small closet and donning another shirt. The ancient vampire, who had been blocking his side of their bond for years, quickly opened it, like a vampire might whip his head back when getting defanged, rather than slowly allow the person to tortuously pull out the fang – quickly as to not prolong the pain. Or – for humans, like ripping off a band-aid.
However the effect here wasn't to get it over with, but to surprise. And as Eric whipped around and his eyes went wide, Godric knew it had had the right result. "Hello, Eric."
"Godric." Eric said reverently before that same boyish smile that always charmed his maker came across his face. A notion of worry crossed his eyes before the returned to display his typical stoic expression.
The open bond showed Eric everything. Godric's pleasure at seeing his progeny. His joy at being near him. His love. His ever-pressing depression, almost overwhelming the happiness of being here. His hope that his son, so full of life, could help restore his own joie de vivre.
"It's good to see you," Eric said as he gestured for Godric to sit. "What is wrong? Is something going on in Dallas? Do you need anything?"
The dark-haired vampire smiled indulgently at the barrage of questions and steeled himself to answer them in the order that proved easiest. "Nothing beyond the typical scope is occurring in Dallas. King Stan is the same as always. The Fellowship are active as ever. The vampires rowdy. And Isobel is now sheriff. And before you ask, no, nothing happened to affect my position; I just no longer wanted it."
That was the easy one. The next were not as simple to answer, but he would try. "Yes. There is something wrong. I find myself in an emotional state I have never been in through my two millennia. I am repulsed. By vampires. By humans. By my existence. I care nothing for the goings on of our politics. I do not wish to deal with anything. I wonder if maybe the Fellowship is right.
"Maybe vampires should not exist. I have become lax with my safety. When a vampire brought a spy into my home, I almost failed to act. I almost let him remain. I was even thinking about going and talking to Steve Newlin. Maybe . . . maybe let the Fellowship – I don't know."
Eric, throughout his maker's explanation, was closely monitoring their recently opened bond. And he felt the suicidal nature of his master's thoughts as Godric trailed off. Godric would have let the zealots destroy him?
"But I stopped Hugo instead. And knew that with the nature of my emotions, I needed to act. So that is what is wrong. And what I need from you. . . .
"I request, Sheriff, to remain in your area. I do not have anywhere to stay, but I was hoping to inquire with my progeny as to whether I could share his resting space. He is the proprietor of a bar called Fangtasia." A smile breached his face saying the pun aloud. "And, though I do not need to in order to afford my lifestyle, I am sure he would allow me employment in his bar if it is required that I profit in the area." Godric locked his fingers together, looking down at his hands from his spot perched on the chair in front of the office's desk.
His eyes returned back to his child, who was leaning against his desk. "Eric, your joy in living, in being alive even as a vampire, or maybe because you are a vampire, has been something within you always. Maybe," the ancient said, sounding like the mournful teenager for whom he could be mistaken, "well, maybe you can help me find my joie de vivre again." He looked sheepishly at his hands again, a rueful smile on his face.
Eric crouched in front of his maker and looked at him indulgently and with concern. "Godric, anything you need that I can provide is yours to have. You may rest with me, my progeny, or in any of our safe homes. You can come here to be with me, do something else, have a percentage of the bar from me, or do nothing. I will help you. And you will get past this. Now, when was the last you fed?"
The dark-haired vampire chuckled and shook his head. "It has been…weeks I believe."
Eric teasingly shook his head and sighed. "Well we'll have to fix that now." They both felt a tremor go through the bond Eric had been blocking with Pam, and suddenly the blonde was there. Dressed in a tight black pvc dress the ended mid thigh and some, actually very nice thigh high Louboutin boots.
Turned when she was not too much older than Godric was, Pam held in the cry of joy she wanted to share and instead smiled, quickly embracing her grandsire before releasing him. "Godric!" she cried.
"Godric needs to drink," Eric cut in before Pam could explain all the ways she had missed his master, her indulgent shopping partner.
"Just a warmed up bag, please," Godric interjected as Pam began to speed towards the club. Knowing her, if left to her own devices she would return with a harem.
