Chapter Forty Six:

"Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie glanced from where she was settled leaning against the bathroom counter to the closed door. Her stomach hadn't settled at all since she had been in here last, and her worry over Eric's reaction to her being sick again only made her feel worse. The last thing she needed, however, was Godric acting all concerned. She knew he would likely feel the sudden change in her. He would know when something wasn't right, when she was off.

"Are you all right?"

She thought about just admitting that she wasn't. But just like with Eric, she couldn't imagine the heartbreak on Godric's face. She couldn't do this to them. She couldn't destroy the tiny bit of happiness they had been able to find. The Authority was leaving them alone. They didn't have to deal with the fellowship any longer. She wasn't sure what would happen with her aunt and uncle, but for the moment, they were an after thought. She was so close to going home, that Mackenzie didn't want to risk it. She needed the peace and quiet, even just for a little while longer.

And then she would tell them.

"Mackenzie?"

Sighing, Mackenzie pushed herself away from the counter, cringing as her head began to spin. She had to take a moment to compose herself before crossing the room and peeked the door open.

"Hi," she forced a small smile.

"Hi," there was a frown on Godric's lips, however, his gaze sweeping over her. "What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing," she shrugged.

"Something's wrong," he cupped her cheeks gingerly, searching for an answer to what he was feeling through their bond. She had felt different from the moment he had woke that evening, but he merely thought it had to do with the interview. Now that it was over, Godric wasn't so sure that was the case.

"I'm just tried," it wasn't a complete lie. She was exhausted. "That's it. I'm fine, I swear."

He didn't believe her, though. He didn't believe her at all. The look she was sending him, however, halted his questions. Her round orbs were just so sad that he couldn't possibly push her for answers. She had been put through so much in the last week that he would do just about anything she asked of him.

"Can we go home yet?" she asked hopefully

"Unfortunately, not yet," Eric appeared in the doorway behind Godric, his lips dropping into a frown. "The jet won't be ready until tomorrow."

Mackenzie's face fell. She was going to have to wait another day? She wasn't so sure she was going to make it that far.

"We'll leave the minute the sun sets, Mackenzie," Eric promised her. "I swear that to you. We will go home."

She nodded, not feeling strong enough to try and speak. Sensing her sadness, Godric caressed her cheek before leading her into the room.

"Get some rest, Mackenzie," he nudged her towards the bed. "You've had a very trying day."

"More like a trying lifetime," she murmured under her breath but gladly climbed onto the bed. She didn't even other to change out of the white dress Nora had chosen for her. At the thought of the brunette vampire, she glanced around the room. "Did Nora have to leave?"

"She's speaking with Roman at the moment," Eric informed. "She'll likely be leaving tonight, though."

"Oh," Mackenzie felt saddened by the thought. She barely knew Nora, but the few moments that she had, she really enjoyed her presence. It was nice to have another woman around, for her family to be growing.

"My thoughts exactly," Eric sat beside her on the bed, holding out an arm. "Come here,"

Mackenzie didn't hesitate as she curled up at Eric's side. Her stomach wouldn't settle, and her head was still spinning, but none of it mattered in that moment. She was in her father's arms; that's all that she cared about.

"We'll get you home, Mackenzie," he assured her, kissing the top of her head. "You don't have to worry about that."

"Good. I'm really starting to get sick of hotel rooms."

Eric laughed before the bedroom door opened.

"Well look at that, father of the year. Perhaps I should buy you a #1 Dad t-shirt," Pam smirked as she entered the room.

"Pam," Eric warned, though there was a playful grin on his lips.

"Mary Poppins is still on the phone," Pam mused, irritation clear in her voice. "It would have been nice, of course, if you told me I had an aunt."

Eric rolled his eyes. "You know why I couldn't tell you, Pam."

"I'm still hurt."

"I'll buy you something nice."

"Oh you owe me more than one pair of shoes,"

Mackenzie couldn't help but smile as her eyes fluttered close. She loved when her family bickered. She was going to miss it.

"I really don't understand what you saw in Mary Poppins, Godric. She's an annoying…"

"Oh come now, Pammy, you shouldn't be rude to your aunt," Nora came waltzing through the door, a smirk plastered across her face.

"I really don't like you."

Nora merely laughed before stepping over to Godric, laying a hand on his arm. "I have to go, I'm afraid, father."

