A/N: Sooty85: I'm sorry you had to endure that cliffhanger. I hope this chapter makes up for it. And yes, the story definitely continues, although I only get to write sporadically these days. Sorry for that.

LPWomer: You can't have enough Godric in a story, right?

Chapter 7 ~ A quarter of something

She was quickly awakened by the rhythmic raising and lowering of her rib cage. At first she had problems to orientate herself, when she realized that she had escaped from the healing element before the actual time. But why? It hadn't been time to take a breath yet. Listening to her inner clock confirmed that she could have remained under water for another ten minutes. What had happened?

Ah yes... that continuous pressure that made her blood pump through her veins again at human speed...

When her head cleared a little she opened her eyes with an inner sigh. But she couldn't see much, because something shielded her eyes, while at the same time cold lips touched her mouth and her nose was kept shut. Cold lips... Her eyes widened and when she tasted the oxygen that this creature breathed into her body, an instinct waved through her that she hadn't felt in her previous life. Looking at this creature she saw his ancientness and his unmistakable strong masculinity aura that shimmered from every pore of his skin. His aura was potent, so insanely potent and made her tremble inside. But it wasn't fear that caused such a reaction. She knew at once that she wanted that creature. Her senses were directly flooded with all the necessary information that this strong creature provided her with. No scent of a woman or a man clinged to him, and that told her that he hadn't lain with anyone for a long time. Immediately she knew that after having her he would never again restrain himself, for she could relight his extinguished fire.

Connecting her gaze with his, she began to hum her melody. At least she wanted to... Because she immediately discovered that her vocal chords weren't functioning properly. Not a sound came over her lips. Maybe she could only make her melody sound in water? That would be very annoying. But what was that? Even though there was no sound, he still seemed to be spellbound by her. She saw his pupils dilate and focus only on her. Was that all it took to captivate this creature? Satisfied with the outcome of her efforts, she stretched her arms towards his face and touched him gently.

"Do you want to kiss me, little mermaid?"

Oh how right you are...

He could still talk and move on his own. And he was clever. It was good that she couldn't use all her potential on land, for otherwise he would be nothing more than a mindless shell driven by carnal desires by now. Normally that was an advantage. Her kind didn't need thinking men. It had always been better to receive only the seed and then let the men go again. Her instinct told her that. And it was good to listen to it. It guided her, took away her fear of this new situation, prepared her with the knowledge what to expect and how to unite herself with a male creature... But she also felt that something would be missing if he were too catatonic. She wanted him still conscious and strong. He would be her first... She sensed that for some reason this body trusted him and knew he was a good choice. Oh, yes, he would make her awakening perfect.

Slowly she pulled him towards her and admired his deep shining eyes. The abyss within him was beautiful. He was beautiful! Feeling the sensation of his lips still on hers from earlier, the anticipation of more in her was kindled. She would-

All of a sudden her spell was broken. She could see it clearly – the moment a female voice reached their ears, his pupils contracted and he changed his gaze, his body stiffened for a split second and then... Then he was just out of her sight and touch. It was as if sharp teeth drilled into her skin all over her body, so painful was the abrupt ending of the beginning mating! She wanted to scream, stop his escape with her voice, but only a hiss came over her lips. Desperately she tried to get up despite the strong pain within her. She had to find him again! That was a one of a kind chance to mate with such an ancient potential. It would be an outrage if she missed this opportunity!

But when she turned in the direction of his aura, she froze. He stood next to a female of his kind and that triggered a cascade of different feelings in her. She knew that female! How could she know her? Staring motionlessly at the female, she tried to remember. She could hear the two creatures talking to each other and although she didn't care what they spoke about, she automatically listened, because the voice of the female seemed to make a memory string sound inside her. At first it was just a picture – a strange-looking square from which things peeked out at the sides, which she recognized as the grown parts of plants that grew on the dry earth. Then there was a feeling, hunger. A sob echoed in her memory and the smile of this female was in front of her face. This... Isabel. That is what her chosen one had called the female. She-

Gentle hands – smiling faces – a bath – falling hair – the woman, as she put her to bed and stroked her face lovingly – a guitar – a huge room full of books – singing waves calling her...

