Chapter Seven:

Two weeks had passed since I had met Godric, since the vampire had entered my life. It had been a week however, since I last saw him. We had spent every night with one another in some way before suddenly he disappeared. Maybe it was good, that's what I tried to convince myself, but I knew in my heart that I missed him, wherever he was.

So it was a surprise when I left the confines of the library after a long day of studying with my study group to find none other than Godric standing off to one side, waiting patiently as he gazed up at the starry night sky. As if he heard the crunch of the snow beneath our feet, or maybe even the skipping of my heart, he turned his gaze onto us, a smile growing on his lips as our eyes caught.

"Who's that?" Jenna questioned when she realized I had stopped walking. She turned to look at where I was looking and raised an eyebrow. "I've never seen him around campus before."

"It's a big campus." I shrugged, not wanting them to know he was a vampire. I wasn't ashamed of the friendship that had blossomed between us. But I knew that if others knew of a vampire wandering around, panic would rise and that's the last thing I wanted. Godric may not be dangerous, but others may not see it that way.

"Who is he?" Mark wondered, wiggling his eyebrows at me suggestively. "Do you have a boyfriend we don't know about?"

"No." I shot at him quickly. "He's just a...friend."

"I still haven't seen him around. And I've seen just about everyone." Jenna frowned. "Why isn't he wearing a coat, it's freezing out!"

"He's just...warm blooded." I shrugged. "I'm just going to go over and say hi. I'll catch up with you all later."

The others nodded, though Jenna still looked like she was trying to piece a puzzle together. I rolled my eyes as I began towards Godric who I was surprised, and yet relieved, to see.

"What are you doing here?" I asked curiously as I traipsed through the snow to reach the vampire.

"I was hoping to see you again." Godric glanced over my shoulder at the members of my study group who were just standing there watching us. "They're trying to decide whether or not I'm a vampire."

I snickered as I glanced over at the three and waved at them. They froze for a minute as they realized we had noticed them watching before they all scrambled down the pathway and across campus. I shook my head and rolled my eyes and I turned back to Godric. It had been a week since I had seen him last. We had spent the better part of the first week spending time together and then suddenly, he had disappeared. I had been afraid that he had left for good without even saying goodbye. But now here he was. How he knew I was here, I would never know, but he hadn't left, not entirely.

"My apologies for being unreachable. I had...business to attend to."

"It's alright. I've been busy with school anyways." I shrugged, hoping he wouldn't notice my relief that he had come back. Truth was, I had been busy with school, but I hadn't been able to concentrate at all. How could I when my thoughts were solely focused on this very vampire. Much like with Eric, all I could think about was Godric, both day and night. During the day, I couldn't wait to see him, and at night, I hoped he would show up. Those few days that he had had been some of the best nights of my life. We just talked. If it had been Eric, he would have flashed me his fangs, tried to do anything he could to get in my pants. But not Godric. We just talked about our lives, our experiences. He seemed fascinated with me, which I couldn't understand. I was just a regular average girl. He was the fascinating one. He was two thousand years old. I might not be a history buff, but having a walking talking textbook at my disposal was just too cool. I could have spent all night talking with him, and most of the time, we had spent the entire night doing just that. Some nights we would spend at my apartment, and others I would show him around campus. I was getting to know him better than some of my own friends, and I told him things in return that I had never told anyone else before. I told him my fears, my hopes, my dreams. I told him how I secretly wished I could find my father, how I wanted to live in New York City and become some big time journalist. And he just listened. He let me ramble, he let me rant on and on about things he probably didn't care about. I had never met anyone like that before and selfishly, I didn't want to lose him, I didn't want him to leave.

So I was starting to fall for him, what was the big deal?

Except it was a big deal. It was a huge deal. Because I had fled from Shreveport to get away from Eric, to get away from the confusing vampire that even now, I still thought about. And now I had another vampire on my hands, another vampire to try and understand. Why couldn't I just make life simple and stay far away from everything to do with vampires? Why did I have to complicate everything? Because as much as I was beginning to fall for Godric, I still couldn't get that damn kiss with Eric out of my head. Despite the fact that that power still surged through me from time to time, that kiss was beyond amazing. It was a kiss that was just unforgettable.

