Pre Edit Count – 2,630 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter: Wanted by Hunter Hayes

Previously:

With that, Godric escorts her to the door. Once she is inside, she is still dazed, and he wishes her a good night. Then he leaves in a rush to meet Sookie. He wonders why she hadn’t felt like ‘home’ to him when they met before since that is what she is to both himself and Eric:  home.

Now:

While the night rushes past him, Godric makes his way to Eric’s home with a smile playing on his lips. This trip has been more informative than he thought it would be. Imagine, his finding Sookie, the one he has waited for and thought he would never find. And somehow the last time they had met, the connection had not been made.

He is puzzled, but he has an idea as to why. It would explain his need to defend her, why he was there, and why he killed Gabe. It didn’t explain why he felt so despondent when his nest was bombed. There should not have been a reason, but he could not rid himself of the idea that he was tired and had wanted to end it. That, how pale he was, how he refused blood – none of it made sense!

That bothers him. When Sookie had hugged him, he had felt the connection between them. It explained the connection between Eric and himself. How much he wanted that tiny woman! Eric’s drive for her is understandable, but by coming here, he could feel something, and he ignored it for Eric’s need. Maybe he ignored it in the past for the same reason?

But there are issues. The child Queen of Louisiana will be making life unbearable for his Child and Sookie soon. Then there is the answer to their millennium-long search for the killers of Eric’s family.   All this has happened to the two of them, and he was there for none of it, nor were the others who had sworn to be there in the time of need. Instead, one of them had actually tried to kill Eric!

Then there is his telling Eric not to kill Russell? Why? He cannot see himself doing this – that madman needed to be put down, killed without hesitation, and his actions showed it. He was proud of his Child for his innovative way of killing his family’s murderer. He didn’t like Sookie’s memory of it, but hopefully for both of them, seeing it from the other’s perspective will clear up some of the pain they have given each other.

Godric sighs as he touches down in the backyard of his Child’s estate. He is surprised that Eric brought Sookie here, but he also senses the guards around and other improved security on the estate, all of which he approves.  At the same time, he is contemplating an idea he has to help remove a lot of the issues facing them. No, it does indeed seem he left too early last time. He won’t be making that mistake again.

When they left Godric, Eric had raced to his estate, one hand on Sookie the entire way. If he could have, he would have held her all the way home. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he didn’t need the hassle of being pulled over by an officer. For some reason, though, speeding never crossed his mind as an issue. His mind is on Sookie. He is very concerned about his Bonded’s state.

When he was up earlier, he had activated the security plans for his home that he had just finished building not too long ago in this timeline. The home was perfect for Sookie to live in with him. In fact, he had not rested there often because of the dream he had of her staying with him in the previous timeline. He had added to the home items he had seen she had treasured when he had redone her family home. Although those items are not here yet, he will be adding them when he has time. His Bonded will not want for a thing.

Once he knew she would be coming home with him, he had placed the orders for the security, then issued additional orders for food and anything else his Beloved would need. He had a perfect vampire recall of what had been in her kitchen when he stayed there and when he renovated her family home. He had made the lists ahead of time and sent out everything. All that he is waiting for now is a response to the email he had sent out when he was vamping to his side of the car. As he drives home, he believes everything she needs is in place. Clothing had been acquired earlier that day, though he will be going back for the dress – one way or the other.

When he hits the button to open the gates, he nods to the security guard there. Soon he is racing up to the house, and the driveway drops to allow him to park underneath in the garage. Everything is top of the line in this home, and this way he can work on his machines if he is up and has nothing else to do.  At least that was the thought behind designing this underground garage with the ramp modified to prevent any sunlight from entering even if opened during the day.

