Chapter Thirty Nine: Man Of Two Minds

Godric sat on the porch steps of the Shreveport house, his head in his hands. His head was pounding. It felt like a thousand knives were entering his skull, trying to fish out whatever they possibly could. Godric couldn't understand it. Ever since he had awoken out of his dead sleep, he had felt a flicker inside his head, a flicker that no one but a witch could produce. And that worried Godric. He hadn't thought of the possibility of Victor bringing a witch into the mix. But he knew he shouldn't be surprised. Victor was not in the right state of mind. He was psychotic. Godric wasn't even sure if Victor was doing this for his supposed king. Did Felipe know of the massacre his regent had caused? He had only met Felipe on a handful of occasions, but he had never been a brutal member of the monarchy. He had respected him once, and like Sophie-Anne, he had called him an alley, one of his few and only. It was hard to believe that what Victor had done, what he was doing, had been orders from Felipe.

"Damnit." Godric growled as the pain increased. His eyes were screwed tightly closed, as if that would lessen the pain. But it didn't. In fact, the pain only became worse. He knew what was happening. The flickers had grown throughout the night. He had tried to fight back, and had been able to do so until now. He had felt thoughts that were not his own, as if someone was trying to persuade him. But he was a two thousand year old vampire, a witch, or any other being, couldn't just control him so simply.

But he hadn't been able to take a chance.

So that night, when he had spoken harshly to the woman he truly cared for, the one who had found a way to bring his beloved back to him, he had done so with purpose. He had known by the time that he had arrived on Eric's doorstep that the witches, or maybe only one, was trying to break him down until finally, they could take over his thoughts, over his entire being. So he did the only thing he thought he could do.

He pushed and pushed until he hoped Ellie would be so broken hearted that she would not search him out, that he could keep his distance from her. He couldn't put her at more risk, and he knew that if they had hugged, if he had rejoiced over the fact that it was completely possible for Kyra to be resurrected, then his mental barriers would have been broken down. And he wasn't sure what would have happened then. No, he needed to fight back. He needed to battle against the flickers, against the acts of persuasion. He would do so until the death if need be.

He just couldn't lead them to Ellie.

For them to find her at all.

And he would do everything in his power to ensure that.

"There's no use fighting it vampire." A hollow laugh filled the night air, Godric's gaze snapping up to find a woman who appeared to be in her mid forties slowly striding up the long driveway. Godric was on his feet in a flash, his fangs extending with a click as he poised to fight. But there was no point, as the woman stopped only a few feet away before a cry of pain emitted from the vampire and he fell to the ground in a heap, grabbing his head in agony. "Just let yourself go, vampire, I will gain access one way or another."

"No." Godric gritted through his teeth, refusing to give himself over. He couldn't. Because one he did, then all hope would be loss. They would be able to control him in every possible way. They could use his memories, his knowledge, and waltz themselves right to Ellie.

And that was the last thing he could allow happen.

"No." He growled louder only for an ear piercing ringing to sound in his ears.

"It's all over, vampire." The woman knelt down beside him, a cruel smirk crossing her lips. "It's going to be a pleasure to control you."

"I know what will make you feel better." Eric slid into the bed beside me later that night. His hand slid across my stomach, dipping below the hem of my tank top.

I rolled my eyes as I pushed his hand away, slapping his arm with the book I had been trying to read. "No."

"I thought you wanted to have mind blowing sex with me?" he flashed me a smirk, drawing so close that our noses brushed against one another. He grabbed the book from my hands and tossed it across the room and gripped onto my hips as he hovered over me. "We should be taking advantage of these moments of peace."

"How is this a moment of peace, Eric?" I raised an eyebrow as I pushed at his chest. I wanted to have sex with the vampire; I wanted it more than anything. But how could I possibly focus on having sex with him when all I could think about was Godric. I still couldn't believe how he had reacted earlier tonight. He had never acted so cruelly, so harshly towards me before. I couldn't understand why Godric was so disturbed at the prospect of the woman he loved being resurrected. I knew the risks and dangers and I was willing to do this. I was willing to sacrifice a part of myself, a piece of soul, to bring Godric happiness. Didn't he realize that? Why was he acting like this? He loved Kyra, wasn't he supposed to rejoice at the fact that he can finally have his second chance with her? I just didn't understand it at all.

