Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Layla and a few of the plot twists.
Layla sat between Sookie and Eric, something she was not very happy about. Her hair was pulled into a twist at the nape of her neck. She wore an t-shirt from one of her favorite bands and tight black jeans, along with sharp, black stiletto ankle boots. Her make-up was simple but effective. She hadn't had time for her usual dark eye-make-up so it was just simple eyeliner, mascara and a tiny of darkness on her lips.
"Do you have any idea of the fucking PR mess you've made?" The blonde Vampire woman who was always on TV asked Eric. Layla turned her head and glanced at him where he sat on the ottoman beside her with his elbows resting on his knees. "And who has to fucking clean that shit up? Me. Not You. Me. I should drain every one of you bastards."
"Stan went after the church on his own." Eric said. Layla brushed her eyes over the floor and back to the woman, Nan, she thought was her name. "None of us knew anything about it."
"Oh really?" The woman asked, but Layla's eyes were back on Eric, who was turning now to look at her as well. "Cause anyone who met Stan in the past 300 years knew he had a kink about slaughtering humans, but you, his nest mates, his Sheriff, had no clue."
Layla quickly looked away, too angry to consider forgiving Eric for offending her. She still wasn't positive on how he had offended her, but she felt offended and really that was all that mattered.
"Don't talk to him that way." Eric growled as the blonde said something to Godric.
"Don't talk to me that way." she replied sweetly, but there was arsenic in the sugar. "Let's get to the point. How'd they manage to abduct you?" she asked, turning to Godric.
"They would have taken one of us sooner or later. I offered myself." Godric said simply.
Layla felt like she had just been punched in the gut. He had willingly gone with them? How could someone as good and wise as Godric stand to be around people as hateful and close-minded as the Fellowship? Why was he willing to let them kill him? What would that achieve? Even Eric tensed, intriuged, at her side.
"Why?" Layla blurted out, the confusion momentarily taking her mouth hostage.
"Why not?" Godric replied quickly, defensively.
"They wanted you to meet the sun and you were willing?" The Flanagan TV woman asked, sounding skeptical and disgusted. Layla glanced again at Eric who was stone-faced as he watched the woman and Godric speak. The brunette then glanced to her right to look at Sookie, but her eyes were full of the blonde viking as well, and Layla saw a definite softness growing there. Sookie caught Layla's gaze and moved closer into Bill's arms, dropping her eyes to the floor.
"What do you think?" Godric asked.
"I think you're out of your mind." Nan replied. Layla agreed. Godric couldn't die. Hell, she had only known him for a few hours and already she felt a connection to him. How could she possibly exist without knowing she had a distant ally in him. Someone who treated her like an equal, and who wasn't scared or judgmental. "And then I hear about a traitor?" she continued.
"Irrelevant. Only a rumor. I'll take full responsibility." Godric said, thereby saving Isabel's ass.
"You bet you will." she said.
"You cold bitch." Eric purred, and for once in what felt like a while, Layla agreed with him.
"Listen, this is a national Vampire disaster, and nobody at the top has any sympathy for any of you. Sheriff, you fucked up, you're fired." Nan said, turning to Godric. Layla's jaw dropped.
"I agree. Of course. Isabel should take over she had no part in my disgrace." Godric said.
"Don't just take this! Fight!" Layla said.
"Godric, fight back." Isabel said.
"What are saying? She-she's a bureaucrat. You don't have to take shit from her!" Eric said, so thrown by Godric's placable attitude that he was falling over his words.
"You want to lose your area, Viking?" The woman asked. Layla stared daggers at her. She bit her tongue now to keep from jumping to Eric's defense.
"Oh, you don't have that kind of power." Eric said confidently.
"Hey, I'm on TV. Try me." she replied easily.
"I'm to blame. I should have contained Stan the second Godric went missing." Isabel said.
"Isabel." Godric said, cutting the beautiful woman off. "I remove myself from all positions of authority."
Layla was like a balloon that had deflated. Her shoulders sank and she leaned back in the chair, shocked by what this little meeting had come to. What had been the point of it all?
"Works for me." Nan said. Sookie moved forward in her seat and whispered something to Bill softly.
