...
Please don't let this turn into something it's not
I can only give you everything I've got
I can't be as sorry as you think I should
[...]
All that I keep thinking throughout this whole flight is
it could take my whole damn life to make this right
This splintered mast I'm holding on won't save me long
Because I know fine well that what I did was wrong
[Snow Patrol – Make This Go On Forever]
...
It was probably the first time since about four months, that Laura awoke without a headache and she couldn't even begin to describe how relieving it felt. She stretched her still a bit rigid limbs before she hopped out of the bed – much faster than she had dared to in a long time – and strode towards the bathroom.
A quick glance into mirror showed her how unnaturally shiny her hair was and although she'd never had problems with her skin, she also had the impression that it seemed much cleaner and softer than before.
But she didn't seem to care much about any of that, as she quickly disposed of her clothes without another glance and hopped under the shower. The hot water immediately relaxed her tense muscles and allowed her mind to find peace for a few moments. Godric's reaction the night before still haunted her.
How he could have had the audacity to doubt her concerns about him after all they'd gone through, was beyond her! Of course, she had tried to distract her thoughts – though the movies Eric and her had been watching, hadn't been very effective.
She had absolutely no clue why everyone made such a big deal of the fact that she wore the Viking's bite marks on her neck now, but at least since Jaromar's sharp remark, she had realized that there was obviously more to it, than Eric had told her...
"You should have waited for me, Tiny", a husky voice suddenly ripped her out of her thoughts and before she could have reacted she felt a cool hand wrap itself around her waste, resting on her belly.
To her own surprise, she didn't feel the urge to get rid of it, though she immediately knew, who it belonged to. But she wasn't even shocked or uneasy – as she would have thought. On the contrary, she somehow seemed to crave the Viking's touch.
It was odd... Very much so...
"You're here now anyway", she found herself muttering before she turned around to face him, the water still pattering down on them. She couldn't help but hold her breath, as soon as she met Eric's glance, as it hadn't ever been that intense and boldly seductive before.
Never before had she realized how extremely handsome Eric was and she couldn't help but look him up and down without even the slightest hint of embarrassment or guilt. Of course he was – like herself – completely naked and nothing concealed his toned muscles or generous manhood.
Why the hell was she suddenly feeling this way? And where was the embarrassment she should have felt for ogling him so boldly? What the fuck was wrong with her?!
"Do you like what you see?", he whispered into her ear and a shudder ran down her spine when she felt his breath tingle her earlobe. Her knees became wobbly and she forced her gaze to return to his face again, which was only inches away from hers. She merely nodded, not trusting herself to form a coherent sentence anyway...
"I see..."
The hand that still had been wrapped around her body, slowly loosened and trailed upwards along her side, over her arm and shoulder. When he reached the spot where it merged into her neck, it was merely a single finger that grazed over her jugular vein until he stopped exactly there, where he could distinctly feel her slightly accelerated pulse.
When she met his gaze with a questioning expression, he only smirked at her and bent forward gradually, drawing nearer at an infuriatingly slow pace. All the while she stood his glare and tried to keep an unfazed appearance – which was much easier than she would have thought.
It was odd how normal this whole situation seemed to be for her. As if they had done this times and times again, but she couldn't for the life of her remember even a remotely similar situation with the Viking. If anything there would only have been comparable ones with Godric.
Why didn't it bother her, that it was Eric standing naked in front of her and not his maker? Why didn't she feel appalled by his obvious intentions?!
She could already feel his breath on her cheek and closed her eyes – not in fear, but in anticipation – when she suddenly felt a slightly painful sting on her shoulder she couldn't really fathom the cause of. But as soon as Eric's lips touched the sensitive skin of her throat, she had almost forgotten about it anyway. He just had opened his mouth to suck on the spot he would surely soon plunge his teeth into, when something poked into her shoulder again – even more painful this time.
"For fucks sake Laura – wake up already, this is an emergency!", she heard Eric's voice shouting, much too close to her ear for her liking – and to her amazement also on the wrong side, the one opposite the spot he was just sucking on. He must have decided to change his tactic, when she suddenly felt her shoulders being grabbed and shaken, which finally had the desired effect.
"What the hell, Eric!", she grumbled irritably, while she tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes, "What was that good for?!"
The real Viking pressed his lips into a thin line now, indicating that he had to muster some self control to keep himself from shouting at her once again. Fortunately he was completely dressed and took a deep breath before he answered her question.
"Godric just left – with all of his belongings", he informed her coolly, "I'd be very pleased, if you'd be so kind as to get the fuck out of this bed so we can FINALLY follow him!"
Laura just blinked a few moments at him in confusion, before she was able to process this information and hurriedly did as he had asked her to. No wonder he was so upset – the situation couldn't have been much more alarming!
After previous night's events and the impact they had obviously had on Godric, he could already be halfway on his way back to Dallas – or wherever he would return to in this upset state he was in...
Laura had to admit, that she was somehow glad that they were in a hurry, otherwise she'd surely have had to endure Eric's teasing about her dreams – which had more or less tormented her the whole night. If he had really felt what she had, then he definitely wouldn't leave it at that and use every opportunity to bug her...
Within a second she had put the sweatpants back on, she'd got rid of sometime during the night and only grabbed her purse before she nodded at the Viking to indicate that she was ready. She wouldn't waste any more precious time with changing her clothes – not that Eric would have allowed her to anyway.
When they had hurried out of the apartment, the Huge One pressed impatiently on the buttons for the elevators, while Laura rummaged through her bag in search for her phone. If Godric left with his luggage, he'd probably intend to fly back home in his anger – or whatever it was her actions had caused him to feel. He wasn't exactly easy to read when it came to his emotions...
She hadn't used the phone number yet, but she desperately hoped she hadn't mistyped it when she saved it. Her hopes sank when she still heard it ringing after almost a minute, but finally someone answered.
"Hello?"
"Oh, thank god!", Laura exclaimed relieved, when she heard Anne's voice, which only earned her a dark side glare from Eric while they entered the elevator, "You haven't taken off yet, have you?"
