Disclaimer:

Anything you recognise belongs to the creative genius that is Charlaine Harris and/or Alan Ball. I'm just playing around with their universe(s).

A/N:

Q&A session!
1. How do you pronounce her name?

Erin. But if you want to be American about it, I don't mind.

2. Will we hear anything from kitten's POV?

Yeah, at some point, but at the moment she's just sort of hissing.

Any other questions, just ask away – I'll answer if I can without ruining the plot. Though ZizzyO, this is NOT a challenge! ;-)

Thanks a bunch for the support everyone! You make me all warm and fuzzy!

xXx

6

Ancient eyes had been staring at the variety of silver chains in the big, wooden cabinet for about an hour without actually seeing them. He had never been this reluctant to carry out a sentence, deeming the greater good of all an easy moral to govern by, but he couldn't help but feel that what he would probably have to do to Irin was a great injustice. She hadn't asked to be made, hadn't asked to be abandoned.

But she couldn't stay wild. She would end up killing again, and most likely in a very indiscreet way that would cause more tensions between the vampire and human communities; tensions that they couldn't afford.

When he had awoken late that same afternoon it had been to some disturbing reports from the Authority, reports that – if they turned out to have any truth to them – meant that he simply could not afford to spend any more time trying to gain her trust, however much she deserved it. If those reports were indeed correct he would have to draw all his power and time in to protect his entire area. And that meant that the little kitten was out of time.

It really wasn't fair, as she had growled the night before. It really, really wasn't. But he had had to make the unpleasant decision that if she didn't accompany him home this evening, he would have to end her. And what made it so unfair was the he knew she wasn't ready, that she still had too long to go before she would trust him enough.

Godric decided to leave the silver chains be. He wouldn't have to use them if he was quick with the stake, and there was no reason to make her last moments painful. He grabbed a stake from the cabinet and headed to the kitchen where he picked up a couple of bags of donor blood; she could at least enjoy the flavour of human blood one last time. He owed her that much.

Firmly ignoring a faint whisper from his conscience that claimed he owed her so much more he walked out the door and into the night.

It was later than usual when he arrived at the park, due to a telecom meeting with the king of Texas and the time it had taken him to stare down the weapons he occasionally (or, actually, rather frequently) had to use in his position as a Sheriff of area 9.

"Irin," he called softly into the quiet night, feeling a sudden pang of worry that she might have made good on her threat to leave the area while he had been delayed. If that was the case he was duty-bound to inform the other Sheriffs, and when this turned into a hunt her last moments would very surely not be pain free.

There was no response, but when he took in the scent of the night the unmistakable smell of fresh human blood hit him like a hammer.

No.

He was in the air before a second had passed, racing towards the source of the beckoning scent, praying to something he wasn't sure he believed in that he would be in time to save the human's life before the baby vampire tore their throat out or drained them completely.

But what he found was much, much worse than what he'd feared.

The bleeding human had a cloth of some sort pressed against a cut – a cut, not a bite – on her arm, her eyes trained on the spitting, snarling and whimpering female on the ground that was currently being drained by two large, human males. Silver chains criss-crossed over the exposed parts of her torso, legs, ankles, arms and neck, keeping the young vampire completely immobile and unable to resist the slow, painful process the draining of her blood was.

As the vampire Sheriff, Godric was very familiar with how drainers worked, and luring a hungry vampire in with the scent of fresh blood only to have them ambushed with silver was very standard.

He felt the Beast claw at his insides as Irin let out a wail of pain when they roughly jabbed another needle in her arm to speed up the process. The blood was sacred. And they were hurting her.

It took all his legendary calm not to start pulling off body parts when he landed in their midst with a small thud.

The female was Glamoured into a daze before the other two even realised he was there, the first male seconds after. The last male managed to scramble to his feet before Godric had him in a very firm grip around the neck, pulling his mind in with his will. The human slumped back, staring into the distance without sensing anything around him.

Godric quickly kneeled on the ground by the trapped girl, unthinkingly grabbing at the chain keeping her neck down. He let go with a hiss when the silver burnt him, searching the ground and picking up a stick to work underneath the metal links.

Irin howled as the silver pulled off strips of her skin as it came off, her fingers clenching and her chest heaving in unnecessary gasps.

"Shh, you're free soon," he promised as he made to work on the chain covering her torso.

