Chapter Two:

Two years later

"Where's Godric?" Mackenzie demanded as she sat on a stool at the kitchen island. She was fidgeting in her seat, her nose wrinkling at the dress she wore. It was pink, just as everything else Pam had bought her. She wanted to fight and argue when Karen, her nanny, came to tell her it was time to get dressed for the party, but she vividly remembered the argument that arose with Eric only two years prior over the same issue. So instead of arguing, instead of refusing to put the garment on, she had silently obliged, though she hated every minute she had to sit there in the ugly dress.

"He'll be here, sweetheart." Karen assured, adjusting the bow holding her hair up into a curled ponytail. "You look like a little princess."

"I wished I didn't." Mackenzie pouted, gazing over her shoulder at the older woman she saw more as a mother than just nanny. "I hate it. I hate it. I hate it."

"I know." Karen chuckled, patting her shoulder. "But it's one night. Eric will be pleased that you're wearing it."

"He won't even care." The blonde rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"He will."

Mackenzie didn't believe her however. No matter how many times she tried, no matter what she did or said, Eric just didn't seem to care about her. She tried being the good little girl. She tried behaving and doing as she was told, despite hating every minute of it. She tried being the smartest, the brightest at her school. She did everything she possibly could while still being a seven year old girl. But nothing seemed to matter to her guardian. It made her wonder sometimes why she was even in his care. Wouldn't she be better off with Godric, who actually cared about her, who actually loved her?

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, Mackenzie's spirit bouncing right back.

"Godric!" she squirmed off the stool and dashed out of the room. Her ponytail bounced behind her as she ran through the house, ignoring Karen's reminder that it was against one of Eric's many rules. But she didn't care. All she cared about was seeing Godric, who she hadn't seen in months. He was the only reason she cared about this little party to celebrate her birthday. It was a week late, anyways, her true birthday being spent with the few friends she had from school. She didn't have to wear some fancy pink dress when she ran through the park, when she divulged in birthday cake. She hated these stupid formal occasions.

"No running, Mackenzie." A voice pulled her to a complete stop only a foot away from the door.

Mackenzie groaned as she slowly turned to find Eric stepping out of the living room, the infamous scowl of his plastered across his face. His gaze swept over her appearance for only a split second before he crossed the hallway, lightly nudging her out of the way, and opened the door.

"Godric." Eric welcomed his maker unenthusiastically, motioning for him to enter.

Godric struggled not to roll his eyes at Eric's attitude before peering around the tall Viking. His smile widened when he found the bundle of joy bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her eyes danced in the light, her hair bobbing from one side to the other. The moment their eyes locked, her grin widened and she dashed around Eric only to throw herself at him. Godric was prepared, however, and despite the fact that she was growing far too quickly in his eyes, he drew her up into his arms in a heartbeat.

"Hello little one." Godric greeted, kissing the tip of her nose before she managed to wiggle out of his arms and back to the ground. "My have you grown. I think you're a foot taller than the last time I saw you."

She rolled her eyes, a trait she had learned far too well from Pam, Eric and Godric both noted.

"I'm not that tall." She grabbed onto Godric's hand and started pulling him farther into the house.

"Well you're far from the little lot I remember you as." He couldn't stop smiling at her energetic skips down the hall, pulling him into the kitchen.

"I'm not a baby anymore, Godric." she declared proudly. "I'm seven."

"You are. You're growing up far too quickly. You must stop. I demand it."

She giggled, a sound that was music to his ears. "You can't stop someone from growing, Godric. Don't be silly."

Eric snorted from behind them, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen looking anything but amused. Godric sent him a pointed look. He refused to let his child ruin another of this girl's birthday. He had done so two years ago and he wouldn't let it happen again.

"Can we have cake yet?" Mackenzie struggled to hop back onto the stool she had only just vacated, only for Godric to lift her with ease. She sent him a loving smile in response before shooting a longing glance at the cake Karen was carefully placing each candle on.

"You never ate your supper." Eric crossed his arms with a shake of his head. "You know the rules, Mackenzie."

