Disclaimer: I do not own True Blood!

A/N – Unfortunately, I may have to start updating new chapters a bit later from now on. Due to all my new classes etc., things are preeeeetty busy! But don't worry, I don't mean "later" as in a few months, or a year or some evil shit. Nope, the maximum lateness I'd have for a chappie would probably be a week, maybe two.

Anyway, on with chapter twenty! ~

I quietly shut the big oak door behind me, and proceeded to make my way down the long hallway again. I'd stayed with Godric for a good hour or so after he'd fallen asleep, just gently weaving my hand through his hair. It relaxed me, just doing that, and I left in a calm mood. In fact, I think Godric was relaxed by it, too, even in his sleeping state. He'd murmured by name a couple of times, which had made me smile.

I wasn't too sure where to find the triplets, or how to make my way back to the kitchen area – but I really needed to get home. I couldn't wait until evening. I needed to know what Sookie and Godric had agreed on. So I padded softly down the carpeted hallway, trying to get my bearings in this humongous house.

Eventually, I came to the end of the hallway, and into the entrance hall again. It was slightly brighter now – the sun poured in thick streams through the large windows, bathing the stairs in a beautiful golden light. It almost made me smile, had I not been fretting over on how to get back to Bon Temps.

If I was being totally honest with myself, I wasn't sure if I really wanted to live in such a big mansion. I mean, I liked being with Godric, he made me feel happier than I'd ever been – but I couldn't simply throw away everything, just for his sake. I needed to go to school. I needed to interact with normal teenagers –my friends. I needed –

"Having a deep moment?" Somebody asked teasingly, jolting me out of my concentrated thoughts. I swivelled round to come nose-to-nose with Aaron. He grinned at me. "Sorry, honey. Did I scare you?"

I rolled my dark orbs, and rested my hands against my hips. "Hardly," I scoffed. Aaron raised a blonde eyebrow in disbelief, before chuckling deeply. Suddenly, though, his arm looped through mine, and we were walking down the set of steps. I looked down at our linked arms in surprise, and felt the familiar, possessive tingle at the pull. I was about to snatch my arm back, but Aaron's voice cut through my decided actions.

"…So, honey, what's on your mind?" He asked smoothly, staring down at me from the corner of his eye. "You seem troubled." I sighed wearily, wondering if I should talk away all my problems with Aaron: a near-stranger. He seemed nice enough, sure, he was a little flirty – but I could tell he didn't have bad intentions.

"Well," I started, sighing deeply, "I don't know what to do. My sister wants me to attend school and stay with her, and Godric wants me to be tutored, and stay with him. And I don't know if I want to stay here, and throw away all my school life – but then, I don't want to hurt Godric, either."

Aaron seemed to contemplate over my words for a few moments, and I revelled in the peaceful silence, the only sound our soft footsteps on the floor. "You could make a compromise of some sort," He offered, and I smiled grimly.

"They did, apparently," I admitted, "But I have no idea what their compromise was. And judging by Godric's happiness this morning, it must have been in his favour."

Aaron nodded slowly, and "hmmed" out loud. "I'm guessing you want to get back home to find out?" He asked, and I nodded eagerly, before adding,

"Plus I need to help Sook clean up her house. It was kinda…taken over, while we were gone…" Aaron nodded at this, chuckling in amusement.

"Yeah, I heard from Godric about the whole "Maenad" incident," He laughed, and I couldn't help but crack a smile, too.

"Yep. That was some crazy shit," I grinned, and he guffawed. Suddenly, though, Aaron turned serious. He stopped abruptly in his walk, causing me to stare up at him in curiosity. "…Aaron?" I called cautiously. Aaron looked down at me, his green eyes serious, but there was a slight twinkle in them.

"You want to know what I think, Rosalie?" He asked, and I shrugged, not in a careless way. "I personally think it's better for you here. You say that you'd rather live back in your old town and go to your old school – but eventually, you'll start to want to be closer to Godric again." I shot him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" I asked him, slightly suspicious. Aaron sighed, and pulled me down under the stairs and onto a wooden bench so we could sit.

