...
"Within this big misunderstanding now
and I'm being misunderstood
I'm thinking someone's trying to fuck with me
And set fire to my wood
I wouldn't want you to want
To be wanted by me
I wouldn't want you to worry
That You'd be drowned within my sea
I only wanted to be wonderful
And wonderful is true
In truth I only really wanted
To be wanted by you"
[Damien Rice – The Rat Within The Grain]
...
Though she probably should have concentrated more on the waterside, she had a hard time keeping herself from staring at Godric over and over again. Not because he was naked. His body was only visible from his shoulders upwards – just like hers – so she couldn't see anything her virgin eyes shouldn't concentrate too much on.
She had done that way too extensively before he had stepped into the water anyway...
But she was aware that he examined her. And she knew that he had this infuriatingly impassive expression on his face again, which usually meant that he wanted to hide something.
It irked her that he withheld his emotions so often like that. But despite his efforts, she had still managed to get a glimpse of what might linger behind his mask a few times now – and she was tempted to try her luck again.
But she feared that he would only avert his gaze and – as stupid as that might have sounded – she liked the thought that he stared at her. It made her feel attractive and interesting – which was both rather silly because, let's face it, he was a vampire. An old one at that. He had surely seen much more attractive persons in his live and most certainly more interesting ones, so she had absolutely no reason to feel flattered.
She probably just had something in her hair, or she had tied it up awkwardly and looked like a scarecrow without even realizing it. At that thought her gaze wandered involuntarily to the water surface in hope she would get a glimpse of her reflection, but the moonlight was obviously not bright enough to enlighten her features. She could only vaguely make her silhouette out.
With a barely audible sigh she watched the steam dancing over the reflection of the unfortunately quite fogged moon instead. She could see the outlines of few mountains in the distance – though, as they were in Iceland, those could very well have been volcanos as well.
Had it been a clearer night, she would probably have been able to see the snow sparkling in the moonlight, but in the current conditions she could only guess that there was something she deemed to be a mountain. Maybe it was a thundercloud in reality – who knew?
"Is this experience like you had imagined?"
His pleasantly low voice ripped her out of her musings and caused her to finally turn her head to look at him. As she had thought, he still didn't show any sign of emotion – not even slight curiosity. Another sigh escaped her lips before she answered his question.
She had already expected him to ask that, as it was a routine by now: he helped her to accomplish one of the goals on her bucket list and she told him, if it was as she had expected it to be in return.
"To be honest: I would never have thought you'd actually find a warm lake at this time of year – at least not in this hemisphere", she admitted with a soft chuckle and looked up at the moon again, that just barley peeked out behind the clouds. "I had never thought of something like that – but I really enjoy the warmth."
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him nod in response, before he tilted his head to look up at the sky as well.
"We should head inside again – it will start snowing soon..."
"You think so?", she asked, not even trying to hide the excitement in her voice and whirled around to face him fully. "Can we stay a little while longer? - Just until the first snowflakes fall!"
She was aware that she sounded like the 'little one' he always called her – though, now that she thought about it, he hadn't done that for a while now. The last time he called her like that must have been when they arrived in Odessa, which lead her to assume that Belle had informed him about her dislike of this nickname.
But she couldn't have cared less about her behavior, or how it would look like to him, as she just felt very excited at the moment. It wasn't like she'd never seen snow before – but it hadn't snown often at her hometown and not exactly long or much and it was certainly not enough to satisfy her childish dreams of white Christmas.
That was probably why her parents used to take a few days after the festive period off, to spend their winter holidays in a northern region – usually in a skiing resort.
Laura wasn't much of a winter sports fan – or sports in general. Her father had tried to get her interested in skiing and later – when that hadn't exactly been crowned with success – snowboarding – but that proved to result in even more bruises and she acted so very clumsily that her dad soon gave up.
She had the slight suspicion that he had been a bit embarrassed by her behavior, but she didn't mind, as that got her lots of time to build igloos or snowmen.
Snow wasn't scarce goods in – for example – Beaver Creek, but at home it was, so she had to use every opportunity. Now that she thought about it, it was a bit odd, that she had always been so very fascinated by snow, as she had always been on the rather easily freezing side.
Maybe it was because it was so effortlessly moldable and as a child she had always loved to work with modeling clay. It probably just caused her to remember those carefree days back then, when all she had to think about was, what it was she would shape next and how she could persuade her mom to let her stay up a little longer.
"I suppose it will not hurt. And Eric's blood should still be able to protect you enough so the chilling air will unlikely cause a cold", Godric's reply ripped her out of her musings, though slight concern was written over his face for a brief moment, before his lips quirked into a faint smile.
She had already dashed forward and wrapped her arms around his neck – like a little one would after receiving her christmas gifts – when his startled, almost shocked face reminded her of a very important detail: neither of them wore anything.
Immediately she stopped in her motions, only a few inches keeping her chest from brushing his, and stayed in this awkward position for an embarrassing moment.
What the hell was she thinking – why hadn't her brain stopped her from such a foolish move?! This was clear proof that Eric's blood wouldn't really heal her – the damage must already be quite severe if she could forget about such an important detail so easily...
"Ah... I'm-...", she stuttered when she finally let go of his neck and hurriedly paddled backwards to bring more space between them. Her cheeks were undoubtably beet red from the heat she could feel there. Why did she have to maneuver herself in such embarrassing situations all the time?
When she dared to risk a glance at Godric's face after a few moments, she was quite surprised to find a mischievous smirk there.
"I would not have minded", he simply noted and Laura could only feel her mouth open in disbelief. She would have liked to backfire some witty remark (if something like that would have crossed her mind then), but was distracted when she felt something cool hit her shoulder and averted her gaze to look for its cause.