"Godric is hurt and upset, he'll get over it." Eric sighed, raising a hand up to twirl a strand of my hair around his finger. "And while we wait for him to get over it..."

"Is sex all that you think about?"

"No, but it seems to be all that you think about." His smirk widened. "I can feel everything that you can, remember? Our bond was only broken for a few days and you already seem to have forgotten everything. And anyways, your arousal, the smell is very tempting."

I jumped as his other hand began traveling down to the elastic waist of my draw string shorts. I just lied there completely still as Eric smirked down at me, our gazes remaining connected as he slowly untied the bow before slipping his hand teasingly beneath the fabric. My eyes fluttered close the moment his fingers lightly danced over my panties, over my hot core. I could feel the heat, the exact same heat that always appeared whenever I was alone with Eric, growing between my legs, and I knew he too could tell that I was aroused by the way he licked his lips hungrily.

"You smell sweeter than I remember." He dipped his lips down, brushing them over my earlobe, nipping it gently with his extended fangs.

A moan escaped my lips no matter how hard I tried to force it back. It was impossible to stop the pleasurable sensations that were shooting through my body like fireworks whenever he touched me in any way, especially as he pressed all the right buttons.

"Sounds to me like someone wants this just as much as I do." His lips pressed against my neck, trailing down to my pulsing vein. Another moan emitted from my lips as his fangs grazed across the sensitive spot just how I liked it. At the same moment, he slid a single finger beneath the cloth of my panties, swiping it across my arousal. I shook from the action alone, my eyes rolling in the back of my head.

"This is...so not the...time for this..." I groaned out as his finger was joined by another before suddenly they just dived right into me, my moans growing louder.

"I think this is the perfect time for this." His tongue flicked out before suddenly his fangs pierced right into my neck, a gasp sounding from my lips in pleasure.

Eric didn't waste a moment as his fingers rode in and out of me while he hungrily sucked on my blood for the first time in too long. I was grasping onto the bedspread beneath me, my nails nearly ripping through the expensive fabric at the sheer intensity of his movements. I had nearly forgotten what any source of sexual excitement brought on by this vampire felt like. I couldn't remember that night with Quinn; I couldn't remember if he was even a fraction as good as Eric's fingers were. Eric just knew the right places to caress, to press, to stroke. It felt like he was peeling me back until finally, that passion and pleasure began erupting inside of me and I was unable to control the moans and cries of pleasure that were filling the room.

Eric's fingers began working harder as his fangs dove deeper into my neck. I felt my orgasm crashing down around me and still, Eric's movements wouldn't stop. He just continued rocking his fingers into me, quickening his speed that I couldn't even keep track of. I could barely catch my breath before a second orgasm arrived and I was screaming in ecstasy, my back arching and grinding his fingers further inside of me. Only when my body fell back limp onto the bed did Eric stop, slowly drawing both his fingers and fangs from me. My eyes fluttered open after a moment and I watched as Eric licked my blood from his lips before flicking his tongue out to his fingers.

"So sweet." He hummed, his eyes closing for a moment. "Just so sweet."

"Where are you going?" I sat on the bottom stairs, dressed in only one of Eric's shirts as I watched the vampire slip on his leather jacket.

"To see Godric." He answered picking his keys up from the hallway table and waltzing over to the stairs. He leaned down, pecking my lips before straightening. "I can't have you holding out on sex forever because of him."

"What we did last night wasn't so bad." I smirked up at him, holding out my hand for him to take.

Eric rolled his eyes as he grasped my hand and pulled me up to my feet. "Indeed, it was...fantastic. However, I want nothing more than to be with you completely, and I know that will not happen if your mind is elsewhere. And at the moment, your focus on Godric and I can't have that."

"So this is all about you then."

"It always is, my sweet little Phoenix." He brushed his lips across my forehead. "You should be safe here, just as long as you remain on my property."

"How exactly am I safe?" I wondered with a raised eyebrow.

"When I purchased this house, I paid witches to ward the property. No one can enter or leave my property without my knowledge." He explained, tucking my hair over one shoulder. "And with our bond, I can feel if you're in danger, which I hope you won't be."

"If you're willing to leave me here alone and think I'm safe, then I'll believe you." I smiled up at him. "Just don't be gone long. And slap your maker for me."

Eric snickered, shaking his head before moving towards the front door. Before he left, he glanced over his shoulder at me, sending me a wink.

"Keep yourself out of trouble, my love."