Soon he parks the car and lifts his Bonded out so they can head to his rooms under the house.  Not wanting to jostle her, he flies through the passageway to his chambers, which are also below the house but in a hidden grotto he had found when they did the survey for the structure. He had it shored up and expanded to make a perfect suite of rooms for him. Now he is happy with it since his Mate is perfectly safe down here. He knows from the future that this can withstand even a hurricane’s amount of water. This place stayed dry, and if he had been in his right mind, he would have had Sookie bring him here for the Witch fiasco. The door to this place can be programmed to be locked from outside. Since it was made with a layer of silver in the middle, a mercury layer, and then iron, there was no way anything would have made its way out of here. Eric had planned for the room to be used if, for some reason, he had to imprison his Maker or Child, or even in case he needed to be in hiding or imprisoned for his own good. He has not lived this long without back up plans upon back up plans. Sadly, he had never told Pamela about this place. But then, it allowed him to connect with Sookie in a way that had not previously been possible.

The interior looks as if it is perpetually night, but the floor plan resembles an open villa complete with plants that grow in the dark. Eric isn’t sure how it all works, but as he moves through the rooms he’s happy it will be comfortable for his Mate.  He walks into the bedroom uncaring that his instructions had been followed – that the bed is made up with white sheets and the lights are already on for him to show his Mate the house he had prepared for her.

Soon he is crossing the rugs he asked to be placed for his dainty Mate’s feet as Eric places her in his bed, pushing pillows away to make her rest easier. Instead of the anticipated feelings of pride, accomplishment, and pure happiness due to finally having her in his bed, he is racked with concern and worry for her. He moves a piece of her hair from her face gently, and stares down at the face that has come to mean everything to him.

With a growl Eric turns away from her, yet keeps an eye on her as he paces off some of his frustration from not knowing what is wrong with his Bonded.  He turns towards the fireplace, worried that she may get cool.  As Eric contemplates calling Dr. Ludwig to check on her, he feels his Maker coming closer. He decides to wait for him, and goes to unlock the house. Godric has his own code for all the houses Eric owns, but this time he wants him to come down without having to worry with them. He had told Godric about the house when he had bought it, and when Godric said he was coming here, Eric had sent the updated blueprints, knowing he would look over them .

He is quickly back to standing over the bed, looking down at his little one, wishing she would wake up soon. He doesn’t look up when his Maker walks into the room. Eric feels Godric come up beside him as he checks Sookie. “She hasn’t woken?” The worry is clear in Godric’s voice as well as their Bond.

Eric shakes his head. “I have contemplated sending for Dr. Ludwig.” He watches her carefully, his hands moving to cover her with a blanket in case she might be cold in the room. He then checks to ensure that the air is fresh and that there is nothing wrong with the environmental controls that might delay her waking.

Looking at his Child, Godric ponders the unasked question. “I think she is just overwhelmed with the information we shared about each other.” Godric is overwhelmed, and had put it all into the back of his head. While he will try not to use the other information, he will go back over Sookie’s part to allow him to woo her better.  But he would rather get the information from her directly, not by a happy happenstance.

Eric nods, and pulls a chair to the side of the bed, and he settles into it, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “Will you tell me what is going on?” His hands are resting on his stomach as he slouches in the chair watching his Bonded’s every movement.

Godric caresses Sookie’s face in a move very similar to Eric’s not too long before, then sighs. “Somehow, the world was a fucked up place before. She is your Bonded, but more than that, she is your Mate.” He looks up into Eric’s blue eyes, ones he has looked at thousands of times before, and still manages to be amazed. He tells the other half of the information. “And mine.”

Eric sits perfectly still while he stares at Godric. He waits for him to explain.  While Sookie is not someone he ever wanted to share, he finds the idea of sharing her with his Maker…oddly satisfying. The Gods know that she gets in enough trouble to keep the two of them on their toes. In addition, he loves his Maker dearly, not as his father, not as his brother, and certainly not as his son. No, the two have been lovers for a very long time. Knowing that he doesn’t have to give up the only other person he has ever made love with is soothing to his soul.