"Oh, Laura – it's you!", the woman on the other end only now seemed to realize who had been calling her and quickly answered her question, "No, but we will be ready any moment – why?"
"Please try to delay it as long as you can – where are you starting from?"
"Paris Orly – I'll try my best Laura, but I can't guarantee you that it'll work out...", the female pilot informed her uneasily, which caused Laura's guilty conscious to kick in. Anne would definitely get into trouble if Godric got wind of her scheming...
"I'll forever be in your debt Anne! Thanks so much – we'll hurry, I promise!", Laura assured her just when the elevator reached the ground floor and only added a quick "bye" before she hung up.
As Eric had heard every word they had exchanged, he wordlessly picked Laura up bridal style and sprinted out of the building. She wasn't completely sure if he even touched the ground or if he just flew them to the airport, he was extremely fast however. So fast, that she had to close her eyes, to protect them from the biting wind that beat past them.
Not even a minute later she felt the ground beneath her feet again, but she had to cling to Eric for a few more moments, not to loose her balance. This trip hadn't exactly increased her wellbeing and she was glad, that the Viking had given her his blood the other night – otherwise she'd probably have had to vomit then and there.
When she finally dared to part from the tall vampire and turn to face the plane in front of them, she realized that Gerry was just about to pull the stairs in – but fortunately he stopped in his movement as soon as he saw her. She didn't waste any time and hurried up, running past the worried steward into the cabin, which was – apart from the two of them – vacant.
She spun around in confusion, searching for the ancient vampire they had desperately tried to reach in time, but he was nowhere to be found – at least not in the main cabin. Hesitantly she looked back at Eric for advice, who stood beside Gerry in the doorframe now and simply nodded at her, when her hand reached for the doorknob to the other cabins.
Without wasting another thought if this was the right approach, she ripped the door open and hurried along the corridor towards the cabin he usually slept in. She didn't knock, before she entered the room, as she supposed he wouldn't have invited her in anyway.
A relieved sigh escaped her throat, when her eyes fell on Godric, sitting on the bed with his back turned towards her. His torso was bent forwards and leant on his elbows, resting on his knees. He seemed deep in thought, which caused her to worry about his intentions again.
"I'm glad I reached you in time", she stated with a soft voice and approached him with hesitant steps, "We need to talk, Godric!"
"No we do not. I think you made your point very clear", he replied in a monotone voice and lifted his head, but only to stare at the wall in front of him, "Leave!"
At first she was taken aback by his harsh demand, but she supposed she deserved such a treatment. After all she had hit him. Even if it couldn't have hurt him, it surely had been pretty much the worst she could have done in that situation...
"I told you I won't leave you", she simply replied, before she took the last steps that parted them without another thought and sat down beside him, "I know I shouldn't have slapped you – I'm extremely sorry for that. I was just so frustrated by your behavior..."
"You were frustrated?!", he asked incredulously and it was safe to say that there was more anger in his voice, than ever before – at least when he had talked to her. "Why are you even here? Did Eric send you? I do not need your pity – or his, for that matter! Just leave me the fuck alone!"
He had finally turned his head to face her at his last sentence and she couldn't help but cringe at his rough words and intimidating glare. Never before had he used his power to make her feel insignificant, like he did now. Of course she knew that he was able to do so, as she had seen him scaring some vampires off, when they had been to Fangtasia, but he hadn't intended to make her feel uncomfortable then – now he did.
It was hard to be on the receiving end of his grudge, but she forced herself to ignore his overwhelming aura and stand his glare. He surely wouldn't have any reason to listen to her if she backed down now.
"I'm sorry Godric – for whatever I've done to hurt you!", she whispered sincerely, all the while staring at him guiltily, "I don't exactly know what it was that offended you so much, but please tell me and I won't ever do it again – I promise!"
He outright growled at her before he leaped to his feet and started to pace back and forth in front of her. It was blatantly obvious that he was royally pissed now, but again she hadn't even the slightest clue what his problem was.
"Stop fooling me, Laura!", he hissed venomously and she gulped at the sound of his voice, "Do not try to tell me that it had been an accident that you hit me with my ring – the ring I had told you was my most precious possession – the very ring I entrusted you with, to assure you that I would return to you soon!"
Her hand had absentmindedly reached to her mouth in shock, when his words sank in and she stared at him in horror. Oh my god he was right!
She had hit him with his ring on her finger. It wasn't only made of silver – it was the precious, ancient ring of his mother! How could she have done such a cruel thing!? How could she have been so thought- and tactless?
"I'm so sorry Godric", she whispered, before the first sob escaped her throat. This was it – she had ruined everything with one idiotic, impulsive reaction. Not able to hold her tears back anymore, she buried her face in her hands and silently began to cry.
He wouldn't be able to forgive her something like that – at least she wouldn't be, if she were in his shoes.
Why couldn't she just turn back the time and correct her mistakes – starting with allowing Eric to claim her. That had without a doubt been the first decision she'd need to correct, even if she wasn't really aware why it had been so wrong.
"Stop crying, Laura. You do not have any right to shed tears now."
His words were harsh, but his tone was almost gentle in comparison to how he had sounded before. She could hear that he had obviously stopped his pacing and when she sneaked a peek at the floor between her fingers, she could see that he was standing in front of her.
"I know...", she muttered and tried to bite her tears back, but failed miserably.
"Why are you still crying then?", he inquired and she could almost spot him crossing his arms in front of his chest in her mind, but didn't dare looking up to see if she was right.
"I just wish-... I would have thought-... before I acted", she replied between sobs, still hiding her face from his surely still hard glare.
"What does that mean?"
She gulped and took a deep breath before she attempted to wipe the tears off her face as thoroughly as possible, before she finally looked up at him again. His face didn't show the slightest emotion, but she hadn't expected him to.
"It means", she answered in a low voice, not daring to avert her gaze again, for fearing this could be the last time she had the opportunity to look into his beautiful eyes at all, "that I really wasn't aware, that I still wore your mothers ring. I hit you on impulse – it wasn't planned and I completely forgot that I was still wearing it. But I know that isn't an excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry – I wish I could undo it..."