And then he was gone, leaving me to fall head over heels for the vampire.

So much for standing my ground, for waiting until after this war to figure everything out. But it seemed ever since I returned from the In-between, I had known what I wanted. I wanted to resurrect Kyra. I wanted to kill Victor and Bill as cruelly as they had killed me. And I wanted Eric Northman, every single thing about him. Sure, he had hurt me, he had destroyed me. But dying for a second time, it gave me a little bit of clarity. Eric may have done horrible things to me, he may have lied, and he may have left me. But he was here now, and I honestly wanted to just forget about the rest. Because life was short. I may always come back once I die, but Eric couldn't. Should anything happen to him and I hadn't been able to forgive him, well I wasn't sure I would ever forgive myself. I didn't want to live the rest of my very long life being afraid of every little thing. Eric may hurt me in the future; it was pretty much a guarantee with that vampire. But the love I had for him, and the love I knew he had for me, it outweighed the bad every single time.

And that's all that mattered.

But of course, Eric didn't need to know that I've forgiven him, at least not yet.

He's been working so hard, not missing a beat to try and get me to forgive him. And I liked it. I liked having him treat me with respect, for the most part anyways. I liked him doting on me like a princess. It was how a relationship was supposed to work. So I was going to milk this for as long as I possibly could.

"Oh Eric, you certainly have ways of persuasion." I shook my head before scooting down the hall to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.

Godric could do nothing but watch helplessly as his child landed in the front yard of his own home. He tried to control his own functions, his own voice, but it was nearly impossible. It was like he was stuck in another person's body, except it was his own. He had no control over himself. He was screaming out inside of himself, begging Eric to turn around, to return to Ellie and to just flee. But no matter how hard he battled against the witch inside of his head, there was just nothing he could do. She had latched onto him with her spells and he was stuck helplessly inside of himself, not able to do anything but watch.

"I'm not usually the one who has the level head here, that's right up your alley, but what you said to Ellie last night was just wrong, Godric." Eric stopped before him, his arms crossing over his chest. "She's broken up about it. You need to apologize. Or else I'm never going to get her to sleep with me."

Godric hated himself for what he had said to Ellie. And he knew that even with his excuse, even with his good intentions, he will be begging for her forgiveness once this was all over. If they would all survive that is. That was becoming unlikely as the days passed. And he could accept that, just as long as he could sacrifice himself to save Ellie. That's all he wanted. He would allow them to end his life just as long as she could leave, just as long as she and Eric could remain unharmed.

He just wasn't sure if even that was possible.

"Godric? It would help if you said something." Eric frowned, his head tilting to the side. "Godric?"

Not a word was spoken, though Godric tried desperately to warn Eric. He tried pushing the danger through their bond, hoping that he at least still had access to that. he must have, as a jolt shot through his progeny, his eyes growing wide as he stared down at Godric, as if he knew immediately something was wrong.

"Perhaps we'll continue this another night..." Eric slowly began to back away from Godric, away from the house he knew the witch and Victor's men were just waiting for Eric to enter.

But if he could warn Eric, at least through their blood bond, then he damn well would.

The witch must have known however, because before Eric could take flight, shots began ringing from behind Godric. He watched in horror as Eric's face twisted into pain, blood protruding from the six bullet wounds now in his chest. They were only silver bullets, and they had missed his heart, but he could see the immediate pain Eric was in, and he was helpless to do anything about it.

"Ah, Mr. Northman, I was wondering when you'd show up." Victor left the house, waltzing around Godric's still form as Eric hissed but was unable to do a thing as he was forced to his knees from the agony sweeping through him. He tried to swipe at Victor though, and had nearly grabbed onto his arm with every intention to rip it right from his body, but Victor's men hurried over, wrapping silver chains around the vampire and holding him captive. Hisses of pain escaped his lips as the blood began staining his dark shirt. He wouldn't die, and soon the bullets would leave his body. But those chains as they remained around him, they burned his flesh, smoke beginning to rise from the wounds.

"Excellent work Loretta." Victor turned to the witch as she exited the house, her fingers twitching at her side as she stopped beside Godric. She flashed the vampire a wide smirk, as if she knew that he could see her but not do a damn thing to kill her like he had the strong urge to.

"Thank you Victor. But now, the girl?" Loretta moved her attention over to Victor, licking her lips in anticipation. "When can I play with her?"