"What I mean is…your connection with Godric is stronger than steel. If you were to leave, you'd eventually start to miss him. At first, it would be a small ache, but soon, it would grow into an agonizing loneliness," He explained, and I raised an eyebrow. How did he know so much about this? Aaron continued on. "You will not be able to bear his absence. It will tear at your heart, tear at that connection. That's why Godric wants you with him forever, and to not go to these public, out-of-range schools anymore. He can't bear not to see you for just a day. It tears at him mercilessly, quite literally. It hurts most in the heart, though. In fact, some bonded pairs have known to die from the sheer, emotional pain it causes them, when they are away from each other after having met."

I was staring wide-eyed at Aaron when he finished his explanation. I sucked in a breath of air. "…How do you know all this?" Aaron looked away from me then, the air around him suddenly guarded. I placed a gentle hand on his tensed-up shoulder. "Aaron?" I whispered, worried. However, the blonde chef shook my hand off him, and he stood up rather quickly. When he looked down at me, I frowned. His sea-green eyes were full of…sadness? Longing? ….Anger?

He looked away from me then, his eyes hardening. "An escort will come to pick you up in ten minutes. Have a nice trip back home, Miss Stackhouse. I hope you make the right decision," Aaron said emotionlessly, before stalking away.

I sighed deeply after he had left. What was Aaron's problem? Had I said something wrong? I hoped not. I didn't want to lose the friendship I had with him. Truthfully, I'd been a little shocked to see him act so differently. Aaron seemed like a bubbly, sort of mischievous guy. Yet, here he was, looking like his soul had been ripped from his very being.

There was obviously something he was hiding from me. I didn't want to pry, as it might have personal – but my curiosity tended to get the better of me. Of course, it never ended well, due to my wonder always getting me in bad situations.

As I sat there, thinking silently over his actions – there was a light tap on my shoulder. My dark eyes flickered up to a man who must have been my escort. He was lightly tanned, and he had a smirk planted on his face. His eyes were a glittery purple, and his hair was short, black and cropped.

"Um, hello," I said awkwardly, never well with introductions. The guy grinned slightly, showing off his brilliant white teeth.

"Hmm. I can see why Master Godric likes you," He said, looking me up and down in approval. "You are one fine piece of work, darlin'." I frowned, suddenly feeling angry. I stood up, and smushed a finger into his bulky chest, causing him to raise an eyebrow in amusement.

"Listen here, mate," I hissed. "I ain't nobody's fucking plaything. You are my escort, and I am your escortee. And if you try to lay a single one of your grubby fingers on me, I shall break them off sir. And need I remind you, that I am Godric's, and he would kindly rip your head off for even speaking in that manner near me," I finished, nodding in confirmation.

My escort was chuckling at the end of my rant, but I honestly didn't find anything funny. I crossed my arms, glowering at him. What nerve! This guy continued to chuckle deeply, and I waited until his laughter died down. "Finished?" I asked pointedly. You prick-assed, jerk-faced, stupid, idiotic motherfu –

"I was simply complementing your beauty," He offered, cutting off my rude thoughts. I raised a skeptical eyebrow. He seemed more like the type who tried to get in a girl's pants. He rolled his violet eyes. "Come on then, Miss Stackhouse. If it's Bon Temps you want to go to, it's Bon Temps we're going to."

I shrugged, and followed after his retreating form. I realised I hadn't gotten his name – but then came to the conclusion that I simply did not give two shits about this pervert's name. I sighed deeply, and waltzed my way out of the mansion, and into a waiting SUV.

"So," I said, drumming my fingers on the dashboard, as we sped down the road in the fancy SUV. It was still slightly hard getting used from being in the old, yellow car of Sook's. Not that I didn't like the car – it was a good, healthy working one, and the design just screamed "Sookie". But, still, it was old. This thing was shiny, expensive, and brand-spanking new. "Do you know Aaron?"

The pervert guy – whose name I had unfortunately learnt was Rory – shrugged as he drove. "Know him personally? No. Know him by looks? Yes."

"So, you do know him," I pointed out hastily. Rory sighed, and waved a hand for me to continue my speech. "Do you happen to know what's wrong with him?" I asked.