"Miss Flanagan, Godric helped rescue me and Layla from a really large rapist, who probably would have killed us too." she said.
"That's nice." the woman replied, sounding utterly bored. "Moving on."
"No, listen. And then he rescued humans in that church plus a whole lot of vampires. You think it's a PR mess now? It could have been a hundred, a million times worse." Sookie said.
"What you should be doing is thanking him." Layla piped in coolly.
"For getting kidnapped? For attracting a suicide bomber? For piss poor judgement? I think not."
Eric stood up fast but both Bill, Layla and Isabel stood with him. Layla found herself pressed against his chest, between him and Bill.
"Breathe." she whispered, rubbing his arm.
"Eric, doesn't matter." Godric said softly. Slowly, carefully, everyone resumed their seats. Godric throwing a curious look in Layla's direction. He turned away from her and began explaining every detail about the bombing.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"What a fucking fiasco. You're lucky I don't send you all to the magister. Godric come to my suite and fill out the forms." Miss Flanagan said. Layla was looking at Sookie, who was once again looking at Eric. It was really beginning to annoy.
"Soon." Godric replied. "First, I have something to say. I am sorry. I apologize for all the harm I've caused, for all our lost ones, human and vampire. I will make amends. I swear." he said. Layla felt a shiver of cold shoot down her spine. She didn't like his tone. It made her a lot more than uneasy. As if that weren't enough Eric's distress at seeing his maker in such a position was palpable to anyone in the room, but it was all the more magnified with his blood in her. It infuriated her a bit to know she wasn't alone in feeling that anymore.
"Take it easy. It's just a few signatures." Nan said, standing and leaving the room, as did Isabel. Layla stood and so did Eric, but the towering viking quickly rushed to speak to Godric.
"No." he whispered, and because of how close Layla stood she heard him clearly.
"Look in my heart." Godric replied.
"You have to listen to me." Eric tried again.
"There's nothing to say."
"There is!" Eric and Layla both spat out at the same time. Eric threw the brunette a withering glare but Godric just smiled.
"On the roof." Godric said before walking away. Layla let out a sigh and watched as Bill moved to block the door.
"We have a score to settle." he said. Eric looked like he was in a daze.
"Not now."
"Seriously, Bill. Another time." Layla agreed.
"Yes, now." Bill continued, ignoring both requests and suddenly shot out his fist and smacked Eric hard in the jaw. Layla gasped and took a step forward, to do what she didn't know. Hit Bill? Her friend and a very old Vampire who could snap her?
"Have I made my point?" the dark haired man asked.
"It's done. I'm part of her now. Get out of the way." Eric said calmly. Layla bristled at the finality in his words. Bill moved out of the way and Eric left, walking away without a single backward glance at Layla. The brunette straightened her shoulders and followed Eric out of the room. She debated for a while in the hall. Would she follow him or just go back to her room. What it finally came down to was Godric. He had saved her life and it was obvious he was in pain. She could maybe leave Eric to wallow in his suffering but not Godric.
As she began to walk down the hallway she saw Sookie hurrying to join her.
"Where are you going?" she asked. Sookie turned with wide innocent eyes.
"To find Godric."
"But he's with Eric." Layla reminded her. "Remember? The guy that tricked you into drinking his blood?"
Sookie merely shrugged. Layla growled and shot a hand out blocking the path. Sookie stopped abruptly, looking entirely confused.
"What are you doing, Layla?" she asked.
"No. Go back to your room. Go back to Bill. You don't belong with them. You belong to him." Layla said, nodding down the hall towards the room. Sookie straightened her shoulders.
"Godric saved my life-"
"Mine too. I'll be sure to convey your thanks, but Sookie, we both know something very bad is about to happen, and I don't need your presence making it worse. It would be like dangling something in Eric's face and then ripping it away." Layla told her. Sookie frowned.
"You're actually taking Eric's side?" she asked.
"I'm not taking any sides. I just want to keep the peace." Layla said. "Go back to Bill, Sookie, and leave Eric to me." she said, turning on her heel and continuing down the hall until she came to the door marked 'Roof Access'.
As Layla hurried up the steps she could already hear the voices of the two men she expected to see.
"2000 years is enough." Godric said, facing the east.
