a/n: I meant to include in my last author's note, to apologize for Godric not making it into the chapter. I had not expected that romance drama to weasel it's way in so soon, but Sookie was not listening to me! Anyway Godric is definitely in this chapter! Also I've started a WordPress, the link is in my profile! I'm going to slowly transition to that site but for now will continue to post here too.

Chapter 5

EPOV

I raced off into the night putting a great amount of distance between myself and the old farmhouse. If I was anywhere near it I would hear Sookie crying and my resolve to stay away would crumble. Just the sound of her sadness would make me want to wrap my arms around her and insist everything would be fine. The problem was I no longer knew that.

Before all of this vampire bullshit in the last week and a half… I really did believe things would be fine if Sookie would just let me in. I knew the telepathy was a unique situation to work through but I had faith we could do it. Hell, I had loved the girl since the fifth grade, that was enough reason to take a chance.

As I started digging a hole in the middle of the Louisiana woods as a daytime resting place, I thought about how long I had known Sookie…how hard it would be to give her up forever.

We met in elementary school. I'm pretty sure I noticed her first. She seemed like such a nice girl and I never understood why the other kids teased her. Once I got to know her more I did realize she was different but there was nothing wrong with different. I accepted her because she was by far the kindest person in the entire school and a great friend.

By the time we reached middle school I had a total crush on her. I thought she was unique, like a diamond hidden in the coal mine that was Bon Temps. To me her telepathy proved even more what an outstanding person she was. She heard horrible thoughts all day but still tried to look at the brighter side of things. Plus she was absolutely adorable with her round face and smile. I also like the blue shoe laces on her sneakers, they matched her eyes.

As we grew older Sookie went from being my cute crush to a beautiful woman I would never get to have. Her round child face slimmed down some, while other parts of her figure rounded out in the best ways possible. Her blonde hair went from short pigtails to long and wavy locks that fell around her shoulders. She was better than any woman I could dream up in my mind as the ideal mate. Almost all of my high school fantasies consisted of Sookie and that continued on until the present day.

I moved the last bit of dirt over myself with frustration. The sun would be rising in minutes and I was safely buried for the day. However this small achievement did nothing to improve my mood.

Sookie had finally said she loved me, like she was in love with me, and wanted to give us a chance. Yet of course the universe screwed me over and turned me into something too dangerous. The second I could have everything I had ever wanted, I was forced to walk away. I could barely control myself around her and my fangs flying out in the middle of our make out session proved that. I had not felt an out of control urge to bite her, yet they unexpectedly snapped down and cut her. I couldn't risk being around her and hurting her far worse.

My depressing thoughts were brought to a screeching halt when my body shut down as the sun rose.

Many hours later I dug my way back out of the ground. I looked around the dark forest and there was no one in sight. I quickly filled in the hole and ran to my old apartment for a shower. My entire body was covered in dirt and I was getting very sick of it.

After my shower I pulled on some jeans and a dark burgundy button down. I had no idea how formal my meeting with Godric was supposed to be. Then I stopped at the liquor store to check if they had Royalty Blended. It had done a much better job than the TrueBlood to satisfy my hunger. It ended up being in a locked case behind the register. The bottle is was in looked like a pricy liquor with the fancy design. I bought two bottles and watched oodles of my money disappear in seconds.

Sookie's blood had tasted a million times better and it was free… but I did not trust myself to safely feed from her.

My meeting with Godric was not until 1 AM so I wasted time drinking and then testing out how fast I could run from one side of Bon Temps to the other. When my meeting time rolled around I hopped into my pickup truck and drove to the address Pam had written down.

I was surprised when I pulled up outside a small office building in Shreveport. The place was very well kept and I noticed several businesses ran out of the building. The lit up sign said there were law offices, a non-profit charity, and a small web design agency all renting office space here.

I parked my truck and made my way to the entrance, pressing a button to be buzzed in. A voice crackled over the intercom. "Who are you here to see?"

"Godric, I'm Eric Northman." I tried to sound calm but doubted it worked.

There was another buzz then the sound of the door unlocking. I walked in and the lobby was small but very clean and well designed. Everything looked brand new from the tile floors to the receptionist's mahogany desk and Apple computer.

" , please follow me, I will escort you to the Sheriff's office." She stood up and started leading the way to an elevator. The woman was dressed in a black pencil skirt and blazer. Her dark hair was pinned up in a very professional manner. I suddenly felt underdressed.

"I am Isabelle" She said as we stepped into the elevator and she pushed a button for the second floor.

"Oh, nice to meet you, I'm Eric… as you know." I held my hand out to her but she just stared at it.

"I was warned you are new. We do not do that…. Human greeting…a name is enough." She said it as if shaking hands was a disgusting act.

I immediately dropped mine and stared straight ahead. So much for making a good impression.