Godric's face fell and he didn't even attempt to hide his sadness. His family was together for the first time in too long, and he didn't want her to go. He hadn't realized just how much he missed Nora until she had stepped into the hotel room barely even an hour ago.

"I'll walk you out."

Nora nodded with a sad smile before glancing at the frowning Viking. "I'll miss you brother. And you, Mackenzie. It was an honour to meet you officially."

Mackenzie cracked her eyes open. "Thanks for making sure I wasn't carted off."

"Of course," Nora's smile widened. "Perhaps I'll have to make a few more excuses to travel to Shreveport. Think you could cause some trouble, dear brother?"

"That I most certainly can do," Eric smirked. "Take care of yourself, sister."

They shared a look before Godric held out his arm for his daughter to take, leading her out of the hotel and into the hallway. Once ensuring they were alone, Godric quickly took Nora into his arms, inhaling her scent for memorization. It had been too long since he had seen her last, and even longer since he had embraced her. It was going to be difficult to let her leave again.

"You shouldn't deny yourself, father," she retracted herself from his arms, cupping his cheek. Nora chuckled at his confusion. "Mackenzie. You love her."

A mixture of shame and confusion crossed his face. "I do not…"

"Oh you cannot fool me," she rolled her eyes. "You love the girl."

His gaze averted hers. "Nora…"

She grinned. "Really, Godric, you're not exactly hiding it. You're just lucky my dear brother is an oblivious idiot."

"He's become exceptionally astute when it comes to her."

"And?" she raised an eyebrow. "You care for her like I've never seen you care for anyone. 600 years, Godric, and I have never seen you give any soul the look that you send her whenever you think no one is looking. You love her. Why are you hiding that?"

Godric sighed as he turned away. "You know why."

"So you admit that you love her then," she wanted to smirk victoriously, but could see the pain he was desperately trying to hide. He loved Mackenzie; she didn't understand why he couldn't just let himself be happy for once in his existence. He deserved it more than most. "What's the problem, father? Is it Eric?"

"Of course it's Eric," he hissed. "She's his daughter."

"His daughter. Not yours."

"He's my progeny."

"You're not related to her in any way."

Godric rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had argued with himself over this matter too many times over the last few days, and his heart could never win against his conscious. Mackenzie may not have been his blood, but he had helped raise her. How could he feel this way, to desire her like he so desperately was, when he had known her since she was only four? He used to hold her when she was upset, to ward away the monsters under her bed. He watched her grow up before his very eyes. It wasn't right. He couldn't enjoy her touches, to want her like he had never wanted another.

But it was more than that.

"She's his daughter, Nora," he slowly turned back to his youngest. "He thinks I'm trying to take her away from him. I can't…I can't do that to him. This whole ordeal has caused him enough pain for us all."

Nora's chest tightened at her maker's turmoil. "Eric would understand eventually."

He smiled down at her tightly. "We both know how stubborn Eric can be."

"He would come around. I've seen the way she looks at you; she loves you as well, Godric."

"It can't be."

She wanted to press further, to make him see her reasoning, but an approaching guard interrupted them.

"Chancellor Salome is on the line."

Nora closed her eyes, sighing as her carefully crafted mask fell back into place.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Chancellor," Godric nodded. "I hope next time we can meet on better terms."

"As do I," she shot him a secret smile, hoping to convey just how much she truly had missed him. "Please send my regards to Miss. Northman. She is a very special girl. She deserves a happy life."

Godric's lips twitched ever so slightly as she smiled brightly up at him before twisting, following the guard to the elevator and slipping inside.

"Mary Poppins actually has a point," Pam mused from the doorway, a smirk painted on her lips.

Godric frowned as he turned towards the blonde. "Eavesdropping is rude, Pam."

"He would understand, you know," she shrugged. "Maybe not at first. Maybe not for a few hundred years. But one day he would realize how happy she made you, and he would understand."

"I can't," Godric shook his head. "We can't."

"You're not just hurting yourself."

"Enough. That's enough,"

Pam sighed as she shook her head, pushing herself away from the doorway. "Do as you want, Godric. But if your blood hasn't healed her, and she's still sick, we're all going to regret saying or doing something. Do you really want that to weigh on your conscious for another thousand years?"

She strutted passed him, mumbling about searching out a donor before the night was over, leaving Godric to her lingering warning.