His child pursed his lips, obviously disappointed with his sire's desire not to have a meal with a beating heart in the room. Part of being a vampire was the feeling of the blood flowing and ebbing with the pumps of a human's heart. It was the smell of the fear or the desire or the pleasure from a meal.
Even without the sex that often followed a feeding, the aphrodisiac of the warm living blood was euphoric.
Instead of the spicy curvy red-head Eric had eyed earlier as a possible after-dinner snack, Pam returned with a tumbler full of warm blood for her grandsire, AB negative from the smell.
Slowly, Eric realized, he would have to reintroduce his sire to the life of a vampire. Maybe showing him some of the benefits of vampires being in the open would help.
His eyes caught Pam's as he sent her shimmers of the same emotions he had been shown earlier by his maker. Her eyes widened slightly, and she glanced at Godric, who was finishing the glass.
The elder vampire nodded at Pam in thanks once he finished his meal, realizing how refreshed he actually felt, physically at least. He was politely ignoring the silent conversation between Eric and Pam, instead focusing on his own bonds.
His tie to his own maker was still there, muted. There were those to his progeny. The newer one was with Nora – so dedicated to advancing her own position. His oldest was Eric.
He also examined ties connected to Eric. While Nora had no progeny of her own, Eric did have one strand – Pam. Godric had emphasized to his children how selective a maker should be in choosing whom to turn. Eric had been an amazing warrior, a fierce leader, and had a strength of character even as he was dying.
Nora had been in the Dutch Republic, the area now known as Netherlands, when Louis XIV of France began his wars against the area. Living with her husband in the outlying area, they were among the first homes destroyed. She had shown incredible strength, grabbing a rudimentary shovel from her husband's farming equipment to fight against the French swords and rudimentary firearms. Her children escaped with a fleeing neighbor for all of her efforts. Ingenuity in the face of hoards of pressure.
Tied in with his bond with Eric was an extra strand indicating a blood connection between him and Pam. It was not until Godric had existed for a millennia that he had found a human worthy of his sacred blood. Eric had found one a little less than nine hundred years into his existence. And it seemed, he thought as he noticed another strand wrapped around Pam's bond, that his progeny's progeny had found a worthy being after only one and a half centuries.
"Godric," Eric said, interrupting his maker's introspection. A tremor went through the bond Godric had just found, and the ancient vampire nodded at his son, acknowledging he was listening.
"I would like to introduce you to someone. I believe that she may be able to help you with your emotional state." His eyes flicked towards the hallway as a blonde curvy beauty was illuminated in the doorway. Godric's fangs itched to slink down as he took in the vision before him. Four or five inches shorter than his own stature. Long blonde hair, wavy and tousled down to the middle of her back. Bright blue eyes like the clear day-lit sky he had not seen in two thousand years. A slight tan to her glowing skin. A bright smile lit up her face.
Eric hadn't suppressed the descent of his own fangs, offering a smile to his maker. "Godric, this is Pam's progeny and my future lover, Sookie Stackhouse."
Sookie rolled her eyes at a line she had obviously heard numerous times since her turning, or maybe even before. But her eyes lit up with joy at meeting the man who made her own grandsire. Before she could self-correct, her arms were around the ancient vampire in a warm hug.
He drew in an unnecessary breath as her arms wrapped around him. Was that – no. He almost could have sworn that he smelled sunlight in her beautiful hair.
But too soon Sookie realized her mistake in proper decorum and hastily released him. Godric's eyes had not left the beauty before him, and he watched as she nodded to him deeply. "Godric, it's so nice to finally meet ya!" The soft Louisianan drawl was gentler than the Texas twang he had become accustomed to.
The dark-haired vampire wondered if she was just turned recently, but found himself hoping the beautiful glow of her skin would remain. He nodded his acknowledgment at her words and suddenly realized they were not alone. Eric was smirking knowingly, and Pam was eyeing Sookie with a slight amount of reproach.
To keep the obviously young vampire from getting scolded, even gently, Godric placed his hand on Sookie's shoulder squeezing it gently before allowing his hand to trail softly down her arm. "It is nice to meet you too."
AN: So tell me what you think? Do I suck? Is it worth continuing?