We got off on the second floor and Isabelle led the way to a corner office. I read the name plate and was surprised to see Godric's name along with the title of 'President, United Charity'. It was the non-profit organization I had seen listed on the sign.

She knocked lightly on the door before opening it. A calm voice inside told us to enter. When the door opened I was shocked by the man behind the desk. He was barely a man and in fact a boy. He appeared to be no more than 17 years old.

"Hello Eric, please sit down." He gestured to a seat in front of his desk and nodded his thanks to Isabelle, who shut the door behind her.

I sat down across from the vampire who looked like a boy I would be coaching on the Bon Temps baseball team, instead of a vampire Sheriff.

"I am sure you have many questions. Pamela has informed me that you were turned and left to fend for yourself. I apologize for this, like humans, our kind has bad seeds as well." He shook his head and typed something into the laptop on his desk.

"They all seem pretty bad so far…" I muttered. Godric's lips quirked up into a small grin for a second.

"I hope I can change your mind Eric, Pamela spoke somewhat highly of you… which is saying a lot coming from her. She also might have a soft spot for you since I suspect you are siblings." He had pulled up a file on his computer and turned it to face me.

"I don't have any siblings…" I said as my eyes skimmed the screen. It was a file on someone named Appius Ocella.

"Vampire siblings are different from human siblings. I believe you and Pam share the same maker, which would make her your sister in the vampire world. Siblings share a bond and can feel each other's emotions to a certain extent. It is very minimal compared to that of a maker and child…enough that you might not have noticed it when around her, without knowing what to look for. Pamela noticed though which means this man is most likely your maker." Godric leaned back in his chair and let me read the file.

This Ocella guy was crazy old. It said he was born during the Roman Empire and that he was for the most part insane. Great. It also said I had quite a few other siblings besides Pam.

"Unfortunately Ocella is known for this behavior. I am sorry you had to suffer the consequences of me not realizing he was in my area quickly enough. He has a bad habit of turning any human he has the slightest interest in, then ditching the newborn vampire until he needs them for something. He could have liked something as simple as the color of your hair and decided to turn you. Ocella is not the most stable of vampires." Godric sighed and turned the laptop back towards him and shut it. "I am working to track him down and have him meet the true death, I dislike violence, but this behavior can go on no longer. If you have questions about your new life please come to me or Pamela. I am happy to help and hopefully improve your view of us."

This was all too much to absorb at once. I had so many questions and there was also a new seed of rage growing in my gut towards this Ocella guy. He ruined my life and apparently for his own fun.

"How come just Pam? I saw tons of other siblings listed on your computer." If I had so many other siblings from this psycho maker, why not ask all of them for advice?

"Pamela is the most successful of your siblings and one of the only ones that has survived. It takes a lot to survive your first week as a newborn without a maker. Most of Ocella's children have perished from making poor feeding mistakes when overcome with hunger and have been quickly killed off by enraged humans." Godric seemed saddened by this. He seemed too human to be vampire. "Nora is one of your only other surviving siblings but she's been all over the world and difficult to track as of late."

"Why are you running a charity?" It was a dumb question in the grand scheme of things but my mind was overwhelmed right now.

Godric smiled and stood up. He was barely Sookie's height. He walked towards the window that overlooked the parking lot, and pointed towards a dumpster.

"Years ago I matured as a vampire and saw the error in our violent ways. I was a supporter of the great revelation and mainstreaming, which means not feeding off of humans or at the very least only off of willing donors. Once I realized vampires and humans could coexist, I realized their problems were our problems. I came across a little girl near that dumpster ten years ago. She was homeless and starving. I did not like seeing that so I found an organization that could help and brought her there. That made me realize I wanted to start my own charity, because helping someone else made me feel more alive than I had in two thousand years." He returned to his chair. "I own this entire building and rent the space out to different vampires who conduct law abiding business and I know are mainstreaming. I promote peace and coexistence in Area 5."

"Wow…. " A vampire that helped kids and had his own charity? This was not what I expected at all.

"I must warn you, not all vampires see things as I do. If you go to another area the atmosphere could be quite different." Godric's face grew solemn and serious.

I quickly nodded and decided I would stay in Area 5 for awhile to play it safe.

We spent the next hour talking and Godric let me ask all of my questions. I found out about vampire law, how Louisiana was broken up into five areas and what their boundaries were. I also learned I could order a sleeping coffin that just looked like a black travel compartment instead of something to be buried in. That would allow me to not sleep in the dirt. He even gave me a list of places where I could purchase donor blood or other varieties of synthetic blood.

It was hard to keep track of everything I learned that night but I went home feeling better. I had some knowledge now and would no longer have to sleep in the dirt for eternity. As I drove back to town in my truck I realized I couldn't go see the one person I wanted to tell all of this new information to. I had promised myself I would stay away from her.