Chapter Fourteen: Someday When I Stop Loving You

Eric let out a sigh once Ellie hurried out of the room, tears slipping down those flawless cheeks of hers. There was an aching in his still heart as he sat back behind his desk, a hand running through his slicked back hair. He tried to calm the emotions that were threatening to overcome him. This was exactly why he had left in the first place. He hadn't wanted this. He hadn't wanted to feel this way. He was a vampire; he was a monster. Monsters did not feel, they did not love. Eric didn't want to be some lovesick fool who was ready to end it all to be with the love of his life again. That wasn't who he was, it never had been and it never could be. He couldn't be weak. He was over a thousand years old. He was one of the most powerful vampires in the new world. And now, with the threat of an invasion to his area, to the state that he seemed to be solely responsible for now that he had a disappearing Queen and missing sheriffs on his hands, he couldn't let his love for Ellie cloud his judgement. He couldn't allow her to be in his life, not when all of their lives were on the line.

Eric had predicted this would happen. He had the inkling that an invasion would occur. He didn't have the proof before, but everything seemed to line up. Whoever these people were, they had attacked the Queen's palaces and all of her immediate loyal followers. Why else would an individual do such a thing? But there was another reason this was occurring, and it wasn't entirely for the wealthy power that would come along with gaining two territories.

No, they wanted something else.

More importantly, they wanted someone else.

And that someone was Ellie.

She was the Phoenix. She was the most powerful being and she happened to live in Louisiana. With Sophie-Anne's weakened state and the prospect to gain such a rare being, anyone would be willing to attack, to invade. It was why those vampires had attacked Ellie in Jackson. It was why vampires had followed them to New Orleans. They wanted her. They wanted her powers, they wanted her free will, they wanted everything about her. Now that he knew his suspicions were much more than that, his worry only grew. Whoever was behind these attacks, they had destroyed two palaces with such ease. What was stopping them from destroying them all at any time? Because once they were out of the picture, once he and Godric and the other sheriffs, should any of them even remain alive, were gone, then Ellie would be free for the taking.

And he couldn't have that.

"Damnit." He slammed his fist down onto his desk, the wood groaning but remaining still.

All he wanted was to forget Ellie, to focus on anything but her. He wanted to leave and for the pain to cease. He didn't want to feel, he didn't want to love. He just wanted to be the same vampire he had been for the past thousand years. But he couldn't be. Because he couldn't just leave. He couldn't just leave her behind when her life was in the balance. These vampires could attack at any time. They were well trained and organized. They didn't even know who they were. They were dangerous and if he left, if he took off again for Sweden, then Ellie's life would only be in more danger. Godric's life had almost been taken so easily, he couldn't protect Ellie's alone. And he couldn't put his own progeny's life in danger for something he should have been doing. He may have not wanted to be with her, to feel this growing love he just couldn't cease, but he couldn't allow her to get hurt. He couldn't let any harm come to her. He had vowed to protect her many years ago, and that was a vow he would not break, not for many centuries. He would protect Ellie with his life, even if it pained him to be here.

"I won't let them have you." Eric murmured, his eyes falling on the closed office door, as if Ellie was still there before him. "You're still mine."

I sat on the side of the road, flicking at the stones along the curb. I had rushed out of Fangtasia so quickly that I hadn't even stopped to say goodbye to Godric. I just couldn't stay there one more minute. It hurt too much. My heart was aching, breaking yet again. Why did he always have to do this to me? Eric had been hurting me for years, and still I found myself loving him. What was wrong with me? I shouldn't love someone who didn't care at all about me. But what wasn't true, was it? He did care about me. He did love me, he admitted that. But he still couldn't be with me. He didn't want to be happy, to live our eternal lives together. Why? Why couldn't he just allow himself to be happy? I wasn't going anywhere, not like he thought I was. I wasn't going to find myself in that position again. Even if I should ever wake up in the In-Between again, I knew in a heartbeat that I would return home, that I would always choose Eric over death. So why wouldn't he just believe that? Why couldn't he allow himself to feel the emotions that I knew were driving him insane? I wasn't asking for much. I wasn't asking for him to change.

I just wanted him to love me.

I just wanted him to be here, with me.

That wasn't too much to ask for, was it?

"You shouldn't be out here alone, my dear one." Godric's voice came from behind me.

I shrugged, my shoulders slumping forward as I circled my arms around my knees. I heard Godric sigh before joining me on the curb, his gaze resting on me.

"I heard what Eric said." Godric wrapped an arm around my waist and I shifted closer to the ancient vampire. "He fears what will come of him if he loves you."

"He wasn't afraid before. He wasn't afraid those few days before we went to war with the witches." I could feel the tears threatening to spill and I quickly rubbed them away. "We were happy then, even if it was only for a few days. Why can't we be happy again?"

