Chapter Nine:
Godric was confused as he landed before the old abandoned warehouse. The bond he shared with his children had brought him on an expected journey passed Shreveport and to the outskirts of New Orleans. He wanted to push at the frail bonds, but knew the moment that he did, Eric and Nora would be suspicious. He needed to first see them, to allow them to see that he was indeed alive, before falling into temptation.
He was worried, however. He had heard stories of this warehouse, of the underground lair of the Authority. It was new, only created since the Great Revelation, but it had still invoked a fear amongst all North American vampires. Those that entered the building rarely ever stepped out. He understood why Nora would be here, as a chancellor of the Authority, but why was his eldest child here? No one knew of Nora, no one besides Eric, and now Grace. To the rest of the world, he had only one progeny. It was better that way; safer for everyone involved.
Eric should not have been there.
"What trouble have you found yourselves in now, my children?" he murmured to himself before breezing passed the thin security on the outside of the building.
The moment he was inside, however, Godric knew something was off. There was a stench of blood that littered the air, both human and vampire. As he roamed the decrepit building, he found multiple different puddles of remains, along with a handful of human bodies lying forgotten on the ground. It sickened him to see such a disgrace. The Authority was meant to bring peace amongst humans and vampires; they had been the ones to suggest mainstreaming, after all.
But this, this was anything but peace.
Sensing he was no longer alone, Godric hid in the shadows as elevator doors opened across from him. He waited until the guards had passed where he was hidden before hurrying into the elevator without being seen. He ripped the camera off the wall before his presence could be known, crushing it in his hands with ease. The elevator reeked of blood, just as the warehouse had, and that only caused his worry to grow.
What was happening here?
What had happened to the Authority?
Godric doubted Roman could have been persuaded to allow such behaviour; he had been the greatest supporter of mainstreaming. Which meant, to Godric's unfortunate realization that something had happened. Roman was no longer in charge.
As the elevators slowly drew open, Godric was no longer alone. A ring of vampires stood before him, the barrel of half a dozen guns pointed towards his heart. Stepping out of the contraption, the ancient vampire considered the scene before him. He was certain now that Roman was no longer in charge. The Authority had gone insane, and that only worried Godric. Where were his children?
Ignoring the guards, Godric closed his eyes and allowed the slightest give on his bonds with his beloved progenies. He located them just behind the double doors to his right, both settled beside one another. They were not harmed, but he could feel their buzz of confusion, of sheer terror. It angered him to think that whatever had occurred, his children were afraid.
"Well isn't this a surprise!" a familiar voice filled the room.
Godric's orbs snapped open as Steve Newlin stood behind two guards, his eyes darting in every direction. He was a vampire now, a fate he was both surprised and disappointed at. Whoever thought to bring the bigot over was an idiot.
"Steve Newlin," Godric did his best to contain his anger. "Where are my children?"
"Ah," Steve glanced at the doors before back to the ancient. "They're a bit busy at the moment. I thought you were supposed to be dead?"
"I'm not," he replied dryly. "I'm here for my children, Mr. Newlin."
"I'm afraid I can't help you with that," Steve was smart enough to take a step back as the fury radiated off of the child-appearing vampire. "Now why don't I go get Salome and…"
"Bring Roman to me."
"Now I'm really afraid I can't do that. Roman is no longer…with us," Steve gulped as Godric's body stiffened.
His assumptions had been correct.
"Stand down, Newlin, or I will kill every single soul in this building. Bring me my children," Godric's voice was low and demanding. "Now."
Steve was nothing more than a scared little child, one that Godric had no patience to deal with. Before a single guard to take a step forward, Godric was ripping each and every one of their heads off. Blood burst from each body before they became nothing more a stain of goop on the ground. Steve's eyes were round with fright as he inched back towards where he had come. Godric had him around the neck, however, and without even trying, his head too had come free of his body.
"I believe I just did the world a favour," he brushed Steve's remains from his form before turning towards the room his children were being kept in.
A year ago, he would have been remorseful. He never would have killed a single soul. He would have reasoned as best as he could. His patience was much stronger then.
But it wasn't a year ago. He had changed dramatically since his faked death. Grace had changed him. She had made him realized he didn't need to be ashamed for what he was. It wasn't as if he had killed a single soul that didn't deserve it. They weren't humans; their deaths meant nothing to humanity.
And truly, he just didn't care.
His children – and now Grace – were all that mattered to him. Anyone that stood in his path would be destroyed if need be.
Ripping the doors open, Godric was furious to find his children kneeling on the ground, grasping at one another's hands as they stared glassy eyed at the empty space before them. He watched them for a moment, watched as they shouted to nothing. Something was most definitely not right.
