Dearly Departed

Azura stepped out of the car with the social worker later that day, the new home standing before her. To say that it was unsettling was a bit of an understatement, but she knew better than to complain to the woman that had given her a ride in. She didn't exactly have much sympathy for those that she worked with. She had gotten a bit of a reputation for it.

Walking with her up the steps to the old house, the front porch creaked with every stride. It made Azura miss Mrs. Cross's home all the more. When the woman that she was going to be living with opened the door, Azura was glad to see that the inside of the house appeared in much better condition and the woman had smiling, bright eyes with faint laugh lines on her middle aged face.

"You must be Azura," she greeted, reaching out her hand. Azura smiled back in return and accepted her hand to shake.

"It's nice to meet you," the younger woman greeted as she shook her hand gently, almost drowning in a feeling of inadequacy when she longed for the colder feeling of Godric's skin. Hell, she'd rather be with Eric even then with some family she didn't know. However, she knew better than to be rude to the people that she was homing with, so she instead just smiled along and shook hands, acting like a well-trained dog that wouldn't bite the hand that feeds.

"I'm Camille Gagnon," she introduced. "Come on inside, make yourself comfortable." Stepping aside, Azura walked in before the social worker, remaining quiet as the women made conversation over her head as though she wasn't even there. Instead, she looked around the home that she was to be staying in for the next couple of months until she turned eighteen. She didn't know what she was going to do when she turned eighteen, but she wished that she could go to Dallas to see Godric.

The home wasn't as drabbed up as Ms. Cross's has been, but one was far more average and 'family themed' than the others she had been to. It was a plain home that looked lived in and had the necessities to live with a couple of books on the shelves and an old television on the stand on the far side of the living room. Camille was talking adamantly with the social worker, inviting them toward the kitchen for drinks.

"What do you think?" Camille asked as she turned a smile to Azura, who smiled somewhat pathetically and returned that she had a lovely home.

"She was quite attached to her last home, but because of medical issues she could no longer watch over Azura," the social worker explained in a quiet voice, actually seeming to believe that she could no longer hear her. Ignoring the both of them, she took to looking out the window at the small backyard the grass yellowed and dry even after the continuous rain from the night before and the average summer temperatures quickly approaching.

Azura found herself wondering how Godric would stand living around people when he could hear them so well, and she doubted that what he overheard was complimentary. She could imagine Eric doing something reckless, like facing the people offending him and his kind. But Godric, she could not hope to think he would do more than act as though he heard nothing.

An hour later found Azura sitting in a small bedroom that had been put together in what she knew must have been a storage room before, with the smell of cardboard and old clothes still clinging to the walls. She had becomes so accustomed to Mrs. Cross's lavish home, with a well decorated interior and the comfort that made her feel like she had been living with one of those kindly grandmother's she always read about or watched on television.

Pulling her sketchbook from her bag, she flipped open to the page that had Godric's picture on it. Snatching up her pencil case, she soon set out to shade in more of the image, removing some of the more schematic lines that had been for planning and filling it in with the shadows brought about by a strong jaw and hollow cheeks. She began to smile was she drew, capturing the still image of Godric both on paper and in her mind.

Pausing halfway through her shading work, she switched pencils, flipped to a new, clean page and began a new drawing. A face more matured and hair far longer with an expression of boredom, Azura set about planning out Eric's familiar face. She was careful not to miss the smaller details about him, like the faintest ghosting of facial hair or the dimple on his chin, careful to make the intense stare of his eyes as accurate as possible.

Even Eric's sometimes overbearing presence was missed, and thinking of his face in her mind's eye made her eyes begin to sting with tears of the life that was once more taken from her. She was cursed to lose everything that she loved. Through years of the same thing over again, some homes worse than others, she had begun to adapt and grow accustomed to the life of hardship. With the arrival of Godric and Eric and Mrs. Cross's kindness, she had allowed herself to soften around the edges and it made her weak. Godric's care of her gave her the impression that she didn't need to be as strong, because there was someone stronger that was there to take the burden from her. It had been a mistake to open up so much, bare her scars to him and open herself up. She would happily make the mistake again if it meant seeing him one more time, but her defenses could only take so much.

