Chapter 7:

Godric appeared again by the time appetizers were served. Henley caught sight of him out the corner of her eye, sitting right there at the table with Jackson and her, and she nearly choked on the wine she had sipped.

"Are you okay?" Jackson asked with concern.

She had to clear her throat, taking the chance to glare at Godric's smirking form, before smiling across the table at Jackson. "I'm fine. Just went down the wrong way."

She was grateful that he didn't suspect anything, sending her one of his charming smiles, before continuing a story of one of his day's patients. She tried so hard to pay attention, to laugh at the appropriate times, to speak when it was expected, but with Godric just staring at her, not even blinking, it was growing difficult. She ended up stabbing at her salad too hard, nearly bending the fork as her frustration began to show.

"Careful, you don't want him to suspect anything," Godric mused, his smirk widening. He knew she couldn't keep a straight face, the bastard. He knew she was eventually going to slip up. He was just patiently waiting for that moment.

She really wished she could murder the damn vampire again.

"So," Henley tried to keep the conversation moving, shifting herself so she wouldn't be able to see Godric. Of course, the damn vampire appeared on the other side of her, refusing to just let her simply ignore his presence. "Did you always want to be a pediatrician?"

"I never really thought about it much, to be quite honest. It wasn't until my younger brother became ill while I was in high school," he began his story.

She did her best to ignore Godric. She did her best to stare directly at Jackson, to smile and care about his story about his brother. But Godric was not making it easy.

And it only continued. By the entrees arrived, Henley was slowly losing her sanity. She was gritting her teeth, grasping onto the utensils so tightly they were digging into her skin. Not once, however, did Jackson assume anything was wrong. He was either absolutely oblivious, or he was doing his best to ignore her unusual behaviour. She was hoping for the former.

"He's a bit of an idiot, isn't he?" Godric commented as the waiter took their empty plates away. "And he is a doctor?"

Henley pursed her lips as she shot Godric a short glare, only to catch the attention of the next table over. Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red and she quickly turned her attention back onto her date.

"Is everything all right?" Jackson frowned. "You seem distracted."

"I'm sorry," she flashed the man a smile. "I'm fine. That penne was delicious."

He nodded. "We've spent most of the evening talking about me. I hardly know much about you. You never really talked about yourself, even when we went out before."

"Oh," she had been hoping he wouldn't have noticed. Most men enjoyed talking about themselves. They liked to brag and boast, and she was hoping, even just the tiniest bit, that Jackson would be just as egotistical. But of course he was, because as far as she was concerned, he was absolutely perfect. Why would this instance be any different? "I just don't like talking about myself, I guess."

"Ah, I see, you're really a murderous assassin," he teased with a wink. "I completely understand."

"Hey, I could be in the witness protection program," she pointed out, her forced smile relaxing into a true one. Despite Godric's constant annoyance, she couldn't deny how easy it was with Jackson. He was able to make her laugh in the simplest way. He could make her smile like no other man has ever been able to make her smile.

Now if only she could enjoy the doctor without the presence of her pestering ghost.

"Are you falling for the charming smile and the title before his name? I'm disappointed in you, Henley," Godric mused with a shake of his head, his gaze sweeping over Jackson. "He only wants to get you into his bed. I wouldn't be surprised if he was inadequate in size, as well."

That was it. That was her breaking point. Not being able to restrain herself any longer, Henley suddenly burst out of the chair, the cloth napkin falling from her lap and to the floor. The table next to her glanced over with mild interest, leaning closer in search of some juicy gossip.

"Henley?" Jackson stood, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. "Are you…"

"I just need to go to the ladies room. I'll be right back," she plastered a fake smile on her face before shooting Godric a glare and hurrying across the restaurant. She didn't even need to glance behind her to know that Godric would be following.

The moment the bathroom door swung close behind her, Henley turned on Godric. "Are you fucking insane?"

Godric merely raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I apologize, am I making this difficult for you?"