And that was the moment when she realized that it had indeed started snowing.
"Wow...", she muttered absentmindedly and stared at the spectacle in front of her. Huge flakes were silently drifting down to the surface and created little wells when they dropped into the water. Obviously the heat from the lake was warm enough to melt the flakes before they reached the surface.
"If you like this, you will love the aurora borealis."
"You mean the northern lights? I didn't even think of that – of course I'd love to see them!", she told him enthusiastically and beamed at him. This was such a beautiful island – she couldn't wait to see it on a clear evening oder morning. Maybe she'd even have the motivation to ask Anne and Gerry to make a day excursion with her.
"I'm so glad you had this idea, Godric!", she admitted with a faint smile and lifted her gaze to look at the snowflakes again, "It's so peaceful and beautiful..."
"It is...", she heard him mutter and a shiver ran down her back at the sound of his low voice. Why couldn't he at least have a raspy voice or something? No – of course he even had to sound attractive...
"We should head inside before you really catch a cold, Laura", he stated gently and nodded towards the glass annex. He obviously thought her shuddering had been because of the cool night air and as she wouldn't have been able to explain it without admitting how extremely attracted she felt to him, she simply nodded and swam ahead.
It was a bit strange that he liked to keep behind this night – as he was usually the one leading her, not the other way around – and first she had almost suspected he would have a better view of her backside like this. But when she looked over her shoulder to check how much he was able to see, she realized how very murky the water was – probably due to the certainly high mineral content. So that couldn't have been his reason.
But why else stay behind like that?
As soon as she had passed the hatch which lead inside the glass house, a comfortable warmth engulfed her and she involuntarily released a content sigh. She hadn't realized how cold her cheeks had become until now, but the relatively high temperatures in there – compared to the outside – definitely felt pleasant.
A squeaking sound told her, that Godric had entered the glass annex as well and closed the passage they had used to get out- and inside. When she turned around to face him, he already swam in her direction but when she needed to blink the next time, there were only waves emanating from the spot he had been in.
This left tow options: either he had submerged, or he had flown out of the water.
She immediately spun around and looked at her surroundings, to see if he had indeed already gotten out of the lake, but when she couldn't find him, she felt her eyebrows furrow in suspicion.
"That's not funny Godric", she hissed, still frantically whirling around, but now surveying the water surface around her alarmed, "Surface already!"
And that was exactly the moment she felt something touch her ankles, which resulted in her kicking viscously at whatever had brushed her skin. At these temperatures it could hardly have been a fish...
"Stop that – that's really not funny!"
And again she could feel something at her feet – this time she was sure it was Godric's hand as his fingers held her ankle in a gentle but firm grip, before she felt something brush upwards on the inside of her leg, stopping just below her knee.
What the fuck was he doing there?!
"It's totally your fault if I get a heart attack!", she shrieked and hoped cravingly that this would finally hoax him to appear again.
"Your heart rate is nowhere near an alarming state", she heard him reply casually and before she could even comprehend what he had said, she was distracted by the feeling of his warm breath against her neck.
He was immediately behind her...
She swallowed and closed her eyes for a brief moment to calm down, before she spun around and pointed an accusing finger in his face. She wouldn't allow him to distract her that easily!
"What the hell was that about?!"
"I merely attempted to ease the tension a bit", he stated with a lopsided grin and suddenly caught her wrist. His other hand moved deliberately slow towards her finger, gently pulling it down to her others until her loose fist lay in both of his palms. How he managed to keep on the surface with his hands occupied like that, was beyond her. Was he 'flying' in the water maybe? "You are exceptionally quiet tonight..."
"I-...", she attempted to deny it, but realized, that he was right – she had been quite silent that night. The conversation they had in the morning wouldn't leave her thoughts and the endless 'what if's' that popped up with every single one, didn't help at all...
"I am sorry for alienating you", he muttered and suddenly let go of her hand. Laura just eyed him confused, not really understanding what he was getting at and waited for him to continue. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed in mild concern and he stood her gaze for a moment before he averted his face altogether. With his eyes cast down to the surface of the water he finally elaborated his thoughts a bit more precisely.
"I crossed a line. Again. I am sorry for that – do not feel pressed to act any different towards me", he muttered and though his tone was almost emotionless, Laura could have sworn that she heard his voice tremble a bit, "I should not have pushed you..."
Now she was all the more confused. What the hell was he talking about?
"You never pushed me, Godric!", she stated flatly and before she knew it she found herself in the position he usually had – she gently laid a hand on his jawline and applied a bit pressure to turn his head in her direction.
She would probably have found it amusing how their roles suddenly were switched this night, hadn't the situation been so serious.
"And you didn't cross any line – you merely proposed something!", she clarified in a matter-of-fact tone and tried her hardest to appear as self-confident as possible when she continued, "It's not like it offended me or anything – you didn't 'alienate' me! I'm just- …"
A frustrated sigh escaped her when she realized that her train of thoughts was about to head in the totally wrong direction. She let her hand slip from his face again and bit on her lip, before she finally dared to admit, "The possibilities just won't stop to prey on my mind..."
"What do you mean?", Godric asked alarmed and judging by the almost horrified look on his face – measured in his terms, which meant that his eyes were widened barely noticeable and his brows had briefly twitched when his jaw tightened to show those dimples that appeared when he was tense – he seemed to misinterpret her statement again.
Did she seriously have to explain this?
She shook her head in a frustrated manner and took a deep breath, before she caught his gaze again. "I mean that your proposal was so tempting, that I regret to have rejected it so hastily...", she stated and if she hadn't needed her arms to keep herself on the surface, she would have liked to cross them in front of her chest to cover her embarrassment with pretended self-confidence. But as fate would have it, she was practically parading it with the annoying blush she could already feel spreading on her cheeks...
