Hello everyone! I'm back with another chapter (Chapter 30 to be exact, eeekkk!) and this one is pretty pivotal. There's lots of things that happen here. I'm curious to hear what you guys think of this one. Please share your thoughts. I usually try to respond with a little insight or a teaser in the next chapter.
To Chibichibi98: She heard enough. Eric is definitely an ass here, but it's to cover his inability to deal with changes he's going through as a person. Ah Jason, he's such a loveable goof, right? He's got a good heart, even though he's been a playa-playa who doesn't play with a full deck. Godric will prove to be a strong ally of Arabella's… I hope I'm not giving away too much here.
To Kpkisses: Here you go : ) I'm sorry that I can't get these out sooner, but now there's so much going on and so much I have to refer back to and think ahead about that it takes longer to write. But, I hope the chapters are worth the wait.
To Jade: You're absolutely right; Eric doesn't deserve Arabella right now. And, she's not type to just let him get away with what he's done either.
To Guest: I think I'm going to like writing about Arabella and Godric, especially Godric. I hated that they killed him off on the show.
To Meekasa & Vampyr Prinsessa: Here it is. I hope you guys like it!
To Rubybelle218: Thank you so much! I hope it's getting more interesting. I'm really trying to put my own spin on things.
To Jofrench22: Eric is definitely going to be jealous; he already is. And as for Godric, I just couldn't kill him. He may be a little OOC, especially since he's not suicidal in this story, but I'm trying to keep the best parts of him still in here.
To Makenzie: I'm very flattered that you would say that! Thank you!
To Sophiana: Thank you! I'm glad you found my story.
And for the people who just favorited or alerted this story, thank you and welcome aboard! Strap yourself in because it's going to be a bumpy ride for our heroine!
…
I stared at Eric, completely and utterly floored by the horrible words that had come out of his mouth; that he used to describe us… to describe me. I was nothing to him but a toy… to be used at his disposal? He would throw me away when he was done with me? How could I not see his true intentions? How could I be so blind? So stupid? How could he be so hateful? I opened my own mouth, so many words flooding my brain, all jockeying for position to exit the gates so to speak, to express the explosion of emotions and thoughts that raced through my head, my heart, and my soul. In the end, the mad dash of those words created a clusterfuck in which no words escaped at all. My mouth lay there open, at the ready, but soundless. Maybe there were no words to express what was going on in my head right now. Only two very plump tears, weighted by the heaviness of my heart, broke through, saying so much in that silence.
Eric looked at me stone-faced when I entered the room, but he bolted out the door of the nest before those tears could reach the floor, not saying one word to me; no explanation. But, then again, maybe his prior words said it all. Maybe this was his way of throwing me away…
Jason, feeling uncomfortable by what just happened and not really understanding the situation, felt a huge need to break the uneasy silence that entered the room as Eric exited, so he said out loud, "So, do you think I'm off the hook with Eric then?"
"Jason!" I said somewhat breathlessly because it felt like Eric took the air with him when he exited the room. My brother could be really dim at times. I mean, I understood he was apprehensive about what his situation was going to be at home, but please… this wasn't the time to ask about it. And besides, I'm sure he was off the hook anyway given all he went through while trying to help the Dallas vampires out.
Godric regarded Jason with a somewhat confused expression before ignoring his question. He instead turned to speak to Arabella, "I'm sorry it's come to this. Eric can be somewhat… pigheaded… at times. But you have to know he does care…"
"No. I don't know that he cares. And you know what, now I don't care. I can't do this anymore with him." I replied, my anger, one of the many emotions I felt at the moment, was clearly evident in my voice and was now directed at the vampire before me. "Eric is an asshole and I should have kept my guard up with him; should have been more guarded with my heart. But, I didn't and I'm the one to blame for that. But I'll be damned if I'm going to stand here and listen to you tell me he cares. Oh, I'm sure he cares alright… about himself. His toys though, they're just for his amusement; to be discarded once they've outrun their usefulness, or did you not get that memo?"
Godric realized that this situation had quickly gone south and he needed to try to make things right, but this was new territory for him; feelings, especially human feelings. While he was trying to learn more about dealing with his own emotions, he knew that human emotions were even trickier and he would have to tread lightly here. "I've made some mistakes with my child that I intend to rectify…" Godric began before getting cut-off by Arabella.
"Rectify… yes… hmmm….and if I understand correctly that was by you making me YOURS! One minute you say I'm not a toy, the next minute you take me away from Eric like I'm some sort of Barbie doll or Legos. So which is it Godric; am I or am I not a toy? Is my life not even my own anymore? Is the only reason for my existence now to be some sort of God damn party favor, passed around from vampire to vampire?" I was now screaming at the very understanding vampire before me. Logic would have dictated that I not scream at a vampire I barely knew, but logic went out the door with Eric at the moment.
"Arabella, you have a right to be upset. But you need to understand that my claiming you was to protect you and by default help my child… grow." Godric said evenly, trying to bring some calmness to this intense conversation. He normally would not allow such insubordination, but he somehow inherently knew that she needed to get this out of her system; needed to vent her frustrations and hurt. He also realized at this moment just how much human emotions were akin to a roller coaster ride, full of highs and lows. 'Humans really are truly braver and stronger than we give them credit for; dealing with all this intense emotion. I suspect this will be quite the ride.' He thought to himself as he let out of small unnecessary sigh, hoping he was up for the challenge. He had bottled his own emotions and kept his human sense of morality at bay for so long, that he worried slightly at the fallout of their release and practice.
"And what if I don't want your protection? What if I don't want to help you with your schooling of Eric or whatever?" I asked, loudly, waving my hands up in frustration.
"Arabella, you have to understand, you've been noticed by many vampires now. If word were to get out that you were unclaimed…" Godric began. She smelled amazing; her blood tasted like the nectar of the gods. He knew if she was unclaimed, it would not be for long and if a lesser vampire were to claim her, the results would be disastrous.
"It becomes hunting season… for me. No permits needed. I'd be walking around like I had a huge target painted on my back. Just great. Just fucking great." I said as I started pacing back and forth, wringing my hands, not knowing what to do with all the energy that my anger was creating. I was beyond pissed off now and couldn't believe the situation I was thrown into. I had fought too hard and gone through too much just to end up here; to just be put on the open market as vampire bait…it just fucking sucked.
I stopped pacing and threw my hands up in the air in frustration again as I came to the only conclusion that would keep me alive. "Fuck it. Okay, so if I agree to be yours, I would like to lay some groundwork first; some rules so to speak."
"Do you always use such colorful language?" Godric asked curiously.
The question threw me off honestly, and whether or not his intention was to ease some of my anger, it actually did just that.
"Um, no, I don't actually. In fact, my grandmother is probably rolling in her grave right now dying a second death of embarrassment because she didn't raise us kids so speak this way. But, I gotta tell ya, she probably never had to deal with a situation like this before." I said as I finally moved to sit on one of the chairs in the room, dejectedly with my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.
After sitting down like that for a brief moment, I looked up, resting my head on my fingertips and asked again, but more calmly, "Godric, are you willing to let me set up some boundaries…rules?"
"Are you really considering this Arabella? No offense here Godric, but we barely know you." Jason said, actually having a good point, for once.
