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:
So last chapter was ALL of the fluff. More will follow, and I'm not even sorry.
Q&As:
Will she meet Eric/Nora?
- Yes, but later on.
So, her maker?
- We'll get to hear the whos and whys, don't worry.
Stan's a bit thick, isn't he?
- Stan's… Stan. I see him as rather hot-headed and impulsive, and maybe not the sharpest crayon in the box, but fiercely loyal.
xXx
8
When Irin's conscience slipped back, signifying the sun had set, she was instantly aware that she was alone. Panic set in for a short second before the comforting smell of her saviour reached her nostrils; his scent was all around her and even in the soft clothes she was wearing. She hadn't imagined him - she wasn't all alone in the world anymore.
She quickly sat up, hands fumbling and tossing open the trapdoor so she could jump out and hunt for him – however much the room was saturated with his reassuring musk she needed to actually lay eyes on his face to be absolutely certain… Certain that her nightmare had truly ended.
The bedroom was empty of the older vampire, and so was the bathroom. She felt something in her stomach flutter uncomfortably as dark flashes of the horrible weeks where she had woken up alone, hungry and scared made her shudder. Quickly, she ripped open the bedroom door, darting into the hallway to let her sharpened senses search out… and heard his muted voice from the other end of the house.
Irin ran.
The tension was practically palpable even across the distance broached by the live feed as the Authority member in charge of the session pulled up a map showing the spread of the infection. It was an informal telecom meeting between some of the oldest vampires across the world and the Authority's representative in an attempt at brainstorming for ways of containing the very volatile situation that was quickly escalating out of control, and Godric's focus was fully on the vampire currently speaking (a seventeen hundred year old female from Russia) about some concerning episodes in Siberia when his office door suddenly banged open.
He was on his feet, instincts putting him into a defensive crouch that same second, but when he found his arms filled with a small, redheaded form he managed to control those same instincts from attacking the intruder.
Her fingers clutched desperately at his shirt as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, burying her head against his throat and inhaling deeply.
"Kitten?" he asked, concern etched into his voice as he tried to move his chin away so he could look down at her. "What happened?"
"You were gone," she whispered as her fingers dug painfully into his back muscles. Her head stayed pressed against his neck no matter how hard he tried to pull back.
With a sigh he ceased his efforts. "I was not – I was right here, working. And I am in a meeting, Child."
"Sheriff?"
Godric cast a glance at the member of the authority who – like the other parties of the meeting – had been following the interruption with varying degrees of interest. "My apologies, Madam. My Daughter is very young still." He discretely attempted to dislodge the baby vampire's fingers from his back, but she only clutched him tighter.
"You procreated?" The clear surprise was not unexpected – in previous meetings about the subject of procreation rates, Godric had made his opinion on being a maker again quite clear, and as far as the Authority knew, Eric was his only Child.
"I did." He gave up trying to extricate himself and sat back down in front of the screen to continue with the very serious meeting, letting Irin get comfortable in his lap.
"She's certainly a loyal little thing."
Godric had to restrain himself from gritting his teeth at the interest in Russell Edington's voice; was there something he didn't want it was the 3000 year old, vicious king of Mississippi's attention on his charge.
Irin, sensing the tension in his body, finally lifted her head to glare at the screen, her upper lip curling up ever so slightly as the beginning of a low growl formed at the back of her throat.
Russell's face lit up in amusement.
"Irin!" He grabbed her firmly by the chin, catching her eyes with his. "One sound out of you and you are banished from the office. This is an important meeting. Be quiet." It was a low whisper, but the intent was crystal clear. Her eyes went round before she quickly hid her head against his chest again, going limp in surrender.
"Ladies, gentlemen, I apologise for the interruption. As I said, my progeny is very young. Shall we continue?"
There was a moment's pause, and then – thankfully – the Russian woman continued where she had let up.
When the meeting was finally over, Irin still hadn't moved a single muscle out of fear that Godric would banish her from his presence.
He let her stay in his lap while he typed out a couple of quick emails and saved his notes from the meeting before he tapped her shoulder.
She looked up, searching his face worriedly.
"I am old enough that I wake up before sunset," he said calmly, and relief filled her when she realised that he did not seem angry with her. "And therefore you will wake alone most nights. However, I will always be in the nest and you are welcome to join me, but if I am in a meeting you will need to be quiet and not disturb me. Is that clear?"
The girl quickly nodded – as long as he would allow her to be by his side she would not complain; he was the only light she had in a world of horrible darkness, and she instinctually knew that if she clung to him she would somehow make it out of the nightmare. But if he went away... A small shudder went through her body at the thought. If he went away she would be lost, of that she was certain.
"Are you hungry?"
The hollowness in her stomach and veins pulled sharply at the mere mention of hunger. "Yes." She gave him a hopeful look. "Is there any more of the blood you brought yesterday?"
His sculptured lips pinched, but there was a note of amusement shining through the exasperated look on his face. "You will have TruBlood to sate your hunger, kitten."
Irin sagged against him in disappointment. While she didn't feel like gagging when she drank it anymore, it certainly didn't fill her senses with pleasure to ingest like human blood did.
"And then I will teach you how to feed from a human without harming them," he continued, a bit of reluctance slipping into his tone, but Irin ignored it completely as she bolted upright, hands grabbing the front of his shirt excitedly.
"Really? Today? I can feed on a human today?" While she had felt bad after having killed the humans she had, the overwhelming pleasure from feeding off a living, breathing person had overshadowed anything she had ever experienced in her short, human life. Just the thought of doing it again had the wild, uncontrollable thing inside of her roaring in exhilaration.
Godric eased the fabric of his clothes out of her hands and gently shoved her off his lap so he could get up. "Yes, I shall arrange for a donor to come to the nest after you have had TruBlood. It will be easier for you to control yourself if you are not too hungry."
If she had to drink ten bottles of cold TruBlood she would happily do so in order to feel the quick drum of a pulse against her lips and taste the sweet, satisfying flavour of real blood on her tongue. She stretched up to plant a quick peck on the older vampire's cheek, smiling widely at his apprehensive expression as she did so.
Real blood from a real human! She was finally going to feed!
xXx
A/N:
First, brief insight into Irin's POV! More will follow throughout the story.
Poor Godric, having to teach the baby vampire to bite a human – guy's just too evolved for that primitive stuff! I kind of see him as a vegan vampire in this.