Nine Years Earlier

Godric wondered just how long Vincent could continue repeating himself on the subject of taxes. The debate had already taken the better part of the night, with all of the Sheriffs weighing in with their opinions, but Vincent seemed unable to stop speaking. It was not so difficult a concept-either place a tax on the vampires in their area or don't. What use Vincent, or the Authority if he was to be believed, meant to make of the funds Godric did not know, but it was not so hard a decision.

Isabel gave him a barely perceptible nudge as his attention waned yet again. This meeting was to have ended over an hour ago. Mercedes was due to visit the nest, and only Stan would be there for her arrival. That was not a situation Godric was willing to leave her in. Stan might be fully aware of the consequences should he attack Mercedes, but that didn't mean he wouldn't seize such an opportunity.

It did not aid things to feel Mercedes' emotion at this time. His human was currently in the midst of a feeling he could only call betrayal. She was hurting, and at the moment he could do nothing to fix it. IF Vincent did not reach a conclusion soon, he may just be forced to walk out on this ridiculous excuse for a meeting.

"Godric!" Isabel hissed, thankfully muted by the King's droning. No one heard the woman chastise her Sheriff. He sent a dark glare her way before turning his head to at least pretend to pay attention.

"Call Stan, and make sure he has not harmed Mercedes," he ordered her quietly. If the younger vampire had attacked, Godric would rip him apart. Isabel disappeared to do as he ordered, and returned only a minute later, resuming her seat beside the younger looking vampire.

"Mercy is not at the nest."

He frowned minutely. She should have been there by now. That she wasn't, and was feeling that hurt, was cause for concern. Would Vincent just shut the hell up already? He was beginning to consider ripping out the younger vampire's fangs.

As soon as the interminable meeting was over, he sped to Mercedes' home. Isabel could handle the business of the nest without him tonight. His business was with Mercedes, and whatever had caused her to feel so hurt. He would allow NOTHING to harm his human.

He could feel her, inside the house. She didn't feel threatened, or scared, which was good. Her feelings had mostly translated to stunned disbelief, and anger. He didn't think she had been physically harmed. Nor could he detect anyone else in the house. He opened the door cautiously and stepped inside, hoping he didn't walk in on anything indecent.

"Mercedes?"

He found her in the kitchen, seated at the table, her cordless phone in her hand. She didn't look up when he entered, but he saw tears making a path down her cheeks, and his fangs dropped.

"Mercedes?"

Moving too quickly, he pulled out a chair and sat beside her. She was startled from her thoughts when he removed the phone from her hand.

"Godric? What are you doing here?"

"I could feel you, Mercedes. And you did not come to the nest."

"Is it time already?"

He could see the shock on her face when she saw the clock on the oven. How long had she been like this?

"Oh crap. Godric, I'm sorry, I—"

"What is wrong, älskling?"

She started shaking her head, a gesture he couldn't fully understand.

"It's so ridiculous, it can't possibly be true, but—I mean—why would someone lie about something like this?"

"About what, Mercedes?"

She giggled hysterically, and Godric wondered whether he would have to shake some sense into her. He hoped not; he could easily harm her with his superior strength.

"I just got a call from Child Protective Services," she said when she could finally speak again, "And apparently my wonderful father, who loved his family so much, stepped out on my mom. I have a twelve year old half-brother, that I never knew about."

Godric could understand her actions better now. It must be devastating, to learn not only of her father's infidelity, but of the proof of that infidelity. What he failed to understand was why the child services agency would contact her at all. When he gave voice tot that question, she set off on another round of hysterical laughter.

"This is the good part. His mom just died, and I'm apparently his only living relative. They want me to take him, or he'll end up in foster care. How am I—how can they ask me to do that?!"

Would someone really be so cruel? To ask such a thing—to expect that a young woman should take in a sibling she was unaware of? Of course they were concerned for the welfare of the child, but did they give no thought at all to the other person involved? Was there justice in asking Mercedes to take on this new burden? If there was, he could not see it.