"True; and you did almost drain me…" I started to say.
"What! Oh no! You can't agree to this little sis. No way. You almost drained my sister?" Jason said loudly as he went into big brother mode, complete with puffing chest and tough guy strut. Seems he too forgot that this is a very old vampire that he was yelling at. But, this was his baby sister and he was not going to let anyone hurt her while he was around, not if he could help it.
"It was an unfortunate set of circumstances, as you know Arabella, but it will not happen again in the future. You have my word on that." Godric responded calmly, but with sincerity. While he was not enjoying having these two humans yell at him, he had to concede that their points were valid.
Jason's eyes darted back and forth between me and Godric as he seemed to be mulling over Godric's words, but even he knew that he wasn't as good at gauging people as his sisters were. "Arabella, do you believe him?" He finally said softly to me with raised eyebrow.
"What are my choices here Jason? I could try to go it on my own, but that would mean any vampire that came across me could claim me, willing or not. I could live my life by daylight only, and never go outside in the dark again, but my home would feel like a part-time jail then. Or… I could take Godric up on his offer and maybe it could actually work out. He at least doesn't look at me like I'm a thing to be played with. Or maybe you do." I said, now looking straight into Godric's eyes and then continued, "Maybe I should just take my chances on my own, at least then my life, however long it would be, would be my own."
"You have every right to be suspicious… cautious… here in this situation. In fact, I am glad that you are, because it shows the intelligence that I know you have. I must confess that I have nothing to relieve your valid concerns, other than my word. But, if you allow me to keep the claim on you, I will validate my words by my actions, I swear to you." Godric replied.
"Yeah, Eric had a lot of words too. In fact, he even said he never wanted to see me hurt. Well… we all know how that turned out." I said with venom in my voice.
"I will not defend or excuse Eric's words or actions; he will have to do that himself. But, I will say that Eric is complicated and is struggling with himself right now." Godric replied cryptically.
"I don't really give a shit what he is going through right now. I have to concentrate on myself now." I replied
"Yes, of course." Godric replied sadly. It wasn't that he was trying to throw Eric under the bus; he would never do that to his child. The simple fact of the matter was that Eric made this bed and would have to lie in it now. As much as Godric would have loved to help his progeny out of this mess he created with the woman he so obviously cared for, Godric knew that Eric had to figure this out on his own if he were to evolve and grow as a person, painful as the lesson may be.
After a brief moment of silence, Godric sat down across from me and continued, "I think it would be best if we look at this as a partnership."
"Okaaaaaaay… I like the sound of that. I gotta tell you though Godric, we're going to have a problem right off the bat." I started saying.
"I'm sure we'll run into many that we will overcome, but what is the first one you wish to discuss?" Godric said with a smile, happy that she seemed to be coming around to the idea.
"I live in Bon Temps, Louisiana and I am not relocating. That is a deal breaker." I said, crossing my arms across my chest hoping this would be a deal breaker for him too and we could end this negotiation now.
"Not a problem. I was getting tired of Dallas anyway. Too much drama in a nest this big I'm afraid. And besides, it's Isabel's time to rise among the ranks. She will make an excellent sheriff. It will also give her other things to think about instead of her lost Hugo." Godric said with a faraway look in his eye.
"Oh my God! You killed Hugo! I mean, sure he was a traitor and all, but shouldn't he have gotten a trial or something… jail maybe? You guys must have some sort of jail system, right? Did he really have to die?" I responded aghast, thinking about how badly things could have ended for Jason if Sookie and I weren't in the picture.
"Settle down young one. No, I did not kill Hugo, though many in the nest did demand for it. No, I Instead glamoured him to forget about Isabel and everything about his life with her; to not want to associate with vampires anymore and to move out of state, for his own safety." Godric explained.
"Oh, well, that was very… humane… of you." I replied, slightly surprised knowing that vampires weren't usually this merciful.
"Maybe; maybe not. What you fail to see is that by doing that, I invalidated their love for one another. Isabel may come to be fond of another eventually, but this will haunt her for many, many years to come. And as for Hugo, he will not know why nor understand, why he feels like there is a hole in his heart, because the reason for it was erased from his mind. It could even eventually drive him insane. So you see, they did not escape unpunished." Godric replied wearily. Isabel was one of his dearest companions and it pained him to have to inflict this on her, but he could not let Hugo's betrayal and her blind eye of it go unpunished. He would have had mutiny and chaos on his hands. But, he knew with this punishment, Isabel would understand he had no better choice in helping her out and be grateful that he did not kill Hugo outright. For even though Hugo betrayed them all, she could not erase her love for him that easily. And, while their nestmates may have wanted a bloodier resolution of the matter, they would concede that this was an adequate punishment with Isabel losing her pet and Hugo losing the glorious lifestyle that he had become accustomed to and eventually probably his mind.
"I guess I see your point there. It's too bad that Hugo couldn't keep a clearer head or talk to Isabel about his concerns, but I guess in the end what's done is done." I replied sadly, for Isabel.
"Who's Hugo?" Jason interjected now, to which both Godric and I shot him looks that pretty much said, 'this is not the time for your questions.' Jason picked up on the body language and mouthed 'okay' as he moved around the room, picked up a figurine and began looking at it like it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.
"Okay, well, if you're going to high tail it out of Dallas, you certainly will not living with me and my sister." I replied quickly, looking at him indignantly, daring him to contradict me.
Godric laughed and said, "I wasn't planning on that either. I've got plenty of money and will find my own place."
"Okay then… Well, I don't want you trying to boss me around. I am my own person. I like to be asked nicely to do things. And I certainly will NOT be your toy; to be used at your disposal." I added through gritted teeth.
"That will not be a problem. I do not want a toy. I would like to be able to call you my friend." Godric replied honestly.
"Well, on that note, friends we will be, but not the kind with benefits if you get my meaning." I said awkwardly. To say that it was weird to have this conversation with my brother in the room would be an understatement.
"Yeah, and you won't be touching her neither!" Jason interjected while pointing his finger at Godric before Godric could respond. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I knew Jason meant well, but it wasn't like he really had a say in this matter; I barely had one at that. All I could hope for here was that Godric was truer to his word than Eric.
"I understand and agree." Godric replied with a nod. He knew that to be intimate with her would utterly destroy his relationship with his child. He had no intention of doing that, as tempting as she may be.
After his much appreciated response, I was quiet for a small moment. Eventually I pinched the bridge of my nose as I closed my eyes and sighed. I was starting to get a headache, pressure pooling behind my eyes, like the emotions and thoughts that didn't exit my mouth now wanted to try to push their way out of my eyeballs. Basically I was kinda done with the whole thing now, so I said, "Look, let's just let the rest of… this… play itself out and we'll work on things as need be. My head is pounding and I just want to get my stuff and go back home. Shoot. My bags and toiletries are with Eric at the hotel. I don't really want to go back there. Oh, is my purse here?" I asked realizing I was going to need my stuff before going back home.
"Yes, wait here." Godric said before zooming out of the room and returning just as quick with a plastic bag. "There was an… incident earlier with your purse." Godric said as he emptied the plastic bag containing her items mixed with the broken glass from the table that Eric had broken earlier.
