One Night – The Third Night – Part 2.5 – Godric’s Thoughts

**A/N:  So…that peek into Godric’s life and mind I mentioned earlier?  Enjoy!**

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Godric stared intently at the fragile phone held so gingerly in his hand as he sat at his desk in the office of his Area’s headquarters.  The impulse to text, maybe even perhaps call, his child was rather stronger than normal…although lately ‘normal’ held new meaning.

So many seasons without regular contact, many with none at all…somewhat by my own design but also…the vagaries of life and so forth…and yet now not a night goes by without strange pings…texts…even calls? 

How very odd…

Curiosity about this new normal and all these…sensations he now so often received from his suddenly communicative child was growing exponentially and…

Yes, he was genuinely…curious.

He almost smiled.  The very fact that he was curious was a curiosity in itself.

It was a nice experience, he admitted, one he hadn’t realized he had missed.

He remembered being curious, of course.  Nights gone by had been rife with such liveliness, feeling the pricks to his mind and the tugs to his imagination, the curling tendrils of possibilities, the scattering of logical bits until the truth simply had to be found.

So easy to lose that which is not duly nurtured or appreciated…too easily lost…  Have I truly seen so much that…maybe nothing proves worthy of even a spark? 

Possibly… 

Probably. 

They say that all that was old will be new again, but…but all that is old only remains…old.  There is fresh and new to be found, of course.  New technology trickles down nightly it seems, but the people…the beings – do they ever change? Vampires…humans…the dual-natured…the type of blood in their veins matters not.  The land evolves because of the tides and the winds but what will compel the people? Will they never truly change?

He gazed out the window with eyes that saw too much and nothing.

Their fears should inspire them to learn and know more…to fight better, to live and be…better, but no. 

Cowards… 

Knowledge is power yet they hide their heads in the sands of ignorance of us and of the world and others around them…  The ones who would cause harm and…

An unusual burst of angry disgust briefly invaded the calm numbness of his apathyr and tightened his youthful face into a frightening glower.

As Death I could exterminate the worst of them all.  Within a night’s play, this world’s mortal stock would be…drastically…improved.   Within two nights, even the immortals would be of vastly better temperament.

I could evolve them by culling en mass those who suffer from that plague of purposeful stupidity, of sanctimonious arrogance and gutless depravity…radiating such cowardice.  So tempting…too tempting to stop this inane regression…

A fleeting burst of oddly satisfied yet chagrined pleasure seeped from his child into his seething mind and thankfully disrupted the tenor of his unusually vitriolic thoughts.

He exhaled a relieved breath…peace…he worked so hard for peace both without and within…  Then he smirked.  Knowing his child as he did and the current status of things…

The odd bursts of what he knew were a confusing array of emotions pinging at him through that savior of a bond positively invited – demanded – scrutiny and investigation!  It was almost as though his son had yet again become the brother rather mischievously teasing him back into the now.

That would be just like his Eric.  Irrepressible, mischievous, playful…  Somehow that imp always seemed to know just when to reverse their roles…

However, the entirety of this current and highly unusual situation with his progeny warranted much thought.  If said child were not to be en route to his residence within a matter of hours, he would be sorely tempted to pay that child a very rare visit…in person.

Ah, Eric, what have you done?  What tangled webs have you woven this time?  Will I be praising you or saving you…each yet again? Knowing you, probably both…also yet again.  Such a rascal you are, my son…will be here for you as long as I can… 

But such odd things have been flowing from you of late!  Do you even realize?  Some of these feelings I know…some I…I may have known before but have simply let the illusions slide away.  It is possible, of course.  So very curious…

Some of these “feelings” he did remember, albeit vaguely.  Others were unknown to him but sparked a rare interest.  Luckily he could sense that they were all positive in nature, even and especially the bouts of confusion and vague wonderment, that his beloved progeny was in no impending danger other than perhaps the kind that could harm that place in the chest that twinged at inconvenient times.

This is good…exactly what the boy needs.  Such a suspiciously monumental difference from the last time I peaked in on him mere months ago.  The utter, dangerous boredom is finally gone!  My fault…my poor child…becoming so hardened, so stale and deadened inside…had needed an – what do they call it – an intervention?…even a tiny candle to illuminate the darkening…such a difference!