"Soon, very soon. Tonight perhaps." Victor nodded. "Can you have Godric lead us to her? I don't believe Mr. Northman will tell us where she is, will you?"

"Never." Eric growled. "Godric, don't..."

"Oh that's not your maker, at least not right now anyways." Victor knelt down beside Eric's pained form. "Though it would be so much simpler if you just told us. Then I wouldn't have to have Godric kill her. Though I suppose she'll just find her way back here, won't she?"

"I will kill you for this." Eric vowed. "I will rip your fucking head off."

"Now is not the time to be threatening me, Mr. Northman. Perhaps I could have let you all live if you just cooperated in the first place." Victor shook his head as he stood and glanced at the witch. "Loretta, if you will..."

Before he count finish however, a blonde leapt out of nowhere, knocking the witch down onto her back on the porch, fangs hissing in her face. Pam launched herself at the neck of the disgusting witch, but sunk her fangs into her neck nonetheless. A cry emitted from the witch as her eyes flew open, her concentration on the spell holding Godric captive suddenly breaking. Godric felt aware of everything around him so suddenly that he wasn't even sure it was possible. And then Pam raised her head from the witch's neck just long enough to hiss at him, blood dripping down from her lips.

"Go Godric, go!"

He sent Eric a single glance, and he saw the nod from his child. Ellie was their primary focus right now.

"No!" Victor waved his hands at his men as they began to charge at both Pam and Godric.

"Go!" Pam yelled before biting once again into the witch.

As the vampires raised their guns, readying themselves to shoot at the ancient vampire, he suddenly took off into the night sky, not even a round of silver bullets able to stop him.

I explored Eric's house while he was gone, before I found myself bored and escaped out onto the back porch. I had never really lived in the country before. I vaguely remembered the small Texas town I had lived in with my parents before they died, and then my brother before we had left for Dallas. But you couldn't have gone a few feet without finding a nosy neighbour, or a drug store where all the bored teenagers stood outside of on weekend nights. But here, everything was peaceful. It was only March, but the flowers were already beginning to bloom. I sat outside on the steps of the back porch, a glass of water in my hands as I just stared up at the starry night sky, enjoying the rare moment of peace. It was a bit chilly, and I pulled my cardigan around myself, but I could already feel the beginning of summer in the air, the humidity returning to the great state of Louisiana. I had lived in Texas for a great portion of my life, and I knew the short winters well. I wasn't sure how I was able to take the long and torturous winters of Chicago for nearly two years. I couldn't wait until summer was upon us. Maybe Sookie and Sam would get married during the summer months. I couldn't wait for that day to occur, and almost hoped for the two to do it at night, only so I could bring Eric as my date.

Just the thought of that brought a smile to my face. It was amazing what had changed between Eric and me in such a short amount of time. One minute, he was off, acting like a coward, and damaging me completely, and now here he was, acting like none of that had even happened. And part of me just wanted to pretend that it never did happen, that all along, we had been a happy couple. It was stupid of course; he had hurt me beyond belief. But this war, having met death for a second time in only a few months, it had changed my perspective on everything. I didn't just want to wait around anymore. I wanted to take life by the horns and just live.

And that's exactly what I planned on doing.

Just as soon as Victor and Bill were dead.

Because right now, that was very high on my to do list.

I sighed in content as I set the glass of water on the porch beside me before standing and slowly began walking out into the flied that surrounded Eric's house. I assumed his property ended at the tree line, and I made sure to keep close to the house. I wasn't sure what could possibly keep a stray vampire or Were from entering or attacking me at any moment, but I knew Eric wouldn't have left me here alone unless he knew I would be safe. And I trusted Eric Northman with my life. He may be many things, but I knew he would protect me in a heartbeat.

And I would do the exact same thing for him.

It's just something you did for the person you loved.

And as stupid and idiotic as it was, I loved Eric more now than I think I ever had before.

"I'm crazy in love." I muttered to myself as I lowered my hand and let my fingers graze over some of the wild flowers growing high above the tall grass that needed to be cut. It was beautiful though, and I found myself wanting to remain here for awhile, in this house, even after everything was over and done with. I found a sense of peace that I had never felt before. I had thought that Eric would go stir crazy out in the country where there was no one for miles, but as I spent time with him here, it seemed that he even enjoyed our time here together.

It would be a fresh start, and that was certainly something I wanted desperately.