Fortunately he seemed to be taken aback enough, that he probably didn't even notice it. His eyes were clearly wider now and he had definitely lifted his eyebrows in disbelief.
"You mean you would like me to tell you how to find pleasure in your own touch?", he inquired as soon as he had regained his composure.
"I'm not sure what I want at the moment", she admitted honestly and lowered her eyes to his collar tattoo to escape his piercing glare for a few seconds, "I just wanted to let you know, that your suggestion didn't estrange me – it's just still on my mind and I keep thinking about it..."
He was quiet for a moment and by the way his shoulders moved, she could tell that he took a deep breath before he replied.
"Let me know as soon as you know what you want – the offer still stands."
Godric's voice was low and gentle and she couldn't help but smile, when she lifted her head and dared to meet his eyes again. His lips were curved into a faint smile as well and his features showed this reassuring and calm expression she had missed so much in the last few days.
As she was quite positive that any other word she'd utter now, would only result in more embarrassment for her, she merely nodded. But as they soon stepped out of the water – which Laura's wrinkled fingers were quite thankful for – her cheeks turned suspiciously hot anyway, before she could grab the towel to hide her bare body.
She didn't bother to put her clothes on though, as they would probably stay inside and she preferred to wear more comfortable ones in that case. Godric didn't intend to either and they just grabbed their piles before he lead her into the house again.
In the hallway they had already crossed when they entered the glass annex, he stopped a moment at the cupboard there to hand her some surprisingly fluffy house shoes (and as they were pink she supposed, that they were originally Pam's) before they continued to walk down to the other side.
Again there was a beautiful carpet hiding the entrance to the basement – like it had in his house in Dallas – and after they had descended the stairway Godric showed her the room Gerry had already carried her luggage to.
She didn't even have the chance to compliment him for the amazing interior, as he was gone when she was about to do exactly that and she just stared a bit baffled at the spot he had stood in, before she shrugged to herself and approached her bag to retrieve her comfy pants and a simple cotton shirt.
After a quick shower she slipped into her comfortable clothes and stepped into the bedroom again – where Godric was sitting on the edge of the bed, obviously already waiting for her.
"Are we going somewhere? I thought we'd just stay here as the weather isn't exactly inviting at the moment...", she asked confused, after she had taken his appearance in. His attire was unusual – not really special, like a suit or something, but sill not his linen pants and shirt. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit longer. I have to change again – I feel totally underdressed."
He wore black trousers – probably form fitting, she couldn't really tell from his sitting position – and a grey shirt with black buttons that hugged his form flatteringly. Its sleeves were rolled up to reveal his forearms and the two top buttons were left opened to reveal a bit of his collar tattoo.
The word 'handsome' wouldn't even begin to describe how he looked at that moment and she caught herself absentmindedly licking her bottom lip.
"No, I do not intend to leave the house tonight and there is no need for you to change – you look lovely as you are, Laura. I merely thought it would be appropriate to care a bit more about my appearance", he explained and looked down at his shirt, "I hope this is an improvement?"
"Definitely!", she answered without hesitation, but hastily continued when she realized how that sounded, "I mean I totally understand why you usually wear wide clothes – they are much more comfortable. But they practically hide your gorgeous body –... I-I mean these form fitting clothes appeal more to me - … Oh my god I'm talking myself into a disaster – Imeanyoulooknice!"
Oh my god – had she really just said 'gorgeous body'? And what the hell was that 'appeal to me' good for?! What the fuck was wrong with her?!
"Are you being a bit nervous, Laura?", he asked in a husky voice and got up to approach her at an infuriatingly slow pace. He smirked mischievously at her while he drew nearer and nearer until he stopped directly in front of her. Not even two inches parted their bodies and she had to gulp when she felt his breath on her face, as he glared down at her.
"No", she answered stubbornly but immediately felt her cheeks flush again and averted her head, embarrassed by how her body betrayed her. She felt his fingers brushing her cheek, when he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and heard him inhale as if he wanted to say something, when suddenly her phone rang.
Immediately she rushed to her purse, relieved about this distraction and dug for her phone to see who the hell called her now. Everyone who would normally do so, knew that she was traveling and knew better than attempting to reach her via phone. When she finally got hands on the ringing device she was a bit baffled to see that it showed the name 'James' and she hastily blocked the call.
When she realized a moment too late, how he'd probably interpret that, she sighed and tipped a short message how he'd find her via Skype. Godric seemed interested, almost curious, but had kept a distance and therefore no clue who had called her, or what she'd written.
"I'll have to take a call now, but it won't take long – I promise!", she told him and hastily rushed to her backpack to retrieve her laptop. She had already made herself comfortable on the bed and tuned it on when she realized that Godric still stood obviously indecisive in the same spot he had been in.
"You don't have to leave, Godric – please make yourself comfortable", she told him gently and smiled at him, "Just try not to sit too close beside me. It's James that will be calling, so I suppose it's better if he doesn't see you, or we'll end up having an argument again..."
He merely nodded silently and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. His body was turned in her direction and he was close enough that their thighs touched, but as he was positioned behind her laptop it wouldn't matter. Though his face didn't betray what he was thinking at the moment, she had to smile at his actions.
He'd heeded her words, but he was still sitting comfortably close...
A ringing sound ripped her out of her musings and she tore her gaze from the vampire beside her to look at the screen and answer the incoming video call.
"Hey Laura", James greeted her with a halfhearted smile, "I went by your apartment a few times, but you never opened so I just wanted to check if you purposely didn't answer the door or if it was just coincidence..."