"What the heck?" I said as I looked over my stuff confused.
"Why don't you pick your necessary items out of that and I'll go to the hotel and get the rest of your things. No one will bother you while I am out, I will see to it." Godric said as he pulled out his cell phone and texted the nest to not return until close to sunrise.
"Thank you Godric. Oh… and if you could, can you leave a message for my sister at the front desk. She should be staying there with another vampire, Bill Compton. Right Jason?" I asked.
"Yeah, they said they were staying at that vampire hotel downtown." Jason replied, finally putting down the figurine he had been now tossing back and forth in his hands. It was his mindless attempt to try to keep busy as he was somewhat uncomfortable with being in the room, but yet couldn't find the gumption to leave because of his concern for his sister.
"Oh course, what is the message?" Godric asked, amused at the thought of being someone else's errand boy for once. He was over two thousand years old. He had minions. However, for so long others had been doing so much for him that he would get bored at times, with seemingly nothing to do. Thusly, it was actually a refreshing change to have the opportunity to do something, even something as trivial as this, for someone else.
"See you at home." I replied. There was no way I was going back to that hotel or staying in Dallas any longer than necessary. The further I could get from Eric, and this pain, the better.
Godric nodded and said, "I will return shortly with your stuff and get you on a plane home." After saying this he rushed out of the nest at vampire speed, a speed so quick that you would have thought he was never there at all.
…
Eric flew out of the Dallas nest as soon as he saw those tears form in those beautiful blue eyes of hers; tears that were the result of his stupidity and pride. Godric was right. Arabella was the best thing that had walked into his life in the longest time. She was the breath of fresh air he didn't even know he needed. But, as much as he knew that, he just couldn't accept it; couldn't let her in all the way. She wasn't part of the plan. She made his emotions messy and complicated. She made him feel. She made him exposed, compromised, and wide-open for hurt. She was human and supposed to be weak, but as he took a good long look at himself, he only saw that he was weak. He couldn't admit his feelings for her, as she did for him. He couldn't stay to hear the words she had for him, even though she stood there, daring him to say something to her, anything. She repeatedly withstood so much hurt and always came out stronger. He, on the other hand, usually chose to stay away from situations that would get him hurt, relying on his super-human abilities to get out of things and when that didn't work, he ran, leaving everyone else to deal with the aftermath, just like tonight.
When he finally stopped running, he found that his legs had brought him back to the Hotel Carmilla. As he walked through the hotel lobby, he took notice of the humans offering their blood for sale to the eager vampire clientele. It was as if he was witnessing it for the first time; the shallowness of the transaction, the coldness of the deed, the meaninglessness of the coupling. For so long that was what he longed for in the company of others; to not have attachment, to be able to walk away without a care in the world. Now, well, now he wanted… more. He wanted her. He had her though and let her slip through his fingers. How could he have compared her to those he saw in the lobby; to the human she witnessed him dine on? Arabella was no 'True Whore'. These thoughts ran through his mind as he made his way swiftly towards the elevator banks to get to his room, desperately trying to get away from the reminders of his shallow existence in the lobby.
…
As he exited the elevator, he was brought out of his thoughts by the sounds of a human wailing and banging on a door, but it wasn't just any human though, it was Sookie.
"Goddam it! Open this door right now ya'll! Bill! Bill! Please honey, open the door!" Sookie yelled as she pounded on the door relentlessly. She didn't see Eric yet because he was way down on the opposite end of the long hallway, and honestly she was too busy making a scene.
As her hope of Bill letting her into the room dwindled, she started to slide down the door, still banging but with less and less vigor, eventually landing in a puddle on the floor, her upper body resting on the door. She was now crying openly and painfully loud. 'If you looked up 'hot mess' in the dictionary, you would have found a picture of her in this state, no doubt.' Eric couldn't help but think to himself.
The door then unexpectedly opened swiftly, making Sookie all but fall face first onto the floor because she had been leaning on it, but it wasn't Bill who opened it, it was Lorena, his maker. Dressed in a red see-through negligée and black patent leather come-fuck-me-heels, she left nothing to the imagination as to what was going on in that room. Eric guessed that she must not have had to leave for her business dealings in Mississippi yet and stumbled upon her progeny here at the hotel purely by accident. Eric himself was surprised to say the least when Bill and Sookie had met up with him at the nest. He never would have guessed that Sookie had it in her to call Anubis Air, have them take Bill and Jessica in their resting states, and fly them to Dallas to try and help find Jason. While a bold move, it was entirely stupid on her part, especially with her not knowing the dangers that lay here in Dallas and the fact she looked like she could probably still use some rest. It seemed to Eric like fate intervened in this situation though because even he could have tried to contact Lorena and let her know Bill was in Dallas, he didn't, but she found him anyway.
"My, my, my William, I just cannot fathom what you saw in this pathetic, groveling human here, well, maybe her devotion to you was amusing and I suppose she does smell nice, but honestly William, I thought I taught you to have some standards." Lorena said in a sickeningly sweet Southern voice that did nothing to belie the venom in her words.
"Bill! Bill!" Sookie screamed again, crying and ignoring Lorena as she tried to gain entrance into the room. In her attempt, she managed to catch a glimpse of him, lying there naked but perfectly still on the bed, red streaks down his face. "What have you done to him?" She screamed as she turned to face Lorena again.
Lorena, now incredibly angered that this human piece of scum was taking away precious time with her William, grabbed Sookie by her sweater and threw her across the hall into the opposite wall, causing it to crack a little. "Tut, tut, tut." She said, wagging her finger back and forth at Sookie. "I will not have some trifling human ruining my glorious reunion with my most beloved progeny. If you do not cease your howling I will have no option but to have security come and escort you off the premises." Lorena added before she caught sight of Eric coming down the hallway, giving him a wink and saying, "Mr. Northman, a pleasure as always."
"You know this bitch?" Sookie yelled over to Eric as she wiped her snot and tears on her sweater sleeve.
Before Eric even had a chance to say a word, Lorena zipped over to Sookie, grabbed her up by the throat and dangled her against the wall. "You would do well to know your place here human. You know what you're like, you're like a big bug; one that needs a good squash." She said as she tightened her grip on Sookie's throat. Sookie, while frantically trying to breathe, placed her hands over Lorena's, trying to break the iron grip she had on her throat, to no avail.
"Lorena, I can take it from here. It seems you have unfinished business in your room. Besides, wouldn't it be a shame to ruin that stunning ensemble you're wearing. I'm sure you want to look your best for Bill." Eric said, trying to sound as bored as he could, as he walked slowly, hands in pocket, like he had not a care in the world, closer to the scene. He could only hope the female vampire would take the bait and drop Sookie. If he looked too concerned for Sookie, he knew Lorena would just kill her right there and then. It was bad enough that Bill was in love with Sookie, but if two vampires were both seemingly attracted to her, well, Eric knew Lorena was not going to have that.
Fortunately, Lorena took the bait, dropping Sookie to the floor immediately and said, "Why, you are absolutely right Mr. Northman. I do have so much that I need to properly attend to in my room as I am sure that wretched excuse for a human could not have possibly been attending to William in a manner he deserves. But none the less I thank you for offering to take this trash out, even though I don't understand the desire to do so."
