Pre-Edit Count – 2,200 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter: Hold Me Now by Red

Previously:

He rolls his eyes, and escorting them all out, thinks, ‘Godric, you need to pay me more for this stuff.’ But the whole time, he is grinning at his ancestor for getting his fondest wish.

It couldn’t happen to a better man.

Now:

The sun was coming up, and the group watched as Eric and Bella stood together.  His arm is wrapped around her shoulders while she is leaning into him, both watching the miracle that their patron had given them.  Never will either of them nor Godric never give thanks to her allowing them this chance to see something that some of them haven’t seen in millennium.  And the older two give thanks that their beloved sister/mate never had to go without it.

While this is going on, the group that had followed them back in the house is watching the sunrise, also giving their prayers of thanks that none of them have to miss any time with their loved ones.  Sure Bella, Eric, and Godric needed to sleep for a small amount of time, but they, for the most part, were up more than humans.  So while the three of them give thanks, those that know what happened also send up their appreciation to the goddess that they have only recently begun to believe in themselves.

After the morning show is done, and the two are inside with the others, Jasper leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees.  He takes in the two of them sitting on the loveseat together, Eric holding Bella close.  Smiling at the emotions bumping back and forth between the two, Jasper asks Bella, “Ok. I want you to answer some questions.  Ok, darlin’?” He sends her some of his love and comfort, trying to make that edginess he is feeling from her underneath all the other emotions soothe away.

When she nods, he gives her a small smile, “When you said you were finding it hard to breathe, when did this start?” This would give him some insight into the edginess, for now that he is thinking about it, he sensed the same thing not only from her but Godric.  Though the question remains why didn’t he catch on to it sooner or even think about it more?

Sighing, Bella looks over the time in her thoughts, as she explains. “About the time that we had that gaggle of reporters cornered me that night.” Her brow is furrowed as she contemplates the exact timing.

Jasper and Eric both growl out from the memory of that night, as Peter is pacing in agitation.  He knows some of what is going on, including that night and is working his knower to find out more information.  The reason Bella had to be in Bon Temps is over, and Peter will be saying something.  But he is not easy in how she got there.

Especially not on how Jasper seems surprised he didn’t say anything and that no one realized anything was going on until now.  It is very unusual for all of them, even though they haven’t heard from any other Cold Ones since the incident with the Cullens in person, they never let their guard down.  So all this is highly suspect.

The rest of them are thinking back to the night that Bella is referencing. That night had actually scared Bella, with how the reporters had somehow separated her from Paul, as well as how they managed to corner her.  It had been only days after the Revelation and she had not gained the gift of flying more than a few inches off the ground at that point.  She had panicked and sent out that panic to all who were connected to her.

Thankfully, both Jasper and Eric had been in the building, closer to her than Godric.  For there would have been a massacre from either Godric or even her to get out of the situation if they had not come.  It had been too soon after the incident with Cullen that Bella had deteriorated quickly into a panic.  She had been less than a year old at the time.

Remembering not only how long ago, but the actual incident, Jasper frowns. He comments on the video they had pulled, “We still have no idea how they separated you from Paul.  Even the monitors when we looked at them that night showed how fast they moved.  There was no way that anyone, even Godric would have not been separated from you at that moment.  But nothing could ever show how they did it.”

Jasper shakes his head then is about to comment on how long ago that incident was, but Peter stops his pacing and he turns to Jasper, “You never told me that bit.” That little fact seems much more important now.  Thanks to his time with Eric, Peter is more familiar with magic and what can be accomplished with it.  Especially with New Orleans being so close, Eric had introduced his guardians to some of the premier practitioners of the craft.

Eric always believed in letting his people know as much as possible.  And for the two that are his guardians that will be with him through eternity hopefully?  He lets them into all his dealings and broadens their horizons as far as he can.

No, this information could be the telling piece.  Peter makes up his mind to contact Octavia and see if she can come and check over his niece and his brothers.

Shrugging, “I thought I did, but I am telling you now.  Why?” Jasper couldn’t see the big deal.  Yes, he understands magic was used, but he didn’t have as much time as Peter and Charlotte in being able to learn new things.  He is constantly on guard and working with Godric and Bella with them running the state.  Andrew is usually the one who teaches him things and even then it is on the run.

Remembering that time, Bella starts to shudders. It had scared her deeply and she often refuses to speak about that time.

When the reaction turns into a shiver, Eric reaches out to his little sister.  He has been paying attention and when her shivering started with a spike in her hunger, he is quick to pick it up. Picking her up and soon has her on his lap, a blanket thrown over her and he has his wrist in front of her to bite.  Peter is gone, then after they hear the microwave turn on and then off, he brings Eric a full bag of blood.

The feeling of her hunger rising as well is enough to have Eric taking the chance to feed her.  Though he also plans on feeding her as much as possible to get her feeling better.  But this way she cannot say anything since his actions are only a direct result of her emotions.