A string of profanities and wild hissing was all he got in return. As soon as her arms were free she started clawing at the ground in a feeble attempt at escaping the pain. When the final bit of silver was off her body she shot up into a crouch, amethyst eyes wild with pain and fear – and rage.

Godric immediately clasped a firm hand around her shoulder and pulled her in to his body, halfway to stop her from lunging at the Glamoured humans, halfway to calm down her trembling form.

A high-pitched growl sounded against his chest, but to his surprise her dirty hands fisted in his coat instead of pushing at him.

"You're safe," he whispered into her ear. "I've got you now – you are safe."

Her growling quieted, pained panting taking over.

Godric reached out and fumbled to grasp the bags of donor blood he'd dropped on the ground when he landed, getting a hold of one and offering it to the feral girl that had the front of his clothes in a death-drip. "Drink – it will heal you."

She let go of his coat, grabbing the bag in both hands before striking at it like a viper. A pleasured groan followed as the thick, red liquid filled her mouth.

When she'd finished the second bag she slumped against him in relief, and he carefully manoeuvred his arms around her hamstrings and back so she sat in his loose grasp, leaned against his chest and resting on his knees. Her – now bloody – hands came back up to grab at his clothes, fingers twisting in the fabric.

"I thought you'd left," she mumbled, letting her violet eyes find his.

He pursed his lips, taking in the expression in her gaze. She was looking at him as if he was a newly-discovered – but possibly treacherous -cure for all evils in the world. His insides twisted when he thought of the stake he'd brought here tonight.

"I told you, I'm not leaving you," he said, gently pulling her a little closer. She didn't flinch, and he felt relief flood his system. "You will come home with me tonight."

To his great surprise her response was to bury her head underneath his chin, nuzzling in against his throat. A strange sense of warmth flowed through him from her gesture of surrender.

Godric got to his feet easily, turning to the Glamoured humans. But just as he opened his mouth to make his command, the baby vampire in his arms turned into a hissing, spitting ball of fury. He just managed to clutch onto her body to stop her from hurling herself at the nearest male, no doubt to claw out his eyes and drink from his mauled body.

"Kitten!" he scolded, pulling her further away from them. "Stop that! They are defenceless!"

A furious snarl and her nails digging painfully into his chest was the thanks he got for his efforts, and when she realised that he was not budging, she bit him in the arm through coat and shirt, piercing skin.

Growling, he struck, sinking fangs into the tender flesh of her neck without releasing his firm grab on her body. He hadn't thought about his actions – it was purely instinctual, but he didn't rip or drink; he didn't need to to establish his dominance. She whimpered and instantly went lax in his arms, fangs retracting from his flesh.

Godric kept his fangs in her for a few seconds longer before he lifted his head, giving the puncture wounds a quick, unnecessary lick – they'd be healed within seconds, but it was an old habit to soothe his bite with the coalescent in his spit. "Do not ever bite me again." His quiet tone held enough authority to make her shudder.

"They tried to kill me!" she protested, avoiding his gaze.

"And you have killed plenty of them. You are much stronger than them, and while they should be punished for what they have done, killing them will not make anything right."

Her lips pursed as she bit down on a frustrated growl – she clearly thought it would make something a lot better.

"Let me show you," he sighed, keeping her body firmly controlled in his grasp as he returned to the humans. She tensed to the point of going rigid but didn't fight him to attack this time. Godric considered it a victory.

"Look at me," he commanded, making the humans' necks snap is his direction. "You will go to the nearest police station where you will confess to every crime you have ever committed, denying your right to legal representation. And when you have served your sentences you will register as blood donors until you have given exactly as much blood each as you have ever drained from vampires."

The three, dazed humans nodded.

"Go."

They turned around and stumbled into the darkness.

"You see?" he asked the girl. "No more needless deaths, and the humans get to deal with their own criminals. They will pay for their crimes, and will give back the blood they have taken." Godric was quite pleased with this his first lesson for her. He was also thankful to the horrid humans, however much his instincts screamed at him to murder them in the most horrific ways possible, as their attack was what had saved him from having to kill the young one in his arms.

Irin looked up at him, a stubborn tilt to her jaw, but she submitted sullenly under his firm gaze. "Yes," she muttered.

He smiled at her obstinate tone. "Good girl. Now, let us get you home."

She linked her slim arms around his neck and tucked her head underneath his chin again. "Okay."