"Hey James! I didn't answer the door because I'm not in Dallas at the moment", she explained with a chuckle and smiled when his expression changed to a relieved one.
"Oh – I already thought you're still pissed at me...", he admitted and scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner.
"No – I thought we've settled that?! How were things working out for you – have you gotten the job?"
"Yeah – I wanted to celebrate with you, but you weren't traceable...", he told her and somehow managed to look equally proud and disappointed at the same time, "Where are you anyway?"
"At the moment I'm in Iceland – a really good friend made a round trip through Europe with me", she explained with a grin, but cast a surprised look at Godric, when she suddenly felt him putting his hand on her knee. A smile played around his lips and she couldn't help but return it which caused James to draw her attention back to him.
"A friend? Male or female?", he asked and when her gaze returned to the screen, she could see a frown on his face.
"Male", she stated with a grin, amused by the fact that he was obviously jealous. No one had ever been jealous because of her! Well, except for Godric maybe, but that was a different kind of jealous...
"And you're sure he's just a friend? He's with you right now, isn't he?", James inquired now, and his tone betrayed how downright displeased he was.
Laura couldn't help but glance at the vampire beside her for a brief moment and when she found him smirking, her eyes widened just a fraction, before she controlled her facial features again.
"Who is he?", James drew her attention back to him with a gruff voice and she merely eyed the screen bewildered.
"If I wouldn't know it better, I'd say you're royally pissed – but you have neither reason nor any right to feel like that", she informed him dryly and furrowed her eyebrows slightly to emphasize that she wasn't exactly pleased by how this conversation turned out, "We're just friends – remember?"
An angry expression scurried over James' face for a brief moment, before he sighed in defeat and nodded.
"You're right. Friends", he stated a bit dejected, "But you could have informed me that you'd be gone for – … how long exactly?"
"I don't know – I suppose as long as it takes to see the most interesting places", she answered uncertainly and shrugged, not really sure how long it would take them.
"Europe's not that big – that can't take much longer, can it?", James replied, a bit more cheerful now, "You're on the road for at least three weeks already, right?"
"Almost exactly six weeks – but no, not only in Europe", she informed him, equally cheerful again, "We'll head to Asia next and probably to a few islands then, before we go to New Zealand and South America."
"What?!", he asked bewildered with an almost horrified expression on his face, "You want to travel to the most interesting places in the world?!"
"Yeah – minus the ones that are too dangerous because of war or a high risk of infection with some parasitic disease. I'm a bit overcautious there, that's why we won't travel into tropical regions – at least not for long..."
"Well – write me a postcard then", he muttered and tried to hide his disappointment behind a fake smile, "I don't want to bother you any longer – have a nice evening, or night, or whatever..."
"Wait James!", she exclaimed before he could have pressed the button to disconnect them, "You don't bother me! I'm sorry I didn't tell you – I haven't thought you'd like to see me anytime soon, let alone celebrate with me! And of course I'll write you a postcard – but you have to tell me your address again, I can't recall that anymore, I've only been at your apartment once..."
A small smile appeared around his lips and he nodded slowly. "I'll write you a message. I'd appreciate a call once in a while as well..."
"Now I know how to reach you", she stated with a grin and nodded reassuringly, "Have a nice evening James – I'm glad you called!"
"You too, Laura – and I'm glad you answered, at least the second time", he laughed and winked before he waved into the camera and cut their connection.
A relieved sigh escaped her throat, as they hadn't ended up arguing this time and she closed her laptop to concentrate on the suspiciously quiet vampire beside her.
"You did not answer his question."
"Huh?", she asked confused, while she absentmindedly put her computer to the side. "What do you mean?"
"He asked if you were sure that we are just friends – and you did not answer him", he pointed out and eyed her curiously. Laura felt her brows twitch upwards and her eyes widened in realization, before she huffed in annoyance.
"It's none of his business, that's why I didn't answer him!", she simply told him and her tone indicated that she wouldn't exactly be thrilled to discuss this matter any further.
"Very well – would you like to eat something?", he immediately changed the subject, obviously getting the hint, "Mr. and Mrs. White should already be back from grocery shopping."
Only now Laura realized how hungry she already was, as she hadn't eaten anything but 'breakfast' yet – and that had been at least six hours ago.
"Yeah – I think that would be a good idea. I should probably make use of the fact that I'm not constantly nauseous at the moment...", she muttered with an embarrassed smile, which Godric returned with a faint smile of his own and a nod, before he lead her upstairs again.
This time he allowed her time to glance around and admire the house. Compared to the one in Dallas, it's windows were far smaller, but as the rooms themselves were smaller as well, it immediately conveyed a cozy ambience. Only the living room had a rather modern touch with it's glass front facing to the south.
Both – the kitchen and the dining room – were rather small and separated from it, but adjoined. Laura loved the inviting corner bench and immediately had to try it out while Godric leant against the doorframe to the kitchen.
The wood seemed old, but the cushioning couldn't have been older than two or three years. The fabric was cream white with triangular patterns in orange and red tones on it and looked simultaneously modern and traditional.
"One of these days you'll have to tell me who's responsible for the interior and decoration in your houses", she demanded while she brushed her hand gently over the beautiful linen fabric, "Is the same person responsible for all of your properties? It definitely looks different from your house in Dallas, but there are some similarities as well, so I'm not really sure..."
"Do you not have an idea already?", he asked obviously amused and tilted his head to the side as if he waited for her answer.
"Well – of course it could be Pam, but there's definitely a lack of pink here if it really was her who created this", Laura muttered and still stroked absentmindedly over the cushioning beside her.