Rory sniffed uncaringly. "There's always something stuck up that moron's ass, whether it's something to do about Godric or anything else that he wants to whine about," He sneered, and I got the feeling that Rory didn't particularly like Aaron. "Why are you interested? Don't tell me he's whining about the lack of ingredients again."

"Umm, no, actually," I said slowly. "He seemed kind of upset when he was talking about bonds, and mates and stuff," I blurted out. Rory groaned, as he turned down another road.

"Bad, bad idea," He sighed, and I raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Don't talk about that kind of thing with him. He goes into mopey, I-feel-sorry-for-myself mode, and it ain't a pretty sight, love."

I pursed my lips in wonder. "Why?" I asked. Rory glanced at me quickly, looking rather surprised.

"He didn't tell you?" Rory asked, slightly shocked. I furrowed my brow in confusion. "Everybody knows."

"Everybody knows what?" I asked, my eyebrows raised in undeniable curiosity. Rory sighed again.

"Well, Aaron was mated to a vampire himself," He explained, and I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Was?" I inquired quietly, almost sadly.

"Mhmm. His vampire met the True Death a while back," He explained, and I felt my heart droop. Poor Aaron. He knew all about how it felt, because he'd experienced it.I couldn't even begin to imagine what my life would be like without Godric. Now that I truly thought about it…without him, I'd be an empty, hollow shell. He was like the other half of my soul, as cheesy as that sounded. How the hell did Aaron manage to stay so cheerful all the time?

"What was his vampire like?" I asked sadly, averting my gaze to the tinted window. I heard Rory sigh irritably, and I felt slightly annoyed that he could find a subject like this so… unworthy of his time. I mean, how would he feel if he lost someone he loved – let alone a bonded mate!

"I never met 'er," Rory grumbled, his strange, purple eyes fixated on the concrete road. "But the triplets told me she was a right bitch. I reckon she got what she deserved."

I glared angrily over at him. "I would never wish that upon someone," I hissed. Rory shrugged carelessly, and just continued driving.

Eventually, we passed the familiar green sign of Bon Temps. The place was still slightly in disarray, but it looked cleaner than it had yesterday. Obviously, the townspeople had decided to clean up. We passed familiar faces, some sweeping up broken shards, others scrubbing down pavements, or just tidying out their houses. Of course, no-one remembered what really happened with Maryann – apart from me, Godric, Bill, Sookie, Sam, Lafayette and Tara, of course. Andy Bellfleur and Jason had seen that crazy bitch do her weird Greek God mumbo-jumbo, but I didn't really think those guys had any clue to what she really was. Well, I wouldn't have ever guessed had Godric not told me, but still.

Some folk raised curious or suspicious eyebrows at our car as we passed. I couldn't blame them, really. It wasn't every day that an expensive SUV with tinted windows rolled down the streets. People's heads lifted as we drove past, and I spotted Jane Bodehouse chatting with someone – no doubt gossiping about something. I noticed pretty quickly the thick bandage around her index finger. That didn't surprise me – she had chopped it off during Maryann's control. She just couldn't remember when or why.

The car came to a stop outside the familiar Stackhouse residence. Rory cut the engine, and stretched like a cat, curling out his hands and making a load groan. I rolled my eyes. "Be back here before dark, kiddo. I don't fancy bringing you back to an angry Godric," He said, and I pursed my lips.

"Aren't you going to be bored, just sitting here?" I asked, almost suspiciously. Rory flickered his violet eyes over to my dark ones, looking rather bored.

"I need to get some supplies," He answered causally. "You know. We need human food for all the servants, and for you, obviously. The fridge is stocked up on Tru Blood already – all the vampires have got their share at the mansion."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "There are other vampires at Wooburke Mansion?" I asked, surprised. Rory snorted.

"Of course," He said, rolling his eyes. "More so than the humans. Why do you think we have so much blood, and rooms that block out sunlight completely? Your room is specifically designed to keep out sunlight, too, you know."

I raised my eyebrows. "It is?" I asked, surprised. "Why is that?"

Rory shrugged again, but a smirk was plastered on his face. "Well, Godric isn't always gonna want to sleep on his own," He answered, and I blushed tomato red. Rory turned to face me, his smirk only growing at my redness. "…Yup. If there's one thing I learnt about that vampire, it's that he hates sleeping without you. Even before you guys met, I heard he'd always take ages to get to sleep on his own – even before he knew you, Godric was always…longing for you."