"Fuck you bitch!" Sookie screamed out to Lorena while she stood up shakily and held onto her sore throat.
Eric grabbed Sookie by the shoulders and yelled directly into her face, menacingly, with fangs out, "Sookie! Enough!" He hoped she would shut up before she got herself killed while at the same time wished she had more of her sister's intuition in these types of situations. Sookie's mouth was going to get her killed one day; of that he had no doubt.
Eric had never yelled at Sookie like that before. The look he gave her alone sent terror through her, but really it was the way in which he said her name that shook her to her core and left her wide-eyed and speechless.
"Well, I can see you have things under control here. Farewell, Mr. Northman." Lorena said while eyeing Sookie with a sly smile before sauntering triumphantly back to her room. She was confident that her evening would continue uninterrupted due to Eric's intervention.
Eric then grabbed Sookie, throwing her easily over his shoulder caveman style to take her back to his room.
Sookie immediately started kicking and screaming, "Put me down Eric!"
'What a fucking night!' Eric thought to himself as he closed the door behind them.
…
Eric let go of Sookie once they were safely in his room, which caused her to fall flat on her butt on the floor.
"Ouch! What the hell Eric?" Sookie cried as she got up and rubbed her butt. "That bitch has Bill locked up on that room! We've got to get him out of there!" Sookie yelled at Eric as best she could as her voice was getting a little hoarse after nearly being strangled by Lorena.
Eric ran his hand through his hair, smoothing it back in an attempt to gain some composure, which was hard to do as he had his own problems right now. Finally he said, "Lorena is his maker Sookie. He has no choice but to follow her command." He couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the irony of his and Bill's situation.
"This isn't funny Eric!" Sookie yelled upon hearing his laugh.
"No, it isn't, but there is nothing we can do about it now anyway." Eric replied as he sat down on the couch in the room and stretched himself out, placing his hands behind his head.
"Maybe you're not willing to help, but I can't stand by and do nothing!" Sookie yelled as she huffily walked over to the door.
Eric whooshed in front of her, blocking her exit before saying, "Do you have a death wish? I'm honestly shocked that Lorena hadn't killed you already with all the ruckus you were making in the hallway. I've known Lorena a long time and she does not have a lot of patience for those she believes are beneath her. Besides, I don't think you want to see what she and Bill are doing right now anyway."
Tears started to form again in Sookie's eyes as she knew what Eric meant; they were fucking. She couldn't bring herself to think of them 'making love' because that was what she and Bill did with each other. No, his maker was making him fuck her. It didn't matter that Bill had no choice in the matter right now. No, right now it just felt like a betrayal to Sookie. It was irrational and emotional, but she couldn't help feeling the way she did now. Seeing her love lying naked in that bed, seeing Lorena dressed in barely nothing, gloating at her superiority in the situation, knowing that her love was probably in the throes of passion with that bitch who almost just killed her; it was just too much for Sookie to bear.
"This just hurts so fucking much." Sookie said as she looked up into Eric's eyes, searching for some sort of understanding, which she was shocked to find was actually there. Before she could curb her thoughts, her mind flashed fragments of the dreams she had of Eric and her cheeks flushed a very bright shade of pink.
Eric, seeing that it this was a now or never moment in getting his revenge on Bill, placed his hand behind Sookie's neck, leaned in, and kissed her passionately, all the while imagining in his mind that it actually Arabella he was kissing.
Sookie didn't resist. She too felt a burning need right now for this to happen, to get lost in this moment, to feel something other than pain. Between the dreams and the blood bond and Bill fucking Lorena and just how gorgeous Eric looked in front of her, she threw caution to the wind without really thinking of the consequences and deepened their kiss as she started to hastily unbutton his shirt.
Eric followed suit, but instead of actually trying to save her garments, he ripped her sweater right off of her, followed soon after by her bra, pants and underwear, all the while still kissing and sucking on her wherever he could. She was amazed at how quickly and deftly he had disrobed her and it excited her all the more as she finally got his shirt undone and was now trying frantically to undo his pants in between his own frantic movements. Before she could though, he lifted her naked form up and threw her across the room onto the bed like a javelin. She was shocked by the somewhat rough and unromantic action, to say the least, but didn't have time to say anything about it as Eric in vampire speed had finished disrobing and was already on top of her, kissing her everywhere. It was all happening so quickly that there was no time to really register what just happened at the time.
Eric wanted nothing more than to get lost in this moment as well; to forget about Arabella, but he couldn't. Every kiss he laid on Sookie, every moan she let out, every touch she returned on him, every thrust he pushed into her; it all felt like tiny betrayals, each one sharp as a knife, cutting away at him. He knew that he should be savoring this moment. He had won. He finally got Sookie in his bed. He would be able to rub this in Bill's face; make him feel the betrayal he felt in Chicago with Emma and the lost business and friendship. But, just as Godric had said, revenge never tastes quite as sweet as you would expect it too. Perhaps he held his grudge against Bill too long and should have let it go. If he had, then maybe he wouldn't be in the position he was now, fucking someone he really didn't want to while thinking of another that he would give anything to fuck. No. He wanted to make love to Arabella, not just fuck her. He wanted her by his side, to be his. Now she was Godric's and Eric for the life of him didn't know what that really meant or if she'd ever forgive his words and it was tearing him up.
As Eric's thoughts drifted to his situation with Arabella, his attention to Sookie started to falter; his thrusts slowed until he finally came unenthusiastically. He didn't even bother to bite her nor did he care if she came at the moment. He was done. This wasn't what he wanted anymore. He rolled off of Sookie and lay on his back, staring quietly at the ceiling.
Sookie stayed on her back, staring at the ceiling as well, her thoughts now centered also on how wrong it all was. Bill, while very energetic in bed, never made her do aerials during sex. He always met her needs, always treated her tenderly, and above all else, actually loved her. And, she loved him. She knew this now more than ever. While she had always been curious about what Eric would be like in the sack, she couldn't believe that she just allowed this to happen. She was disgusted with herself. She didn't blame Eric as much in this situation, because he had never made any qualms about the fact that he would try to sleep with her if the chance arose, but now he was with her sister. 'Oh dear Lord, she's never going to forgive me.' Sookie thought to herself as tears started to fill her eyes. 'I'm never going to forgive me.'
"I know that wasn't earth shattering, but I don't think it was tear-worthy." Eric said in a horrible attempt at bad humor, trying to get her to stop crying. He hated tears.
"No, I'm not crying about that, although, no offense, I must admit that my mind wasn't really all that into it either. It's just… I can't believe I just cheated on Bill, but not only that, I did it with my sister's.. well, you." Sookie said, throwing her hands over her face that was now wet from the tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Well, technically Arabella and I are no longer together, so you only cheated on Bill." Eric replied while still staring at the ceiling.
"What? What happened? Is she okay?" Sookie asked, now worried about what happened between her sister and Eric.
"It's a long story, one which your sister will probably tell you about anyway, but suffice to say, she is no longer mine. She is Godric's now." Eric said, his heart breaking with every word.
"Godric? He's the head vampire in the Dallas nest, right? I don't understand. How could he claim Arabella? I mean, you already claimed her." Sookie asked, confused by the situation.