"Did she ask you to wear pink clothes when you two went shopping?"
"No."
"That is because she is fortunately aware that most of the people around her do not exactly appreciate the color as much as she does", Godric explained with chuckle, "She has an uncanny sense for every kind of design and I am extremely glad that she lend me her expertise. I always immediately feet 'at home' in houses she furnished and decorated for me."
"I can understand that – she's done a really nice job!", Laura agreed and looked up at him with a smile, suddenly noticing that Godric's gaze seemed to stick to her hand, which still brushed over the cushioning. "But I have to say that the houses are pretty stunning on their own – I mean this glass front in the living room is really a contrast to the rest I've seen so far, but somehow it still fits very nicely..."
Godric chuckled again, his eyes now turning to her face and a small smile appeared on his lips before he spoke again.
"Interesting that you mention that... Eric and Pam really fit nicely, hm?"
"You mean Eric planned the house?!", she asked baffled and couldn't hide her surprise – neither in her voice nor on her face.
"Sort of – I own most of my houses longer than he has been interested in architecture and reconstruction. He usually only changes a few things, but as you can see, they can still have an impressive effect", he explained patiently and gestured towards the open door to the living room, "Eric likes to call it 'upgrading' and mostly he really does a fine job, but sometimes I have to admit that he tends to exaggerate a bit..."
Now it was Laura who chuckled and she grinned as she could very well understand Godric's opinion, when she thought of the private jet she had seen Eric and Pam depart with.
"I suppose that's probably a trait that's engraved to his very core", she mused, tapping thoughtfully with a finger against her chin, "I mean he's a Viking – they used to plunder and parade their loot, no?"
Godric only chuckled in response and she couldn't help but grin at the lovely sound. "But you're right – Eric and Pam really fit very nicely! … But they're not a couple, are they?"
Immediately his soft chuckle died down and he stared at her for a moment. His expression looked almost disbelieving, but he soon regained his composure and displayed his usually reserved mask.
"No. They are not", Godric informed her rather taciturn and turned to head to the kitchen without another glance at her. A bit surprised by his sudden mood swing, Laura got up from her position on the corner bench and followed him hesitantly.
The kitchen had only one window, but was very well lit so that didn't matter and two kitchen units were positioned against the walls with about three feet between them. Godric rummaged silently in the fridge while she watched him warily from the doorway.
But when he placed the ingredients for her meal with a bit more force than necessary on the worktop, she couldn't keep quiet any longer.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Her voice sounded meekly when she finally dared to step beside him. Concern was certainly written all over her face, when she eyed him and he slowly turned towards her with a blank expression.
He seemed to contemplate his answer for a moment, before he turned to the vegetables again and muttered a, "No, everything is fine."
Without another glance in her direction he started to slice the onions at a speed Laura's eyes couldn't follow, but when he slowed down to grab one of the potatoes, she quickly reached out and held him back before he could do so.
"Please tell me what's wrong", she begged gently, her fingers still wrapped tightly around his wrist. Godric's eyes darted from his hand up to her face and if there was anything else but that neutral expression she could detect on his, she would have called it frustration.
"I don't want to make a mistake again, but if no one tells me anything about vampire etiquette I won't ever know what's right or wrong in your eyes!", she explained carefully and let go of his wrist.
"It has nothing to do with 'vampire etiquette' – but as we already are at it: never touch a vampire without warning and never try to restrain one from whatever it was, he or she was about to do", he told her dryly before he turned to the potatoes again and started to peel them – now at human speed.
"You gave me permis-"
"Yes – I gave you permission to touch me", he interrupted her and glared at her from the corner of his eyes for a brief moment, before his attention turned back to the tuber in his hand, "But as my kind gets easily bored, a challenge like that might very well be your last, if executed on the wrong vampire..."
"Okay – I've taken note of that. Could you please tell me what was wrong with my question now?", she asked, admittedly a bit annoyed by now. It was obvious that there was a problem – why couldn't he just tell her what it was about?!
"I already told you, that there was nothing wrong with it."
"Yeah – but how you act brings me to believe, that quite the opposite is the case", she muttered under her breath and grabbed one of the potatoes on her own. After she had gotten a knife out of the same drawer she had Godric seen retrieve one, she started to peel it as well.
They silently worked beside each other – Laura accurately mirroring his movements – until all prepared vegetables were sliced. Without either a word nor a glance at her, Godric withdrew the oil from the shelf beside her head and poured it into a pot before he activated the stove.
With a defeated sigh, Laura took a step back to give him more space to work and leant against the opposite kitchen unit while she observed his every move. He first added the onions to the heated oil, then the other ingredients little by little. After he had poured water in the pot, he seasoned the probably soon-to-be soup and stood by it, stirring it every now and then before he sliced a piece of white bread and applied a herbal-butter mix to it. He placed it into the oven – all the while deliberately ignoring Laura.
Her stomach was already quite persistently demanding to be filled, when Godric finally deemed her meal ready and went outside to place the pot on a rubber saucer without a word. Equally silent she trailed him, equipped with a bowl and spoon, and sat in the same spot as she had earlier, as soon as she reached the corner bench.
"I'm sorry, Godric" she muttered with her eyes cast down to the still empty plate in front of her and bit on her lip, "I don't know what it was that upset you, but whatever it was – I regret saying it..."
She was still brooding over what exactly she had done wrong, when her field of vision suddenly changed, as the empty bowl was filled with soup. Her head jerked up in surprise and when she found a small smile on his face – though it seemed a bit forced – she felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest.
"Thank's for cooking, Godric. I really appreciate it."
"You are welcome."