Unbeknownst to the child, along with keeping a close eye on his (at the time, sadly unchanging) political situation via a small network of trusted allies, through time the Maker had silently peeked via the bond into the progeny’s state simply to keep an eye on the boy.

Once a Maker, always a Maker…will always remember the scent of my child…boy’s too independent for his own good in some ways, but that…  That is good; that independence is good.  It is as it should be, meant to be.  That distance…crushed now, but would have been better for him when I am gone. 

But he shall arrive here this night, yes?  There will go even further that distance I’ve allowed…encouraged…him to cultivate.  Will have to start over, then, sometime.

Then, later, however, not now…

The girl he has mentioned, though…  Again with the curiosity, yes?

Indeed.

Godric glanced about the office as he considered the benefits of having a telepath on friendly terms.

A telepath?  Rare enough…but not unique. Last one had proven quite tasty.  One could be handy, although not strictly necessary.  As I from my own Maker, he inherited his talent for glamour from me and is, or at least should be, legendary.  But I can see where a telepath would be convenient…if nothing else by keeping her out of the hands of the enemy. 

Still…highly curious…things are not as they seem otherwise he would simply have claimed her as his own personal asset and gone on into his night…but for that silly queenling and her filthy court habits…

It does make me wonder…a Maker’s worry is never done…  What have you gotten yourself into my Eric?

Should this be as in that television show Isabel insisted I watch with her once…was it in the 70s?  The one where the child brings home the date for the father to meet? 

Should I tease him thusly?  Her?  Should there be flowers involved?

But she brings a cat…so, no flowers…would eat them…besides, it would be his responsibility to gift the girl with such things.

He snickered.

Perhaps I should call and ask him if he has remembered to give flowers to the girl once the cat isn’t around.  Wait…has he given her candy? Is he supposed to? I must investigate this situation thoroughly…he has never brought someone home for me to meet before…so teasing is mandatory, yes?  I should take their photographs as they enter the doorway…

Oh, the ways I could tease him…hmm..?  I should look this up, find more ways…yes…along with flea control ideas for the cat…well, the Weres would know more about that…

Fleas…a terrible plague upon everyone…except, thankfully, vampires.  The Weres might complain about them, though.

But will she be as a date, or as an asset? That, ultimately, is the question.   He has neither named nor claimed her as such, as either, honestly, although that burst of almost fundamental satisfaction earlier indicates that something of a deeper nature has taken place between them…or only on his end?

Who knows.

Speaks well that he has finally uprooted himself from that rotting, fetid Area controlled vaguely by that little brat-queen whether on the girl’s behalf or not…  Perhaps at her instigation?  That doesn’t sound like my Eric, though…must have seen the possibilities hiding beyond the obvious.  That…yes, that would be my Eric. 

I have taught him well how to see beyond the surface to the potential benefits and pitfalls, to keep his safety and security at the front of his mind at all times and then concentrate on how any given situation may be put to his benefit…

He watched as yet another minute passed by on the phone still in his grasp.

When his somewhat lazy yet highly talented progeny had first taken the Sheriff’s position over Area 5, it had been thought that the situation was to have been temporary, that within a few decades, maybe three at most, he would move on to better things, but that had not become the case.  He had seen pictures online of that location in Louisiana as well as the business out of which Eric ran his Area, and had been…less than impressed.

Smelly area…  I can see the bar being…as it is…for “atmosphere”…drawing in the curious among the humans…poor grandprogeny dressing in those false fabrics…but that horrible rendition of a pseudo ‘throne’? Where in seven hells did they find that atrocity – a thrift store for items abandoned after failed craft shows?

I suspect Pamela had it specifically created as pay-back to her Maker…wouldn’t surprise me.  It must have had glue in its seat to make him spend so much time in it…glue…or something sticky…never mind…bet it carries a fulsome stench by now…

At least the income from the bar allowed for enough payment to keep that incompetent queen happy.

Neither had much trusted the young monarch, wisely seeing her tactics and motivations for what they were, but other than having to guard against her more perverse tendencies, she had proven easier to deal with than they had initially suspected.  Rather like a young bird, so long as her mouth was kept occupied with worms or human body parts, she didn’t care enough to bother her lackeys unless baldly compelled to do so by outside forces.