She started crying, and he pulled her into his arms. There was nothing he could do to solve this dilemma for her her. He could arrange for the child to be sent somewhere, but he couldn't glamour Mercedes into forgetting. Even if she never saw the child, she would always know that he existed.

"I'm sorry, älskling."

He was certain that after she'd had time to consider, she would agree to take the child. She wouldn't be able to simply ignore his existence, nor would her sense of obligation allow her to send him somewhere else. No, this previously unknown boy would be a part of her life, and by extension he would become a part of Godric's life as well. Gods help them all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Godric didn't know what he was expecting when he arrived at Mercedes' home, but the boy was a surprise. He looked nothing like Mercedes. Where she was pale, and clearly European, this boy's skin was darker than a simple tan, showing the addition of other races. Native, perhaps? He had the smooth, jet black hair that spoke of Native ancestry. Were there any Native groups near Dallas? Godric was unaware. He had run into a number of Natives during his years in the New World; they were even more distrusting of his kind than other humans. The boy stared at him sullenly, which he did his best to disregard.

"Who are you?"

'My name is Godric. I am a friend of your sister's."

"That girl is NOT my sister!"

"Who do you believe she is, then?" Godric asked curiously.

"I don't believe anything they told me. There's no way my dad was married to her mother. He was married to MY mom!"

He wished to feel some sympathy for the boy. The child had, after all, just lost his remaining parent, and last connection to the only life he knew. But Godric could feel Mercedes' pain quite strongly. His human was still reeling from the news of this child's life, and only barely hanging on to her control. And after opening her home to him, this boy dared to treat her with contempt and severe ingratitude. He gave no thought to whether he was hurting others when he lashed out.

"Silence boy!" Godric hissed as his fangs threatened to emerge. The boy glared at him defiantly, but he was in no mood to play the human's game. He took a single, threatening step forward, and watched with satisfaction when the child took a frightened step back.

"You will cease lashing out at your sister. You will remember that it was only her kindness that opened her home to you, and that without it you would not have a home, but would take your chances in the foster care system. You will never again show such disrespect to those taking care of you. Nod if you understand me."

It was gratifying to see how easily the child could be glamoured. That had taken no effort at all. Mercedes' immunity must come from her mother. Godric knew he wasn't losing his touch. The boy nodded, but said not a word.

"What's going on down there?" Mercedes asked as she made her way down the stairs, a horrified expression on her face when she saw the child standing in a stupor.

"Godric, tell me you didn't!"

"That would be a lie," he answered easily, "and I promised not to lie to you. The boy is unharmed. And now he will cause you no more problems."

It was a simple solution to a difficult situation. He felt no guilt about it, regardless of his human's wish that he did. He would not spend the years this child lived in this house listening to insults to his Mercedes. In his early years he would have simply drained the boy and been done with it.

"Godric, you can't glamour Ethan every time he makes you mad. He's a kid!"

"Would you rather I terrify him, instead? I can do so quite easily."

"Right, because that would be so much better!"

"Do you expect me to do nothing when he behaves so towards you?"

"I expect you not to overcook him!"

He looked at her in confusion, until she pointed to the boy, who was still standing, entranced. Perhaps he had gone slightly overboard. He released the boy's mind, and watched him hurry up the stairs, muttering something about creepy teenagers and cradle-robbing guardians. He would let that go.

TB-TB-TB-TB-TB

Five Years Earlier

"Are you kidding me?! How the hell could you be so irresponsible?!"

"Oh my God, Mercy, calm down! It's not the end of the world!"

"I know you did NOT just say that!"

Their yelling was within normal human volumes, but was excruciating to Godric's sensitive hearing when he entered Mercedes' home. His human's anger had been strong enough to rouse him from his day rest, and he'd had to wait hours until the sun went down so he could discover the cause. He was unsurprised to learn that Ethan was involved. As the boy had reached his teenage years, Godric found himself wanting to drain him on a regular basis.

"Mercedes?"

The boy stormed down the stairs, Mercedes hot on his heels.

"Don't you even think about leaving!"

Godric instantly blocked the door when it became apparent Ethan meant to do precisely that.