"I can not accept this." Eric was saying. "It's insanity."
Layla paused at the top of the stairs and watched them.
"Our existence is insanity." Godric replied. "We don't belong here."
"But we ARE here!" Eric yelled back.
"It's not right. We're not right." Godric told him. It broke Layla's heart to hear him talk like that. Of course they were right. Different didn't mean bad or wrong. It just meant different.
"You taught me there is no right or wrong. Only survival or death." Eric said. Layla saw a flicker of insight into the way Eric thought. It made a strange kind of sense.
"I told a lie." Godric said. "As it turns out."
"I will keep you alive by force." Eric threatened taking a menacing step closer to the small boy, who was really the oldest, wisest man in existence.
"Even if you could, why would you be so cruel?" Godric asked with a small, amused smile lingering on his features. A knife made it way into Layla's heart as Eric's voice thickened and his words turned to his mother tongue, and though she couldn't understand all of it the basic gist was there. He was begging Godric to stay alive. Layla took a step forward instinctively when Eric fell to his knees, crying and pleading with his maker, who simply laid a hand on his head.
"Let me go." Godric finally said. Eric lifted his head and brought his voice back from hysteria to it's usually low tone.
"I won't let you die alone." he said soundly.
"Yes, you will." Godric replied. He placed a hand on the back of Eric's head and forced their eyes to meet. "As your maker, I command you."
Eric stood and began walking towards the stairs, where Layla still stood, frozen. Eric's faced was stained with bloody tears and there looked like there wasn't an ounce of fight left in his body. She couldn't help it when her hand touched his cheek and she stepped close to him, forcing him to look at her.
"I'll stay with him. I won't leave him alone. I promise." she said. Eric nodded and touched her hand briefly before ducking down the stairs and into the safety of the hotel.
Layla walked over to Godric who stood facing the place where the sun would rise.
"It won't take long. Not at my age." Godric told her.
"You could always try again, you know. I mean, the Fellowship seems like a lost cause, but even if your plan failed you did make a few people see the truth. Vampires and humans alike are capable of equal mercy and destruction." Layla told him. She heard him let out a slight laugh.
"You are wise, little one." Godric turned now to look at her. "Do you believe in God?"
"I do."
"If you're right, how will he punish me?" Godric asked. Layla smiled.
"God believes in forgiveness, and second chances. He wouldn't hurt an angel like you." she said. Godric smiled.
"Angel. You really are like your mother. That's what she called me. Her Guardian Angel." Godric said. Layla's jaw dropped.
"You? You were-"
"I spent some time in Philadelphia a few decades ago. She was innocent, and she didn't deserve to die. Neither did you. I had no idea you would turn out to be what you are. To wind up around Eric, of all the things-" he stopped and thought about it for a minute. "You will care for him? Eric, I mean."
"I'll try, but he's not exactly the easiest person to be around. Honestly he drives me nuts." Layla said with a smile.
"I can take the blame for that too." Godric said. Layla shook her head.
"No, you're every bit as responsible for the good and kind parts of him. I hope you know that. I think the only reason I can tolerate him, is the goodness and honor you taught him without even realizing you were doing it."
"You see much, Layla Dahlin. Things most others are blind to. I regret the chance at not knowing you better, but then again, apart from Eric, you may know me best of all." Godric said. He turned his face to where the sun was beginning to creep over the horizon.
"Are you scared?" she asked, tears creeping into her voice.
"No. No, I'm full of joy." Godric said, with a smile and a laugh. Tears began to leak from Layla's eyes.
"Even with the pain?"
"I want to burn."
"I'm scared for you. I don't want you to leave." Layla said, rushing forward and hugging him quickly.
"Human tears, and a human with me at the end. 2000 years and I can still be surprised. In this I see God." he said, squeezing her lightly before pushing her away. "Let me go, little halfling. I don't want to hurt you when I go."
Layla stepped back and watched as Godric took off his shirt and turned to face the brilliant sun, rising over the Dallas skyline.
"Goodbye, Godric." Layla whispered as a blue flame caught in the center of his chest and quickly spread over his whole body, until he was gone. The whole thing lasted mere seconds and suddenly, Layla was alone on the hotel rooftop.