Maybe once Godric and I kissed...

God what was wrong with me!

Now I wanted to kiss Godric, and that was just wrong. What happened to my plan? I was supposed to hold off on the whole love department until after school. I was only a semester away from making that happen and I didn't just have one vampire, I had two vampires ruining everything.

And I was letting them.

"You look deep in thought."

"Sorry." I shook my head, hoping all my thoughts would just vanish. But they didn't. They toyed with me, much like that power inside of me was doing. The beast was calm and quiet for now, but how long will that last? "I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Would you rather I leave?" Godric asked, a frown settled on his lips.

"No no, don't do that."

"Are you sure? I don't wish to..."

"Godric, I'm sure." I assured him, offering the vampire a small smile. "I could use a little distraction anyways."

"Then I suppose I should distract you then."

"I suppose you should." My smile widened.

A smile appeared on his own lips and a rush of warmth spread through my entire being. I hated myself for being this way. Why was I doing this do myself?

You can't help who you like

I wanted to tell my conscious to shut up and go away. I could help who I liked. I was stubborn. I didn't want to still be thinking about Eric friggin Northman, and I certainly didn't want to like Godric in that way.

"How did you know where I was anyways?" I wondered as Godric and I began walking down one of the pathways.

"I followed your scent." He said this as if he was chatting about the weather.

I snorted. "You followed my scent?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"In the human world, that's considered stalking." I teased.

"Oh." Godric's eyebrows furrowed. "I apologize."

I laughed, rolling my eyes. "It's fine; I don't mine a two thousand year old vampire stalking me. Especially if that vampire is you."

Godric didn't say anything in response, he only looked straight ahead, his lips twitching upwards. I grinned as we walked side by side until the vampire finally came to a stop at the bottom of Harkness Tower. I raised an eyebrow as I looked up at the tall tower before back down to Godric, confused as to why we stopped here.

"Do you trust me?" Godric turned to me, his sea coloured orbs boring into mine.

"Of course, you know that." I nodded. "Why?"

"I have something to show you."

"Okay, what is..."

I never got the chance to finish however, before I was being lifted up into Godric's strong arms, the vampire leaping up into the night sky. I let out a very high pitched yelp as I clutched onto Godric, digging my head into the crook of his neck as I squeezed my eyes shut. I wasn't a fan of flying, and that was just on an airplane. I preferred my feet to stay firmly on the ground. This gave a whole new meaning to that saying. Godric only chuckled at my reaction however, and before I knew it, he was landing once again. I lifted my head and let out a gasp as I realized that Godric hadn't landed on the ground, but instead on the top of the tower. Have I mentioned I was scared of heights? Maybe not exactly scared, but I wasn't the first one to go skydiving anytime soon. Godric set me down onto my feet but I held onto him as if my life depended on it. Just my luck I would slip and fall right off of the tower.

"I won't let you fall." He whispered into my ear in assurance, his hand stroking my long hair.

I peeked an eye open and stared up at him, slapping his chest. "Never do that again! You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"I apologize." There was a playful smirk on his lips though, a look that reminded me all too well of a certain blonde vampire.

"I should be surprised that you can fly, but I'm not." I mumbled more to myself as I remembered Christmas Eve when I found Eric floating outside of my second story bedroom window. "Why'd you bring me up here anyways? If you're going to kill me, could you at least do it on solid ground?"

Godric chuckled. "Why would I wish to kill someone as intriguing as you?"

"Well I don't know, why did you bring me up here?" I rolled my eyes. "Because this," I motioned around us. "Is very very very high."

"I take it you're not a fan of heights." He looked more amused than anything.

"Well now I'm definitely not." I still clung to the vampire. His wrapped his one arm securely around my waist, and I knew that if I slipped, he would come tumbling down with me. I did feel safe with Godric though. I felt safer with him than anyone I've ever met. Funny how I felt that way with a vampire. But I did. I knew he wouldn't let me fall, he wouldn't let me go. And it was only for that reason that I began to relax, melting against him as I took a look around. I gasped again, but this time, it wasn't in fright. "Wow, this is beautiful."