Godric stares at her for a moment longer then looks back to Eric. “My only idea on how I never felt the Bond in the prior life you both led, was that I never touched her, not once. But she should have called to us. She did to you, and that is why you could never forget her. But for me? I felt like the world was too heavy.” His words bore witness to his pain – the pain that he had left not only his Mate, but also the Child he truly loves, behind to face untold tortures.

Eric ponders the thoughts he had received during the “download” and reviews everything with this new information in mind. After some time goes by during which he contemplates what could have blocked the Call, he finally drops fangs as he comes up with, “Bill Compton.” He growls out the name, but he is the only person Eric can come up with who could have done it. But how?

Also considering the same information, Godric slowly nods his head in agreement. “His blood inside of her must have blocked the Call somehow. But you felt it, you answered it and never let her forget you. Then you fell in love with her, and it made it all work for the two of you. All those interferences, including Bill Compton, made your life so difficult, but at that last second of your lives, you both wanted the other with everything inside of you.” He looks over at Eric. “The most important questions are how did he do it and how did he know when to do it? The Call is hard to repress and it is not something he could have made happen at all times.” Then Godric looks away. “Though my own death would have made it easier to repress.”

Closing his eyes as he remembers Sookie’s pain, Eric finally admits, “I was foolish. I messed up so many times, and looking back at it, I cannot explain it. For me to make mistake after mistake after mistake in trying to win her?  Not that it is all my fault, she has her own mistakes she made too. But I cannot help but think that if I had gotten to her earlier, so much could have been done right.” His head falls into his hands. “Godric, I am worried that I will fail her again.” He looks up to his Maker, the anguish plain in their Bond and in his eyes. His Eric may have perfected the poker face, but his eyes give him away to anyone who truly knows him.

Looking over at his Child sitting in his chair, he can feel the worry inside of him and, lifting an eyebrow at Eric, asks, “Do you love her?”

Eric looks up at him, his heart out for Godric, who he trusts along with Sookie with everything. “With my entire being.”

Nodding his head slowly, Godric comforts him by stating, “Then you will not fail her. You never fail the ones you love as long as you try.” Godric knows these words apply to himself as well.

With that statement, the two men look at each other in agreement. Then Eric looks quickly back to his Beloved and is by her side from his seat in a second, kneeling before her. “Sookie, are you alright?” His hand smooths her hair away from her face as his eyes search for any sign of something wrong. He is more than willing to give her the blood in him to heal her since it belongs just as much to her as it does him.

Sookie slowly opens her eyes, and blinks at the light, then the light is gone the next second. Feeling Eric behind her, she leans into him as she tries to understand what happened.  When none of it makes sense to her, she mumbles, “What happened?” She is blinking in that slow way people have when first awakening.

Godric smiles at the sound of her question, and revels in the Bond he can feel with her, the one that she and Eric were mistaking for the Blood Bond. “Greetings, Sookie.”

Sookie’s eyes fly open as she registers Godric’s voice. She moves so quickly they are not sure they see her move in front of him, and begs, “Don’t leave Eric. Please. If there is any way I can convince you to stay, I will do it. Just don’t leave him.” Her eyes move from his one eye to the other, searching, waiting for the promise not to leave the man she loves.

Studying her eyes, and the Bond she is not aware of yet, Godric can feel her sincerity. That alone would have done it even if she weren’t already his Mate. Though as his Mate, he will give her anything, the stars in the sky for a necklace, the moon on a whim. With this in mind, as well as the fact she has no idea what he is to her, Godric smiles at her. “A Stóirín (My little darling) there is nothing you have to do since I have already told Eric I am staying. Your hug showed me what you have faced, and when I grasped Eric’s shoulder, much was made clear to all of us. I am going nowhere.” No, Godric will not be leaving her side if he can help it.

She sighs in relief, and hugs him again. “Thank you. He missed you so much.” Sookie is so relieved; she didn’t want Eric in pain if possible. And the pain he had been in when Godric left them was something that she would give anything to keep him from feeling this time around.