So deep in her thoughts, Azura jumped at the soft knock on her door before it was opened ever so slightly, Camille peeking inside. "Hi, dinner's ready if you're hungry. My husband's brother is coming over for dinner as well so we'll have some company."

"Do you want me to put on something nicer?" Azura asked, unsure. She didn't know much about family dinners. On occasions in the past she had usually stayed in her room to avoid the drama of meeting a bunch of people that would only be fleeting in her life.

"No, we're not that kind of family. You're fine with what you're wearing. Just wash up and I'll set the table," Camille assured before she closed the door and scurried away. Azura blinked as she stared at the door for a moment more before carefully closing her sketchbook and slipping all of her pencils back into their place.

The woman seemed far more skittish now that the social worker was gone.

After washing up for dinner she made her way into the small dining area, her body tensing at the sight of the two men she had not yet been introduced to. They looked nothing alike, even though Camille had said that they were brothers, but as an only child—or she assumed she was, considering she didn't know her parents—she didn't have much experience to go off of when it came to sibling appearances.

"Azura, please have a seat," Camille said as she finished placing a fresh pitcher of water on the table, condensation rolling down the sides and being absorbed by the cloth it sat on. Azura awkwardly approached the table and took the remaining empty seat, across from the brother of her foster father.

"Azura, that's a unique name," the brother began, trying to strike up conversation, "I have never heard it before. My name is Richard, it's nice to meet you," he held it hand out across the table, careful not to knock anything over when she shook his hand ever so slightly. "This dumb-ass that you're going to be living with is Robert-"

"Richard, do not use that language around her!" Camille scolded as she swatted his arm, just causing him to laugh and hold up his hands in surrender. Robert, however, had turned to smile at Azura had held his hand out for her to shake as well.

He seemed more shy and polite than his brother as he daintily shook her small hand. "It's nice to meet you, Azura. I hope you like it here."

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you both," Azura answered in a soft voice, pulling her hand back and cradling them in her lap, her fingers knotted together nervously. She didn't like the overbearing male presence, it was nothing like when she was with Eric and Godric. Trying to put the two vampires from her mind for the rest of the meal, she allowed them to question her about things like her school and her hobbies, what she wanted to do in the future and other such dreams she may have.

All in all, dinner was an awkward affair and Camille allowed Azura to head down to her room to go to bed early, saying that it must have been a taxing day for her. Azura didn't comment but forced a smile and snuck to the bathroom quickly before she holed herself up in the 'bedroom' that was given to her. She could feel the beginnings of a headache and just hoped that it was a regular one and wouldn't turn into one of those visions that crippled her.

She decided to try and sleep before her temples began to throb. Draping one of her sweaters over the strange smelling pillow, the scent clinging to it so foreign and uncomforting to her already restless mind, she hoped it would help her fall asleep faster. Pulling Godric's shirt from her bag she smiled at the feel of it and stripped down from her day clothes before pulling it over her bare form, shivering at the sensitive feel of it rubbing against the still sore bite on her breast.

Pulling back the blankets and slipping herself under the recently washed sheets, Azura pulled the collar of the shirt up to her nose and inhaled deeply, hoping that the familiar smell would help her fall asleep. The scent of Godric that remained reminded her of the night that they had shared less than twenty four hours before. Sighing happily, she burrowed herself into the materials that were familiar to her as she allowed her brain to slow down and rest, closing her eyes and drifting off into unconscious.

It was hours later when she woke suddenly, her head splitting in pain as images flashed behind her eyes, someone screaming at another person in some kind of argument, but she wasn't sure who it was. This time she was able to determine that it was a female, but she couldn't tell much more than that. She didn't know who it was, or even what language she was speaking. Azura flinched as she pressed her face into the pillow, wanting to scream out her pain but knowing that she couldn't chance waking the others in the house.

Biting her cheek, she soon tasted blood as the burning in her skull slowly disappeared, giving her a reprieve. Her breathing was heavy and deep, her eyes feeling like they had been lit on fire from behind and her mouth was filled with her own blood from the gash she had torn into her own skin. Not wanting to leave the small room that was now hers, she swallowed the mouthful of blood and cringed at the strong taste of it. It was almost like she was swallowing liquid copper, so strong was the metallic taste.

