A/N: Thanks for the advice guys, it's helped a lot!

Thanks: Wow, I am taken aback by the sheer number of reviews you guys placed in my inbox for the last chapter in particular. It was just what I needed to add a boost to my day.

Reward: As a reward this chapter wasn't due up for another few days, but I pulled out my laptop and thought fuck it, you guys deserve me finishing it off and getting it up ASAP!

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own True blood; I just borrowed the characters for a bit of fun!

Chapter Fourteen
Life Goes On

The flight back to Louisiana was uneventful, as was the drive back to Bon Temps. It was a nice change from the constant drama that had accompanied her on the first trip away from the town she had grown up in. She was looking forward to returning to normality.

Godric returning with Eric had also been a pleasant surprise. She had been rolling ideas in her head on how she would say goodbye to the vampire who had not only saved her life, but treated her like an equal, like she was something good enough to care for.

It had been nice.

She may not be pleased that according to her Godric had been unnecessarily stripped of his position as sheriff, but at least something good had come of it.

Jetlag had not been pleasant, but it was nothing that a good night's sleep hadn't cured. It still didn't mean, however, that she wasn't still half-asleep when she arrived at Merlotte's for her afternoon shift, but she wasn't too exhausted not to greet Sam with a hug that had the both of them smiling.

"Sookie! How was Dallas?"

Smiling brightly, she pulled away much to Sam's reluctance. She didn't notice, too keyed up from being back home to take much else in. Dallas may have been beautiful, but Bon Temps was where her heart laid.

"It was nice, kind of. I met some really nice people, and some not so nice" she wrinkled her nose in distaste.

Sam raised a brow, "like who?"

"The Fellowship of the Sun, heard of them?" She moved to pull on her apron. "They're nothing other than a large group of wackjobs if you ask me."

"They do anything to ya?" Concerned at her well-being had his eyes flickering towards her neck, his eyes narrowing in anger when he took note of the light green neck scarf she was wearing. It did not take a highly educated person to figure out exactly what, or who, she had been up to on her holiday.

"Yeah, but Godric and Eric sorted it" she waved off, moving to fill the salt and pepper shakers. Business was usually slow before the lunch rush hit. "How's Bon Temps been? Nothin' else bad happened has it?"

Still caught up on the hidden bite marks he knew would be present on her neck Sam stayed silent, internally seething. Compton didn't deserve to touch her, let alone attack her neck like an animal!

Lafayette broke the silence.

"Hey girl!" Utensils clattered in the kitchen before the flamboyant chief Sookie knew and loved made his way though. "How's da vamp? Still up in all ya grill?"

Sookies mood soured at the reminder of her less than perfect relationship status. It had been a relief when Eric had informed her that Bill would not be traveling back with them. For all she cared he could bloody well stay in Dallas!

"He cheated on me-ump!" Soon finding herself in the arms of one of her best and only friends she smiled against his glittery chest. She adored how she could take Lafayette at face value.

"Tell me all about it, suga'" he demanded wistfully.

Sam listened intently, wondering whether it had any relation to the marks on her throat. His blood ran cold at the possibility that Bill had hurt her, that he had…forced himself on such a sweet and misunderstood girl. If that was the case he didn't trust himself that he wouldn't do anything reckless, that his fingers wouldn't ache to stake the prick through the chest.

"There's not much to tell," Sookie nervously licked her lips before pulling away. "His maker came back 'nd according to her they had sex multiple times."

Lafayette hummed his disapproval, "ya sure ya can believe this biatch?"

"Godric say he could…uh…smell his arousal" she cringed, blushing her at own use of terminology.

Lafayette's eyes widened, "they can smell that shit?" At Sookies nod Lafayette couldn't help but curse to himself, unaware until that moment of that specific detail. Eddie had never mentioned it.

"Yep," the napkin dispensers were next.

"And dis Godric, ya trust him?"

No hesitation was present as she nodded affirmative. Godric had no reason to lie to her; he would have nothing to gain if he did.

"So does this mean you're no longer seeing that civil war vamp?" Lafayette leaned against the counter, "'cause you deserve better than that shit."

"I told him that we were done."

She missed the way Sam's eyes lit up at that particular piece of information, unlike Lafayette who shot his boss a look of sympathy. The bloke didn't have a chance with Sookie, not when the girl he had been obsessed with for years only saw him as a brother, as family, rather than as someone she could be intimate with.

Blissfully ignoring the chief, Sam couldn't help but hope for the best. He may not like the fact Bill had cheated on her, especially since it was Sookie's first relationship and it had ended in such a shitty way, but it made him hope she would choose someone closer to home when she got over whatever emotional turmoil she was feeling.

He would never treat her so poorly.

The lunch rush passed quickly, Sookie only having to put up with a couple of rude comments after they slipped through her mental shield during a moment of distraction, but it was nothing she hadn't heard before. She could handle her own.

"Get us a refill, doll!"

Forcing a smile, Sookie reluctantly reached for the empty glasses on their table, both ignoring their crass thoughts and shying away from touchy hands attempting to grope her arse.

Did their mothers not teach them any respect?

The glasses hit the bar with a click, Tara swaying her way over with a bored expression. "Sam let you serve the twat table?" her nails raked across the wooden bar.

Cringing at her friends' language, Sookie shrugged. "There not that bad-"Tara raised a brow, "they want another round of drinks."

Leant on the bar Sookie tried to ignore the brief thought which managed to break through her shield, but she had heard enough to know that Tara knew about the fang marks on her neck, and her thoughts made it very clear that she did not approve in the slightest.

She tried to ignore it, but this was her friend she was talking about.