Politically as well as physically disinclined toward hard work unless either necessary or particularly beneficial – his natural state of being far more laid-back than “upwardly mobile” unless a potentially bloody skirmish became conveniently available – Eric had quickly learned how to deal with the queen and so had allowed himself to become mired in the Area muck, as it were.

Truly the position looked good on…what were they called…his “resume”, assuming he would ever have need of the like…but after a while…  Such things as the passing of time do tend to sneak up on the unwary…

Godric had known the child was becoming overly laden with ennui, that the theoretical comforts of his position had in more ways than one devolved into a rut and then almost a golden prison, but the true depths had not been so easily identifiable.

The boy is too good at hiding his inner self…perhaps from the both of us?  Not now, however, not that I know more what to seek.  My child…always teaching me something…

Ahhh…perhaps that is my problem as well?  Have I unknowingly descended into the mire of ennui and dangerous boredom, too?  It could be that I have hidden these things from mine own self as well…  It could be… 

We shall see…

Although politically his station is, now was, he grinned in relief, as secure as the queen’s need of his services would be, with his mind and skills he could be doing so much more with his second life…as could I…, yes, as could I… 

I should have called him to my side when I first realized…realized what, exactly?  And what could I have said, “Come home, son, you are bored?”  

Would, “Come home, son, it’s past your curfew?” have worked any better?  He would rightly have laughed at the such.  

Stayed my hand too long…let the child do as he would…independence and freedom…let him drift away…easier for him in the long run, surely…but not now.

He placed the phone back on his desk and rose to pace briefly before sitting once again at the desk in his Area’s headquarters.

If all goes as planned and Eric, either officially or unofficially, does remain in my Area with the girl…whether or not she aligns herself with King Texas…the nosy, conceited fools at The Authority will still strut around filled with unwarranted arrogance …absurd…will believe that they could have some say… 

He snarled as his fangs descended at the mere thought.

Sanctimonious bastards have NO say in my business or my child’s business regardless of their delusions of grandeur… Eric will have no problems.  As my Child, I can call him whenever I wish and none shall say aught. 

He recalled himself to calmness before fiddling with a nearby pen.

The girl, though…already one monarch after her.  Should protect her… If she is a true telepath…they would not do well by her.  Roman is good…weaker than he would like to believe, but good…perhaps it is time to end the worst of those insufferable gnats?  And the same to whatever the hell that strange “Nan” is? Irritating mouse, too squeaky…perhaps this cat with the strange name will help…

Godric quelled a chilling grin and then a true smile slowly began brightening his young face.

Tonight. 

My child returns to me tonight.  Well, knowing Eric…more likely mere moments before the sun’s rising…impulsive brat…wonder if he will arrive with a bag of laundry tossed over his shoulder?

I would not put it by him…should meet him at the door with a bag filled with quarters and directions to the nearest laundry…

He had to chuckle at the likely expression on Eric’s face.

And how odd – he will bring with him a female to apparently be treated as an honored guest.  Oh, my Eric…of course he did not say so in as many words, but the words he did use…and the ones he did not…  Yes, she is to be treated as an honored guest.  And she brings a cat!

…a cat named Tina, of all things.  Why would this feline be named Tina?  Is it short for something?  Constantina?  Milatina?  Zanatina?  I could see a feline bearing that name if a human name must be had. 

He bounced the pen on the desk in a manner known to annoy Stan…which was why he sometimes did it.

Does she have any particularly human tendencies I should know of to require a human’s moniker?  Perhaps she…no, only the dual-natured would be able to speak, and even then only in their human forms…  But she must have some sort of human qualities, else why is she bearing a human’s name?

So strange…  Modern naming conventions escape me.

At least this third guest’s needs have been met…those boxes for her bodily functions, the…what was it…cat litter?  I understood litter to be the things slothful humans toss from vehicle windows and leave at camping sites?  Is that what cats use now?  That would be a good use for such rubbish.  Who knows…in my day they used dirt, sand, soil freshly turned for the gardens…and sometimes bedclothes for their many mouth emissions…filthy little devils with that…  Soft, though. 

And they purr as I can.

How long has it been since I last purred?

Godric gave the tired pen a break and reactivated his phone to check the time as though it would tell him how many centuries had passed since he’d last had cause to purr.

Who knows…likely centuries…but he assures me this feline is more evolved than the usual sort, and quite pretty, too.