"He is my maker and can override my claim. You have to understand, makers have complete control over their progeny." Eric said, trying to hit home to Sookie how strong that bond is and to get her to see that even though Bill loves her, he is powerless to Lorena.
"Oh." Sookie simply replied but then added, "Is he mad at you? I still don't understand why he would take her away from you."
"It's… complicated and I really don't want to talk about this right now." Eric said, indicating that this was all the information she would receive about why Godric claimed Arabella, at least from him.
"Is she safe under his claim?" Sookie asked, worried about her sister. She didn't know Godric from the next vampire.
"Yes." Eric replied, but thought to himself, probably safer than with me.
"But I know she cares a lot about you. What does she think about this?" Sookie pressed on, still wanting to know more about the situation.
"I'm sure when you see her next she'll be more than happy to be rid of me." Eric said cryptically before he got out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom to take a shower. He stopped at the doorway before entering the bathroom, placed his hand against the wall, and said to her with his back still facing her, "You're welcome to stay here tonight, as I'm sure Lorena is not going to let you anywhere near that room, but know that we will not have a repeat of what we just did. And, if you know what's best for your relationship with your sister, you won't tell her about what we did tonight."
"I know I already regret what we did, but I can tell you regret whatever you did to cause the situation between you, your maker and my sister. Maybe you can still make it right." Sookie said softly before he walked into the bathroom. Her intuition was telling her that he was hurting a lot by losing her sister. She could only hope that she wouldn't lose her sister as well, or Bill.
"Don't talk about things you don't know about." He replied, with his back still facing her.
"You care more for her than you wanted to. I can tell." Sookie said, perceptively.
"Don't talk about things I don't understand." Eric replied and then quietly walked into the bathroom and into the shower, hoping he could wash her scent and the memory of what just happened off of him. Sookie's words had hit too close to home and he just wanted things to be back the way they were before Dallas. Unfortunately, now there were more secrets to keep. But you know how secrets are; they always have a way of getting out at the worst possible time. Eric sincerely hoped that Sookie would be able to keep this one, although with that big mouth of hers…
As Eric showered, Sookie rolled herself into a ball on the bed, wrapping her arms around herself. She never felt so alone, so ashamed, so hurt and so guilty. 'I would gladly have Eric glamour this night out of my mind if I knew he could.' She thought to herself as she cried silent tears for of fear of the aftermath that this night would no doubt incur, eventually.
…
After Godric left, Jason stared blankly at me, seemingly having a deer in headlights moment. Eventually he started to scratch the back of his neck nervously, before asking, "So, I guess we just sit here then, huh? Well…Uhhh, do you wanna talk about what just happened? I mean, we can, if ya want, or not, if ya don't…"
"Jason, as pleasant as that sounds, do I really look like I want to talk about what just happened." I snapped at him, replying sarcastically. It wasn't that I was mad at him. In fact, I was rather surprised yet appreciative that he would attempt to step out of his normal comfort zone to deal with my feelings. Let's face facts, Jason didn't do feelings. The simple fact of the matter though was that my emotions were so raw right now, that he didn't deserve to have to deal with them; not after all he had just been through himself. After realizing that I shouldn't be taking this out on him, and feeling bad about doing so, I took a deep breath and added with a small smile of thanks, "I'm sorry for that Jase. I really am. Don't think that I don't appreciate the offer, because I do; but I really just want to not think about it for the moment."
"Yeah, I get it. Sure; no problem." Jason answered back with a gentle smile, greatly relieved that he didn't have to have that conversation with his sister, because he sure as hell didn't have any answers for her. So with that out of the way, he started to sit down next to Arabella.
"Hold up Jason. No offense, but I don't think I'll be the best company right now. There's no TV in here, but I know there's gotta be one in another room. Why don't you make yourself comfortable, you know watch some sports or make yourself something to eat in the kitchen? There's probably food in there for their humans…" I said; with a little bit of edge to the last part.
"Are you sure you want to be alone right now sis? I mean, it don't bother me none to sit here with you, you know, keep you company." Jason said, meaning well and feeling a touch protective of his younger sister.
"No, really, I'm fine. Besides, I need to go through my stuff here anyway. And to be honest, I don't feel much like talking right now and I'm sure you don't want to sit in a quiet room staring at the wall." I replied, because really I just wanted to be alone right now. I was on the verge of a breakdown; one that I didn't want to have in front of my brother.
"Oh… well… okay then. I guess I could use a sandwich and I think there's a ball game on now too. Wow, I didn't realize how hungry I was until you mentioned food. Just holler for me if you need anything, okay sis?" He said, looking at me to make sure that I really wanted him to go.
"Okay, will do." I replied with a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. He didn't seem to be moving so I finally said, while shooing him with my hands, "Go on Jason. Trust me; I'll be fine."
I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief once Jason left because trying to keep my shit together was taking a toll on me. After that calming breath, I decided it would be best to try to ignore my emotional state. I mean really, who wants to have a crying fit in house that was not their own, let alone one owned by a bunch of vampires. So I decided to dive into the task before me, which was trying to pick out the stuff I really needed out of a bag full of glass without cutting the heck out of myself. 'Of course I'd have to be doing this in a fricking vampire nest.' I cursed myself as I carefully picked out my wallet and banged it against the table, trying to shake out all the loose glass bits. 'This is going to be fun…'
…
After I pretty much was finished going through my belongings, having salvaged what I could from the glassy mess before me miraculously without cutting myself, the doorbell rang. I looked at the clock in the room and saw it was 8:36 pm. 'Well, this sure as hell isn't going to be the girl scouts trying to sell cookies at this time. Didn't Godric say there shouldn't be anyone bothering us tonight?' I thought to myself, not really wanting to find out who was on the other side of the door. 'Maybe if I just ignore it, they'll go away.'
Unfortunately, whoever was on the other side of the door was not going away, and in fact was now banging their fists on the door, relentlessly, instead of ringing the doorbell. Jason was somewhere else in the nest at the moment and didn't come out to see what the commotion was all about. 'He must not hear this, or I know he would have come running out to see what's going on. Shit.' I thought to myself as I walked over to the door to find out what was so urgent on the other side.
My jaw dropped once I opened the door. Nothing could prepare me for what I saw standing before me.
"Ma'am… vampire… whatever you are. My name is Luke McDonald and I am a Soldier of the Sun. My mission, bestowed upon me by His holiness, is to vanquish as many evil vampires and their minions as I possibly can; to send you all to Hell, where you rightfully belong." Luke, the good-looking young man standing before me, said confidently as he opened up his jacket to reveal the fifty or so sticks of dynamite as well as the multitude of silver shrapnel objects that he had strapped around his torso, held there by duct tape, with a timer smack dab in the middle, in countdown mode. It had just under two minutes left until time ran out.
I froze for a second; my eyes wide in fear, thinking to myself I have to have the shittiest luck in the world, before quickly regaining my composure. I wasn't about to let this douchebag take me down with him.
"I am NOT a vampire!" I started to say angrily before getting cut-off by the crazy man standing before me.
"Well, it don't matter none if you are one or not. You are in the house of the devil right now. You will pay for your sins ma'am." Luke said self-righteously.