"He experienced losing you, Elizabeth. He experienced the pain of losing the love of his life. And that scared him. I cannot completely fault him for how he feels." Godric brushed his lips against my forehead. "It's a pain he never wishes to feel again."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"No one can predict what may or may not happen in the future. I never thought Kyra would ever leave me, but then she sacrificed herself for me. And I suspect you would do the same for Eric without hesitation."

"Of course I would, I love him." I sighed as I gazed up at him. "Why can't he just let us be happy? We were happy once, we could get there again."

"He's afraid of who he became when he lost you. He's afraid of loving someone as deeply as he loves you. He never thought it was possible for a vampire to feel in such a way. And now that he does, that scares him." Godric tried to help me understand, but I didn't. I didn't understand at all why Eric couldn't just let us be happy, to be with me. "To him, it would be easier to leave, to not have you at all then to become that person, to lose you again."

"That makes no sense." I mumbled.

"To him, the love he has for you, that doesn't make sense. He's known how to be one way for over a thousand years, Elizabeth. And then suddenly you enter his life and that all changed. I do not agree with how he is going about it, but I do understand the fear he holds." Godric's tightened his arm around me.

"You were never afraid. You never shied away from any emotion you've felt." I pointed out

"When I met Kyra, I had still been a newborn. I still held onto my humanity. I fell in love with her so quickly that I never understood what it meant to be a true vampire. I had the urges and desires of course, but Kyra taught me how to be good, to hold onto my humanity even though all I wanted was to leave it behind." Godric sighed sadly. "After she died...I'm afraid I lost all the humanity I had left. I killed; I destroyed all those around me. Even after I turned Eric, I taught him the ways I had been accustomed too because of anger and heartbreak. It wasn't until the last century that I began to realize that I couldn't continue down that road, that Kyra would not want me to act in such vicious and horrid ways."

"You were fine when you met me."

"Truthfully, I was scared when I first encountered you. I didn't want to feel. I didn't want to care about another individual, in fear that I would lose them again." Godric admitted, his gaze rising to rest on mine. "But then you wormed your way into my heart and you gave me hope, Elizabeth. You showed me that by not feeling, by not embracing my emotions, I was only acting like a coward."

"But you changed. Eric...he's never going to change is he?" the tears returned to my eyes, only this time I didn't bother to wipe them away.

"You just need to give him time, my dear one. He needs to come to terms with the love he has for you. He needs to realize that no matter what he may try and do, he will always love you."

But did I have the time to give him? Could I honestly just sit here, waiting for him to realize his mistake? Could I honestly live through this heartache, hoping that one day he would come back to me? I wasn't so sure. I just wanted it all to end. I wanted the pain to go away; I wanted the heartache to just vanish. I didn't want to deal with any of this anymore. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to move forward with my life.

And I couldn't do that with Eric.

I was beginning to realize that now.

I'll always love him, that will never change. He'll always be my soul mate. He'll always be the love of my life. But I just don't think I had it in me to wait for him, to hope that we could have a future together. I needed to be realistic. I needed to realize that what I truly desired was just never going to happen. Eric was going to leave eventually, and once that happened, either I could fall back into the pit of depression, or I could pick myself up and start a life for myself. If I held onto Eric, I knew I would remain miserable until that day came, if it ever did, that he realized he wanted to be with me. But if I let him go. If I decided that enough was enough and I moved on, maybe one day I could find even a sliver of happiness. I knew it would be hard, and it could take years or maybe even centuries before I find that joy in my life again. But I needed to at least try.

"What are you thinking, Elizabeth?" Godric asked curiously, using his thumb to softly brush away any tear that escaped. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"I don't think I can do this anymore, Godric." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I don't honestly think I can do this."

"Do what?" a frown settled on his handsome face.

"Wait for him." I was too afraid to look him in the eye as I said this. I wasn't sure how Godric would react. He so desperately wanted Eric and I to be together, to be as happy as he had been with Kyra. He had known from the beginning that we were meant for each other. I knew he would think I was giving up on us, and I suppose in a way I was. But sometimes you had to give up in order to find your own way. And that's what I needed to do. I didn't want to give up on Eric, on what we could potentially have. But he wasn't making it easy on me. "I don't think I can wait for him anymore, Godric."

"What are you saying?" his hand fell down into his lap.

I closed my eyes, wishing I could be far away from here. I wanted to crawl into my bed and hide under the covers for an eternity. "I love Eric, and I always will. But this just hurts too much, Godric. This is too painful. I can't...I just can't keep doing this."

"Elizabeth..."