"Are you serious?!", he asked disbelievingly and his eyebrows furrowed in an accusing manner. His glare was hard, but not entirely unpleasant – at least he looked at her, he could also have ignored her altogether...
"Of course I am", she told him with a bit more confidence now, "Do you really think I would have done this on purpose? This is pretty much the cruelest thing I have ever done in my life and I can't even begin to express how sorry I am!"
"You are really serious...", he muttered and this time it was rather a realization, not a question. Still Laura nodded vigorously to emphasize her former statement and his grim expression turned to a blank one again.
"Even if you did not do it on purpose, the fact remains that you hit me with this very ring. And you are Eric's now – how do you figure this will work out?", he asked in a cold voice, his arms indeed crossed in front of his chest, as she realized now, "That the three of us will travel about Europe? I doubt Eric will have the time to do that!"
"Can't we simply go on like before? – Just the both of us, plus Anne and Gerry?", she muttered hopefully, but already knew that he'd probably tell her no. It would have been way too easy after what she'd done...
"We can not go on like before. You are Eric's, not mine."
"What the hell does that even mean?", it suddenly burst out of her and she found herself standing in front of him, returning his glare with mixed emotions. She wasn't really sure if she should be hurt, offended or simply confused.
"It means, that you will have to do whatever he decides", he stated matter-of-factly and took a step closer, their noses nearly touching now, "As he has never had a claim on someone before, I can not tell you how many liberties he will allow you..."
"What do you mean with 'have to do whatever he decides'? - I'm literally his now?!", she asked incredulously and was a bit surprised by how shrill her voice sounded, but still continued, "Like a toy or pet or something?!"
"Exactly."
He still didn't show even the slightest hint of emotion. Neither anger, nor pain – nor pity. He simply kept glaring at her with this disconcertingly cool eyes.
"He won't order me around...", Laura muttered meekly, not really sure if she should really believe what she'd said, "He only claimed me to protect me – not to have some power over me..."
"You could be right – but you may be wrong", he noted and still hadn't moved even an inch, which slowly started to make her feel slightly uncomfortable. His stare was still quite hard and she wasn't used to this merciless expression in his eyes.
"No – she's not!", an icy voice suddenly sounded from behind her and she whirled around in surprise. Eric stood in the doorframe and looked at his maker with an angry glare. "She already feels miserable enough – just forgive her already and leave me out of this!"
"Tell me how I should leave you out of this, when you claimed her last night!?", Godric growled and her head snapped to the other side again, worriedly examining his appearance. A shudder ran down her spine when she realized that he had bared his fangs – and it wasn't a comfortable shudder, like the last time she had seen his elongated teeth.
This time the tension in the room was almost palpable and she was sure, if Eric so much as dared to breath the wrong way, Godric would leap forward to tear him down. She had never thought those two could ever fall out with each other, but seeing how wrong she had been – knowing that she herself was the cause for their fight – hurt her more than she could express in words.
"Please – stop it."
Godric's head immediately snapped to her and his eyes widened a fraction when he apparently realized, what he was doing and retracted his fangs again. He didn't apologize though, like he surely would have done under different circumstances, but only took a step backwards, as if he wasn't sure if he could trust himself not to hurt her or anybody else.
"I never wanted to drive a wedge between you two", she muttered guiltily and sought Godric's eyes with a sad expression in her own, "I'm not worth all this fighting..."
"You are, Laura", she heard Eric disagree without hesitation and felt his hand squeeze her shoulder reassuringly, before she turned towards him again, "You are the reason why we still have the chance to fight – without you, he'd be gone already..."
The Viking looked down at her with such a stunning conviction in his eyes, that she couldn't bring herself to disagree with him. A faint smile played around his lips, when he lifted his hand to gently caress her cheek with the back of his fingers, but as soon as he let go of her again, his attention turned to Godric and his expression changed drastically.
"Why the hell are you acting like that?", he hissed, while he took a step forward to stand protectively in front of Laura, between her and his maker, "You're hurting her – you can see that as clear as I can feel it! Stop it!"
"How would you react if this happened to you?", Godric grit out between his teeth, visibly struggling to keep control over his facade. From time to time a hurt or angry expression scurried over his face, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Laura even more miserable than she already felt.
"This would never have happened to me, because I would have claimed her myself in the first place!", the Viking replied with a growl, taking a step towards his maker to tower intimidatingly above him.
"I offered to bond with her, but she refused me", Godric spat and glared venomously at his progeny, before he averted his face with a disgusted expression, as if he only just realized what he'd said. Laura couldn't help but bite onto her bottom lip guiltily and didn't dare to look up at Eric, whose whole body had become rigid after his makers statement.
"What?", she heard him whisper in disbelief before he slowly turned to gauge her reaction, when Godric wouldn't answer. She merely nodded, but couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. This was something she had kept a secret, as she was sure he would have tried to persuade her to accept his makers offer. Of course he would be livid now...
He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before he shook his head vehemently. "You two really deserve each other...", was all he muttered, before he left without another word.
Laura blinked a few times at the closed door, after it had shut behind him with a bang, not really comprehending what had just happened.
"You should follow him – he is really upset...", Godric's muttered words ripped her out of her stunned state and she whipped around to face him. He wore his emotionless mask again, but she knew she couldn't just leave him now – this could very well have been their last encounter...
"You're upset as well", she pointed out and took a step in his direction, but he retreated a step backwards in return. They repeated this little motion sequence until his back bumped into the wall behind him and for a moment something like irritation was written on his face, but it was gone the next second. "Stop avoiding me!"
"You are making it even harder for me!", he growled, showing her his feelings for the first time. He had wanted to scare her away before – with his anger and pure power – but now she could plainly see how hurt he was, how betrayed he felt.
It was as if someone had hit her hard in the chest and squeezed all the desperately needed air out of her. She felt as if she'd suffocate for a few moments, but forced herself to ignore the feeling – she couldn't afford to concentrate on her silly reactions now...