"Oh my God! You think this is that vampire house? It most certainly is not! The damn mailman keeps getting our mail messed up as well. We are 22343 Canterlot Lane, just like you see here." I said, pointing to the house numbers on the outside of the nest before adding, "The vampire house is 22434 Canterlot. Everyone that lives on this block knows that. They come and go all through the night. Shame we can't keep them out of the neighborhood, but the law is the law, I guess. Something about equality, or the such." I internally hoped that my quick lie would send the crazy man on a fool's quest to find a house that may or may not exist, wishing that he'd blow up somewhere else; somewhere where no one would get hurt but him. The world certainly wouldn't be missing anyone if he left it for good; it was plum full of crazy as it was.
Luke looked confused for a moment, trembling as he pulled out a piece of paper from his shirt pocket, his confidence from before dwindling, while I stood there watching the timer count down with just little over a minute left before detonation. "But Steve wouldn't have given me the wrong information…" Luke finally said, while I realized this guy had to have been given this insane task by Steve Newlin.
"Look, it's just me, my husband, and our two kids living here. Does this look like a vampire house to you?" I said as I moved slightly to allow Luke a view of the inside.
Luke was even more confused now because he didn't know what a vampire house should look like. This place was nicely furnished, clean and had no red or black like he would have imagined a vampire's décor to have. "I…I…I don't know." He finally responded, confusion all over his face.
"Can you turn that off?" I asked, pointing to the timer.
"No. I can make it go quicker with this button in my hand, but I can't stop it." Luke said sadly, looking down at the detonation contraption strapped around his body, obviously having a moment of regret.
As if on cue, Jason yelled from somewhere else in the house, "Hey Bella, you want a turkey sandwich? I'm making one for myself. You like swiss on yours, right?"
"Now would vampire houses have people yelling at each other about sandwiches; sandwiches they can't even eat? Not that I would know because I've not been in one, but I seriously doubt it. Look, the house you want is 22434 Canterlot. Seeing as you don't have much time, I'd go look for it now." I said pointing down the street while looking concerned at the timer, which now registered at 45 seconds left and dropping.
"I guess I should. I'm sorry ma'am for this inconvenience. Stay away from vampires, okay, they're nothing but trouble." Luke said before quickly jogging away from the nest. I couldn't help but think to myself, 'I already know that.' But, in all honesty, humans haven't been all that great either.
As much as I wanted to just go back into the house, shut the door and pretend none of this just happened, I couldn't bring myself to move from where I was standing, frozen to the spot to be exact, due to the shock that suddenly hit my system like a ton of bricks. And because of that, my body was forcing me to watch the clearly deranged man frantically jog from one roadside mailbox to another, looking for 22434 Canterlot. Even if I could move, it wasn't like there was anything else I could do at the moment. Calling the cops would be futile because they would never get here in time. And so, before I knew it, he exploded after reaching the fourth mailbox, blowing up an unfortunate blue Nissan Sentra as well, sending bloody body parts and car parts in all directions, onto cars, lawns, and the street. Some of the guy even landed on Eric's rental car, breaking the windshield. 'Awesome.' I thought sarcastically to myself. 'I bet he'll love seeing that whenever he comes back for the car.' I knew that I should feel something more about what just occurred; sorry for the guy who obviously lost his way, but all I felt right now was numb. I was brought back to reality when Jason entered the room.
"Did you hear that? Sounded like an M80. Someone doing fireworks tonight? I like a good fireworks show. Oh, by the way, I didn't hear you before, so I just went ahead and made you a sandwich." Jason said as he walked up to me, taking a bite of his sandwich while offering me one of my own with his other hand.
I ignored the sandwich, and Jason, and instead walked over to the stuff I'd managed to salvage. I quickly placed those things in my pockets and said with conviction, "Jason, we are leaving right now."
"What? I don't understand. I thought we were going to wait for your new vampire friend." Jason asked confused, before taking another bite of his sandwich.
"Now Jason!" I said as I started to run out of the house and down the street, in the opposite direction of the explosion. I needed to get away from the nest; from everything.
"Oh…ah…Okay. Hold up Bella!" Jason exclaimed as he quickly shut the door behind him and ran after me, confused as ever.
…
Jason followed his sister for what seemed like miles. Luckily for him he had that fresh dose of vampire blood in him, so he was easily able to follow her. She, on the other hand was running on pure adrenalin. Eventually they came upon a gas station where Arabella finally stopped, panting and trying to regain her composure.
"Are you going to tell me now why we are running like fools out here?" Jason asked while bringing his breathing back to normal.
"That boom you heard before was some crazy dude blowing himself up, okay. While you were busy making sandwiches, I was trying to get that asshole to go and blow himself up down the street, which he did, thank God. So when you asked about a fireworks show; yeah, I saw a fireworks show, but instead of the sky raining lights, I saw it raining blood and guts and car parts." I replied in a hushed but panicked tone after calming my breathing; however the shock of what just happened was starting to take effect again as I started trembling, nearly falling with my legs feeling like jelly.
Jason caught me in his arms and brought us both down to sit on the ground next to an outdoor payphone. Keeping one arm around my shoulders he said, "Oh my God Arabella. Why didn't you call for me? I coulda helped ya out."
"Truthfully, I just went into survivor mode, saying what I could to get him to go away. But also, I didn't want to put you in harm's way either. You're my brother, my blood. I just couldn't do that." I replied honestly, calming a little while fishing in my pockets for Luna's number.
"So what do we do now?" Jason asked, looking around at where they were.
"Now we go home. I am done with Dallas." I said as I stood up and moved over to the payphone, placing a couple quarters into the machine. I was about to dial Luna's number before Jason interrupted.
"What about Godric? Do you think he'll be mad that we just up and left? It's probably not a good idea to piss off a vampire sis." Jason said quietly while looking around to make sure no one was in hearing distance.
"I just saved his house from being blown up. He can come find me for all I care now." I said before finally grabbing the phone handle and dialing Luna's number.
…
"Just couldn't stay out of trouble, could you?" Luna said with a smirk on her face through the rolled down window of her car after she pulled up to the gas station where Jason and I were sitting, waiting for her.
"I'm really not in the best of moods right now Luna." I started to say before she cut in.
"Really… hmmm… does it have anything to do with the blown-up human found down the street from the Dallas nest?" Luna said, almost laughing at the situation. It seemed to her that the Dallas vamps were really getting it now.
"Luna, honestly, I just can't right now…" I said between gritted teeth, trying to keep myself from screaming. The effort to keep my composure was getting harder to do with every moment that passed.
"Hey there Luna, my name's Jason. I'm Arabella's brother. Nice to meet you." Jason cut in as he extended his hand to shake hers, hoping to ease the unnecessary tension.
"Hey there yourself Jason." Luna said flirtatiously, accepting his hand shake while taking the opportunity to appreciate the view before her. 'Well he cleaned up nice.' She couldn't help but think to herself. However, once she turned her attention back to her friend, she saw that Arabella was clearly not doing well, sitting on the ground, holding her knees and rocking back and forth. "Look, I'm sorry hun. Why don't you two get in my car and well figure something out, okay?"
"Thanks." I replied as I got up; thankful not only for her help, but also for her realizing I wasn't ready to kid about this situation, if ever.