"I think when he leaves, I think this will be it. He's stubborn Godric; he's not going to come back to me. This is what he truly wants. He doesn't want to love me, to have me in his life, so I won't be here. You told me I needed to move on, Godric, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to move on with my life, without Eric."

Silence filled the air and without even looking at him I knew Godric was in shock. I had been in denial for so long, praying that Eric would come back, that he would come to his senses. Well I wasn't in denial anymore. It hurt, I would admit that. And I don't think this pain will disappear very easily. I'll always love him deep within my heart. But the only way to find happiness was to do something about this black hole in my life. And unfortunately, that black hole revolved around Eric Northman. I didn't want to say goodbye to what we had, but Eric was leaving anyways. He didn't want any of this. It was over. It was done. He got his wish. I couldn't wait around forever, I just wasn't strong enough.

"Are you sure that's a wise decision?"

"I'm never going to be happy, Godric." My eyes opened and I turned to stare at him. As I predicted, shock was written on his face, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "And I just want to be happy for the first time in my life, and longer than just a few days. It's going to take awhile, and I know I'm not going to be able to just forget about Eric just like that. But I need to try and move on with my life. Or else I'm going to be miserable for the next couple centuries, and that's the last thing I want. And in a way, I don't think Eric would want that for me. I think he would genuinely want me to be happy."

And I did honestly believe that. Eric was still ready to protect me in a moment's notice, that was obvious with how he acted over the last few days. He didn't want me to be in harm's way, he didn't want to find me in pain, either physical or emotional. If there was a way to avoid it all together, I think he would want me to follow that path, even if it meant cutting him out of my life.

After all, that's exactly what he was doing, wasn't it?

"I cannot deny that I'm upset by your decision." Godric started slowly, running a hand through his short hair. "But I respect it. I wish you and Eric could just be together, be happy. But I realize that perhaps that's only a dream. It's not reality. I do want you to be happy, Elizabeth; it's all I've ever wanted. So if this is what you need to do, then you know I will support you no matter what."

"Thank you." I tried to offer him a smile, only to fail miserably. It would still take time before I could smile, before I could stand on my own two feet and say that I was alright. But it was going to happen one day, and I knew I would be relieved when that day came. "Because honestly, Godric, I really do need you in my life. That's selfish, I know, but..."

"I will never leave you." Godric assured, raising his hand to cup my cheek. "I'm here for you no matter what, my dear one."

I wrapped my arms around his form and hugged him, thankful that I at least had one vampire in my life who wasn't ready to leave with me a drop of a hat.

"You're losing her, my child." Godric stormed into his progeny's house later that night on a mission. He needed to get through to Eric soon, or else he truly would lose Ellie forever. He had hoped that given time, Eric would make the right decision, that he would realize that leaving had been a mistake. But it didn't look like that was going to happen at all. And now Ellie was prepared to push Eric out of her life, and she had every right to do so. He had seen the pain she had gone through, the heartache. She deserved to be happy, and unfortunately that meant she had to cut Eric out of her life for good. She couldn't wait around, hope that Eric would return to her. She had to create her own happiness, and that happiness did not include his child.

"Not now, Godric." Eric sighed as Godric entered his office within his resting place. "I'm not in the mood to discuss this tonight."

"I no longer care, Eric." Godric's expression hardened as he stopped before the desk, his glare boring right through Eric. "You're losing her completely."

Eric slowly lifted his gaze, an eyebrow raised as he took in the appearance of his maker. Godric was angry; he had been able to feel that the moment Godric stepped foot into his home. Why, he wasn't sure, but Eric had a sneaking feeling it involved Ellie. It always involved her. He didn't want to think about her however, not any more than he had to. He needed to protect her, but that was all. He couldn't love her, he couldn't allow himself to break down and fall for her, to give himself completely to a mere girl. He was the thousand year old vampire sheriff, and that was all he afford to be.

"I thought if I only gave you time, you would come to your senses." Godric shook his head, trying to contain his swelling anger. "But you've only grown more stubborn."

"Spit out what you want to say, Godric." Eric crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

"You've driven her to the point that she's ready to move on. She's no longer waiting for you to realize you've screwed up royally." Godric's eyes narrowed. "She wants to be happy, and that happiness doesn't involve you any longer."

"Good." Eric shrugged, though he couldn't help but feel a small pang in his heart as he heard this. But he couldn't care, he shouldn't. He couldn't love her, he couldn't be with her, she shouldn't want any of that either. It would only cause her more pain, and that was the last thing he wanted to put her through. It did kill him, to know the agony he had forced her to endure. He hated himself for doing this, for loving her only to rip himself out of her life. He knew he hurt her, and he wished he could change that. He wished he could go back in time and not fall in love with her. It would have been easier for Ellie. But he couldn't undo the past. He could change the future. They both would be happier apart, without one another. He didn't want to see her like this, but he couldn't allow himself to be the man she wished him to be. He wouldn't deny the part of him that wanted to be with her, that wanted to hold her in his arms. But he knew the risks. He knew he could lose her so easily, that she could be taken away from him. And he couldn't go through that again, he couldn't become the mess that he was.