"You damn well know you are," she snapped, her orbs narrowing. "What's your problem? Do you honestly have nothing better to do than to ruin my date?"

He shrugged, his smirk growing wide. "Honestly, Henley, I'm a ghost; what do you suspect there is for me to do?"

"Ghostly things!" she threw her hands up in frustration, only to freeze as a stall door swung open. Henley stilled completely as a woman stepped out of a stall, eying her oddly before hurrying out of the bathroom.

"Well that's unhygienic," Godric mused with a chuckle.

"You are impossible!" Henley hissed, glaring at him before quickly bending and ensuring none of the other stalled were occupied.

"I must say, I quite enjoy this view," his gaze fell to her round ass, the tight red dress riding up. "May I say, lace suits you quite well."

Henley shrieked, snapping upright and pushing the hem of the dress as far south as it could possibly go. "Seriously? You're a pervert now?"

"I'm merely enjoying the entertainment."

"You're disgusting."

"I do have to say, however, that I much rather you without these pesky articles of clothing," his stare rose to her breasts.

"Vampire ghost or not, you're such a pig!" she wrapped her arms around herself as she turned towards the mirror, trying to compose herself.

Godric appeared behind her, looking very pleased that he had gotten under her skin. "You know, we could end this charade very easily, Henley."

"I'm not helping you," she glared at him through the reflection of the mirror.

"We could help each other," he reminded. "You would never have to be interrupted on another date again."

"You can't promise that."

"I can."

"No, you can't," she twisted around. "You don't have that kind of power. I know you seem to think you do, but you don't. How long have you been a ghost? How long has it been since you died?"

His eyebrows furrowed, and she almost cheered victoriously that she had finally stumped the vampire.

"I'm guessing not that long. I've been dealing with this for seventeen years. I think I know a little more about this than you do."

Godric frowned. "Last time I was made aware, you were not a ghost yourself."

Henley rolled her eyes. "Just leave me alone, Godric."

"I won't."

"Well I'm not going to help you, so you might as well."

"I'm a ghost, Henley; I have all the time in the world," Godric pointed out stubbornly.

Her lips pursed together. "Maybe you do, but what about your kid?"

It was the second time she felt fear in the presence of a ghost as Godric stepped forward, the bathroom lights flickering. One by one, the mirrors behind her began shattering, causing Henley to jump and twist around with wide eyes.

"Stop," she watched as the last mirror was broken, the room shadowed in darkness.

"You will help me, Henley. I will make sure of it," Godric growled into her ear.

She turned but found herself alone. Her heart was pounding as she darted for the bathroom door, only for the stall doors to bang open and close.

"Stop it," she called out to the ghost. Her voice wavered, and she hated herself for it. She wasn't supposed to be afraid of these pesky ghosts. But Godric was so much different than her every day ghosts, and that worried her. What exactly could he do?

Maybe the other spirits did fear him. She would understand why.

"You better hurry before your date leaves. You wouldn't want him to grow suspicious."

Henley took one last glance around the pitch-black bathroom, squinting in search of the vampire. When she found no one, she scurried out of the room. She didn't want to linger longer than she had to.

The moment she was safely in the lit hallway, Henley sighed heavily and tried to adjust herself. She couldn't let Jackson see how frazzled she was.

"Everything alright?" Jackson stood, worry crossing his features as she returned to the table.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm fine," she offered a small smile.

He nodded and held out his arm for her to take, though he didn't seem convinced. They walked in silence out of the restaurant and across the parking lot to Jackson's car. Neither of them spoke until they stopped on the passenger side of the Mercedes Benz.

"Did I do something wrong? Should I not have wasted my time at the clinic yesterday?" Jackson frowned, glancing down at her perplexed.

Her face fell. She had done it. She had successfully screwed the night up. After trying so hard to seem normal and interested, she had only ended up failing miserably.

Damn Godric for this!

"That's not it, Jackson," she tried to assure him.