Kissing his wrist in thanks for his offering, Bella starts drinking from him.  Glad that he has offered since she was starting to feel hunger pains again.

All of them relax some but Eric couldn’t help but ask the one question he has for his sister, “What I don’t get is why not tell me?  I would have never stopped you from going anywhere.  I would have only made sure you ate, but that is all.  Have I ever done anything to make you think I would ever try to restrict you?” He is hurt by the fact she didn’t seem to trust him and wishes to know why.

Holding up his hand, Jasper tells him, “I don’t think it is the cause of anything she purposely is thinking.  She and Godric have been slightly acting off.  I wanted to make sure they were separated to try to figure out what is happening.” His eyes are dark watching his little sister drinking, feeling the hunger in her being only slightly relieved.

When they all look at him in question, he just tells them, “They fought, yelling in each other’s faces in front of Andrew and me.” That is one of the things that he thought woke him up and made him start thinking.  Obviously, it wasn’t enough.

Eric blinks then look down at his syrra.  “You and Godric had a fight?  Actually yelling?  Why didn’t I feel anything?” He used to feel everything from them.  So much that he has not taken a lover wanting what they had.  Though, he did learn to leave the public if they are particularly amorous that their blocks on the bonds between them are forgotten.  The number of times he has had to change his jeans has made it where he keeps a spare set of clothing with him at all times.

Huffing, Bella finishes, and answers him, “I don’t know why!  Why are you asking me all this?” She is feeling cornered, which she has no idea why.  Eric is right, he has always been on her side, no matter what is going on.  For her to hide from him is very unusual, and she has no idea why she did it.

Then there is the problem with the bonds.  She feels Eric more lately than Godric.  But not enough to comment on it.  She thought maybe it was normal that the mating bonds lessen over time.  Eric and her bond are something unusual in the world.  In fact, from what they have been able to find, there has never been a bond like theirs, ever.

The men all look at each other, then Eric asks, “Bonding sickness?” He pulls her back into him, sending comfort and love to help soothe her tension. He is trying to understand what has happened in the last year that he has stopped running to Dallas every week.  Though he does realize why Peter was having him stay around with the time for him to meet his mate close by.

Jasper rules it out, “No, they were doing this before she left.” He has been trying to figure out what has been happening with the help of Andrew, but everything that might be the cause had something else ruling it out.

Suddenly a growl rips out of Peter. “OK.  I know this is fucked up, but here is what I know.  Bella had to be here, now.  Without her, Eric and Sookie would have a much rockier start.  And that fuckin’ idjit, Compton, would have gotten his blood into Sookie.  This is why I said nothing, cause all that had to happen.” He gives them a look.

Eric and Jasper never like it, but they understand that Peter had to act as he saw best.  The few times they had tried to fix something he saw, that he had indicated that he had a bad feeling about them fixing it, went FUBAR so fast it had given them whiplash.

So now, they listen to him when he tells them later that it needed to be done.  But his look tells him there is more.  More that he was not given the first time from his so-called gift. How Peter hates his gift is not a secret to any who know him.

“I didn’t know about the reasoning Jasper found or the fighting.  If I had, who knows what.  But I can tell you something is going on here.  Something affecting Godric and Bella from the outside.  For those two to fight after that one time, no.  And Bella getting all antsy about getting married?” He shakes his head at all the signs that something was going on that no one put together.

Knowing what Peter is trying to point out, Bella squirms, “I know what you are saying.  I hate marriages cause of how this day and age is with how temporary.  But our pledging is not the same thing.  I just can’t seem to get the idea out of my head!” She plays with the hem of her shirt in agitation.

Noticing her movements, Peter stops in front of his great-granddaughter, dropping to a crouch before her as he softly informs her. “I know, sweetheart.  This is affecting you both, but in such little ways right now that it may have been missed, if Jasper had not caught on.” He gives her a kiss on the forehead, nodding to Eric when he backs away.  Bella is fragile right now and it is not just her hunger that is the issue.

When he can see his charge understands, Peter looks up at Jasper, “Andrew, I take it, is watching over Godric for the same thing?” Since it seems Jasper is in the middle of whatever is going on, Peter is going to take over this.  Jasper realizes what is going on, but who knows how long the clarity will last before he is infected again with whatever the hell is going on in Dallas.

Nodding, Jasper informs him, “Yeah.  He is not happy, and he is trying to find a witch to come in and cast some cleaning spells.” He is conflicted about what is going on, how the hell has he missed so much in Dallas?