"Don't you care? Don't you care at all?" Godric's fists clenched at his sides. "Don't you love her?"

"Of course I do!" Eric sighed, shaking his head in frustration. "Of course I love her, Godric."

"Then why are you doing this!" Godric looked ready to punch his fist into a wall.

"It's easier." Eric looked away, unable to take staring into those disappointed orbs.

"It's easier? It's easier to push away the woman you love?" Godric was about to lose it. He would give anything to be with Kyra again, to hold her in his arms for the rest of eternity. Eric had that chance; he could be with the woman he loved. And yet he chose not to. Why? How could he justify putting himself through this? "You love her Eric, I can see that. Why are you doing this?"

"Because I have to."

"No you don't. You can be happy. You can be with her. I would give anything to be with Kyra. Don't lose Ellie like I lost Kyra." Godric wanted to just shake his progeny.

"It's been 1400 years and you're still not over her. I can't let that be me, Godric." Eric hissed, glaring up at his maker. "I can't do that to myself. I can't allow that weakness."

"She isn't going anywhere, Eric. She's here, right now. You can't predict the future, you don't know what may or may not happen. But you can embrace the time you have together right now, not just shove it away." Godric tried to reason.

"No." Eric shook his head stubbornly. "I can't."

"Yes you can!" Godric threw his hands up in the air, his self control vanishing. "Damnit Eric, you're going to realize your mistake one day and she won't be there waiting for you!"

"Good. It's better this way." Eric ran a hand through his hair. "I'm done discussing this, Godric."

"No, we will end this discussion when I'm ready to." Godric growled, gripping onto the edge of the desk and leaning over top of it. "She loves you¸ Eric. She would give up everything for you. Would you do the same for her?"

Eric didn't answer, he merely stared Godric dead in the eye, as if challenging his maker. A growl sounded from the back of Godric's through as he grabbed onto the front of Eric's shirt, and drew him closer.

"Listen to me, my child. I love you, and I always shall. But you are being unreasonable. You love her; she loves you more than anything. Just be with her already. There is no shame in love; there is no shame in fear. But this running away, shoving her out of your life because you don't want to feel, that is only acting like a coward."

"I am not a coward." Eric narrowed his eyes. "This is who I am, Godric. This is who you taught me to be."

"I taught you wrong, as it turns out." Godric released Eric's shirt and stepped back, shaking his head in disappointment. "Some days I wonder I about you, Eric."

"I'm through with this conversation." Eric stood, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt.

"When do you plan on leaving? Tonight? Tomorrow? When?"

"Why do you care?" Eric curled his hands into fists.

"Because you are my child. And if you do not answer me, then I will command it." Godric pursed his lips together, tired of his progeny's attitude. "Answer me, Eric. When are you leaving?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Godric raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you should."

"I have an area and a territory to defend." Eric reminded him. "I cannot just take off."

"Why not? You seem to excel at that." Godric turned and began towards the door, not able to be in the same room as Eric any longer. He knew if he remained in Eric's presence he would only cause him physical harm out of frustration and that was the last thing Godric wanted.

"I know you want to make sure I don't go out and do something stupid, but I feel kidnapped." I mused as I sat on a bar stool in Merlotte's, watching in boredom as Sam filled yet another drink order.

"Well if you weren't so reckless..." Sam shot me a good natured grin.

"Yeah yeah yeah." I waved my hand into the air. "You and Sookie are a tad bit over protective, admit it."

"You ran off in the middle of the night to Jackson Mississippi and found yourself in more trouble than any of us could imagine." Sookie slapped me right over the head, earning a groan and a glare thrown in her direction. "You're an idiot, Ellie!"

"That's considered abuse, you know." I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head as I watched her stick her tongue out and bounce on over to the tables full of patrons.

Sookie and Sam had all but tied me down the moment I had arrived back at the house last night, thanks to Godric's insistence to fly me back home. I had been hesitant at first, as I didn't want to strain him if he wasn't yet completely healed. But he had assured me that he was fine and flew me with or without my consent. Sookie and Sam had just been coming home from work when we arrived, and Sookie had thrown herself at me. I didn't exactly blame how protective they were being. I had acted rather rashly. I hadn't given much thought when I decided to go with Alcide to Mississippi. I was desperate and just ran off in the middle of the night. And I certainly had found a good deal of trouble along the way. But I also found Godric, and that itself made all the troubles worth it.