"I'm so sorry Godric – I never meant to offend you", she whispered while she took a last step towards him that brought her to a halt directly in front of him. Only a few inches parted them now, but still it felt as if he was miles away. "I never meant to hurt you! But there are just some feelings I want to keep away from you – they'd change everything between us..."
"If you wanted our relationship to stay the same, you should not have accepted Eric's offer."
"I know that now", she whispered ruefully but continued in a more confident voice, "I wasn't aware that it would have such an impact. How should I've known? Nobody told me! Eric just said it was to keep me save so no other vampire could touch me – this sounds like a good idea to me! I don't have the desire to feel my throat being ripped again anytime soon..."
"You just mentioned the number one problem yourself: no other vampire could touch you", Godric hissed and his eyebrows furrowed in frustration, "This includes me."
"What?!"
She eyed him baffled at this knew revelation and barely managed to keep her mouth shut. Why the hell would this include Godric? He was Eric's maker for fucks sake! This just couldn't be true!
"I am a vampire too", he reminded her with a growl and with a soft klick, he suddenly elongated his fangs to emphasize his statement.
"I know that", she muttered and averted her face in embarrassment, as he obviously thought she'd be dump enough to forget that, "Eric once told me that there isn't anything he wouldn't gladly share with you – doesn't that include me as well?"
She could see a bit of the tension in his stance vanish and hesitantly looked up at him again. His expression was a bit softer now, but his stare was still piercing.
"Not necessarily", he responded, "You are something entirely different. Eric can fool you and he can try to fool himself, but he can not fool me. He has strong emotions for you – now they are even stronger than before. The glee I felt when you accepted his offer – and his blood – was beyond anything I have felt from him in a long time..."
"But you just managed to finally take vengeance for his family's death!", Laura reminded him with a confused tone in her voice, "Surely that must have made him much happier!"
"It should have, but it did not."
She caught herself inhaling sharply while processing this completely unexpected information and really started to worry now. Why the hell was everything so very complicated all of a sudden? Couldn't they all simply be friends and go on like before?
"I badly need to talk to him then...", she muttered while her gaze absentmindedly roamed over the floor, before she lifted her eyes to look at Godric again with a worried expression, "Promise me that you'll stay here and at least wait until I've taken care of this situation!"
"You will need my help to find him, Laura – he flew north at quite a high speed and changes his position every few minutes. I doubt that Pamela will be able to catch up to him if you asked her."
"You would help me?", she asked in disbelieve and felt her eyebrows rise in surprise. She hadn't seen that coming...
"Of course. Whatever he decides, concerns me as well, Laura", he replied in a calm voice. She was a bit taken aback by his sudden change of mind, but of course she was relieved that he'd find Eric for her – or bring her to him, whatever he deemed the better tactic.
"Thank you...", she whispered meekly and took a step back, giving him more space to pass her by. He merely nodded at her before he did exactly that, without sparing her another glance and she followed equally silent behind him.
When they reached the main cabin again, Anne and Gerry were waiting there for further instructions, both visibly worried.
"We will delay our flight. I have a matter to attend to first", Godric told them in a bossy tone, while passing by, "But be prepared and arrange everything. I will not accept any further delays when I come back."
Laura was very aware of the reproachful glare he had for Anne, before he left to head down the stairs, but all she could do was mutter a "I'm so sorry!", before she had to hurry after Godric.
He was standing beside Pam at the bottom of the stairs, obviously waiting for her while the female vampire looked up at her with an upset expression on her face.
"What the hell have you done?", she hissed as soon as Laura reached their side, "I haven't seen Eric that devastated in a long time..."
"We'll fix this...", Laura just muttered and looked hopefully at Godric for support, who merely nodded in confirmation, before he turned and bent his knees.
"Hop onto my back, Laura."
"What's with this 'don't touch' policy?", she asked sourly, but bit on her tongue as soon as she realized what she'd said. "I'm sorry – please forget that comment..."
She quickly did what he had asked for and awkwardly hopped onto his back, hugging his hips with her thighs and wrapping her arms around his throat. If the circumstances were different, he'd surely transport her bridal style, like he usually did. This new position must have had to do with this silly restriction, as the only part of her he actively touched now, were her knee pits. But probably he also thought, that carrying her bridal style could upset Eric even more, which wouldn't have helped their cause at all...
"Are you ready?", he asked and glanced over his shoulder to take a look at her. She merely nodded and tried to appear as confident as possible, although she was everything but. If he'd fly as fast as Eric had been about an hour ago, she'd have to concentrate on clinging to him, otherwise she'd surely drop off his back...
As soon as he pushed off the ground, she closed her eyes, as the nippy wind hurt her eyes again. Her muscles immediately tensed and her arms soon started to hurt because of the strain, but she didn't dare to loosen her grip.
It felt like their trip took hours, although it probably only lasted a few minutes until they finally touched the ground again. Her legs were wobbly like the last time and she had to cling to Godric for a few moments, not really trusting her knees to support her weight yet.
When she finally dared to stand on her own, she looked up for the first time and examined her surroundings. They were in the middle of what seemed to be a roundabout with eleven roads leading towards them, most of them only gravel paths. In the center of the traffic circle stood something like a stone table and on top of it sat Eric, staring into the sky.
"You came sooner than I thought you would", the Viking noted when they both approached him. He didn't turn around to face them, but kept his gaze glued to the stars above.
"There are a few things we need to talk about...", Laura started hesitantly and bit on her lip, when she realized that she hadn't the slightest clue how to approach this subject.
"And what would that be, Laura?", Eric asked, but still refused to face her. She closed up to him and came to a halt on the edge of the stone plate, where she laid her hand on its cool surface. Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and tried to sort her thoughts before she said something she might regret later on.
"What exactly does this claim mean?", she asked him hesitantly and elaborated her thoughts, when he didn't seem to answer, "I mean – Godric told me that you have some sort of ownership over me. Do you intend to... well, make use of this?"