Her smile faltered, her head snapping in his direction. "But..."

"No exceptions."

She turned to Godric, silently begging him to change Eric's mind. Her bottom lip jetted out, her eyes growing rounder as she pouted in a way he was certain she was doing on purpose just to fool him. And it worked.

"Eric, you can let the rules slide for one night." Godric sent Mackenzie an assuring smile. "You'll get your cake, little one, no worries."

"Godric." Eric grunted. "I have rules for a reason."

"And it's her birthday, Eric."

"That doesn't mean the rules shouldn't be followed." Eric refused to budge.

"B-but..." Mackenzie's bottom lip trembled. "But it's my birthday. It's my cake."

"Eric, if I may..." Karen tried to settle the situation calmly only for Eric to hiss at her.

"No you may not." Eric growled. "She knows the rules. She should be abiding by them. Or she can go to her room."

"Eric." Godric snapped harshly, his eyes narrowing at his progeny's behaviour. He acted worst than Mackenzie did. He was far more childish than the seven year old was. "May I have a word with you alone?"

Eric was glaring daggers down at his maker. The last thing he wanted was a private conversation with Godric, with the vampire who had somehow fallen for Mackenzie from the moment he laid eyes on her. She had him wrapped around her little finger and that infuriated Eric. But he also knew refusing his maker would be a mistake. Godric had patience for many things, but blatant lack of respect was not one of them.

"Fine." Eric grunted before twisting and storming from the room.

Godric sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'll return in a moment. Mackenzie, why don't you begin opening those presents of yours. Just leave mine till the very end."

"Okay, Godric." Mackenzie nodded loyally, her eyes brightening as they landed on the large pile of presents set on the kitchen island. "Oh boy!"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction as she dug into the pile of presents. The reaction was short lived, however, as he left the room and found his progeny in his office, scowling and glaring down at his desk as if it were an enemy and not a piece of furniture.

"Eric, you need to..."

"No." Eric snapped, his cold blue eyes narrowing into slits. "You can't just come in here Godric and undermine my authority."

"As I recall, I am your maker." Godric reminded calmly. "You're treatment with Mackenzie is uncalled for."

"I've made certain rules for a reason. She knows the consequences if she doesn't follow them. Just because it's her birthday, it doesn't mean she can't follow a few simple rules." Eric argued.

"So you're going to deny her a single slice of cake?" Godric raised an eyebrow as he shook his head. "It's just so trivial, my son."

"It's the rules."

"And I believe that's a bit of a harsh rule, especially on a day like today."

"Well that's just how things work around here, Godric. If you don't like it, there's the door."

Godric had tried to hold his temper, to control himself. He was used to Eric's attitude after all these years. But something just struck him the wrong way when it came to Mackenzie. He wanted to protect her, to indulge the girl with her every whim. He hated to see her cry; he hated to see her in any sort of pain. And Eric always seemed to be the cause of it. And he had had enough.

"My son, I would be very careful what you say next" Godric took a step into the room, his expression hardening as he grew closer. "You know I do not take kindly to such disrespect"

"I mean no disrespect, Godric. But I am tired of dealing with that little squirt. I'm just tired of it."

"She's just a little girl." Godric reasoned.

"That's just it Godric." Eric shook his head, his hands curling into fists as he sat heavily in his desk chair. "She's a little girl. She's just a little human. I'm not equipped to deal with her. I never was and I haven't changed."

"You care for her, Eric. I know that you do."

"No I don't." Eric defended. "I've never cared about her. How could I possibly? I'm not human. I'm not her parent. I'm not her father. I'm absolutely nothing to her. I don't have to care."

"And yet you are still her guardian. And yet you are still the one looking after her, caring for her, when you could have given her away at any time." Godric made sure to point out. "You may claim you don't care, but I know you my son."

"I only kept her around because you know just as well as I do that glamouring children doesn't stick. The moment I just sent her to some orphanage or another family, questions would be asked. We've had this discussion before, Godric. She knows what happened that night."

