AN: Hello, everyone.
First of all, I'm terribly sorry about taking so long to update. I had to deal with personal issues, and I ended up not having a lot of free time to write. Then, I got swept up with work and one thing rolled into the other and one year later, here I am.
I went into writing this story with an idea in mind but as it turns out, now, I don't love what I've outlined for it. It's a bit of a problem I have, honestly. I'm okay writing about internal conflict, but external is a struggle for me. And the middle of the story always tends to sag a little bit.
I was able to finish what I planned to be the 1st act of this story, but after that, I'm a bit at a loss on what to do with it, so for now, it's a bit open-ended. I'm thinking that I'll close up this story where I've finished for now and when I have some time, so I don't leave you guys hanging - any more than I already did - I'll revisit it and develop it some more. Let me know what you think.
I'd also like to thank everyone who took the time to comment. I'll go and answer those individually, but I'd just like to let you know.
Hope you enjoy it.
When Eric had reached his palm up for Pam to give him the phone earlier that night, he expected to either be bothered by something trivial or entertained by something stupid. Both were equally likely coming from Bill Compton. He had in no way, shape, or form expected to have a traumatized fugitive in his protection, a betrayal in his hands and to be planning a coup before midnight. But sometimes that was the way life goes, and Eric was old enough to know how to roll with punches.
If he was honest with himself, he was euphoric and anxious. He had a legitimate reason to call Godric to his side. And his Maker would come because Eric needed his help. He would come because, if nothing else, he wouldn't be able to resist the possibilities the woman inside of the yellow farmhouse could bring. So, sorting through his emotions and bringing forth the ones he needed to draw Godric's attention, Eric pressed call and brought the phone to his ear.
He didn't have to wait long for the answer, even if he was met with silence on the other side. He waited a moment to see if Godric would say anything, but Eric knew he wouldn't.
"Godric, I need you." He spoke in his Maker's language, the one they shared only with each other.
"Are you in trouble?" His voice was soft and calm, and Eric couldn't help but release a sigh from its familiarity.
"Not at the moment. But I need you with me. I need your help." He knew it would spark some curiosity. Eric prided himself in never asking for help, even when he sorely needed it. But this time, he would need his maker's experience to aid his quest. It was calculated.
"Alright." That was all the incentive he would get to tell the story, but Eric couldn't risk doing so through his cell phone.
"Not through here. I need you here with me, so I can tell you everything."
"Eric…"
"Trust me, Master?" Eric knew this would be enough. He knew his Maker trusted him with his life, just as he did. But he also knew phrasing it as a question would get a response out of Godric. "It's dangerous and important. I need you by my side. As soon as possible." There was no inflection in his voice but from the stillness he heard on the phone, his Maker understood the importance of the situation. Eric would never use those words lightly, so Godric wouldn't take them lightly.
"I'll be there in an hour."
The Viking breathed out in surprise. He had expected to have to fight a bit more until Godric accepted his plight. Maybe hint at the situation at hand - the most he dared to, through the telephone - until his maker capitulated. Instead, a somewhat easy yes, after half a century of barely any communication. He knew this was the easiest win they'd have in the foreseeable future. Eric felt hesitant to put too much hope that Katherine's presence was already changing things for the better, but there was a feeling in his bones that she was the reason for such an easy agreement with his maker.
He wondered briefly, chuckling to himself if he should go upstairs and make a move on Sookie and be rejected just to get the reality check. Alas, he had bigger things to worry about at the moment.
"Godric is on his way." Pam raised her brows but did not comment, not to give away her surprise. Only to remember a second later that the vampire by her side could feel it anyway and cringe a bit, excusing herself, mentioning some phone calls. "I suggest we move back to my nest for the night. We wouldn't want to wake your cousin again to grant entrance to her house to an unfamiliar vampire."
"I will write a note to Sookie. Will I be able to come back here tomorrow?" Katherine agreed, without looking at him.