He slowly turned his head now and looked at her over his shoulder. Fortunately it was almost full moon and the reflected light was enough to catch a sight of his expression – which was unfortunately almost nonexistent at the moment. But as she knew both vampires quite well by now, she was aware that this usually meant they were hurt or upset and both could have been the case in this situation...
"Do you really think I'd do that?", he whispered in such a low voice, that she could hardly hear him, but still she understood every word. A shudder ran down her spine when she realized, that she'd managed to hurt him even more and she shook her head in frustration.
"Not really – I'm just so confused right now", she admitted and sighed heavily, before she looked at the stars, hoping their sight would somehow calm her down a bit, "I'm sorry Eric. I know you only did this to protect me. Forgive me my mistrust..."
"Apology accepted", he muttered and when she heard a sound like something clapping onto a stone, she realized that he patted the spot beside him in invitation. Without another thought she hopped onto the platform and crawled towards him until she kneeled beside him. "I know where your thoughts are coming from...", he muttered and when she looked at him in surprise, she realized, that he was staring at Godric out of the corner of his eyes, who still stood a few feet away beside the stone table. "He should know better though."
"I do not like to be talked about as if I am not even there", Godric remarked sourly and took a few steps toward the platform, but still kept some distance.
"And I don't like it when you form intrigues against me!", Eric spat and outright glared at his maker now, turning his torso in his direction. Laura observed them worriedly, painfully aware of the tension that had grown between them again.
"I did no such thing", Godric responded calmly, which only caused the Viking to growl and before she even knew what she did, Laura suddenly found herself gripping his hand and squeezing it soothingly. Fortunately it had the desired effect and he broke the stare at his maker to look at her instead.
"He told me that you felt very pleased, when I accepted your offer and took your blood", Laura admitted and bit on her lip in hesitation, but still continued after a few moments of awkward silence, "I suppose this was due to the fact, that your blood could possibly heal me and that your claim will protect me from another attack?"
Eric looked at her for a while, his face not really emotionless, but still hard to read. He turned his head to look at the sky again, before he answered her question. "Yes and no. I had and still have the hope, that my blood will have positive effects on your disease. And I am sure, that my mark will at least keep you protected for a few weeks. But I was also curious about your feelings..."
"Well – did they meet your expectations?", Laura asked hesitantly, not really sure if she should be glad about this confession or not. The Viking was definitely too curious for his own good...
"They exceeded every expectation I could've had...", he muttered and seemed to be deep in thought, when Laura looked back at Godric worriedly. He seemed tense, his stance slightly bent forward, which was probably due to the topic at hand.
"Will your claim have an impact on Laura's plans to travel with me?", the older vampire suddenly asked bluntly and finally approached the stone table, halting on its edge and waiting patiently for an answer.
"You should know better than to ask me something like that", Eric muttered and this time his face blatantly showed how hurt he was by his makers words. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his lips were pressed to a thin line, the muscles around his jaw visibly tensed.
"What's mine, is yours – that's how it always has been and how it always will be. Of course Laura is free to keep traveling with you and of course you two can do whatever you like. For all I care you can lay her right here in front of me – I don't mind..."
"I can imagine that you wouldn't mind. Filthy Viking...", Laura muttered under her breath while she felt her cheeks turn suspiciously hot and to her surprise this statement even elicited a lough from said vampire.
"Oh – I'm sure you wouldn't mind as well...", he retorted with a smirk and though she was happy that he had obviously overcome this gloomy state he'd been in, her eyes widened in shock and she felt her cheeks heat up even more.
How could he say something like that so easily? He knew full well, that she didn't want Godric to know about her feelings! Stupid hulk...
"Stop making her uncomfortable Eric", was all his maker added to this conversation, but though he criticized the Viking, his voice sounded gentle and he even had a faint smile on his lips when she turned her head to face him. She was embarrassed by this whole situation, but glad that Godric seemed to be concerned about her wellbeing again.
"It's alright – I should be used to it by now...", she just muttered and shrugged her shoulders to show that she really didn't mind. "I'm glad you two are back to normal again. You are – aren't you?"
Her eyes scurried questioningly from one vampire to the other and back again until she had both caught nodding, Eric a bit more reluctantly than Godric. She couldn't help but sigh in relief and finally allowed her body to sink back onto the stone, letting go of all this tension that had built inside her over the last hours.
There had been moments when she'd been sure, that she'd fucked things up beyond repair and of course these situations had had an impact on her. Her back hurt from the defensive and tense stance she'd maintained, aching for some relaxation again, and her cheeks still felt sticky from crying earlier.
Oh – what she'd give for a Hammām right now...
Eric and Pam left later that night, Pam more reluctantly than Laura would've thought.
"Don't forget what I told you about the Pont Marie!", the female Vampire remarked with a meaningful look, before she ascended the steps to Eric's jet. When she reached the door she turned a last time and moved her hands in a shooing gesture. "Get going, there are still a few hours left!"
"She has a point there – and it sounds like a good idea to me, no?", Eric stated and turned to glance at Laura with a smirk playing around his lips.
"Of course it does – it was yours, wasn't it?", Laura asked dryly, while she slowly arched one of her eyebrows. She didn't really need an answer to that – his mischievous expression spoke volumes...
"No one appreciates my efforts", the Viking stated and sighed heavily, going even so far as to pout a bit. Laura couldn't help but giggle at how ridiculous he looked: tall and strong – exactly what most women where looking for in a man (at least when it came to the looks) – but with puppy eyes and pursed lips.
"I really do appreciate your efforts, Eric", she told him gently, as soon as he changed back to his usual cool and aloof demeanor and she'd managed to calm down again. She didn't care if he'd like it or not and closed up to him, embracing him in a hug. "Thank you. For being there and listening to me. I'm really glad to have you as a friend..."
"Don't get sentimental now", he just muttered, his voice sounding a bit uneasy, but when she felt his hand patting her back awkwardly she couldn't suppress a grin. "We'll surely see each other soon."
"Of course – if not in person, then at least via Skype", she confirmed when she finally let go of him and took a step back.