"Perhaps that's part of it..." Godric refused to believe not a single part of Eric didn't care about that little angel.

"No, Godric. That's all of it. You may want to believe that I care, that I see her as more than what she is. But it's not true. She's nothing to me. I would be happier if she were..."

Godric hissed suddenly, his head snapping to the side. Eric fell silent, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion at his maker's sudden action. But as he listened, as he strained his supernatural hearing, he learned the reason of Godric's sudden halt on the conversation. And it didn't please Eric in the slightest. Godric felt the anger rising in his progeny but before he could utter a command to control him, Eric was out of the room in a flash.

Eric was livid when he found an eavesdropping Mackenzie outside in the hallway. He was seeing red as she took a hesitant step backwards, nervousness plastering across her face. She tried to feign innocence, to appear as the sweet little darling everyone saw her as. But Eric wasn't buying it.

"How many times have I told you not to eavesdrop?" He roared, a growl sounding at the back of his throat.

"I-I'm...I'm...s-sorry." She stuttered, taking another step back as she stared up at her furious guardian in unease. She had seen him angry before. She had seen him shout and yell at her for hours. But never had she seen him so angry like this before.

"Eric, think before you do something you may regret." Godric was in the hallway in a flash, hoping to himself that Mackenzie wouldn't notice.

She didn't seem to however, as she was completely focused on the enraged Eric before her.

"Do you enjoy defying me? Do you enjoy going against every single order I give you?" He growled, his fangs threatening to descend.

"N-no." She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "I-I'm..."

"Stop stuttering!"

A whimper sounded from her lips before she tried to dash away. Eric however, grabbed onto her arm before she could move even an inch, applying just enough pressure to cause another whimper to escape her lips.

"Eric, release her now." Godric stood beside the two, his hand on his child's arm, digging his fingers into his flesh to try and stop Eric before he went too far. She was only a girl. She was only a child. Eric should know better. "I said release her!"

Eric didn't need to be commanded in order for his hand to fly off of Mackenzie's arm. The moment she was free, she ran, her small form hurrying as far away from Eric as she could possibly get. Eric was seething as Godric listened closely, hearing her scurrying footsteps up stairs before the bang of a door signified that she was in her room. And that allowed for Godric's fangs to extend with a single click before his hand wrapped around Eric's throat, shoving the younger vampire into the wall.

"How dare you!" Godric roared, his eyes blazing. The blonde tried to struggle, but after a moment, knew his attempts were futile. He may be a thousand year old Viking, but Godric was twice his age, twice as powerful. "How dare you even think about laying a hand on her!"

"She was eavesdropping, Godric. She was listening in on a private conversation. I'm tired of her defying me like this!"

"She's just a girl! She doesn't know any better." Godric shook his head. "What she did may have been wrong, but that did not excuse your actions. How could you hurt her like that? You scared her. And on her birthday no less! Why do you continue to do this to her?"

"Because I don't want her!"

"I know that isn't true."

"You're being delusional, Godric." Eric shook his head bitterly. "You see what you want to see. But it doesn't mean it's the truth. I don't want her, I never have. This is only to protect ourselves."

"You came back for her, as I remember. You came for her when you could have just left her with me. In fact, I never should have let you taken her back!"

"Then take her, Godric." Eric hissed. "Just take her. It would be better for us all."

Godric couldn't believe Eric was practically throwing the girl, who had acted as his daughter for over two years now, away like a broken toy he had grown bored with. He knew what leaving would do for Mackenzie. She had been a mess the first time, when she had been dragged away from Eric before. How would she react now, two years later, after she had been given time to adjust and grow attached to her new family? Godric loved her, and he knew she loved him, but she saw Eric as her father, not him. Could he really just take her away from here? Would he hate himself if he didn't, if he just continued to let her live in this environment?

"Just take her. Please." Eric was pleading with him now. "I can't...I just can't do this anymore. Please. Take her. You'll give her a better life than I ever could."

"I don't believe that." Godric shook his head. "You could give her just as good of a life as I could."