"It's okay, Henley. I'm a grown adult; I can handle rejection."

But she couldn't.

"I swear that's not it. I had a good time tonight, I really did," she promised. "I'm sorry I seem distracted. I don't have a good excuse. I just was, and now you must think I'm terrible and that I don't like you and that couldn't be the furthest from the truth."

Jackson tilted his head to the side. "Like me, huh?"

Her smile widened. "Like you a lot."

"You're sure this wasn't a waste of time for you?"

She pushed herself onto the tips of her toes, capturing his lips with her own. She attempted to pull back immediately, prepared to assure the man that it wasn't a waste of time at all, but Jackson quickly tugged her back. She grinned into the kiss as his hand pressed into her lower back, forcing her flush against him.

"I seem to not have done a good enough job," Godric mused.

She didn't even care that he was there, still grinning as Jackson pulled back. "Definitely not a waste of time."

"Good," Jackson returned the grin as he reached behind her, pulling the car door open. "After you."

The smile wasn't wiped from her face as she slipped in, watching as Jackson moved around the car and slipped in beside her. She was in heaven from the kiss, not giving a damn that Godric had appeared in the backseat once again. After a kiss like that, she would happily ignore him, even after the stunt he had just pulled in the bathroom.

"Will he take you to his bed now? Or will you take him to yours? You act like you quite enjoy the control, but I sense you would much rather be controlled." Godric commented, his stare boring through the back of her head.

Her smile faltered at his comment, but she shook it off. What did it matter? She had just saved this disaster of a date. She didn't care about the ghost at all.

"But perhaps he would not suit your needs," Godric leaned forward, his lowering tone too close to her ear than she would like. "Perhaps you need one with a bit more dominance."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't stop the deep shade of red her cheeks were turning.

"I will take that as a yes," she could just hear the smirk in his voice. "You know my child is quite skilled. Perhaps if you help me he will reward you quite well."

"Everything alright?" Jackson glanced over. "You seem quiet. You're not reconsidering that kiss, are you? Because I have to say, I would be heartbroken."

"No," she shook her head, shooting one last glare over her shoulder only to discover Godric was gone, before offering a smile at the man. "Not reconsidering at all."

"I'm glad," his charming smile returned.

The moment his attention was back on the road, Henley glanced back into the back seat, only to find that Godric was still gone. She sighed, but kept her smile in place. She had just saved the damn date; she wasn't about to screw it up again so quickly.

Godric never appeared, to her relief, again as Jackson pulled into her driveway and held her door open like the gentleman that he was. The ghost didn't even appear as they paused on her porch, Henley fiddling with her keys and deciding whether or not to invite the doctor in.

"I should get going," Henley's gaze snapped to his, trying not to look too disappointed. Had she not been able to salvage this date, after all? "I have an early morning."

"Oh, oh of course," she nodded, once again, forcing a smile.

Jackson chuckled at her reaction, stepping forward and capturing her chin. "Otherwise I would have waited out here all night until you invited me in."

Her shoulders relaxed. "You mean I didn't completely ruin tonight?"

"Not at all," he assured.

"Hm, I believe a man refusing a night with you is quite an insult."

Godric was leaning against her front door, his head tilted to the side as he watched them closely. Henley's expression faltered, but she didn't offering the pestering vampire a glance.

"Perhaps you were not able to hide your unusual behaviour as well as you originally thought," he commented.

Henley's hands curled into tight fists at her sides, but went unseen as Jackson leaned forward and caught her lips with his own. She smiled into the kiss, her fists immediately uncurling as she shifted closer to the doctor. Godric didn't matter at all in that moment.

That, however, didn't mean he didn't try to ruin whatever was left of her evening.

"He's holding back," he mused. "He likely doesn't want to lead you on."

With Jackson's attention on her, she flashed Godric her middle finger. It did nothing, however, except elicit a laugh from the vampire.

"Cute," he murmured. "Very classy."