Was it worth it to risk his relationship with his progeny in order to not regret his time with his son's daughter?

Eric frowned as he watched Mackenzie's sleeping form. "She's still asleep."

Godric glanced at the pair as he exited the bathroom. "Last night was very trying for her, Eric. She needed her rest."

Eric wasn't convinced. "The entire day?"

"She's just resting, Eric. Come, lets leave her be."

But Godric's assurance didn't help his doubt. He couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. He pressed his hand back against her forehead, checking her temperature for the third time that night. She still felt warm. Too warm.

"She's fine, Eric. I promise you. Nothing has changed in our bond," Godric laid a hand on his progeny's arm. "You are fulfilling your worried father role well."

"I have a lot of time to make up for," Eric murmured, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "What she said…I don't deserve her. I don't deserve the love that she has for me. She's always loved me. She's always seen me as something that I wasn't – that I couldn't be. How can I just be that for her now."

"Because you've always been her father," Godric offered a small smile. "I watched you with her for many years, my child. You were her father the moment you came back for her when she was only a young girl. Now come, let her rest."

Eric signed but nodded, leaning down to brush his lips across her forehead. Father. It was a word he never thought he would enjoy to hear. But now, he never wished for it to stop being said. Especially by her.

"We'll be home soon," he vowed to her before following his maker towards the door.

Mackenzie's eyes cracked open once she heard the bedroom door close, Eric and Godric's voices drifting away. Sighing, she slowly rolled herself onto her back, groaning as her head began spinning. Eric had a right to worry about her. She wasn't just tired. She wasn't just resting. Her bones were achy and heavy; the smallest of movements slow and difficult. All Mackenzie wanted to do was curl up in bed and never leave.

But she preferred her own bed, and that would require leaving the one she was currently in.

She dreaded travelling in that moment. She knew she would barely be able to get through the day. God knows she wouldn't be able to trick Eric into believing everything was perfectly all right. Because it wasn't. It most certainly wasn't.

"Why?" she whispered to the empty room. "Why now?"

Forcing herself out of bed, it took Mackenzie twice as long to cross the short distance into the bathroom. She didn't even bother to put the light on, not wanting to see how pathetic she appeared. She just quickly brushed her teeth and hair, taking tiny sips of water in hopes that she would be able to keep the liquid down. She knew none of it would do very much at all. She felt like death; she doubted she looked any better.

Mackenzie paused in the bedroom doorway, her hands gripping onto the doorframe to keep upright. She was surprised when she found Eric was missing, Godric speaking in another language on the phone. When he felt her presence, he shot her a quick glance over his shoulder before returning to his conversation. He did a double take, however, his gaze trained on her hard. Eric was optimistically hopeful that she was healthy, but Godric was not. How could he be when he could feel every single ounce of what she was going through?

"I'll speak with you later Isabel," Godric murmured before hanging up, tossing the phone onto the coffee table without a second thought. He rose from the couch, his eyebrows furrowed as his orbs swept over her. Mackenzie hadn't moved from the doorway, her frail heart racing in her chest.

He knew.

She could see it on his face, even with that mask perfectly in place.

Godric knew.

"Please tell me you're not," his voice was low and pleading.

"I'm…" she started to assure him that she was fine. She couldn't have anyone believe anything else. But that look on his face, the way his shoulders fell in defeat, she just couldn't lie to him. She had promised herself to keep it a secret for as long as she could, at least until she was safe and sound at home. But she couldn't. Certainly not from him. Bottom lip quivered, her gaze fell to the floor. She couldn't look at him as she destroyed all of their prayers. "I-I'm sorry."

Godric was before her, gingerly holding her cheeks in the palm of his hands as if she were made of glass. "It didn't work, did it? My blood, it…it did nothing."

"I'm sorry," Mackenzie couldn't even cry. She wanted to. God did she ever just want to cry on Godric's shoulder, to have him promise her that they would figure this out. But she couldn't, not any longer. She had shed so many tears, that it felt almost impossible to shed anymore. She knew it was inevitable now. She was dying. Not even supernatural forces could change that. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh, Mackenzie," the pad of his thumb caressed her cheek. "I'm sorry. I thought it would work. I thought it would heal you."