All this time, Eric is thinking, then he searches the bonds with his syrra and Godric.  He is shocked at what he is finding, “The bonds are corrupted too.” He can barely feel Godric and there is nothing he is getting from Godric about Bella.  If it had not been for the bond between them…

When they all look at him, he explains to them, shocked, “Bella is right here in my arms, and I can feel her through the bond we have from the Goddess.  But the one from Godric? The strange echo I feel normally?  Gone.” He is looking down at Bella wondering if she is really feeling this.  He had not felt a single thing wrong until he actively looked for her through the bond with Godric.

They look at each other, then look at Bella.  She lifts an eyebrow at them as if asking what they want.

Jasper sighs, irritated, but used to this for the last year, “Can you still feel Godric?” He asks of her.

She chuckles, “Of course.  Why do you ask?” Why would they think that she couldn’t feel her mate?  She had been told that there is only one bond that can supersede that bond, and it is the one she is feeling with Eric.  Unless Godric has met the True Death, and even then, she would be gone on her way to meeting him in their afterlife.

He gives her a look.  “If Eric can’t feel you, why would you think that I wouldn’t ask that?” Jasper is thinking back to when all this was not such a trial to get answers from her.  He frowns slightly when he realizes it was after that same time she had mentioned with the reporters.  Had he really not seen how much that is going on changed because of that altercation?

Peter stops and looks at the three of them, “Enough.  We need to figure out what is going on, since the reason for Bella to be here is for Sookie’s and Eric’s mating to go easier.  But for Bella and Godric to be acting this way?  Red flags are going up everywhere.  Why didn’t you tell any of us, Jasper?” He cannot understand how his maker who was an expert in relationships had missed so many clues that all is not right?  How could he have missed that no one was actually talking from Dallas, nor had any of them come to visit as they had before?

Blinking at Peter, Jasper runs through everything in his head and he shakes it slowly. “I don’t know.  It made sense there in Dallas, but right now, I cannot think of a reason that I could not run down here and tell you.” He rubs his temples trying to figure out what had gone wrong and why had he not told anyone?

Eric looks down at Bella cleaning his wrist as he drinks from the blood bag.  He is not happy still with how much he can feel her hunger, but he also reasons that he will just be feeding her every day until she feels right to him.

Then his lips quirk up, thinking of his lovely mate.  He will enjoy being with her especially since she would be a day walker like he, Godric and Bella is.  He had noticed the smell of sun on her, deducing that she must love the sun.  This way she doesn’t have to give up the sun for the stars and the moon.

Looking up at Eric, Bella smiles.  She is thrilled that Eric has found his mate.  But then her own soul reaches out to Godric and she finds nothing.  The pain of that non-contact is like acid through her veins. Never has there been this nothing, like void missing in her. The pain makes her flinch.

The three males seeing the wince on her face all give her what she calls the Northman look.  They know something happened, and the time for her to not say anything has long passed.  Information is at a premium until they figure out what is going on.

Looking up at them through her eyelashes, she tells them, “He’s closed it.” That is the only thing that she can think has happened.  But why?  Did her leave mean that he has given up on her?  Was this whole episode that she didn’t go to Eric enough to make her mate want to wash his hands off her?

The pain in her voice throws them all back, but then they think about what she has said.  Immediately, Jasper takes out his phone, calling Godric as he leaves the room.

Eric pulls her closer, as he searches out the bond to their Maker.  He shudders as he only feels his life force but none of the usual feelings he has gotten used to receiving since Bella and he mated, nor the slight feeling he had just received from Godric when he searched him out only a few moments before.  Their love is always in the deep part of his heart and soul, and now there is nothing.

He murmurs to her, comforting her as she is shuddering in his arms and sorrow is flooding her through his bond to her. “We will fix this, Syrra.” He sends her as much comfort and love to try to help close that hole he can feel in the middle of her.

And he hopes with all his heart that Jasper talks some sense into their Maker.

Jasper is on the phone, and only after yelling at the person on the other side, has he gotten Godric. “What is it?” is the no-nonsense voice of the King of Texas.

Frowning a little at the sound of his voice, Jasper asks, “Can you feel Eric and Bella?” Godric being short has sadly become the standard also.  Jasper is going to speak with Eric and see if he knows of a witch to be able to go and clean the nest, to see what the hell is going on.

Stopping for a moment on the paperwork that he had been working on, Godric frowns. “Of course, I do.” What type of question is that?  Godric would know if there was anything wrong with the bonds.

Jasper growls, getting tired of the attitudes he is getting today. “Stop, Godric.  I want you to search out the bonds and tell me what you feel.”  All this is making him suspect something is happening as the clues are piling up.

With that Godric sighs as he searches inside his soul for the bonds, but when he reaches for the comfort of the Mating or the makers bond, he feels nothing.  Growling in rage, “Make her open it!” He is mad at Eric, but he is old enough to earn the right to close the bonds.  But Bella?  She is his mate!  How dare she close the bond?!?  What has he done to make her want to shut it?

Is she that upset that he sent Jasper to her?