And after a last glance at his still faintly smiling face, she finally dug in. But she hadn't even scarfed four spoons of the delicious soup, when her phone suddenly peeped. With one hand still shoveling the soup into her mouth, she rummaged in her purse and pulled her phone out to see who had been texting her.
It was her mother – demanding that she'd call her.
'Skype – now!' was all that stood there and she shook her head disbelievingly but still sighed in defeat. Her meal would have to wait then...
Looking up at Godric she realized that he eyed her almost suspiciously and she couldn't help but return a rather confused glare. "Mom want's to talk to me – I've got to get my laptop...", she explained, but one of her eyebrows was cocked in a challenging manner.
If he had a problem, he should tell her – damn it!
But when he suddenly blinked slightly surprised, his demeanor changed drastically and he nodded slowly. "I will get it for you – you should eat something first", he muttered and was gone in the next second, only to reappear with her laptop a few moments later.
She had managed to down more than half of the bowl in the meantime and immediately opened and started the device as soon as Godric had placed it on the table beside her. Somehow she managed to eat while logging in, without spilling soup all over the keyboard and happily grinned into the camera with the spoon in her mouth, when she finally started the video call.
Her mother answered with the first ring and if that hadn't been prove enough for her excitement, the unusually big grin on her face definitely was.
"Hey honey – how're things going?"
"Fine mom – now spill it! What's up?"
"You'll never believe who just rang our doorbell!"
"It's a bit too early for Santa, so who's been there?", Laura asked dryly, annoyed by the way her mother tried to make her even more curious. Her monosyllabic text message had been ominous enough to stir her interest...
"Why darling – you don't even try to guess?", an all too familiar voice sounded from the background before her mother moved to make room for another chair beside hers – and on it sat the Viking she had only just taken a leave of a night ago.
"Eric – what are you doing in Arkansas?!", she heard herself asking in surprise but couldn't suppress a smile. For some reason her mood suddenly wasn't so grumpy anymore and though she had just seen him a night before, she was glad to see him again.
"Well – visiting your mother obviously", he purred and leant his chin on his knuckles. His eyes were staring directly at the camera when a small smirk appeared on his face.
Laura gulped. She knew exactly what this expression was about – he had felt her excitement when she saw him appearing on the screen, the emotions the mere picture of him triggered, because it reminded her of the dreams that had bothered her the last two nights – and probably would keep doing that for quite a while...
"He came by to show us a few pictures of your journey – all you ever send are photos of landscapes and buildings", her mother complained in an almost whining tone, "There was not a picture of you in there – not even a single selfie!"
Laura rolled her eyes in an annoyed manner and took another spoon of Godric's soup. "Yeah – only I would travel half around the globe, taking pictures of the scenery there and not myself", she muttered sarcastically, which caused Eric to smirk and her mother to huff.
"Well – it couldn't hurt to take a picture of yourself every once in a while! It's always nice to browse through old photos and think ba-", her mother was about to point out, but when she realized that Laura's expression had changed, she immediately stopped and bit on her lip.
"I always wondered where you have that from...", Godric muttered from beside her and Laura looked up at him in surprise, only now realizing that he had probably been sitting there the whole time. He had a good view on the screen but was still in the dead spot of the camera, though Eric probably knew that he was there anyway.
"It's okay mom – I understand what you're getting at", she assured her mother when she turned her attention back to the screen and forced a smile on her face. "So where did you get pictures of me Eric – I can't remember seeing you ever use a camera, not even your iPhone's!"
"You should know by now, that I have my ways...", he just answered dubiously and she felt one of her eyebrows arch in suspicion.
"Pamela", Godric muttered beside her and she darted him a surprised glance, before she returned her attention to the screen.
"Anyways – I'm glad I have a few pictures of you now", her mother interjected and beamed at her, "And I have to admit – you and Godric look really cute!"
"Mom! We're not-"
"I know, I know – I'm just saying things can always change", she stated and winked at Laura, "And I think you'd make a lovely couple."
"Well. Thank's for your opinion...", Laura just muttered and tended to her soup again, slurping the last few spoons.
"It's good to see you eat again...", she heard the Viking mutter in an uncharacteristically serious tone and glanced at the screen, to see him glancing thoughtfully at her. When he seemed to realize how out of character he was, he immediately smirked again and added, "Just don't overdo it!"
Laura gave him a glare with narrowed eyes and was positively surprised when her mother did the same. "Don't listen to him – a few pounds more will look good on you!", she assured her, but when she heard an approving 'mhm' from her left, she suddenly felt very self-conscious.
She knew that she was almost unhealthily thin by now and especially her curves had suffered from her rapid weight loss. With a sigh she slowly shook her head and tried to get rid of those self-critical thoughts
Her mother grilled her about the last two days, as she hadn't called her since and she enthusiastically recalled the gondola ride on the Seine (without mentioning the kiss – as that would doubtlessly have lead to other unnecessary comments about them being a cute couple...) and she even told her – a bit reluctantly though – about her achieved skinny dipping goal.
After all, her mom was the only person who had read her list so far, so she knew exactly what was written there and there was no need to hide anything. And the Viking – well, he knew her every feeling. It was practically impossible to hide anything from him.
Her mother only responded with a smirk and asked mischievously "I hope you used this opportunity and took a good look at him?!".
Laura didn't even need to answer that, as her burning cheeks certainly spoke volumes and when she hid her face in her palms, she could hear her mother chuckle and the Viking laugh out loud.
"You're adorable, tiny", Eric stated with a smirk when he had calmed down and continued in a more serious tone, "The next time we talk, we should do that in private – there are a few things we haven't had the time to address yet!"
His eyed darted to her left as if he knew that Godric was sitting there, so it was clear that he was more talking about him than her mother at the moment. Laura involuntarily gulped at the prospect of this conversation, as she knew only too well what he was talking about.