Sookie had known when she had gotten involved with Bill that people wouldn't like it, that they would refer to her as a fang-banger, a slut, or a bloodbag. It hadn't bothered her, not when she had been called mentally insane and crazy for the whole duration of her life.

It was simply another discrimination she had been subjected to.

But it was hard to regret her decision to treat vampires with the same attitude she treated humans with when she had met many vampires who were nothing other than polite, who respected their own kind and treated humans far better than humans had treated them. It had opened her eyes to more in life, and she didn't regret it in the slightest.

It wasn't as if her own race had treated her kindly over the years.

Bill on the other hand, perhaps she shouldn't have jumped into a relationship with the first vampire she had met. That had clearly not been a good idea; she knew that now.

She would learn from her mistakes.

"I hear you broke up with the vamp," Tara pulled several pints. Sookie rolled her eyes as she arranged them on her tray. "He suck in the sack?"

Sookie flushed at the direction question. "That's a bit personal, Tara."

Tara rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a prude, Sookie. Sex is sex, you either have it or you don't."

Huffing, Sookie decided not to answer as she grabbed her tray before expertly handing out the drinks. At least she was good at something in her life, even if it was waitressing and dealing with drunken rednecks.

It was nearing the end of her shift when the place went eerily quiet, Sookie frowning in confusion from the end of the bar. The place had been rowdy for the better part of three hours, the constant chatter somewhat helping to block out the thoughts along with Sam having finally helped her out by kicking out a particularly intoxicated table after they had attempted to pull her on their laps.

They were lucky Sam had intervened before they had gotten a face full of her drinks tray.

She was polite and professional, but there was a limit.

"Hey babe," Lafayette yelled from the kitchen. She startled. "Ya bring back any strays wit ya?"

"Huh?"

Strays?

"Got a sexy vamp out here lookin' all young 'nd powerful."

Making her way around the bar Sookie grinned when she caught sight of a familiar vampire standing near the entrance, not bothering to hesitate as she discarded her tray on a nearby table before making her way over to the elder vampire.

"Hey Godric," Hugging him tight she savoured the happiness she felt at seeing him. Dressed in what she was quickly realising was his common attire, he looked all the less threatening in pastel colours and soft linen. It made her question just how many people underestimated Godric before finding out he was more dangerous than outwardly threatening vampires combined. "What you doin' here?"

Cool fingers brushed against her heated cheeks before moving to rest on her hip. It wasn't until she realised how many looks they were on the receiving end of that she figured the intimacy of their hug would look strange considering they were just friends.

She found it hard to care about the judgemental looks they were throwing her way.

"I came to request your presence at Fangtasia, älskling. My childe informed me that the two of you have an agreement of some kind."

Sookie nodded. "Yep. I'm happy to help out on the odd reading if he turns them over to the authorities afterwards."

"So you are willing?"

Nodding, Sookie glanced at the clock briefly. "I have an hour and a half left on my shift. You could wait or I could meet you over in Shreveport since I have my car here."

"I shall wait."

Leading him to a more private booth, thankful that it was empty, Sookie quickly asked him if he desired a trublood only for Godric to deny. Looking at him now Sookie recognised the slight flushness to his cheeks, confusing her considering she had never seen it present on another vampire before.

It almost looked as if he was blushing.

"Give me a shout if you change your mind, ok?"

Nodding, Godric settled back into the booth as he watched his future companion move away in order to continue her shift. He had purposely left early, wanting to witness her working in a natural environment. After hearing about the negativity she was subjected to on a daily bases, he wished to experience it for himself.

He was not impressed with what he saw.

It was clear the majority of the humans present were not happy with a vampire being within their mists; however, Godric felt nothing other than mild annoyance over that fact. He did not care for disgusted looks, knowing inside it was their fear driving their discomfort and anger towards him and his kind. Humans were defensive creatures.

"Who's the vampire, Cher?"

"Oh, that's Godric. He's visiting Eric" Sookie replied brightly.

Had Eric not yet told her he planned to make his stay permanent?

The male did not look pleased. It may have been Godric's first sighting of the shifter, yet he had already managed to deduce that this was Sookie's boss. It was obvious that this Sam had not informed her that he was a shifter, a less common supernatural being, which was why his little telepath found him so tricky to read. He was under the impression that any shifter she came across would feel very much the same to her, difficult but not impossible. It was also clear to him that her boss was attracted to her physically if the jealously and lust was anything to go by.

Godric wasn't threatened, not when he and Sookie were already beginning their bonding. However, he was far from impressed.

"He going to be trouble?"

"Godric?" Sookie asked bewildered. "No, of course not! I can honestly say he is the most civilised and polite vampire I've ever met. Saved my life as well, he's a real gentleman" she glanced in his direction fondly, seemingly forgetting he could hear every word.

He was more than pleased with the confirmation that his courting of her was successfully going well.

Eric, however, would need to step up his game it seemed.

"More than Bill?"

Scowling, "Bill was a liar and a cheat."

Bringing an end to the conversation it wasn't until Godric became aware of two humans approaching him that his head tilted to the side, eyes narrowing briefly before his features smoothed out into something unreadable.

"Hey," the female managed to get out in a purr before Godric was ordering them to "leave." He was in no mood to please a couple of fang-bangers who desired to try out something new. He was not an object they couldn't simply purchase for a night of pleasure. He could sense the lust and fear rolling off them in waves.

"Hey! You have no idea what you're missing!"

Godric looked at the rednecks up and down with a lack of emotion. She was too thin, unhealthily so, not to mention he could sense both alcohol and drugs tainting their blood.

"I am not interested."

Even if he was desperate he would never stoop so low.

As they walked away insulted, Godric couldn't help but savour the slight tinge of jealousy and relief flowing off one particular person in the bar.

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