I was grinning like a fool as I shook my head and turned back around to return to the house, knowing I've been out for longer than I possibly should have been. But something caught my eye as I began towards the house, and I never even got the chance to understand what I had seen before I felt a force nearly knock right into me, hands gripping my arms tightly. I struggled at first, too blinded by the sheer shock that I didn't focus on who had thrown themselves at me.

"Elizabeth, stop. I need you to stop." Godric's hurried voice met my ears, and I was surprised that I found I could only half calm myself down. I still had his words from last night ringing in my ears, and I immediately tried to shove him away from me in anger.

"Get off of me Godric." I snapped at the vampire, my eyes narrowing into slits as I glared up at him. "Let me go right now."

"I can't do that." there was fear and worry mixed in his orbs, and I knew right away, without him even saying so, that something was wrong.

I became still at that notion, my eyes growing wide.

Eric had gone to see Godric, to talk to him.

And now Godric was here, alone, and telling me to calm down.

What the hell was going on?

"Where's Eric?" I demanded to know. "Where is he, Godric?"

"Victor has him." Godric sighed, pain sweeping across his face as he said this. "He's been captured by Victor and his men."

"No." The blood drained from my face, my head shaking from side to side. "No no no no no."

"I need you to focus, Elizabeth." His grip tightened on my arms.

"No I need to go to him." I began struggling again. "I need to..."

"You can't do that, I can't let you. I need you to listen to me very closely, please Elizabeth." He was begging me now, and that scared me.

I could feel the tears forming in my eyes as I tried my best to listen to the vampire before me. But all I could think about was Eric and what Victor could possibly do to him.

"I don't have much time, I already..." he shuddered suddenly, his eyes closing as his teeth gritted together. "I need you to listen to me."

"What's going on, Godric?" I questioned him softly, blinking away the tears as best as I could. "What the hell is going on?"

"He has a witch, Victor. He has a witch and she...she's trying to control me." Godric shook me slightly, to ensure that I knew the impact of his words. "She was doing so last night, or at least trying to. I said what I said...I hurt you in the way that I did because I had to. I had to try and push you away as much as I could so if the witch had been successful, I wouldn't have walked her straight to you."

I felt light headed, my knees growing weak. But Godric held me upright, his hands loosening around my arms but still tight enough to keep me standing.

"I'm fighting, Elizabeth. I'm fighting as hard as I can." He shuddered again, as if pain was racking his body. "But I cannot keep doing so and I...I need you to know how sorry I am. And I need you to go."

"Go?" my heart was racing in my chest. "What do you mean go?"

Godric let out a cry of pain as his hands fell from my arms, only to rise up and grip the sides of his head. I swayed for a moment before I got a hold of myself, pulling myself together as I realized what was happening. Victor had a witch in his mix, and this witch, one who I swore I would kill when I had the chance, was trying desperately to control Godric, my best friend, with whatever spell possible.

And it looked like it was working.

"I need you to run." Godric hissed out as he fell to his knees within the tall grass, his entire form tensing in pain. "I need you to run now."

"Godric no, I won't leave you." I shook my head.

"If you don't run now, they'll come and they'll find you." Godric opened his eyes to stare up into mine. I saw the fear, I saw the concern, I saw the immediate threat. Those eyes, they were beginning to flicker to a colour that was not Godric's. They were turning a stormy grey instead of his usual blue green orbs, and I knew I was losing him. "Run now, Elizabeth. Run!"

"But..."

"Go! I can't hold her off for much longer. RUN!"

I didn't wait another second before twisting around and took off running. I had never run so hard before in my life. I wasn't even sure if I was even moving my own limbs as my legs ran me right into the line of trees and the woods that went on for what appeared to be miles. I knew I couldn't stop, to think of where to go. All I could do was run. Because I knew Godric was right. They would come after me, he would come after me once the witch had full control of him. And a vampire, even a Were, they could outrun me every single time. They could just follow my scent, or listen to the racing heart beat and know where I was. Maybe if I could at least put some distance between me and the house, then maybe I would have a sliver of a chance.

"Little Phoenix!" a voice suddenly called out.

A shiver ran down my spine as I pulled myself to a stop, stilling completely as I caught my breath, laying a hand over my heart as if it would shield it from the vampire ears.

"I know you're in here, little Phoenix."