I used to enjoy pets…the feline and canine versions, at least.   Was quite friendly with a herd of deer, once, in the day times.   Ahh, dogs…sadly far too sensitive to my species’ predatory tendencies.  Cats, though…cats don’t care.  Little whiskers and tiny little paws…  They like a gentle hand to ignore, and a kind voice…also to ignore… Someone to curl against while chasing little rodents in their dreams… 

Cats were…  It will be…nice…to have one around again.

Reminds me…has corded wood been delivered for the fireplaces?  Modern heating and cooling systems are fine conveniences but I miss the scent and pure warmth of a fire…too bad we’re so flammable.  Fine mesh metal fire screens – a brilliant invention…  Too bad it’s so warm here so often.

Did the Weres remember that paper for the toilets?  Eric has been most insistent…  And apparently fresh milk and a particular brand of coffee as well?  He seems terribly invested in seeing to this female’s comfort…

How long will they be staying?  He sounds as though he’s in no hurry to leave…do wonder if he will bring his laundry…would be just like the boy…  He had people for that but not if he…  And how long will she be staying?  Will she need more of this milk?  I should…

In a blur he grabbed his phone again but dialed his home instead of his child who was, apparently, still experiencing sensations of some sort.

*sigh*  That boy…apparently someone is leading him on a merry chase!  Unless he is at that bar of his…could be…

After waiting impatiently for the damn thing to ring two whole times, the Were in charge of caretaking for his newly revitalized home answered.

With more good humor than he felt, the lady patiently answered his every question as Godric once again reviewed the preparations for his child’s return and ensured that the guests’ requirements would be more than adequately met.

Yes, the cat’s needs had been thoroughly seen to as had the human’s nutritional needs including all manner of foods and drinks.  Yes, snacks and breakfast items had also been purchased and put away.

And yes, season-appropriate clothing had been secured from his child’s main storage unit and freshened, folded, and put away in his soon-to-be-reoccupied quarters…as had the vast quantity of new items forwarded by Pam for his use.

Yes, the also vast number of purchases forwarded by Pam on the young lady’s behalf had been taken straight to said young lady’s room for her to open and decide upon at her convenience.

Yes, the two other sets of matching luggage had also been tucked away in the young lady’s walk-in closet.

Yes, additional bed coverings had been placed conveniently should the human need them.

Yes, cat beds of varying sizes and toys of interesting design and texture had been scattered about in various rooms for the cat’s convenience.

And yes, if the Sheriff would like to know, generally necessary items including but not limited to bathing products that a young lady may require in the bathroom – it had taken him eons to stop considering the toilet room separate from the bathing room as such facilities were apparently now usually placed in one room – had been purchased and placed where appropriate.

That was when Godric decided the loyal caretaking staff deserved a remarkable bonus indicative of his gratitude.

Along with fair salaries and a generous housekeeping budget, he had given them an ever-growing list of instructions meant to make the house comfortable for one returning member of his family and two guests – one human female, and one feline female.  Beyond that, he had given them freedom to “do what would be needed”.  Thankfully, they had thus far surpassed his expectations.

At least he did not have to consider too deeply a human female’s bathroom…restroom, whatever,  necessities.

And Stan has the gall to mock the value of Weres loyal to me.  Never underestimate the value of those who have given you their loyalty.  Ah, Stan…  Not a bad sort…opinionated…loyal…painfully, annoyingly loyal…rude and insolent, yes, but steadfast and valuable to the Area and to the Kingdom. Courageous and faithful to a fault…but…so many faults.  Hmmm, perhaps the telepath and the…”expressive” Cowboy Vampire Lieutenant should consider not meeting…

Godric stared at his closed door for a moment then summoned Stan via the headquarters’ intercom.

The only member of his staff who knew of his child’s return was his First Lieutenant, Isabel, but even she didn’t know of the girl’s telepathy.  Had Eric been arriving alone, there would be no reason to keep his coming private, especially as he most likely would have housed the boy at his Sheriff’s base for convenience anyway, but as he would be bringing a gifted human female…especially one said to smell “divine”…

Within moments Stan arrived filled with his signature brand of loudly effervescent bonhomie…and left filled with even louder effervescence and good cheer at the unexpected gift of a three-week vacation.