"You know, you've got no room to talk! Not when you're messing around with this guy! How old is he, anyway? He looks my age!"

Mercy glared at her younger brother, and Godric could see her hand flex as if she was suppressing the urge to smack the boy.

"First of all, I'm not messing around with anyone. Second, we're not talking about me, we're talking about you! Your summer camp girlfriend just had your baby, and you didn't even have the courtesy to tell me you knocked her up!"

"Fine! Mercy, I knocked up Ashley, and she just had my baby. Now if you don't mind, I'm going out with Sam and Mike. I'll be back late. Oh, and I need some gas money."

Godric was amazed the boy had the audacity to demand money after such an argument. How was it that the child had learned nothing of responsibility? If one of his subordinates had addressed him as Ethan just did Mercedes, he would have crushed them like a leaf.

"Oh, I don't think so. Sit your butt down, right now!"

Ethan rolled his eyes and turned around to see Godric still blocking the door.

"Get out of my way, Godric."

"No."

Ethan had outgrown Godric, and it was amusing to see the teen attempting to use his two inch advantage as a threat. He simply raised an eyebrow at the human.

"You can't stop me from leaving."

"Watch me."

Ethan sighed, then grabbed Godric by the arms, and tried to move him. Godric remained stubbornly immobile, even smirking at the boy.

"Your sister told you to sit down."

Ethan tried to shove him out of the way again, and this time Godric reacted. In a move too fast to be human, he freed himself of Ethan's grip and forced him into a seat on the couch.

"What the hell?!"

"Ethan, I've had just about enough or your attitude, and your sense of entitlement. That all ends now. You are responsible for that baby, and I'm not covering your ass on this. There is no more going out with your friends. There is no more asking me for money. That's all gone now. As of tomorrow, your highest priority after your education is finding a job. You WILL go to work, and you WILL start sending the majority of your pay to Ashley's mom to take care of that baby. And you WILL, as schedules allow, take care of that baby yourself as well."

"That's not fair! You can't make me do anything!"

"Watch me. You are a minor, and I am your legal guardian. You made a baby Ethan. It's not about you anymore, and it will never be about you again. And it's time you wake up to that fact. And you're grounded, by the way. Just in case that was unclear."

"This is bullshit!"

Godric had heard enough.

"Mercedes, if you could give us a moment."

"Godric, don't—"

"He will not be harmed. I give my word."

He would not harm the boy, as much as he might wish to, but he would see to it that this ended. The human's behavior would no longer be tolerated.

TB—TB-TB-TB-TB

THREE YEARS EARLIER

"A vampire!"

Mercy looked up from the papers scattered across the table, as Ethan stormed down the stairs. Kate looked up from her work, darting a glance between the two.

"He's a damn vampire! Isn't he?"

Well, she should have expected that Ethan would work that little fact out, once the Great Revelation happened. All anyone had talked about for the last three weeks was the fact that vampires were real.

"In point of fact he is," she answered calmly, "how very astute of you."

"Wait a minute. Who's a vampire?"

"Godric! That's why he's so fucking strong! And why he never seems to get older! You've had a damn vampire in this house!"

"It's my house, Ethan, and I'll invite who I please."

"Wait. You mean to tell me that the kid who hangs around you all the time is one of those bloodsucking monsters?!"

Kate looked at Mercy in horror. Mercy just rolled her eyes.

"How long have you known?"

"Now wait a minute, Ethan, she couldn't have know what he was! I'm sure she only just found out herself!"

"I've known since he first showed up on my doorstep, seven years ago."

"Mercy, how could you?"

"You knowingly let that monster near me?! You knowingly let him around your students?! Well that ends now, Mercy! I don't want that fanged bastard anywhere near this house, ever again!"

Mercy looked between the two of them briefly wondering if they'd planned to tag team her like this. She'd known it would be shock, but she'd hoped they would be more reasonable, and not jump to the worst possible scenario. Apparently that was too much to hope for. She decided to address Ethan first, as Kate was a minor concern.