"So, is there anywhere in particular that you two troublemakers want me to take you?" Luna asked casually as we got into her car, hoping to lighten the mood.
"Jason, do you have your wallet and ID on you?" I asked my brother.
"Uh yeah, I kept my real ones at the nest, so I put them in my pants pocket when I got dressed." Jason replied, patting the pocket on his bum where they were.
"Good. Luna, if you can take us to the airport, we'd be incredibly grateful. We need to get home." I replied, while looking out the window at the passing scenery. Luna had already started driving away from the gas station, wanting to keep these two on the move and as far away from the nest and that situation as possible.
"Can do, as long as you promise to call me and tell me what happened." Luna requested. The shifter council would no doubt want to know what happened on that street. But not only that, Luna wanted to make sure that her friend was okay.
"Thanks. I'll call you in a week or so." I said quietly. I knew she deserved an explanation, but I wasn't eager to have to re-hash this situation the minute I returned to Bon Temps though.
"Fair enough." Luna replied before engaging Jason in idle chit-chat while I zoned out, continuing to stare out the window, just wanting to crawl inside myself for a moment.
…
Godric sensed that Eric's emotions were all over the place once he arrived at the hotel, but it wasn't anything that couldn't wait a couple of minutes. Eric's emotional state didn't surprise the old vampire that much, given all that happened so far tonight and the fact Eric didn't have good coping mechanisms for those emotions. Godric knew he was to blame for that, but he resolved to fix that situation; fix his child. Fixing Eric was not going to be an easy job or one done quickly, as much as Godric would have wished otherwise.
In the meantime, he had something else he needed to attend to first. So, he walked quickly towards the front desk, ignoring the desperate scenes between vampires and humans in the lobby, and left the message for Sookie that Arabella had asked him to do. He knew that this would be the first step in making her see that he was sincere in his efforts and in return, this made him happy. He was surprised at this; that such a small gesture could make one feel anything, let alone a small bit of happiness. 'Huh. It's amazing the things that can surprise you.' He thought to himself as he turned away from the desk and headed for the elevator banks.
As he waited silently for the next elevator, he couldn't help but feel a little apprehension at the thought of what his next exchange with his child would entail. He didn't want to fight with Eric, or cause him pain, but he also wasn't going to relinquish his claim on Arabella just to appease his child either. He knew that he needed to see a real change in Eric; a commitment to being a better vampire, a better person, before he would let her go, or she could very well be hurt even more than she was now. Not wanting to surprise Eric unnecessarily by showing up unannounced, Godric made his presence known to his child by sending him a telepathic message of his arrival.
Godric was brought out of his thoughts when the elevator before him opened to reveal none other than Nan Flanigan, the AVL publicity correspondent and another female vampire of whom he was unacquainted with.
"Sherriff, there you are. Good. You know you are a hard man to find. Don't you check your fucking phone? Follow me." She snapped at him while heading back into the elevator she just came out of, causing him to anger slightly, though you would never know it by the blank look on his face. He knew that he had to maintain his composure with her. He hated this part of being a vampire; all the political landmines that one had to step around, but knew he had to play the game wisely, or it'd be game over. You don't get to live as long as him and not know that. However, as annoying as Nan was, she had worked her way up pretty high politically and could really wreak havoc on his world if she so chose. So, he simply followed her into the elevator, followed closely by the other vampire who was ignoring both of them while texting on her phone.
Godric stood there, motionless and silent, as he waited for Nan to get off the call she just received while in the elevator. Finally the bell dinged and they reached the twenty-first floor.
"Off we go folks. Don't be so glum Godric. For Pete's sake, you're not in any trouble; we just have some questions for you about what happened. Ah, here we are room 2112. We'll just have a chat and you'll be on your way to whatever you were heading to." Nan said breezily as they walked to the room in question.
…
Once they got into the room, Nan motioned for Godric to sit down on one of the plush couches in the suite.
"Do I really need to be here for this Nan? I mean, I've got other shit to do." The other female vampire asked resentfully. It was obvious that she didn't like Nan or being her inferior.
"Yes, you do. Now shut up, take notes and quit being such a whiny little bitch." Nan replied nastily. It would seem that the feeling of dislike was mutual. It didn't go unnoticed by Godric that Nan didn't bother to introduce him to the other vampire, not that he thought he was missing out on much. She wasn't his type.
"So Godric, First off I have to say that the AVL is exceptionally pleased with what happened here in Dallas. It's like we won the fucking PR lottery. You cannot imagine how much this has helped our agenda." Nan said excitedly but businesslike.
Godric looked at her with a blank stare, but didn't say anything in return. The atrocities that he saw in that basement and losing several members of his nest didn't exactly make him all giddy with happiness.
"Oh, that's right, you were held captive in that hellhole. Sorry 'bout that." Nan said with fake sincerity but then added while fingering through some paperwork, "But that begs the question, how did they capture you and what's his name? You're older than shit."
"Farrell. His name was Farrell." Godric said evenly.
"Yeah, that was the poor bastard's name. Anyway, so how is it that the two of you were taken?" She prodded again. She needed to make sure that the Fellowship didn't discover some way to neutralize vampires that the vampire leadership was unaware of.
"Farrell wanted to meet the sun and had asked me to sit with him until it was his time. He had an agreement, or so he thought, to end his existence in the church, with God's blessing so to speak. As you know, the church did not hold up their end of the bargain." Godric explained honestly. She could have asked anyone in his nest and they would back him up.
"Are you fucking kidding me? Why didn't you stop him? You were his sheriff." Nan said aghast that Godric would allow that to happen.
"He was beyond saving. He was done with… everything. I had known Farrell a long time and felt if the last thing I could do for him was give him some comfort at the end, then so be it." Godric said before adding, "You are quite old yourself Ms. Flanigan and I'm sure you have seen somewhere along your journey ones who cannot go on."
Nan cleared her throat, but didn't say anything further on the subject. Godric could only assume she had. The other, obviously younger vampire though just rolled her eyes while typing away on her laptop.
Nan instead steered the conversation in another direction. "The AVL is also quite pleased that this situation ended with such a low number of human casualties. One only, if I'm not mistaken; some prick who they ended up finding out through DNA evidence was a serial rapist. You couldn't have asked for a better victim. Anyway, as for me personally, I probably would have drained every last motherfucker in that church. To be honest, I don't know how you showed such restraint after what those shitheads did to you, but I'm not going to lie, I'm glad you didn't. This has been such a PR goldmine. Our approval ratings have never been higher." Godric couldn't help but wonder what the human populace would have thought about the vampire spokesperson or vampires in general if they heard her talking like this.
Godric said there silent. There was nothing to say for him on the matter, at least not to her.
Nan ignored the fact that Godric seemed less than enthusiastic to be conversing with her and continued her interrogation. "So, it is my understanding that there was a traitor in your nest. Can you elaborate on that?"
"There was and the situation has been handled." Godric stated simply.
"Annnnnddd…. How was it handled?" Nan asked flustered.
"By me. It is my understanding that as Sheriff, it is up to my judgment how to issue punishment. I have handled the situation Ms. Flanigan as I saw fit." Godric said with authority. While she was working for the AVL, she had no jurisdiction in how he conducted his nest.