Her dreams...
Before she even had the chance to reply anything, Godric had gotten up and turned to leave.
"Where are you going?", she asked a bit baffled when she looked after him.
"I leave you to your private conversation...", he answered in a monotone voice and was gone before she could have protested. Laura released a frustrated sigh before she turned to the screen again and pointed an accusing finger at the picture of Eric.
"Look what you've done now! He's already been grumpy before – thank's a lot man!", she scolded him and crossed her arms in front of her chest with a huff. "What was that good for anyway?"
"He doesn't need to know everything...", Eric muttered, but Laura could have sworn she'd seen a sense of guilt scurry briefly over his face. "But what I intend to say isn't exactly for your mothers ears either, so we'll have to postpone that anyway."
"I thought so", she noted dryly and huffed, "You put him off for nothing!"
"Is there trouble in paradise?", her mother suddenly chimed in with a smirk, which only caused Laura to sigh deeply.
"He's still pissed that she took my blood", Eric whispered behind the back of his hand, but still loud enough that Laura could hear it and her mothers eyes widened in surprise.
"You gave her your blood? - So Laura's healed now?!", she immediately demanded to know, the look on her face blatantly showing her newly growing hope.
"I'm afraid not – but we're working on it. You'll be working on it to be precise", Eric informed her bluntly, "That's also part of the reason why I'm here: I heard you're looking for vampire blood – you can have mine. Under the condition that it's only used for research regarding Laura's health. Of course I have a few other conditions as well, but we'll talk about that later", he told her casually and his lips formed a grin before he turned his head to the screen again.
Laura sat bored in front of her laptop, her head leant on her elbow and observed the two of them as they had seemed to have forgotten about her anyway.
"Are you finished or should I leave you as well?", she asked dryly and cocked her eyebrow, "Where the hell is Dad anyway? I can't imagine that he'd let Eric into his house just like that! Is he working late again?"
Her mother sighed deeply and her features turned into a slightly frustrated one before she forced a small smile on her face. "He's very busy at the moment. I think he's trying to occupy his mind to keep from overthinking things..."
"Oh...", Laura only sounded dumbly and bit on her lip uneasily, "I'm sorry mom..."
"I've tried to talk to him, but you know how he is", her mother explained and buried her head in her hands for a few moments. She always did that when the situation was too much for her to take and though Laura had seldom witnessed such circumstances, it was an act she found herself often mimicking in times of distress.
She had to smile when she saw the Vikings hand awkwardly patting her mothers shoulder in an attempt to soothe her and was once more reminded of the sheer luck she had.
There was a person in her life that cared enough for her, that he even went out of his way for the people she loved. It warmed her heart to see him act so very supportive and not like the cocky player he usually tried to make everyone believe he was.
The slightly annoyed glance he darted in her direction, told her that he was very much aware of her feelings at the moment and not exactly thrilled by the thought of her actually liking what he did. She just smiled apologetically at him and shrugged and though she really liked to see this side of him, she was relieved, when her mother finally got a hold of herself again and looked up with a still slightly frustrated face.
"I just hope we'll find something in time...", she muttered and gave Eric a thankful but simultaneously embarrassed look, before she turned to the screen again.
"If not, then at least Godric will find something – and even if he doesn't, there is still a way to keep her alive...", the Viking told her in a soothing tone and Laura immediately felt her eyebrows rise in confusion.
"What are you talking about?", she asked baffled, "Why didn't you tell me about this other way earlier?"
"Because it's so obvious, that I hadn't deemed it necessary."
"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to explain it, because I don't really get it either...", her mother interjected and eyed him with an equally confused look.
"If worst comes to worst, either Godric or I will turn her."
A baffled silence settled in the rooms and Laura just stared disbelieving at the screen for a few moments. Was he being serious?!
"You'd do that?", she whispered barely audible and couldn't help the tears suddenly starting to fill her eyes.
"Oh stop that tiny!", he exclaimed a bit gruff and leapt up to pace back and forth behind her mother, who followed his movements with an astonished gaze, "I should have proven by now how important you are to us – stop feeling so-... so-... so much! You're overwhelming me!"
"I'm sorry...", she just muttered and sniffed before she hastily wiped her cheeks dry again. "I'm a bit overwhelmed too", she tried to explain her reaction, "I hadn't given this possibility a thought after Belle told me what this means for the maker..."
"Well – I'm sure you'd be worth the trouble. Could you please calm down again now – I can't think straight with all this emotions", he mumbled grumpily and leant his arms on the backrest of his chair when he stared into the camera.
"I'll try...", she answered meekly and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She still couldn't believe that he'd really do that (though she doubted even more that Godric would) – but the fact that he even considered it, warmed her heart and gave her a sense of security, when it came to her future, she had long thought lost.
"Though I have to admit, that I'm not particularly fond of the idea that my daughter possibly becomes a creature of the night, I'm really thankful for your offer", her mother stated and nodded approvingly at Eric, "I'd have to see her at night, but at least I could be with her at all..."
The Viking just stared baffled at her mother, as if he wasn't completely sure if he should be offended of flattered, but eased his features as soon as he realized his open display of emotions and smirked instead.
"It's settled then, honey pie", he cooed into the camera before he took a brief glance at his watch. "I'm afraid I have to occupy your mother now. I have still some matters to discuss with her and some appointments to make afterwards."
"Okay – just don't flirt too much with her. She's happily married!", Laura reminded him, but stared with a wagging finger at her mother to emphasize the statement.
"Oh – you hurt me! I wouldn't dream of doing something like that", Eric informed her with feigned innocence but soon his mock-insulted face turned into a devilish smirk.