"I'm waiting for the compelling reason you think you have any say in who I admit into MY house, Ethan. Or why you seem to think you can dictate who I see."

"This is my house too, Mercy!"

"Actually, it's not. It's mine, and mine alone. And I would remind you that as of"- she paused to look at the calendar on the wall—"four weeks from now you won't even live here anymore. You'll be at boot camp. So I'll say again, just what makes you think your orders matter?"

"He's got you under some kind of spell!"

Mercy snorted at Kate's declaration.

"No, I read an article about them in Cosmo! They can cast spells on people, and control their minds. That's what he's done to you!"

"Oh, for goodness' sake! Really, Kate? You really think he had me under some sort of spell for seven years? No. He's my friend, plain and simple. And I won't have either of you treating him differently when he gets here."

"He's coming here? Tonight?"

Kate jumped up from her seat and darted to the window, as if she expected him to magically appear outside. When she saw the yard was empty, but the sun setting, she returned to the table and started pushing her papers into a pile before shoving them unto her briefcase, and almost tossing her laptop in on top of them.

"Kate? Where are you going?"

"I am not staying here with some vampire roaming freely through your house! They're dangerous, Mercy! You can't trust someone who's just waiting for the right moment to suck out all your blood!"

"Oh come on, Kate! He's not waiting to suck out my blood."

"Of course he is, Mercy! That's all they want from us!"

Godric heard the argument the moment he reached Mercedes' porch. He was gratified that she defended him to her friend, and her brother. Their reactions, though disappointing, were not unexpected. He was still undecided as to whether the Great Revelation was a good thing. Humans feared them, and rightly so. No matter what agenda the newly formed American Vampire League spouted, there would always be those of their kind who saw humans as nothing more than animals, and would always treat them so.

Not wishing to delay the inevitable any longer, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Mercedes?"

The loud crash in the dining room indicated that someone had dropped something, most likely her friend Kate. His opinion of that woman had never been terribly high, which he knew was mutual, but he expected that after tonight it would sink even lower.

"Mercy, I will see you tomorrow. In the daytime."

He heard someone gathering whatever had fallen, and he arrived in time to see Kate breeze past him without saying a word.

"I'm out of here, Mercy. I'm supposed to meet Sam and the guys at the movies. I'll probably be late getting in."

The boy at least ground out a greeting as he brushed past, which Godric only barely returned before the front door slammed shut. He looked to his human, to see how she was handling the situation. She looked a trifle upset, but not overly so.

"This Revelation has made things difficult for you."

She shook her head.

"No. This isn't anything surprising. They'll get over it, eventually."

"Perhaps I should not come to you so often."

It pained him to even think of not stopping by weekly to see her, but if his continued presence would cause problems….he knew that her brother and friend were right to worry. His position as Sheriff would only grow more dangerous as the hate groups developed, and they would. Humans always reacted with fear to what they didn't understand.

"Oh, so you plan on divorcing me, now that you're 'out of the coffin' so to speak?"

He froze. She knew—how did she know the significance of what he'd done? It was four years since he'd tricked her into presenting him with the blade that signified that she belonged to him. Had she known the entire time?

"You knew?"

"Isabel told me. It was a dirty trick, but I understood why you did it, which is why I didn't stake you for it."

"You are mine, Mercedes. I had to keep you safe from Vincent, and his court."

"Didn't I just say I understood why you did it? I meant it, Godric. But you try something that underhanded again, and I'll hurt you, husband or not."

He was sure she didn't completely understand. How could she? She remained immovably stubborn on the issue of becoming a vampire. Claiming her publicly was the closest he could currently get to his ultimate goal.

"The point here is that we've kept each other sane for the last seven years. You're not leaving me now just because my brother's an idiot. It wouldn't solve anything. Besides, he'll be gone to join the army in a month. So don't you even think of pulling out now."

He was so very relieved to hear her say that. His offer to leave had been made hastily, regretted the moment it left his lips. He would never be able to simply let her go. She was far too important to him by this time. Her brother, on the other hand-well, it was a good thing the annoying boy was leaving soon. It spared Godric having to hurt his human by ending her brother.