"As long as it's been taken care of Godric. Good to see you still have your balls." Nan said with some admiration. In her position she had seen too many vampires scared shitless by her. It was nice to have one that was confident for once.
"Is that all you need Ms. Flanigan?" Godric asked, knowing that he would probably have to write out a summary outlining the fine details of what happened anyway. It was funny, for as much as vampires loathed humans, they loved human inventions, like paperwork.
"Yeah, that's all the questions I have. If you could fill out the forms on the coffee table, that'd be great." Nan said pointing to the pile of papers on the table before him before she began to scroll through her e-mail messages on her phone, looking bored as ever.
"Ms. Flanigan…" Godric started to say, making Nan pop her head back up, annoyed. "I would like to request a leave of absence from my duties as Sheriff of Area 9." Godric asked out the blue, surprising Nan. Vampires strive to go up the ranks; they don't ask to be relieved of their duties. The question intrigued Nan.
"Why?" Nan finally asked, curious to no end.
"As you know I have been in the position for a while and am growing restless. I would like to travel for a bit." Godric answered, not wanting to tell her the real reasons for his request.
"Well, we've all been there before. I don't think that'll be a problem. Do you have a second that you trust will be able to take over in your absence?" She responded with relief.
"Yes; Isabel Beaumont. She is quite capable and is due for a promotion." Godric said with pride. Isabel indeed would do well in the position. He had taught her well. He only wished he had done the same with his own child.
"Okay Godric, we'll take your endorsement under advisement. As long as she checks out, it's a done deal." Nan replied.
Godric wasn't worried, as Isabel was well respected and admired. He knew her approval would be assured.
"Oh, and one other thing Ms. Flanigan…" Godric said while Nan raised her eyebrow wondering what he was going to say next. "The AVL had promised a reward for the human who exposed the Fellowship."
"Yeessss. And to my knowledge, that human hasn't come forward." Nan responded suspiciously.
"A human has come forward… to me. I would like to accept the reward on their behalf." hoping he could get the reward for Arabella without making her identity known to the AVL.
"Godric, you know I can't do that. If I'm going to hand out money, I need something in return, like a press conference with that human." Nan said, trying to reel more good PR out of this situation.
"Ms. Flanigan, you are not the only one with friends at the AVL. If I have to ask someone higher than yourself, I have no qualms doing so." Godric replied, his superiority shining through his words.
Nan figured that Godric must be just trying to get the reward money for himself, maybe for his travels that he said he wanted to do. Not that she could blame him. She saw the pictures. He went through hell. "Fine. I'll transfer the $200,000 immediately. A press conference would have been nice though…"
"Thank you Ms. Flanigan." Godric said simply as he picked up the paperwork and began to fill out the forms at vampire speed, anxious to get out of this room.
…..
Eric felt Godric's presence after he stepped out of the shower. 'What is he doing here tonight?' He thought to himself before a dose of fear crept into his mind. 'What if he's here with Arabella to get her things?' "Shit!" He said aloud. He couldn't have her see Sookie in his room; in his bed, naked. Needing to find Godric before he came to his suite, Eric buzzed around the room at vampire speed, dressing before Sookie could even process what just happened. She couldn't make out his form, but instead could only feel the breeze he created in his haste.
"Eric? Is everything okay?" Sookie asked tiredly as the nights' events were making her extremely exhausted.
"Yes. I have to attend to something. Go to sleep. I'll be back as soon as possible. But while I'm gone, do not, I repeat, do not open this door for anyone." Eric said, not wanting to take any chance that Arabella saw what was in his room right now.
"Okay. I appreciate your concern." Sookie replied, thinking that he was worried about Lorena possibly looking to finish what she started. That thought didn't even enter his mind though.
Eric looked at her blankly for a moment, because he really wasn't concerned about her right now, but let it go and flew out of the room.
It didn't take long for Eric to pinpoint what room Godric was in. The only thing he couldn't' figure out was why Godric was in this hotel room in the first place. Jealousy started to creep into Eric's mind as images of Arabella and Godric sharing a rendezvous in the hotel room took hold. So, with anger boiling at the thought, Eric started banging on the door.
Now he was the one to be surprised when the door was opened by none other than the brunette that was the catalyst for his current misery: Emma.
"Eric Northman! Holy cow! I haven't thought about you, well, since you trashed my condo and I fucked over your chances for some lucrative AVL contracts. How've you been? No hard feelings, right?" Emma said cheerily, as if there was never any bad blood and they just had a little spat. Godric raised an eyebrow at his child, as Eric had never mentioned this incident to him; no doubt because he was embarrassed at the outcome.
"No, of course not. It's ancient history." Eric lied effectively. There was no way in hell he was going to admit to this bitch that he just lost the best thing in his life because he vowed revenge over her and Bill's actions.
"Oh good; because that would be like pathetic really. Although, I will say, I really had to work on Bill to take those contracts. The poor fool felt bad about upsetting you so much. I guess that's what drew me to him, his compassion. I'd been with too many men like you before; you know… assertive, virile, cocky… always wanting to be in control. It gets old after a while and to be honest, I like to be the one in control, running the chase." She replied with a wink before continuing, "Yeah, it was fun getting him into my bed, but after a while, milquetoast gets too boring …"
Eric's jaw tightened in anger at her admission. He had always assumed that Bill had wrangled those contracts from him by seducing Emma. He knew that she had a hand in blocking his bid for those contracts, but now, hearing that Bill had to be persuaded into taking them out of loyalty to him, well, he felt like a fool.
Before Eric could reply, Nan ran up beside Emma, eyed her scornfully, and said, "Mr. Northman I presume. Well, this odd reunion has been interesting, but just for shits and giggles, what the fuck are you doing here?"
"He is here for me. He is my child." Godric said simply before he handed the paperwork to Nan adding, "Ms. Flanigan, I am finished here. Am I free to go now?"
Nan looked over the papers at vampire speed. In no time she was done and replied, "Yes, everything looks to be in order here. Good job Godric. You should see the money in your account tomorrow."
Now it was Eric's turn to raise his eyebrow at Godric at the mention of money, but said nothing.
"By the way Eric, have you seen Bill lately? I know you two didn't leave on the best of terms, but you seemed friendly before…" Emma asked, curious as to what her old lover was up to.
"Yes, in fact I have. Currently I believe he is being fucked by his maker a few floors below us." Eric replied, trying to hide the venom in his voice as best he could.
"Yeah, I'm sooo glad I don't have to worry about that anymore. My master was a real asshole. Anyhoo, nice to see you again Eric. Tell Bill I said hey if you see him again." Emma said nonchalantly before returning to her laptop and began typing away. Eric just looked at her expressionlessly. He didn't feel like lying by returning the sentiment.
"Let's go my child." Godric said to Eric as the two walked out of the room into the hallway, the door shutting quickly behind them.
As they walked silently towards the elevators, Eric stopped suddenly and said, "I fucked up Godric."
"I know." Godric replied honestly.
"Can I fix this?" Eric asked, desperation in his question that only Godric could pick up on.
"That I don't know, my child. That will depend entirely on your future actions." Godric replied sagely.
Eric nodded as they continued to the elevator, again silent.