Of course, Sookie and Sam had barely let me out of their sight since last night, and I was dragged to Merlotte's by the two that afternoon while Sookie worked the late shift. I didn't exactly complain however. If I stayed at the house for too long alone, I knew I would rethink everything I had decided upon last night, and I couldn't allow that to happen. I needed to go through with this. I needed to search out the happiness I desired, and I couldn't wallow in self pity.

"I know a good lawyer if you want to take her to court."

My eyes grew wide at the unexpected, but familiar, voice behind me. I swung around on the bar stool, and was surprised to find Quinn standing in the doorway of the bar, his hands stuffed into his khaki pants, a playful smirk plastered across his face. He was just as handsome as I remembered him to be. His eyes were dark pits of warmth, and his muscular arms were framed by a fitted sports jacket. There weren't many men who could stop me dead in my tracks by their beauty, but Quinn was certainly one of them.

"What are you doing here?" I shook my head and found myself smiling in greeting. "This isn't your usual hangout."

"It's funny, neither is Hair of The Dog." He shrugged his large shoulders as he looked around. Merlotte's wasn't anything fancy. It was a small town bar that was family friendly, nothing like Hair of the Dog and Fangtasia. But it was homey, that was the only way to describe the bar. "But I think I might have to make this my bar, just as long as beautiful Phoenixes are always hanging around."

I couldn't help but laugh, rolling my eyes and turning back around on the stool. Sam and Sookie were off to the side, watching us in interest. I could tell right away that Sam knew who Quinn was. I wasn't sure if he knew him personally, or was able to only tell that he was a shifter, but he certainly knew Quinn wasn't some regular old customer.

"Sam." Quinn nodded at Sam as he slid onto a stool beside me, his large arm brushing against mine.

"Quinn." Sam nodded in return, wiping his hands on a towel before slowly walking over. "What brings you to town? I heard you were up in Jackson."

"Doing a job in Shreveport, I heard you had a place down here, though I would check it out."

"Well we're welcome to have you. What can I get you?"

"Just a bud."Quinn answered before flashing me a grin. "And whatever this beautiful lady would like."

I was blushing, and Sam knew this as he shot me a wide smirk. "Ellie?"

"I'm fine." I mumbled, shooting Sookie a glance, silently praying she would waltz on over and save me. She didn't however. Instead, she shot me a smirk and headed over to the kitchen window to pick up an order. I groaned inwardly at her lack of help, and turned my attention back onto the two shifters.

"So how did you two meet?" Sam laid a beer down in front of both Quinn and I, winking at me in the process. I fought back the urge to stick my tongue out at him, not wanting to embarrass myself in front of Quinn. It shouldn't have mattered how I acted, after all, he was just someone I had met a few days ago, and I did still love Eric no matter how many times I told everyone I was done with him. But there was something about the man that made me want to make a good impression.

"We met at Hair of the Dog a few days back." Quinn informed, his smirk growing as he brought up the encounter. "Does she always get herself in trouble?"

"Oh you don't even know the half of it." Sookie snorted as she joined Sam behind the bar. "Table two wants a pitcher of beer."

"Coming right up." Sam nodded before getting to work.

"I'm Sookie, by the way." Sookie introduced herself to Quinn, her eyes roaming over his large muscular frame.

"Sookie Stackhouse, right?" Quinn nodded. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Oh so I'm not the only one you stalk then?" I teased the man.

"Sorry babe, are you disappointed?" Quinn's smirked down at me.

"Just a little." My own smirk crossed my lips. "I'm hurt that you had to stalk other women. Was I not enough?"

"Oh you're more than enough." His gaze fell, taking in every inch of my body, before resting his dark orbs back on mine.

"Oh you two certainly will get along." Sookie shook her head with a laugh just as Sam placed the pitcher of beer down onto the counter. "Well I better get back to work."

"Yeah go get busy so I can slip out of here."

"Not going to happen!" She called as she hurried over to her waiting table.

I rolled my eyes as I took a sip of beer. "They won't tell you this of course, but they're holding me prisoner."

"See, add that onto the abuse, and you've got yourself a case." Quinn nudged me with a large smile on his face as he took a chug of his own beer.

"Hear that Sam? I'm taking you and Sookie to court!" I called out to Sam childishly, feeling unlike myself when I was around Quinn. Or did I feel more like my regular self with him? I wasn't sure. I've been miserable for so long, so unfocused on my own life, that I really didn't know who I was anymore. But I could figure that out now. With Eric out of the picture, I could become my own person; I could be whoever I wanted to be and not have to hide away.

"Yeah yeah, can it wait till Monday? We're busy right now."