Obviously, this prick liked to see me swim in my own embarrassment. I jumped out of the fancy car, and slammed the door behind me, before he could make any more awkward comments about Godric sleeping. As soon as I'd taken a step out of the SUV's range, it roared back to life, and sped down the path again, towards the shops.

I sighed, shaking my head, and climbed up the grassy slope towards my home. It was still pretty messy, and I guessed that Sook hadn't had much time to fix it up yet. Things were still scattered about the lawn, and I took my time to pick them up as I walked. The lawn itself needed a good mow, and I made a mental note to myself to get that done.

Hold on. First things first: I needed to talk to Sookie. I strided up to the front door, and bent down towards the welcome mat. Pinching the end of the dirty mat, I lifted it up to reveal a set of spare keys. Sookie probably wasn't in – I knew her work schedule, after all. She was still in Merlotte's at the moment, so the door shouldn't have been open. I would just wait for at home, maybe doing a bit of cleaning up in the process. However, when I leant forward to unlock the door, I found, with a hint of surprise, that the door already was open.

I clutched the keys in my hand, my other arm raised, ready for any burglars or intruders. I made a face at the state of the house, noting how the stairs had bits of fungi growing in the corners. I almost threw up at the red stains on the cracked walls, and I knew that it was blood. Whose blood – I would have rather not known. The kitchen was a tip, so to speak, and I couldn't even imagine what the other rooms, or upstairs was like. I hoped to god for the townspeople's sake that no-one had harmed my room, or my clothes, because there would be bloody hell to pay.

Suddenly, a hand was clamped onto my bare shoulder. I shrieked like a little girl, and spun round. Before I could fully comprehend my actions, I hit someone's face with the heel of my palm, causing a bright, purple light to explode from it. The person was sent reeling back, and they crashed rather ungracefully into the kitchen table.

I stared down at my hand in shock. Obviously, I'd used that elf magic again – but how was I doing it? I couldn't conjure it up at my own leisure, I wasn't entirely sure how. I seemed to only be able to do it in panicky situations, or when I was pretty emotional.

I heard a low groan from the other side of the room, and I forced myself to avert my eyes to the intruder. I sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh my god," I gasped. "I'm so sorry Jason!"

I would have giggled at the sight of my big brother – who was lying sprawled on the kitchen floor – had I not felt so guilty about blowing him away. Jason groaned again, and sat up, rubbing his head. "Gosh, Rose," He breathed out. "You really pack a punch these days."

I cleared my throat awkwardly, remembering that Jason didn't know about my supernatural heritage. I mean, why should I tell them, when they didn't even know their heritage themselves? "What are you doing here, Jase?" I asked, reaching out a hand to help him up.

Jason grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I came here to help clean up," He admitted. "What are you doing here? Sook told me that you were staying at a friend's house." Jason examined me for a few moments. "Nice dress, by the way. Looks too expensive for us to afford."

"Yeah," I agreed, "My, uh, friend gave me it," I coughed, and Jason eyed me suspiciously.

"Which friend's house did you stay at?" He asked. I stepped back a little, fully intending to make a mad dash for my room, but Jason stepped out in front of me. His arms were crossed, a stern look on his tanned face. "Answer my question, young lady," He demanded.

I sighed deeply, and looked down at my flip-flopped feet. "I uh, went to…Godric's," I said slowly, and I watched as Jason's expression hardened. He grabbed my arm, and started hauling me up the stairs. "Jason!" I yelled, thwacking him on his broad shoulder. "Let go of me!"

He didn't answer. Instead, he yanked me upstairs, and came to my room, which he promptly shoved me into. Jason slammed the door after me, and I heard a key turn in the lock. The bastard was locking me in here!

"Jason!" I shrieked. "Don't you dare lock me in my own room! Let me out!" I pounded harshly on the solid door. I heard Jason growl angrily from the other side.

"No way, Rosalie," He hissed. "You are going to stay in there, and think over your actions. I will come back when you have decided to apologize. Oh, and you're grounded."