The images flooded through her head faster and faster and at the same time brought back more memories. She knew again who she was. But a small part of her memory was still missing. How had she come out of the water? She saw that Godric was also wet from head to toe. Had her savior rescued her a second time? When she tried to speak to him about it, a hot stream of pain shot through her body and she clasped her stomach from which the pain seemed to come. Desperately, she pulled herself together and concentrated on Isabel and Godric, the two dear souls to whom she already owed so much. That seemed to help, because as fast as the pain had come, it disappeared again. Taking a deep breath she felt that her vocal chords would now work again. But this thought made her pause. Had she not been able to speak before? Ava felt madly confused, but before she could try to shed light on the last darkness of her memory, she heard Godric's voice.

"Who are you?"

What he told her during their talk the next few minutes made her feel more and more ashamed and guilty. After a glance at the pool, a mute question from her to the element and the clear laughter of the water as an answer, she knew what had happened. How could she ever look him in the eye again? But when he stood in front of her, she knew what she had to do. Submissively she let him taste her and was secretly happy that he accepted her honest apology. With this he had taken a burden from her heart and she felt able to look at him again. His face, however, had a stoic expression, which in turn made her sad again. But what confused Ava even more than her just back and forth changing moods was that he was still holding her right hand in his. How could she interpret that? But she couldn't think about it for long because, as expected, the time had come for her to tell her story.

With a soft sigh she gathered herself for a moment and looked at her nice savior in front of her. But with all the emotions she had in her towards him, she didn't forget her new knowledge that her – thankfully – interrupted awakening now provided.

"When we first talked, ancient one, you asked me how I knew these men would attack you. My mother once told me it was because of what we are."

Subconsciously, she faltered in her explanation and chewed on her lip. Should she really tell them?

'Never tell anyone what you are! Never! Your life may depend on your silence!'

But she felt she had no choice. Ava knew that trust doesn't come easily and after what she had unknowingly revealed about herself in the last few minutes, she did well to explain it to them. At that moment, Godric lightly squeezed her hand and when she looked up at him, she saw nothing but the curious request in his eyes to continue. However, his gaze was as hard as granite at the same time, and Ava knew that she was definitely sitting across from the sheriff Isabel had spoken of, who always kept his area calm and in order. With all her heart she hoped that he wouldn't see her as a threat.

"We are fae. Mother told me in stories that there are several. I, um... I can't really remember the others, except that mother didn't speak kindly of them. I guess she avoided them like she avoided all other supernatural beings. All I remember is that she was a water fae and... I guess that makes me one too. Well, sort of."

"What do you mean, sort of, Ava?"

"I-" A sudden feeling of heavy pressure in her chest made her stop and press her left hand against her chest as if the counter-pressure could relieve the silent but unmistakable pain.

"What's wrong?"

Hearing Isabel's worried voice she exhaled gasping and only realized in that moment that she had been holding her breath in terror. To order her thoughts, she shook her head briefly and forced herself to continue.

"To explain this sufficiently, I would have to reveal all the rituals and norms that are lived among my people. But I'm not allowed to do that, as my intuition tells me painfully just now. There is much of it I don't yet understand myself. My mother was always very silent about it and all the new pictures and the... knowledge in my head I will first have to put in order to understand everything. But, uhm... My mother was a land born. She often told me about Gotska Sandön, where she was born, and that she would like to walk along the long beaches with the white sand again. But she couldn't, because she had been cast out."

Slowly, the pain subsided and Ava was able to talk more freely again. Apparently, she seemed to circumnavigate the dangerous waters quite well.

"Why was she cast out, little one?"

Godric's gaze had mellowed and that put a smile on Ava's lips.

"She got me." Her smile turned into a tortured one and she laughed cynically.

"Actually, she should have mated with one of her own, but instead she had allowed a human to approach her. When her pregnancy was noticed, she was chased away and she fled here. To North America, I mean. The journey through the ocean was wide and that was as far as she had come when she gave birth to me. Since I'm only a quarter water fae, I couldn't constantly breathe under water. She had tried it though… When I was a few hours old, she went into the water with me and wanted to swim further south. But after I almost drowned twice she realized that I was more human than fae. Since then, she had always been walking with me. Along the great lakes and almost always along the rivers. If I had a map in front of me, I could most likely retrace our journey south. Five summers ago, however..."

Because she felt tears pricking her eyes, Ava stopped and hung her head. She felt the curious gazes of the two vampires resting on her, but with the narration all the memories and feelings of the last minutes with her mother came up again.