"I really wish I didn't have to go," Jackson admitted as he drew back, that charming smile of his plastered across his lips. "Rain check?"

"Of course,"

He pecked her on the lips one last time before heading back towards his car. She waited until he was climbing into the front seat until she turned and narrowed her eyes at the smirking vampire.

"Move."

"No," his arms crossed over his chest as he remained where he was, carefully placed in front of the door handle and lock.

"Godric, move."

"Better do something, or else he'll suspect something is wrong," he nodded behind her. She peeked a glance over her shoulder and realized that Jackson had yet to pull out of her driveway, being a gentleman and waiting until she was safely inside.

Sighing, she faked dropping her keys, bending down and buying herself some time. She didn't want to have the night ruined even more by having to walk through Godric. She shuddered at the mere thought.

"Just move," she demanded. "Haven't you done enough tonight?"

"Apparently not enough," he shrugged.

"Just leave me alone and let me get into my own damn house," she grumbled, grabbing her keys and stood. "Don't make me have to…you know."

He stared at her in challenge, not budging. Groaning in frustration, she knew she would have to do something or else risk Jackson's suspicion. She had only just barely saved the date, with prospect of another; she wasn't going to ruin it because of one little hitch.

Then again, it wasn't exactly a little hitch.

She really did hate having to touch ghosts in any way; stepping right through one, especially this infuriating one, was even worse.

"Please," she wasn't above begging.

"Agree to help me and perhaps I could move."

Biting the inside of her cheek, she braced herself as she shot her hand through Godric and to the lock, working as quickly as possibly to unlock the door and swing it open. She grumbled curses under her breath before dashing through the threshold and slamming the door closed behind her. The moment the door was closed and she could hear Jackson leaving, she let out a grunt in exasperation.

"Fucking hell!" she shuddered, shaking her arms around as if it would help rid herself of the cold, clammy touch of death.

"My apologies, was that uncomfortable for you?" Godric appeared before her.

"You're an asshole," she snapped, pushing herself away from the door and attempting to move around the ghost.

He wasn't going to make it easy for her, however, and quickly materialized in her path.

"Oh just leave me the hell alone!" she stepped back the other way, only for him to following her. She threw her hands up, stomping her foot on the ground. She was just so tired of him and his games. She knew she could end this so easily. She knew if she just agreed to help him, this could all be forgotten. But she refused to cave. That would just be admitting defeat, and she wasn't about to let that happen again.

"Help me and I will."

"I'm not going to help you. I will never help you. Hell could freeze over and zombies could start roaming the earth and I still wouldn't help you!" Henley seethed. "So just leave me the hell alone and…"

He appeared barely even an inch away, his nose so close to touching her own. She yelped, about to move away, but she found that she couldn't move at all. She frowned, her heart pounding, as she tried with all of her might to move her feet, to lean away.

But she couldn't.

"How are you doing this?" she had never encountered a being so strong before, and certainly not a ghost. How was he able to do this? How was he able to do anything that he's been able to do?

"I told you, Henley; I am much stronger than any average ghost. I could even help you, if you only help me in return. You should have taken my deal," his gaze darkened, his tone lowering.

"You can't do what you've tried to promise," she insisted.

"I will resort to…other means, if I must," he vowed. "I will not stop until you help me."

She tried not to panic at his dark promise, but she knew she was failing miserably. "Don't threaten me, Godric."

"You will help me," he growled, as suddenly his form grew blurry before bursting forward through her body.

A cry sounded from her lips as she stumbled backwards, no longer frozen to the ground. Her hand flew to her chest, her heart pounding painfully. The clutching hold of death was clinging to her this time. It wasn't fading away like it had only moments ago. It was grasping onto and refusing to let go. When her stomach churned, and her dinner began making its way up her throat, Henley dashed towards the bathroom as quickly as she could. She cursed Godric for whatever he had done as she settled in for what she only suspected to be a long night spent on the bathroom floor.