This wasn't how he wanted to greet Eric and Nora after all this time. This wasn't how he wanted them to learn of his betrayal. But nothing about this was right. They were not right. He would worry about a better reunion later. He needed to snap them both out of whatever stupor had been forced on them.
"My children," he appeared before them both, his gaze searching their faces for recognition.
"It's Godric," Nora whispered, her eyes wide and filled with bloodied tears. "Do you think father hates me? Do you think he detests me?"
"I'm sorry, father. She is lost. I cannot save her. I tried for you father, and I failed," Eric bowed his head in shame.
Godric only grew angrier when he realized they didn't believe he was there, that he was only that of a mirage.
"It is me, my children. I am here," he assured them, kneeling down and grasping both of their chins. "I am here, you have nothing to worry. I'm sorry for my lies to you both, but I am here."
"Can you feel him too, brother?"
Eric hummed as his eyes closed, moving into Godric's touch. "It feels good, sister."
Godric sighed as he thought of what to do. He needed to get them both far away from the destroyed Authority, before their conditions could grow worse. He thought of using a maker's command, the only way for them to know for certain that he was alive.
Before he could, a voice interrupted their failed reunion.
"Godric?" Bill couldn't believe his eyes. The ancient vampire was supposed to have met the true death. He had been there in that hotel room when Sookie returned, claiming Godric had met the sun. How was he alive? Was this just a mere hallucination?
Godric's eyes narrowed at the sight of the civil war soldier. It seemed over the past year, whenever his child was in danger, this vampire wasn't far behind. "Compton. What has happened to my children? I will only ask once."
There was a flash of worry in his orbs as Bill's gaze fell to Eric and Nora before returning to meet Godric's. "They have tasted the blood of our one true God."
He wanted to groan. Godric ad lived long enough for the ridiculous stories of Lilith. But they were only that; stories. He had once known vampires as old as the supposed first vampire. She was nothing more than a story told to the younger vampires to keep them in line. Whatever blood Bill was referring to, it was all just a lie.
Godric didn't even need to ask where this supposed blood of the God was, Bill's orbs shooting to the opening in the wall behind him. Rolling his eyes, Godric sped to the glass-encased vial, ripping it from its holder and inspecting the contents.
"Idiots," he muttered under his breath. It was just as he suspected; faerie blood. It was old, preserved over time he likely assumed. It would have grown even more potent than from the direct source.
His children were high off of faerie blood.
"Was it forced?" Godric questioned, turning back towards his children. They were still out of it, still looking off into the distance and murmuring to one another. When Bill didn't answer, Godric's fangs extended for the first time that evening. Even his great control was waning. "I believe I asked you a question, Compton."
"He didn't believe," Bill stated, as if it explained everything.
Godric had to close his eyes, trying his best to control himself. But he couldn't. There was no control left.
"I don't know what has occurred here, or what caused Roman's death," Godric was before the soldier in a flash, wrapping his hand around his throat tightly. "I do not even care at this point. What I do care, is that my children are currently high because of your idiotic beliefs. I am not pleased, Compton."
Bill's orbs were bugging out of their sockets in fear. He tried to explain himself, but Godric was tired of hearing whatever lies were going to be given to him.
So once again, Godric rid himself of the trouble.
Bill's body burst into a pile of goo before Godric could even release him.
Godric's lip curled in disgust at the stench of the younger vampire's remains before he focused once again on his children. He knew he was going to have to use his command to make them believe he was alive, that he was truly there. Even with their shared bonds flowing freely, he was still nothing but a ghost to them.
Kneeling before them, Godric frowned when neither looked at him. They were still staring over his shoulder at whatever mirage the Fae blood was showing them. Sighing, he knew what command he would need to use.
"As your maker, I command you to look at me."
Nora's gaze was still staring into space, but there was the slightest bit of clarity in Eric's as his head snapped towards him. The Viking's eyebrows furrowed, as if trying to piece together the world's most confusing puzzle. And perhaps it was.
"Godric?" realization dawned. He hadn't felt his maker's command in over a year, not since he was commanded off of that rooftop. It was a shudder, a chill across his body that couldn't be replicated.
It was his maker.
He was alive.
"I'm here, my son."
A/N: Godric just truly didn't give a single shit. Fantastic, no? That is one way to deal with the stupidity that is the Authority and Bill Compton (you are all welcome, consider that a gift from me to you for not updating for so long). My apologies for the long wait, and the short chapter. This isn't going to be a long fic, maybe a handful of chapters left, if at that. But there's some great Godric as well as Eric scenes to come, so I hope you're all still with me!