Godric closes his eyes for a second, and wraps his arms around her as his eyes then meet Eric’s. He is torn about whether to tell his little Mate everything, or to give her the time to fall in love with him as she did Eric. He wants, craves, and needs her love. He wants what she has with Eric, and he remembers her questioning her feelings before, but he hates to lie to her.

Eric can see the debate in his Maker’s eyes, and smiles. This is something he can fix. “Sookie,” he asks his little one.

She blushes, then is back in Eric’s arms and leans into him from where he is lying on the bed on his side. “Hmm?” She is looking down, embarrassed by her actions, though happy now that she knows Godric won’t be leaving. But it felt so natural to hug him!

His arm comes around her naturally. As Eric asks softly by her ear, “Would you rather know something now, or allow nature to take its course and find out later?” His nose nuzzles into her hair, smelling the delicious bouquet he has never before gotten to smell free from Compton’s irritating scent.

She looks back at him, then at Godric who is watching her avidly. “Is the question the answer to why we all shared memories?” She lifts an eyebrow. Sookie is not an idiot, far from it, but she remembers herself being an idiot in the previous timeline and she is not sure why.

Godric slowly nods. “But I can give you the answer somewhat without telling you all of it.” He watches her, hiding his emotions so that nothing affects her decision.

Sookie is staring at Godric, her hand tightening on Eric’s as she thinks through everything. She can feel Eric’s support of her choice, no matter what she decides. So she takes her time deciding. Looking at Godric she can tell this is something that will affect him also.

Sookie goes over the information in her head, feeling that it will answer her questions, and she finds herself remembering something in Godric’s memory. Something that shocks her to her core.

“Oh my Lord. What… How?” She holds her hand to her mouth as she stares at Godric.

He smiles sheepishly. “We have an idea. If you wish to hear it.” Godric shakes his head. While he is not looking in those memories, it seems Sookie has no trouble with them. Maybe it’s a facet of her telepathy? She has the memories of millions of others in her head. He knows – before he stopped looking at the memories, he saw a lot of them.

She nods, feeling Eric wrapping himself around her. Sookie is shuddering lightly as she is thinking through everything and the sum of it makes her stare at Godric with shock. But why did he leave her last time? Did he know and reject her?

Looking away for a moment, Godric softly tells her, “I never touched you.  Not once.  And with Bill’s blood in you, the Call was muted. I was so badly depressed I didn’t even feel it. Eric did. I am so sorry, Sookie.” He can feel the rejection coursing through her and can figure out why she feels that way. The shame of failing his Mate, not even doing what Eric had, is hurting him. He left her and Eric to deal with horrors that should have never been.

She shakes her head slowly, then harder. “No. Nononono. There is no ‘Sorry, Sookie’. There is only, ‘I will not kill myself, Sookie’.” She gives him a hard look, telling him she is not going to budge from this point. She can see how he is reacting, and sure enough, when she thinks about it, he never touched her. Rescued her, made her feel actually cared for, as though she truly had a knight in armor with him around, yes. He saved her from being raped in the FotS, he saved her from watching a bloodbath, and he saved her from Lorena.

Eric slowly smiles. “I like how you think, lover.” He pulls her closer and kisses her head. And he stares at his Maker with a look that tells him he better do whatever Sookie wishes. His little Mate will make the world tremble with the power she has in the two of them if she so wishes.

Godric just shakes his head. “If you want me to leave,” he begins, mistaking the feelings he is getting. It would tear him apart to walk away, but he would do it if it was what she truly wanted.

Grabbing his hand, Sookie tells him, “No. You don’t get the coward’s way out this time. I expect you to be around.” She grabs his hand, and with her eyes, she tells him what she wants. Godric slowly nods, in awe that this one woman who means so much to him in a short amount of time wants him. He promises himself he will make sure that the love he feels between Eric and Sookie will never be affected by him. They have gone through so much to find each other, and he is receiving the reward through no action of his own.