I shuddered at that voice. It sounded so much like Godric, and in fact, it was Godric. But I had to tell myself that it really wasn't him, not completely. It was this witch, whoever she might be. She was controlling him. It wasn't Godric, it wasn't.

But that was hard to believe when he was calling to me, in that sweet voice of his.

"I can hear that heart of yours. You can't hide from me."

I knew Godric – no, the witch – was right. While they were in Godric's body, they could hear my heart, they could move at lightning speed, and every other heightened ability that a vampire, especially one as old as Godric, would have. But I had something better. I was a Phoenix. I was the most powerful being on this planet. I might be dealing with a witch, calling on powers and spells that I wouldn't understand even if I tried. But hell, I had my own tricks up my sleeves. And if this witch wanted a fight, then I would damn well give one to her. I couldn't outrun them while she was in Godric's body. I would only die trying. But I could fight back. I couldn't die, not really.

But I also couldn't hurt Godric. I couldn't hurt his body, or even kill him in order to kill the witch. That was out of the question.

"Ah, here you are."

I jumped back in surprise when I found Godric suddenly before me, my eyes growing wide as his fangs extending, his tongue licking at his lips in hunger.

"Godric..." I took a step back. "I know you're in there, fight back. I know you can do it. Just fight back."

But he couldn't. The witch was just too powerful.

"I was hoping for more of a chase." Godric's body stepped forward. "I was looking forward to it."

"You want a chase?" I raised an eyebrow, thinking quickly as my eyes darted in every direction. "Well then catch me."

And then I bolted to my right. I ran through trees, pushing my way through branches, some catching me on my arms and legs enough to scratch right through the fabric of my clothes. I winced and cringed as I felt my skin being scratched and torn from the branches. But my feet were the worst. I hadn't been wearing shoes when I had left the house. And now I was running through woods, not able to see a single thing as I tore through the trees in hope of finding some sort of sanctuary. I knew I would fight, I had to in order to keep myself alive, or at least out of the In-Between. But if I could at least find a way to get the upper hand, a location that could work in my favour, then all of this pain, all of thing stinging, it would be worth it.

"Well this is just no fun." Once again, Godric came out of nowhere before me, forcing me to halt.

My legs were growing tired. So tired that they were numb. I couldn't feel the aches or cramps that I knew I should have been feeling. I was out of breath and needed a moment to collect myself before taking back off. I spied another patch of field just to my left, and I thought if I could at least reach there...

I had to dart through the trees suddenly, hoping to take the witch by surprise. I focused my energy on Godric's form before freezing her to the spot. I knew running and using the concentration that I had on Godric, I wouldn't be able to do both for very long. But I held onto Godric's frozen form for as long as I physically could take before breaking it and sliding out into the field. I should have felt safer in amongst the trees instead of an open field. But something felt familiar and oddly comforting about the tall grass, the wildflowers. And even the farm house way off into the distance.

"Cute display of power, little Phoenix, but I can do better."

I shot into the field as far as I could go before I found myself freezing to the spot, unable to move a single muscle. My eyes grew wide as Godric flashed before me, only a few feet away. Those fangs were baring at me, and I knew the witches intent. But there was just no way to stop it as Godric slowly drew closer.

And then I felt a warmth in my chest that I had nearly forgotten about. My eyes fluttered closed as the comforting warmth spread through my entire body like a wildfire, and that was exactly what I created the next moment. I heard the sizzling crackle of flames before I saw them, and as I slowly drew my eyes open, I was pleased to find a wall of flames erupting around me in a circle. I felt the spell being broken from around my body and I was able to move, stumbling forward slightly but still able to keep control of the fire with ease. Fire was the element we were given, the element that we could manipulate and control. It felt more second nature than even breathing or blinking. I didn't have to think twice about it. I could always rely on fire, as if it acted like a best friend; always there no matter what the circumstance.

Until suddenly a hole was created in the flames and Godric's form stepped into the circle before the flamed closed once again. I was now trapped in a circle of flames with a vampire, no, a vampire being controlled by a witch. But it wasn't just any vampire, and that was why I hadn't struck him yet. This was my best friend. This was Godric. And despite his harsh words, despite what he had said to me last night, I still loved him unconditionally. We were a family, an odd little one, but we were a family nonetheless. And I couldn't hurt him. Because somewhere deep inside of that body, Godric was still there, he was fighting as hard as he could to battle this witch from inside of himself.