Blinking in shock at the rage he can hear from Godric, Jasper voices to him the information he has, “She has it open.  They both do.  But they feel nothing, Eric is feeling as lost as she is right now.” He can feel the two inside the room that he had left and how much they need the bonds with Godric open.

Jasper has been around other makers and their children, and none of them are even a tenth of close as Godric is with Eric and even Andrew.  Though Eric could have been freed from his Maker all, this time, he has no wish to do so.  In fact, Eric needs to be able to feel Godric as he feels Bella.  It soothes all three of them to be so close.

Closing his eyes as he tries to reign in his anger, hurt, sorrow for the loss of the bond that means so much to him, Godric listens to what Jasper just told him. “Witchery.” It is the only thing that could possibly do this.  And even then, to break a mating bond?  That frightens him to the point he needs Bella to stay with Eric where she would be safer.  This will be no ordinary witch.

Nodding as he agrees. Jasper conveys to him his thoughts, “Yes, sir.  I will ask Eric if he can feel anything else, but I think that the bond between him and Bella is Goddess Blessed, and not one someone can block in any way.  But something is going on.” He is feeling slightly better that this is something out of his knowledge, but at the same time, it just impresses that he needs to learn all he can in this new world.

Growling, Godric looks down at the paperwork on his desk then he asks, “Do I need to come?” He would be there in a second if needed, but right now he needs to keep both Eric and Bella safe.  He will look into things here without worrying that either of them may be caught in the crossfire.  Even without the bond, he still loves Bella with everything inside of him and only wants to protect her even more.

Shaking his head, “And the Godric, who I met, would never ask that.  Godric, what happened to you and Bella?” Jasper is baffled on what Godric could be thinking to even need to ask that.  The man he met would already be on his way.  Why is he asking him this?

Leaning back in the seat, Godric rubs his face. “I have no idea.  I felt her getting antsy, which is why I approved her leaving.  I know her impressions on marriage, but she has long agreed that a pledging is not the same idea. Not the pledging we are planning on.  Though, I do know she has been irate at Nan for trying to make a spectacle of it.” It bugs him that he had no idea anything was wrong. He just thought she needed to escape the media circus that has been going on lately.  Frankly he had been shocked it had taken that long.  And since she only wanted to go to Shreveport, there was no problem.

Thinking over what Godric is telling him, Jasper asked, “Why did neither of you say anything?  I had no idea that there were any issues at all with her and the pledging.  In fact, I didn’t know that there was anything wrong until that day you fought in front of Andrew.” He is puzzled on what was going through their minds.  Jasper worked closely with Godric and Andrew in running the state.  They had plans for Louisiana in the works for when they can move on it.  And the Goddess knows how many times the three had talked about issues with the ladies they are seeing or even how to get Bella to be in a better mood.  So what would have made this any different?

Turning in his chair to look out the window that gave them a perfect view of the sunsets, Godric sighs. “I have no idea, Jasper.  Nothing is making any sense, now that you are asking about it.  She felt so threatened that I had no idea what was happening until it blew up.  I fear that there is more afoot than we might know.” And this is why he is happy she is gone.  Hopefully, Eric and Jasper can keep her there where she will be safe while he looks into what could be going on here.

Turning to face the room he can feel the siblings in, Jasper asks, “And what do we do now?  Eric has met his mate, Peter has indicated that as long as Bella is here, their meetings will go better.  But if you can’t feel her, and all we have left is the bond between Eric and Bella, what happens if something manages to break that?  Should we come back?” He is running through the options in his head.  Right now, he is more the guardian than the 3^rd in command of the state.  These two are family, and family is everything.

Shaking his head, Godric orders him. “No.  We need to catch whoever is doing this.  There cannot be anything giving away the fact that we are aware that something is going on.” And there is no way he wants Bella here as they look into this. She is safer where she is.

Agreeing with the idea, but not the execution, “Godric, while Eric and Bella have their bond, what of you?  If something happens to you what are we to do? With the bonds blocked on your end, how would we be able to find you?” Jasper can’t help but ask him the other worry he has with being away from his other charge.

Thinking about the possibilities, Godric finally tells him, “I will set up a phone system.  If you do not hear from Isabel or me, you are to believe the worst has happened.  And I will call.  I need to make sure Bella is okay.  If I do not hear from you or Eric, I will be on my way to you as well.” It will allow all to relax some knowing they are all ok.  And this way he can let Eric know why he wants Bella to stay there.

Nodding in agreement, Jasper tells the man on the other end who has become a trusted confidant, “Be careful, Godric.  I am not liking this and not knowing what happened to Malice and Fuckward, I do not like this separation.”  He is worried this is another plan by the two messed up Cold Ones.

With that, the two agreed on a time and hung up.  Both worried about the other but knowing that they had to act like nothing is wrong.

For now.

Final count, 4,534 words.

Fairfarren~