I laughed for the first time in god even knows how long. I was thankful I hadn't taken another sip of the beer, or else I would have flat out embarrassed myself in front of Quinn. But I did feel a lot better than I had even when Sam and Sookie dragged me in here. Maybe it was because Quinn just had that contagious personality, or maybe for the first time in years, I just felt free.

Whatever it was, I wasn't ready for it to end.

But it did of course.

Because Eric Northman always had to come along and ruin everything.

I heard him before I saw him. The moment his voice penetrated the room, I shuddered and fought the sudden urge to run right out of the room.

"Ellie." Eric spoke from the entrance of the bar, his eyes boring into the back of my head. "We need to talk."

My eyes closed as my breathing grew shallow. This was supposed to be a clean break. Eric was supposed to just leave and I wouldn't have to see him again. Somehow, that just made it easier. But this, this was just adding another knife along with the other hundred that were striking my heart every passing moment.

"Eric, I think you should just leave." Sookie came to my side immediately, temporarily ignoring her customers. The chatter in the bar had died down immediately the moment Eric had entered the bar, the atmosphere quickly changing.

"This doesn't concern you." Eric hissed. "Ellie..."

"Just go away, Eric." My voice was barely above a whisper, but I knew he heard me clear as day. "We have nothing left to say to one another."

"Ellie, now."

"No, Eric. Just leave already." I shook my head, trying to keep myself calm, to not want to burst out crying. He just needed to leave already, and for good. Because just having him enter this bar caused me a great deal of pain.

"Ellie." He growled in anger.

"Eric, it's time that you..." Sam tried to interject.

"Ellie." Eric repeatedly sharply.

I knew he wouldn't leave, not until he said what he had to. And I honestly didn't want to do this right now, at least not in front of nearly the entire town of Bon Temps. Knowing I had no other choice, I sighed and opened my eyes. I shot Sam and Sookie an assuring nod before eying Quinn. He looked like he was trying to not get involved, but his arms had tensed, his hand clenched around his bottle of beer. I patted his arm before turning around on the stool and slipping down to my feet.

"You have ten minutes, Eric." I didn't look up at him as I passed right by him and out of the bar.

I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked us into the middle of the parking lot, far away from any listening ears, but still close enough that I could run into the bar if need be. I kept my back to Eric for a moment, inhaling sharply to collect myself, before turning and looking up into those blue orbs. They were masked, as was the expression on his face, and I couldn't help but find myself intrigued as to why he was here. Was he leaving? Was that why he was here, to say goodbye?

"Why do you reek of Shifters?" Eric's eyes narrowed as he stared right down at me.

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Who was that man you were laughing with? He wasn't human." Eric demanded to know, a hint of jealousy in his tone. That only caused my anger to swell. Eric had no right acting like a jealous boyfriend. I was nothing to him, and soon, he would be nothing more than just a memory to me.

"His name is Quinn and he's a Were-Tiger, not that you have any right to know." I shot back at him. "What do you want Eric?"

"What are you doing with a Were-Tiger?" Eric's hands clenched at his sides, not happy at all with the company I was keeping.

"You don't have a right to tell me who I can and cannot spend my time with." I reminded him angrily. "You gave up that right. And anyways, he came into the bar on his own free will, it's not like I called him here."

"How do you even know him?"

"Enough with the questions, Eric." I shook my head, stopping him before he could continue the twenty questions. "You came here, interrupting my night, for a reason. What was it? You only have nine minutes left."

Eric didn't look amused at all, taking a step towards me in an act of intimidation. It didn't work however, and I only stood there with my head held high.

"Hurry up Eric; you're almost down to 8 and a half minutes." I tapped my foot impatient. "You better get talking."

"I'm here to say goodbye." His eyes narrowed even further.

"Well goodbye then." I made a move to walk around him, but he only stepped in my path.

"That's it?" he questioned. "That's all you're going to say?"

"You made it perfectly clear last night, Eric. You seem to love me, but you don't want me. Well fine, whatever, I'm done. Goodbye, hope you have a nice life. Now if you'll excuse me..." I tried to brush passed him for a second time, but yet again, he blocked my way.

"I'm leaving, for good, and that's it?" his own anger began to boil over. "After everything we've been through, that's all you're going to say?"

"What do you want me to say, Eric? Do you want me to beg you to stay? Because I tried that once, I tried begging you to stay and it didn't work. You still left and I was heartbroken. I won't let that happen again, I can't." I kept my arms tightly crossed over my chest, almost in fear that if I let myself go, I would just crumble into pieces. "So goodbye, Eric. I wish you weren't a coward, I wish we could be together, but you made that decision all on your own."

I couldn't look him in the eye any longer and tried my best to slip passed him, wanting to escape into the safety of the bar. But Eric wouldn't have that. He grabbed onto my arm as I passed him, swinging me back around.