I yelled in outrage. "Jason, what the hell? Why should I apologize for sleeping at my boyfriend's house?!"

"You can't trust vampires like Godric, Rosalie," Jason yelled back. "By god, he was probably thinking about shagging you, or – or, sucking you bone dry, and leaving you out for the wolves. You are never seeing that boy ever again, understand? I don't care about all this fucking bond and mate stuff - I am fed up with it!" Then he stormed off, and I heard him hitting things on his way out.

"Jason!" I screamed. "Jason, you can't do this!" I pounded on the door relentlessly, not caring that my skin was starting to throb a painful red. He didn't come back, and I started to cry. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, and dripped off my chin. My knees buckled, and I fell in a shattered heap on the soft carpet, curling up in a ball. It was then that I felt the heartache. It wasn't painful – only a dull ache in my chest. Looks like Aaron had been right. I'd only been away from Godric a small while – and already, I was longing for him.

"Godric," I whispered weakly, sniffling. If only Jason knew. If he could only understand…I'd told him that I truly loved Godric, but it seemed he hadn't really taken my words into consideration. He thought of Godric as a mindless, sex-craved vampire, who sucked innocent girls dry, and left them out in the cold. My Godric was the complete opposite! And yet, he shoved me in here and locked me up, like some kind of prisoner!

I sighed, mentally calming myself. I stood up slowly, and hugged myself tightly. I needed to chill out. Godric would come for me – heck, Rory would come for me, when he saw I wasn't coming back out. And Godric would feel my panic the moment he opened his beautiful eyes.

I knew that I'd come here to talk to Sookie about the compromise, but I'd decided what I wanted to do, anyway. I wanted to stay with Godric. The fact that my heart was aching terribly for him only proved that. Aaron had been right about it all. I never would have imagined how much it would hurt: physically and mentally. That invisible pull – the thin, wavering line – was tugging me harshly towards the window, begging me to go back to Godric. It was impossible to stay away from him – I'd die without my Godric.

I rushed towards my mussed-up bed (I didn't even want to know who'd been in it – luckily, the rest of my room was intact), and I jumped up onto it, reaching for the window. Jason couldn't keep me here. I was going to escape.

I let out a frustrated snarl – reminding me painfully of Godric – when the window wouldn't budge. The window was goddamn locked! I collapsed onto my bed, hot tears surfacing again. What was I supposed to do? I'd only been here for an hour or so, and already it was killing me. I yearned for Godric's touch – to be in his arms. I craved for his soft caresses, the way he weaved a hand through my dark hair. I wanted so badly to feel his lips on mine. I needed to see those beautiful, bluish-grey eyes.

But there was nothing I could do. I was hopelessly stuck, with a painful ache in my chest.

I woke up to the sound of shouting downstairs. I shot up in bed, and instinctively looked for the time. I sighed when I saw that my alarm clock was broken (it had been for weeks – I'd just forgotten to fix it). Instead, I stared out of the window, gauging the time by the light.

The sky was a dark, lavender-pink, and a few purple clouds were scattered about the sky. The bright sun was hanging low in the pinkish sky. Obviously, it was late afternoon, maybe even early evening. I must have been really tired – I'd slept the entire day! Although, I thought happily to myself, If I escape from here, that means I can spend a good portion of the night with Godric…

"What do you mean you locked her in?!" I heard a familiar voice screech.

"Sook, she stayed in his house the entire night!" Jason scoffed bitterly. "Aren't you a little concerned about that?!"

I heard a sharp slap, and I smirked a little, knowing Jason had gotten a good backhanded slap. The idiot deserved it – for locking me in here like some kind of animal! "…I let her stay with Godric, Jason," Sookie yelled, and Jason yelled back.

"What the fuck?!" He roared. "You let our little sister stay with a boy much, much older than her? Why? Are you stupid?!"

"I made a compromise with Godric, Jason," Sookie sighed, and I perked up. "Rose is allowed to stay with Godric from now on – as long as she gets tutored regularly, and comes to visit Bon Temps every now and then."

I heard a slam, and something shattering. "No!" Jason barked. "I didn't agree to that! Rosalie will damn well stay here until I say so!"