"I mean it hulk!"
"Yeah, got it – I keep my hands to myself", the Viking gave in and raised his hands in surrender, but continued with a lopsided grin, "I can't speak for your mother though..."
"Well...", her mother mumbled with a side glance at the vampire, but was cut short by her daughter.
"Oh stop mocking me you two! Have a good night – but not too good, okay?!"
"Rodger", Eric stated with a smirk which caused Laura to roll her eyes in annoyance before she waved impatiently into the camera and broke the connection. Did they really have to act so childish and tease her like that?
Though she probably asked for it with the statement she made...
And at least Eric's demeanor had distracted her mother from her problems for a few moments. They were still on Laura's mind though...
She should have known that her father would react like that.
He always secluded himself whenever something bothered him, rather than to address the problem or talk about it with someone. He had just lost his mother a few weeks ago and as the matters stood at the moment, it looked as if she wouldn't be around for very much longer either – at least not in this form...
Deep in thoughts she carried the pot with the remaining soup into the kitchen and searched the shelves for some sort of storage bin, before she simply poured it into a smaller pot and placed it in the huge fridge. She took care of the dishes and tried to concentrate solely on the task, as the thoughts that came to her mind made her eyes sting suspiciously.
She was almost done with her list. Actually there were only three tasks left – one of those seeing to it, that the people she cared for, would have something to remind them of her. Something that would hopefully help them to deal with the loss...
The travel destinations Godric still had in mind, weren't even on her list, as she hadn't thought she'd be able to afford such a long journey. Though she had ideas, what she wanted to leave behind for the people who meant something to her, she hadn't even started to prepare those gifts.
And who knew how long she still had? The half year they had given her in the worst case, was almost up...
When she was done with cleaning the kitchen, she dried her cheeks with the back of her hand, before she left the room to search for a certain vampire. She just hoped he had calmed down by now...
When she entered the living room she was relieved to find him there, as she wasn't sure if she could have recalled the 16-digit code to open the door to the basement.
Godric sat silently on the couch facing the huge window front and stared outside in the darkness. He had a strained expression on his face and seemed generally quite tense, which caused her to approach the sofa from behind instead of sitting beside him.
As she supposed he had realized her presence by now, she didn't bother to announce her presence, but simply placed her fingers gently on his temples, slowly massaging them. At first he turned even tenser, but soon he sighed and even leant against the backrest.
"He made you cry", he mumbled and by the sound of his voice, it was not a question, but a statement.
"What makes you believe that it was Eric who caused me to cry?", she inquired sharply and stopped her movements before she let go of him altogether.
"I cannot imagine that your mother upset you like that."
She shook her head in disbelieve and rounded the couch to face him and it was entirely possible that she stomped a bit while doing that, as she was slightly pissed now.
Like she had suspected his features didn't give the faintest hint away, what he was thinking at the moment, which caused her to sigh deeply before she started to talk.
"Well – Eric did bring me to tears", Laura admitted and she couldn't help but frown when she saw the beginning of an arrogant smile form on his face and continued before it could have manifested, "But just because what he said touched me so deeply.
"I don't know why you can't just let it be – I admitted that it was a mistake to let him claim me. Just stop thinking the worst of him already!"
Godric stared incredulously at her for a moment, before he shook his head as if he wanted to get rid of a thought and reverted to looking out of the window again. With a sigh Laura approached the couch and sat beside him in silence, but didn't dare to sit close enough to accidentally touch him.
She examined his profile for a while and didn't bother to do it subtile, as he would have been aware anyway, but it didn't coax him to face her again.
"My mom said something that really made me cry...", she noted in a low voice when she turned her head to look out into the dark as well. This obviously caught his interest, as she heard him move beside her.
"What did she tell you?"
His voice was as neutral as his face had been – and probably still was, she just refused to check right now – but the question alone told her that he at least wasn't pissed enough at her, that he didn't care, which at least eased some of the tension she felt.
"It's my father, Godric. I have to go home – he needs me. My family needs me...", she whispered before she turned her head to look at him. She knew, that he wouldn't take this request calmly, especially as they had had such difficult times lately and bit nervously on her bottom lip. Her throat felt dry and constricted, but no matter how often she swallowed, it just wouldn't relax.
Godric's lips were pressed to a thin line and his eyebrows furrowed just slightly, before he forced his mask back in place. It was never a good sign when he lost control over his features...
"When do you wish to leave?"
"Godric – please-..."
"Just name a date. If you wish to, we can depart within the next hour – just tell me", his voice was void of any emotion, but sounded pressed and as if it took him some effort to keep it that way.
"As soon as I've seen the northern lights with you...", she muttered meekly and stared at her knees in concern while she bit hard on her lip.
When had the situation gone so out of control?
"As you wish."
And with that he was gone.
Her throat felt so constricted that she had difficulties to breath by now, but she tried to ignore it. This was all just a matter of her mind – she merely had to calm down again...
Laura stubbornly kept sitting in her spot on the couch and stared out into the dark again, desperately trying to keep her thoughts from wandering to a certain, disappointed vampire and seemingly oblivious to the tears that ran down her cheeks – for the third time this night...
AN: hey there :) finally I finished the chapter - I hope you liked it :) And though it probably doesn't seem like it: we're almost there ;)
a big thanks to the amazing people who left me a few words - Henbird, Pelawen Night, WinchesterGirl2975, Reina434, JamesNorthman96, galwidanatitud, Cionnfhaoladh, Arenola, treewitch703 and downbelowgirl your support is really appreciated! :)
I hope some of you will leave me a review again :)
Thanks for reading! Till the next chapter ;)
~Orange