"Eric, just go." I yanked my arm out of his grasp. "Please just go. I can't do this anymore. You're hurting me by being here. I don't want to hurt anymore."

Eric's hand fell to his side, his eyebrows furrowed together.

"I will always love you, and you have no idea how much I wish you could just let us be happy together. But you made that decision, Eric. You're the one walking away so just go already. Because the longer you're here, the harder it is for me. If you love me like you say you do, then please don't come back. Because I don't think I'll be able to handle it. I'm at my breaking point, Eric, and I just want to be happy again." there were tears threatening to spill, but I willed them away as hard as I could. I didn't want to break down in front of Eric, not again.

He just stared down at me with an unreadable expression on his face. I didn't know what he was thinking, and part of me didn't even care. I just wanted to start this new life, to move forward. And that couldn't happen until Eric left once and for all.

"Your ten minutes are up, Eric." I stared down at the gravel, a single tear slipping down my cheeks. "Goodbye."

He didn't stop me as I turned and began back towards the bar. I wanted to run back inside, but I kept my pace, the tears flowing down my cheeks like a waterfall. I was taken by surprise however, when Eric suddenly appeared before me. I jumped, but before I could do a single thing, Eric had my cheek cupped with one icy cold hand, his lips brushing against mine in one last sweet kiss.

"Goodbye my sweet one." He murmured.

My eyes were closed for the briefest of seconds, and when I opened them, he was gone. He was really gone. Eric Northman was out of my life for good.

He had never felt like this before. He didn't even understand the emotions that washed through him as he stared into those beautiful green eyes as he brushed his lips against hers for the last time. Eric hadn't expected their last goodbye to be as emotional as it was. He thought he would be able to leave without wanting to look back, without hesitation. But here he was, on the edge of the parking lot, peering through the window of Merlotte's. He had been halfway to Shreveport to say goodbye to his maker when he had turned around.

He had made a decision in those brief moments.

A decision that would change everything.

"My child?" Godric's soft voice broke through his thoughts, causing his stare to break away from Merlotte's.

"Godric." Eric breathed out before his gaze was back on that window, watching as Ellie wiped away the tears that had cascaded down her cheeks, Sookie at her side with Sam and that other shifter comforting her.

"You said goodbye, didn't you?" Godric guesses, his gaze falling on his child.

"I did." Eric nodded, his arms crossing over his chest. "I came here tonight to say goodbye, and that's exactly what I did."

"So why are you still here?" Godric frowned. He had felt the grief pass over Ellie, and he had assumed Eric had done the deed, he had said goodbye. He had come the moment he felt the emotion, and was surprised to find Eric still here, though he was hiding within the trees. Why was Eric still here, watching Ellie from afar? Was he having second thoughts? Did he need one last glimpse of the woman he loved before he left?

"I love her." Eric admitted. "I don't want to. I wish I could just turn it off, but I can't. I love her, and I fear that will never change."

"It won't." Godric shook his head. "You'll always love her, Eric."

"I know that no matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to get that silly girl out of my head. I'll leave, I'll push her away, and yet I'll dream every single night about her, I'll wish I had her in my arms."

Godric was unsure where Eric was going with this, but he felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps Eric was finally starting to realize that he shouldn't be leaving at all.

"I don't want to be weak, Godric. I don't want to become the vampire that I was when I lost her. That pain, that pain of losing the only woman I ever truly loved, it was too excruciating to even put into words." Eric couldn't take his eyes off of Ellie's form. He could hear her sweet voice even from this distance, and it warmed his still heart. "I cannot let that happen again. I cannot have her, only to lose her."

The hope Godric held was vanishing quicker than it had appeared.

"However, you and I both know that she is in danger. These vampires, the ones behind the bombings, the ones who I suspect are behind the disappearances of every single missing Sheriff between Louisiana and Mississippi, you know that they will want her eventually."

"I do realize that, yes." Godric nodded. "She's the Phoenix; she will always have threats against her life. There will always be those waiting to use her powers for the greater evil in the world. It cannot just be a coincidence that these vampires have decided to invade Louisiana and Mississippi purely because of Sophie-Anne's weakened state."

"They want her. They want her powers in every possible way." Eric scowled, despising the idea of anyone even attempting to harm his Phoenix. "And I cannot let that happen. I cannot let them have her. I cannot let them harm her, not a single hair on her body."

"I thought you didn't care, Eric?" Godric stared up at his progeny curiously. "I thought you didn't want to care, to love her."

"I don't. Or else, I thought I didn't." Eric sighed, his shoulders slumping forward. "This is all...It's too much Godric. I thought this would be easier. I thought telling her goodbye would end it all. But these emotions, Godric I'm feeling in ways I never wanted to feel in my life. She didn't even care. She wanted me to leave. She wanted to never see my face again."