"Who are you?" I demanded to know as I took a step backwards towards the flames. I tried to rid them, I tried to put them out, but the moment the flickers of flames started to die, the witch began chanting under their breath until the flames grew even higher.

"I know all there is to know about you. I've been watching you closely." Godric's form stepped closer to me, and with nowhere to go, his hand was able to reach out and grasp around my neck with ease. I winced as he tightened his grip, yanking me right off of my feet as he raised me up into the air, my feet dangling off of the ground. "I've been waiting for just the right moment when I could kill you myself."

"You can't kill me." I scratched at Godric's hand, trying to pull his grip away from me as the oxygen began leaving my lungs. I tried not to panic, I tried to just breathe short little breaths, not using too much of my fading oxygen. But it didn't seem to matter as his hand only tightened further around my throat, black dots beginning to appear around my vision as I grew light headed.

"Maybe not, but I can have fun trying."

"No." I shook my head, my struggles beginning to grow more frantic. "Let. Me. Go."

"I don't think so."

My eyes were fluttering close as the pressure around my throat became nearly too much. The bones in my neck were starting to shudder, and I feared that this witch controlling Godric's form would snap my neck off, just like that. I squeezed my eyes shut as the witch began chanting, trying to summon whatever power I possibly could to fight back. I tried my best to relax, my struggles falling silent as I just let my mind relax. I could feel the grip beginning to slowly loosen, but a new pain began to erupt through me as it felt like a knife was slicing apart my body, one cut at a time. A cry of pain emitted from my lips as my eyes flew open, only to stare down at my own body, the blood beginning to soak into my clothes.

"I'm going to have so much fun with you. You will pay for what you've done to my son." The witch hissed.

"Your son?" I clenched my teeth together as the gashes just continued to appear on my body without any warning. Whatever spell this witch had cast, it was effective enough to cause me to shudder in pain violently.

"You don't even remember him, do you?" the witch tightened their grip on my neck. "You killed him. Murderer."

I tried to think of who this witch could possibly be talking about. But I've killed too many men, and that was not something I was proud of.

"You killed him. You destroyed his potential. He was going to be the first." Godric's eyes narrowed as the witch continued to control him. I stared into those eyes for a moment, wondering how much of this Godric could actually witness. "I knew what he would become when I met his father, when I slept with a demon. I wanted my son to have power, to have all the power he could possibly have. No one but I knew what he could do, what a half demon half witch could do."

I knew immediately who she was speaking of, my eyes growing wide. I had almost completely forgotten about that half demon. I've had many enemies since him, and I was sure I would have hundreds more before my life eventually ended in the future. He had been strong, that I could remember. But I had also killed him. I shoved that dagger the Phoenixes had sent me right into his chest and he had died before me. I realized why this witch wanted revenge now. I had killed her son, her powerful son.

And now she wanted to kill me in return.

The witch began chanting again, but I knew I had to do something immediately. So I grasped onto Godric's hand wrapped tightly around my throat, and I silently prayed that Godric would forgive me for this. My eyes shut for only a moment as I inhaled deeply, the warmth enveloping my body quicker than it had before. Without even looking, I knew there was a slight glow around my hands as I sent the power, the source of energy, the fire, right through my body and into his. It didn't take long for the glow to envelope just his hand before quickly fading away, a loud hiss of pain sounding from the vampire before his hand dropped from me. I came crashing down to the ground as the witch stumbled backwards, holding onto Godric's arm as if it were on fire. It wasn't, not from the outside however. I knew I only had moments before this killed Godric, and I just hoped it would be long enough to take care of the witch inside of my best friend.

I sent another wave of energy to the witch as I suddenly leapt to my feet and placed both of my hands over where Godric's heart was. The witch was too startled to move as I stared into those flickering eyes.

"Please forgive me, Godric. Fight. Fight for me." I whispered to him as the energy was just blasted into him through the warmth of my body. His form fell to his knees as a scream of agony left his lips. I had to step backwards, to look away as he withered in pain. I knew he was in pain, I knew he felt like his insides were burning up completely. And it would take time for him to heal after all of this, but I knew it was the only way to rid him of the witch. If she was controlling him, then she could feel everything that he did, including his pain. If I could distract her even for a moment so Godric could fight back, to win this battle, then I knew this agony I was putting myself through would be worth it.