"Yeah – I'll get you a Macbook soon so I can get rid of this redundant program...", he muttered under his breath, before he bid his goodbye, "See you soon Tiny – keep safe!"
"Bye Eric – have a good flight!"
"Be safe, son", Godric suddenly stated, which almost startled Laura, who hadn't really expected him to say anything. He had been so very quiet the whole time and hadn't even said goodbye to Pam – but Laura was glad, that he at least bid Eric farewell.
The Viking stopped in his tracks for a moment, obviously as surprised as she had been, before he slowly looked back at them over his shoulder. But he didn't reply anything. He merely eyed his maker with a wary expression, only nodded and moved on.
When he reached Pam's side he didn't even turn to take a last look at them, but immediately disappeared inside the cabin, leaving not only Laura but apparently also his progeny quite baffled, who looked after him worriedly, before she waved them goodbye and hurriedly pulled the stairs up to close the cabin.
"You're still not back to normal...", Laura noted concerned, while they watched the plane slowly turning and making its way to the flight path.
"No we are not", Godric sighed and put his hands in the pockets of his trousers. He wore his usual linen-pants, but a simple cotton T-shirt instead of a button down shirt. The colors were as always earth-tones.
"I'm so sorry I caused this disagreement between you. I just wish I could do something to make up for the damage I caused...", she muttered discouraged while her eyes followed the little plane, speeding up on the flight path before it finally took off and headed west.
"We will get over it. This has not been the first time we fought, Laura", Godric tried to calm her and stepped to her side, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Nor will it be the last time. But we are a family – we'll get over it with time, we always have."
She eyed him worriedly and bit on her lip before she hesitantly asked: "Has it ever been that bad before?"
"Yes. It has already been worse", Godric told her without batting an eye, giving her shoulder a soft squeeze, "Stop worrying Laura..."
He gently ushered her back to their cab then, but when she sat down in the back, her mind wandered back to Eric. It devastated her to see how easily their seemingly resilient relationship had been reduced to a state, wherein the Huge One didn't even care to bid his maker goodbye. She'd never thought she'd ever see the Viking act so very cool towards Godric...
The car had started driving, but Laura couldn't care less. She absentmindedly looked out of the window, seeing the sights driving by, but not really digesting them. That was probably the reason why she was so surprised, when she got out of the car.
They were not back at their hotel like she had thought they'd be. She was standing on a little parking lot and as it was just lit by a few street lamps, she could only vaguely see, that there were some trees around it. They had to be in a park or something...
Her gaze wandered questioningly to the vampire beside her, but he merely offered her his hand. His face didn't give anything away – not that she'd really thought it would – but nonetheless she laid her hand into his palm without hesitation. He lead her to a gravel pathway and they walked about half a minute until they came to a halt again.
Before them, a small river – too small to be the Seine – floated past them. But what really attracted her attention was the boat that laid there. It wasn't really a boat per se, it looked like a canoe with hoisted back and front peak.
"As I dashed our plans to visit Venice, I thought it would be appropriate to at least arrange a gondola trip", Godric clarified and let go of her hand, to put his on the small of her back and usher her towards the little boat.
A man was standing on a platform on the stern and obviously waited for them. His hands were occupied by a long paddle, but with a nod of his head, he indicated them to hop on board.
As the gondola swayed with the movement of the river, Laura hesitated when they reached the edge of the riverbank. But before she could have voiced her worries, she felt a gentle touch on her sides and was lifted into the little boat.
"This was a lovely idea Godric", Laura noted with a big smile on her face, while the gondolier pushed them off and they started to float along the river. She turned to face the vampire behind her and beamed at him, while they both took a seat.
As the boat was quite thin, they wouldn't have fit on the same bench, so they made themselves comfortable facing each other, Laura with her back to the gondolier while Godric's back was turned towards the floating direction.
"I wasn't aware that there are gondolas in Paris too – I always thought that was unique to Venice!"
"They are – but Jaromar knew someone who knew someone...", he explained gently and gestured to the man behind her, before he continued, "We are just lucky that Giovanni misses his home so much. Normally he refuses to take rides with strangers, but as he is the friend-"
"-of a friend of Jaromar, he made an exception – I see", Laura laughed and watched in awe, as a much wider river appeared in front of them. "Is that the Seine?"
"Yes, we will be floating along the Seine through Paris – there are still about two and a half hours left until sunrise.""
And really, just as he had explained their course, Giovanni maneuvered them safely out of the small canal onto the broad river. They moved a bit faster as soon as they were on the Seine and it didn't take long until they passed the first bridge.
Laura couldn't help but wonder if they'd ride past the Pont Marie as well. Somehow she really wanted to, but on the other hand she had no clue how to mention this custom of kissing and making a wish when floating beneath it, without sounding too desperate.
He'd probably think she was loosing her marbles, if she believed in such things...
And maybe it wasn't even a good idea to kiss him at all. What if she'd involuntarily reveal her feelings to him by doing so? Her heart rate would probably accelerate drastically and her body generally had the tendency to betray her...
And even if she'd manage to conceal her reaction – what if she couldn't get it out of her head afterwards? What if the situation kept tantalizing her like the scene in Istanbul? Could she cope with that?
While she kept pondering about her options, she observed the cityscape they floated by. Only when an unintentional sigh escaped her mouth, she turned her attention back to Godric, who's eyes suddenly rested questioningly on her.
"I'm just thinking...", she muttered while they drew nearer towards the city center, which made her more and more anxious by the minute. When they passed another bridge, she caught herself wondering how this one was called and suddenly realized, that she didn't even know where the Pont Marie was situated. For all she knew, they could have already passed it!
As if he knew what she was thinking about, Godric told her that the bridge they just had passed, had been the Charles de Gaulle bridge and that the next would be the Pont d'Austerlitz.
He had been quietly observing the riverside like her, but from time to time, she'd felt his gaze resting on her for a few moments. It was the first time he spoke up since the beginning of their trip and though they had talked things out – at least as much as they could have, in her opinion – it felt still a bit awkward between them.