"Take your time, dear," she heard the soft voice of Isabel and nodded silently.

Ava knew that she would have to face her memories sooner or later anyway, if only so that her memories of her mother wouldn't always be overshadowed by her death, and so that she could remember beautiful things again. But she also knew that she would lose the fight against the tears. The wound was still too fresh... But after a few minutes, she managed to fight the lump in her throat. Her vision was still blurred from the tears and so Ava just closed her eyes. As always, when she thought back to that day, she saw her mother's turquoise colored eyes in front of her, looking so infinitely sad.

"We were traveling southeast from here at the time. It was actually a stunning area, lots of forest, clear air. But when the river we followed north led us through a small village, my mother became ill. At first she tried to hide it from me. But the longer we walked there it got worse and worse. Near a place with many dead people then she had become so weak that she couldn't go any further. She- she kissed me good-bye and then went into the river."

"A place with many deceased... You mean a cemetery, little one?"

Still with some blurred vision, she looked at Godric and nodded.

"Yes. Yes, they call it a cemetery. I forgot that word for a moment. I'm sorry."

"There is no need for you to apologize, Ava. Your mother taught you everything you know so far? Or did you spend a longer time in one place and go to school there?"

"No, we didn't stay in the same place for more than a few days. Mother's instinct didn't allow that, as an outcast without a home."

"I see. Tell us what happened to your mother when she went into the river."

His friendly tone made Ava automatically come up with an answer. But again, a sudden hot pain in her chest prevented her from doing so. She made a grimace and looked at Godric, asking for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry. This is something I cannot say. In any case, she never came back. But before she lay down to die in our element, she told me to get out of there as fast as possible. She couldn't say for sure but she suspected that radiation from a fae portal in the vicinity was responsible for the deprivation of her life energy. I- I didn't dare to pursue this but followed her advice and immediately ran on after I was sure that she really wouldn't come back to me."

"A fae portal, is that possible?"

Ava saw Isabel looking at Godric in disbelief.

"Do you remember the name of the village, little one?"

Shyly, Ava shook her head. "Sadly, no. I never paid much attention to the place-name signs we passed back then. All I know is it was in the state next to Texas, because I came across a "welcome to Texas" sign at one point."

Looking into his face while answering Godric's question, she immediately saw his eyes narrowing. Otherwise, his body remained completely motionless. But something about her answer seemed to displease him. Nervously, she waited to see if he would continue his questioning to get more information about the place from her, but he remained silent. It wasn't long though before he wanted to know something else.

"How old are you now? And in those five years, did you travel all alone?"

She counted quickly in her head, blushing slightly.

"I have seen seventeen summers so far, sir. And yes... I hadn't dared to ask anyone for help for a long time. My mother had always warned me about humans and other beings. Only in winter I went to the towns and made a little money by singing and playing the guitar, so I could buy something when I could hardly find food in nature."

Ava heard Isabel audibly breathing in the air. But it was Godric who spoke first.

"Very well. I am glad you told us the truth, little one."

"The truth? Of course! Why would I lie?"

She saw the corners of his mouth moving upwards, but somehow she doubted it was a friendly smile.

"You would be surprised, little one, how dishonest most humans and supernatural beings can be... And that is going to be a problem."

He let go of her right hand, and after the long minutes of feeling his skin on hers, she suddenly felt an emptiness rise up inside her. When he interlocked his fingers and held them loosely in his lap, he still looked at her thoughtfully.

"You have a too innocent heart. But something has definitely awakened in you. While you were talking, the water on your skin did not drip down, but disappeared inside you. Not to mention the episode when you tried to kiss me."

Oh no, she felt her cheeks redden with shame. Again. But it was useless to once more apologize, she had already done that. What could she do? When she couldn't think of anything to say, she hung her head. But after only a few seconds she felt a hand under her chin, guiding her, so that she looked into Godric's eyes.

"Look at me, Ava, and tell me what your newfound instincts tell you about me."

Her eyes widened as she felt a gentle pressure in her head. It didn't hurt, but it urged her in no uncertain terms to do as Godric asked. With a smile, she briefly closed her eyes and opened her mouth obediently.