Rubbing her hands over her face, Azura knew that she was going to have to fight to try and sleep this time.

Lying back on the strange, unfamiliar mattress and pillows she closed her eyes in hopes that she would sleep before the dawn came, or at least give her the peace of dozing enough to call it rest. Sighing loudly, she felt her eyes sting with tears when she thought of everything she had lost so suddenly. Mrs. Cross, Godric, Eric and her chance of going off to University on time.

In the darkness of night, Godric sat on the back porch of his home in Dallas, listening intently to the world around him as he thought of how different it was from France. The humidity was resumed as soon as he returned home, finding that he missed the nights that he had been able to remain close to Azura and felt that she was the only source of warmth near him, the nights cool and welcoming.

"I almost think you're too attached to her," Eric said from where he was leaning against one of the beams for the awning, her pale blue eyes watching Godric's every expression and knowing exactly when he began to think of the little French human that he met.

Godric glanced over to his progeny with the faintest of smiles on his face, getting a sigh from Eric. "I know that you have opened your heart to her as well, my childe."

"No I haven't," Eric denied in a voice that bordered on that of a temperamental child, disliking that they had been caught doing something wrong. Godric's eyes shined with mirth in the moonlight before he returned his eyes toward the city, his come disconnected from the business by acres of land and an ornate stone wall at the edge of the property.

Godric let out a faint sigh a moment later, however, that immediately caught Eric's attention and turned his almost moping look into one of withdrawn concern for his maker. "I will not be able to return to her for many months, if I have the luck of even that."

"You were the one that wanted to get into politics," Eric reminded almost snidely, but there was an undertone of concern for his maker. "I'll check on her for you when I'm next free," he added on a moment later. "Can't be that hard to find one human—hopefully this time she's at a house with bigger windows," he mumbled out the last part, but it made Godric smile fondly.

"Thank you, Eric," he whispered to him in Swedish.

Nodding his head, Eric turned to head back inside, leaving his maker alone with his thoughts. He had known Godric for his entire vampire existence and if there was one thing that never changed about him it was his need to think. Even as the demon that he had been when he turned him one thousand years before, he had always thought things through and planned.

Upon stepping inside of the familiar home, he was greeted with one of his many workers. The man silently extended his hand that was holding a manila folder out for him to take, containing all found information on Azura Bellerose. Nodding his head he strode away carrying the folder, glancing back to make sure that Godric was still unaware.

Disappearing into the room that Godric had put together for him when the house was being built; he tossed the folder down onto the desk and flipped it open as he took a seat in the expensive leather chair. Her latest student photo was paper-clipped to the very top and he could immediately spot her birthday, social insurance number and blood-type all tucked up into the top corner. Frowning as he looked down at her medical files, he immediately knew that Godric must have known about the abusive families that she had been placed with. There were a few broken bones in the past, but the largest concern was a severe case of malnourishment that had taken over her years back.

She had suffered from a concussion because of an abusive foster family once, immediately being removed and going so far as to switch schools with the distance that she had travelled across France to her new family. There was a brief summary of her entrance into foster care because of her abandonment as a baby, as well as how she had once been near adoption before her soon-to-be parents were arrested for drug trafficking.

"One colourful history for such a tiny thing," Eric muttered to himself as he dropped the pages back into place and leaned back in his chair once more. She had top grades and a near perfect attendance in her school records, but her teachers all made a comment of suffering from migraines that often interfered with her work during class.

Closing the folder, Eric pushed away from the desk and hid the folder away in his travel bag. Leaving his room behind, he returned to the living room and looked out to see that Godric was in the same place that he had been when he left.

Wow, it's been a while. Sorry that I haven't exactly been on top of this story, I've had this chapter borderline finished for a while but I hadn't gotten around to finishing it until just recently. I hope that I can get another chapter out soon, now that my Reading Week is coming up and I certainly don't have the money to do any of the 'Spring Break' crap that other girls apparently do in their study-time.