Thinking back to what Godric and he had discussed earlier, Eric reaches out and softly tugs Sookie’s face to his. “How much blood did Compton give you?” His eyes search hers, needing to know the answer, and suspecting it is the reason so much went wrong in the past. But as Godric mentioned, did he somehow know about them?

She looks at him, and she asks, “You didn’t see?” Sookie lifts her eyebrow, knowing now that the amount was astronomical. However, even through all of the hardships as well as the trials in front of them, Eric still fought his way to her side.

He shakes his head. “I saw, and I didn’t want to believe it. Sookie, you should have gotten burned out in the sun with the amount of blood he gave you!” Eric seethes, but he had hoped it would be otherwise. There is no way any others’ blood aside from her own, his, and Godric’s will be in her ever again!

She starts to shake. “I don’t think I willingly allowed it. I cannot remember a time that I did.” Sookie is going through her memories without the rose colored glasses she never put on but somehow were there. How could she not see all this before? Was she really that much of an idiot?

Eric rubs her shoulders as Godric moves forward to grasp her face in-between his hands. “Sookie, we never saw that. We saw disjointed views of him giving you blood. He never should have given it to you, and never once did he offer to share with you as Eric did. It is not your fault.” He tells her with all the quiet authority she had remembered him having in Dallas. It calms her now as it did then. Then what he said sinks in.

Looking deep into his hazel eyes, Sookie then asks him, “If it wasn’t my fault, then how was it yours?” She watches his eyes hoping he can accept the statement as the truth she sees it as.

Eric laughs. “She has you, Master.” He is watching the two of them, hoping that the two beings he loves the most will get together. He gives a thought to Pamela, knowing she has been trying to contact him, but he had called while on his way to Sookie’s to tell her that he had an important errand to run. He should deal with her, but frankly, her attitude and the fact she had tried to kill Sookie bothers him. He will talk with the two of them to get their input.

Godric is still staring into her eyes when he softly informs her, “Eric felt the pull. He answered the pull and forcefully kept up his pursuit of you. He protected you so many times, and I did nothing. Not even in my nest. When you took Eric’s blood, sucking that bullet out of him, I should have felt it, but I felt nothing.” His eyes grow more red with blood tears as he realizes that he is a monster. He never felt this beautiful woman before now.

Sookie’s rejoinder was quick and to the point. “And you were depressed. I wonder, Godric. When did you become so depressed?” She has an idea, but she wants him to think about it. She will remind him many times of the facts, just as she plans to remind him of all the times he stepped up for her in Dallas.

Staring into her eyes, Godric casts his mind over the memories from them as well as his current ones. “Around this time as far as I can think.” His eyes narrow as he thinks back. “I had plans to talk to Steve Newlin, but I had not wanted to sacrifice myself. Our meeting was for tomorrow night.” He had wanted to see if the so-called peaceful preacher was truly as peaceful as he tries to say he is, or the mastermind behind the zealots in his church.

Thinking on her own what might have happened, Sookie softly says, “The night that Bill first got his blood into me….” She thinks back to that time, and realizes that as he put his blood in her, she got worse, more like the typical blonde she had often seen others thinking her to be. But for herself? No.

Godric grunts as he sits back on his heels, then looks at Eric. Eric is looking back at him as he thinks about it. “I felt something that night also. It made me angry, then dispassionate. I don’t recall feeling anything but bored after that until Sookie walked into the bar. I felt drawn to her, and then Pam brought her to my attention.” He smiles, fondly remembering their first meeting when she showed her fire to him. “Then when questioning her, she held out some pictures, and my fingers slid over hers when I took them from her. A shock went through me at that time, I even caught myself taking a deep breath. I wanted you from that moment on.” He looks back at Sookie, his eyes playful though, remembering their interaction.