"Your young appearance hides your true age, ancient one. You have roamed the night for lots of centuries. You are surrounded by a dark and strong aura, a very powerful aura and every one of my kind, every full-blooded water fae wouldn't let you go again if you got lost in their clutches. They would always want to taste your power. They would be hopelessly attracted to you, even if they knew for certain that they couldn't have offspring with you after mating. But with the power that dwells within you they could attack their enemies and probably even defeat them..."

With a pleasant feeling Ava sighed and opened her eyes again. But when she saw the expression of Godric and also of Isabel, she realized what she had just said. She would have loved to have sunk to the ground right then and there! But Godric still held her chin tight. Then he moved his hand and put his thumb on her lower lip.

"Thank you again for your honesty. I suppose the part of you that connects you to them is what caused you to behave that way?"

He didn't have to say it, she knew perfectly well he meant her attempt to kiss him. Embarrassed, she nodded.

"I guess..."

"Hmm, then how about drawing me a map of areas I should avoid at all costs on a trip to the sea?"

"Come again?" Ava voiced incredulity.

"Well, I would hate to start a war between vampires and fae. And that would happen if some beautiful mermaids took me prisoner for lustful ambitions."

Hearing that, Ava had to snort.

"Oh believe me, these aren't mermaids á la Ariel. They have beautiful voices, it's true, but they also have no problem ripping the hearts out of humans who they don't need any more. Mother once said that the hearts of land born are very nourishing for a full-blooded water fae."

"You know Ariel?" Isabel asked when Godric fell silent and for a few seconds seemed to have an unfocused gaze.

"I saw the movie once. Mother and I had spent the night by a river where there was a drive-in movie theatre. We crept as close as we could and enjoyed the film very much. Even though it didn't really portray the water fae truthfully, as my mother pointed out."

Now, Isabel also seemed absent-minded, and Ava took turns looking at them.

"Godric? Will you-"

"It is all right, Isabel. I know who is on the phone. I will call back later."

Phone? Then Ava remembered what Isabel had told her about vampires' ability of super hearing. However, that call, which Ava couldn't hear, seemed to be the reason for Godric to end their conversation. With one elegant movement, he stood up and simultaneously extended his right hand to her. After a brief perplexed hesitation, she took his hand and smiled gratefully. Next to her, Isabel also stood up and walked a few steps away from them. Looking after her, Ava saw that the vampiress picked up the clothes that Ava had left on the edge of the pool.

"Isabel will show you to your room, little one. It will be different from the one before, because that one will be Isabel's again. But it is almost across from hers, and it is also equipped with security technology. I assume you will be up for a while tonight?"

After Ava's quick nod, he continued.

"Good, then I will explain everything else later."

No sooner had he finished speaking than he had already left the room with a puff of air. Confused, she looked after him.

"Do not take it personally. But whoever wants to speak to him is very persistent. The phone in his office has rung for the third time now..."

"Oh. Okay…"

"So you are a water fae. I must admit this is very interesting, I have never met a fae of any kind before."

Shyly, Ava looked up at the vampiress and found her eyes as soft as her voice sounded. This brought a smile of hope to her face.

"So... that's not a bad thing? I mean, for the vampires in Godric's area? Will he let me stay here?"

Isabel returning her smile meant a lot to Ava at that very moment.

"There's bound to be some restrictions. We know what you are now and can investigate further as you obviously cannot tell us everything. But because of the gaps in our knowledge and your behavior after you were in the pool, Godric will certainly order that you cannot use it for the time being. For one thing, we cannot allow for your secret to leave this house – because believe me, there are enough ambitious vampires out there who would immediately want to have a mind reading mystical fae all to themselves, and if need be by force, which is probably the origin of the mermaid legend. And on the other hand, as you said yourself, you are more human than water fae and we will first have to find out how this recent change will affect your mind and body now. Everything else will sort itself out and settle in time."

With these words, Ava felt both a fear rising within herself and a deep sense of relief. How could she feel such contrasting feelings at the same time? She guessed that was something she had to find out for herself, too. The heavy lump that formed in her chest due to the collision of these different feelings prevented her from speaking, so she just nodded silently and took her clothes from Isabel, which she held out to her.

"First of all, come with me, dear. Let me show you to your new room and help you settle in."

With a last glance at the softly laughing waves of the lazy moving water, Ava followed the vampiress out of the pool room and locked the door to it firmly shut herself.