"You're in pain, you're heart, while it's not beating, is breaking." Godric tried not to smile, to not burst out to his child that he had been right all along. "There's no shame in embracing emotions, Eric."

"You taught me once that it was wrong." Eric reminded him.

"I did, but I've realized my mistake. I never allowed myself to feel again after I lost Kyra. But then I met Elizabeth, and I realized that I hadn't been true to myself all along. It was because of her that I realized the truth. And I wish you would realize the exact same thing."

"I can't. I don't want to." Eric ran a hand through his hair. "I should have left by now. I should have disappeared into the night."

"Why haven't you?" Godric raised an eyebrow.

"This is my area. I need to defend it." Eric stole his glance away from the bar before them and stared down at his maker. "They nearly killed you so easily, father."

"But I'm right here, my son." Godric assured him. "I'll be fine, we both will. I will protect her."

Eric sighed once more. "That's what I fear. They think you are dead, Godric. Only we know that you're alive, us and Flanagan. These vampires, they wanted you out of the picture because they knew how powerful and influential you were. With nearly all the Sheriff's missing, there is nothing stopping these vampires from invading and taking over the state."

"What are you saying, Eric?" Godric frowned.

"When I leave... they'll strike at any time. They'll know there is nothing left standing between them and taking over Louisiana. They'll know they can invade the state. They'll know they can take what they believe is rightfully theirs; Ellie." Eric looked back over to the bar, and was surprised to see the tiniest smile crossing her beautiful face.

"What are you trying to say, Eric?" Godric pressed, trying to understand what his child was telling him.

"If I was here, without them knowing, we could both...we would be able to stop them, Godric. We could win back our territory; we could continue to keep her safe."

"Are you saying that..." Godric trailed off, not wanting to get his hopes up.

"I need to stay here, Godric." Eric turned towards his maker, looking him dead in the eye. "I'm saying that I'm staying."

Godric was shocked. He was surprised that his child had come to such a quick decision. Only last night he had promised that he was leaving, that he didn't care about anything else. But now here he was, vowing to stay, to fight against these unknown vampires that were threatening their lives.

"What about Elizabeth? You'll need to tell her. You two can still be..."

"No." Eric shook his head. "Ellie cannot know. No one can."

"But Eric..."

"No one can know, Godric. We cannot take these vampires by surprise if they know that I'm here, that I've been here all along. Nor can they know that you're alive." Eric explained. "We need to keep this between us."

"Elizabeth deserves to know, Eric." Godric wasn't sure of this plan.

"She deserves better, Godric." Eric sighed, staring back through the window of Merlotte's. She was laughing now, nudging the shifter beside her. He hadn't seen that smile cross her lips in many months, and he knew he was the reason for that. He may not want to feel these damn emotions, but he still loved her. And every single day, all he wanted was for her to be happy.

Even if that didn't include him.

"She's happy, Godric. She's smiling. She's laughing. She's happier without me." Eric tore his gaze away and stared up at the starry sky. "I can't hurt her any more than I already have. She wants to move on with her life, and I need to accept that. I'm glad she's as strong as she is."

"So you're just going to let her believe that you've left?" Godric shook his head. "I'm not sure of this at all, Eric."

"I want her to be happy. All I've done is cause her pain. Perhaps one day, many years from now, centuries down the road, I'll come to terms with how I feel. Perhaps one day we'll meet and everything will be different. But for now, I'm unsure of it all, and I cannot put her through another ounce of agony. I'm staying here to defend my area, to ensure her safety. If she knew, it would only cause her pain. So she cannot know, Godric. Promise me that you won't tell her. I just want her to be happy for once in her life. That's the only thing I wish for her."

Godric was surprised by what he was hearing. He wasn't entirely sure this was the better alternative, but Eric was admitting his fears, he was admitting that he had been wrong. And he was putting Ellie first. Eric had never put anyone first in his life. And here he was, doing just that. Godric still held hope that one day, they would find one another again, that they would be happy. Perhaps this was the stepping stone to that day. And they would need all the help they could get to take down this new threat.

"Alright my child, I won't tell her." Godric nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." Eric lowered his gaze, glancing at Merlotte's one last time before turning his back to the building. "I have a safe house close to here, should you need to ever visit me. Not a single soul, not even Pam, knows of it."

"I'll contact you soon."

Eric nodded before taking a step passed his maker. Godric watched as Eric walked further into the trees before pausing and gazing up at the sky. Before the Viking took off into the night sky, Godric heard the softest whisper from his child.

"I hope you find happiness, my love. I'll be watching you."