"I'm not certain. It'd be best to leave that open. Let her know I will be sending someone to keep an eye on her for the next few days. It's likely you won't be back here for a couple of days." She looked at his general direction with a confused frown. "Bill called me here tonight so I could kill you for him and take Sookie as mine. We have a time limit before he realizes I haven't and tells Sophie-Anne. In that time, we need to get you stable and secure within our bloodline and to plan and stage a coup for Louisiana." Eric waited for Kat to nod before continuing. "We need your cousin safe, so we can strike with full force and no distractions."
"Haven't we been here too long? Won't he be suspicious that nothing is happening?"
"Pam," he called softly, seeing the reason for her comment. "Go over to Compton's house and let him know the vampire he called in is in our possession and will be held in for questioning."
"And when he inevitably asked about her cousin?"
"Tell him she is no longer his concern and that if I find he had any contact with her this night forward I will rip his head off his body."
"Right away, Master," she purred in delight and flashed out of the house.
Eric took a moment to study the vampiress in front of him. She looked like she was about to fall asleep at any time. She looked tired in a way he didn't imagine it was possible for a vampire to feel. Then, she took a deep breath, and her face was once again the pleasant, serene façade she put on early and all traces of weariness were gone as if a figment of his imagination. The Viking watched as she looked for and found a pen and a piece of paper and started writing. She wrote slowly, putting care into each word, in an almost perfect script he knew fell out of favor with humans almost a century ago.
"It was one of the things my mother wanted to learn before she died." She noticed his curiosity. "We made a bucket list. She always hated her handwriting, and said it looked nearly ineligible. I found some books in a thrift shop, and we learned calligraphy together. It was one of the first things we crossed off the list," she finished with a half-smile and folded the paper into a complicated envelope shape. "Origami was next."
"My mother tried to teach me how to shoot a bow and arrow. I didn't have much patience for it, and I was always a shit-shot. I much preferred sword fighting. It was much more hands-on and much less waiting," Eric found himself offering the tidbit about himself.
"Hm… You do seem the type to go at things with a hammer."
"I'd prefer an axe, but I've been known to use a hammer on occasion."
"What are you going to tell Compton? Wouldn't he be expecting more noise and destruction?"
"My reputation very much precedes me. He probably thinks I would make quick work of you if it came down to a fight."
"I sense a but…"
"It has been newly instated that while Sheriffs and Monarchs can execute any vampire they find breaking the cardinal rules, it's highly encouraged that we stay our hands and only use these punishments in extreme cases. The law is to add to our number whenever possible, not detract."
"So, what? You'll tell him you locked me up?"
"No. While he reported you and is expected to be informed of the outcome, I am not obligated in any way to inform him of the minute details of it. Pam will inform him about Sookie and that you've been taken care of. But it would be to our benefit to have him believe that I did take care of you." She nodded and looked around for a moment before pinning her note to Sookie under a magnet on the fridge.
"I have a question I have a feeling I won't like the answer to, but how exactly will I be 'stable and secure within your bloodline?" Eric paused, knowing the answer would be rightfully upsetting. He could hear Pam stop dead in her tracks at the front door, not entering the house, trying to avoid this part of the conversation.
"I don't know how to put it in a way that will sound pleasant to you."
"Put it in a way that will sound unpleasant, then."
"Alright," Eric was nothing if not straightforward, after all, "there is a ritual that only the most powerful of us can do, that'll bring a vampire who was not turned by them into their bloodline."
"So… What? Your Maker will vampire adopt me?"
"Yes. You won't revert to being a baby vampire. Your control and thirst will maintain its current levels, as well as your speed and strength, but any characteristics and powers you developed that are specific to Castro's bloodline will diminish or fade away completely. And you are likely to develop traits from our bloodlines in their stead."
"That doesn't sound so unpleasant to me." Eric took an unnecessary deep breath before continuing.
"He'll essentially recreate your turning. He'll drain your blood, feed you his and you'll go to ground together and rise tomorrow night. Godric will replace your previous maker, in every aspect. He will become your Maker."
The understanding of what Eric was actually saying dawned on Katherine's face. Her muscles rippled and bunched as she hunched into herself. The Viking couldn't help but think she looked like a cornered animal, ready for an escape.
A/N: There it is.
Again, I am sorry for taking so long to update. After this, I have three more chapters ready to close this arch, that I plan on posting this week, after some revision.