"But you'll care for her. You'll love her. I can't...I just can't do that."

Godric looked away as he loosened his hold on his progeny, his hand eventually falling to his side.

"You and I both know you're the better one for her, not me." Eric pushed. "She'll be happier with you in Dallas than here with me. Please Godric, for all of our sakes. Take her. We can still protect our secret in Dallas."

Godric knew it would be a disaster to change Mackenzie's entire world, to shake everything up. But a part of him knew Eric was right. She should have been with him this entire time. He had the temper, the patience for a child running around his house, Eric didn't. No matter how much Mackenzie might miss Eric, in the end, this was the best option.

"I'll take her with me tonight."Godric spoke softly, his gaze rising to the ceiling, imagining the little blonde crying herself to sleep. "Once she's fallen asleep, I'll take her."

"I'll have Pam arrange for her things to be shipped tomorrow." Eric nodded. "Thank you Godric."

"Don't." Godric held up a hand to stop him. "Don't thank me. This is going to destroy her. Do not thank me for doing this to her."

Eric just merely nodded and watched as Godric turned and began down the hallway before beginning up the stairs to bide his time until Mackenzie fell asleep. He knew in his undead heart that this was the best decision for them all. But a small part of him couldn't help but wonder if he really did want Mackenzie to be taken away.

"No." Eric shook his head, shaking that idea far far away. "No she needs to go."

"You're miserable." Pam commented, standing beside her maker as they stood at the edge of a park, searching for their next meal together.

"I'm not."

"Yes you are." Pam rolled her eyes, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she turned to face Eric with a hand planted on her hip. "You have been ever since Godric took..."

Something inside of Eric snapped, his hand wrapping violently around her neck as he shoved his own progeny against the nearest tree. His fangs extended, baring them in her face in warning. "Do not say her name."

Pam didn't seem surprised at all by his reaction. She was used to him after a hundred years together, being at his side as loyally as she had been. He had a temper, and one wrong move, one wrong word, and he would snap back into the monster she remembered him to be. And she knew even just mentioning the little squirt even she could admit she had grown used to being around would drive that raging beast back out again.

"You know I'm right, Eric." Pam winced as his thumb pressed against her throat with so much force, any harder and her head would have popped right off her body. But she trusted him. She knew he would never truly hurt her. She was his child, his blood, his only family besides Godric. Eric may be an arrogant, cold hearted bastard, but he had a sentimental side deep down, a side that he rarely liked to admit existed.

"Don't." Eric hissed, his ice cold orbs narrowing into slits as a growl sounded at the back of his throat. "Do not speak her name, do not even mention of her existence to me."

"But Eric..."

"She means nothing to me. Do you understand? Nothing!"

Pam didn't believe him. She knew, just as Godric did, that he cared. Maybe he didn't care as Godric did, and maybe he had only kept Mackenzie around for as long as he had because he was worried about who could get their hands on her and her locked away memories. But somewhere inside of her walled up emotionless maker, he cared; he actually missed her. Eric had been miserable since Godric had taken her off their hands. He had been an absolute terror to be around. He was always snapping at the smallest things, and half of the furniture in his office had to be replaced.

"You can't fool me, Eric." She gave him a knowing look. "I know that you..."

"Just stop it." Eric pushed himself away from her before his rage forced him to do something he would forever regret. "That's enough Pam."

"Fine." Pam straightened her outfit, eying her maker closely. "But let me just say one thing; you don't have to be miserable. She's not gone, Eric. You know exactly where she is. If you want her so badly, then go get her."

"She means nothing to me. She's just some stupid little girl that I only kept around to..."

"To protect us, yes I know." Pam rolled her eyes. "But you and I both know she's become much more than just a liability."

"Enough Pam." Eric grunted. "I don't want to hear another word on the subject."

"As you wish." Pam sighed, shaking her head before gazing over her shoulder to the young couple strolling through the dimly lit park. A smirk she had learned long before Eric had come into her life spread across her lips as that primal hunger rose. "I think I've just found dinner."