"It's why I brought you up here. I came here one night to think. I thought it would be an appropriate place to distract you from your many thoughts." He smiled down at me before gazing out over the snowy town. You could literally see for miles. You could see everything, even underneath the blanket of snow. It was beautiful, that was for sure. Everything looked so peaceful from up here, like we weren't even part of the real world as we gazed down upon everything and everyone.

"This is perfect, thank you." I flashed Godric a wide smile.

He returned the smile, our gazes meeting. I quickly blushed and looked away, thankful that it was cold enough to disguise my reddened cheeks. Godric's arm tightened around me after a moment, tugging me closer to the vampire. His free hand began absentmindedly toying with the ends of my hair. I risked glancing up at him every so often and there was a peaceful expression on his face, as if at this very moment, he was completely content. And I realized that I liked seeing that look on his face. I liked knowing that he was happy, that his inner demons weren't battling. I knew enough about Godric to know about his guilt, his shame at who he had been in the past. I had tried to assure him that he wasn't the same vampire he was back then, but I think a part of him will always consider himself to be a monster. And that tore me apart. He was the furthest thing from a monster; I was seeing that every night I spent with him.

"Thank you for this." I pulled his attention back down to me. I spoke softly, not wanting to ruin the moment. "I really did need to get out of my head for a little bit."

"I'm glad I could help." he raised his hand and caressed my cheek with the backs of his cool fingers. And yet, my skin felt on fire as he touched me, almost like the beast from within was welcoming Godric back. It was both enjoyable and embarrassing. I hoped to god he didn't realize. But he must have as he tilted his head to the side and cupped my cheek. I had to close my eyes as the power began bubbling inside of me, rushing to the front and nearly knocking me over. I was glad for Godric's arm locked around me, or I surely would have fallen right off of the tower.

"I can feel it again." I was squeezing my eyes shut, willing it to go away.

"As can I." He murmured as he kept his hand on my cheek.

I shuddered against him, having to lay my forehead against his shoulder as the beast roared to life. It felt like it rolled right out of me, striking Godric right in the chest. He stumbled slightly and I quickly wrapped my arms around the vampire. He steadied himself, much to my relief, and kept me pressed to him tightly.

"Does it hurt?"

"No." I shook my head. "It's just...I don't even know how to describe it."

"I'm sorry." His hand began lifting off of my cheek. I surprised us both by grasping onto his hand and keeping it right where it was. I don't know why I did that. But it was as if a part of me, that part that lay within the beast, didn't want to feel empty, didn't want the energy to just vanish once his touch was gone. Godric obliged, his hand remaining on my cheek, my hand lying over his. The power grew even stronger, cursing through my veins and flowing right into this vampire. I inhaled sharply, holding my breath for a few minutes for exhaling slowly. It was exhilarating. I both hated and loved this feeling at the same time. It felt like an adrenaline rush, but at the same time, it was as if the beast inside of me was ripping me to shreds.

We stood there, at the top of that tall tower, both trying to understand what was occurring. After a few minutes of just standing there in silence, the beast began to calm down. It was still there, rushing throughout me, but it was calmer now, giving me a moment to breathe with ease. I hadn't realized my entire body had been shaking until I began to unwind my arms from around Godric. My legs shook and I had to cling to the vampire again to keep myself upright.

"What's happening to me, Godric?" I asked in a whisper, just wanting to know what was going on inside of me.

"I wish I knew." He began caressing my cheek again, brushing away a tear I never knew had escaped.

"You really don't know?" I looked up at him hopelessly.

"I've never quite encountered something like this before." He frowned. "What it could be...it's absolutely impossible."

"What could it be?"

"Never you mind that, it's nothing for you to worry yourself over when it can't be true." He shook his head. "Perhaps I should take you back to your apartment so you can rest."

"No." I shook my head. "I like it up here. Just don't let me fall."