"We all did," she hated that look in his eyes. It was that look that she had been trying to avoid. He was devastated. He sounded broken. She couldn't even imagine what Eric would do when he found out.

He couldn't.

He couldn't find out, Mackenzie decided. At least not yet. She still had some time, even if it was only a few days. They needed to get home. They needed to go back to how everything was before the Fellowship had kidnapped her. And then she would break the news. And then she would break his heart.

"Please don't tell him," Mackenzie begged him, a shaking hand moving to clutch onto the front of Godric's shirt. "Please don't tell him, Godric."

Godric's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Mackenzie, he needs to know."

"No," she shook her head, the panic starting to rise. "He can't. Not yet. Please."

"He's your father."

"This will kill him."

"You can't hide this from him. Not again. You will not hide this from us," he grasped onto her chin, staring down at her pointedly. "We are a family, Mackenzie. We will figure this out."

"I'm dying, Godric! There's no figuring this out!" she cried out.

"There's other ways. We will find another way," he promised determinedly.

"You're blood didn't heal me and modern medicine isn't enough. What else is there?"

But Godric wouldn't accept defeat. "There has to be another way. I won't let you die. I will not let this happen."

It felt like her heart was crumbling into a hundred different pieces. "I'm dying, Godric."

"No," he shook his head. "I will not accept that. We will find another way. We will speak to Eric and get you home. And then…"

"Don't. Please don't," she pleaded, her fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt. "Please, you can't tell him. Not yet. Please!"

"He needs to know. He deserves to know."

"But not yet. Please, Godric, not yet."

Godric's expression hardened. "And when did you expect him to find out? On your deathbed, just as before? Were you even going to tell us, Mackenzie? Were you ever going to let any of us know that you were sick?"

She looked away ashamed. She felt terrible enough as it was, knowing that if she had just told Eric when she first found out about the cancer, everything could have been different. "That's not fair."

"No, what's not fair is you hiding this. Again!" his eyes narrowed. "You will tell him, Mackenzie. Or I will."

"I just want to go home."

"And you will, after we talk with Eric. And Pam. She will want to know as well."

"Please no. Godric, please. Just give me until we get home. I swear I will tell them. I swear to you! Just give me some time. I need some time," if she could have, she would have been on her knees begging. She needed this. She just needed a little bit more time. "I just want to go home. I want my own bed. I want to feel safe again. And then I'll tell him. Please."

Godric pulled away from her, shaking his head as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He couldn't keep this from Eric. It will destroy him to know Mackenzie was sick once again, but he deserved to know. He couldn't lie to him.

But as he shot Mackenzie a glance, seeing the broken look in her eyes, his heart ached.

"I will tell him, I promise you. Just let me get home first. I just need to get home."

They were due to leave that night. They would be home in only a matter of hours. Godric could keep this from his son for that long, could he not?

"Please, Godric. Please do this for me. I need you to do this for me," her round, sad eyes ripped through his humanity with ease.

Turning from her, Godric clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides. "The second we get home."

"I promise. Thank…"

"Don't," he shook his head, already beginning towards the door. He needed to clear his head. He needed far away from Mackenzie, or else he would do something – anything – to keep her from leaving him.

He couldn't lose her.

"Get your things together; we'll be leaving shortly," he grasped onto the door handle, nearly breaking it with his tight grasp. "And Mackenzie?"

She chewed on her bottom lip as she watched him with cautious eyes.

"I will not let you die, do you understand me," he glanced over his shoulder, his jaw locked in determination. "I won't lose you."

"Godric…" she knew there was nothing that could be done. If his blood hadn't been able to cure, nothing would.

"I won't."

The door slammed behind him, making her jump. Resting her forehead against the doorway, Mackenzie's eyes fluttered close as she took a shaky breath. It killed her to hear his determination, knowing that it would only hurt him further when nothing could be done.

She was dying, that was that.

A/N: Super sorry for the wait. Writers block, school, life and my new obsession for Arrow has gotten in the way. Oops. I cannot promise when updates might be happening in the next few months, if many at all. I have four weeks left of class, a trip to Boston with my class, and an internship with GM for three months ahead of me. So it's going to be pretty crazy. The end for this fic, though, is approaching, so I'm hoping that if I can really focus, then I might get it done before the start of May. Big MAYBE there, but I like crazy goals. Thank you again for all of your support, you are all just super amazing!