Bound by Reality

Matt slammed the box down on the floor of his new bedroom. "Whoa there, what is your problem, here I give you a nice house with your pick of the rooms and you go slamming stuff around." Eric commented.

"You talked to my teacher didn't you?" Matt barked.

"Hmmm, you must be speaking of Ms. Canton, yes I spoke to her clarified your grade, is there a problem?"

"Yeah she was the one and only person who didn't treat me like a freak and you ruined it."

"Well now she changed with the truth did she? What do you care anyway that school is history," Eric said sitting down on the bed.

"I just felt like I lost something that's all," he said backing off.

"Well you'll find it again," Eric said getting up and walking towards the door. "Oh and son, don't ever take that tone with me again."

Before Matt could respond Eric was gone. He flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling feeling very trapped.

He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he remembered was the light coming through the window. He stretched and got out of bed and padded down the hall to the bathroom. He could feel Sookie in every nook and cranny of the house and feared that his father had permanently over-stepped his bounds by hijacking her home in her absence. But he could understand it; the place already felt lived in and comfortable. He passed by what he knew was Sookies bedroom and though he really wanted to go inside he refrained and went back to his room and got dressed. He went downstairs to grab some breakfast and unpack the few things they had brought from Shreveport; as he sat shoveling the cereal into his mouth he suddenly wondered where his father was sleeping. After he finished his breakfast he began wandering around and noticed that while he slumbered Eric had unpacked quite a bit himself as well and had even more things delivered.

He picked items up and put them down and finally went over to explore the cabinet that was in the corner. He opened it up and saw the ladder that descended below ground. He swallowed and began to make his way down. The light was muted but he found his father in a nice queen sized bed looking quite comfortable. He couldn't help but smile as the scene looked so normal his father could have been anyone, a city worker, a teacher, anybody human.

In the corner sat a small desk with lamp sitting on top. Matt opened the drawer and saw notebooks, a calculator and plenty of pens and pencils. Behind him Eric opened an eye and watched his son sit down at the desk also marveling at the normalcy the room brought. Matt stood up and looked back at his sleeping father and went over and lay down on top of the covers next to him. He laced his fingers behind his head and stared at the paint on the ceiling suddenly startled when his father spoke. "I put the desk there for you. I thought maybe you could do your homework there sometimes; even if I was asleep we could… well be together," Eric said awkwardly.

"Sure sounds good to me," Matt said smiling. "About last night, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to question you."

"No it's okay, we're in modern times now and kids question everything. But you young man will have boundaries but I expect that you will find them in due time."

"I'm sure your right," Matt agreed getting up. "I'll let you sleep, see you at dinner."

Eric watched his son ascend the ladder his feet disappearing out of sight and admitted to himself that for the very first time he was completely lost in this world.

"Eat your vegetables," Eric said as he watched Matt push his broccoli around the plate.

"You don't eat yours," Matt replied.

"I've eaten a vegetarian or two," Eric said choking down some Tru Blood. "And it doesn't matter what I've eaten or not this is about you."

"Why did you leave me for so long?" Mat asked pushing his plate away.

"You're going to jump right on those boundaries aren't you?"

"I'm a Northman aren't I? I need to know."

"You don't remember anything?" he asked.

Matt shook his head no. "Nothing, it's blank, like I can't turn the pages back that far. But the story that I had been told over and over just doesn't seem right. I recently realized that it wasn't even my memory."

Eric made a quick decision unsure if it was right or wrong but before he could think much more the words tumbled from his mouth his memories were nearly as dark as his sons with the truth mixed in. It had been so long he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. But one thing he did know was that his son was nowhere near ready for the truth not in its entirety anyway. "I was in no shape to raise a child, I was violent and mean and never stayed in one place. It was better you were with others." But just as his son had come to recognize it wasn't his memory, it was merely a story.

"But then you came here and settled down and still you didn't want me." Matt continued.

"That's not true, I was establishing myself." Eric said picking up where he had left off.

"And there was no room for me, I get it, I'm only here now because everybody was tired of passing me down to the next generation!" Matt yelled getting up.

"Get back here," Eric demanded as Matt had made his way towards the other room.

"No, you don't care."

"Where is this coming from?" Eric asked Matt's words shooting through him touching him in ways he had long ago forgotten.

"I've had lots of time to think and I want answers and yours aren't good enough," Matt said continuing his path away from his father. His frustration at not having a clear picture was beginning to take over and control his emotions.

"Get back here now!" Eric snapped.

But Matt merely shook his head no. It was less than a second before Eric was on his son grasping the boys biceps shaking him roughly but controlled. "You want to know the truth? Do you!" He asked even though there was no way he was in any way prepared or able to give it.

"Yes sir I do," Matt responded boldly.

"I hated your mother for what she did. I have no idea if your conception was purposeful or a fluke byproduct but the minute you were born a piece of me died."

"Well thank you very much," Matt retorted.

"Let me finish," Eric hissed leaving no room for argument. "A piece of me died because I knew I was going to be destined to watching you grow and eventually leave me. You were so little those blue eyes looking into mine but I could see they wouldn't last. I told Ava that she doomed me to grief and I hated her for it. I left determined never to see you again, but Godric insisted I be a part of your life while you lived. It pained me each time, you know now what the sentence of immortality places on you and I couldn't handle it when it came to you."

"But I'm still alive."

"We didn't know that then, I still don't know what or how it happened." Eric's face suddenly changed suspicion and knowledge suddenly seeped into his eyes and continued down his face.

"What? What is it?"

Eric let his son go and went down on his knees. Matt stood looking down at his suddenly vulnerable father, something he had never seen before. He could see how his mere presence had already changed the hardened vampire giving credence to his argument.

"One of the last times I saw your mother she wasn't looking well, I told her she was the lucky one not having to ever see you die. That I would leave and never come back and never know when you left this earth. That her death wasn't fair as I wasn't allowed the same fate."

"When did you come back?"

"A month or so later; I was watching from the woods, I had gone underground not far from where you lived. As soon as the darkness took over the trees I slipped in and found you. Ava wasn't home yet."

"You wanted to drink my blood, I remember that."

"Does anything else come to mind?" he asked testing his son his own memories were fuzzy and fleeting.

"No nothing, just you biting me."

"I wanted some of you to take forever, but your mother came home and tried to stop me."

"You killed her?"

Eric wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question. "I did. I think she had been working on some kind of magic and I interrupted it."

"And I'm fifteen forever."

"I think she wanted to make you immortal, she had always claimed that you were a gift for the ages; for me."

"But how could she do it, I mean that is powerful magic."

"It is, and it is magic that lives on for an eternity right along with you." Eric said standing up. "These witches that are in town, we have to watch them carefully. Finish your dinner I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"I have to talk to Bill Compton." Eric was gone with the screen door slamming behind him the only thing indicating that he had left.

Matt went back to the kitchen rubbing his biceps knowing he was going to have bruises where his father had held him. He sat down and stared at his plate when Eric appeared again and placed it in front of him. "Eat up so you can grow big and strong," he said smiling before he vanished again. This seemed so out of character that Matt wasn't sure if it had even happened. But it had and something deep within the boy began to tingle as long held bubbles of memories began to rise.

Eric raced off towards Bill he needed all the help he could get in protecting his son; the son he had just told lie after lie to once again. But he had no choice; he hoped that one day the truth would make itself known. It had been so long and he tried so hard to block it all out that he could no longer recall the actuality of the days long ago. Honesty would come one day and at its own pace. Until then he could only wait as it seeped out a moment at a time.