Sookie blushes. “I remember that. I was so scared.” She scrunches her face. “But I wasn’t until then…” She actually had been wanting to meet the beautiful vampire sitting there looking bored. She had been intrigued by him… and pulled his way also.

Seeing the memories, and smiling at the byplay between the two of them, Godric nods. “Compton. He probably felt something from you when Eric touched you and he sent you fear. He made you feel scared of Eric. He probably thought you both were physically attracted to each other and that was it.” Though he is not sure, unless they can find evidence to the contrary, it is all they have to go by.

Shaking his head, Eric gazes into the distance. “All because I didn’t go out to Bon Temps. If I had seen you earlier, I would have courted you.” His hands fist as he thinks about how much better that time period would have been, but he tells himself that regretting the past won’t do anything but hurt his future.  Learn from it, certainly, but don’t live in it.

Godric nods. “It is what I wish to do.” He looks back into Sookie’s face and tells her, “I want to wrap you up in my arms, I want to kiss your lips as Eric does. I want you to be mine, forever. I wish to do this as Eric did, have you get to know me.” He is grinning at the end, teasing her. In his heart he does wish this, but he will take what he gets. First he needs to make his Mate and Child safe. And he has a plan formulating in his head to do exactly that.

“Godric, did you see how Eric went after me?” Sookie looks at him with her laughter in her eyes, and he loves the look, and swears that he will put it there more often. This is his chance to have the woman the gods had told him would be his, the woman for whom he was made.

Looking seriously into her face, Godric tells her the little that he knows from Eric’s memories before he learned to disconnect from them. “He wishes that he could have done it normally, but he regrets nothing of what he did. You know this. But I want to give you the fairytale with me. Will you give me this chance?” He asks her, watching her face. He wants to do nothing like Eric, because that is their love. He wants her to love him for him, and he is willing to give her the fairytale that Eric couldn’t. She deserves it.

Sookie stares at the two of them, seeing the truth in their faces. She looks into their memories, and sees that Eric had often planned ways to woo her away from Compton, but life interfered. She can see how he planned for more for the two of them, time and time again but, yet again, life happened. And she hurt him when she turned away from their love, from their Bond. She hurt herself. Both times that she turned away from him had torn her to the point that she was ready to die as long as it kept him free.

But as she looks into Eric’s eyes, she can see the acceptance in them. That through everything, she came back to him and he accepts that and is happy. Sookie asks him, “What do you say, Eric? This affects you too.” She wants his opinion and tells herself she needs to ask for it. This is their relationship, and it takes them both to work at it.

Eric smiles at her and leans down to kiss her lips softly.  He then holds himself above her so that his lips touch hers as he tells her, “I never wanted to share you. I wanted you all to myself, but this feels right. This feels as right as me accepting Godric’s offer to be his Child over a thousand years ago…which allows me to be here with you now. This feels as right as me Bonding you to me. This feels as right as loving you. But we are waiting on your interpretation. My lover, it is up to you.” He smiles down at her. What they have is precious, but it is not Godric’s relationship. The two of them need to work it out. He is happy that he has his Maker with him and that he will not be trying to meet the sun in a few short weeks.

She smiles at him, then kisses him. “You are wrong; it is up to both of us. Me thinking of myself got us in trouble. You thinking of yourself got us in trouble. It seems we are perfect when we think of the other. So you have just as much input into this as I do.” Sookie lifts an eyebrow, knowing he realizes the same thing.

He breaks out into one of the smiles she had seen when he had been in her home. And he kisses her. “This is right, lover.” Nothing more, nothing less. But he is also telling her the truth, it is right to have Godric with them. It feels even more right than having Sookie being his.

Sookie nods, accepting his answer as she looks inside of herself to find the statement perfect. She then looks to Godric and says, “Ok.”

Final Count:  5,498 words

Fairfarren ~ Wendy