Her actions had severely harmed their relationship and she'd have to invest some time and patience until it would be the same as before – if it ever would be...
"I'm glad you gave me another chance, Godric...", she whispered and lowered her gaze to the wood beneath their feet. "I'm glad that you're here with me and not on a plane, a few thousand feet above the sea..."
A genuine smile spread on his lips then – it wasn't broad, but it was at least there and as it had been the first one directed solely at her since Eric's arrival, it meant a lot to her. It felt like this was the first step towards normality again and she desperately hoped they could soon talk casually to each other again – or at least as relaxed as before.
When they turned their attention back to their surroundings again, they were just going beneath the Pont d'Austerlitz and Laura could already see that the river would be parted by an island soon.
"We will be going along the right side, which is where the Pont Marie is situated", Godric informed her offhandedly, but it didn't go unnoticed by Laura, that he observed her reaction out of the corner of his eyes. She felt her back stiffen as soon as she'd heard the bridge's name, but otherwise tried not to let anything on and simply hummed in response.
When they finally reached the diversion, she felt her heart beat speed up and inwardly cursed her body for betraying her. How should she meme being unfazed, when her pulse literally screamed the exact opposite? It had to sound like a sledgehammer for him...
She bit hesitantly onto her bottom lip, when the next bridge appeared in front of them. There was still enough time to point this whole kissing thing out to him. Should she do it? Would he realize her real intention or would he buy it?
But she fought a little too long with herself and the bridge passed without neither of them talking at all.
As soon as it began to dawn on her, that she'd probably gambled her only chance to steal Godric a kiss, her heart sank and she immediately regretted that she hadn't been courageous enough to tell him about this custom. Her throat felt choked, as if someone would strangle her and she had to struggle to hold her tears back.
Why the hell hadn't she said anything? Why hadn't she – for once – set all the 'what if's' aside and just done what she wanted – ached – to do, without worrying about the consequences? What could he possibly have done, besides rejecting her?
When she took a deep, hopefully calming breath, she realized, that at least her heartbeat had gone back to normal. She was painfully aware that Godric had meticulously observed her little breakdown, but she couldn't bring herself to put a good face on the matter. She was deeply disappointed by herself and this whole situation...
Biting down on her bottom lip in regret, she watched as they neared the next bridge. This whole trip had lost its appeal to her and all she wanted now, was getting over with it...
"Would you please stop biting on your lip for a moment, Laura?", Godric's softly spoken request suddenly ripped her out of her thoughts and she turned her head to face him questioningly. But of course she found herself doing what he had asked for nonetheless.
"Better?", she asked a bit baffled and raised her eyebrows, at least for the moment forgetting about her lost opportunity.
"Way better", he confirmed and smiled before he suddenly got up to crouch in front of her in the next moment. Her eyes involuntarily widened at this unexpected movement, but she soon became accustomed to this sudden closeness and just stared at him with a confused expression.
"You thought the last bridge was the Pont Marie, did you not?", he whispered and again her eyes widened in shock at the hidden implication of his question.
"It wasn't?", she asked disbelievingly and realized that her voice sounded way more high pitched, than she would have liked. His eyes showed an odd, almost mischievous glimmer when he deliberately shook his head.
"No. I am sorry for my imprecise description", he told her gently and a small smile played around his lips, when he tucked a wisp of her honey colored hair carefully behind her ear. She felt his fingers lingering there for a moment, before they slowly glided down along her jaw to her chin, which he gripped in his usual, gentle hold to guide it towards his face.
He had caught her totally off guard and she couldn't really comprehend what was going on for a moment. When she finally realized that his face drew nearer as well, she felt her heart skip a beat. Could this really be happening? Would he finally be going for her mouth this time?
And then his lips touched hers, muting every other question that could have arisen in her mind. His lips felt much softer than she would have thought – probably because she could only compare them to James', whose had been quite chapped.
Though she was aware, that Godric was still looking at her, probably gauging her reaction, she closed her eyes to fully concentrate on his touch. His lips moved gently against hers and she could have sworn she'd felt his blunt teeth as well, once or twice.
It didn't hurt, like the first time she had ever been kissed, as James had bit down rather hard on her lip, probably because he had been as drunk as her then and got carried away, not calculating his strength properly...
But Godric's gentle nibbling felt exciting, intoxicating. Her heart rate was sky-rocketing again, but she didn't care at that moment. All she could think of was how much she would have liked to feel his tongue as well, but unfortunately he didn't make any move whatsoever and she wasn't bold enough to deepen the kiss on her own.
The urge to wrap her arms around his neck to pull him closer was quite strong, but she forced herself to hold back. Her almost immediate response to his kiss had been suspicious enough and her heart beat spoke volumes already – she didn't intend to make it plainly clear to him...
But she didn't have much time to ponder over her reaction to the kiss anyway, as it ended as unexpected as it had started. When Godric parted from her again, he immediately retreated to his seat and just eyed her for a moment, probably waiting for her to calm down.
"I hope you chose your wish wisely", he muttered, before he averted his gaze, observing the cityscape with this infuriating, blank expression of his.
Laura just responded with a short 'mhm', not really trusting herself to answer properly right then and turned her attention to their surroundings as well – or she at least pretended to do so.
In her mind she replayed the kiss over and over again, thinking about how she could have prolonged it and how she could coax him into a retake.
But no matter how she looked at her situation, she couldn't find a way to do so without revealing her obvious romantic interest in him. And, for fuck's sake – why the hell did he have to look so good in this sparse light?
Only the small lantern dangling from the bow of their little boat and the slowly approaching first sun rays cast some light on him from behind. The way it highlighted his slightly unruly hair almost looked like a halo, which was kind of ironic if she considered how he thought of himself...
"What are you thinking about?", she found herself asking and eyed him plainly. Paris at dawn might have been nice to look at, but the vampire in front of her was way more interesting.