"Never, little one." He offered the tiniest smile, his lips brushing across my forehead. "I'll never let you fall."

I sighed in content as I rested my cheek against his chest. The beast roared and I could have sworn I heard a second heart beat. But it was gone only seconds later, making me wonder if I had only been hearing things.

"Well that was an adventurous night." I commented as Godric and I came to a stop just outside of my apartment. I turned towards him, tucking my hair behind my ear as our gazes caught. "Minus the whole...whatever it was, I had fun tonight."

"As did I." He nodded. "I apologize again for disappearing the past week."

"You don't have to apologize, Godric." I offered him a smile. "You're a vampire. You have vampire things that are much more important than humouring little old me."

"Perhaps I would rather, humour you as you say, than to deal with my vampire business." He stepped forward boldly.

I blushed and went to shake my hair out to mask my embarrassment but he clasped a finger under my chin and forced my gaze up.

"You seem to doubt how remarkably intriguing you are." He tilted his head to the side. "I've never met a human quite like you before in my long existence. I would rather spend a hundred nights trying to piece you together than anything else."

My cheeks felt as if they were on fire as I tried to look away. He drew even closer, leaning forward until his lips brushed across my warm cheek. That power came roaring forward at the simply touch but vanished once Godric straightened, a smile on his handsome boyish face.

"What that is, it only adds to the intrigue, Savannah." He caressed his hand down the cheek he had just kissed. I was frozen to the spot, too scared to move. The power was surging whenever he touched me, whenever he looked me dead in the eye. I was scared that I would collapse if I tried to move at all. But as well, I was too caught up in the moment, too dazed to even comprehend anything else. I knew I was falling for him extra hard now, and there was no turning back. "I hope we can learn together what it is that is creating such a power rush."

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words left my lips. I was utterly speechless.

"I'll leave you to rest." His hand lowered as he took a step back. I felt empty and alone the moment his touch had left me. I wanted the feel of his cool soft hands caressing my face, running across every inch of my body. Why, why was I feeling like this? Why was I falling for someone I had only just met two weeks ago? "I'll see you soon."

I could only nod in response, that spark in his sea coloured orbs growing. He shot me one last smile before a gust of wind blew my hair back and Godric was just suddenly gone. I blinked a few times, the beast calming down and retreating. I exhaled slowly as I turned and leaned against my closed door, my eyes closing. Falling for Godric was dangerous. I was supposed to be focused. I was supposed to be one a predetermined path. But that path was being shaken up. And by vampires no less.

"This was not how this year was supposed to go." I mumbled to myself, running a hand through my hair. "This hadn't been my new year's resolution."

Sighing, I pushed myself away from the door so I could open it. My hands shook slightly, but I knew it was because of my confusing feelings towards Godric rather than the power that was now sleeping inside of me. I entered the apartment with ease, pulling off my coat and tossing it over the back of the couch as I slipped into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. The flashing of my answering machine caught my eye and I pressed the button as I glanced into the fridge. The tape was rewinding to the beginning as I pulled out some leftovers and popped them into the microwave.

"You ran away from me, Savannah Kingsley. You should know me well enough to know that I like a chase. You can't just kiss and run away, that's not how this works. Your mine, Savannah, and not a thing you will say or do will change that. I'll see you soon, my intriguing little human."

I spun around, the blood draining from my face as I ignored the beeping of the microwave and just stared at the answering machine as it fell silent. I shakily reached over to play the message again, needing confirmation of what I had just heard.

"You ran away from me, Savannah Kingsley..."

I quickly deleted the message, not needing to hear another word. Eric's message rang loud and clear. He was going to pop up when I least expected it. I knew running away from the likes of Eric Northman wouldn't be a smart move, but I had been scared. Now I was even more scared. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, at least not physically. But I was scared that he was going to sweep in and I was going to fall for those vibrant blue eyes at that cocky smile of his. I was scared about what this would mean for Godric, the nice gentle vampire who my heart insisted I choose over Eric.

So who did I listen to? My head or my heart?

I did know one thing for sure however; whenever Eric did show up, hell was going to rise.