Three weeks without this braggadocio – I should have considered this before…!  This Sookie…what a name…would most likely not step foot in the Area’s main offices-slash-nesting area, but why take the chance? Eric had suggested that perhaps she might prove helpful with that rising pseudo-religious cult…but I could not the such ask this of her…too dangerous…but if she did somehow become involved, unfortunately here is where she might find herself.  Far better to send Stan away for a bit…far quieter, too…

Deeds done, Godric checked over his detested paperwork one last time.  As far as he could tell, everything possible had been taken care of or prepared for the next month.   Isabel had her own duties, but she could certainly handle the night-to-night bits that tended to pop up unexpectedly, and it wasn’t as though he, himself, planned on leaving the Area – just the Area residence.

But one never knew…always better to be prepared.  My residence in this part of the state isn’t so far away…just far enough to be inconvenient on a nightly basis…which is the point, of course…discourage the masses…

As he readied his messenger bag to unofficially vacate his office for the next week or three, he found he didn’t mind leaving at all.  He in fact enjoyed spending time and going to his rest in his residence outside the city.  Only, after a short amount of time passed, he tended to find the place a bit too…quiet.

Still.

Haunting as memories of more jovial times came to visit…

That, however, would not be the case come morning!

By the sun’s rising, he would be surrounded by the chaos – the deeply loving, sometimes aggravating but always fiercely loyal chaos – that was his sometimes playful and rarely too quiet son.

He would rest easy this day.

Once parked in his light-safe garage, he entered the house and listened for any remaining Weres.  He had engaged two of the highly-vetted Pack ladies – an older Wolf named Lena and her much younger niece Sallah – to live in the nicely appointed apartment above the light-safe garage for the duration of the human telepath’s stay.  As he approached the entrance to the vampire parking area, he had spotted their vehicles in the general parking area and was glad they were already on site for the night.

A bit of concentration proved that they were in their quarters but he didn’t care to listen further to know if they slept yet or not.  If he needed them for some reason, he would simply call upon them.  The house had been fitted with an intercom system during one of its security upgrades…and during yet another so-called “upgrade” insisted upon by Isabel, he had tasked the design team with repurposing the area they were now using.   He hadn’t known that an apartment might be needed, but had, as always, trusted his gut.

The house was rife with the smells of mortal activity – Were body and cleaning product scents were everywhere, cooking odors ran rampant in the kitchen, and what his nose led him to discover was the cat’s litter, which resembled Zen gardens, in various boxes placed here and there about the house.

It was nice, he decided as he descended the stairs to the light-safe level.  He very rarely allowed the general staff entrance into this area – a thorough cleaning twice a year was more than adequate, and it wasn’t as though he didn’t know how to operate a washer and dryer.

He did.

He simply chose not to and opted to have others tend to his laundry.  He even knew that the machines for such were located somewhere off the mortal’s kitchen…

The same service that saw to the blood needs of those in his “nest” wishing for an uneventful feed saw to his own with easily scheduled deliveries.  Knowing his son’s appetite and not knowing if the telepath also served as a donor, he had traveled to his home with a rather large delivery just the previous night

Better safe than sorry…and besides, I’ll even need to drink, too, if I’m to be around a “deliciously scented” human.

And he certainly knew how to wash and air dry the glasses he used to heat up his blood in the heating box located in the lower kitchen used for blood meals.

Godric stopped by his lower level office to drop off his bag before heading to his own quarters.

Once inside his private living room, he immediately kicked off his shoes and watched as they landed in the small pile accumulating near the door.  A check of his watch proved he had some time to waste before Eric and the others arrived, so with a secretive smirk he padded over to the set-in, barely discernible cabinet near the large-screen tv.

Electric or Wii…decisions, decisions…well, with the Weres above the garage…a great way to deal with the anticipation of his arrival, yes?

In a blur he had everything hooked up and his headphones on…even if they wouldn’t remain on his head for long once he began.  He grabbed his Wii and, with ease of much practice, quickly selected Metallica’s One – on repeat.

Time enough to grind out an intense air guitar session before they descend…

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**A/N:  Ok, so there’s a wee peek into Godric’s mind and life.  Yup, he’s definitely a brooding vampire – a phone-holding, pen tapping, private air-guitar playing, shoe hating enigma of a brooding vampire – just how we like him, eh?**

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