His eyes were still wandering along the riverside and for a while it seemed as if he wouldn't have the intention to answer her. She was a bit disappointed but tried not to let it show and simply reverted to letting her gaze roam about the buildings on either side of the river as well.
"I am trying to figure you out", he suddenly muttered out of the blue, drawing her attention on him again. He still didn't look at her and preferred to scan the cityscape instead, but he was obviously aware of her questioning glare and continued, "But so far I have had no luck..."
She couldn't suppress a snorting sound escaping her throat then and looked disbelieving at him. "I am not exactly a mystery", she chuckled and eyed his reaction intently, "Other than you of course. You're always so guarded and never show your emotions unintentionally... What exactly bothers you, Godric?"
"Nothing in particular. You just-...", he stopped mid sentence and though his face still wasn't directed towards her, she could see his eyebrows twitching briefly. He seemed to be annoyed by something, maybe his own train of thoughts, maybe the fact that he wanted to tell her something that he shouldn't – she wouldn't know, because he kept silent from then on.
She sighed heavily, but as she hadn't really expected him to suddenly open up to her, she wasn't too disappointed and concentrated her attention on their surroundings again. As the sun would rise in less than an hour, she could see the buildings along the river much clearer now.
Just as she wondered, when they'd land again, as Godric would soon start to feel the sun's impact, Giovanni steered them towards the riverside.
There wasn't much talking when they got off the gondola, but Laura still had a burning question to ask before they would leave the gondolier. "Excuse me if I'm prying, but why are you living here, if you miss Venice so much?"
Giovanny just smiled brightly at her and pushed his boat off the jetty. "For the best reason there is, Signorina: love!", he told her and winked, before he drifted away, balancing his tall figure perfectly on the little platform he stood on.
She followed him with her gaze until he had disappeared out of her sight. The best reason there is, indeed...
Godric got them back to their hotel with his vampire-speed, not really flying, but not noticeably touching the ground either. When they entered their apartment it suddenly felt disturbingly empty without Pam, who had been with them for a longer than the last two weeks. Three separate rooms and a generous living room and kitchen area were a bit much for just the two of them...
"Did you contact Anne and Gerry already?", Laura asked carefully, not really sure if it was wise to remind him of the Whites, as he had obviously looked through their attempts to delay his flight earlier that night.
"Not yet – I intended to let them dangle for a while...", he stated dryly, his expression turning from blank to a bit sour.
"They only did this, because I asked them to", Laura defended the female pilot and her steward with a consciences-stricken look on her face, "If you feel the need to punish someone, you should better punish me."
For a brief moment he eyed her almost baffled, but then he shook his head and sighed in defeat. "I will call them", he assured her with a calm voice, "You should go to sleep, Laura."
"Yeah, I'll just take a quick shower first", she told him with a smile, not really sure why she informed him about something like that. It wasn't like he was interested in her hygiene practice...
She quickly hurried to her room before he could have had the time to point exactly that out to her, grabbed a simple cotton shirt and fresh panties and made her way to the bathroom. It was even more luxurious than any former bath on their trip had been – even equipped with a jacuzzi! – but still it was the simple warm platform in Sahar's Hammām, that would always be her favorite.
Her humming voice sounded in the shower stall while she soaped her body thoroughly, recalling a melody she had heard while she had been on the streets of Odessa with Belle. If she was still angry at her, for letting Eric claim her? And what of Jaromar? Would he forgive her what she'd done?
She sighed in frustration when she finally stepped out of the shower again, wrapping the fluffy gray towel tightly around her body when she did so. After she had brushed her teeth and put her fresh clothes on, she stepped out into her room and sifted through her purse, once again in search for her phone. When she finally got her hands on it after a few frustrating moments, she immediately began to type.
Hey Belle – I hope this won't disturb your day rest! I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for what has happened, but I merely did what I deemed the best in that moment. I wasn't aware that it would have such an impact on Godric... I wanted you to know, that we talked it out tonight and Eric and Pam left for Shreveport again. It's not exactly as it was before, but I'll try hard to earn Godric's trust again. Please say 'hi' to Jaromar for me and let him know, that his friend came to terms with our new situation. Best wishes – Laura
She clicked onto the 'send' button before she could have second thoughts and put her phone back into the purse again. Sitting indecisive on the bed, she contemplated if she should try sleeping alone, or beg Godric to allow her to sleep beside him again.
As tempting as it was to spend her night in the same room and even bed as the powerful vampire, especially now that she had gotten an idea of how it could be if- … No. She wouldn't sleep beside him anytime soon. It was better to have a couple of nightmares the next few nights, than to risk that he got wind of her true feelings. He had seemed quite suspicious on the gondola anyway – she shouldn't give him even more evidences...
With a sigh she got up to take a look in the living room, but he had obviously gone to bed already. She was halfway on her way to his room, when she realized what she was about to do and stopped in her tracks.
"Have a good rest, Godric", she called towards his door and almost expected him opening it to wish her a good rest as well – but he didn't. His door stayed closed and with a heavy sigh and disappointment in her gut she didn't really have the right to feel, she strolled towards her room again.
"Nice dreams, Laura", she whispered sardonically to herself, before she turned the light on her bedside table out and snuggled up in her blanket.
This would be a long day...
AN: Hey there - I'm sorry it took me so long :/ but I'm (unfortunately) rather busy at "work"... I'm also sorry that this turned out to be a rather chilly chapter again, but the next will be more interesting (at least I hope so). It will be about a certain score on Laura's list she has been rather shy to accomplish so far ;)... I hope this information will keep you interested although this chapter was rather frustrating ^^'
Thanks a lot to the many people who motivated me to write and left me a few (or not so few) words :) your kind reviews are always greatly appreciated Anjelline, jagaimo-chan, Pelawen Night, downbelowgirl, sammiesealface, JamesNorthman96, Jmck22, Hpmia, treewitch7031, galwidanatitud, caleb's babe, LittleMissNaive, Arenola, aparker1988, Death flower 9625, littleelfmom and WinchesterGirl2975!
I hope some of you will leave me a few words again ;)
Best wishes - till the next time :)
~ Orange