The two of them continued to scream at each other. I let out a whimper, and tucked my head into my knees. I hated it when Sookie and Jason fought. I wish Jason would just stop being an over-protective jerk, and let me go. I started to cry again, softly this time, as I wished and wished that Godric was here.

I almost felt his hand gently caressing the back of my head, and I could have sworn I felt his arm wrap snugly around my waist, pulling me into his hard, yet comfortable chest. It all seemed so real – but I knew I was just imagining it. My ache for him was playing tricks on me.

I must have really lost it, because I heard his deep voice. "…My beautiful Rose, please do not cry," He whispered. "I hate to see you cry. It makes me upset."

I sobbed harder into his chest, and I felt both of his muscular arms wrap around me. "G-Godric," I cried, "I wish you were really here with me…"

I heard and felt his deep rumbling, chuckle. "Why would I not be here, my Rose?" I felt his fingers curl under my chin, and he lifted my face up. I saw him there, sitting on my bed in front of me. His hair was all mussed up cutely, and he had an adorable lopsided grin on his face. He was wearing a short-sleeved black jumper, which showed off his blue tattoos. I reached my hand up to touch his cheek – to see if he was really real. I gasped, when my fingers brushed icy-cold skin.

"Y-you're real," I said quietly, in complete awe. I was about to take my hand back, but his hand snapped up quickly, to hold it in place. Godric shut his bluish-grey eyes, and leant into my hand, smiling happily.

"Of course I am real," He sighed, kissing my palm. He brought me closer to him again, this time bringing me onto his lap. "Now, are you going to tell me why you were crying?"

I sniffed, and buried my head in the crook of his neck. "…I – I ached so much, Godric," I admitted. I took his hand, and placed it over my heart. "Right here."

His beautiful eyes softened, and he leaned forward to kiss me. His hand automatically went up to stroke my cheek lovingly. "But why, my Rose? Why are you up here, all alone?"

I wanted to tell him. But I didn't want him to get angry. I sighed, and stared into his eyes, a little nervously. Godric, sensing my nervousness, smiled encouragingly at me. "I came here to…help Sookie with the clean-up of the house," I said slowly, "But, Jason was here, and he…well, I told him how I stayed with you last night, and he –"

SLAM!

My bedroom door was ripped open, causing the walls to shake, and a few pictures to fall and shatter. Jason stood in the doorway, looking very angry, as his furious blue eyes zeroed in on Godric. I tensed up, and whimpered. Jason had never looked this frightening before. I'd really pushed him over the edge.

Godric snarled deeply, and smoothed my hair to calm me. His head snapped over to a fuming Jason, who pointed to the window. The window was still locked. Godric must have somehow gotten in while I was asleep, but how? The window was locked, and I had not invited him in. So how had he gotten in?

"How the hell did you get in?" Jason yelled loudly, and I covered my ears, trembling with fear. Godric's eyes darkened, almost to the point where they were black, and his fangs popped out.

"Stop with your incessant shouting. You are scaring my Rosalie," Godric said in his calm manner, but it was laced with murderous killing intent. And the fangs didn't really help his cause. His fingers rubbed soothing circles over my bare arms.

"Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. SISTER!" Jason roared, and I screamed when he leapt for Godric. However, Godric had flashed away from me in an instant, and slammed Jason onto the wall, his hand around his neck. He looked ready to rip into his pulsing vein.

"Fool," Godric sneered, looking pretty scary. "How many times must I get it through your thick head? Rosalie is mine, and she would much rather be with me, than an idiotic brother who decides to lock her up in a room," He snarled, and Jason looked a little guilty at this. How did Godric find out that Jason locked me up? He must have guessed somehow.

"Who invited you in?!" Jason asked angrily, and tossed a glance over at me. Godric forced his head away from me.

"You do not get the pleasure of looking at my mate," Godric hissed into his face, his fangs bared menacingly. Jason looked a little scared, actually. "You lost that privilege the moment you provoked me."

"Who invited you in?" Jason asked again, but this time with less bravado. Godric's frame was shaking with rage, and I knew that if I didn't stop my outraged vampire, he'd kill Jason right on the spot.

"Godric," I whispered, "Stop."

But he didn't. He reared his head back, and brought his fangs down.