"Elizabeth!" Godric suddenly gasped out, and my eyes filled with tears as I quickly ceased the burning inside of the vampire before me. I was at his side in an instant, lifting his head into my lap as I caressed his cheek. He slowly drew his eyes open, the pain still in those orbs, but I was glad to find the usual blue green colour opposed to the stormy grey.

"I'm so sorry, Godric. I'm so sorry." The tears spilled down my cheeks as the flames suddenly just died. I didn't bother to look around though, Godric was the only thing that I cared about right now. "It was...it was the only thing I could think of doing. I'm so so sorry."

"I'm fine." He slowly spoke, his hand shaking but raising to meet my cheeks, brushing away the tears one by one. "I will be fine, Elizabeth."

"But the pain." My bottom lip began to tremble. I hated putting my best friend through any sort of pain, and from what it had looked like, he had gone through hell in just a few short minutes.

"It was the right thing to do." He assured me, slowly moving up into a sitting position on his own. He winced, one arm wrapping around his abdomen, but other than that, he looked relatively fine. But I knew the damage was all on the inside. "I'll heal."

"I wouldn't have died though, I should have..." I whispered out.

"Don't." Godric shook his head, his jaw locking as the pain continued inside of his body. "I'm. Fine."

I didn't believe it, but I had to let it go if we were going to get out of this alive.

"If you had some of my blood, you'll be better right?" I began pushing up the sleeve of my cardigan, shuddering as I found the many gashes working their way up my arm from whatever spell the witch had cast. "You could maybe fly us out of here?"

"I can try." Godric nodded as I moved my arm towards him.

He began licking at my wounds, one by one. I was surprised when they began healing after he licked them clean of my blood, but I realized that he was cutting his tongue with his fangs every time he moved onto the next cut, healing both of us in the process. I sighed as the pain slowly began to ease, and I could see the same with Godric. He was barely taking very much of my blood at all as he licked it from the small wounds, but soon his arm began to loosen around himself, his body beginning to relax. I began pushing up the sleeve of my other arm, but Godric stopped me with a shake of his head.

"I'll be fine." He assured me, his voice sounding stronger than before. "I need to fly you somewhere safe, somewhere I'm not invited into."

"But..."

"She will come back. She will fight until she has control over me again. It's inevitable, Elizabeth." There was sorrow in his orbs. "But I need to get you to safety first."

I nodded as we both got to our feet. I waited for Godric to compose himself, he was the one who would be flying us out of here, he needed to feel as healthy as he possibly could. After a moment, he shook out his arms before sending me a nod and growing closer.

"Now where could you two possibly be off to?"

That voice made me want to cringe as we turned to find Victor calmly walking out of the woods I had come through earlier, that stupid smug look of his plastered across his face.

"You're going to miss the party."

My eyes grew wide ass his men left the confines of the forest, dragging along with them a captive and bleeding form of the man I loved.

"No..." I went to step forward, but Godric caught me around the waist and held me back.

"Don't, you'll only make it worse." He whispered into my ear as I was forced to stare into the eyes of my lover, stare into those pained filled orbs as he stared back at me.

"Take her Godric!" Eric pleaded, his voice filled with the same pain displayed in his eyes. "Take her!"

"Godric don't." I shook my head wildly. "Let me help him. I can free him. Let me help him!"

"There's no time, I'm sorry." Godric slowly began inching me backwards. "We need to go."

"Men, if you will." Victor waved his hands at his men, all but the two holding onto Eric began step forward through the field, slowly making their way towards us.

"We need to go." Godric looked passed me and locked gazes with Eric.

Eric was struggling as best as he could, I could see that. But with every move he made, the silver chains dug into his body more and more. I could smell his burning flesh, and I nearly emptied my stomach from the smell alone. It was horrifying to see the man I loved in pain, in agony, and yet there was just nothing I could do.

"Go!" Eric ordered them in a hiss. "Go!"

"I'm sorry." Godric whispered, and I wasn't sure if he was saying it to me, or to his child.

It only took mere seconds for the men to reach us, but by then, Godric had already taken off into the sky with me in his arms, the tears flowing down my cheeks as I prayed to god Eric would survive through this night.

A/N: I just wanted to take a moment and say one big thank you to everyone who is reading this fic, reviewing, or just have this on their alert/favorite list. you have no idea how happy it makes me feel to know that we're five fics into this series, and there's still so many people reading. it makes me want to write another installment, so thank you for keeping me inspired!